warning light AUDI A3 2012 Owner´s Manual

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will not have the protection ABS provides .
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the - warning light,
the
G! warning light and the m warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels co uld lock up first unde r hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle contro l and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your autho rized Audi dea ler or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models:
If the brake warn ing
light •• the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
II] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have you r vehicle repaired immed i­
a tely by your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Dr ive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
{0) Worn brake pads
Ei] Che ck b rake pads!
If t h e war ning light illum inates, immediately
con tact your au thori zed A udi dealer o r quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed . On USA models the warning light
Ei]
comes on together with the warning light
- · Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury .
- If the warning light
Ei] and the warning
light -
1l with the message Brake
pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au-
1 ) - : USA mod els only
thorized A udi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
(D Tire pressure monitoring system -
telltale indicator lamp
The warning/indicator light appears in the
event of a significant loss of air pressure.
The tl]warning/indicator light illuminates for
a few seconds after the ignition is turned on
as function check and then goes out .
If the
ti] symbol appears, pressure is too low
in at least one tire.
When the system detects a mal function, the
warning/indicator light will f las h for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continu­
o us ly ill uminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle starts up as long as
the malfunction exists . Contact your author­
ized Audi dealer and have the ma lfunct ion
corrected .
For more information
q page 230.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/indicator light (E lectronic
Power Contro l) illuminates when you switch
on the ignition as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while yo u are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine e lectronics. Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop .
~ Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
Ill>

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
The symbol lll lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at constant idle
speed. This indicates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your authori zed Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
¢page 192.
F or more information ¢ page 24.
W Glow plug system I Engine
malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine
The indicator lamp lights up to show that the
glow plugs ore preheating. It flashes if there is an engine malfunction.
Warning light II stays lit up
If the II indicator light illuminates, the g low
p lug system is active. You shou ld start the en ­
gine immediately after the indicator light
switches off. The indicator light on ly illumi­
nates for approximately 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outside temperature is
above 46 QF (8 QC) .
There is a fau lt in the glow plug system if the
warning light
II does not light up when the
engine is
cold . Contact an author ized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop .
II Warning light flashes
If a malfunction develops in the engine man­
agement system while you are driving, the
glow plug light will flash
II . The eng ine
should be checked by an authorized Audi deal­
er or a qualif ied workshop as soon as possible .
A WARNING
If you do not pay attention to the warning
lights that have come on, this could lead
to personal injury or damage to your vehi­
cle.
! 7} Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitat ion
Ill Do not exceed max. engine speed of XXXX
rpm
The Ill symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunct ion. The ind icator
light~ in the instrument cluster also illumi­
nates. The engine speed is limited to the
speed displayed in the driver information sys­
tem. Keep in mind that the engine speed wi ll
not exceed the val ue displayed in the driver in­
formation system, for example when down­
shifting.
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or oth­
er qualified workshop to have the malfunction
repaired.
~ .. Checking the engine oil level
When the II symbol illum inates, check the
engine oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 200 . Top off the oil at your earliest
opportunity ¢page 200.
II Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the II symbol comes on, add 1 quart (1 li­
ter) of oil at the next opportunity
¢ page 200.
• ~m Engine oil sensor defective
If the Ill symbol illuminates, contact your
authorized Aud i dealer and have the oil sensor
inspected .
0 Battery voltage low
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving .

