height AUDI S3 2010 User Guide

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Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information, tips, instructions and
warnings that you need to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have summarized here
what you need to know about safety belts, airbags, child rest raints
as well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Always
observe the information and warnings in this section -for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all model versions of your
vehicle. Some of the features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may be optional equip­
ment on others. If you are not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
• Always make sure that you follow the instructions and heed
the WARNINGS in this Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers.
• Always keep the complete Owner's Literature in your Audi
when you lend or sell your vehicle so that this important informa­
tion will always be available to the driver and passengers.
• Always keep the Owner's literature handy so that you can find
it easily if you have questions .•
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant restraint
system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury
in a wide variety of accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers should not be left to
chance. Advances in technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident. The
following is a list of just a few of the safety features in your Audi:
• sophisticated safety belts for driver and all passenger seating
positions,
• safety belt pretensioners,
• safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
• safety belt height adjustment systems for the front seats,
• automatic safety belt height adjustment for the rear seats,
• front airbags,
• side airbags in the front seats and outer rear seats *,
• side curtain airbags,
• special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
• head restraints for each seating position,
• adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work together as a system to
help protect you and your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if they are not always
correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility! •

Driving Safely -
----------------
Important things to do before driv ing
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant safety
always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving always:
-Make sure that all lights and signals are operat ing
correctly.
- Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
- Make sure that all windows are clean and afford good
visibility to the outside.
- Secure all luggage and other items carefully =>
page 92.
-Make sure that noth ing can interfere w ith the pedals.
- Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors correctly for your height .
- Instruct passengers to adjust the head restraints
according to their height.
- Make sure to use the right ch ild restraint correctly to
protect children =>
page 167, "Child Safety ".
- Sit properly in your seat and make sure that your passen ­
gers do the same=>
page 72, "General recommenda ­
tions".
- Fasten your safety belt and wear it p roperly. Also instruct
your passengers to fasten the ir safety belts properly
=>
page 135. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
What impa
irs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the
vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's ability to concen­
trate on the road without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and all
of its occupants. If your ability to drive is impaired, safety
risks for everybody in the vehicle increase and you also
become a hazard to everyone else on the road =>& .There ­
fore:
Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers or by
using a cellular telephone .
NEVER drive when your driving ability is impaired (by
medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
- Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and speed limits
and plain common sense .
- ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and weather
conditions.
- Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive for more
than two hours at a stretch.
- Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pressure or when
you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
-Insert t he tongue into the correct b uckle of y our seat
unt il you h ea r it la tc h securely~ fig. 134.
Pull on t he belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Aut om ati c sa fe ty belt re tra cto rs
Eve ry safety be lt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may a lso lock
when you drive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve .
During normal driving the belt lets you move free ly.
Safety belt prete nsi oners
The safety belts are equipped with a be lt pretensioner that he lps to
tighten the sa fety be lt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning light=>
page 14 .
Swit chable locking fe ature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver sea t is equipped with
a switchab le locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt
is used to a ttach a chi ld safe ty sea t. Be sure to read the important
information about this feature=>
page 177.
& WARNING
Improper ly positioned safet y belts can cause seriou s inj ury in an
accident =>
page 140 , "Safety belt po sitio n".
• Safet y belts offer opt imum protection on ly when the seat back
i s upright and belt s are properly po sition ed on t he bod y.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to whi ch the
c enter r ear sa fet y belt i s atta ched i s sec ure ly lat ched whe nev er
the rear center saf ety belt i s being us ed. If the ba ckrest is not
s ecu rely lat ched, the pas senge r will mo ve fo rward with the back ­
rest dur ing sudden braking , in a sudden maneu ver and e spec iall y
in a cra sh.
& W AR N ING (continu ed )
• Never attach the safety belt to the buck le for anothe r seat .
Atta ch ing th e be lt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
e ffe cti venes s and can ca use seriou s per son al injur y.
• A p assenger who i s not prope rly re str ained can be s eriousl y
injured by the saf ety belt it self wh en it m ove s from the stronger
p art s of the body into criti ca l area s like the abd omen .
• Alway s lock the convert ible lo ck ing retractor when you are
s ecu ring a ch ild safety se at in the ve hi cle =>
page 179. •
Safety belt position
Correc t belt posi ti o n is the key to getting maximum
protecti on f rom safety be lts.
Fig . 1 35 Head r est ra in t
an d safe ty belt p osi­
tion a s seen from th e
sid e
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust the position of
the safety belt to match your body size .
• belt height adjustment for the front seats,
• automatic belt height adjustment for the rear seats.

