tow AUDI A3 2011 Owner´s Manual

Parking on a slope
Do not park with a trailer on a slope. If it cannot be
avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
-Apply the foot brake.
- Have someone place chocks under both the vehicle and the
trailer wheels.
- With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes until wheel
blocks absorb the load.
- Turn the wheels towards the curb.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Place an automatic transmission in
P, respectively a
manual transmission in first or reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
- Start the engine .
- Shift transmission into gear .
- Release the parking brake and slowly pull out and away from the wheel blocks .
- Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel blocks.
[I] Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automatic transmiss ion to P
before applying the parking brake and before blocking the wheels,
you may have to use more force later to move the leve r out of the
P
position. •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Cleaning and protection -
---------------=---------=----
Windows
Clear vision to all sides.
Clean all windows regularly to remove road film and carwash
wax buildup.
- Remove snow from windows using a brush.
- Use a plastic ice scraper to remove ice from windows and
mirrors.
- Remove other residue on the w indows with a spray-on
glass cleaner .
- Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of cloth or
kitchen paper towel.
T he best way to remove snow from w indows and mirrors is to use a
brush. Use a non-abrasive plastic ice s craper - be tter st ill, a spray
deicer -to remove ice from windows and mirrors.
Th e w indows must not be cleaned with insect remover or wax since
these can interfere with the function of the w indshield wiper blades
(chatte r) .
Oil, grease or s ilicone residue can be removed with glass cleane r or
s ili cone remover. Howeve r, wax residue requires the use of a specially
formulated solvent . Please contact your author ized Aud i dealer for
advice on safe products for wax remova l.
W indows shou ld also be cleaned on the inside at regu lar i nte rvals.
Never dry windows w ith the same chamo is that you use to dry painted
surfaces. Wax res idue on the chamois ca n impa ir v is ion t hrough the
windows .
& WARNING
• The w ind shi eld must not be tr eated with water -rep ellent
m aterial s. They can in cre a se glare und er poor vi sibilit y co ndition s
Safety first
& WA RNING (continu ed)
such as wetne ss , dar kne ss, or when the sun is low on the ho rizon .
In addition , th ey can cau se the wind shield wip ers to c hatt er.
• Always r ea d and heed all WARNING S and othe r in fo rm ation
~ pag e 206 .
0 Note
• Never use warm o r hot wate r to remove snow and ice from
windows and mirrors . This could cause the glass to crack.
• To prevent damage to the w ires of the rear defogger, do not place
any adhesive stickers on the inside of the rear window over the wires.
• T o help prevent dirt from scratching the w indow, always scrape in
a forward direction - pushing the scraper away from you -never back
and forth .•
Weatherstrips
Complete car care includes the weatherstrips as well .
-Apply a suitable rubber conditioner to the weatherstrips
from time to t ime .
To be able sea l properly, the weatherstrips around the hood, doors,
rear l id, etc. must remain pliable . Spray the weatherstrips with sili­
cone or coat t hem with talc um powder or g lycerine to retain the flex­
ibility of the rubber and to p ro tect them agai nst free zing in the
winter .
& WARNING
Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS and other inform ation
~ page 206 .
Vehicle care Technical data

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Applies to vehicles : w ith natural leather
Cleaning and caring for leather upholstery
and trim
Natural leather requires special care and attention.
Normal cleaning
-Clean so iled areas with a slightly moistened cotton or
woolen cloth .
More stubborn dirt
- More stubborn dirt can be removed using a cloth satu­
rated 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 Audi 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 author ized Audi dealer, who will
be glad to help you and tell you about our fu ll range of leather care
products, such as:
• Leather cleaning and care kit
• Creams to care for colored leather
• Spot removers for ba llpoint pens, shoe polish, etc.
• Oil/grease dissolving spray
• New and upcoming products .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~page 206.
0 Note
• Never use chemical so lvents (e.g. lighterfluid, turpentine), waxes,
shoe po lish or simi lar products on the leather surfaces in your Aud i.
• To avoid damage, hav e stubborn stains removed by a commercial
cleaning specialist .•

