2009 AUDI S3 Owners Manual

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•
High temperatures, as from exposure to intense sunlight, intens ify
the corrosive effect particularly when humidity is high as well.
Under ce rtain circumstances ,
weekly washing may be necessary .
Under other conditions, a monthly washing and waxing may be
adequate.
After the winter, the
underside of the vehicle should be thoroughly
washed, preferably in a professional car wash.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=>
page 206 . •
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any modern auto­
matic car wash.
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle can normally be
washed without problems in an automatic car wash . However , the
effect on the paint depends to a large extent on the design of the
facility, the filtering of the wash water, the type of wash and care
material, etc. If the paint has a dull appearance after going through
the car wash or is scratched, bring this to the attention of the oper­
ator immediately . If necessary, use a different car wash .
Before going through a car wash, be sure to take the usual precau ­
tions such as closing the windows and panoramic sliding sunroof *.
Remove antenna if applicable.
If you have installed additional accessories on the vehicle -such as
spoilers, roof rack , etc. -it is best to ask the car wash operator if
these should be removed .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=> page 206. •
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehicle by hand.
-Before you start washing, make sure you have read and
understood the WARNINGS=:>
& in "General informa ­
tion" on
page 206 .
-First soak all dried dirt until it is soft, then rinse it off.
- As you clean your vehicle, start with the roof and work
your way down to the bottom , using a sponge, a sponge
glove or a clean brush.
- Rinse the sponge or the sponge glove often, flushing it
clean each time.
- Use special car shampoo only for very persistent dirt.
- Rinse the car thoroughly with water.
- Use a chamois leather to gently wipe the exterior dry.
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the wheels, door sills and other
regions exposed to road dirt. In this way , you will not scratch the
paint with coarse particles imbedded in the sponge the next time
you wash the car.
& WARNING
• Do not clean the underside of the chassis, fenders, wheel
covers, or other hard to reach parts without protecting your hands
and arms. You may cut yourself on sharp-edged metal parts . .,
Vehicle care
I t •

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& WARN ING (c o ntinu ed )
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth er informat ion
~ page 2 06.
0 Not e
• Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if the surface of the vehicle
is dry. Never use a dry cloth or sponge, since this cou ld scratch your
veh ic le's paint or w indows .
• Never wash your car in bright sunlight. Drops of water act as
magnifying lenses and may damage your paint.
• When you wash your car in the winter : if you rinse your vehic le
with a hose, be careful not to aim the stream of water directly at
locks, or at door or hatch openings -they can freeze shut.
• Never use sponges designed to remove insects, or any kitchen
scouring s ponges or simila r products. They can damage your paint
finish .
• Never use a dry cloth or sponge to c lean the head ligh ts. O nly use
wet cloths or sponges to prevent scratches . It is best to use soapy
water.
c£, For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the vehicle shou ld on ly be
washed in specia l wash bays. •
Washing your vehicle with a power washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car wi th a high -p ressure
power washer is safe as l ong as y ou observe a few simple
rules .
-Before us ing the p ower washer, make s ure you have read
and unde rs too d t he WAR NINGS=:>
& in "General in for­
mati on" o n
page 206.
-Always follow the operati ng inst ructions fo r th e pow er
washer.
Make sure that the jet on t he spray hose produces a "fan
sha ped sp ray".
D o
not hold the spray nozzle too close to soft materials.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power washer always follow the
opera ting instructions. Th is applies particularly to the
operating
pre ssure
and the spraying distance . Maintain a sufficient distance
t o soft ma teria ls such as rubber hoses a nd sound/vibrat ion dead ­
ening materia ls (particularly on the underside of the engine hood).
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a
direct stream o r one tha t
has a
rotating j et.
Water temperature shou ld not exceed 140 °F (60 °Cl.
& WARNING
Never wash tires with a jet that sp ray s water in a dire ct stream .
This could c ause invi sible damage to the tire s and we ake n them ,
even if the spray i s from a relatively long distan ce and for a short
time . D amag ed and weakened tires can fail and cau se ac cident s
a nd p erson al injury.
0 Note
To avoid damaging your vehic le, always make sure that there is
suffic ient distance between the spray hea d and so ft m ateria ls like
rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound -deadening materials . Never
aim the spray head at the same p oint for a l ong time . This a lso
applies to cleaning head lights and painted bumpers . Remember:
t he c loser the n ozzle is to the surface of the materia l, the greater the
stress on the material. •

