2015 AUDI A3 window

128 Driving safety
-Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
~ page 121.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof",
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended, es­
pecially with the luggage compartment
lid left open. A child could crawl into the
vehicle through the luggage compart­
ment and close the rear lid becoming
trapped and unable to get out. Being
trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
-
'
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
~ page 229.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly ~
page 12 7, Loading th e luggage com­
par tment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .S kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying ..,_

134 Safety belts
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
,.. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
,.. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving
off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person , in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­ ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i­
tion . -
Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If web­
bing, bindings, buck les, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au ­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer . Replace­
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inert ia reel
c::> ta­
ble Internal cleaning on page 203.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 117 B elt buck le and to ngue o n th e drive r's se at

152 Airbag sys te m
sudden maneuver. Objects near the
air bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when t he s eat is re­
cl in ed .
- Never place or trans port objects on the
front passenger seat. Obj ects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca­
pacitive sensor in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a person when it in fa ct is not, o r th at
the person on the sea t is he avie r than he
or she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance because of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
t u rned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenge r seat that will
cause the capaci tive passenger detection
system in the s eat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that the seat is occupied by a
person when it is not, or to sign al that it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the person actually sitting on the seat . The prese nce of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
t u rned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
differe nt from the way it wou ld have
worked w it h out the object on the seat.
.&, WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags deploy
can ca use b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a hi story of ast hma o r othe r brea th ­
ing conditions.
- T o redu ce the r is k of breathing p rob lems,
th ose w it h asthma or o ther resp iratory
condit ions shoul d ge t fresh a ir right
away by gett ing out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irbags
dep loy, wash yo ur hands and face w ith
mild soap and water befo re eating. -
Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the resid ue s hould get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitor ing indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the
s ide airbags and side curta in a irbags w ith
eject ion mit igat ion features (including the
electron ic contro l unit, se nsors a nd system
wiring) are all mon itored continuously to
make su re that they are functioning p roperly
whenever the ignition is on. Eve ry time you
tu rn o n the ignition, the a irbag sys tem indica ­
tor light II will come on fo r a few seconds
(funct ion check) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II:
- does not come on when the igni tion is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flashing to
catch t he d rive r's attent io n and the n stay on
conti nuously to serve as a constant rem inder
to have the sys tem inspected immed iate ly.
If a malfunction occurs that tu rns the front
airbag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay
o n wheneve r th e ign it io n is on.

162 Airbag system
-Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other passengers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
¢ page 166, Child Safety.
-Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing air pressure in­
side the doors when air escapes through
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­ moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.

Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants .
Fig. 130 Side cu rt ain airbags , d ri ver 's side : side curtain
air bag lo cat ion
The s ide cur tain airbags a re located on both
sides of the inte rior above the front and rear
side w indows ¢
fig. 130. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on t he windshie ld
frame and the center roof pi llar.
The s ide cur tain airbags contain features that
prov ide e jection m itigation to he lp prevent ve­
h icle occupants or parts of their bodies from
being completely or partially ejected from the
ve hicle interior in certain side impacts and ve­
h icle rollovers.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants ' heads and upper
t orso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision . The side curta in a irbag in ­
flates in s ide impacts and on ly when the veh i­
cle acce le rat ion reg istered by the contro l uni t
i s hig h enoug h. If th is rate is below the refe r­
e n ce value programmed into the con trol un it,
the side c urtain airbag will not be triggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the collision . It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will
cover every possible angle of impact, since the
circumstances will vary considerably betwee n
one collision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact ,
Airba g sy stem 163
vehicle speed, etc. ¢ page 164, How side cur ­
tain airbags work.
As ide from their normal safe ty fun ction, safe­
ty be lts wo rk to help keep the driver o r fron t
passenger in position in the event o f a colli ­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection .
T he airbag system is no t a subs tit ute for your
sa fety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle . A l­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
o nl y he lp to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is another reason why you should always wear
you r safety be lts, not just because t he law re­
quires you to do so ¢
page 131, General
notes.
It is important to remember that w hile the
s ide curtain airbag system is designed to help
r educ e the likelihood of ser ious injuries, othe r
injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing, fric­
t ion burns and minor ab ras ions c an also be as ­
sociated w ith these airbags upo n deploymen t.
Remember too, these air bags will deploy only
once and only in ce rtain kinds of accidents -
your safety be lts are a lways there to offer pro ­
tection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consist s of:
- The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows w ith ejection mitigation
features
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The a irbag system is monitored e lec tronically
to make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you sw itch on the ign ition,
the airbag system indicator light will come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The si de curtain airbag i s not activated:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the a cceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low ,

164 Airbag system
-in rear-end collisions .
~ WARNING
-Safety belts and the a.irbag system wi ll
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posit ion
q page 53, Front seats.
- If the airbag indicator light q page 21
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Aud i dealer . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
-
Fig. 131 Illustrat ion of p rinciple: Inf lated side cu rta in
airbags on the left side
The s ide curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
qfig. 131.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and w ith
g reat force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seat ing position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplementa l side curtain airbag inflates
. This applies especially to chi ldren
qpage 166.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wea ring safety belts and im­
proper seating pos it ion s increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the sid e curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in a colli­
sion.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on
the hooks .
- Only use factory -installed sun shades or,
if shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, use only genuine Audi
sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the
side windows if things such as pens, ga­
rage door openers, hands-free speakers,
-

192 Smart Technology
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tem­porarily sca led back or switched off . Heating
systems in particu lar require a great deal of
energy. I f you notice, for example, that the
seat heating* or rear window defroster is not
working, then it has been temporarily reduced
or sw itched off . These systems are available
again as soon as the energy ba lance has been
restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle
speed has slightly increased . That is normal
and no cause for concern . Due to the in­
creased idling speed, the additional required
energy will be generated and the battery will
be charged.

Caring and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
vehicle's val ue . It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro­
sion damage and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your a uthorized Audi dea ler . Read and
follow the instructions for use on the packag­
i ng.
A WARNING
- Us ing clean ing and care products incor­
rectly can be dangerous to your hea lth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the r isk
of po isoning.
-
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
care products with household trash.
Car washes
T he longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road sa lt rema in on the
veh icle, the more the surface can be dam­
aged . High tempe ratures such as those
caused by sunlight increase the cor rosive ef­
fect .
Before washing, rinse off heavy depos its with
p lenty of water .
Also, was h the underside of your ve hicle once
road salt stops be ing used for the season.
P ressure wash ers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always fo llow the operating instruc­
tions provided with the pressure washe r. T his
is especially important in regard to the pres ­
sure and spraying d istance. Do not aim the
spray directly at seals on side w indows, doors,
the hood, the rear lid or the sunroof* or at
Caring and cle anin g 201
tires, rubber hoses, insulating material, sen ­
sors * or camera lenses* . Keep a distance of at
l east 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a p ressure
washe r.
Neve r use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
z les.
T he wate r temperature must not be above
140
°F (60 °() .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the ve hicle before washing.
Make sure that the windows and roof * are
c losed and the winds hield wipers are off . Fol­
l ow instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent -free clean ing products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
T o avoid damaging the paint when washing,
f irst remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle . Insects, grease spots and finger­
prints are best removed with a spec ial cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply t he p rod uct using a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water . Then
clean using a neutra l shampoo and a soft mi ­
crofiber cloth .
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly again and le t it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn deposits such as bi rd d roppings o r
t ree sap are best removed w it h ple nty o f w a-
ter and a microfiber cloth . .,..
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