Safety belts
_&. WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be fore driving off and make sure all passen
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
- 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 vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts
over rigid or breakable ob-
jects 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 hard
ware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter
fere with correct positioning of belts and re
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci
dent . Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
112
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen. Anchorages that were loaded must al
so 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 func
tion of the inertia reel¢
table Interior
cleaning on page 193.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 110 Be lt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly¢
page 44, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
q ,&. .
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis¢ ,&. .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle. .,,_
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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 120 In fla ted side airbags o n left s ide of v ehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex
pands between the side trim panel and the pas
senger . In order to help provide this add itiona l
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The s upplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not p roper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap
plies especially to childre n
¢ page 13 7, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inf late be
tween the occupant and the door panel on the side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
collis ion
¢ fig . 120 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle .
Airbag sys tem
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must
know and act according ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplementa l
pro tect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of ser ious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight posi tion and never
lean against the area where the supp le
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Neve r let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the s upplementa l side airbag
inflates.
- Always make s ure tha t safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting 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 replacement
upholste ry over the front seatbacks that
have not been specif ically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer .
-
-Objects between you and the a irbag can in
crease the r is k of injury in an a cciden t by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds o r _,.
133
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registered by the control unit is high enough . If
this rate is below the referenc e va lue program
med into the contro l unit, the side curtain 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 poss ible a ngle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be
tween one coll is ion and another. Impo rtant fac
tors incl ude , fo r example , the nature (ha rd or
soft) of the impacting object , the ang le of im
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
¢ page 135, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal s afety function, safe ty
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion .
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for yo ur
safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . Th is is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts ,
n ot j ust because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 109, General information .
It is important to remember that while the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other i njuries,
for example, swel ling, b ruising, and m ino r abra
sions can a lso be associated w ith these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and only in certa in kinds of acc iden ts -your
safety be lts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
- T he elec tronic contro l module and external side
impact sensors
- T he side c urtain airbags above the front and
rea r side windows with ejection mitigation fea
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is f unct ion ing properly at all
Airb ag sys tem
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicato r light wi ll come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
- if the ignition is turned off,
- in side co ll isions when the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts an d the airbag system will only
p rovide protec tion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing position
¢ page 44,
Front seats.
- If the ai rbag ind ic a tor light~ page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re
strained .
Fig. 122 Illust ration of pr incip le: Inflated s ide curta in air
bags o n the le ft s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i-
cle that is struck in a side collision
¢ fig . 122.
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 order
liJ,
135
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(D Note
Protect the vehicle battery against freezing if
the vehicle will be parked for long periods of time so that it is not destroyed by "freezing"
c;,page 169. Make sure that the vehicle bat
tery is charged.
@) For the sake of the environment
¥ Batteries contain polluting substances such
as sulfuric acid and lead. Contact an author
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility for more information .
Charging the vehicle battery
Applies to: Q3
Fig. 145 Engine compartment: connections for a charg er
and jump start cables
Requirement : only use chargers with a maximum
charging current of 30 amps/14.8 Volts .
The ve
hicle battery cables remain connected.
The battery is located in the engine compart
ment. The ground point
0 is always located on
the vehicle body .
.,. Read the warnings
c;, .&. in General warnings
about batteries on page 168
and c;, .&, .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical equip-
ment .
.,. Open the hood
c;, page 161 .
.,. Fold the battery cover upward c;, fig. 145 .
.,. Clamp the terminal clamps on the charger cor
rectly onto the ground point
0 and the positive
terminal
0 .
.,. Now insert the power cable for the charging de
vice into the socket and switch the device on.
.,. Switch the charger off and pull the power cable
out of the socket .
Checking and Filling
.,. Now remove the charging device terminal
clamps.
.,. Close the battery cover.
.,. Close the hood
c;, page 161.
A WARNING
-- A highly explosive mixture of gases can form
when charging batteries. Only charge the
veh icle battery in well-ventilated areas.