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Waxing
Wax prote cts the vehicle's paint.
- Use a manually applied car wax occasion ally to protect
t h e paint.
A good wax coating protects the vehicle paint to a large extent
against th e environm ental factors listed under~
page 206,
"Washing" and even against slight scratches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your paint as soon as one
wee k after you r vehic le has been delivered .
Even if you regularly use a
waxing process in automatic car washes,
we recommend that you manua lly app ly a coat of wax to give the
paint e xtra protection, par ticu lar ly if water no longer beads on the
clean paint.
Protec t plastic body parts with car wax in the same way as the
vehic le body.
During warm weather dead insects tend to col lect on the front
bumpe r and on the forward area of the hood. They are much easie r
to remove from paint that is waxed
often.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 206 .
0 Note
Do not use ca r wax on
• matte or anodized meta l trim
• rubber or rubber -like trim. •
Polishing
Polishi ng resto res the gloss to the p aint.
Po lish your vehic le on ly if the paint has lost its shine and the g loss
cann ot be brought back wi th wax .
I f the polish used does not contain preservative compounds , the
paint must be waxed afterwards~
page 209, "Waxing".
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 206 .
0 Note
Do not treat matte anodized metal trim, plastic or rubber parts with
polish or wax .•
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special c are.
Fo r envi ronmental reasons, Audi fab ricates the bright trim strips
and trim pieces from pure chromium -free aluminum .
Dirt and marks on the trim strips should be removed with a
pH­
balanced
c leaning agent (do no t use a chr ome clean er). Authorized
Audi dea lers carry c leaning products which have been tested for use
on your vehicle and are not harm fu l to the enviro nment .
To avoid corrosion on the exterior trim strips , only a pH -ba lanced
solution shou ld be used for the windshield washer .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 206 .•
Vehicle care I t •

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Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care.
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove dust and light surface
dirt. For other soil, use a lukewarm all -purpose cleaning solution or
a mild saddle soap for vinyl trim. Remove water spots and traces of
soap with a clean, damp cloth or sponge . Use a clean, soft cloth to
rub dry .
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed with a clean cloth or sponge
soaked with all-purpose cleaner or with a solvent designed espe­
cially to clean vinyl.
Occasionally apply a colorless vinyl or leather preservative to retain
the material's luster and pliability.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page206. •
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots and deposits from
aluminum surfaces. Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack aluminum surfaces and can damage them over time.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page206 .•
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up immediately.
-Use either a touch -up paint stick or spray paint to cover
minor scratches and nicks.
Your authorized Audi dealer has touch-up paint for minor scratches
and stone chips. Scratches should be touched up soon after they
occur to prevent corrosion.
If a spot starts to rust, however, a simple touch-up job will not be
enough. The affected surface must be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti-rust primer before the painted finish can be restored.
The number for the original vehicle paint can be found on the
vehicle identification label~
page 298 .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page206.•
Windows
Clear vision to all sides.
Clean all windows regularly to remove road film and
carwash wax buildup.
- Remove snow from windows using a brush.
- Use a plastic ice scraper to remove ice from windows and
mirrors.
- Remove other residue on the windows with a spray-on
glass cleaner.
- Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of cloth or
kitchen paper towel.

