D3 "Easter Eggs" - Obscure Features
04-16-2017, 09:32 AM
#1
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D3 "Easter Eggs" - Obscure Features
Yeah, I know it's been done before, but not by me, 
and not since about a million new users joined (and WELCOME to you if you're new, many of the new guys are surprisingly car-smart!)!
Some of these are known to the secret society whose very existence is debated, the Readers of the Manual (The few, the proud, the bored) but some are only in SSPs.
1) To avoid the rubber getting set/bent in one position, the wipers alternately park with the blades flexed up, then down. Next time it's raining, click "Mist" and see.
2) When actuating the windshield washer, the climate control briefly switches to recirc, to avoid smelling that cleaning-fluid smell only our maids and car detailers should suffer.
3) The four-zone climate control has electric heaters under the front seats to heat the rear footwell vent air. (never mind that they are usually burned out/not functional) Good reason to not use the rear heat unless someone's back there.
4) Pressing the driver's climate control **** for 2-3 seconds will set all vents (including rears) to that temp.
5) The gas cap has a magnet in it and if you forget to replace it it'll show a red warning, while forgetting to close the fuel door has a different, yellow icon.(IIRC) Most other Audis of the era do not have this feature and so the cap is a different p/n and, of course, ours costs twice as much.
6) While you're fueling up, the vapors are being sucked into a large chamber at the top of the tank. Do not overfill as this will ruin the carbon canister (Normal topping-off is OK, just don't go for the record by shaking the car, although a float valve closes the filler neck when the tank is full). When you replace that special cap, the vapors are pulled through the carbon canister for later burning.
7) As large as the tank is, Audi engineers provided for the possibility of running out of fuel (and filling from a small gas can) by having a provision to hold the small amount of fuel from a gas can in a special reservoir. Not the 2.1 gallon reserve, but a separate, magical space.
8) Well-known but worth a mention I think; each key is recognized by the car and sets: the radio presets & sound preferences, mirrors, rear sunshade's automatic-down-in-reverse on/off (leave it off, they wear out), park sensor volume, climate control, steering wheel position, door lock preferences (set via MMI), shift adaptation to each individual's driving style, and of course, seat position. YMMV and I hope I remembered them all correctly.
9) The car will "Sleep" sooner and wake less if you lock it, thus conserving battery power. As much as I hate to, I lock the car in the garage.
10) The big switch with the "Light" icon that's directly in front of and abutting the rear-view mirror's mounting on the overhead console allows cycling through ambient lighting "schemes", which are adjustable through the MMI.
11) If you hold down the dome light "on" switch, it'll cycle from brighter to dimmer and stay wherever you leave it. Also, the dome / interior lighting can be set to selectively light only the front or rear of the cabin depending on which door is opened with the center door-icon button.
12) There is a kickdown switch under the accelerator. Black plastic ****. It can be switched on & off. To turn it on, counterintuitively rotate counterclockwise a bit until it clicks. If it won't turn, it was probably on all along; try the other way and see what I mean.
Well that's my dozen. Can't think of any others off the top of my head, please add your "eggs" and/or favorite D3 A8 features to the list.
Happy Easter
Tom
and not since about a million new users joined (and WELCOME to you if you're new, many of the new guys are surprisingly car-smart!)!Some of these are known to the secret society whose very existence is debated, the Readers of the Manual (The few, the proud, the bored) but some are only in SSPs.
1) To avoid the rubber getting set/bent in one position, the wipers alternately park with the blades flexed up, then down. Next time it's raining, click "Mist" and see.
2) When actuating the windshield washer, the climate control briefly switches to recirc, to avoid smelling that cleaning-fluid smell only our maids and car detailers should suffer.
3) The four-zone climate control has electric heaters under the front seats to heat the rear footwell vent air. (never mind that they are usually burned out/not functional) Good reason to not use the rear heat unless someone's back there.
4) Pressing the driver's climate control **** for 2-3 seconds will set all vents (including rears) to that temp.
5) The gas cap has a magnet in it and if you forget to replace it it'll show a red warning, while forgetting to close the fuel door has a different, yellow icon.(IIRC) Most other Audis of the era do not have this feature and so the cap is a different p/n and, of course, ours costs twice as much.
6) While you're fueling up, the vapors are being sucked into a large chamber at the top of the tank. Do not overfill as this will ruin the carbon canister (Normal topping-off is OK, just don't go for the record by shaking the car, although a float valve closes the filler neck when the tank is full). When you replace that special cap, the vapors are pulled through the carbon canister for later burning.
7) As large as the tank is, Audi engineers provided for the possibility of running out of fuel (and filling from a small gas can) by having a provision to hold the small amount of fuel from a gas can in a special reservoir. Not the 2.1 gallon reserve, but a separate, magical space.
