2015 AUDI A3 seat adjustment

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>

down. For this reason, the armrest should not
be folded down when driving in city traffic.
The arm rest can slide forward and back.
There is a storage compartment under the
armrest .
Rear center armrest
Applies to vehicles : wit h rear center armrest
The storage compartment and cupholder are
integrated in the armrest.
Fig. 45 Rear armrest
Folding the armrest down
~ Tilt the armrest all the way down .
Opening the storage compartment
~ Lift the cover on the upper rim.
For more information on the use of the cu­
pholders, see¢
page 57 .
Head restraints
Front head restraints
Applies to vehicles : wit h adjustab le head restra ints
Fig. 46 Front seat : adjusting standard head restraints
Seats and storage 55
Applies to vehicles with super sport seats* (no
illustration): The head restraints are integrat­
ed in the backrest and cannot be adjusted.
Adjusting standard head restraints
Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge
i s as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust as
close to this position as possib le. Push the
head restraint as close as possible to the back
of the head.
~ To move the head restraint up or forward,
slide it until it locks into place.
~ To move the head restraint down or back,
press the side button -arrow-¢
fig. 46 and
slide the head restraint until it locks into
place .
Refer to ¢
page 12 5, Proper adjustment of
head restraints
for guidelines on how to ad­
just the height of the front head restraints to
su it the occupant's body size.
A WARNING
-Driving without head restraints or with
head restra ints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
tal neck injury dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ page 12 5, Proper adjustment of head
restraints
(D Tips
Correct ly adjusted head restraints and
safety belts are an extreme ly effective
combina tion of safety features.
, Rear head restraints
Fig . 47 Outer rear head restraint s: release point
-

56 Seats and storage
If there are passengers in the rear seat, fold
the head restraints up on the occupied seats
at least to the next notch ¢
A.
Adju sting head re stra ints
"' To move the head restraint up, hold it at the
s ides with both hands and slide it upward
until you feel it click i nto place.
,,. To move the head restraint down, press the
button ®<=>
fig. 4 7 and slide the head re­
stra int downward.
R emoving the head r estraints
To remove the head restraints, the backrest must be folded forward partially.
,,. Remove the screwdrive r from the vehicle
tool kit¢
page 247.
,,. Re lease the backrest¢ page 61.
,,. Press the@ button ¢ fig. 47 and move the
head restraint upward as far as it can go
<=> A .
,,. Place the screwdriver in position ® in the
opening, press the button @ and pull the
head restraint out of the backrest at the
same time ¢_&. .
,,. Fold the backrest down until it latches se­
c ur ely ¢
A in Increasing the size of the lug­
gage compartment on page 61.
In sta lling th e he ad re st raints
To install the head restraints, the backrest must be folded forward partially .
,,. Release the backrest¢
page 61.
,,. Slide the posts on the head restraint down
i nto the guides until you feel the posts click
into place . You should not be ab le to pu ll
the head rest raint out of the backrest.
,,. Fold the backrest down unt il it latches se­
c urely ¢
A in Increasing the size of the lug­
gage compartment on page 61 .
&_ WARNING
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
<=> page 125, Proper adjustment of head
restraints
- Only remove the rear seat head restraints
when necessary in order to install a chi ld seat. Install the head restraint again im­
mediately once the ch
ild seat is removed.
Driving with the head restraints removed
or head restra ints not i n the highest po­
sition increases the risk of serious injury .
Socket
Applies to vehicles: wit h socket
Electrical accessories can be connected in the
12 volt socket.
-·- ,-,- ,~ ,- -
' ' -i--
•
Fi g. 4 8 Ce nte r co nsol e: fro nt/r ear 12 vo lt sock et
Fig . 49 Lu ggage compa rtm ent s ide t rim panel : 12 vol t
socket* (example)
,,. Remove the plug from the center console
socke t
c:> fig. 48, or
,,. Open the cover on the luggage compart ­
ment socket* ¢
fig. 49.
"'I nsert the plug fo r the electrical device into
t he socket.
T he 12 volt socket can be used for electrical
accessor ies. The power consumpt io n at the
outlet must not exceed 120 watts.
&_ WARNING
The socke t works only whe n the ign ition is
switched on . Incorrect usage can lead to
serious inj uries or burns. To reduce the risk
of injuries, never leave chi ldren
~

