2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN ABS

Airbag syste m
-If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
t ing s ideways or out of pos ition in any way,
your risk of injury is much h igher.
- You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced
Airbag ¢ page 269.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously inju red and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to tu rn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas ­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely g uaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­ ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or infant carrier w ith great force and will
smash the ch ild seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door, or roof .
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild re­
straints on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional c ircumstances and the
PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child seat in a rea r seating position
and have the airb ag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in ­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward -facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag.
276
-
- Never put the fo rward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as poss ible, before installing the for­
ward-f acing chi ld restrain t.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to o r in fron t of the child rest raint
so th at the s afety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Always make sure th at there is noth ing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitt ing on the seat . The presence of addi­
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a
way th at is differen t from the w ay it wou ld
have worked without the objec t on the seat .
- Ma ke sure th at the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These pa rts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wir ing, brackets,
and more . T he control unit monitors the system
o n the front passenger seat when the ignit ion is
switched on a nd turns the airbag indicato r light
o n when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is
detected ¢ page 281. Because
t h e fron t passenger sea t contains impo rtan t
parts of the Advanced Ai rbag System , you must
take care to prevent it from being damaged .
Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced
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action is entered in your Audi Warranty &
Maintenance booklet under
AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- Applies to plug-in hybrid* vehicles: In the
event of a collision where the airbags de­
ploy, the electrical connection to the high
voltage battery is automatically disconnect­
ed. This prevents a short c ircuit.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension, including the springs , suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in-
.
Airbag system
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­ led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 240 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering
wheel¢ fig. 240, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
t ion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 2 79, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
posit ion in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
..,.
285

Child sa fet y
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig . 2 51 Rea r seat: c hild proper ly restra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fi t most
chi ldren un til they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1. 45 meters) ta ll and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Boos ter sea ts raise these chi ld ren up so
that t he safety bel t will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.. Do no t use the conve rtible locking retra ctor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to rest rai n
a chi ld on a booster seat.
.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and must lie flat and s nug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pelv is and never
ac ross the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if ne cessa ry .
.. Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height ad­
justment: If yo u must t ransport an older child
in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
yo u can use the safety belt he ight adjustment
to help adjust the shoulder portion properly.
.. Secure unused safety belts o n the rear seat
¢ page 300.
Ch ild ren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in ch ild safety seats de­
signed fo r thei r age and we ight . Experts say that
the skeleta l struct ure, particularly the pelvis, of
304 t
h ese children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
s ui tab le child restraint .
It is usually best to put t hese chi ld ren in appro­
priate booste r seats. Be sure the booste r seat
meets a ll applicab le safety standards .
Booster sea ts raise the seating posi tion of the
c hi ld a nd reposi tion both the lap and shoulde r
parts of the safety belt so that t hey pass across
the child 's body in the rig ht places. The routing of
the be lt over the ch ild's body is very important
for the chi ld's protection, whether o r not a boos­
ter seat is used. C hildren age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat .
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
l ap belt portion of the veh icle's safety belt a lone
to restra in any ch ild, regard less of how big t he
c hil d is . Always remember that chi ldren do not
h ave t he p ronounced pelvic str ucture required fo r
the p roper function of lap be lt po rtion of the ve­
hicle's three point la p and shoulder belts. The
c hil d's safety abso lutely requi res that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possib le aro und the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety be lt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job , the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­ pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of pos it ion and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and w ill rece ive serio us or
possibly eve n fatal injury .
In order for the a irbag to offer protect ion, it is
importa nt that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be ­
cause of exceptiona l cir cumstances, be prope rly
r estra ined and as far aw ay from the a irbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the chi ld's
body and the fron t of the passenger compa rt-
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and
..,.

Wheels
.,.Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
differently even if they are the
same size
¢ 11:,. .
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur­
chase¢ ,&.
Because the spare tire* is differ­
ent from the regular tires instal­
led on the vehicle (such as winter
tires or wide tires), only use the
spare tire* temporarily in case of
emergency and drive carefully
while it is in use. It should be re­
placed with a regular tire as soon
as possible.
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel
drive: all four wheels must be
equipped with tires that are the
same brand and have the same
construction and tread pattern so
that the drive system is not dam­
aged by different wheel speeds. For this reason, in case of emer­
gency, only use a spare tire* that
338
is the same circumference as the
regular tires.
~ WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­ tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ
greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more than six years old when abso­
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
...

