tow AUDI A3 2012 Owner´s Manual

@ Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
mat ic transm ission to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force later to move the lever out of the
P pos i­
tion .
Trailer towin g 177
•
•

182 Cleaning and protection
• Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.
The best way to remove snow from w indows
and mir rors is to use a brush. Use a non -abra­
sive
pla stic ice scraper -better still, a spray
deicer -to remove
ic e from windows and mir­
rors.
The windows must not be cleaned with insect remover or wax since these can interfere with
the function of the windshield wiper blades (chatter).
O il, grease or silicone residue can be removed
with
glass cle aner or silicone remo ver. How­
ever, wax residue req uires the use of a specia l­
ly form ulated solvent. P lease contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer for adv ice on safe prod­
ucts for wax removal.
Windows sho uld a lso be cleaned on the inside
at regular interva ls.
Never dry windows with the same chamois
that you use to dry painted s urfaces. Wax resi­
due on the chamois can impair vision thro ugh
the windows.
A WARNING
- The windshie ld m ust not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can i n­
c rease glare under poor visib ility condi­
t ions such as wetness, darkness, o r whe n
the sun is low on the hori zon. In addi­
t io n, they ca n cause the wi ndshield wip ­
ers to chatter .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
othe r inform ation
Qpage 178.
0 Note
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
s now and ice from windows a nd mirrors.
This cou ld cause the g lass to c ra ck .
- To prevent damage to the wi res of the
r ear defogger, do not place any adhesive
sticke rs o n the inside of t he rear w indow
ove r the wires.
- To he lp prevent d irt from s cratch ing the
window, always scrape i n a forwar d di- rec
tion -pushing the sc raper away from
you -never bac k and fort h.
Steel wheels
Applies to vehicles: with steel wheels (e .g. if refitted with
winter tires)
The wheels also have to be cleaned.
• Always include the hub caps and wheel rims
when wash ing your vehicle to remove road
dirt, sa lt sprays and brake dust .
If necessary, use a commercial whee l cleaner
to remove accumulated brake dust.
The wheel rims are easier to keep clean i f they
are regularly coated with liq uid wax.
Paint scra tches shou ld be touched up as soon
as possib le to prevent corrosion
¢ page 181,
Touch-up paint.
A WARNING .....__
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
brak ing eff ic iency-
q page 163, General
information . Test the brakes ca refully af­
ter each vehicle wash .
- Always read a nd heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information
q page 178.
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Applies to vehicles : with Cast alloy wheels
-
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
• Wash the w heels with a sponge or hose
brush every other week .
• For deep cleaning afterwards, use on ly a
ded icated acid-free cast alloy wheel cleaner.
• Rub a coat of
liquid wa x onto the rims every
three month. Be sure to reach and treat all
parts of the rim .
To preserve the decorative appearance of the cast alloy w heels, some special care is neces ­
sary. In addition to road dirt and salt, brake dust is also co rrosive . If left on fo r too long,
brake d ust can cause pitting.
U se only spec ial
acid -free cleaners formulated
fo r alloy r ims . Safe products are ava ilab le at ..,_

186 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at­
tention.
Normal cleaning
"' Clean soiled are as with a slightly moi stened
cotton or woolen cloth.
More stubborn dirt
"' More stubborn dirt can be removed us ing a
cloth saturated with a mild soap solution (2
tablespoons mild liquid soap).
"' Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather , and make certain that no water
soaks into the seams .
• Wipe off the soap solution with a soft, dry
cloth .
Cleaning spots
"' Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
"' Remove fresh
grease or oil-based spots
(such as butter, mayonnaise , chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leather.
"' Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil/
grease spots have dried on.
• Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, felt marker, fingernail polish, water­
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather .
Leather care
"' Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized Au­
di dealer) to care for the leather .
• Apply the product
very sparingly.
• Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
If you have any questions about cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle , it is best
to contact your authorized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to help you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as: -
Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot
removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming products .
_&. WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ~
page 178.
(D Note
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or similar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi .
I
-To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
Applies to vehicles: with Alcantara upholstery
Removing dust and dirt
• Moisten a cloth , squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Removing stains
"' Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
ethyl (rubbing) alcohol.
"' Dab at the stain . Start at the outside and
work inwards .
"' Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois­
ture.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al­
cantara.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is left standing in the sun for long periods, the
Alcantara should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fading. Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration.
ll-

