VEHICL E CA
RE----------------------------------------------------
Notes
• Do not wash the vehicle in direct sun
light.
• If the vehicle is rinsed with a hose, do not
direct the water into the lock cylinders -
otherwise they may freeze up in the winter.
�W ARNING
• Do not wash, wax or dry the ve
hicle with the engine running.
• Do not clean the underside of
chassis, fenders, wheel covers,
etc. without protecting your
hands and arms. You may cut your
self on sharp-edged metal parts.
• Moisture and ice on brakes may
affect braking efficiency. Test the
brakes carefully after each vehicle
wash.
214 Washing
your vehicle with a power
washer
If you use a power washer, please note the
following:
• Always follow the operating instructions
for the power washer -especially for pres
sure and spraying distance.
• Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shape" spray. Do not use
a jet which sprays the water out in a direct
stream or one that has a rota ting jet.
• Water temperature should not exceed
140 °F (60 °C).
�W ARNING
Never wash tires with a jet that
sprays the water out in a direct
stream. This could invisibly dam
age and weaken the tires, even if
they are sprayed from a relatively
long distance for a vary short
amount of time. Damaged and
weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal injury. Headli
ghts
Do not clean your headlights with a dry
towel or sponge. They must be cleaned
with a moistened towel.
Never use a sponge designed for removing
dried-on insects, a kitchen scrubber or any
other similar product since the lens surface
can be damaged by scrat ching and scour
ing.
When using high-pressure washing equip
ment or steam-cl eaning units, never spray
the vehicle with the nozzle close the vehicle
surface and never aim the spray at the same
point for a relatively long period of time.
Polishing Please refer to the imp ortant information on
page 212.
Polish your vehicle only if the paint has lost
its shine and the gloss cannot be brought
back with wax. If the polish used doesn't
contain preservative compounds, the paint
must be waxed afterwards.
Do not treat matte- pain�ed and plas
tic parts with polish or wax.
VEHICL E
CA RE-------------------------
Weatherstrips
Keep silicone sprays off the wind
shield to avoid wiper smear in rain.
To seal properly, weatherstrips around
hood, rear lid, doors, etc., must be pliable.
Spray with silicone or coat with talcum pow
der or glycerine to reta in flexibility of the
rubber and to protect against freezing in the
w1nter.
Dull finishes and plastics
Plas .tic pa �s. such as light bulb lenses, dec
orative stnpes, panels, bumpers, etc., will
come clean with regular washing. Should
additional cleaning or spot remova l be nec
essar y, use a soft brush or cloth soaked with
a mild detergent solution. Then rinse thor
oughly and imme diately with clear water.
Do not use anyth ing which could
mar the plastic or dull finished sur
faces, such as wax, polish, abrasive
detergents or chemical cleaning sol
vents.
216 Bright
metal trim
Bright or black anodized metal trim will
come clean with regular washing. Remove
spots or dirt from chrome and stainless
steel with a chrome cleaner. Apply a
chrome polish for continued luster and
protec tion.
Steel wheels
Always include the hub caps and wheel
rims when washing your vehicle to remove
road dirt, salt sprays and brake dust. If nec
essary, use a commercial wheel cleaner to
remove accumulated brake dust. Paint
scratches should be touched up as soon as
possible to prevent corrosion.
Light alloy wheels
To preserve the decorative appearance of
the light alloy wheels, some special care is
necessary. In addition to road dirt and salt
sprays, brake dust is also corrosive. If left on
too long, brake dust can cause pitting. Wash
the wheels with a sponge or hose brush ev
ery other week. Road salt
should be removed weekly with
an acid free cleaning solution. Every three
months (after regular cleaning) coat the
wheels with petroleum jelly or car wax. Rub
it in firmly with a soft cloth. Never use abra
sive or metal polishing cleaning agents.
� WARNING
Moisture, ice, and road salt on
brakes may affect braking effi
ciency. Test the brakes carefully
after each washing. Always heed
WA RNING on page 203.
VE
HICL E CA
RE-------------------------
Dust and small particles of dirt lodging in the
pores, grain and seams can have an abra
sive effect and damage the surface and the
seams. If the vehicle is left standing for a
long time in the sun, cover the upholstery or
use the sun blinds to protect the leather
from direct sunlight and prevent fading or
discoloration.
Depending on the amount of use, clean it
occasionally according to the following
instructions. Never use solvents, wax
polish, shoe cream, spot removers
or similar materials.
For normal cleaning of leather -covered
steering wheels, leather seat upholstery,
etc., slightly moisten a cotton or woollen
cloth with water and wipe over the areas af
fected.
