170 Cleaning and protection
-Serious injuries can result if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
¢page 162.
(D Note
Cleaning agents containing solvents will
attack the material and can change the
way it behaves.
Instrument cluster glass
~ Clean the glass with a soft, damp cloth .
In order to preserve the anti-glare properties
of the instrument cluster glass, it should only
be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth.
Natural leather
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties , natural look and feel of interior
leather.
General
We offer many different types of leather on
our vehicles. Most are different types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various colors .
The intensity of the color determines the visu
al characterist ics and appearance. If the sur
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relatively natural condition. This
leather offers par ticularly good com fort and
breathes well . Fine veins, closed grains , insect
bites, skin folds , and subtle variations in color
remain visible. These characteristics demon
strate that the material is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col
or finish .
It is therefore more sensitive to soil
ing and wear, which is something you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colored finish layer are more durable. This has a positive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily us
e. On the
other hand, the typical characteristics of natu
ral leather are barely or not apparent. Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
is of inferior quality .
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and their unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soil
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care
ful with these leathers, and a certain type of care is required. For example, dark clothing
materials can discolor leather seats (especial
ly if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
folds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as
needed. After having been used for a relatively
long time, your leather seats will acquire a
rich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat
ural leather and a sign of true quality .
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the life of your vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked outside
for long periods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun
light .
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
(l) Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser
vative creme that contains UV-blockers
and that works into the leather. This
oils available today provide better engine lu
brication that can outlast traditional petrole
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleumbased engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
" sludge," that over t ime can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of printing, engine oils available in the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils . This does not mean,
however, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de posits use only oil with the following specifi
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW S02 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica
tion singly or in combination with other desig
nations and oil quality standards .
Viscosity
Engine oils are graded according to their vis
cosity . The proper viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasonal con
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SA E SW40 across all tem
perature ranges for normal driving conditions.
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not available, you can also use viscos
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quali ty standard VW 502 00
specifications .
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
Checking and filling 181
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the oil while on the road.
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available - may
you top
off with a high quality engine oil, pref
erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3,
ACEA AS or ACEA BS or AP! SL specifications,
but even then, only in viscosity grades SA E
SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between oil change in
tervals , never top
off with more than a total
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con
form to Audi oil specification VW 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your autho rized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.audicanada.ca . Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author
ized Audi Serv ice Adv isor .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
•
•
wooded areas, into open streams or
down sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
T he engine coolan t performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
quires little attention .
T he cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed . The coolan t consis ts of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer 's gly
col-basedcoolant additive G12 ++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix
ture both assures the necessary frost protec
tion and protects metal components in the
engine 's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises th e boiling point of the
c oolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien
cy . If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, an tifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 ° F ( - 3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant addit ive with
other additives (G12+ or G12) . Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
-
Checkin g and fillin g 185
WARNINGS c:::> .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 178.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate conditions. This is especially impor
tant if you live in a region where the win
ter is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in
crease the proportion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coo lant ad
ditive G12++ (check the labe l) for your
vehicle . This coolant additive is avai la
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of ant ifreeze can significantly re
duce corrosion protection . The result
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool
ant and ser ious eng ine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 141 E ng ine compart men t: coo lant ex pansion t ank Ill>
198 Tires and whe els
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 14 6 Tire p ress ure labe l: loca ted on dr iver 's side B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a t ire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the interna·
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
squa re inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part o n the vehicle's design and load limit
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size. The prop·
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
i n flat ion pressure in a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tir e infla tion p res
sure" recommendations . The tires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M aintaining p roper t ire press ure is one o f the
most impo rtan t things you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated ti res
are a major cause of s udden tire failure. Keep
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tir e pres
s ur es are part icularly important wh en th e
vehicl e is being driven at higher speed s, and
then es pecially wh en heav ily loaded even
w ithin th e permis sible load -carrying capa ci
tie s approv ed for y our vehi cle.
,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
Fig . 14 7 Tir e pressure labe l
SEE OWNER'S MANUAl FOR
A DOMlONAL
T10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR P\.US DE
REHSEKiloiEMENTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you w ill be transporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv
er's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n pressures
for the vehicle at its maxim um capac ity
we ight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufa ctu red .
If you wish to impro ve comfort when operat
ing the v ehicle at normal lo ad (no luggag e)
up to 2 occupant s, you can adju st ti re pr es
sures to tho se spe cified f or normal vehi cle
load. Before oper ating th e vehicl e at maxi
mum load, yo u must increase the tire pr es
sure s to tho se spe cified f or ma ximum vehicle
load ~.&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system c an only moni to r the tire pressu res
you have stored. The sys tem does not recog
nize the load condition of your veh icle.
T he effec tiveness of the t ire press ure monitor
i ng system will be impaire d if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load
~ .&. .
