Cleaning and protection Ill
---------------=---------=----
Under certain circumsta nces, weekly was hing may be necessary .
Und er other c ond it ions, a monthl y w ashi ng and waxing m ay be
adequate.
After the winter, the unders ide of the vehicle s hou ld be t horoughly
w ashe d, p refe rably in a pr ofess ional ca r was h.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 274. •
Automatic car wash
The ve hicle ca n be w ashed in alm ost any mo dern auto
matic car w ash .
Th e ve hicl e p aint is so du ra ble th at t he vehicle c an nor mally be
washed w itho ut problems in an automatic car wash . H owever, the
effe ct on the pai nt de pend s to a large ex ten t on t he desig n of t he
facili ty, th e fil ter ing of the was h water, t he type of wash and care
material, etc . If t he pa int has a du ll appea rance a fter going throu gh
t he ca r wash o r is sc ratched, bri ng this to the a tte ntion of the ope r
ator immediately . If necessa ry, use a different car wash .
B efo re go ing throu gh a c ar wa sh, be sure to ta ke the us ual pr eca u
t ions such as clos ing the windows and the Panoramic s lid in g su nroof.
Fa ctor y in stall ed a ntenn as mu st not be re moved .
If you have ins talled addit ional accessories on the vehicle -su ch as
spoilers, roof rack, etc . - it is best to ask the car wash ope rato r if these
sho uld be removed.
& WARNING
Please take note of the following points before going through an
automatic car wash with your vehicle , so that you can avoid
damage to your vehicle.
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Compare the track of your vehicle with the distance between
the guide rails of the facility -there is a risk of damage to the
wheels and tires.
• Compare the height and width of your vehicle with the height
and width of the tunnel at the facility.
• Fold the exterior mirrors flat -there is a risk of damaging the
exterior mirrors . Power folding exterior mirrors* must not be
folded in or out by hand. Use the power function!
• Do not allow the wiper blade to fall onto the windshield after
the vehicle is dried · there is a risk of damaging the paint on the
hood .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~page 274. •
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of wat er is n eeded when washing a v ehicl e by hand.
- Before yo u sta rt wash ing , m ak e sure you have read and
u nd ers tood the WARN IN GS =>
& in "Gener al in forma
t io n" o n page
274.
- F ir s t soa k all dried dir t until it is soft, t hen rinse i t off.
- A s you cle an yo ur vehi cle, sta rt with the roof and work y our
way down to the bottom , us ing a sponge , a sp onge glove
or a cle an bru sh .
- Rin se the sp ong e or the sp o ng e glo ve often, flu shing it
cl ean each t im e.
- U se s pecia l car shampoo on ly for v ery pe rsiste nt dirt .
- R inse the car thoroug hly wi th wate r.
- U se a ch a m ois le ath er to gently w ipe t he ex ter ior dry. •
Vehicle care Technical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib rat ion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 344 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, drive with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km) .
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. .,_
Tires and wheels -________________ f!:f'II
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure cau se s prema ture we ar and c an cau se sudden
ti re blow-o ut. Fo r this reaso n, tir e press ure must be ch ecked at l eas t
once a mo nth ;:::,
page 320.
Driving style
Driv in g fast aro und curves, heavy a cce le ra ti on and hard bra kin g
increase tire wea r.
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all fou r tir es on your ve hicle to have the same service life, we
re co mm end th at t he fron t and rear tire s ar e rotat ed acco rd ing t o the
tire ma nufact urer's s uggested tire rotation intervals. Please
remem be r th e fo llow ing:
• Tir e ro tat io n in terv als ma y differ from t he ve hicle serv ice in terv als
out lined in your Warranty
& Maintenance bo oklet .
• Th e long er o ne tire is used i n one location on t he veh icle, t he mo re
it wears at certa in po ints; t herefore, we recommend t hat you follow
th e tir e m an ufac ture r's sugges ted tire r ota tion in te rv a ls .
• Vehicles w ith fro nt-w hee l dr ive experience mo re tread wea r on the
fron t w heels compared to all-whe el driv e (qua ttro ®).
• P leas e ro tate tires as sh own ;:::, fig. 242.
• Extra care m ust be ta ken when rotat ing direction-specific tires
=:, p age 3 44 .
