warning AUDI A3 2011 Owner´s Manual

Driver information display
Brake system malfunction
BRAKE (USA models)/ {©) (Canada models)
The indicator light flashes if the brake fluid level is too
low , if there is a malfunction in the ABS system or when
the parking brake is engaged.
If the BRAKE /((D) symbol flas hes in the display wit h the
parking brake released, there is a malfunction in the brake
system. In addition to the symbol, o ne of two messages
appears in the display:
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid
ABS fault ! See owner's manual
- Pull off the road and sto p the ve hicle.
- Obtain professio nal assistance .
USA models: if there is a ma lfunct io n in the ABS system, the/.
w ar ning/ind ica tor ligh t illum inates along wi th the BRAKE system
ma lf u nction warning/indicator light~&.
Canada models: if there is a malfu nction in the ABS system, the
wa rning/ind icator ligh t illuminates togethe r with the ((i)) bra ke
system malfunction warn ing/indicator light~& .
Parking brake set
T he parking bra ke warning light Brake/((i)) (Canada mo dels) ill umi­
nates when the pa rking brake is set. In addit ion, a warning tone will
so und after yo u have driven for longer than 3 secon ds and faster than
3 mph (5 km/h).
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning s in ~ page 218 , "Engine compart­
ment" , before opening the engine hood and checking the brake
fluid.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Driving with low brake fluid i s a safety hazard! Stop the car and
get profe ssional assistance .
• If the brake sy stem warning/indicato r light illuminates
together with the ABS warning /indicator light, then th e ABS
system is malfunctioning. The rea r wheels could quickly lock up
when you apply the brakes . Th is could lead to lo ss of control and
your vehicle could slide! Dri ve carefully to the nea rest authorized
Audi dealer and hav e the malfunction corrected. •
Engine cooling system malfunction _L
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
rep aired as s oon as possible .
When t he -L symbol in th e d isplay flashes , then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too h igh , or the coolant level
is too low. In add it ion to the symbol , the fo llow ing message
also appears i n the d isplay:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
- Pull off th e road and stop the v ehicle.
- Tur n off the engine .
- Chec k coo lant level~
page 235 .
-Add co olan t if ne cessary ~ page 236.
-Con tinue drivi ng o nly a fter the e ngin e coolant
wa rnin g/ind icato r lig ht go es out .
- Con tact you r au tho rized Audi dealer fo r assis tance if
necessary .
If the eng ine coolant leve l is correct, then the radiator fa n may be the
c ause of the m alfun ction.
~

If the generator warning/indicator light shou ld also illuminate
=> page 15, t hen t he fan belt m ay be damaged .
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons , pa rk at a safe distance from mo ving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights=>
page 59, "Emer­
gency flasher
A. ".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping .
• The engin e compartment of any vehicle i s a dangerou s ar ea .
Before you p erform any work in the engine compartment , turn off
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning sti ckers
=> page 218 , "Engine compartment ".
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the -¥- symbol illuminates . There is a
ma lf u nction in the engine coo ling sys tem -yo u could damage your
eng ine. •
Engine oil pressure malfunction ~
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol requires
immediate se rv ice o r repair.
If the 9=r. symbo l app ears in the d is pl ay a nd flash es, th e oil
p ressure is to o lo w . In add ition to the sym bol, the f ollow ing
messag e al so a pp ea rs in the dis play :
Switch off engine and check oil level
- P ull off the road a nd stop t he ve hicle.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
-
Shut the eng ine down .
- Check t he eng ine oi l level=>
page 231 .
-Contact your authorized Aud i dea le r for assis tance i f
necessary .
Engine o il level too low
If the eng ine oi l leve l is too low , top off oil to t he p roper level
=>page 232.
Engine oil level OK
If the 't'!::;r. symbol starts flashing again even thoug h the engine oil
level checks O K on t he d ipstick,
do not start driving again and do not
let the engine run at idle .
Instead, contact you r authorized Audi
dealer fo r assis tance.
[ i ] Tips
• The engine oil pressure symbol 'I=:?: is not an indic ato r for a low
engine oil level. Do not rely on it . Instead , check the oil level in your
engine at regular intervals , preferably each t ime you refuel, and
always before going on a long tr ip .
