2015 AUDI A3 Owners Manual

-Do not use the wipers to clear a window
that is covered with frost. Using the wip­
ers as a convenient ice scraper will
destroy the wiper blades.
@ Tips
- The windshield wipers switch off when
the ignit ion is turned off. You can acti­
vate the windshield wipers after the igni­
tion is switched back on by moving the
windshield wiper lever to any pos ition.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
result in streaking. This can affect the
rain sensor funct ion. Check your wind­
sh ield wiper blades regularly.
- The washer fluid nozzles in the w ind­
sh ield washer system are heated" at low
temperatures when the ignit ion is on.
- When stopping temporarily, such as at a
traff ic light, the speed of the windsh ield
wipers automatically reduces by one lev­
el.
- The rain sensor can be switched on or off
i n the MMI in the
Dr iv er a ssistan ce
menu
Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Clean the wiper blades when you see wiper
streaks. Use a soft cloth and a glass cleaner.
... Place the w indshield wiper arms i n the serv­
ice position
¢ page 47.
... Fold the w indshield wiper arms away from
the windshie ld .
8_ WARNING
Dirty windshield wiper blades can impa ir
vision, which increases the risk of an acci­
dent.
(D Note
If you see streaks again after cleaning the
w iper blades, the b lades must be replaced
¢page 47.
Light s and Visi on 47
Replacing front windshield wiper blades
Fig. 37 Remov ing windshield wiper blades
Wipe r servic e posit io n/ blade re pla cement
po sition
... To bring the wipers into the service position,
turn the ignition off and move the wind­
shield w iper lever into pos ition @
¢ page 46, fig. 36.
... To bring the w ipers into the s tarting posi­
tion, turn the ign ition on and move the
windshie ld wiper lever into position @
¢ page 46, fig. 36 .
Removing the wiper blade
... Fold the windshield wiper arm away from
the windshield .
... Press the locking knob
(D ¢ fig . 3 7 on the
wiper blade . Hold the wiper blade firmly .
... Remove the wiper blade in the direction of
the arrow .
Installing the wiper blade
... Insert the new w iper blade into the mount
on the wiper arm @unti l you hear i t latch
into place .
... Place the wiper arm back on the winds hield.
... Turn the service position off.
8_ WARNING
For safety reasons, the windshield w iper
blades should be replaced once or tw ice
each year.
(D Note
- The windshield wiper blades must on ly
be folded away when in the service posi­
tion. Otherwise, you r isk damaging the
-
•

48 Lig hts an d Vi sion
paint on the hood or th e windshield wip­
er motor.
- You should not drive your vehicle or
press the windshield wiper lever when
the wiper arms are folded away from the
windshield . The windshield wipers would
move back into their original position
and could damage the hood and w ind­
shield .
- To help preven t damage to the wiper sys­
tem , always loosen blades which are fro­
zen to the windsh ield before ope rat ing
wipers .
- To he lp prevent damage to w iper blades,
do not use gasoline, ke rosene, pa int
th inner, or other so lvents on or near the
wiper blades.
- To he lp prevent damage to the wiper
arms or other components , do not at­
tempt to move the wipers by hand .
(D Tips
-Commercial hot waxes applied by auto­
matic car washes affe ct the cleanability
of the wi ndshield .
- You can also use the servic e pos ition, for
example , if you want to pro tect the
winds hield from i cing by using a cover .
- You cannot activate the service posit ion
when the hood is open.
Mirrors
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
F ig. 38 Driver's door: knob for th e exteri or mirro rs (e x·
amp le )
Turn the knob to the desired position : Q/P
-In this pos ition, yo u can adjust the
driver 's and front passenger 's exter ior mi rrors
by turning the knob in the desi red d irection.
4ill -The m irrors a re heated* depending on the
outside temperature and driv ing speed.
8 -The exter io r mir rors a re fo lded in* .
Front passenger's exterior mirror tilt
function*
T o he lp you see the curb when backing into a
parking space, the surface of the mir ror can
be ti lted s light ly. The knob must be in the P
pos ition for this to happen.
You can adjust the tilted m irror surface by
tu rning the knob in the desired d irect ion.
When you move out of reverse and into anoth ­
er ge ar, the new m irror position is s tored and
assigned to the key you a re using.
T he m irror goes ba ck into its orig inal position
once you drive forward fas te r than 9 mph
(15 km/h) o r turn the ignition off .
Folding mirrors in and out
To fold the mir ro rs in with the knob, turn the
k nob in the 8 position .
To fold the m irrors ou t, turn the knob in the
Q or P or O pos ition .
Applies to vehicles with MMI: You can adjust if
t h e mirrors fold when locking the vehicle
c> page 36. When you lock the vehicle, the
mir rors fo ld in. When you start the ignition,
t h e mirrors fold out .
A WARNING
-Curved mirror surfaces (convex o r asph e-
r ic *) enlarge the field of v is ion. However,
they ma ke objec ts in the mirror appe ar
smaller and fart her away . Your may es ti­
mate incorrect ly when you use t hese mir ­
rors to gauge yo ur distance from the
vehicles beh ind yo u when changing lanes -
accident r isk!

