tow AUDI S3 2009 Owners Manual

Table of contents
Table of contents
Vehicle literature ........ .
About this Owner's Manual ..... ... ...... ....... .
Controls and
equipment ................. .
Instrumen ts and con trols ..... .
Genera l ill ustration ............. .
Ins trumen ts and
warning/indicat or lig hts ....... .
Instruments ... .... ........... . .
Warning /indica tor lights ........ .
Driver in fo rma tion disp lay ..... .
Introduction ... .......... ... ... .
On -Board Diagnos tic system (OBD)
Trip compute r ................. .
Menu di splay ............ ...... .
Sp eed warn ing system ...... ... .
Warnings and symbo ls ......... .
Opening and c losi ng .......... .
Keys .............. ... ... ... ... .
Power locking system .......... .
Doors, power locks ............ .
Powe r w indows ... ... .. .... ... .
Panoramic s liding sunroof ...... .
Emergency mechanical c losing for
t he panoram ic slid ing sunroof .. .
Clear v ision ................ .... .
Lig hts . ..... ... ... .. .. ... ... .. .
Interior lights .................. .
Vision ........ ...... ......... . .
4
5
6
7
7
8
8
1 1
1 8
1 8
21
22
23
26
28
35
35
37
40
46
48
49
52
52
60
62
Wiper and washer system ...... .
Mirrors ....................... .
Digital compass ............ ... .
Seats and storage ............ .
General recommendat ions ..... .
Adjust ing front seats manua lly ..
Ad just ing th e power seat ...... .
Adjusting the lumbar support .. .
Head restraints ............... .
Cen ter armrest ... ... ... .. .. .. . .
Rear s eats .................... .
Luggage compartment . ...... . .
Roof rack* installation ......... .
Cup ho lders .......... ........ .
As htray ................ ...... .
Cigar ette light er/soc ket . .• .. .. ..
S torage ... ... ......... ... ... . .
War m and cold ........... ... . .
Clima te controls ....... ... .... .
Elect rically heated front seats . . .
On the road . .............. ... . .
S tee ring ...................... .
Ignition lock and ignition switch .
Sta rting and stopping the engine
Par king bra ke ................. .
Starting on hills ........ .• ... .. .
Audi parking system ... ... ..... .
Cr uise control ............ ..... .
Audi magne tic ride .. ... .. .. ... .
Transmission
Manual t ransm ission
S tronic transmiss ion . ... ...... .
63
69
72
7 4
7 4
7 5
76
78
7 9
81
82
83
88
91
93
93
94
98
98
105
107
107
108
109
1 10
1 11
1 12
1 13
1 15
1 16
1 16
1 17
Safety first ...... ...... .... .
Driving Safe ly ...... .... ... .... .
Genera l notes ...... ........... .
Proper occupant seating pos it ions
Peda l a rea .................... .
S tow ing luggage .......... .... .
R eporting Saf ety D efects ...•....
Safety belts ................... .
General notes ....... •..........
Why safety be lts? ..... ..... •....
Sa fety belts ........... ... .. ... .
Safety belt pretensioners ....... .
Airbag system ................. .
Important things to know ...... .
Front
airbags .. .... ... ...... .. .
Monito ring the Advanced Airbag
System ... ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .
Side a irbags .............. •....
Side curtain airbags ....... •....
C hild Safe ty ................... .
Important thi ngs to know ...... .
Child safety seats ............. .
Insta lling a ch ild safety seat .... .
Add itional Information .... ... .. .
Lower anchorages and tether for
child ren (LA TCH) ............... .
Vehicle operation ... ... . .
Intel ligent technology . ... .. .. . .
No tice abo ut da ta recorded by
ve hicle control modules .. ...... .
E lect ronic Stabili zation Program
(ESP) ......................... .
126
126
126
128
132
133
135
137
137
138
141
145
147
147
151
158
163
166
169
169
174
179
182
184
190
190
190
190

Braking .... ....... ... ..... ... .
E lectro -mechanical power assist .