• The yellow oil level warning indication requires oil refill or
workshop service without de lay . Do not wait until the red oil pre s­
s ure warning symbol~ starts to flash before you respond to the
low oil level warning _, . By then, your engine may already have
s uffered serious damage. •
Applies to vehicles: with manual trans miss ion
-;y Clutch pedal
T he indica tor lig ht illuminates if you do no t press t he cl utch pedal
when starting the engine . For safety reasons, the engine will only
sta rt when the clut ch pedal is pressed. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver information display
Fuel supply too low I
When the symbol illuminates, this means there are about 2.6
gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the fuel tank. Time to refuel!
=;, page 221.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is ample fue l in the tank, and
the text
Tank system malfunction! Please contact workshop appears
in the display, there is a fault in the system. Contact a qualified work­
shop to have the fault rectified .•
App lies to veh icles: w ith eng ine speed limitat ion
Engine speed limitation ~
Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The symbol illuminates when there is an engine control malfunc­
tion. The indicator light
C in the instrument cluster also illuminates.
Th e eng ine speed is limited to the speed displayed in the driver infor­
mation system. Keep in mind that the engine speed will not exceed
the value disp layed in the driver information system, for example
when downshifting .
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop to
have the malfunction repai red. •
App lies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine and diesel particulate filter
Diesel particulate filter clogged
Particulate filter ! See owner's manual
If the indicato r light in the instrum ent cluster comes on, the
diesel particulate filter has become blocked with soot as the result of
constant short -distance driving. When the symbol illuminates,
you can alter your driving style to assist the filter self-cleaning
process. Drive for approximately 15 minutes in 4th or 5th gear (auto­
matic transm ission w ith the selector lever in the 5 posit ion) at a min
imum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an engine speed of approx­
imate ly 2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that will result from
this can burn off the soot in the f ilter. The symbol will switch off when
the cleaning is successful. After a successfu l 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 does not switch off, see your authorized dealer or
other qualified workshop to have the problem corrected.
As long as the indicator light remains on (diese l particulate filter
plugged), you can expect increased fuel consumption and poss ibly
also a loss of engine performance.
For more information on the diesel particulate filter, refer to
=;, page 199.
& 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. •
Checking the engine oil level ~-
'LF. Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the ..:,; symbo l comes on, add 1 quart (1 liter) of oil at the next
opportun ity=-;,
page 232. •
Checking the engine oil level~
When the _ symbol illuminates, check the engine oil level as soon as
possible ~
page 231. Top off the oil at your earliest opportunity
=;, page 232. •

Engine oil sensor defective,:., 1ioo
If the ~ symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dealer
and have the oi l senso r inspected. •
Worn brake pads ,
Brake pads!
If the warn ing lig ht i llum inates, immediately contact your authorized
Audi dea ler or qu alified wor kshop to have all b rake pads insp ected.
On USA mode ls the warn ing light ,,, comes on together w it h the
warning light
BRAKE . Both sets of brake pads on an axle must a lways
be rep laced at the same time .
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can c ause a collision and serious personal
injury .
• If the warning light land the warning light
BRAKE1> with the
me ssage Brake pads! comes on in the in strument cluster di splay,
immediately contact your author ized Aud i dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pad s checked or replaced if
necessary. •
....
Speed warning 1 _, (USA
models)/ ...... (Canada models)
If the :J symbo l ill uminates, this means you are driving faster than
t he set vehicle speed. Slow down!~
page 28. •
ll BRAKE : USA mode ls on ly
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
Speed warning 2
) (USA models)/ (Canada models)
If the symbol i llum inates, this means you have d riven faster than
t he second set ve hicle speed . S low dow n!~
page 28. •
App lies to vehicles : wit h dyn am ic head ligh t ra ng e ad justmen t
Headlight range control defective r!>
If the > illuminates, the dynamic headlight range cont rol is no
longer work ing prope rly. Have the system checked and repaired at
your authorized Aud i dea ler. •
Windshield washer fluid level too low ~
If the -., symbo l ill uminates, add windshie ld washer fluid to the
was he r system ~
page 24 3. •
Battery voltage low
If the O symbol illum ina tes, contact yo ur authorized A udi dea ler and
have the fo llowing components inspected:
• drive be lt
• battery charge
Also see i f th e gener ator w arning/ind ic a tor ligh t illumina te s
~page 15 .•
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver information display
Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you when a vehicle
light bul b has become defective .