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The best way to remove snow from windows and mirrors is to use a
brush . Use a non -abrasive
pla stic ice scraper -better still, a spray
deicer -to remove
ice from w indows and mirrors .
The windows must not be cleaned with insect remover or wax since
these can inter fere with the function of the w inds hie ld w iper blades
(chatter).
Oil, grease o r sil icone residue can be removed with
glass cleaner or
s ilicone remover . However, wax residue requires the use of a
spec ially fo rmulated so lvent . Please contac t your authorized Audi
dea ler for advice on safe products for wax removal.
Windows should also be c leaned on the inside at regular interva ls .
Never dry windows with the same chamois that you use to dry
painted surfaces . Wax residue on the chamois can impair vision
t hrough the windows .
& WARNING
• The windshield mu st not be treated with water -repellent mate ­
rials. T hey c an incre ase gl are under poor v isibility conditions such
a s wetne ss, darkne ss, or when the sun i s low on the hori zon. In
addition , they can cause the wind shield wipers to chatter .
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 206.
0 Note
• Never use warm or hot water to remove snow and ice from
windows a nd mirrors . This cou ld cause the glass to crack.
• T o prevent damage to the wires of the rear defogger, do not p lace
any adhesive stickers on the inside of the rear window over the
wires .
• T o he lp prevent dirt from scratching the window, always scrape
in a forward direction -pushing the scraper away from you -never
back and forth. •
Weatherstrips
Complete car car e includes the we atherst rip s as well .
App ly a suitable rubbe r con ditioner to the weatherstr ips
f ro m time to time.
To be able sea l properly, the weatherstrips around the hood, doors,
rear lid, etc . must remain pliabl e. Spray the weatherstrips with sili­
co ne or coat them w ith ta lcum powder or glycer ine to retain the
f lexibility of the rubber and to protect them against freezing in the
winte r.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 206.
[ i ] Tip s
Keep si licone sprays off the windshield to avoid wiper smear in
ra in .•
Ap plies to veh icles : with s tee l w hee ls (e .g . if ref itt e d w ith w inter tires )
Steel wheels
The wheels also h ave to be cleaned.
- Alw ays in clu de the hu b caps and whee l rims when
washing yo ur vehi cle to remove road dir t, sal t sprays an d
b rake dust.
If necessary, use a commercial whee l cleaner to remove accumu ­
lated brake dust.
The wheel rims are eas ier to keep clean if they are reg ula rly coa ted
with l iquid wax . ..
Vehicle care I t •

-Cleaning and prot
ection
-~--------------
Paint scratches should be touched up as soon as possible to prevent
corrosion => page 210, "Touch -up pain t" .
& WARNING
• Moi sture and i ce on brak es may affect b raking efficiency -
=> page 193 , "Gene ral inform ation ". Te st the brakes caref ully a fter
e ac h veh icle was h.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNING S and t he infor mation
=> page 206. •
App lies to vehi cles : w ith Cast a lloy whee ls
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
- Wash the wheels with a spo nge or hose brush every
o ther week .
- For deep cleaning afte rwards, use only a dedicated
a cid ­
free
cast alloy whee l cleaner.
- Rub a coat of
liquid wa x onto the rims every t hree month .
Be sure to reach and treat all parts of the rim.
To preserve the decorative appearance of the cast alloy wheels,
some special care is necessary. In addition to road dirt and salt, brake dust is also corrosive . If left on for too long, brake dust can
cause pitting.
Use on ly specia l acid -free cleaners formu lated for a lloy rims . Safe
products are available at your authorized Audi dealer. Never leave
the cleaner on the rims longer than specified on the label. If not rinsed off promptly, the acid contained in some cleaners can attack
t he threads on the wheel bolts. Never use abrasive or metal po
lishing cleaning agents . If the protec ­
t ive coating has been chipped, e.g . by kicked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possib le.
& WARNING
• Moisture a nd ice on br akes m ay affect braking efficien cy
=> page 193, "Gen eral inf or mation ". Te st the brake s carefully each
ti m e you wa sh th e vehi cle .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other informa tion
=> page 206 . •
Body cavity sealing
T he body cavity se aling does not need to be checked.
All body cavities which could be affected by corrosion have been
thorough ly protected a t the factory .
This sealing does not require any inspection or additional treat ­
ment . If any wax should seep out of the cavi ty when the amb ient
temperature is high, it can be removed with a p lastic scraper and a
suitable solvent .
& WARNING
Solvents can be dangerous .
• Ben zin e is flamm able and to xic. If you use b en zi ne for re moving
the wax, keep spark s, flame and lighted cigarette s away . Never
dump ben zine on the ground , into open st ream s or do wn sewage
dr ain s.
• Be sure to ob serve all safet y and env ironmental regul atio ns .
Follow all in stru ction s on the c ont ainer .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and ot her info rm ation
=> page 206 . •