Wheels
The grade C corresponds to a leve l of perform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un­
der the Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
A WARNING -
The traction grade ass igned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acce le rat ion, cor­
ne ring, hydroplaning or peak traction charac­
teristics.
A WARNING
Th e temperatu re grade for this tire is estab­
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separate ly or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
-
-
Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflat­
ed.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System indicator
(J.) General notes
Each t ire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
ve hicl e manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire in flat ion press ure label. ( If yo ur vehicle has
t ires of a different siz e than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
be l, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those t ires) .
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure te ll­
tale when one or more of your t ires is significant­
ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure tellta le illuminates, you should stop and
348
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a signifi ­
cant ly under-inflated t ire causes the t ire to over­
heat and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation
also reduces fue l eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop ­
ping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the dr iver's re­
spons ibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
su re te lltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating prope rly . The TPM S mal­
function indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi ­
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence wi ll continue upon
s ub sequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal­
funct ion exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
l ow tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
i nstallation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the veh icle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS ma lfunction telltale after replac ing one or
more tires or wheels on you r vehicle to ens ure
that the rep lacement or alternate tires and
whee ls allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System indicator
appears
App lies to : vehicles wit h Tire Pressure Mo nitor ing System in­
dicator
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction .
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
in g system compares the tire tread circumfer­
en ce and vibration characteristics of the

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
individual tires. If the pressure changes in one or
more tires, this is indicated in the instrument
cluster display with an
RE ind icator light and a
message . If only one tire is affected, the location
of that tire w ill be ind icated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the menu
d isp lay aga in each time the press ures c hange
(sw itching between part ial and fu ll load p res­
sure) or after changing or replac ing a tire on your
ve hicle
r=>page 349 . The t ire pressure monitor­
in g sys tem only monito rs t he tire pressure you
have stored . Refe r to the ti re p ressure labe l for
the recommended ti re p ressure for you r veh icle
r=>page 341, fig. 278.
Tire tread circumference and v ibrat ion character­
i stics can change a nd cause a t ire pressure warn­
in g if:
- the tire pressure i n one or more tires is too low
- the tire has structura l damage
- the tire was replaced o r the tire p ressure was
changed and it was not stored
r=> page 349
- one si de of the vehicle is more heavily loaded
than the other
- th e whee ls on one ax le are mo re heavi ly loaded
t h an the others (for examp le, w hen tow ing a
trailer or when driv ing up and down hills)
- snow c hains a re installed
- the spare t ire* is ins talle d
- on ly one tire w as replaced on each ax le
Indicator lights
RE -loss of pressu re in at least one tire r=> ,&. .
Check the ti res and rep lace o r repa ir if necessary .
C heck/ co rrect t he p ressures of a ll four tires. Then
s to re t he ti re p ressures i n the men u
r=> page 349 .
mm (Ti re Pressure Monitori ng System) Tire
pressure: malfunction! See owner's manual. If
mm appears after switching t he ign it io n on o r
while driving and the
RE i ndicato r light in the in­
s trumen t cluster blinks fo r approxim ately one
minu te and t hen stays o n, there is system ma l­
f u nction. Check/cor rect the pressu res on all fo ur
tires an d sto re t he p ressures
r=> page 349. If the
ind icator light does turn
off or turns on again af­
ter a short per iod of t ime, drive to an author ized
Wheels
Audi dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Fac ility im ­
med iate ly to have the ma lfu nction co rrected.
A WARNING
--
- If the tire p ressure ind icator appears in the
instr ument cluster disp lay, reduce your
speed immediately and avoid any hard
steer ing o r braking maneuvers . Stop as soon
as poss ible and check the tires and the ir
p ressures.
- The drive r is responsible fo r maintain ing the
correct tire press ures . You must check the
tire p ressures regularly.
- Unde r ce rtain condit ions (such as a sporty
d riving s tyle, win ter condi tions or unpaved
roads), the pressu re moni tor indicator may
be de layed.
- Do not use run -flat tires on your vehicle. Us­
ing them when no t pe rm itted can lead to
veh icle d amage o r acc id en ts .
(D Tips
- The tire p ressure mon itoring system can al ­
so s top working w hen
th ere is a n ESC/ ABS
m alfunc tion.
- Us ing snow chains may resul t in a system
m alfu nction.
- The tire p ressure mon itoring system in your
Audi was calibrat ed with "Audi Original
Ti res"
r=>page 33 7. Usi ng these tires is rec­
ommende d.
- The tire p ressure mon itoring system can on­
ly moni to r the tire p res sure o f the d riving
t ires. Check the tir e press ure o f the spare
wheel in the l uggage compa rtment so tha t
if necessary it is ready for use .
Storing tire pressures
Applies to: vehicles wit h Tir e Pressure Monito rin g Syste m in·
dicator
A change in tire pr essure or a change in tires
must be stored in the system.
Make su re before stori ng that the tire p ressures
of all fo ur tir es meet the specified val ues and a re
adapted to the load
r=> pag e 339. .,,.
349