68 Warm and cold
through a t unnel or when sitting in traffic
c:;> &. .
The 1- 1 button, IAUTO I or the~ button
sw itches recircu lation mode off.
The system switches to recircu lat ion mode
when dr iving in reverse when the engine is
cold .
.8, WARNING
You should not use the rec irculat ion mode
for an extended period since no fresh air is drawn in. With the air -conditioning sw itch ­
ed off, the windows can fog up, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
Adjusting the air vents
Fi g. 62 Cockp it: adjust ing the air vents
Fig. 6 3 (Ca nada ve hicles on ly) A ir ve nts: ad justing the
a irflow sett ing A) D iffused B) Direct
The follow ing settings are possibler=> fig. 62:
- @ Air flow amount
- @ Air flow d irect io n
- @
(Canada vehicles only) Air flow settings
(diffused or direct)
To adjust the
air flow amount , turn the ridged
outer adjusting r ing (D r=>
fig. 62. To stop the air flow, turn the adjusting ring a
ll the way to
the right.
T o adj ust the
air flow direction , turn the air
ven t grill insert @.
(Canada vehicles only) To adjust the air flow
se tting s,
pull o r press the m iddle adjustment
ring @
c::> fig. 62:
-Diffu sed air flow (indirect @): Press the
m iddle adjustment ring in lightly
c::> fig . 63.
- Dir ect
air flow (straight @): Pull the center
adjustment ring out lightly
c::> fig . 63 .
Rear window defogger
When a funct ion is switched on, the L ED in
the~ button for ma nual climate co ntrol
c::> page 65, fig. 60 and au toma tic climate con­
tro l
c::>page 66, fig. 61 tu rns on . If the rear
window defogger is act ivated when the igni­
tion is switched on, the battery management
determines based on the battery charge if it is
poss ible to turn on. Otherw ise, the rear win­
dow defogger funct ions with the eng ine run­
ning and switches off automatically after ap­
proximate ly 10 -20 minutes, depending on
the outside temperatu re.
To p revent the rear window defogger from
switching off automatically, press and hold
the~ (word REAR*) button for more than two
seconds. This remains s to red up to approxi­
mately 15 minutes after turning off the igni ­
tio n.
Seat heating
Applies to veh icles : w it h sea t heat ing
The seat heating has three leve ls. T he select­
ed heating level is indicated by the LEDs in the
button (manua l climate control)
c::> page 65,
fig. 60,
(automatic climate control)
c::> page 66, fig . 61 .
.,. To switch the seat heating on, press the [li
button once .
.,. To switch to a lower level , press the
[li but­
ton again .
.,. To switch the seat heating off, press the
lll
button repeatedly unt il the LED turns off . ..,.

70 Driving
Driving
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel position
The steering wheel position is fully adjustable
up and down and forward and bock .
Fig. 64 Steering column: steering column adjustment
lever
.. Tilt the lever¢ fig. 64 downward ¢ &_.
.. Bring the steering wheel into the desired
position .
.. Push the lever against the steering column
until it latches .
_& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only
when the veh icle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel¢
page 122, fig. 109 . If
you cannot maintain this minimum dis­
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you properly.
- If phys ica l limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check w ith your au­
thorized Aud i dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is availab le .
- If the steering wheel is alig ned with your
face, the supplemental driver's airbag cannot p rovid e as much protectio n in an
accident. Always make sure that the steer
ing whee l is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock
Depending on the model, your vehicle has the
follow ing equipment:
- Mechanical ignition key
c::> page 70 or
- Convenience key
c::> page 73
Starting and stopping
the engine (vehicles
with an ignition lock)
Starting the engine with the key
App lies to vehicles: wit h mechanica l igni tio n loc k
The ignition is switched on and the engine
started with the key in the ignition.
Fig. 65 Ignit ion key positio ns
Steering wheel lock
If the steering wheel will not turn, the steer­
ing lock is engaged .
To engage the steering wheel lock: The selec­
tor lever must be in the P position (automatic
transmission*). ..,.

Driving safety
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, ch ild restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is fo r us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this sect ion - for yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section app lies to all
model ve rsions of your vehicle . Some of the
feat ures described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dea ler.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it eas ily if you have
questions.
- Always adjust your speed to the weather
traffic and conditions. Follow the speed
limits.
- Always drive in such a way that you can
stop your vehicle safely .
- Always adjust your speed to the general
flow of traffic. Fo llow the speed limits.
Dri ving sa fe ty 12 1
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance . Advances in
techno logy have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
acc ident. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in yo ur Audi :
- sophisticated safety be lts fo r driver and all
passenger seating posit ions,
- safety belt pretens ioners for the front seats,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for
the front seats ,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags with ejection mitigation
features,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- adjustab le steering col umn.
- Pre sense basic* (preventat ive passenger
protection)
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to he lp protect you and
you r passenge rs in a wide range of accide nts .
T hese features canno t work as a system if
they a re not always cor rectly adjus ted and co r­
r ect ly used.
Saf ety is e ve ryb ody 's res ponsibil ity!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job ! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers,
b efor e dr iving alwa ys:
.,. Make sure that all lig hts and signals are op­
erati ng correctly . •
•
•