ESP AUDI A3 2011 Owner´s Manual

Seats and storage
& WARNING
When folded down, the armrest can restrict the driver 's move­
ment. When driving in c onditions that may call for quick maneu­
vers, fold up the armrest . This will allow you to react more quickly
to avoid an accident. •
Rear seats
General information
Safe tra nsporta tion of passe ngers on the rear s eats
requires proper safet y precaut ions .
All passenge rs o n the rear seats must be seated in compliance with
the safety gu ide lines expla ined in=>
page 135 and=> pag e 145. The
co rrect seat ing pos ition is safety cr itical for front
and rear seat
p assenge rs alike=>
page 128 .
& WARNING
• Vehicle occupant s in the front and rear seat s must always be
properly restrained.
• Do not let anyone ride
in the vehicle without the head
restraints provided. Head restraints help reduce injur ies.
• Loose items inside the passenger compartment , can fly
forward in a cra sh or sudden maneuver and injure o ccupants.
Always store articles in the luggage compartment and us e the
fa stening eye s, especially when the rear seatbacks have been
folded down.
• Read and heed and all WARNINGS=>
page 128, "Proper
seating positions for passengers in rear seats ".•
Rear armrest
Th e arm rest con tains a st orage c ompartment a nd a
cupholder for 2 dri nks.
Folding down the armrest
Fig. 7 8 Center of the
r e ar seatbenc h: r ear
ar mre st fol ded do wn
- P ull the armrest down on the fron t~ fi g. 78 .
Opening the storage bin
- Pull the han dle in fron t.•

Seats and storage
& WARNING
For strength-related reasons , heavy objects must not be hung on
the hook s. Heavy objects are not adequately secured -thi s
increase s the risk of injury. •
Retractable luggage compartment cover
The luggage compa rtment cover keeps lugga ge or o ther
objects out o f view.
Fig. 85 Rea r lid ope n
w ith luggag e com part ­
me nt co ver
Removing the luggage compartment cover
- Detach the retaining stra ps => fig. 85 a t the rear hatch (D .
- Pull the cover ® hor izonta lly out of the mount @ in the
d irection of t he arrow.
Installing the luggage compartment cover
- Push t he cover hori zontally into t he m ounts pr ovid ed
=> fig. 85 @ on t he sid e panel u ntil t he cover seats.
- Ins tall t he re ta ining st ra ps in the rea r hatc h=> fig. 85
©
=> & .
& WARNING
• The luggag e compartment cover must never be insta lled
without being secured -this creates an accident hazard.
• Whenever dri ving , neve r place any hard or heavy objects on the
luggage compartment or allow pet s to sit on the luggage
compartment cover . They could become a hazard to vehicle occu­
pants in the event of sudden braking or in an accident.
0 Note
M ake s ure that the heating wi res in the rear lid do not get damaged
by objects scrap ing aga inst them.
(I) Tips
• You can use the luggage compa rtment cov er to sto re light we igh t
cloth ing but do not leave any heavy or sharp objects i n the pockets of
the clothing.
• Remembe r th at plac ing clothing on t he luggage compa rtment
cove r can block the dr iver's vision in the rear view m irro r. This also
app lies especially when yo u have to trans po rt large objects.
• So that state air can escape from the vehicle be sure not to cover
the vent ilatio n slot between the rear lid and the luggage compart­
m en t cover insta lled .•

