light AUDI A3 SEDAN 2018 Owner's Guide

Lights and Vi sion
-The windshield wiper system must be
switched off (lever in position @) before us ­
i ng a car wash. This prevents the wipe rs
from sw itching on unintentionally and ca us­
i ng damage to the w indshie ld w iper system .
(D Tips
-The windshield wipe rs switch off w hen t he
i gnition is switched off. Yo u can act ivate the
windsh ield wipers after the ign ition is
switched back on by moving the windsh ield
wiper leve r to any pos it io n.
-Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades result
i n streak ing . This can affect the ra in se nsor
f u nct io n. Check yo ur windsh ield wiper
blades regularly.
-The washer fl uid nozzles in the w indshield
washer system are heated* a t low tempera­
tures whe n the ignition is on .
-When stop ping tempora rily, such as at a
traffic light, the speed of the windsh ie ld
wiper s automat ica lly re d uces by o ne leve l.
Cleaning the wiper blades
Clea n the w ipe r blades when you see wipe r
strea ks. Use a so ft clot h and a glass cleaner .
Windshield wiper
"' Place the windshield wipe r arms in the se rvice
pos it ion
<=> page 56.
"' Fo ld t he w indshield wipe r arms away from the
winds hield.
Rear window wiper
Applies to: vehicles with rear window wiper
"'Fold the wi per arm away from the rear w indow .
A WARNING
Dirty w indshield wi pe r blades can impair vi­
sio n, which incre ases the risk of an accident.
«1j) Note
If you see streaks aga in a fter cleaning the
w iper blades, the blades mus t be replaced
<=> page 56.
56
-
Replacing the front wiper blades
Fig. 58 Removin g windsh ie ld wiper bl ades
Windshield wiper service po sition /blade
replacement position
a, ... M 9
I
"' To br ing the w ipers into the service position,
tur n the ignition off and move t he w indsh ie ld
w iper lever into pos it ion
@ for at least two sec­
onds
c:> page 55, fig. 56.
"' To bring t he w indsh ie ld w ipers b ack to t he nor ­
ma l posi tion, switc h the ignition on and ho ld
the windshield wiper lever in position @ unti l
the windshi eld wipe rs go back to t he normal
position, or drive faster than 8 mph (12 km/h).
Removing the wiper blade
"' Fold th e w indsh ie ld w iper arm aw ay from t he
windshie ld.
"' Press the locking knob (D <=> fig . 58 on the wiper
blade. Ho ld the wipe r blade firmly.
"' Remove the w iper blade in the d irection of the
ar row.
Installing the wiper blade
"' Insert t he new wiper blade into the mount on
the wipe r
arm@ until you hear it latch into
place .
"'Place the wiper arm back on the winds hield.
"'Turn the service pos ition off .
A WARNING -
For safety reasons, the wi ndshield wipe r
b lades should be rep laced once o r twice eac h
ye ar.

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(D Note
-Only fold the windshield wipers away when
they are in the service position. Otherwise,
you risk damaging the paint on the hood or
the windshield wiper motor.
- You should not drive your vehicle or press
the windshield wiper lever when the wiper arms are folded away from the windshield .
The windshield wipers would move back in­
to their orig inal position and could damage
the hood and windshield .
(D Tips
- You can also use the service position, for ex­
ample, if you want to protect the windsh ield
from icing by using a cover.
- You cannot activate the service position
when the hood is open .
Replacing rear wiper blade
Applies to: vehicles wit h rear w indow wiper
Fig. 59 Rea r window w iper: removing t he wiper b lade
Removing the wiper blade
.. Fold the wiper arm away from the rear window .
.. Hold the wiper blade below the center -arrow-
¢ fig. 59 and pull it out of the retainer . Hold
the windshield wiper arm securely wh ile doing
this.
Installing the wiper blade
.. Press the wiper blade mount into the retainer.
Securely hold the wiper arm at the upper plas­
t ic end .
Lights and Vision
.. Fold the window wiper arm back onto the rear
window.
A WARNING
For safety reasons, the windshield wiper
blades should be replaced once or twice each
year .
Digital compass
Switching the compass on and off
Appl ies to: veh icles w ith dig ital compass
Fig. 60 Rearview m irror: digital compass is sw itched on
gi N 0
> u.. m
.,. To turn the compass on or off, press the button
(D u nt il the compass d isplay in the mirror turns
on or off.
T he dig ital compass only works when the ignit ion
is turned on . The directions are indicated with ab­
brev iat ions:
N (north), NE (northeast), E (east),
SE (so utheast), S (so uth), SW (southwest), W
(west), NW (northwest) .
(j) Tips
To prevent inaccurate compass readings, do
not br ing any remote controls, electrical devi­
ces or metallic objects near the mirror.
57