- A drained battery can freeze at tempera
tures around 32 °F (0 °C) . A frozen or
thawed vehicle battery must not be charged
and must not be used anymore . The battery
housing can crack and battery acid can leak
out if ice forms, which increases the risk of
an explosion and chemical burns. Contact an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for more information.
- Do not connect or disconnect the charging
cable while charging because this increases
the risk of an explosion.
@ Tips
- Only charge the vehicle battery through the
connections in the engine compartment.
- Read all of the manufacturer's instructions
for the charger before charging the vehicle
battery.
Windshield washer system
Fig. 146 Engine compar tmen t: win ds hiel d washer flu id
re servoir
M N
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The windshield washer fluid reservoir W contains
the cleaning solution for the windshield and the rear window
c;, page 162, fig . 140, . The reservoir
capacity can be found in
c;,page 216. .,.
169
Check ing and F illing
To reduce the risk o f lime sca le deposits on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium. A lways add window cleaner to the wa
ter. When the outs ide temperatures are cold, an
anti-freezing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze.
@ Note
-The concentration of anti-freezing agent
must be adjusted to the vehicle operating
cond itions in t he respective climate. A con
centration that is too high can lead to veh i
cle damage.
- Never add rad iator anti-freeze or other add i
tives to the washe r fluid .
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, beca use this cou ld damage
the pa int.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve
hicle is due for service.
The se rvice interva l disp lay works in two stages:
- Inspection o r oil change reminder : after acer-
ta in d istance is driven, a message appears in
the instrument cluster d isp lay every t ime the
ignition is sw itched on . T he remain ing distance
o r time is d isp layed b riefly.
- In spection or oil change due : if you r vehicle
has reached an inspection o r oi l change interval
o r both intervals at the same time, the mes
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and in spection due!
a ppears br iefly a f
ter switching the ignition on .
Checking service intervals
You can check the rema ining distance o r time un
til the next oil change o r next inspection.
- Se lect: the
ICARI function button > (Car ) Sys
tems *
contro l button > Servicing & checks >
Ser vice interval display .
Resetting the indicator
Your author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility will reset the serv ice interval dis
p lay after pe rforming serv ice.
170
If you have changed the oi l yourself, yo u must re
set the oi l change interval.
Perform the fo llow ing to reset t he d isp lay:
- Select: the
I CARI funct io n button > (Car) Sy s
tem s*
control button > Serv icing & check s >
Service interval di splay . Turn the contro l knob
downwa rd to
Re set oil change int erval and
press the control knob .
(D Note
-On ly reset t he oil change ind icator if the oi l
was changed.
- Following the se rvic e interva ls is cr itica l to
ma inta ining the se rvice life and val ue of
yo ur vehicle, es pecially the eng ine. Even if
the mileage on the ve hicl e is low, do not ex
ceed t he time fo r the next service .
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Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi
cle's value. It can a lso be a requirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility . Read and follow the instruc
tions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
- Us ing clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
- Always store clean ing and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the r isk of po i
son ing .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably purchase env ironmenta lly-friend
l y cleaning products.
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and care
products with household trash.
Car washes
T he longer that deposits remain on the vehicle,
the more the surface may be damaged. High
temperatures such as those caused by sunlight increase the damag ing effect.
Befor e washing, rinse
off heavy depos its with
p lenty of water.
S tubborn depos its such as bird droppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a
microfiber cloth.
A lso, wash t he un derside of yo ur vehicle once
road sa lt stops being used for the season .
Pressure washers
When washing your ve hicle w ith a pressure wash
e r, a lways fo llow the operating instructions pro
vided wi th the p ressure washer. This is especially
i mportant in rega rd to the pressure and sp raying
d istance . Do not aim the spray directly at seals on
side windows, doors, the hood, the luggage com-
Ca re and cleaning
partment lid or the panorama glass roof* or at
tires, rubber hoses, insulating material, sensors *
o r camera lenses* . Keep a distance of at least 16
in
(40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use cone nozz les o r high press ure nozzles .