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& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation ~
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 139. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 137 Releasing the
tongue from the buckle
-Push the red release button on the buckle=> fig. 137. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle=>& .
- Let the be lt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed pos ition.
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed .•
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjustment, the three
point safety belt strap routing can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to body size.
Fig . 138 Safety belt
height adjustment for
the front seats -loop­
around fittings
Push the loop -around fittings up => fig. 138 @, or
- squeeze together the G) button , and push the loop ­
around f ittings
down @.
- Pull the belt to make sure that the upper attachment is
properly e ngaged .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important informa­
tion
~ page 138.
[ i ] Tips
• The shoulder belt part should route approximately over the
middle of you r shoulder -und er no circu mstanc es should it route
over your neck and throat area
~ & in "Safety belt position" on
pag e 140. ~

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• With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also
be used to adjust the position of the safety belts. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating posit ions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body . Improper seating positions also increase
the r isk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
-Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi -
tion in the vehicle while traveling~& .
The following lists only some examples of improperly worn safety
bel ts that will increase the risk of serious injury and death. Our hope
is that these examples will make you more aware of seating posi­
tions that are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
• never wear the shoulder belt under your arm
• never let the shoulder belt pass over your neck
• never wear the safety belt loosely
• never place the lap belt portion of the safety belt across your
abdomen ~& -
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Improperly worn
safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
~ page 138. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners . The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear -end collisions
of great severity . This tightens the belt and takes up belt slack~ &
in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner " on
page 144.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement
during a collision.
0 Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat back that has been folded
forward.
[ i] Tips
The safety belt pretensioners can only be activated once.
• In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear -end collisions, in a
rollover and in accidents involving very little impact force , the safety
belt pretensioner are not activated . .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING !continued)
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or infant carrier.
• Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost posi­
tion of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before installing the child
restraint.
• Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's
seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft
adjustment range .
• Always make sure the backrest is in an upright position .
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the light does not stay on, perform the checks~
page 156,
uMonitoring the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on. •
Safety first
Child Safety
Booster seats and safety be lts
Properly used booster seats can help protect children
weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80 lbs. (18 kg and
36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters)
tall.
Fig . 150 Rear seat:
child properly
restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children
until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches /1.45 meters) tall
and weigh about 80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these
children up so that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt can help
protect them in a crash.
- Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster
seat.
- Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt
midway over the child's shoulder. If you must transport
an older child in a booster seat on the front passenger
seat, you can use the safety belt height adjustment to
help adjust the shoulder portion properly.
- Always make sure that the shoulder portion of the safety
belt neve r rests against or across the child's neck.
9'>
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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•
& WARNING (continu ed )
crashes and serious personal in jur ies . Have worn or da maged t ires
replaced immediately .
• Tires age even if they are not being u sed and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then w ith special care and at
low speed.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the co mbined we ig ht ( in excess o f those sta nda rd items
which may be rep laced) of automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power w indows, powe r seats, rad io, a nd heater, to
the extent that these items are avai lab le as factory-installed equip­
m ent (w hether insta lled or not).
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio o f th e height to t he w idt h of the tire in perce nt.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved
steer ing respo nse and b ette r overall ha ndl ing on dry pave ment.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of stee l wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdow n of the bond be tween co mponents i n the bead.
Cord
means the strands fo rmi ng the plies in the ti re.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used t ire s may ha ve been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you noti ce unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving , always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage . •
Cold tire inflation pressure
mea ns t he ti re pressure reco mm ended by the ve hicle ma nufacturer
for a tire of a designated size that has not been d riven for more tha n
a cou ple o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in t he t hre e ho ur per iod
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed .
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehic le with standard equipment
i nc lud ing the max imu m capac ity o f fue l, o il, and coola nt, a ir c ond i­
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to ope rate at higher loads and at higher infla­
tion pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires
my be identified as "XL",
"xi", "EX TRA LOA D", or "RF" on the side ­
wa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load -carrying capacity of a sing le ax le system, measured
at the ti re -ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR "l
means the ma ximum tot al l oade d weigh t of the vehicle.
Vehicle care I t •

___ T_ i_ r_e _s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_ e_ e _ ls _________________________________________________ _
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause excess ive tire wea r, im pairing
the safety of the vehic le. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment c hecked by an au th o rize d Audi deale r or qualifie d
wo rkshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro® must always have tires of the same size, c ons truc tion and tread type. F or details see ~ page
19 4.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to los s of control, a crash and serious
personal injury !
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators .
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning " and loss of control .
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire dam age , such as
grease, oil , gasoline and brake fluid aw ay from tires .
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds .
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and los s of veh icle control. •
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New t ires and wheels h ave t o be broke n in.
Fig . 177 T ir e specif ication cod es on the sidewall of a tir e
No.
©
0
©
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nominal width of tire in millimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
Rim diameter code
L o ad in dex and s peed ra ting