Lights and Vision
Adjusting the magnetic zone
Applies to: ve hicles w ith d ig ital compass
The magnetic zone must be adjusted correctly for the compass to read accurately.
Fig. 61 Magnetic zone map
~ Press and hold the button CD~ page 57, fig . 60
until the number of the magnetic zone appears
in the interior rearview mirror.
~ Press the button CD repeatedly to select the
correct magnetic zone . The selection mode
turns off after a few seconds.
Calibrating the compass
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith d ig ital compass
If the display is incorrect or inaccurate, the com­
pass must be recalibrated.
~ Press and hold the button CD until a "C" ap­
pears in the interior rearview mirror.
~ Drive in a circle at about 6 mph (10 km/h) until
a dir ection is displayed in the in terior rearview
mirror.
58
A WARNING
To reduce the risk to yourself and other driv·
ers, calibrate the compass in an area where
there is no traffic.

~ Then push the arm against the beverage con­
tainer so that the arm lies closely against it.
~ To close the cup holders, push them back into
the slot.
A WARNING
-
- Do not put any hot beverages in the cup
holder while the vehicle is moving . Hot bev ­
erages could spill, wh ic h increases the risk
of injury.
- Do not use any breakable beverage contain­
ers (for example, made out of glass or por­ celain). You cou ld be injured by them in the
event of an accident .
CD Note
Beverage containers in the cup holders should
always have a lid. If not, beverages could sp ill
and cause damage to vehicle equipment, such
electronics or seat covers.
Other storage
Applies to: sedan
F ig. 7 1 Lugg age comp artment : bag hooks*
There are additional storage compartments,
compartments and holders at other locations in
the vehicle :
- Glove compartment : the glove compartment
can be locked us ing the key*.
- Retaine r* for the vehicle key and cell phone in
the front center console
- Storag e compartment under th e front center
armrest*
~ - Storage compartment on the rear side of the
.... ~ front seat* . The compartment can hold a maxi -
8 mum weight of 2 lbs (1 kg).
~ -Garment hooks * on the 8-pillar ¢ .& co
S eats and storag e
- Garment hooks* above the rea r doo rs *
- Side bag hooks* in the luggage compartment
- App lies to: sedan: bag hooks* unde r the rear
shelf ¢
fig. 71
A WARNING
-No heavy or hard objec ts may be p laced on
the storage compartment behind the rear seat backrest . There is a risk of injuring the
veh icle passengers when braking sudden ly .
- Always keep the glove compartment lid
closed while dr iv ing to red uce the risk of in­
jury.
- On ly use the storage compartments in the
door trim panels to store sma ll objects that
will not stick out of the compartment and impair the range of the side airbags.
- The bag hooks can ho ld a maximum weight
of 6.6 lbs (3 kg). Heavier objects are not ad­
equate ly secured. There is risk of personal
in jur y.
A WARNING ,_
Applies to: vehicles with garment hooks
- Ma ke sure that t he view to the rear is not
obs truc ted by hanging ga rments.
- H ang only lightweight clothing and be sure
that the re are no heavy o r sharp-edged ob­
jec ts in the po ckets.
- Do not use coat hangers to hang t he cloth­
i n g beca use this could impair the effective­
ness o f the side curtain airbags .
CD Note
Objects on the rear she lf that rub against the
r ear window can d amage the rear w indow
hea ting wires.
Luggage compartment
General information
.&, WARNING
Read and follow the impo rtant s afety preca u­
tions in
~ page 255, Storing cargo correctly .
63