T he water temperatu re must not be above
140 °F
(60 °().
Automatic car washes
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make s ure that the windows and roo f* are closed
and the windshie ld wipers are
off . Follow instruc
tions from the car wash ope rator, 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 hicl e starting from the top and wor k
i ng down using a soft sponge o r cleaning br ush.
U se solven t-free cleaning produ cts.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
T o avo id damag ing the pa int w hen washi ng, fi rst
remove dust and large pa rticl es from you r vehi
cle . Insects, grease spots and fingerprints are
best removed w ith a special cleaner for matte
finish paint.
Apply t he product using a microf iber cloth . To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoroug hly w ith wate r. Then
cl ean usi ng a neutral shampoo and a soft micro
fiber cloth .
Rinse the ve hicl e thorough ly aga in and let it air
dry. Remove any wate r residue using a chamois.
WARNING
-On ly wash the vehicle when the ign ition is
off and follow the instr uctions from the car
191
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Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, repair
w ith touch up pa int
c;,poge 215
Spilled fuel Rinse with wate r immediately
Surface rust Rust remover, then protect with hard wax; for questions,
consult an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv-
ice Facility.
Corrosion Have
it removed by an authorized Audi dea ler or author-
ized Audi Service Facility.
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even though Treat with su itable polish; then apply paint protectant if
paint has been pro- the polish that was used does not contain any protectant
tected/paint looks poor
Deposits such as in -Dampen with water immediately and remove w ith a micro-
sects, bird droppings, fiber clloth
tree sap and road salt
Grease-based con- Remove
immediat ely with a mild soap so lution
al and a
taminants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sunblock
Carbon parts Depos its clean the same way as painted parts c;, page 191
a) Mild soap solution: max im um two tablespoons of neutral soap in 1 quar t (1 liter) of water
Interior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Deposits Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative parts/ Deposits Mild soap solutiona>
Trim
Plastic parts
Deposits Damp cloth
He avier deposits Mild soap solution a), detergent-free plastic clean ing solu-
tion, if necessary
Oisplays/instru -Deposits Soft
cloth with LCD cleaner
ment cluster
Controls
Deposits Soft brush, then a soft
cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Safety belts Deposits Mild
soap solution al, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
193
Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Te xtil es
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
artifi cial le ather , the surface
Alcan tara Water-based depos- Absorbent cloth and mild soap
solutional
its such as coffee,
tea, blood, etc.
O il-based deposits Apply a mild soap solution a), blot away the dissolved oil o r
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such Special sta ,in remover, blot with absorbent material, treat
as ink, na il polish, la- afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary al
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Natural leather Fresh stains Wool cloth with a m
ild soap solutional
Water-based depos- Fresh stains: absorbent cloth its such as coffee, dried sta ins: stain remover suitable fo r leather
tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable for
such as oil, make-up, leather
etc. dried sta
ins: oil clean ing sp ray
Special deposits such Spot remover suitable for leather
as ink, nai l polish, la -
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Ca re Regularly apply cond itioning cream tha t protects from light
a nd penetr ates into the ma ter ial. Use spec ia lly-co lored con -
ditioning cream, i f necessary.
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
a) Mild soap sol ution: maxim um two tablesp oons of neutral soap in 1 quart (l liter) of water
_& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be trea ted with w a
ter-repelling windshield coating agents. Un
favorable conditions s uch as wetness, dark
ness, or low sun can result in increased glare .
Wiper blade chatter is also possib le.
(D Note
- Headlights/tail light s
-Never clean headlights or ta il lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning p roduct that con
tains alcohol, because they cou ld cause
cracks to form.
- Wheels
194
-
- Never use any paint polish or other abra
sive materials.
- Damage to the protect ive layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches must
be repaired immediately.
- Sensors /camera lenses
- N ever use wa rm or ho t wa ter to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could ca use the lens to crack .
- N eve r use abrasive cleaning m aterials or
a lcohol to clea n the camera lens . This
could cause scratches and c racks .
-Door windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terior mirrors with a plast ic scraper. To