220 Tire s and wheel s
-Only when all tires on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work correctly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified tire pressure va lues
for the tires and the co rrect p ressu res fo r
the f unct ion of the tire pressure mo nitor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate t ires to the recommended
and co rrec t tire pressu re before d rivi ng
off.
- Driv ing with under inflated ti res bend
more, lett ing them get too ho t res ulting
in tread separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- E xcess ive speed and/overloading can
cause heat bui ld -up, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the tire press ure is too low or too high,
the tires wi ll wear prematu rely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t ire is no t flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the valve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase t he
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire ca n car ry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not ha ndle
well a nd is more difficult to s top. Over load ing
c a n no t on ly lead to loss of veh icle con tro l, but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and ca n lead to sudden tire fai lure, in ­
clud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety an d that of your passengers also
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The max imum load incl udes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i ntended to car ry ("seat ing capac ity ") with an
a ss u med we igh t of 150 lbs (68 kg) for e ach
passenge r at a designated seating posi tion
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve ­
hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
trai ler hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he
G ros s Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located e ither
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on t he ins ide of
the fuel filler flap . Your Audi has 5 sea ting po­
s itions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for to ­
tal seating capacity of 5 . Each seat ing pos ition
has a safety belt
q page 113, Safety belts.
The fac t that there is a n upper limit to your
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is bei ng car­
ried in the vehicle ( in cl ud ing the weight of a
t ra ile r hi tc h and the tongue we igh t of the
loaded trail er) is lim ite d. T he more p assen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug-
gage.
~

222 Tires and wheels
and luggag e loa d cap acit y
c alcul ated in St ep 4.
6 . If your v ehi cle will b e towing
a trail er, load fro m your trail ­
er will b e tr ansferr ed to your
vehi cle. Con sult thi s manual
to determin e how thi s re­
d uces the available cargo
and luggage lo ad capacity of
y our vehicle.
..., Check the tire sidewall
(q page 223, fi g . 171) to de­
termine the d esignated lo ad
rating f or a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balan cing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 16 9 Tire tread: trea d wea r in di cators (TWI)
fr
Fig. 1 70 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The or ig inal tires on you r vehicle have
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wear indica tors"
c::> fig. 169 ru nning across the tread . Depend­
ing on the ma ke, there will be six to eight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the positions of the tread
wear indica to rs. Wor n tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countr ies
c::> .&_ .
Tire pressure
Incor rect t ire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
o nce a month
c::> page 218 .
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves , heavy accelerat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
F or all four tires on your ve hicle to have the
same service life, we recomme nd that the
front and rear tires are rotated accord ing to
the tire manufact urer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remembe r th e follow­
i ng:
- T ire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service intervals o utli ned in your
Warranty
& M ain tena nce Booklet .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on t he vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; the refore , we recommend that you
follow the tire man ufac turer's suggested
tir e rotat ion intervals.
- Vehi cles with front -wheel dr ive experience
more trea d wear on the fro nt wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel d rive (q uattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig . 170 .
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection -spec ific tires
c::> page 241 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various s ituations during everyday
driv ing ca n cause them to become
...