CD Note
-For vehicles with power folding exterior
mirrors *:
If the m irror housing was
moved by outside forces (such as an im­
pact w hen maneuvering), you must use
the power folding function to fold the mirro r all the way out. You will hear a
l oud noise when the mirrors are latched
back in place . T he mirror housing must
no t be moved back into place by hand
because th is would affe ct the mirror
mechanism.
- Applies to vehicles witho ut powe r fold­
ing exterior mirro rs :
If the mirror hous­
i ng was moved by o utside forces (s uch as
i n impact d uring maneuvering), you
must move the mirror housing back into
place by hand.
- If you wash the ve hicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
ro rs in to reduce the r isk of damage to
the mirrors . Never fold power foldi ng ex ­
te rior mirrors by hand . Only fold them in
and out using the power cont ro ls.
(D Tips
If the power adjustment fails, both mir­
rors can be adjusted by hand by pressing
on the edge of the mi rror surface.
Dimming the mirrors
Your vehicle is equipped with a manual or au­
tomatic* dimming rearview mirror .
Fig. 39 Au toma tic d imm ing rea rv iew mirr or•
Ligh ts and Visi on 49
Manu al dimming rearview mirror
.,. Pull the lever on the bottom of the m irror
back.
Automatic dimming rearview mirror*
.,. Press the button @. The indicator light @
t urns on . Th e rea rv iew and dr iver's exterior*
m irrors dim automatically when lig ht shines
on them, for ex ample from head lights on a
vehicle to the rear.
/! WARNING
Electro lyte fluid can leak from automatic
d imming mirrors if the glass is broken .
Electrolyte fluid can irritate skin, eyes and
respirato ry system.
- Repeated or prolonged exposure to e lec­
trolyte can cause irr itation to the respira­
tory system, especially among people
with asthma or o ther resp iratory condi­
tions. G et fresh air immediately by leav­
ing the vehicle o r, if that is no t possib le,
ope n w indows and doors all the way.
- I f ele ctrolyte gets into the eyes, flush
them thorough ly with large amou nts of
clean w ate r for at leas t 15 minu te s;
medical at tention is recommended.
- If electroly te con tacts skin, fl ush affect­
ed are a with clean wa ter fo r at le ast 15
minutes and then wash affected area
with soap and water ; medical attention
is recommended. Thoroughly wash af­
fected clothing and shoes before re use .
-If swallowed and person is conscious,
rinse mouth with water for at least 15
minutes. Do not induce vomiting unless
instructed to do so by med ica l professio­
nal. Get medical attention immediately .
CD Note
If the glass on an a utomat ic dimming mir­
ror breaks, electro lyte can leak out. This
li q ui d damages plastic surfaces. C lean this
l iqu id as qu ickly as possible with a wet
sponge .

50 Lights an d Vi sion
@ Tips
- If the light reaching the rearview mirror
i s obstructed, the automatic dimming
mirror will not function correctly,
- The automatic dimming mirrors do not
dim when the interior lighting is turned
on or the reverse gear is selected .
Digital compass
Switching the compass on and off
Applies to vehicles: with digital compass
Fig. 40 Re arv iew m ir ro r: d igit al c om pass act ivated
"To turn the compass on or off, press the but­
ton @unt il the compass in the mirror ap ­
pears or disappears .
The digi tal compass only works when the igni­
tion is turned on. The directions are indicated
with abbreviations :
N (north), NE (northeast),
E (east), SE (southeast), S (south), SW (south­
west),
W (west), NW (no rthwest) .
You must recalibrate the compass if it does not display the correct direction¢
page 50,
Calibrating the compass .
(D Tips
To prevent inaccurate compass readings,
do not bring any remote controls, electri­
cal devices or meta llic objects nea r the
m irror.
Adjusting the magnetic zone
Applies to vehicles: with digital compass
The magnetic zone mu st be adjusted correctly
for the compass to read accurately .
Fig. 41 North A meri ca: m agnet ic zo ne m ap
• Press and hold the button @ ¢ page 50,
fig . 40
until the number of the magnetic
zone appears in the rearv iew mirror .
• Press the button @ repea tedly to se lect the
correct mag netic zone . The se lec tion mode
turns
off after a few seconds .
Calibrating the compass
Applies to vehicles: with digital compass
You must recalibrate the compass if it does
not display the correct direction.
• Press and hold the button @ ¢ page 50,
fig . 40
u nti l a C appea rs in the rearview mir­
ror.
• Drive in a circle at about 5 mph (10 km/h)
until a direction is displayed in the rearv iew
m irror.
A WARNING
-- To avoid endangering yourse lf and other
drivers, calibrate the compass in an area
where there is no traffic .