Wheel balancing
The w heels on new ve hicl es a re bala nced. However, v ario us sit uatio ns
dur ing everyday driving can cause them to become unba lanced,
re su lt ing in vibra tions yo u can usually fee l throug h the stee rin g
w hee l.
Unbalanced whee ls mus t be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
s t eer ing, suspension and t ir e s. A wheel must also b e rebalanced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Safety first
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrec t wheel a lignment can c ause excessive t ire wear, im pair ing
t he sa fety o f the ve hicle . If t ires s how exc essive wear, hav e the wheel
alignment checked by an author ized A udi dealer o r qualifie d wo rk
shop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must a lways have tires of the same s ize,
constr uctio n an d trea d type . For details see ;:::,
page 258 .
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control, a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear ind icators .
• 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 damage, such as
grease, oil , gasoline and brake fluid away 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
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle care Technical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
the 22nd week of 2009. The other numbers are marketing codes that
may or may not be use d b y the ti re manu facture r. T his in format ion is
used to contact consumers if a tire de fect requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
T ires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have been specially
m atche d w ith your Audi. We recommend using on ly these t ire s
because t hey meet the hig hest standards regard ing safety a nd
dr iving charac teris tics when used corre ctly. Your aut horize d Aud i
dea ler w ill glad ly provide you wi th mor e informatio n.
Tire ply composition and materials used
T he number of p lies indicates the number of layers of rubber-coated
f abr ic in the tire. In ge ne ral, the greate r the numbe r of p lies, the
more weig ht a tire ca n support. Tire manufac turers also mus t indi
c ate the materials in the t ire, which incl ude stee l, nylon, polyes ter,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in k ilograms and pounds
t ha t can be carried by the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades~ page 329.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount o f air press ure t hat should eve r
be pu t in the tire under no rm al driv in g c ond ition s.
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can lead to loss of control , collis ion
and seriou s personal injury.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifica
tions of original factory-installed tires or other combinations that have been specifically app roved by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds . Tires that a re 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
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial tires of the same
type , size (rolling circumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driving with different tires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a loss of control.
• If the spare tire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle - for example with winter tires - only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care . Refit the
no rmal road wheel as soon as safely possible .
• Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires
on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Ove rloading tire s cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated
and not over or underinflated.
• For technical rea sons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicles- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel trim discs on the veh icle wheels, make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blocked . Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increasing stopp ing distances
and causing a colli sion.
~
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Run flat t ires may onl y be u sed on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassi s de signed
for run flat tires. Incorrect use of run flat tires can lead to vehicle
damage or accident s. Check with an authorized Audi dealer or tire
specialist to see if your vehicle can be equipped w ith run flat tires .
If run flat tires are u sed, they mu st be in stalled on all four wheel s.
Mixing t ire types is not permitted.
0 Note
• For techn ical reaso ns, it is not generally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from o ther vehicles. This c an hold t rue for wheels o f th e s ame
vehicle type.
• If the sp are tire is different from the tires t hat yo u have mo unted
on your vehicle (for examp le w inter t ires or wide profile tires), then
use the spare t ire for a short per io d of t ime on ly and d rive wi th ex tra
care . Replace the flat t ire with the tire matching the others on your
vehicle as soon as possible.
• Never dr ive without the valve stem cap . The valves could get
d amaged .
~ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance wit h the loca l req uirements .•
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tr ead we ar
• Tract ion AA A B C
• Temperatu re A B C
Quality g rades can be found where app licab le on the tire side wa ll
be tween tread s hou lde r an d max imum se ct io n w idt h~
page 3 26,
fig. 243.
Safety first For example:
Tread wear 200
, Tract ion AA , Temperat ure A.
All passenger car ti res must confo rm to Federa l Safety Requirements
in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear grade is a compa rative rat ing based on the wear rate
o f th e tire when tested under contro lled conditions o n a specifie d
government test cou rse .
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (1 1/2)
ti mes a s we ll on t he governme nt co urse a s a tire graded 10 0 .
The relat ive pe rformance o f tires depe nds upon the actua l conditions
o f their use, however, and m ay depar t sig nificantly from the norm
due to variations in d riving hab its, se rvice practices and differences in
road characte rist ics and cl imate.