Cleaning and prote ction -
----------------
•
Chassis
Have the underco ating checke d for damage from time to
time .
The lower body shell of your Audi is a lso thorough ly protected
against corros ion.
Any damage to the undercoating caused by road hazards should be
repa ired p romptly.
& WARNING
Too mu ch undercoat ing in the wrong place s can cau se a fire.
• Do not app ly additional undercoating or rustproofing on or
near the exhau st manifold , ex haust p ipe s, cat alytic con verter or
heat shields . While d riving, the sub stan ce used for undercoating
c o uld overhe at and cause a fire.
• Alw ays read a nd heed all WARNINGS and other information
=> p age 206 . •
Care of interior
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots and deposits from
a luminum surfaces. Chrome care products and alka line cleaners
w ill attack aluminum s urfaces and ca n damage them over time.
& WARNING
Alway s read and he ed all WARNINGS and other information
=> page 206. •
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabric coverings (e.g. seats, door trim pane ls, etc.)
shou ld be c leaned at regular intervals with a vacuum cleaner . This
removes surface dirt partic les which could become embedded in
t he fabric through use. Steam clea ners shou ld not be used, because
the steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the fabric and lock it
there .
No rmal cleaning
Genera lly, we recommend using a soft sponge or a lint-free
microfiber c loth to the clean fabric. Brushes should only be used for
carpe ts and floor mats, since other fabric su rfaces co uld be harmed
by brushes.
N orma l surface stains can be cleaned using a commercially avail ­
able foam cleaner. Spread the foam on the surface o f the fabric with
a soft sponge and work it in gent ly. Do not saturate the fabric . Then
pat the foam dry us ing absorbent, dry cloths (e.g. microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried completely.
C leaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit juice, etc.) can be
t reated with a mild detergent so lution . Apply the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubborn stains, a detergent paste can
be applied directly to the stain and worked into the fabric . After­
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to remove the
re maining dete rgent . Apply the water w ith a damp cloth or sponge
and pat the fabric dry with an absorbent, dry c loth .
Stains from chocolate or makeup should have detergent paste (e.g .
ox -ga ll soap) rubbed into them. Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge).
A lcoho l can be used to treat s tains from grease, oi l, lipst ick or a ba ll­
point pen . Melted grease or dye must be patted off using absorbent
ma terial. It may be neces sary to retrea t the areas with de tergent
paste and water. _.,
Vehicle care
I t •

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In the case of general soiling of the upho lstery and cover material,
we recommend hiring a s pecialis t tha t has the equ ip m ent to c lean
the seat covers and other fabric surfaces by shampooing and spray
e xtraction .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and the information
~ page 206 .
[ i ] Tip s
Open Ve lcro fasteners on your clothing can damage the seat cover.
Please make sure that Velc ro fas tene rs a re c losed. •
Plastic parts and instrument panel
- Always use a clean c lo th moiste ned in clear wa ter.
A lways use a c lean cloth moistened in clear water to clean these
areas. For persistent d irt use a n Aud i approved
solvent -free plastic
cleaner/protectant .
& WARNING
Solvents can change the properties of some plastics and make it
harder for the airbag to deploy.
• Never clean the instrument panel or the surface of A irbag
modules with cleaning produ cts that contain solvents.
• Product s containing solvents will make the surface of this part
porous .
• Serious injuries can re sult if plastic parts come loose when the
airbag is deployed .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and the information
~ page 206.
0 Note
Cleaning agents co ntaini ng so lvents wil l attack t he ma ter ial and can
change the way it behaves .•
Ap plies t o ve hicles : w ith na tural leat her
Natural leather
Aud i makes great eff orts to maintain the pro per ties,
n atu ra l look and feel of in ter ior leather.
General
We offer many different types of leather on our vehicles. Most are different types o f nappa leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various co lors.
The intens ity of the color de termi nes the vis ual c h aracteris tics and
appearance. If the surface of the leather has a typica l natural look ,
t hen t he leather is a nap pa lea ther tha t has been left in a re lati ve ly
natural condition. This leather offers particu lar ly good comfor t and
breathes well. Fine veins, closed grains, insect bites, skin folds, and
subt le variations in color remain visib le. These character istics
demonstrate that the material is natura l.
N at ura l n ap pa leather is not covere d by a col or fin is h. It is the refor e
more sensitive to soiling and wear, which is something you need to
co nside r if chi ld ren, a nim als o r othe r factors m ight prove to be
particularly hard on the leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by a colored finish layer
ar e mo re du rable. T his has a positive ef fect on the leather's resis ­
tance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the other hand, the typical
cha ract erist ics of natura l leather are barely or n ot appa ren t.
However, th is does not mean that the leather itself is of inferior
quali ty.
Care and handling
Becaus e of th e exclusive nat ure of the ty pes o f lea ther tha t Audi
uses and their un ique properties (such as sens itivity to oi ls, grease, ..,_