- Plug in appliance to be used.
The outlet may be used for 12-volt app liances w ith maxim um
cons umption of up to 100 watts, such as a flash light, small vacuum
cl eaner, e tc.
Before you purchase any accessor ies, always read and fo llow the
info rm ation in::::,
page 301, "Add it io na l acc essories and p arts
re placemen t".
& WARNING
The outlet plus any appliances plugged into it remain functional
even if the ignition is switched off or the ignition key is removed. Never leave children inside the vehicle without supervision .
0 Note
To avoid damaging the socket, only use plugs that fit properly.
(I) Tips
When the engine is off and accessor ies are st ill plugged in and are on,
the ve hicle battery can sti ll be drained .•
Storage
General overview
There are numerous pl aces to st ore items in your vehi cle .
Storage in t he center armrest
Storage in the rear armrest
::::, page 79
Glove com partment (Ai r ven tila tion in t he ::::, page 92
glove compartment*, CD changer*)
Controls and equip ·
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
Center console ::::,
page 92
Compartments in the door tr ims ::::, page 93
Storage in the footwell ::::, page 93
Compartments in luggage compartment ::::, page 94
Coat hooks
Some of the storage locations are only fo und o n specific vehicle
mode ls o r are op tio nal equ ipme nt.
& WARNING
• Always remove objects from the instrument panel. Any items
not put away could slide around inside the vehicle while dri ving or
when accelerating or when applying the brakes or when dri ving
around a corner.
• When you are driv ing make sure that anything you may have
placed in the center console or other stor age locations cannot fall
out into the footwells. In c ase of sudden braking you would not be
able to b rake, depres s the clutch or accelerate .
• Any pieces of clothing that you have hung up must not inter­
fere with the driver's view. The co at hooks are designed onl y for
lightweight clothing . Never hang any clothing with hard, pointed
or hea vy objects in the pockets on the coat hooks. During sudden
braking or in an accident· especially if the airbag is deployed ·
the se objects could injure any passengers inside the vehicle. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Warm and cold
& WARNING (continued)
• For safe driving it is very important that all windows be free of
ice, snow and condensation.
• Fully familiarize yourself with the proper use and function of
the heating and ventilation system and especially how to defog
and defro st the windows.
• Never use the windshield wiper/washer system in freezing
weather until you have warmed the windshield first , using the
heating and ventilation system . The washer solution may freeze
on the windshield and reduce visibility.
0 Note
• If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, sw itch
off the a ir conditioner and contact an author ized Aud i dea ler to have
the system inspected.
• Repa irs to the Audi a ir conditioner require special technical knowl­
edge and special tools . Contact a n author ized A udi dealer for assis­
t ance .
rn Tips
• Keep the a ir intake slots (in fron t of t he w indshield) free fr om ice,
snow and debris i n order to ma inta in the proper function of the
cl im at e contr ol syste m.
• Air escapes thro ugh vents unde r the rear w indow. When placing
i t em s of clot hing on t he lugg age compa rtment cover, ensure tha t the
openings are not covered.
• If th e inside tem pe rature is very high (for example, i f the ve hicle
has been parked in s un), open the windows and allow the hot air to
es cape be fore tur ning o n the air conditioner.
• A senso r in the gr ill provides the air -conditioning system continu ­
ously w it h readings of c urrent ou ts ide temperature . So t hat the a ir­
conditioning can ope rate at maximum efficiency, the area be low the
fron t license pla te holde r m us t no t be covere d.•