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is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to loss of
vehicle control, but can also damage important parts of the vehicle
and can lead to sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden
deflation that can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends o n making sure
that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are techn ically
referred to as the veh icle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR").
Th e "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory
installed accessories, a full tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids
plus maximum load. The maximum load includes the number of
passenge rs that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each passenger at a
designated seating posit ion and the total weight of any luggage in
the vehicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rat ing
are listed on the safety compliance sticker label located e ithe r on the
dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler flap. Your Audi
has 5 seating positions, 2 in the front and 3 in t he rear for total
seating capacity of 5. Each seating position has a safety belt
=> page 135, "Safety belts".
The fact that there is an upper limit to your veh icle's Gross Veh icle
Weight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is being
carried in the veh icle (in cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer) is limited . The more passengers
in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier than the standard
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carr ied as luggage.
Th e tire pressure label on your A udi also lists the maximum combined
we ight of all of the occupants and luggage or other cargo that the
vehicle can carry. For the location of the labe l=>
page 249, fig. 171.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating .•
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage
or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded. ._

Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1.Locate the statement "THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure label) =>
page 249,
fig. 171.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker =>
page 249, fig. 171.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lbs . passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
Safety first
Tires and wheels -
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer ,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
- Check the tire sidewall(=>
page 257,
fig. 175) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific tire . •
Vehicle care Technical data

What do I do now? -________________ Vflll
- Move selector lever to position Pon an automatic trans­
mission; put manual transmission in
first gear=> &.
-If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trailer from your
vehicle.
- Take the
tool and the spare tire=> page 270 out of the
luggage compartment.
& WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while changing a wheel if
you do not follow these safety precautions:
• If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance off the road. Turn
off the engine, turn the emergency flasher on and use other
warning devices to alert other motorists.
• 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, placing the automatic
transmission in "P" (Park), or engaging a gear in a manual trans­
mission 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. •
Safety first
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence described
below step-by-step and exactly in that order.
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For more details see
also =>
page 274, "Decorative wheel covers" or
=> page 275, "Wheels with cap-covered wheel bolts".
2. Loosen the
wheel bolts=> page 276.
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the jack and align the jack below that point=>
page 276.
4.
Lift the car with the jack=> page 2 76.
5. Take the
flat wheel off and then put the spare on
=> page 278.
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
7.
Lower the vehicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly tighten all wheel
bolts=>
page 276.
9. Put the decorative
wheel cover* back on.
& WARNING
Always read and head all WARNINGS and information~ & in
"Raising the vehicle" on
page 276 and~ page 279. •
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the following
actions.
- Store and secure the replaced wheel in the spare wheel
well. .,._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency crew s and working
pe rsonnel who have the necessary tool s and equipment to perform
the se operation s. •
Starting by pushing or towing
0 Note
Veh icles with an automatic transmission cannot be started by
pushing or towing .•
Starting with jumper cables
J umper c able : Note the manufacturer 's information .
If the battery is discha rged, another ve hicle can p rovide sta rting
assistance. For this yo u require a jumper cab le. Bot h batter ies m ust
h ave the s ame vo lt a ge (V) and a sim ila r cap acity (Ah).
Jumper cables Use
only jumpe r cables o f sufficiently la rge cross section to safely
carry the starter current. Refer to the man ufact urer's spec ificat ions.
Use only j umpe r ca bles with
isola ted t ermin al cl am ps and pro p erl y
marked for distinct ion:
plu s(+) cable in most cases co lored red
minus( ·) cable i n most cases colo red black .
T he w ire cross sect ion must be at least 0.038 in
2 (25 mm2
) for gaso ­
line engines and a t least 0. 054 in
2 (3 5 mm2
) for diese l engines.
& WARNING
Batterie s contain el ectricity, acid, and gas . Any of the se can cause
very serious or fatal injury. Follow the inst ructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle 's battery.
• Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning over the battery
whenev er po ssible .
• A discharged battery can alre ady freeze at temperatures just
below 32 °F (0 °C) . Never attempt to provide starting assistance
on a frozen or thawed out battery- Danger of explosion and chem­
ical burns! Replace a battery if it has been frozen.
• Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or skin. Flush any
contacted area with water immediately .
• Improper u se of a booste r battery to start a vehicle m ay cause
an explosion .
• Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases . Keep sparks, flame
and lighted cigarettes away from batteries .
• Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the
battery .
• The voltage of the booster battery mu st also have a 12 -Volt
rating. The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery . Use of batteries of
different voltage or substantially different "Ah" rating may cause
an explosion and personal injury.
• Never charge a frozen battery . Gas t rapped in the ice may cause
an explosion .
• Never charge or use a b attery that has been frozen. The battery
case may have be weakened.
• Use of batteries of different voltage or substantially different
capacity (Ah) rating may cause an explosion and injury. The
capacity (Ah) of the booster battery should not be lower than that
of the di scharged battery .
~