Driving with your quattro® ..... .
Driving and enviro nment ..... .
The first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km) and
afterwards ................... .
Cata lytic converter .......... .. .
Avoid damaging the vehicle .... .
Ope rate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution ........ .
Trailer towing ........... ...... .
Driv ing with a trailer ..... ...... .
Trailer tow ing tips ....... ... ... .
Vehicle care ... .......... . .
193
195
196
197
197
198
199
199
202
202
204
206 Tire pressure monitor ing
system* ....................... .
Genera l notes (l) ........ .• .. ... .
Introduct ion .................. .
Sign ifican t loss of air pressure
(l) .
Storing tire pressures .. ... ... .. .
Whee l cha nge .......... ....... .
Malfu nct io ns TP MS* ........... .
Cert ificat ion
Do-it-yourself service
W hat do I do now? ... ......... .
Jack, too ls and spare wheel .... .
Compact spare wheel .......... .
W hee l cha nge ... ... ... .. .. .. .. . 264
264
264
265
266
267
267
268
270
270
270
271
2
7 2
Table of contents
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Data ............................ 300
200 hp, 2.0 liter 4-cyl. tu rbo eng ine 300
250 hp, 3.2 liter 6 -cyl. engine . . . . . 302
Co nsumer Info rma tio n ......... 303
Wa rranty cove rages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Operating your vehicle outside the
U.S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Audi Service Repair Manuals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Additional accessories,
mod ifications and parts
rep lacemen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . . 206 Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Alphabetical index ...... 308
Genera l info rmation ........... .
Care of exterior . ... ... .. .. ... . .
Care of interior ................ .
Fuel supply and fil ling your fue l
ta nk ........................... .
Gasoline ......... .. .... ...... .
Fuel tank ..... .......... ...... .
Checki ng and filling .. ........ . .
Engine hood .................. .
Engine compartment .......... .
Engine oil ............... ..... .
E ngine cooling system ......... .
Brake fluid ............... ..... .
Battery ....................... . 206
2
06
213
2 19
2 19
220
224
224
226
227
2 32
235
236
W indshield washer container . . . . 241
Tires and wheels
Tires ... ...... ..... ... ·. · · · · · · ·
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
243
243 Fuses . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
B ul bs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 5
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . 287
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Sta rting by pushing or towing . . . 287
Start ing with jumper cables . . . . . 287
Genera l information of sta rting
ass istance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Use of jumper cab les (4 cylinder
eng ine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Use of jumper cables (6 cylinder
engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Emergency towing with commercia l
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Lifting the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Technical data
General information
298
298
Explanation of technical data . . . . 298
Vehic le ide ntif ication . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

qualified workshop=> &. With the eng ine not running (e .g . when
t he car is being towed), there is also no power assis t availa ble.
& WARNING
If there is a malfunction , the indi cator light for the electro -mechan ­
ical power assist illuminates . Seek profess ion al assistance . •
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning /indi cator lights
I • •

Clear vision
Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off ·t/.·
3
-ti. ID Fig . 4 6 Ins tru ment
pa nel: li ght switch
F ig .
47 T urn sign al
l e v er: high b eam
ON /OFF
All sw itch positions refer to the indentation on the sw itc h
aligned with the spec ified symbol. The light switch must not
be rotated past the stops in
either direction .
Switching on the side mark er lights
- Tur n the light switch light to~ fig . 46 ~oo~ . The indicator
ligh t
~oo~ comes on when the parking lig hts are switched
on .
Switching on th e he adl ights and high be am
- Turn the light switch to lD.
- Press the high beam lever forward towards t he instru-
ment panel to turn on the high beam; pul l th e lever back
to turn it off~ fig. 47.
Switching off th e lights
- Tu rn the light switch to 0.
The head lights on ly work when the ignition is switched on. Whi le
starting the engine or when switching off the ignition , the head ­
l ights wi ll go off and only the side marker lights wi ll remain lit.
& WARNING
Cr as hes c an happen when you cannot see the r oad ahe ad and
whe n you cannot be s een by other motor ists.