-The digita l compass is to be used as a di­
rect ional aid only . Even though you may
want to look at it whi le you are driving,
you must st ill pay attention to traffic,
road and weather cond itions as well as
other poss ible hazards . Light
s and Visi on 5 1
•

52 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General information
Important information
& WARNING
Refer to the chapter Driving Safely
r::!>poge 121, Driving safety for important
information, t ips, suggestions and warn­
ings that you should read and follow for
your own safety and the safety of your pas­ sengers.
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system con
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats ore correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quickly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection
r::!> page 140.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child seat on the front pas­
senger's seat. Always follow the information regarding child safety provided in
r::!> page 166, Child Safety .
& WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the dr iver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal in jury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion - never p ut your
feet on top of the instrumen t panel, out of the window or on top of the seat c
ush­
ion. This applies espec ially to the passen­
gers. If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the risk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an accident .
If the
airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect, this could result in pe rsonal
inj ury or even death.
- It is important for both the drive r and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches ( 25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in ­
strument panel. If you're sitting any
closer than this, the airbag system can­ not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel o r instrument panel.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpectedly, caus­
ing sudden loss of veh icle cont ro l and
pe rsonal injury. If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are ou t
of posit ion .
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the dr iver's
seat in the fo llow ing manne r:
.. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees sl ightly bent
r::!> &. in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 52.
.. Ad just the bac krest so tha t when you sit
w ith your back against the backrest, you can
still hold the top of the steering wheel.
.. For adjustab le head restraints: adjust the
head restra int so the upper edge is as even
as poss ible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head ..,.

restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
q page 55 . Move the head re­
stra int so that it is as close to the back of
the head as possible .
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function. I n
case of sudden braking or an accident, you
would not be ab le to brake or acce lerate.
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position.
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three -point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the following manner :
• Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
pos ition.
D o not ride w ith the seat reclined.
• For adjustable head restraints : adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possib le with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
q page 55 . Move the head re­
straint so that it is as close to the back of
the head as possible.
• Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Sea ts a nd s to rage 53
Front seats
Manual seat adjustment
App lies to vehicles: with manually adjustab le seats
Fig . 42 Fro nt seat: man ual seat adjustment
(D-Moving the seat forward/back : pull the
lever and slide the seat.
@-Lengthening/shortening the upper thigh
support*:
lift the handle.
@ -Adjust ing the a ngle of the seat surface*:
pull/press the lever.
@ -Adjusting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the des ired direction.
® -Moving the seat up/down: pull/press the
lever .
®-Adjust ing the backrest angle : turn the ad­
justing wheel.
A WARNING
-Only adjust the front seat with whe n the
veh icle is stationary. Otherwise, this in­
creases the risk of an accident
- Exerc ise caution when adjusting the seat
he ight. Ad justing the seat care lessly or
without check ing can p inch hands and
fingers .
- The front seat backrests must be not tilt­
ed too far bac k when driving, because
this affects the effective ness of the safe­
ty belts and airbag system, which in­
creases the risk of injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden braking o r accident, front pas­
sengers must never ride in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
be lts and the airbag system only offer

54 Seats and storage
maximum protection when the backrest
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body. The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.
Power seat adjustment
Appl ies to vehicles: with power a djustable seats
Fig. 43 Front seat: power seat adjustment
@-Adjusting the lumbar support: press the
button in the desired direction.
@-Moving the seat up/down: press the but­
ton up/down . To adjust the front seat cushion,
press the front button up/down. To adjust the
rear seat cushion, press the rear button up/
down .
@-Moving the seat forward/back: press the
button forward/back.
©-Adjusting the backrest angle: press the
button forward/back.
@-Lengthening/shortening the upper thigh
support*: lift the handle.
.&_ WARNING
- Only adjust the front seat with when the
vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, this in­
creases the risk of an accident
- The power adjustment for the front seats
also works with the ignition switched off
or with the ignition key removed. For this
reason, children should never be left un­
attended in the vehicle -they could be in­
jured! -
Exerc ise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Unsupervised or careless seat ad­
justment can pinch fingers or hands
causing injuries .
- The front seat backrests must be not tilt­
ed too far back when driving, because
this affects the effectiveness of the safe­
ty belts and airbag system, which in­
creases the risk of injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or accident, front pas­
sengers must never ride in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
belts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the backrest
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body. The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.
Front center armrest
App lies to vehicles: wit h front cente r armrest
The center armrest con be adjusted to several
levels.
Fig. 44 A rmr est between the driver's/fro nt passenger's
seats
.. To adjust the ang le, raise the armrest
¢ fig. 44 notch by notc h.
.. To bring the armrest back down, raise it out
of the top notch and fold it back down . Then
lift the armrest to the desired position, if
necessary .
Please note that the driver 's arm movements
may be restricted with the armrest folded
Ill>