llffl!l.___w __ a _r_ m __ a_n_ d_ c_ o _ l_d _______________________________________________ _
Air recirculation [a:i ]
The air recirculation prevents exhaust fumes or other
pollution fr om entering the vehicle .
Switching air recirculation on
-Press lo;;, ]~ page 97, fig . 101 ~ &
Switching air recirculation off
- Press 0 agai n, or
- p ress [AUTO], or
- press[@] .
In the air recirculation mode, the air in the passenger compartment
is rec irculated to preven t exhaus t fu mes and othe r po llution from
enter ing the veh icle . We recommend that you use the manua l air
reci rcul atio n under the followi ng conditions:
• when driving through tunnels
• in a traffic jam.
& WARNING
Do not use thi s setting for extended periods of time . The window s
c ould fog up since no fresh air can enter the vehicle. If the
window s fog up, pre ss the air recir culation button again immedi­
ately to swit ch off the air recirculation function or select defrost .•
Adjusting the fan speed G G
The automati cally selected fan speed can be increased or
de creased.
- Press the (:) or G butto ns in t he center o f the con tro l
panel ~
page 97, fig. 10 1 to adjus t the fa n sp ee d to your
comfort .
The air condit ion ing system a utomat ically regulates t he fan speed in
response to the interior temperature . However, you can also adjust
the fan speed manua lly . A line of small ba rs in the cen ter display
above the fan contro l buttons w ill retreat or extend to reflect your
adjustments to the fan speed. •
Air distribution
The automatically controlled air distribution can be
changed manually .
You can use the l~I. l~I or l~ I buttons separate ly or together in
combination . To switch back to the automatic air distribut ion setting,
either sw itc h off the butto ns you previo usly se lected, or press
[AUTO I.
Each of the three buttons has its own specific f unct ion (the re ference
numbers refer to the air outlets):::::,
page 101, fig. 102.
Air directed to the windows ik,,
All the air is directed to outlets (D,@ and @. Contrary to when [@ I
is pressed, the amo unt of air rem ain s the same.
Air di rected to the dri ver /front passenger[ ~]
All the air is directed to outlets @,@ and © in the i nstr ument
panel. Air also is directed throug h the center console in the rear.

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Ignition Lock and ignition switch
Ignition lock
The engine can be started or turned off with the ignition
key.
Ignition off@
Fig. 107 Ignition l ock
p ositions
In position => fig. 107 @ both the ignition and engine are off, and
the stee ring is locked .
To
lock the stee ring after you have removed the ig nit io n key, turn the
steeri ng wheel in either direction until yo u hear it lock into place . You
should always lock the steering whenever you leave your vehicle . This
makes a vehicle theft even more difficult=> & .
Ignition on (D
If it is d ifficul t to turn the key af ter yo u have inse rted it in to the igni­
tion lock, tur n the steering wheel back and forth . T hi s w ill take the
load off the steering lock mechanism and you wi ll be able to t urn the
key freely and start the engine . On vehicles with a d iese l engine *, t he
system ca n preheat in this position .
Starting the engine@
In this pos it ion the engi ne s tarts. While the e ngine is s ta rting, the
power supply to the headlights and other electrical consume rs is temporarily interrupted to conserve ba
ttery power . Afte r th e eng ine
h as st arted, relea se the key and it w ill retur n to posit io n (D .
Before the starter can be operated again the key must be t urned back
to positio n (D . T he
non-repeat lock prevents you from damaging the
s ta rt er when t he e ng ine is running .
& WARNING
• Never remove the key from the ignition lock while the vehicle
i s moving . The steering wheel will lock causing loss of control.
• If you have to leave your v ehicle -even for ju st a minute -
always remove the ignition key and take it with you. This is espe·
cially important if you are going to leave children behind in the
vehicle. The children could start the engine or use other vehicle
control s. Unsupervised use of vehicle controls (for example, power
windows ) can cause serious personal injuries .
(I) Tips
If the vehicle battery has been disconnected and then reconnected,
t hen yo u m ust leave the key in posi tion (Dfor abou t
5 seco nds befo re
you can start the eng ine. •
App lies to vehicles: with automat ic transmission
Ignition key safety lock
Th e ignition k ey can only b e removed when the selector
lever is in the "P" (Park) position.
Pla ce the selector lever i n the "P " pos it ion before swit ching off the
eng ine .
Afte r sw itching of f the igni tion , th e ignition key can o nly be re moved
from the ignition lock when t he selector lever is in the "P" (Park) posi­
t ion. After yo u have remove d the key, t he selector lever is locked a nd
cannot be moved .•