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
If the message does not turn off, have your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction .
Bil Fuel supply too low
When the (I symbol illuminates, this means
there are about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the fuel tank. Time to refuel!
Qpage 191.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
ample fuel in the tank, and the text
Tank sys­
tem malfunction! Please contact workshop
appears in the display, there is a fault in the
system. Contact a qualified workshop to have
the fault rectified.
Q Windshield washer fluid level too low
If the I! symbol illuminates, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system
Q page211.
~ Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you
when a vehicle light bulb hos become defec­
tive .
If a defective bulb has been detected by the
system or a light bu lb burns out , the ~ sym­
bol with a message appears in the disp lay to
tell you which bu lb is burnt out and where it is
located. For example:
Rear left turn signal
After 5 seconds, the message disappears . If
you want to recall the message into the dis­
p lay, press the C H ECK button
Q page 10,
fig. 3(?) .
There are three reasons why the defective
bulb message wo uld app ear in the display:
- T he light bulb has burnt out
Q page 246 .
-The fuse is "blown" c> page 243, Replacing
fuses .
-The w ire connection to the light bulb is de­
fective. Have the
bulb replaced or the connection re­
paired by your authorized Audi Service depart­
ment .
_& WARNING
- Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
plode wh ile they are being changed caus­
ing serious pe rsonal injury .
- Work with due care when handling the
high-vo ltage sect ion of gas discharge
(xenon) lamps. Failing to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury!
BRAKE LIGHT!<@> Brake light defective
In case of a malfunction or component fail-
ure, the symbol (USA models)/
tlJ (Canada models) can appear. The follow­
ing electrical components should be checked,
repaired or replaced , as necessary:
- Brake light bulbs
- All wir ing con nections
- Brake light switch
Contact your authori zed Audi dea ler for assis­
tance if necessary.
(D Tips
The brake light switch is only inspected as
part of the functional chec k after the en­
gine is started.
i,0 Headlight range control defective
Applies to vehicles : wi th dynamic headl ig h t ra nge adjus t­
m ent
If the II illumi nates, the dynamic headlight
range contro l is no longer working p roperly.
Have the system checked and repaired at your
authori zed Aud i dealer.
§'0
Adaptive light defective
App lies to vehicles: with Ada ptive Light
FJl Adaptive light defective

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
When this symbo l ml illuminates, it means
that Adaptive Light is defective. Go to a quali­
fied workshop to have the headlights or the
control unit for the Adaptive L ight repaired.
@, o Light/rain sensor defective
App lies to vehicles: with automat ic headlights
The indicator light indicates a defect in the
automatic headlights/automatic wiper sys ­
tem .
If the symbo l illuminates, the light sensor has
failed. For safety reasons , the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AU­
TO . However, you can continue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch . In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor , the w ind­
sh ield wiper lever functions are st ill available .
H ave the light/ra in sensor checked as soon as
possible at an authorized Audi dealer.
; Audi magnetic ride
Appl ies to vehicles: with Audi magnetic ride
The indicator light monitors vehicle damping.
The indicator light E illuminates when the ig­
nition is switched on as a function check.
@ Tips
If the indicator lamp illuminates while you
are driving, there is a malfunct ion in the
veh icle damping. The chass is should be in­
spected immediately by an authorized Au­
di dealer.
~ Diesel particulate filter clogged
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine and diesel particu­
late fi lter
1/1 Particulate filter ! See owner's manual
If the indicator light II in the instrument
cluster comes on, the diesel particulate filter has become blocked with soot as the result of
constant short-distance driving. When the
II symbol illuminates, you can alter your
driving style to assist the filter self-clean ing
p rocess. Drive for approximately 15 minutes
in 4th or 5th gear (automatic transmission with the se
lector lever in the S position) at a
minimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an
engine speed of approx imately 2,000 RPM .
The temperature increase that will result from
this can burn off the soot in the filter. The
symbol will switch off when the cleaning is
successful. After a successful cleaning, there
is no need to bring the car to an authorized
dealer or qualified workshop because this is
part of normal vehicle operation .
If the symbol
DI does not switch off, see
your autho rized dea ler or other qualified
workshop to have the problem corrected .
As long as the indicator light
11!1 remains on
(diesel part iculate filte r plugged), you ca n ex­
pect increased fuel consumption and possibly
also a loss of engine performance.
For more information on the diesel particu­
late filter, refer to~
page 171 .
A WARNING ,__
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driving recommendations .
¢ ¢Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left B or the right fl
turn s ignal, the indicato r light blinks . When
you use the emergency f lasher, both indicator
lights flash.
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal.
Additional information on the turn s ignals
Q page SO.
CRUISE/ vf Cruise control
T he
(ijjll j~i~ (USA models)/. (Canada models)
warning/indicator light illuminates when the
cruise control is activated .