Seats and stor age
Luggage compartment cover
App lies to: ve hicles w ith luggage co mpartme nt cover
The luggage compartment cover blocks the view
into the luggage compartment.
F ig. 72 Open luggage compartment lid wit h luggage com­
par tme nt cover
Remo ving
.. Unhinge the straps CD and pull the cover @ in
the direction of the arrow out of the holder @.
Install ing
.. S lide the cover @ horizontally into the des ig ­
nated ho lder @in the side bracket unt il the
cover is lined up.
.. Hook the straps into the luggage compartment
lid
CD Q _A .
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of accidents, the luggage
compartmen t cover should never be unse­
cu red unde r any ci rc u mstances.
- The luggage compartment cover is not a
s u rface for sto ring objects. Objects placed
on the cover increase the risk of injury to all
vehicle occupants during sudden bra king
mane uvers o r in the event o f an accident .
64
Lowering the cargo floor
Applies to : vehicles with adjustable cargo floor
The cargo floor can lower to expand the storage
area in the luggage compartment.
Fig . 73 Luggage compartment: lowered cargo floor
.. Li ft the cargo floor in order to lower it .
.. Pull the cargo floor back slightly and insert it in
the lower position
@ .
To make load ing and unloading easier, bringing
the cargo floor back into posit io n @ after trans­
porting bulky items is recommended .
Tie-downs
App lies to : vehicles wi th tie- downs
Fig . 74 Luggage compartment: locat io n of th e tie -downs
(example)
.. Secure the cargo to the tie-downs -arrows-.
.. Follow the safety precautions Q page 256.

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Luggage compartment net/cargo bag
Applies to: vehicles with luggage compartment cargo net/car­
go bag
The cargo net prevents light objects from sliding,
and it can also be used as a cargo bog.
Fig. 75 Luggage compartment: cargo net stretched out
(examp le)
F ig . 76 Luggage compartment: cargo bag hung in place
(examp le)
Cargo net
" To secure the cargo net, first hang the front
hooks in the tie-downs then hang the rear
hooks
-arrows- ¢ fig. 75.
Cargo bag
" To secure the cargo bag, hang both plastic re­
ta iners in the tie-downs @
c> fig. 76 and the
eyelets @ in the hooks/bag hooks* ©-
You can also use the bag hooks* © to hang light
purses, bags, etc .
A WARNING
For strength reasons, only objects with a max­
imum weight of 10 lbs (5 kg) should be se­
cured in the luggage compartment net. Heavi­
er objects are not adeq uately secured. There
is risk of personal injury .
Seats and storag e
Increasing the cargo area
Applies to: vehicles with folding backrests
The rear seat backrests con be folded forward ei­
ther separately* or together .
Fig. 77 Backrest: outer re lease lever (example)
Folding th e backr est forward /back
" Push the correspond ing head restra int down­
ward
¢page 61.
" Pull the release leve r (D ¢ fig. 77 in the direc­
tion of the arrow and fold the backrest forward .
.. Fold the backrest down until it latches securely
¢ &_. When you can no longer see the red mark
on the
p in @ , the seat is latched.
A WARNING ~ -
- The backrest must be securely latched to
ensu re the safety belt is protecting the rear
seat pos itions.
- The backrest must be securely latched so
objects cannot slide fo rwa rd out of the lug­
gage compartment during sudden brak ing.
@ Note
- If you move the front seat back when the
rear seat backrest is folded forwa rd, yo u
cou ld damage the head restrain ts on the
rear seat.
- To red uce the risk of damage, move the rea r
head rest raints down before fo ld ing the
rear backrests fo rwa rd
¢ &. in Rear head re­
straints on page
62.
- Make sure the oute r safety be lts are not
pinche d or damaged when folding the seat
back.
65