236 What do I do now?
-After installing the compact spare wheel,
the tire inflation pressure should be
checked and, if necessary, increased to
60 psi (4.2 bar).
- The load carrying capacity is marked on
the tire sidewalls and must not be ex ­
ceeded.
- After installing the compact spare wheel,
make sure that you remount the flat tire
in its storage area properly.
- The compact spare tire should be proper­
ly remounted in its storage area as soon
as the standard road tire can be re­ placed .
- Because the compact spare tire was spe­
cifically designed for your vehicle, it must not be used on any other vehicle .
Likewise, compact spare wheels from
other vehicles must not be used on your
vehicle.
- The compact spare tire must not be
mounted on any other wheels, nor must
standard tires, snow tires, wheel covers
or trim rings be used with the compact
spare wheel. If such use is attempted,
damage to these items or other vehicle
components may occur .
(D Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the com­
pact spare tire (60 psi/4.2 bar) periodically
to keep the tire ready for use.
Wheel change
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
.. After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop c:> ,&. .
.. All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
c:> _&. .
.. Apply the parking brake firmly c:> _&. .
.. Move selector lever to position Pon an au­
tomatic transmission ; put manual transmis­
sion in
first gear c:> _&..
.. If you are towing a trailer : unhitch the trail­
e r from your vehicle.
.. Take the
tool and the spare tire c:> page 234
out of the luggage compartment .
.&, WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flasher on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe place away from the vehicle and well
away from the roadway and traffic .
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac ­
ing the automatic transmission in "P"
(Park) , or engaging a gear in a manual
transmission will
not prevent the vehicle
from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spare wheel, make
sure that you remount the flat tire/wheel
in its storage area properly and tighten
the knurled retaining screw securely.
Changing a wheel
-
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and ex­
actly in that order .
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also
c:> page 23 7, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c:> page 238,
Wheels with cap-covered wheel bolts.

248 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working per sonnel who
have the necessary tools and equ ipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicle s with an automati c transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing .
Starting with jumper
cables
Jumper cable: Note the manufacturer's infor­
mation.
If th e battery is d ischa rged, another vehicle
can provide starting assistance. For this you
req uire a j umper cab le . Both batteries m ust
have the same voltage (V) and a s imilar ca­
pac ity (Ah).
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cab les of sufficiently
large cross section to safely carry the sta rter
cur rent. Refer to the manufacturer 's specifica ­
ti ons.
Use on ly jumper cables with
isola ted termina l
clamps an d properly marke d for distinction :
plus(+) cable in most cases colo red red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colo red black .
The wire cross section must be at least
0.038 in
2 (25 mm2 ) for gasoline eng ines and
at least 0.054 in
2 (35 mm2
) for diese l en­
gines .
A WARNING
Batte ries co ntain e lec tricity, ac id, a nd gas .
Any of these can cause ve ry ser io us or fatal i
njury . Follow the instructions below for
safe handling o f your vehicle's battery.
- Always shie ld your eyes and avo id lean-
ing over the battery wheneve r poss ib le.
- A discharged battery can a lready freeze
at temperatures just be low 32 °F (0 °() .
N ever attempt to provide start ing ass is­
tance on a frozen or thawed out batte ry -
Da nger of explosion and chemical burns!
Replace a battery if it has bee n froze n.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Fl ush a ny con tacted a rea with
wa te r immediat ely .
- Imp rope r use of a booster battery to
start a vehicle may cause an ex plosion .
- Vehicle batter ies ge nerate explosive gas­
e s . K eep spar ks, flame and lighted c iga ­
r e ttes away from ba tteries.
- Do not try to ju mp start a ny ve hicle w it h
a low ac id leve l in the battery .
- The vo ltage of the bo oste r batte ry m ust
a lso have a 12-Vo lt rat ing. T he capacity
(A h) of the booste r battery sho uld not b e
lowe r than that of the discharged bat­
tery . U se o f batte rie s of d iffe ren t voltage
or subs tan tia lly diffe ren t "Ah" rat ing
may c ause an exp losion and person al in­
jury .
- N ever ch arge a fr oze n b atte ry. Gas t rap­
ped in the i ce may c ause an ex plosion .
- N ever ch arge or use a batt ery th at h as
been frozen . T he battery case may have
be weake ned.
- Us e of batt erie s of diff ere nt vol tage or
subs tanti ally diff eren t ca pac ity (Ah) rat ­
in g may cause an exp losion and injury.
The ca pac ity ( Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis­
charged batte ry.
- Before you check anythin g in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS¢
page 187, Engine com­
partment.