Driver information
display
Introduction
Introduction
The Driver information display inside the in­
strument cluster provides you, the driver,
with important information.
Fig. 6 Instr ument cluster: ce nte r dis play
Fig. 7 Wiper lever: controls fo r the menu d ispl ay
Center display
With the ignition on, the display in the Dr iver
Information System shows the fo llowing in­
formation:
- CD* inserted or Radio* station set
- Outs ide temperature*: At temperatures be-
low 41 °F (+5 °C), a snowflake symbol ap­
pears in front of the temperature display
¢_&. .
-Warning: front lid, door or eng ine compart­
ment lid open: The disp lay appears if the
door, the engine compartment lid or front
lid is not closed.
- Warning: close fue l tank cap: The Driver in­
formation disp lay indicates when the filler
cap is not secured or missing c>
page 192.
Driver information display 23
Additional functions
You can open the following functions in the
Driver Information System display by pressing
the
I RESETI button ¢ fig. 7 one or more times:
Trip computer Digital speedometer *
Menu display
¢page25
¢page27
The speed warning system is also displayed in
the Driver Information System. You can read
how to set it inc>
page 31.
Efficiency program
The efficiency program can help you to use
les s fuel
c> page 29.
Auto Check Control
Some f unctions and veh icle components are
scanned for their operating status when you
switch the ignition on and while you are driv ­
ing. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are s ignaled audibly and indicated by
red and yellow illuminated symbols and re­
minders in the display
¢page 13.
A WARNING
- Never rely exclusively on the outside
temperature display to determine if a
road surface is icy or not . Keep in mind
that road surfaces, especially bridges
and overpasses, could be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41 °F (+S °C).
- Always remember, even if the "snow­
f lake" symbo l (ice warning) does not ap­
pear in the display, black ice could be on
the road.
- Always reduce your speed and drive with
special care in cold weather conditions
when the chance of encountering icy
road surfaces increases.
(D Tips
-If the vehicle is stationary, or if you are
driving at a very low speed, the tempera­
ture shown in the display might be
slightly h igher than the actual outside .,,.

~/o Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (M IL) Ill
(USA models);II (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster is part of the On-Board Diag­ nostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light illuminates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the idle has stabilized.
This indicates that the MIL is work ing proper­
ly.
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates whi le you are driv­
ing, a ma lfunction may ex ist in the engine sys­
tem. If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could be damaged.
Continue driving
with reduced power (avoid­
ing sustained high speeds and/or rapid accel­
erations) and have the condition corrected.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer.
If the lig ht ill uminates, the e lectronic speed
limiter may also be malfunctioning. For more
information c:::> page 25, Electronic speed
limiter .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
c:::> page 192.
Electronic speed limiter
Your veh icle may be factory equ ipped with
tires that are rated for a maximum speed of
130 mph (210 km/h) . Thi s is less than the
maxim um speed of your vehicle. To reduce the
risk of sudden tire failure and loss of control if
the vehicle is operated at excessive speeds,
your vehicle also has an electronic speed limit­
er . The electronic speed limiter prevents your
veh icle from going faster than the tire speed
rating. For more informat ion
c:::> page 224,
Speed rating (letter code).
If the engine control unit receives fau lty vehi ­
cle roadspeed signals, the Malfunction Indica­
tor Light (MIL)
¢..ijj will illuminate. If this oc-
Driver information display 25
curs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
dealer for assistance.
A WARNING -
A lways observe the posted speed lim its
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing
road, traffic and weather conditions. Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi­
mum speed rating of the tires installed.
Trip computer
Introduction
The trip computer gives you information on
current and average fuel mileage, average
speed, fuel range and driving time.
Fig. 10 Trip computer 1
You can switch between the trip computer 1
and 2 by pressing the
I Reset I button @
c:::> page 26, fig. 11 .
You can te ll which memory leve l is currently
active by the number in the disp lay
c:::> fig. 10.
The data from the s ingle-trip memory (memo­
ry level 1) is being displayed if a
O appears in
the display. If a
fJ is shown, then the data
from the total-trip memory is being displayed
(memory level 2).
Single-trip memory (Trip computer 1)
The single-trip memory stores the tr ip infor­
mation from the time the ign it ion is turned on
until it is turned off. If the tr ip is cont inued
within 2 hours from the time the ign ition was
turned off, the new data will be incl uded in
the calculat ion of the current trip informa­
tion . If the trip is interrupted for
more than 2
hours
the memo ry is reset automatically. Ill-