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Di spl ays/ins tru·
Deposits Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
men t clus ter
C o ntro ls
Deposits Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solution3>
S af ety be lt s Deposits Mild soap solution al, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
T ex tile s Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
a
rtificial leather , the surface
Alcanta ra Water-based deposits Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutional
such as coffee, tea,
b lood , etc.
Oil-based deposits Apply a mild soap solution
al, blot away the dissolved oil or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such
Specia l stain remove r, blot with absorbent material, treat
as ink, nai l polish, la- afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary
a)
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Na tural l eather F resh sta ins Cotton clot h with a m ild soap so lution3l
Water-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood, etc .
Oi l-based deposits Fresh stains : absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make-up ,
for leather
etc. Dried stains: grease dissolving spray
Special deposits such Spot remove r su itab le for leather
as ink, na il polish, la -
tex paint, shoe po l-
ish, etc .
Care Regularly apply condit ion ing cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specia l co lored
cond itioni ng cream, if necessary.
Car bon part s Deposits clean the same way as plast ic parts
a) M ild soap solut ion : max imu m two tablespoons of neutral soa p in 1 quar t (1 liter) of water
A WARNING
The windsh ie ld may not be treated with wa­
ter-repell ing wi ndsh ield coating agents. Un­
favorable cond it ions su ch as wet ness, dar k­
ness, o r low sun can resul t in increased glare.
Wiper blade chatter is also possib le.
(QJ) Note
- Headlights /tail light s
-
-Never clean headlights or tail lights w ith a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that con ­
tains alcoho l, because they could cause
cracks to form.
-Wheels
- Neve r use any pa int polish or other abra-
sive mate rials.
- Damage to the protect ive layer o n the
rims such as stone ch ips or sc ratches must
be repai red immediately.
.,.
357

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"To open the side panel, turn the lock and re ­
move the cover
"Lift the cargo floor using the plastic handle @
unt il the cargo floor engages beh ind the tabs
@ in both s ide panels¢ fig. 281 (upper im­
age) .
" Fold the cargo floor back befo re closing the
luggage compartment lid .
Veh icle tool kit and cargo floor co ve r
App lies to: ve hicles with vers ion 2
The vehicle tool kit, tire mobility kit* and com­
pressor* are stored in the luggage compartment
u nder the cargo floor
cover @¢ fig. 280.
"Engage the plastic hook ® in the luggage com-
partment
seal ¢ fig. 281.
" Fold the cargo floor back before closing the
luggage compartment lid .
..&, WARNING
Applies to: vehicles w ith jack
Improper use of the vehicle jac k can ca use se ­
rious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw drive r hex head to
t ighten whee l bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
cident.
-The factory -supplied jack is intended only
for your vehicle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you r isk injuring
yourself.
-Never start the engine when the vehicle is
ra ised, which could cause a n accident.
-Support the veh icle secure ly with appropri­
ate stands if work is to be performed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po­
tent ial risk for injury .
-Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heav ier
one . The jack is only suitable for use on the
vehicl e it came w ith.
@ Tips
The vehicle jack* in your vehicle is mainte­
nance-free.
Em ergen cy as sis tanc e
Tire mobility kit
Preparation
Applies to: veh icles w it h tire mob ility kit
" Read and follow the important safety precau-
tions i n
¢page 360.
"Se t the park ing brake.
" Move the selector lever into the P position .
"Check if a repair with the tire mobi lity kit is pos -
sible
¢ page 361.
Using the tire mobility kit
Applies to: veh icles w it h tire mob ility kit
Fig. 282 Tire : tire damage t hat cannot be repaired
The tire repair is only meant for temporary use .
Change the spare tire as soon as
possible¢ &.
If the t ire is p ie rced by an object su ch as a nail,
do not remove the objec t from t he tire.
The tire repair set is able to be used at tempera­
tures as low as -4 °F ( -20 °C) .
The tire mobility kit may not be us ed :
-if the t ire has cuts or punctures that are larger
than 0.16 in (4 mm)
(D ¢ fig. 282
-if the rim is damaged @
-if you drove with very low tire pressure or with-
out air in the tire @
In this case, see an authorized Aud i dea ler o r au­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility for ass istance.
.&_ WARNING
-Please note that the tire mobility kit cannot
be used in all situations, and that it may on­
ly be used temporarily .
-The tire sealant must not come in contact
with skin, eyes, or clothes.
361