Warm and cold
Automatic climate control system
Applies to: ve hicles with a utomat ic climate contro l system
Pressing AUTO button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) is recommended.
LL co .... N
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Fig. 8 1 Automatic climate control system: controls (example)
The funct ions can be switched on and off by
pressing the buttons or adjusted by turning the
knob. The LED in a button w ill light up when the
f u nction is switched on.
Automatic climate cont rol system
The automat ic climate control system automati­
cally maintains a temperature once it has been
set . In all heat ing mode funct ions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed once
the eng ine coolant has reached a certain temper­
ature.
AUTO
Switching aut omatic mode or "ec o"
mode * on and off
Automatic mode ma inta ins a constant tempera­
ture ins ide the veh icle. Air tempe rature, airflow
and a ir distribution are controlled a utomatically.
AUTO mode switches off once a b utton in the cli­
mate control system is pressed.
When a utomat ic mode is act ive, pressing the
AUTO b utton briefly activa tes the
" E co" mode*1l.
In "eco" mode *, all sett ings are lowered slight ly
to save fuel. When in
"eco" mode*, Eco is shown
8 1l This fu nct ion is not available in every market and is not N ii'i available for the plug- in hybr id.
in the display. To ex it "Eco" mode*, press the
AUTO button aga in.
A/C
cooling mod e
The cooling mode on ly functions with the blower
turned on. You can turn the cooling system on or
off by pressing the A/C button. The air is not
cooled and humidity is not removed when cooling
mode is switched off. This can cause fog on the
windows . The cooling mode sw itches off auto­
matically when there are cold outside tempera­
tu res.
e / e Temperature
The temperature for the driver's and front pas­
senger's s ide can be adjusted separately with the
dials
(D I@ . Tempera tures between 60 °F
(+16 °() and 84 °F (+28 °() ca n be set. If outside
of this range,
LO or HI w ill appea r in the climate
contro l system display. In both settings, the cli­
mate contro l runs constant ly at the maxim um
cooling or heating level. The temperature is not
regulated.
S ynchr oniza tion : by pressing the AU TO butto n
for two seconds, the temperature setting for the
..,.
69

Drivin g
Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in for the first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
t hat will exceed 2/3 of the max imum pe rm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid fu ll acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1 ,500 km) a lso affects the engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
eng ine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
@ Note
When driving on poo r roads, by cu rbs and on
s teep ramps, make su re t hat low-hang ing
compone nts such as the spo ile r and exha ust
system do not come into contact with these
or they could be damaged. This especially ap ­
plies to vehicles with low ground clearance
and veh icles that are heavily loaded.
Warming up/cooling down
Applies to: RS models
By warming up/cooling down the engine carefu l­
ly, you can help reduce unnecessary stra in o n
your veh icle when driving in a sporty sty le .
72
The tires only reach t heir full road ho ld ing capa ­
bility once they have warmed up under load.
Yo ur vehicle also has an afte r-run cooli ng fea ­
tu re . Howeve r, cooling down is st ill import ant.
The eng ine and t he brakes as we ll as the exhaust
system and the transmission become very hot
when driving in a sporty style. Before you shut
the veh icle off, you should cool down the vehicle
by driving a few miles at low speeds with light ac­
ce leration .
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of veh icle
damage when dr iving throug h wate r, fo r example
o n flooded roads:
-The water must not be any higher than the bot ­
tom of the vehicle body .
-Do not drive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
After driving thro ugh water or m ud, the effec­
tiveness of t he b rakes may be reduced due to
mo istu re o n the bra ke rotors and brake pads.
A few ca reful br ake app lica tions sho uld d ry
off the bra kes and restore the fu ll b raking ef ­
fect.
@ Note
-Vehicle components such as the e ng ine,
t ra nsmiss ion, sus pens io n or elect rical sys ­
tem can be severely damaged by d riving
throug h water.
-Alw ays sw itch the S tart/Stop system* o ff
when driving thro ugh wa ter
r=;, page 79.
(j) Tips
-De ter mine the dep th before dr iving throug h
w ate r.
-Do not stop the vehi cle, d rive in reverse or
switch t he e ngine off whe n driving through
water .
-Keep in mind that o ncom ing vehicles may
c re ate w aves th at r aise the wa ter level and
make i t too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
-Avoid dr iving throu gh salt wat er, because
th is can ca use corros io n.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l cons umption, t he e nvir on­
men tal impac t an d the wea r to the engine,
b rak es and t ires depen ds mos tly on yo ur dr iv ing
s tyle. W it h an anticipatory and econom ic dr iv ing
s tyle, f uel consum ption can be re du ced by ap­
p roximate ly 1 0-15% . The followi ng tips will help
you conse rve the environment and you r money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the mos t fu el when a ccele ra tin g.
W hen yo u dr ive wi th a ntici pat ion, you do not
need to brake as ofte n an d so yo u acceler ate less .
W hen possi ble, let your vehi cle coast w it h a
gear
engaged ,
for example when you notice that the
next tra ffic light is red . This p roduces an engine
b raking effect, wh ich helps to protect the brakes
a n d tires a nd reduces t he emissions a nd f uel con­
sumpt io n to zero (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshift ing earlier is an effective way to save fue l.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
l y .
Press down on the acce le rato r peda l slowly and
avoid "k ic k-dow n".
Avoid full acceleration
You s hould rare ly tr ave l a t t he m axim um ve hicle
speed . High speeds cause a d isp roportionately
h ig h inc rease in fuel consumption, emissions an d
traffic no ise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
T h e St art /S top system * he lps t o redu ce the i dlin g
time autom atically . In vehicles wi tho ut the Start /
Sto p system, it is eff ic ient to sw itch t he engine
off w hen stopped at ra ilroad cross ings a nd long
red lights . Depending on t he ve rsion of the en­
g ine, stopping the eng ine for as litt le as five sec­
onds once it has reached ope rat ing tempe rature
Driving
st ill saves mo re fue l th an leav ing t he en gine run ­
ning -even when taking into acco unt the amount
of ext ra fuel t hat is use d to restart t he e ngi ne.
It tak es a ve ry long time in idl e to warm the en ­
gine up to o peratin g tem perature . Wear an d
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. The refore, you s hould begin drivi ng im ­
med iate ly after starting the eng ine. Avoid h igh
RPMs wh ile doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By hav ing maintenance pe rformed reg ularly o n
yo ur vehicle, you can help to reduce fue l con ­
s u mption before you even sta rt to drive. The
maintenance cond ition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term va lue b ut al­
so impacts
fuel consumption . A poorly ma in­
ta ined engi ne ca n lead to fue l co nsump tion that
i s 1 0% hig her th an no rmal.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and emissions contro l system must
r each their optima l
operating temperature to ef­
fec tively reduce consump tion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disp roportionately high
amount of fue l. The e ngine reac hes operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption no rma lizes on ly
after app roxima tely 2 .5 m iles (4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save f ue l, ma ke sure the ti res are always i n­
f lated to t he correct press ure
c> page 339. The
fuel consumpt io n can increase by 5% if the pres­
s ur e is on ly 0 .5 bar too low . Due to t he increased
r oll ing resis tance, low tire pressures w ill also
l ead to greate r tire
wear an d will affect dr iving
behav ior.
Do not d rive on
winter tires year- ro und , as this
will consume u p to 10% more f uel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
S ince eve ry pou nd of ext ra weight inc reases fuel
consumption, a quick inspect io n of the luggage
compartment may be wo rth it to avoid un neces-
sary we ight .
..,.
73

