Little surprises?

A

AlB82

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For those that don't read the manual cover to cover, here is a thread to capture the little features of the A3 that are not obvious/others may not have noticed.

So, what little hidden features have you found on your A3?

I just noticed the other day a little drawer in the back seat with a high vis jacket in it. Haven't seen that on any car I've had before.
 
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Yes, saw it in the dealers demo S3 car we test drove the other week.
 
Same on s3 lol

I think most (all?) things on the sportback / 3 door will be replicated on the saloon so not quite sure the reason for segregating your topic to the saloon ;).
 
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Battlekrapz said:
Same on s3 lol

I think most (all?) things on the sportback / 3 door will be replicated on the saloon so not quite sure the reason for segregating your topic to the saloon ;).
Click to expand...

Probably better to have to make this a 'sticky' to cover all the A3 models and versions.
 
Battlekrapz said:
Same on s3 lol

I think most (all?) things on the sportback / 3 door will be replicated on the saloon so not quite sure the reason for segregating your topic to the saloon ;).
Click to expand...

Fair point, made the thread more generic.
 
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Found this online to access engineering menu on the 8V - "The engineering menu can be the key combination + Back navigation button -1 - open (both keys together), whereby you have to first press the Back button"

Havent tried it yet just about to go to bed but will try it in the morning.

Link to video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJaWvmZOIXU
 
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It's boring, there's nothing you can do in there.
 
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AlB82 said:
I just noticed the other day a little drawer in the back seat with a high vis jacket in it. Haven't seen that on any car I've had before.
Click to expand...

That's funny, I've had my car more than 2 months and never spotted that!
 
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How about the fact the wipers will auto park themselves if you switch the engine off in the middle of a sweep. Always annoyed me on other cars when they just froze halfway across the screen.
 
aupperton said:
How about the fact the wipers will auto park themselves if you switch the engine off in the middle of a sweep. Always annoyed me on other cars when they just froze halfway across the screen.
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Yeah its the little touches that make it a good car, however the A3 being my first Audi I just think these touches are just standard in other newer cars such as BMW/Merc

On a similar note, when you turn the car ignition off, if the music is on SD card (not sure if its Radio as well) the music fades out rather than a complete blunt stop.
 
Also if you turn all the volume down it will pause the song (sd) . My previous car didn't have the washer level low light and tone, the a3 has it .
 
aupperton said:
How about the fact the wipers will auto park themselves if you switch the engine off in the middle of a sweep. Always annoyed me on other cars when they just froze halfway across the screen.
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The front ones do... rear one doesn't. This has been the same on several cars I've owned, never understood it!
 
I do love the fact the music fades down. Simple touch but has a classy feeling about it.
 
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cemerson said:
The front ones do... rear one doesn't. This has been the same on several cars I've owned, never understood it!
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You should have bought a saloon... no such problem :yahoo:
 
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Then you just have the problem of not being able to use the rear one in the first place... No thanks!
 
Little carrier bag hanger that folds down from the top of the boot space, just the latest in any number of little touches I have found and love.
 
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aupperton said:
How about the fact the wipers will auto park themselves if you switch the engine off in the middle of a sweep. Always annoyed me on other cars when they just froze halfway across the screen.
Click to expand...

I like the single sweep of the rear wiper when its been raining when you put the car in reverse
 
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I had an A3 courtesy car the other day whilst my A1 was getting it's 3 year brake fluid change. I was at work most the day so didn't have much time to play and only noticed that there are two cup holders in the ear either side of the seats. I did read that there was a drawer in the rear seat somewhere. Also unlike the A1 where the indicators wrap around and you can see the flashing edge in the A3 the indicators have a small hole in the mirror to bleed the flash through... I found this was more obvious than the A1. Hopefully when I get my SB in April I'll have more time to find those hidden easter eggs :D
 
S-Tronic reverts to D from M when right paddle is depressed for 1 sec. Never found it in the manual.
 
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Never really knew what to expect from the LED lights but I love that the junction lights come on every time I pass a junction or side road at low speed. Had no idea they were linked to the satnav. I always think other drivers must be wondering what the hell my car is playing at!
 
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Yeh, same with the Xenon lights - love the static cornering lights on mine! Love even more that it doesn't just light a fog light for them, hate cars that do that!
 
felsby said:
S-Tronic reverts to D from M when right paddle is depressed for 1 sec. Never found it in the manual.
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It is mentioned. In the 10.2013 copy I have borrowed (until my new 8V arrives) it's on page 111, right-hand column, second paragraph.
 