8) Well-known but worth a mention I think; each key is recognized by the car and sets: the radio presets & sound preferences, mirrors, rear sunshade's automatic-down-in-reverse on/off (leave it off, they wear out), park sensor volume, climate control, steering wheel position, door lock preferences (set via MMI), shift adaptation to each individual's driving style, and of course, seat position. YMMV and I hope I remembered them all correctly.
9) The car will "Sleep" sooner and wake less if you lock it, thus conserving battery power. As much as I hate to, I lock the car in the garage.
10) The big switch with the "Light" icon that's directly in front of and abutting the rear-view mirror's mounting on the overhead console allows cycling through ambient lighting "schemes", which are adjustable through the MMI.
11) If you hold down the dome light "on" switch, it'll cycle from brighter to dimmer and stay wherever you leave it. Also, the dome / interior lighting can be set to selectively light only the front or rear of the cabin depending on which door is opened with the center door-icon button.
12) There is a kickdown switch under the accelerator. Black plastic ****. It can be switched on & off. To turn it on, counterintuitively rotate counterclockwise a bit until it clicks. If it won't turn, it was probably on all along; try the other way and see what I mean.
Well that's my dozen. Can't think of any others off the top of my head, please add your "eggs" and/or favorite D3 A8 features to the list.
Happy Easter
Tom
04-16-2017, 09:42 AM
#2
AudiWorld Member
After having owned my D3 for 8 years, I am blown away that I continue to learn new things about it. The Owner's Manual - who knew? Usually it's one thing here or there - like the driver's mirror switch (to retract them, or to drop the passenger side when parking), changing the interior lights behavior, soft close, etc. This list sets a record for me for the number of new things learned at one time. Thanks Tom and Happy Easter to you!
04-16-2017, 02:24 PM
#4
AudiWorld Super User
It's a device that tells the transmission to go to the lowest selectable gear, the switch that is actuated when the driver puts their foot to the floor, as it were. Without it, the transmission may not go to the lowest gear or take longer to get there.
Thanks, Tom. I actually didn't know of most of these.
Thanks, Tom. I actually didn't know of most of these.
04-16-2017, 04:26 PM
#6
AudiWorld Wiseguy
Some good tips/info there.
*The headlamp washers only operate every (I think) 10 screen wash cycles. They also only wash one headlamp at a time to ensure you always have decent light levels on the road.
*The wipers do another "dry off" flick 5 seconds or so after the main wash/wipe.
*To prevent the noise being noticeable, the suspension compressor will only operate above 20mph if there is sufficient pressure in the reservoir.
*If you unlock the car, but don't open any doors within 5 mins, it will lock itself again automatically.
*If from a cold start, you drive off very gently and don't turn the steering wheel more than 15deg for 30s, it activates a super eco mode that will get you 40mpg.
*The headlamp washers only operate every (I think) 10 screen wash cycles. They also only wash one headlamp at a time to ensure you always have decent light levels on the road.
*The wipers do another "dry off" flick 5 seconds or so after the main wash/wipe.
*To prevent the noise being noticeable, the suspension compressor will only operate above 20mph if there is sufficient pressure in the reservoir.
*If you unlock the car, but don't open any doors within 5 mins, it will lock itself again automatically.
*If from a cold start, you drive off very gently and don't turn the steering wheel more than 15deg for 30s, it activates a super eco mode that will get you 40mpg.
04-16-2017, 04:37 PM
#7
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Twist it LEFT, like you're unscrewing it... sounds like yours is the "Low-Performance" position. Don't forget your passport, my friend!
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04-16-2017, 05:57 PM
#8
AudiWorld Member
7) As large as the tank is, Audi engineers provided for the possibility of running out of fuel (and filling from a small gas can) by having a provision to hold the small amount of fuel from a gas can in a special reservoir. Not the 2.1 gallon reserve, but a separate, magical space.
Tom
Tom
04-16-2017, 11:51 PM
#9
Oh the story to how I found out about this "feature". Picture me, one day, annoyed with the spray pattern of the windshield washer jets, thus I set about adjusting them the way ElsaWIN instructs me to. The only difference is I am using a huge sewing needle instead of a VAG special tool. First thing I do is check the spray pattern and observe which nozzle needs to be adjusted, then I go stick the sewing needle in the nozzle, adjust, and test the spray pattern again. Repeat this about 20 times, due to the fact that the nozzles are magnesium (IIRC) and corrosion has caused them to be very difficult to adjust accurately. Coming to the end of the tedious adjustment, I decided to observe the spray pattern once more, seeing that a small adjustment was still needed, I joyfully hop out of my car to quickly make the last adjustment. However, I managed to get out of my car, lean down, just far enough, and just in time to have my supraorbital ridge (eyebrow bone) in perfect striking range of this wonderful "dry off flick feature". Lets just say I got quite colorful with my language and had a bruised and sore eyebrow bone for around two weeks.
Last edited by jlbell; 04-16-2017 at 11:55 PM.