Driving
When not being used, a roof rack should be re­
moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle. This will save you approximately 12% fuel
at speeds from 62
-75 mph (100 -120 km/h).
Save energy
The engine drives the generator, which generates
electricity; the fuel consumption also increases
with the demand for electricity. Therefore, switch
electrical equipment
off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating* .
(D Note
-Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on
to indicate improper operation, they would
go unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other prop­ erty.
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let . Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other
important vehicle components.
@ Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
74
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel position
The steering wheel position is fully adjustable up
and down and forward and back.
Fig . 83 Steering column : steering column adjustment lever
.. Tilt the lever -c> fig. 83 downward¢ ,&..
.. Bring the steering wheel into the desired posi­
tion.
.. Push the lever against the steering column un­
til it is secure.
A WARNING
Incorrect use of the steering wheel adjust­
ment and an incorrect seating position can
cause serious injuries.
- Only adjust the steering column when the veh icle is stationary so that you do not lose
control of the vehicle.
-
-Adjust the driver's seat or steer ing wheel so
that there is at least 10 inches
(25 cm) dis­
tance between your chest and the steering
wheelr::!>page250, fig. 217. If you do not
maintain this distance, the airbag system
will not be able to provide its full protec­ tion.
c:> page 250, fig. 217.
- If your physical characteristics prevent you
from sitting at least 10 inches
(25 cm) or
more away from the steering wheel, see if
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility can provide adapters that will help.
- If your face is level with the steering wheel,
the airbag does not provide as much protec­
tion during a collision. Always make sure
that the steering wheel is level with your
chest.