-All stored va lues wi ll be lost if the veh i­
cle battery is disconnected.
Menu display
Introduction
F ig . 12 Wiper lever: Controls for the men u display
Fig . 13 Display: Sta rt me nu
Some functions in your vehicle can be set, ac­
tivated, and controlled by
Men us). With these
menus you can also select the information
shown in the driver information system, which
operates only with the ignition switched on .
Operation is contro lled by the
I Reset I button
and the rocker switch on the wiper lever
¢fig. 12.
The
S tart m enu shows you the different dis ­
play types:
Se t
Ch eck
M enu off
Each display type in the Start menu contains a
submenu with additiona l opt ions .
Set
-Check
Menu off
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 2 7
Clock
¢ page28
Computer
¢page28
Speed a larm (speed warning)
¢ page32
Language (7 languages)
¢page28
Units (distance, fuel consump­
tion, temperature)
¢page28
Displays (gearshift recommen­
dation)
¢page24
Lighting* (exterior lights, turn
signals)
¢ page48
¢page 50
Wiper (service position)
¢page57 Doors (unlocking and locking
mode, for example Auto Lock)
¢ page 36,
¢ page37
Service
¢page30
Chass is number*
¢ page255
-Engine oil temperatu re*
¢page 31
-Registered keys
¢ page34
All of the messages shown in
vehicles without menu display
appear on the display screen.
.
I

@ Tips
-If a malfunction is present (red symbol),
the distance remaining cannot be called
up.
- Do not reset the display between service
interva ls. Doing so will result in an incor­
rect display.
- If the battery is disconnected, the Serv­
ice Interval Display values are retained.
- On vehicles with the Driver Information
System, you can also call up the service
i nterval display
¢page 27.
-If service was not performed at the cor­
rect time or the service interval display
was not reset after service was per­
formed, the add itiona l mi leage driven or
the elapsed days will be shown as nega­
tive numbers.
Engine oil temperature
display
A ppl ies to vehicles : wit h engin e temperat ure cont rol dis­
p lay
F ig . 21 Display: engine oil temperatu re disp lay
• With the ignition switched on, press the
I RESET I button ¢ page 26, fig. 11 repeated­
l y until the engine o il temperature display is
shown.
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature when the engine oil temperature is be­
tween
1 76 ° F (80 °() and 248 °F (120 °() un­
der normal driving conditions. The engine oil
temperature may be higher if the re is heavy
engine load and h igh temperatures outs ide .
This is not a cause for concern as long as the
• ¢
page 16 or II ¢ page 20 war ning light
i n the display does not flash.
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 31
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
Fi g. 22 Display: speed warning system
The speed warning system warns the drive r if
he exceeds a previo usly stored max imum
speed. A warning tone will sound as soon as
the vehicle speed exceeds the set speed by
about 3 mph (3 km/h). At the same time, a
warning symbol appears in the display
q fig. 22.
The speed warning system has two warning
t hr es hol ds
that function independently of
each other and that have somewhat different
purposes:
' 8/8 ( Canad a model s) Sp eed warn ing 1
You can use speed warning 1 to set the maxi ­
mum speed while you are driving. This setting
will remain in effect until you turn
off the igni­
tion, assuming that you have not changed or reset the setting.
The speed warning symbol
Ci] ; [i (Canada
models) in the warning 1 disp lay appears
when you exceed the maximum speed.
It goes
out when the speed falls below the stored
maximum speed .
The speed warning symbol will also go out if
the speed
exceeds the stored maximum speed
by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The stored maximum speed
is de leted.
Setting speed warning 1
¢ page 32. .,.