If a defective bu lb has been detected by the system or a light bulb
burns ou t, the symbo l w ith a message appea rs in the display to te ll
you which bulb is burnt out and where it is located. For example:
Rear left turn signal
After 5 seconds, the message d isappears . If you want to recall the
message into t he disp lay, press the CHECK button ::::,
page 8, fig. 2
® ·
There are three reasons w hy the defective bulb message would
appea r in the d ispl ay :
• The light bulb has burnt out::::,
page 285 .
• Th e fuse is "b lown" ::::, page 281, "R ep laci ng fuses".
• The wire connect io n to the light bulb is defective.
Have the bu lb rep lace d or the connec tion repa ired by your au thor ize d
Audi Service department.
& WARNING
• Light bulbs are pressurized and could e xplode while they are
being changed cau sing seriou s personal injur y.
• Work with due care when handling the high-voltage section of
ga s di scharge (xenon ) lamp s. Failing to do so could re sult in death
or se rious injury !•
Brake light defective B • urn (USA
models)/ (Canada models)
In case of a malfunct ion or component fai lure, the symbol
(USA models)/ (Ca nada models) can appea r. The following elec· trical components should be checked
, repaired or rep laced, as neces­
sary:
• Brake ligh t bul bs
• All wiri ng connec tions
• Brake light switch
C on tact your au thorized A udi deale r for assistance if necessary .
(I) Tips
The brake light switch is on ly inspected as part of the functional check
after the engine is sta rted .•
A pplies to veh icles: w ith au toma tic head ligh ts
Light/rain sensor defective
The indicator light indicates a defec t in the automatic
headlights/automatic wi per system.
If the symbo l ill umina tes, the ligh t se nso r has failed. Fo r safety
reasons, the low beams are turned on permanen tly with the sw itch in
AUTO . However, you can continue to t urn the lights on and off using
the light sw itch . In the case of a defec t in the ra in se nsor, the wi nd­
shield wiper lever functions are still avai lab le . Have the light/rain
s ensor che cked as soon a s poss ible at an a uth oriz e d Au di dea le r.•
A pp lies t o veh icles : wit h tire p ressure mon itoring system
Tire pressure monitoring system )
Tire press ure that is too lo w m ust be correc ted as soon a s
possible.
If the symbo l flashes for about one min ute after the igni ­
tion is sw itc hed on and then re m ain s on, t here is a malfu nc­
tion i n the syste m. Co nsu lt the neares t au thori zed Aud i
d ealer a s so on as possib le.
~

Opening and closing
Opening and closing
Keys
Key set
®
The key set for your ve hicle in cl ude s:
F ig. 2 5 Key set
© two master keys (press the re lease button => page 39,
fig. 26 to fo ld and unfold the master key)
@ one valet key
© Master key with remote control
You can centra lly lock and u nlock your vehicle and start the eng ine
w ith the mas ter key wi th remote cont rol. T he re a r lid can be u nlocked
w ith the remote control un lock button
c:::::5 on the master key .
@Valet key
The valet key f its only the driver's door and the ignition lock. I f yo u
have to leave the key w it h some bod y e lse, y ou are we ll-adv ise d t o
turn over the valet key on ly.
Be awa re t hat th e rear lid can be o pened from inside the veh icle with
the remote rear lid release
c:::::5 l ocated in the driver's door .
Key replacement
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Aud i dealer immediately to
h ave the
lo st key di sable d . B e sure to bri ng all you r keys wi th y ou.
Registered keys
You can check to find out how many remote keys have been regis tered
to your vehicle. Therefore, when buying a used veh icle, make sure to
get all of the remote keys th at belo ng t o it.
Calling up the registered remote keys=>
page 22.
An example of a possible display:
3/2. The first digit in dicates how
ma ny keys have been coded fo r you r vehicle . T he second digit indi ­
cates the current number of remote keys that are registered. Fo r our
example , thi s w ould m ean t hat
2 key s have been en abled for your
vehicle , and that, for example, one key has been lost .