Tires a nd wh eels -
----------------
•
0
-
©
®
U.S. DOT tire identification number
Audi Original tire
Tire ply composition and materials used Maximum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle 's design. The
tires and rims approved by Audi are specially matched to the char­
acteristics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good
road hold ing and safe handling when in good cond ition and prop­
erly inflated =>& .
We recommend that a ll work on tires and wheels be performed by
an authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as
well as the proper facilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary info rmation about tech ­
nical requirements for insta lling or changing tires and rims.
R epl ac ing tires and wheels
Tires shou ld be replaced at least in pairs and not individual ly (for
examp le both front tires or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the tire pressure monitoring sys tem*
information=>
page 256.
A lways buy replacement radial tires that have the same specifica ­
tions as the tires approved for your vehicle by Audi. Rep lacement
tires must always have the same load rating specification as the
origina l equipment or approved optional t ires listed in the table
=>
page 246.
Audi -appr oved spec ification tires are spec ially matched to your
vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important road- holding, driving characteristics, and safety of the vehicle
. The table
( =>
page 246) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Audi
models covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure labe l located either on driver's side 8 -pi llar or
inside the fuel fi ller flap(=>
page 246, fig. 174) lists the specifica ­
tions of the original equipment tires installed on your vehicle at the
ti me it was manufactured.
Federa l law requires tire manufacturers to place standardized infor ­
mation on the sidewa ll of all tires =>
page 254, fig . 177. This informa ­
t ion identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics, the
qua lity grade of the ti re and also provides a tire identification
number for safety standard certificat ion and in case of a recal l.
Tire specificat ions
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it easier to choose the
co rrect t ires . Radial tires have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewall, for example :
P225 / 45 R 17 91H XL
This contains the fo llowing informa tion:
P Indicates the ti re is for passenger cars (where applicab le)
225 No minal tire width i n mm of the tire fro m sidewall edge to side -
wa ll edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider the tire
45 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
17 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
H Speed rating lette r code
XL (or "xi", "EX TRA LOA D" or "RF") indicates that the tire is "Rein­
forced" or an "Extra Load" ti re
M +S (o r "M/S") Indicates that the tire has some mud and snow capa ­
bility
The tires could a lso have the information of direct ion of rotation
=>
page 242.
Vehicle care I t •

Tires and wheels 1111111 ________________________________ ::..:..:....::.=.....::.:..:..:..::..:___:__ _ ___:,___
•
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mus t alwa ys be tighte ned to t he correct
to rq ue .
The design of wheel bo lts is matched to the factory installed rims. If
di fferent r ims are fitted , th e cor rect whe el bo lts wi th the rig ht l ength
and c orrec tly shaped bolt heads must be used . This ens ures that
w he els a re fitted se cur ely and th at the bra ke syste m functi ons
correctl y.
In cer ta in c ircums tances, yo u ma y not use w hee l bolts fr om a
differ ent vehicle - even if it is the same mo del.
& WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become loose
causing loss of control, a collision and serious personal injury.
• Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs
clean so the wheel bolts can turn easily and be properly tightened .
• Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel
hubs. They can become loose while driving if greased or oiled,
even if tightened to the specified torque .
• Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed .
• Never use different wheels bolts on your vehicle.
• Always maintain the correct tightening torque for the wheel
bolts to reduce the risk of a wheel loss .
If the tightening torque of
the wheel bolts is too low, they can loosen and come out when the
vehicle is moving . If the tightening torque is too high, the wheel
bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The s pecified torque for the wheel bolts is 90 ft lb ( 120 N m) with a
to lerance o f± 7,4 ft lb(± 1 0 Nm). Torque whee l bolt s diago nally.
After chang ing a whee l, the torque must be checked as soon as possible with a torque wrench
-preferably by an authorized Audi
d e aler o r qua lifi ed wo rksho p.•
Low aspect ratio tires
You r A ud i is fac tory-eq uippe d w ith low aspect ra tio tire s. T hese tire s
have been thorough ly t ested and b een se lected specifica lly for your
mod el for thei r su p erb pe rf or manc e, r oad f eel an d ha nd ling under
a variety of driving con ditions . As k your authorized Audi d ealer for
m ore de ta ils.
The low aspect rat io o f th ese t ires is indicated by a numer al of 55 or
less in the t ire's size designation. The numeral rep resents the ratio
o f t he t ire's s idewa ll he ig ht in rel ati on to it s tread w idt h ex pressed
in percentage . Conventiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
mo re.
The performan ce of low -aspe ct-ratio tires is particularly sensitive to
improper inflation pressure . It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflat ion pressure is regularly checked and ma intained. Tire pres­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a
long trip=> page 249, "Checking tire pressure" .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re easily by impact with
po tho les, cu rbs, gull ies o r rid ges o n th e road, particular ly if the t ire
is underinf lated .
I n or der to mini mize th e occurrence of i mpac t da mag e to t he tires
of your vehicle, we recommend that you observe the fol lowing
pr ecaut ions :
• Always ma intain recom mended inflatio n pr essu res . C heck you r
ti re p ressu re eve ry 2,000 mi les (3,000 k m) and add a ir if neces sary .
• D rive carefully on roads with potho les, deep gullies or ridges.
T he impact from d riving th rough or ove r such obstac les can
da mage y our tires. I mpact with a cu rb m ay a lso cause damage to
your tire s. ..,
Vehicle care
I t •