________________________________________________ ..::O :::.:.,: n:...t~ h :...!.::: e:...!.. ro~ a:_::d!..,_ __
- Drive at the sp eed yo u wish to set.
- Press button © to set that speed .
The disp lay=> page 110, fig . 111 w ill show the set speed. T he d is p lay
may vary depending on the type of display in your veh icle. The ind i­
cator light
CRUISE (US mode l) I 0" (Canadian model) w ill also light up
in the instr ument cluster .
& WARNING
• Alway s pay attention to traffi c even wh en the cruise control i s
switch ed on. You are always responsible for your speed and the
distance between your vehicle and other vehicle s.
• For safety reasons , the cruise control should not be used in the
city, in stop-and-go traffi c, on twi sting road s and when road
conditions are poor (such as ice , fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing ) · risk of accident .
• Turn off the cruise control temporarily when entering turn
lanes, highway exit lane s or in con struction zone s.
• Please note that inadvertently "resting" your foot on the accel ·
erator pedal cau ses the crui se control not to brake . This i s becau se
the cruise control is ove rridden by the driver 's accele rat ion .
[ i ] Tips
• Vehicles with manual transmission : You can atta in the set speed
only if the curren tly engaged gear allows i t and the eng ine is no t
stressed . Shift ing to a higher or lowe r gear promptly w ill allow the
eng ine to run smooth ly .
• The cru ise contro l cannot ma inta in a constant speed when driving
downhil l. The vehi cle will accelerate under its own weigh t. Downshift
to a lower gear or use the brakes to slow down .•
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Changing speed
- Press lev
er i n t he 0 or O directio n=:::;, page 110, fig. 110
to inc rease or d ecr eas e yo ur sp eed.
- Release the lever to save t hat speed .
Change speed in increments o f 1 mph (1 km/h) by lightly pressing the
lever. If you keep the leve r presse d down, yo u will alte r your s peed in
S mph (10 km/h) increments .
You can also press t he accelerator pedal down to increase your s peed,
e .g . if you want to p ass someone. The speed you save d earlier wi ll
resume as soon as yo u re lease the accelerator pedal.
If, however, you exceed yo ur saved speed by 5 mph (1 0 km/h) fo r
longer than S m inutes, the cruise contro l will turn off temporarily .
Th e symbo l will go out b ut the save d speed will be retaine d.•
Presetting your speed
You can preset your d esir ed sp eed whil e the vehicle is not
moving.
- Turn on the ignition.
- Pull leve r into positio n
CD~ page 110, fig . 110.
- Press the lever in the
0 or O di rec tion to increase or
d ecr eas e y our sp eed.
- Release the lever to save t hat spe ed .
Thi s fu nction makes it possible, for example, to save the speed yo u
w ant befo re drivi ng on the highway . Once on t he highw ay, act ivate
the cruise contro l by pu lling the leve r toward
(D . •
Vehicle care Technical data

llffl..__T_ r _a_ n_s_ m_ i_ s _s_ i_ o _ n _________________________________________________ _
Transmission
Manual transmission
Applies to ve hicle s: w ith manual tra nsm is s io n
Gearshift lever
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the way before
you can start the engine.
The manual transmission in your Audi is equipped w ith an
interlock-feature.
- Depress the clutch pedal all the way .
- Start the eng ine with the gears hift lever in Neutral and the
clutch peda l depressed .
0 Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when changing gears. Do not
hold the veh icle on a hill with the clutch peda l part ia ll y depressed.
T hi s may cause prem ature clutch wear or damage .
[I) Tips
• Resting your hand on the gearshift lever knob while driving will
cause pr emature wea r in the transm ission.
• The back -up lights go on when you sh ift into Reve rse with the igni ­
tion on. •
Applies to v eh icl es : w ith 6 -s pe ed manual tr ansm iss ion
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
ra ...
-0:. ., m
F ig. 11 3 Gea rshift
p att ern: 6 -s pee d
m anu al tra n smi ssion
Drive in 6 th gear for opt im um fue l econo my when cruising .
However , if more accelera tion is required (when passi ng, for
exa mple), shift dow n.
Engaging reverse gear (R)
- Move the s hift lever alt the way to the left, press it down ,
then push it forward .
Especially after driv ing forward , stop th e veh icle completely , shift
into
Neutral and rest t he shift leve r briefly in Neut ral befo re s hifting
i nto
Reverse .•