• Alwa ys tu rn on the headligh ts so th at you ca n see ahe ad an d
s o that others can see your car from the back .
[ i ] Tips
• If you remove the ignition from the ignition lock while the head ­
lights are still on, a buzzer will sound as long as the driver 's door is
open to remind you to switch off the lights .
• Always observe the specif ic local regulations for your area when
to use your lights .
~

Clear vision
When driving around bends, the headlights are controlled
according to steering whee l angle . So that there is no black area
ahead of the vehicle, the two main beams pivot at d ifferent ang les .
[ i ) Tips
The system works above a speed of about 6 mph (10 km/hl. •
Front fog lights }D
Use the light switch to turn on the fr ont fog ligh ts.
Fig. 51 Fog l igh t acti ­
va tion: light switch
po siti on on vehi cle s
W ITHOU T sens or li gh t
Switching on the front fog lights }D
- Do not tur n the light swi tch ·'!J- -~ fig . 51 towar d the fog
ligh t symb ol
-t. •
-Turn the light switch to ~oo~ or to io.
- Pull the light switch to the first stop G) .
When the front fog lights are on, the symbol }0 next to the light
switch will illuminate .•
Ap plies 1 0 vehi cles: with Ligh t se nso r pac ka ge
Coming home /leaving home function Q5
The coming home/leaving home function switches on the
e x ternal lights on a vehicle parked in the dark t o illumi ­
na te the sur roundings.
Activating the function
Fi g. 52 Das hb oar d
d etail: com ing
home /leav ing home
s w it ch bes ide lig ht
sw itch
- Tap the sw it c h QJ ~ fi g. 52 . The indicato r light i n th e
s w itch illuminates.
Deactivating th e function
- Tap the switch QJ. The indicator light in the switch goes
out.
T he coming home/leaving home function is controlled by light
se nsors located in the inside mir ror m ount. The system is activate d
if all of the conditions below are fu lfi lled:
• T he w indow in the switch® il luminates.
• the driving lights and the ignition have been switched off
• t he veh ic le is parked in poor l ight or da rkness with the senso rs
detecting little or no light at a ll. _,,

Clear vision
Igniti on ON , light swit ch at ::oo: or fD .
With the lights switched on, the brightness of instrument cluster
!i.e . needles, gauges and displays) and center console il lumination
can be adjusted.
0 Note
The instrument cluster and cent er console illumina tion (gauges and
needles) comes on when you swi tch on the igni tion and the
vehi cle
h eadlights are off .
Be aware of the following difference between
models built to US or Cana dian speci fica tions :
• USA model s: illumination of the in strument clu ster (gauges and
needle s), dash and center con sole around the gear shift lever i s
c o ntrolled by a light sensor lo cated in the instrument panel. The
i n strument panel ill umination will automatically become dimmer
a s th e daylight fades awa y and eventu ally w ill go out completel y
when outside l ight i s very low . Thi s is to remind you , the driver , to
swi tch on the headlight s befo re it get s to o dar k.
• Canada models: in strument panel illumination will stay bright
re gardle ss of the i ntens ity of ambient light . Al wa ys be aware of
change s in out sid e light conditi ons while you are d riving. Re spond
i n time t o fading daylight by turn ing the light swit ch to posit ion
fD
(or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with this feature) to turn on your
headlights . •
Ap plies to vehi cles: with b i-xeno n headli ghts
Bi-Xenon headlights*
After starting the engine, the bi -xenon headlights are automatica lly
adjus ted to the load and angle of the vehic le (for example , during
acce lerat ion and brak ing) . This prevents oncoming traffic fro m
experiencing unnecessary headlight g lare from your bi-xenon head ­
lights .
If the system is not operating properly, a warning symbol in the
Auto -Check Control is displayed ::::;,
page 33. •
Emergency flasher ~
The emergency flasher mak es othe r moto rists aware that
you or your vehicle are in an emergency situation.