If on e key h as been lost, con tact an a uthor ized A udi d eale rship to
hav e the func tion locked for this key . Also inform yo ur insurance
compa ny that t his key is lost .
& WARNING
• Do not leave your vehicle unattended with the key in the igni­
tion lock. Entry by unauthorized persons could endanger you or
result in theft or damage the vehicle. Alway s lock all doors and
take the key.
• Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, especially with
access to vehicle keys. Unguarded access to the keys provides chil­
dren the opportunity to start the engine and/or a ctivate vehicle
systems such as the power windows. Unsupervised operation of
any vehicle system by children can result in se rious injury . ._

All the doors and the rear lid are locked by the central locking system
when you lock the vehicle.
The unlock ing and locking mode* can be changed in the driver infor­
mation system~
page 22.
Unlocking the vehicle
You can unlock the vehicle from outside either by using the remote
control
or by inserting and turning the key in the driver's door lock .
When you
unlock your vehicle:
• Th e anti-theft alarm system is deactivated briefly.
• The vehicle interior lights illuminate for approximately 30
seconds .
• All turn signa l lights will flash twice when the car is unlocked .
• After unlocking the vehicle, you have 30 seconds to open a door or
the rear lid. Afte r 30 seconds, the vehicle automatica lly locks and the
anti-theft alarm system activates again.
The rear lid can be locked or unlocked either by using the remote
control or by inserting and turning the key in the dr iver's door lock.
Unlocking the vehicle with the remote control~ will only
unlock the
rear lid, to
open it, the lid handle needs to be pressed.
Locking the vehicle
You can lock the vehicle from outside either by using the remote
control
or by inserting and turning the key in the drivers's door lock.
When you
lock the vehicle:
• All doors and the rear lid are locked.
• All turn signal lights will flash once when the car is locked.
• Th e anti-theft alarm system is activated. The horn of the anti­
theft alarm system will sound and the anti-theft alarm system readi­
ness light, located in the center of the instrument panel below the
windshield on the right side of the air vent, will start to blink.
• Th e vehicle interior lights turn off.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Opening and closing
Automat
ic locking*
The automatic locking feature locks all the vehicle doors and the rear
lid when you drive faster than 9 mph (15 km/h).
You can unlock the vehicle from the inside by:
• removing the key from the ignition switch (the vehicle wi ll auto­
matically unlock itself) or
• pressing the unlock part of the power lock switch
ll::D or
• pulling the inside handle for that door (once - the front door is
unlocked and opened at the same time, twice to open the rear door).
If you wish, you can have an authorized Audi dealer convert your
power door lock system to automatic locking.
& WARNING
• When you lock your vehicle from outside, nobody· especially
children - should remain inside the vehicle. Remember, when you
lock the vehicle from the outside the windows cannot be opened
from the inside .
• When you leave the vehicle, always remove the ignition key
and take it with you. This will prevent passengers (children, for
example) from accidentally being locked in the vehicle should
they accidentally press the power locking switch on the center
console.
• Do not leave children inside the vehicle unsupervised. In an
emergency it would be impossible to open the doors from the
outside without the key.
[ i ] Tips
• In the event of a crash with airbag deployment all locked doors
will be automatically unlocked to give access to the vehicle occupants
from the outside .
• If the power locking system sho uld fail, you can still open the fuel
tank flap in an emergency~
page 224 . .,_
Vehicle care Technical data

Opening and closing
• You are well advised not to keep valuables inside an unattended
vehicle, v isible or not . Even a properly locked vehicle cannot provide
the security of a safe! •
Unlocking and Locking the vehicle with the
remote control
How the remote control works.
Fig. 29 Remote
control : function
buttons
To unlock the vehicle doors and rear lid !TI
- Press button @once to unlock d river' door.
- Press button @twice to unlock all doors and the rear lid.
To lock the vehicle doors and rear lid iTI
- Press button ®~ & in "General description" on
page 40.
-Watch that all turn signal lights flash once.
To open rear lid only?:$
-Press button © for approximately one second .
PANIC Button
-Push the red button @to activate the panic function. The
horn sounds and the turn signals flash.