Dave, man I thought I read manuals, but you are in a different league. Keep up the good work...
 
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Good effort Dave, I thought I was a detail man...

A question for you if you like a challenge - what LTE/4G bands does the audi connect system in the A3/S3 support? I can't find it in any press release etc. Maybe a parts guide or service document might say??
 
I noticed yesterday that when you lift the storage floor of the boot the two LED lights left and right act as holders for the storage floor. Easely click in and out of place when storage floor is lifted and lowered :)
 
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Itguy said:
Good effort Dave, I thought I was a detail man...

A question for you if you like a challenge - what LTE/4G bands does the audi connect system in the A3/S3 support? I can't find it in any press release etc. Maybe a parts guide or service document might say??
Click to expand...

I assume from you forum ID you must work in IT where a lot of detail is often required. I'm now retired but I spent 25+ years working with and supporting PCs and networking. When I started the was no such thing as Windows, everything was done from the DOS command like and it had to be exact otherwise all you got was a syntax error!

Camerson asked me for some information earlier this evening at the possibility of upgrading to 4G/LTE and I cannot find anything about it in either ElsaWin or Etka so I afraid I have to admit defeat. But I will keep looking....
I think the cost of the existing central computer unit for the MMI system at £3165 may have put him off the idea.

Part of the problem may be explained by the option code for the Technology package with Mobile telephone preperation - High with Audi Connect. The code is WB4 and any code beginning with a W seems to indicate the UK and is not listed in the normal international copy of ETKA that I have. Another one is WB6 for the Xenon light package which is obviously also UK specific.
 
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I must admit I'm not really up with the latest 'smartphone' technology. I don't even own a smartphone, just an old fashioned mobile. Being retired I don't find I have the need for such technology. PCs, latops and tablets but not smartphones.

However I have just found this paragraph on the Audi UK website and I don't know if it helps at all.

What Do You Need for Audi Connect with 4G?

New Audi A3 models are now available to order with 4G LTE connectivity, but what else will you need? Firstly, when you order your car you need to include MMI Navigation Plus with Audi Connect which is part of the technology package. Secondly you will need a 4G SIM card with a flat data rate, which is inserted into a slot in the car’s glove box. The Audi system is usual in that it is entirely unlocked so you can choose any network provider, making use of the best 4G coverage in your area.

I have also found this following a search on Bing...

The procedure for getting in-vehicle 4G connections in Europe will be different from the US, owing to the different ways in which carriers in both these regions function, according to the source. European Audi car owners will be able to use any carrier’s network, with simply a data SIM card being inserted into the dashboard.
 
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Itguy said:
Good effort Dave, I thought I was a detail man...

A question for you if you like a challenge - what LTE/4G bands does the audi connect system in the A3/S3 support? I can't find it in any press release etc. Maybe a parts guide or service document might say??
Click to expand...

The closest I can get you is that the Audi MIB uses the Qualcomm Gobi MDM9215 chipset, which supports "multiple LTE bands".
Qualcomm Document Center

You can work out the FDD TDD etc frequency bands yourself for Europe :p
 
* S-Tronic: Driving with auto gear changes and helping with the odd manual change. Can force the car back to full auto by briefly pulling back the gear lever as if you were changing from D to S mode. It quicker than holding the right paddle for 2 seconds or waiting the 5-10 seconds for the box to go back to auto itself.

* S-tronic: Manual flappy Paddle mode 1st to 2nd gear at junctions and roundabouts (i.e. with turning). Often easier to flick the gear lever forward for 2nd gear than try to find the right paddle with significant steering angle.

* MMI: Next track / restart same track - rock the volume knob on centre console to left or right. Thanks to Daveotto for this one.

* MMI: Changing Media folder of music on SD card. No need to scroll to the top of the current track list on the rotary dial for the "go up" option. Just press the "back" button behind the rotary dial and it takes you to the next higher level folder.

* MMI: Random playback (not tech pack). It's listed in the Sound Settings menu as "Retry", but you have to separately select Off/All/folder for what you want it to use for its selection.

John.
 
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JohnnyM100 said:
* MMI: Random playback (not tech pack). It's listed in the Sound Settings menu as "Retry", but you have to separately select Off/All/folder for what you want it to use for its selection.
Click to expand...

This is different on the tech pack, you can turn it on or off, then you can select whole folders to load into the playlist, and the shuffle works on the current playlist.
 
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I found a storage container door under driver seat!!
 
It should have a first aid kit in it...
 
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