1 1 Q
-
II D ll1
[ Ii J
a
l 'l
"' " "'
J
Fi g. 5 4 Cen ter
co nso le : em erge ncy
fl as her swi tc h
Press the sw itch ~==>fig. 54, to sw itch the emergency
flas her on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, al l four turn signal blink at the
same time. The turn signal indicator lights¢ Q in the inst rument
cluster, as we ll as the light in the emergency flasher switch~ blink
l ikew ise.
The emergency flasher will automatically switch on if you are in an accident where the airbag has deployed .
[ i ] Tips
You should switch on the emergency flasher when :
• you are the last vehicle standing in a traffic jam so that any other
veh ic les coming can see you, or when
• your vehic le has broken down or you are in an emergency situa ­
tion, or when
• your vehicle is being towed by a tow truck or if you are towing
another vehicle behind you. •

Turn signals -¢ Q and high beam ~D lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column is used to
operate the turn signals and the high beam as well as the
headlight flasher.
Fig . 55 Turn signal and
high beam lever
The turn signal and high beam lever has the following func ­
tions:
Turn signals ¢ ¢
- Lift the lever up all the way~ fig. 55 G), to use the right
turn signals, or push the lever down all the way
0 to use
the left turn signals.
Auto-blink
- Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resis­
tance to use the turn signals for as long as you need
them, for example when changing lanes.
- Briefly move the lever up or down just to the point of
resistance and then release it to flash the turn signals
three times in succession. This feature allows to indicate
lane changes clearly and with minimum effort when
driving on highways.
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
High beam
~D
- Push the lever forward 0 to switch on the high beam.
- Pull the lever back towards you to switch off the high
beam .
Headlight flasher ~D
Pull the lever toward the steering wheel © to use the
headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
• The turn signals only work with the ignition switched on. The
indicator lights¢ or¢ in the instrument cluster=> page 11 also
blink.
• After you have turned a corner, the turn signal switches off auto ­
matically .
• The high beam works only when the headlights are on. The indi­
cator light ~Din the instrument cluster illuminates when the high
beams are on.
• The headlight flasher works only as long as you hold the lever -
even if there are no lights switched on. The indicator light ~D in the
instrument cluster illuminates when you use the headlight flasher.
0 Note
Do not use the high beam or headlight flasher if you know that these
could be blinding oncoming traffic.•
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Clear vision
Rear reading light
Press the switch ~ to turn on and off the reading light. •
Luggage compartment light
A dome light in the rear roof liner illuminates the luggage
compartment. An additional light is provided on the
inside of the rear lid.
The light is located on the left side of the trunk.
With the switch at the center position, the rear dome light is auto­
matically switched on as soon as the rear lid is opened. The rear
dome light goes out 30 seconds after the rear lid is closed.
If the rear lid is left open for more than 10 minutes, both the rear
dome light and the light in rear lid are switched off to conserve the
battery charge. •
Vision
Applies to vehicles: w ith light pa ckage o r illum inated vanity m irror
Sun visors
Using the sun visors makes driving safer.
3
[ )
-
Fig . 60 Sun visor
The sun visors for the driver and front passenger can be removed
from their center mountings and moved toward the door windows
G) ~ fig. 60 to protect against side glare.
The vanity mirror in the sun visors is covered by a lid. When you
slide the lid@ open the mirror illumination comes on automati­
cally. When you slide the lid shut or fold the sun visor back up, the
illumination also goes out.
There is a folding visor between the visors for the driver and the
passenger which can be used to cover the space above the rear view
mirror. •
Applies to vehicles: with sun blinds on rear side windows
Sun blind
Use the sun shades to cut glare through the rear
passenger windows and the rear window.
LI tJ
~
. •
'
' '
'
'
•
N
0
"' 0 ti. .,
"'
Fig. 61 Rear side
window: sun blind
extended
Sun blind, rear side windows doors
Pull the shade upward out of the door sill and engage in
the hooks located at the top of the door frame~ fig. 61. •

Applies to vehicles: wi th Sun blind
Sun blind
The sun blind is on the luggage shelf.