- Push the button @ again to deactivate the panic function.
The remote contro ls allows you to:
• lock or unlock the vehicle
• selective ly unlock the rear lid.
Th e turn signa ls will flash briefly whenever you lock or unlock the
vehicle. Also, the interior light will come on or go off whenever you
open or close the driver's door.
The transmitter and battery are located in the head of the remote
control. The receiver is located inside the vehicle. The maximum
effect ive range depends on several things. Remember, if the battery
is weak, the effective range decreases.
Th e remo te-control key contains a fold-out key that you can use to
manually lock or unlock the vehicle and to start the engine.
If you need to replace the remote control, or if you need to have it
repaired, you must see your authorized Audi dealer . Only then can you
use the key again.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ~ & in "General description" on
page 40.
(I] Tips
• The remote contro l key is automatically deactivated when the
ignition is switched on .
• The operation of the remote control key can be tempora rily
disr upted by interference from transmitters in the vicinity of the
vehicle wo rking in the same frequency range (e.g. a cell phone, radio
equipment). _..

Opening and closing
in. WARNING
Always read and heed WARNING~ & in "General description" on
page 40. •
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
The vehicle can be locked or unlock ed from the inside
usin g the power locking swi tches located i n the driver's
and the front passen ger 's door .
Fig . 3 1 Driv er's do or:
p ower locking switch
In add ition to the ce ntra l loc kin g swi tches in the doors , the re
is a locking switc h on the rear center console for the rear-seat
passe ngers=>
page 45 .
How to lock all doors and the rear lid
simultaneously
- Press lower pa rt of t he po wer locking sw itch {D ::::> fig. 3 1
=> & .
How to unlock all doors and the rear lid
simultaneously
- P ress the upper part o f th e swi tch@.
How to unlock/ open each front door
separately using the door handle
- Pull the doo r handle once to release th e lock and sim ult a-
neo usly o pen the door.
How to unlock/ open each rear door
separately using the door handle
- Pull t he door handle once to release the loc k.
- Pull the ha ndle
twice to o pen t he doo r.
If you lo ck the ve hicl e using t he power loc king switch 1'.I!, please note
the following:
• You cannot o pen the doors or the rear lid from the
outside
(increased security, for examp le whe n you a re stopped at a red light) .
• Th e diode in the power loc king switch illuminate when a ll the
doors and the rear lid are closed and loc ked.
• You can un lo ck and open t he doors in dividually from the inside by
pulling once o n the door hand le for the front doors and twice for t he
rea r doors.
• If the driver's door is opened (after yo u have locked the vehicle
fro m the inside using the power locking sw itch), the door will rem ain
unlocked to preve nt you from locki ng yourse lf out of yo ur vehicle.
After you close the doo r, you have to lo ck the drive r's door aga in .
• If you have a crash and the airbag is activated, the doors automat­
ically unlo ck.
& WARNING
• If you use the power locking switch with the door s closed,
remember that all the vehicle doors will lock.
• Locking doors from the inside can help prevent inadvertent
doo r opening during an accident and can also prevent unwanted
entry from the outside . Locked door s can, however, delay assi s- .,,.

& WARNING (continued)
tance to vehicle occupants and hold up rescue efforts from the
outside in an accident or other emergency.
(I) Tips
If the vehicle has been locked manually with the key or with the
remote control, the central locking switch is inoperative. •
Rear power locking switch
There is also a power locking switch in the rear center
console for passengers sitting in the rear.
Fig. 32 Rear power
locking switch
-Press switch rD => fig. 32 to lock the vehicle=> & in
"Locking and unlocking the vehicle from inside" on
page 44.
This switch does not unlock the doors .
See also=> page 44, "Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside". •
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Opening and closing
Rear lid c:::::5
The rear lid is opened by the power locking system using
the
.c::s button.
Opening the rear lid
Fig. 33 Driver's door,
rear bottom: remote
rear lid release
Fig. 34 Handle loca ­
tion in the rear lid
- Pull the switch c::::5 => fig. 33 in the driver's door.
- Unlock the rear lid by pressing the~ button on the
remote control=> fig . 33.
- Lift the lid
=> fig. 34.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data