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13. Disconnect the cable w hile the engine is runn ing exactly
in
reverse or der to t hat described in~ page 288,
"Connec ting/discon nect ing the jumper cable" . When
doi ng so , ma ke sure that t he cab le ca nnot contact rotat ing
eng ine parts .
14 . T urn the h eater bl ower a nd th e re ar w indow hea tin g off
a gain.
Th e bat tery is ven ted to the o utsi de to p reven t ga ses from en ter ing
the ve hicle interior .
M ake s ure that the jumpe r clamps a re well connected w ith their
metal parts in full contact with t he battery termi na ls .
& WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury and damage to the vehicle, heed
all warnings and instructions of the jumper cable manufacturer . If
in doubt, call for road service.
• Jumper cable s mu st be long enough so that the vehicles do not
touch.
• When connecting jumper cable s, make sure that they cannot
get caught in any moving parts in the engine compartment.
• Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS=>
page 218, "Engine compart­
ment ".
0 Note
Im pro perly con ne cte d jum per c abl es c an dam age or destroy the
generator.
• Do not use the ba ttery nega tive term inal for jum p star ting or a
ma lf u nction co uld occ ur in the vehicle electrica l system .
• Always co nnect POSITIV E(+) to POSI TIVE( +), a nd NEGATIVE( -)
to N EGATIVE{ -) termina l.
Safety first
• Check that all screw p lugs on the battery cells are screwed in
fir mly . If no t, tig hten plugs pr ior to connectin g clamp o n negative
battery term inal.
• P lease note that the pr ocedur e fo r connecting a jumper cable as
described above app lies specifically to the case of your vehicle being
jum p st ar te d . When you are giving a jump start to anot her vehi cle, do
not conn ect the m in u s (-) cable to t he minus( -) term inal on the
discharged battery ©=>
page 288, fig. 197 . In stea d, sec urely
connect the mi nus( -) cable to either a massive metal component
that is f irm ly bo lte d to t he eng ine block or to the engine bloc k itse lf .
If the battery that i s bei ng charged does not ven t to t he ou tside,
escaping battery gas could ignite and explode! •
Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck
c;eneral hints
Your Audi requires s pecial h andling for to win g.
The follow ing informat ion is to be used by commercial tow truck
oper ator s w ho know how to oper ate th eir equipmen t sa fe ly.
• Never tow your Audi, towing will cause damage to the engine
and transmission.
• Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables around the brake
lines.
• To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi must be transported
with a car carrier (flat bed truck ).
• To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use the towing loop found
in the vehicle tools and attach to the front or rear anchorage
=> page 290 and=> page 290 . ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for passengers. Never allow
anyone to ride in a vehicle being towed, for any reason. •
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop until it is needed .
Fig. 198 Front
bumper: removing the
cover cap
Fig. 199 Front
bumper: screwing in
the towing loop
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole located on the
right side of the front bumper and covered by a small cover
when not in use. Note that the towing loop has a
left-hand
thread!
- Remove the towing loop from the vehicle toolkit
=> page 270.
-Press on the bottom edge of the cover cap to disengage
and take it out of the bumper. The cap remains connected
to the bumper => fig. 198.
- Insert the towing loop into the threaded hole=> fig. 199
and turn it all the way in unt il it is seated securely, then
tighten it with the wheel bolt wrench .
When it is no longer needed , unscrew the towing loop and put it back
into the on-board toolkit. Make sure to have the towing loop stored
in the vehicle at all times .
& 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. 200 Rear
bumper: cover

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Fig. 201 Rear
bumper: towing loop
inserted
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 vehicle toolkit
=> page 270.
Place the screwdriver against the upper edge of the cover
and carefully pry it out :::>
page 290, fig. 200.
- Insert the towing loop into the threaded hole=> fig. 201
and turn it all the way in until it is seated securely, then
tighten it with the wheel bolt wrench.
When it is no longer 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 all times.
& WARNING
If you do not screw the towing loop completely, it could come out
of the threaded hole while the vehicle is being towed causing
damage to the vehicle and possible serious personal injury. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Front hook up
N (0 :? 0:. CD
"'
Fig. 202 Vehicle on
flat bed truck
- Align the vehicle with the centerline of the car carrier
ramp.
- Attach the winch hook to the front towline eye
=>
page 290, fig . 199 previously installed .
Rear hook up
-Align the vehicle with the centerline of the car carrier
ramp.
- Attach the winch hook to the rear towline eye=> fig. 201
previously installed.
rn Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up is secure before moving the
car up the flatbed truck ramp. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service iTechnical data