38 Openin g and clo sing
The remote controls a llows you to:
- lock or unlock the veh icle
- selectively unlock the rear lid.
The turn signals will flash briefly whenever
you lock or unlock the vehicle. Also, the interi­
or light will come on or go off whenever you
open or close the dr iver's door .
The transmitter and battery are located in the
head of the remote control. The receiver is lo­
cated inside the vehicle . The maximum effec ­
tive range depends on seve ral things . Remem­
be r, if the battery is weak, the effective range
dec reases.
The remote -control key conta ins a fold -out
key that you can use to man ually lock or un­
lock the v ehicle and to sta rt the e ng in e.
If you need to replace the remote contro l, or if
you need to have it repaired, you must see
your author ized Audi dealer . Only then can
you use the key again .
_& WARNING
Read and follow all WAR NIN GS c> &. in
G eneral descrip tion on page 37.
@ Tips
- The remote cont rol key is automat ical ly
deact ivated when th e ignition is sw itch­
ed on.
-
- The op eration of the remote cont ro l key
c a n be tempo rarily disrupted by in terfer­
ence from transmitters in t he vicin ity o f
th e veh icle work ing in t he same frequen­
cy r ange (e .g . a ce ll phone, radio equip ­
ment).
- In order to make sure the locking func­
tion is workin g, you shou ld always keep
you r eye on the vehicle to make sure it is
p roper ly loc ked.
- Do not use the remote control if you are
i nside t he car, ot herwise you may unin­
tentiona lly lock t he ve hicle, and then you
would set off the anti-theft alarm when
you try open a door . In case this happens
anyhow, push the unlock button@ . - U
se the panic function on ly if yo u are in
an emergency situation .
Resetting the remote control
The remote control must be rese t if the vehi ­
cle does not unlock.
• Press t he u nlock button@ on the remote
cont ro l.
.. Man ually un lock the driver's door lock with
the mechanica l key within 30 seconds .
.. Press either the lock-
tD or the unlock @ but­
ton to complete the reset seq uence.
Doors, power Locks
Operating the locks with the fold-out
key
To lock and unlock the vehicle from the out­
side, turn the key in the lo ck of the driver 's
door .
Fig. 30 Key turns for openi ng and closing.
To unlock all door s and the rear lid
.. Turn the key to position @ c> fig. 30 to un-
lock the vehicle
To lock the vehicle
,.. Close a ll win dows and doors pro perly.
.. Turn the key in the lock of the d river's door
to the loc k pos it ion
@ c> A in General de­
scription on page 3
7.
When you unlock yo ur vehicle:
- The ant i-theft alarm system is dea ctivated.
- The vehicle i nterior lights illum inate fo r ap-
proximately 30 seconds .
When you
lock the vehicle:

- All doors and the rear lid are locked.
- The anti- theft alarm system is act ivated.
- The veh icle inter ior lights turn off.
_& WARNING
Alw ays read and heed WARNING ~ &. in
General description on page 37.
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
The vehicle con be locked or unlocked from
the inside using the power locking switches
located in the driver's and the front passeng­
er's door.
F ig. 31 D rive r's doo r: powe r locki ng sw itc h
In addition to the central locking switches in
the doors , there is a locking switch on the rear
center console for the rea r-seat passengers
9 page40.
How t o lo ck all doors and the rea r lid
simultaneously
• Press lower part of the power locking switch
@ 9fig. 319&_ .
How to unlock all doors an d the re a r lid
simultaneousl y
• Press the upper part of the switch@ .
How to unlock / open each front door
s e paratel y using the doo r handle
• Pull the door handle once to release the
lock and s imultaneously open the door .
How to unlock/ open each rear doo r
s eparately using the doo r handl e
• Pull the door handle once to release the
lock .
Openin g an d clos ing 39
• Pull the handle twice to open the door.
If you lock the vehicle using the power lo cking
switch @, please note the following:
- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from the
outside (increased secu rity, for ex­
ample when you are stopped at a red light).
- The d iode in the power locking switch illumi-
nate when all the doors and the rear lid are
closed and locked.
- You can un lock and open the doors individu­
ally from the ins ide by pu lling once on the
door handle for the front doo rs and twice
for the rear doors.
- Front doors: you can unlock and open the doors from the inside by pull ing on the door
handle.
- Rear doors: pull the doo r handle
once to re­
lease the lock . Pu ll the handle
again to open
the door.
- If the driver's door is opened (afte r you have
locked the vehicle from the ins ide using the
power locking switch), the door will rema in
unlocked to prevent you from locking your­
self out of your vehicle. After you close the
door, you have to lock the driver's door
again .
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat·
ed, the doors automatically unlock .
A WARNING
- If you use the power locking switch w ith
the doors closed, remember that all the
vehicle doors will lock.
- Locking doors from the inside can help
prevent inadvertent door opening during
a n accident and can a lso prevent unwant­
ed entry from the outside. Locked doors
can, however, delay assis tance to vehicle
occ upants and hold up rescue efforts
from the outside in an accident or other emergency.
(D Tips
If the vehicle has been locked manually
with the key or with the remote contro l,
the central locking switch is inoperative.