Traction
Th e traction grades , from highes t to lowe st, are AA, A, Band C. Those
grades repr esen t the t ire's ability to stop on wet pavemen t as
measu red under con trolled con dit io ns on s pecified government test
surfaces of asphalt and conc rete. A tire marked C may have poor t rac
tion performance ~& .
Temperature
The tempera ture grades are A (the highest), B, an d C, represen ting
t he t ire's res ista nce to the gene ra tion of heat a nd its ab ility to d issi
pa te heat when teste d unde r contro lled condi tions on a spec ified
indoor laboratory tes t wheel.
S ustained h igh temperature ca n cause the material of the tire to
degene rate and red uce tire li fe, and excessive tem per at ure c an lead
to sudden tire failure ~& .
Th e grade C cor responds to a leve l of perfo rmance which a ll
passenger car tires mus t meet under the Federal Motor Veh icle
Sa fety Standa rd No. 1 09 . G rades Band A represent higher levels of
performance o n the labo ra tory test w hee l than the minim um
req uired by law . .,_
Vehicle care Technical data
___ T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction test s, and do es not include acceleration ,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak tra ction chara cteristics .
in. WARNING
The temperature grade fo r this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Ex cessive speed, underinfla
tion, or excessive load ing, either separately or in comb inat ion, can
c ause heat buildup and po ssible tire failure. •
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve v ehicl e handling on snow and
ice . At temper atures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend
ch anging to w inter tires.
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governme nts may requ ire true
w inter o r "snow" tires, those with very deep ly c ut trea d. These tires
sho uld only be used in pa irs and be installed on all four whee ls. Make
sure you p urchase snow tires that are the same size and construct ion
type as the ot her t ires on your ve hicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with a ll-wheel drive, th is will improve trac
tion dur ing wi nter dr iv ing, even w it h the standar d tires. Howeve r, we
strong ly recommend that you always eq uip a ll four wheels on yo ur
veh icle with correctly fitte d winter t ires or all-season ti res, when
w inte r road conditio ns are exp ect ed. This also imp roves th e veh icle's
bra king perfo rmance an d red uces stopping distances.
S um mer tir es p rovide le ss grip on ice and snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) m ust always be fitted on all four wheels.
Ask your aut horized Audi dealer or q ualified workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use only ra dial w inter tires. W
inter tires lose the ir effectiveness when the tread is wor n down to
a dep th o f 0. 157 inch ( 4 mm).
On ly drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter cond it io ns. S umme r tires
han dle better when the re is no snow or ice on the roads and the
tempe ra ture is a bove 45 °F (7 °C).
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare wheel=> page
326.
Please always remember that winter tires may have a lower speed
rat ing than the tires originally installed on yo ur veh icle at t he time it
was man ufact ured . Please see=> page
327, "Speed rating (letter
c ode)" for a list ing of t he speed ra ting le tte r c odes and the maxi mum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
Th e spee d rat ing let ter code( => page
317) is on the side w all of the
tire=> page
326.
in. WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits that may be lower than
your vehicle 's maximum speed . Always know the maximum speed
before dr iving off. Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specifi c winter tires . This will caus e damage to the tires
lead ing to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
pa ssengers.
in. WARNING
Driving fa ster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause t ire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation , loss of c ontrol , crash es and seriou s
personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires replaced immedi
ately.
• Winter tires have maximum speed rating that may be lower
than your vehicle's maximum speed .
• Never drive faster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
~
___ G_ e_n_ e_r_a _ l_ in_ f_o _r_ m_ a_ t_io _ n _______________________________________________ _
• Do not exceed the maximum permissible axle loads or the
maximum gross vehicle weight. Always remember that the vehicle's
handling will be affected by the extra load . Therefore, adjust your
speed according ly.
• Always observe local regulations.•
Dimensions
The specifications refer to the basic model. Differences may occur
depending on the mode l type and options ordered, for example, tire
sizes.
0 Note
When driving up steep ramps, on rough roads, over curbs, etc . it is
important to remember that some parts of your vehicle, such as
spoilers or exhaust system components, may be close to the ground.
Be careful not to damage them. •