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 .,,.

24 Driver information d isplay
temperature. This is caused by the heat
being radiated from the engine .
- On vehicles with S tronic, the reminders
do not appear in the display until you se­
l ect a gear .
- On vehicles with Audi Navigation sys­
tem*, the displays may differ from their
norma l appearance during navigation.
Gearshift recommendation
App lies to vehicles: with gearshift ind icator and manual
transmiss ion
This indicator can help conserve fuel.
Fig. 8 Gears hi ft recommenda tion
In order to become familiar with the gearshift
indicator, begin driving as usual.
If the current
gear is not the best one for conserving fuel,
the indicator will display the recommended
gear . The display shows the current gear and
the recommended gear
c:> fig . 8 .
- Upshift ing: The display is to the right of the
current gear if a
higher gear is recommend­
ed .
-Downshift ing: The display is to the left of
the current gear if a
lower gear is recom­
mended .
Sometimes the ind icator w ill recommend
skipping a gear (3..,. 5).
(D Note
This indicator should help you conserve
fue l. It is not designed to recommend the
correct gear in all driving situations. Only
the dr iver can dec ide which gear is correct
in certa in driving situations such as when
accelerating or dr iving on h ills.
(D Tips
- The display switches off when the clutch
peda l is pressed.
- Gear shift recommendation can be deac­
tivated in the driver information system
c:>page 27.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 9 Locat ion of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Boa rd Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your em iss ion control system. Each
controlled component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case of a mal ­
function, the component wi ll be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
The MIL lamp may a lso illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illuminates after a refuelling,
pull off the road and stop the vehicle, then
check that the fuel filler cap is properly closed
c:> page 192.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe ­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for 080) .
In order to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the engine hood release lever
c:> fig. 9.
Your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service station can interpret the code and per ­
form the necessary repair.

~/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-

26 Driver information d isplay
Total-trip memory (Trip computer 2)
Unlike the sing le- tri p memory, t he tota l-trip
memory is not reset automatically. This per ­
mits you to eval uate your d riving data for the
enti re pe riod between manual resets.
Fuel range
T he e stima ted cruising r ange in mile s (km)
a ppears in the d isplay. The disp lay ch anges in
increments of 6 miles ( 10 km).
Average fuel mileage
The average fuel economy in MPG (l/ 100 km)
si nce you last clea red the memory appears in
this displ ay .
Current fuel mileage
T he instantaneous fuel consumption in miles
pe r gallo n (l/ 100 km) is shown in this d isplay.
When the ve hicle is stationary, the most r e­
cent fuel co nsump tion is di splayed.
Average speed
The average speed in mph (km/h) since the
last time the disp lay was reset appea rs i n the
d isplay .
Elapsed time
The length of time that you have been driving
since you last reset the memory appears in
this display. T he maximum time period that
can be recorded is
999 hou rs and 59 mi nutes .
Distance
The elapsed distance since the last time the
memory was cleared appears in the display .
The maximum d istance that can be recorded
i s
9,999.9 m iles (9,999 .9 ki lometers).
@ Tips
A ll st ored values will be lost if the vehicle
battery is disc onnected .
Operation
The trip computer is controlled by two
switches on the windshield wiper lever .
Fig . 11 W ipe r arm/w iper lever: co ntro ls for the t rip
compute r
Selecting the trip computer
.. Tap the I Rese t I button @ until the trip com­
puter (memory leve l 1 or 2) appears in the
disp lay
c> page 25, fig. 10.
Selecting the functions
.. Push in t he up per (lower) protr usio n on t he
fu nction selector sw itch ®
c> fig . 11 . The
functi ons fo r th e tr ip comp ute r are dis­
played in succession on t he respective mem­
ory leve ls.
Resetting the fun ction to zero
.. Push the I Res et I butto n @ for at least two
seconds .
You can re se t the following values to zero us­
ing t he
I R eset I bu tton :
- driving time
- distance
- average fuel m ileage
- average speed
T he trip computer on ly o perates whe n the ig­
nit ion is on. When you turn o n the ign ition,
the f unction that was in use when you last
turned the ignition off will be displayed .
(D Tips
-Yo u can also set the va lues for t he func ­
tions to zero i n the me nu disp lay
( Reset )
c>page27 . .._

-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

28 Driver information d isplay
Navigating the menu
Use the rocker switch on the windshield wiper
lever and the
I Reset I button to operate the
menu and carry out inquiries and selections .
Fig. 14 Wiper lev er: Controls for th e menu disp lay
Fig. 15 D isplay: Start menu
I Reset I button @ and rocker switch @
q fig. 14 functions:
To open the menu
.,. Press the I Reset I button @ until the menu
display ¢
fig. 15 appears
Selections and settings
.,. Press the rocker switch @to reach a menu
display . The switch is operated the same as
the display (up/down) .
Entering and confirming
.,. Press the !Reset I button @.
Returning to the Start menu
.,. Press the !Reset I button longer than 2 sec­
onds to return from any menu level to the
Start menu.
Using the rocker switch, you can select the
menus in the d isp lay or change settings. A
.... 0 .... 0 -', a, cursor appears on the left in front of these­
lected values.
By press ing the
I Reset ! button, you activate
the selection you made or confi rm the values
you set.
Selected functions are identified with
a check mark or are carried out directly .
Mean ings of the symbols in the display :
Selec- Selected funct ion Mean
ing
tion bar
> Cursor Current Selec-
tion
Check mark Selected or
Function active
D
Box Not selected
Triangle pointing Previous page
up
Triangle pointing IINext page
down
Selecting settings
The Driver Information System settings are
menu -guided .
Fig. 16 Display : Menu Sett ings, com puter selec ted
(page 1)
Select your settings as follows:
.,. Press the
I Reset I button . The Start menu
appears
~ page 2 7, fig . 13 .
.,. Press the rocker switch until Set is dis­
played .
..... 0
i
.,. Press the I Reset I button. All the menus ap­
pear .
.,. Press the rocker switch until the desired line
is highlighted (cursor)
¢ fig . 16 .
.,. Press the I Reset ! button. ....