Extending the sun blind
Fig. 62 Sun blind in
retracted position
Fig . 63 Sun blind in
extended position
-Take the sun blind out of its bracket=:> fig. 62 @.
- Guide the extended sun blind in the direction of the
arrow @, so that it does not
fly up.
Stowing the sun blind
-Hold the sun blind in the center of the upper edge.
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
- Place the sun blind against the spring force into the
center bracket=:> fig. 63@ of the parcel shelf.
& WARNING
The sun blind must not be used to secure cargo. The luggage
compartment cover is not a luggage rack . Objects placed on the
cover pose a danger for all vehicle occupants during sudden
braking or in an accident. •
Wiper and washer system
I'',",
Windshield wiper 'Z\)
The windshield wiper lever controls both the windshield
wipers and the washer system.
Fig. 64 Wiper lever:
windshield wiper lever positions
The windshield wiper lever=:> fig. 64 has the following posi­
tions:
Intermittent wiping ~ ! (activating rain sensor)*
- Move the lever up to position G).
- Move the interva l set switch @, to change the intervals. _.
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Clear vision Low wiper speed
- Move the lever up to position @ .
High wiper speed
- Move the leve r up to pos ition G) .
One-tou ch wiping
Move the lever to position@, when you want to wipe t he
windshield
briefly .
Automatic wip er/ wash er
- Pull the lever to pos ition G) (toward the steering wheel)
and hold.
- Re lease t he lever . The was her stops a nd the wipers keep
g o ing for about fo ur secon ds.
Turning off th e wipers
- Move the lever back to position @.
The windshield wipers and washer only work when the ignition is
turned on . If you switch off the igni tion with the windshield wiper
lever still in the interva l wipe position and then come back a while
la ter and drive off, the rain sensor w ill reactiva te itse lf afte r the
veh ic le speed has exceeded 4 mph (6 km/hl.
The rain sensor* is only activated with the wiper lever set to posi ­
tion ®· When it starts to rain, the rain sensor wil l automatica lly acti ­
vate the intermittent wiping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move switch @down. To
increase the sensitivity, move the switch up. The higher you adjust
the sensitivity, the faster the sensor will react when it senses mois ­
ture on the windsh ield. T
he rain sensor wiper interva ls depend on the sensitivity setting as
we ll as vehicle speed . During brief stops, wipe r mo tion will adjust in
relation to the amount of rain on the windshield.
Automatic wiper/washer: To eliminate water drop lets, the wind ­
shield wiper performs one afterwipe operat ion after several
seconds while driving. You can switch this function off by moving
t he lever to posit ion © within 10 seconds of the afterwipe opera ­
tion. The afterwipe function is reactivated the next time the ignition
is switch.
When the ignition is turned on, the washer jets are heated *.
& WARNING
• Wiper blade s are crucial for safe driving ! Only when they are in
good condition are they able to clear the window s properly to
provide uncompro mised v is ib ility. Worn or dam aged wiper bl ades
are a safety hazard =>
page 67 , "Replacing front wiper blade s"!
• The light /rain sen sor * is on ly de signed to a ssis t an d suppo rt
the driver . It remains en tirely the dr iver' s re spon sibility to monitor
out side weather cond ition s and to manuall y activate the wiper s as
s oon a s rain or dri zzle reduces visibility through the wind shield .
• The wind shield mu st not be t re ate d with water -r e pellent mat e­
rial s. They can increa se glare under po or vi sibilit y conditions su ch
a s w etne ss, dar kne ss, or whe n the sun is lo w on t he hori zon . In
addition , they can cau se the windshield wipers to ch atter .
0 Note
In freezing o r near freez ing conditions:
• Always check that the wiper blades are not frozen to the glass
b efore you turn the wipers on . Loosen a wipe r blade which is fr ozen
in place before operating the wipers to prevent damage to the wiper
b lade or the wiper motor.
• Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted window . Using the
wipers as a conven ient ice scraper wi ll dest roy the wiper blades. .._