218 More
stubborn dirt can be removed using a
mild soap solution (pure liquid soap: two
tablespoons dissolved in 1 quart of water).
It is very important not to let the wa
ter soak through the leather or pene
trate into the seams. Then wipe off with
a soft, dry cloth.
In addition to this regular cleaning, it is
worth while treating the leather with a suit
able leather -care product. This should be
done about twice a year for uphol stery in
normal use. Apply these products very spar
ingly and follow the manufacturer's direc
tions.
Safety belts
Keep belts clean! Dirty belts may
not retract properly.
For cleaning, use a mild soap and water
solution. Let belts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re
tract before they are completely dry. �W
ARNING
• Any thing that might damage
your safety balta could mean that
you and your passengers would
not be adequately protected in an
accident.
• Do not use chemical cleaning
agents, bleach or dyes. They have
corrosive properties which weak
en the webbing.
• When cleaning your safety
belts, inspect them for damage. If
you discover damage. see your
Audi Dealer.
• Safety belt performance de
pends on correct installation.
Never remove belts from the ve
hicle to clean them.
-------------------------VEHICLE CA
RE
Engine compartment
�W ARNING
• Before working in the engine
compartment. be sure to read the
information on page 232.
I) Before reaching into the front
plenum panel. always re!"ove the
ignition key. Otherw1se. the
windshield wiper system could
unin tentionally be switched on.
possibly causing personal injury
from the moving wiper linkage.
• Do not wash. wax or dry the en�
gine with the engine ru!'l'! ing. Mov
ing or hot parts could 1n1ure you. ,Al
WARNING continued
e Do not clean the underside of
the chassis, fenders. wheel cov
ers. or other hard to reach parts
without protecting your hands and
arms. You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
• Moisture and ice on brakes may
affect braking efficiency. Test the
brakes carefully after each vehicle
wash.
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion protected at the facto
ry.
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in
front of the windshield under the engine
hood. This prevents the water drain holes
from becoming blocked, and it prevents de
bris from entering the vehicle interior
throug h the heating and ventilation ducts. Good
anti-corrosion treatment is very im
porta nt, particularly in the winter. If the ve
hicle is frequently driven on salted roads,
the entire engine compartment and plenum
panel should be thor oughly cleaned at the
end of winter and retreated to prevent salt
damage. At the same time, the underside of
the vehicle should be washed as well.
�W ARNING
Never touch the radiator fan. The
auxiliary electric fan can switch on
suddenly and injure you-
Always switch off the ignition be
fore cleaning the engine _
219
VEHI
CLE CARE
J'4 WARN ING continued
• If you must work underneath
the vehicle with the wheels on the
ground, always make sure the ve
hicle is on level ground. that the
wheels are always securely
blocked and that the engine can
not be started. Always remove the
ignition key before anyone gets
under the vehicle.
Always make sure the transmis
sion selector lever (automatic
transmission) is in "P" (Park posi
tion) and the hand brake is firmly
applied.
• Always be extremely careful
when working on the vehicle. Always follow commonly accepted safety practices and general com
mon sense. Never risk personal in
jury.
230 �
Changing the engine settings
will adversely aHect emission
levels. This Is detrimental to the en
vi ronment and increases fuel con
sumption.
Always observe environmental reg
ulations when disposing of old en
gine oil. used brake fluid, dirty en
gine coolant, spent batteries or
worn out tires.
Radiator
fan
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via
the V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the
speed of the fan according to the tempera
ture of the coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operation conditions.
� WARNING
• Always use extreme caution to
prevent clothing. jewelry, or long
hair from getting caught in the en
gine driven radiator fan, V-belt or
other moving parts.
• Never touch the auxiliary elec
tric radiator fan. The fan can
switch on suddenly and injure you.
Always heed all WA RNINGS
on page 232. Power
steering
Yo ur vehicle is equipped with a Servotro
nic power steering. The degree of
power assistance is regulated electronically
according to road speed.
The fluid reservoir is in the engine compart
ment near the windshield washer container.
The correct fluid level in the reserv oir is im
portant for the proper functioning of power
steer ing.
The power steering fluid level is checked
during the scheduled Maintenance ser
vices.
If the electronic regulating system is not
working properly, this is most noticeable
when turning the steering wheel at low
speeds (for example when parking) -more
effort will be required than usual. The fault
should be rectified by an Audi Dealer as
soon as possible. VEH
ICLE CARE
Note
• When the engine is running, never hold
the steering wheel turned all the way to the
right or to the left for longer than 15 sec
onds. The power steering pump will over
heat the hydraulic fluid if you hold the steer
ing wheel all the way turned.