1111..__T_ r _a_ n_s_ m_ i_ s _s_ i_ o _ n _________________________________________________ _
Applies to veh icles : with S tro nic® and with Tiptron ic controls on the stee ring whee l
Steering wheel with Tiptronic ® controls
The selector paddles allow the driver to keep both hands
on the steering wheel when shifting gears.
Shifting up
Fig. 119 Sport
steering wheel with
selector paddles
-Pull the right paddle, marked G) => fig. 119 briefly
towards you .
Shifting down
-Pull the left paddle, marked O=> fig. 119 briefly towards
you.
The selector paddles on the steering wheel are activated when the
selector lever on the center console is in
D, S, or in the manual posi­
tion (Tiptron ic mode).
You can also shift gears in the Tiptronic mode using the selector lever
on the center console.
[ i ] Tips
With the gear selector lever in either "D" or "S" the transmission will
switch back to the automatic mode if you do not use the paddles
within approx. 30 seconds .•
Applies to veh icles : with S tro nic®
Kick-down feature
The kick -down feature allows maximum acceleration.
If you depress the accelerator pedal fully beyond the full-thrott le
position, the transmission automatically downshifts one gear,
depending on vehicle speed and engine rpm. The upsh ift in to the next
higher gear takes place as soon as the maximum specified engine
speed is reached.
& WARNING
Please note that the drive wheel s can spin if the kick-down is u sed
on a smooth slippery road -risk of skidding! •
Applies to veh icles: w ith Lau nch Control an d S tron ic® and Gasoline engine only
Launch Control Program
The Launch Control Program permits maximum accelera­
tion.
In order to use Launch Control, the ASR (Anti-Slip Regula­
tion) must be disabled. When ASR is disabled, the ESP
warning/indicator light in the instrument cluster illumi­
nates. So that Launch Control can be used, the engine must
be at operating temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned.
- With the engine running, briefly press the ESP button. The
message "ASR off' appears in the instrument cluster
display.
- Shift the gear lever to "S" or the tiptronic ® posit ion.
- Step on the brake peda l with your left foot and keep the
brake pedal fully depressed for at least one second . _,,,

Transmission -_____________ _.;..____;_~~
-With your ri ght foot, step on the accelerator to the wi de­
open t hrottle positio n or Kickdown . The engine speed
settles at about
3,200 rpm.
- Take your left foot o ff the brake.
& WARNING
• Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
• Only use Launch Control when road and traffic condition s allow
it and other dri ver s will n ot be endangered or annoyed by your
driving and the acceleration of the vehicle.
• Make sure that ESP remains enabled . With the ESP disabled,
the vehicle could brake awa y, particula rly on a slick and slippery
road -risk of skidding!
• Once a cceleration i s fin ished , switch ASR on again by briefl y
pushing the ESP button. •
Applie s to v ehic le s: wit h S tron ic ®
Back-up program
In the event of a system malfunction, there is an back -up
program.
I n the even t of system ma lfunct ion, the automati c transmis sion
switches to the fail-safe mode. All of the se lector lever posit ion
displays fo r the automat ic transmiss ion are hi ghligh ted with a ligh t
background in the instrument cluster display . In some cases you
canno t drive in the reverse gear a ny mo re.
If the transmiss ion sw itc hes to fa il-safe mode, you should take the
vehicle to an authorized Aud i dealership as soon as possible to have
the cond itio n corrected. •
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Applies to veh icles : w ith S t ron ic ®
Emergency release for selector lever
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector lever can
be released in an emergency .
Fig. 120 Selector
le ve r: R em ov e se le ct or
l e ve r sleev e
Fig. 12 1 Selector
l e ve r: em ergen cy
relea se fro m the P ark
p os iti on
The em ergency release m echanism is loca ted on th e right
front u nder the se lector lev er shift gate . The re lease p roc e­
dure requ ires profess ional dext eri ty. We recommend t hat
you seek assis tance.
Removing the selector Lever boot
- Engage the par king bra ke.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data