securely connect the minus(- ) cable to
either a massive metal component that
i s firm ly bolted to the eng ine b lock or to
the engine block itself. If the battery
that is being charged does not ve nt to
the outside, escaping battery gas cou ld
i gnite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
ing .
The fol low ing information is to be used by
commercial tow truck operators who know how to ope rate their equipment safe ly.
- Never to w your Audi, towing will cause
damage to the engine and t ransmission.
- Never wrap the safety chain s or winch ca ­
bles around the br ake lines.
- To pre vent unnecessary damage , you r Audi
must be transported with a car carrie r (flat
bed truck ).
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use
the towing loop found in the veh icle tools
and attach to the front or rear anchorag e
¢page 251 and ¢page 252.
..&, WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not saf e for pas­
senge rs. Never a llow anyone to r ide in a
vehicle being towed, for any re ason.
Emergenc y situ ation s 251
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop until it is
needed .
Fig . 194 Fro nt bu mper: re m ov ing t he cover ca p
Fig. 195 Fro nt bump er: s crew ing in t he tow ing loo p
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo ­
cated on the right s ide of the front b umper
and covered by a sma ll cover when not in use .
Note that the towing loop has
a left-h and
thread !
.,. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
too lki t¢
pag e 234 .
.. Press on the bottom edge of the cover cap
to disengage and take it out of the bumper.
T he cap rema ins connected to the bumper
¢fig . 194 .
.,. Inser t the tow ing loop into the threaded
hole
<=> fig . 195 and tur n it all the way in un ­
til it is seated securely, then tighten it with
t h e wheel bolt w rench .
When it is no longer needed, unscrew the
towing loop and put it back into the o n-boa rd
toolk it . Make su re to have the towing loop
stored in the vehicle at all times .

252 Emergency situations
A WARNING
If the towing loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the vehicle is towed -potential risk of an
accident .
Rear towing loop
Do not install the rear towing loop until it is
needed.
Fig. 196 Rear bumper: cover
Fig. 197 Rear b umper: t owing loop inser ted
On the right side of the rear bumper there is a
threaded hole for the towing loop. The
threaded hole is behind a cover. Note that the
towing loop has a
left-hand thread!
.. Remove the towing loop from the veh icle
toolkit ¢
page 234 .
.. Place the screwdriver against the upper
edge of the cover and carefu lly pry it out
¢ fig. 196.
.. Insert the towing loop into the threaded
hole ¢
fig. 197 and turn it all the way in un­
til it is seated securely , then tighten it with
the wheel bolt wrench .
When it is no longe r needed, unscrew the
towing loop and put it back into the vehicle toolkit.
Be sure to have the towing loop stored
in the vehicle at a ll times.
A WARNING
--
If you do not screw the towing loop com-
pletely, it could come out of the threaded
hole while the vehicle is being towed caus­
ing damage to the vehicle and possible se ­
rious personal injury .
Loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Fig. 198 Vehicle on flat bed truck
Front hook up
.. Align the vehicle with the centerline of the
car carrier ramp .
.. Attach the winch hook to the front towline
eye
¢page 251, fig. 195 previously instal­
led .
Rear hook up
.. Align the vehicle with the centerline of the
car carrier ramp .
.. Attach the winch hook to the rear towline
eye¢
page 252, fig. 197 previously instal­
led .
(D Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up is secure before moving the car up the flat­
bed truck ramp .
Lifting the vehicle
Important safety precautions
Be aware of the following hazards before lift­
ing the vehicle with a workshop hoist or floor
jack: ..,.

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties :
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance Booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Consumer Information 259
Audi cannot be re sponsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Q) Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, serv ice or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erature are available to o rder from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regu lar mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and re liability .
For detailed vehicle maintenance consult your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
amp le at extreme ly low outside temperatures,
in very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
shou ld be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or rep lacing the air fi lter.
@ For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your veh icle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
•
•