This will damage the power steering
system.
Each time the steering wheel is turned all
the way to the right or left when stopped,
you will hear noises caused by the severe
stress placed on the power steering pump.
At the same time, engine idle speed drops.
• If the power steering system
should fail, or if the engine is not
running (for example, while being
towed). you will still be able to steer
the vehicle, however. more effort
will be required.
• If the power steering system should
have a leak, or is not functioning properly,
contact your authorized Audi Dealer imme
diately.
241
VEHICLE
CARE-------------------------
Tires I Wheels
Tires are important but often abused parts
of a vehicle. They not only influence comfort
and ride, but perform vital safety functio �s.
This section is intended to provide you w1th
imp ortant information regarding their prop
er use, care and replacement.
• Be sure to inspect your tires at least ev
ery 2,000 miles (3 000 kilometres) for wear
and damage.
• Damage to wheels and tires is not always
easy to see. If you believe that a tire or
wheel has been damaged, it is best to have
it replaced as soon as possible. Internal tire
damage can never get better or ': heal" it
self, it can only get worse over t1me. Tire
damage can lead to tire failure and loss of
vehicle control. See your authonzed Aud1
Dealer for advice and assistance.
• Mark tires before removing them. Re
mount tires on the same vehicle side be
cause the rotation direction must stay the
same.
252 •
Store removed tires in a cool, dry and pre
ferably dark place. Tires which are not on
wheels should be stored standing up.
• New tires may have different tread
depths due to the configuration and des!gn
by the tire manufacturers. When replacing
tires, use ones with matching tread depth.
�W ARNING
• Tires age even if they are not be
ing used. Tires which are more
than 6 years should be used only in
an emergency and then with cau
tion.
• Avoid damaging tires and wheel
rims. If you must drive over a curb
or other obstacle, drive slowly and
as nearly as possible at a right
angle. Frequently check tires for
uneven wear and damage. M
WARNIN G continued
• Remove embedded material.
• Replace worn or damaged tires
immediately.
• Replace missing valve dust
caps.
• Keep oil, fuel, brake fluid, etc.
away from tires.
• Keep tires inflated correctly.
New tires
New tires tend to be slippery and cannot of
ferfull traction until they have been properly
broken in.
�W ARNING
To help avoid loss of control, al
ways operate a vehicle with new
tires at lower speeds and with spe
cial caution for the first 300 miles
(480 kilometres).
lira
service life
The service life of your tires depends for the
most part on the following factors:
lire pressure
Requir ed cold tire inflation pressures are
listed on a sticker inside the fuel filler flap or
on the rear passenger's door pillar (right
side) -depending on the model.
�W ARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures can lead
to a serious or fatal accident:
• Incorrect tire pressures cause
increased tire wear and can affect
handling of the vehicle.
• Incorrect pressures can also
lead to sudden tire failure and
deflati on, causing loss of vehicle
contr ol.
c£' Low tire pressures increase fuel
consumption, which is detri
mental to the environment. Tire
pressures should be checked at least
once a month and always before a long trip.
Tire pressures are very important,
particularly when the vehicle is driv
en at higher speeds.
If you are going to be driving at higher
speeds (a lot of expressway driving), then it
is rec ommended to increase the tire pres
sure by 5 psi (0.3 bar).
Always check tire pressures when the tires
are cold. When the tires are warm, the pres
sure will be highe r. Do not reduce the
pressure of warm tires.
Don't forget to check the spare wheel. The
inflation pressure is marked on the tire side
wall.
Use an accurate tire pressure gauge when
checking inflation pressures. Never exceed
the maximum tire inflation pressure listed
on the tire sidewall. Cold tire inflation pres
sure means: the vehicle has been standing
for at least 3 hours or driven for less than
1 mile (1 km).
Do not forget to replace the valve stem caps
after checking tire pressure. VE
HICL E CA RE
Driving habits
Fast cornering, heavy acceleration and hard
braking all increase tire wear.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
When driving, however, various conditions
can cause a wheel to become unbalanced.
This may be noticed as vibrations in the
steering.
Since tire imbalance can cause wear on the
steeri ng, suspension and tires, you should
have your wheels re-balanced. A wheel
should always be balanced if a new tire has
been mounted or a tire was repaired.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment causes exces
sive and uneven tire wear, impairing the
safety ofth e veh ide. If you notice excessive
tire wear, contact your authorized Audi
Dealer.
253