See the ill ustration ~ fig. 146 fo r the locat io n
of the label on d river 's s ide B-pillar (colo r of
the actual label and exact location on the ve-
hicle will vary slight ly) .
IJi,,
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 150 Tire specification codes on the sidewall of a
t ire
No. Description
(D Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
@ Radial
@ Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Original tire
@ Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
veh icle's design . The tires and r ims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major
contribution to good road holding and safe
Tires and wheels 205
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&..
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be performed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
tools and spare parts as well as the proper fa
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
installing or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and
not ind ividually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢page 212 .
Always buy replacement radial tires that have
the same spec ificat ions as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 198.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important roadhold
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table( <=>
page 198) lists specifica
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod
els covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located on driver's side
B-pillar ( <=>
page 198, fig. 147) lists the speci
fications of the original equipment tires in
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side
wall of all tires<=>
fig. 150 . This information
identifies and describes the fundamental
characteristics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire identification number
for safety standard certification and in case of
a recall. .,.
general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Ma ximum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire qualit y gr ad ing for treadw ear,
tract ion , an d temp erature resis ta nce
Tread wear , traction and temperature grades
c::> pag e208.
M aximum Permis sibl e Inflation Pr essur e
This n umbe r is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving conditions .
& WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or whee ls or improper tire and whee l
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
collision and serious personal injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed tires or other combina
t ions that have been spec ifically ap
proved by the vehicle manufacturer .
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . T ires that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on you r vehicle if
yo u are not s ure of their "previous histo
ry ." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing cir
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i-
Tire s an d wheel s 207
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
contro l.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for examp le w ith winter t ires -only use
the spare t i re for a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i
ble .
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fa il
suddenly.
- Ove rloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of contro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires tha t
are properly infla ted and not over or un
derinf lated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other vehi
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same ve hicle mode l.
-If you install wheel trim discs on the ve
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not b locked. Reduced air
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopping d istances and caus
ing a co llision .
- Run flat tires may only be used on vehi
cles that were equ ipped w ith them at the
factory. The veh icle must have a chassis
des igned for run flat ti res and a factory
installed t ire p ressure monito ring sys
tem that indicates a loss of ti re p ressu re.
I nco rrec t use of run fl at tires can lead to
veh icle damage o r accidents. Check with
an authorized Audi dealer or tire special ist to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit-
ted .
Ill>
•
•
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diago
nally. After chang ing a wheel, the torque
must be checked as soon as possib le wit h a
torque wrench -preferab ly by an author
ized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio t ires. These t ires have been thorough ly
tes ted and been selected spec ifica lly for your
model for the ir superb pe rformance, road feel
and handling under a variety of driving condi
tions . Ask your a uthorized Audi dea le r for
more deta ils.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relat ion to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven
tional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or more .
The perfo rmance of low -aspect -rat io ti res i s
part icularl y sensit ive to improp er i nflation
pr essu re. It i s th erefore importan t that low
aspect r atio tire s are infla ted to th e specifi ed
pr ess ure and that the inflation pressure is
regu lar ly che cked and maintained. Tir e pr es·
s ur es sh ould b e chec ked at l ea st once a
month and alw ay s before a lon g trip
<=> page 200, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damag e
Low aspec t ratio t ires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, cu rbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, part icu larly if the tire is
underinflated .
I n o rder to m inimize the occu rrence o f impact
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom -
Tires an d wheel s 211
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma inta in re commended inflation
pressures . Check your tire pressu re eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary.
- Drive caref ully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires .
- After any impact, immediate ly inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
au thor ized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000
km) for damage and wear. Damage is no t al
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and under inflat ion, which could eventu
ally cause tire failure .
If you believe that a
tire may have been damaged, rep lace the
tire as soon as possib le .
- These tires may wear more quickly tha n oth
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
de live r responsive handling, they may ride
less comfo rtably and make more noise than
other choices .
Reduced performanc e in winter /cold
season conditions
A ll ti res are designed for certa in p urposes.
T he low aspect ratio, ult ra h igh performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are in
tended for maxim um dry and wet road per
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold , snowy or icy weather condi tions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle w ith all-season or
winter tires, which offer bette r traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow o r all-season t ires specified
f o r yo ur vehicle , or thei r equivalent .
Refer to
<=> page 209 fo r more detailed infor
mation regard ing winter tires .
•
•
the !CHECK I button @c:> page 10, fig. 3. If on
l y one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its pos ition.
The tire p ress ure moni to ring m ust be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
adjusted (e .g. when switc hing between parti
a l and full load pressure) or after chang ing or
replac ing a tire on your vehicle
c:> page 214.
You can find the recommended tire pressures
for your vehicle on the label on the driver's
door p illar
c:> page 198.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
ter istics can change and cause a tire pressure
warn ing if:
- the tire pressure in one or more t ires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, whee ls rotat -
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
c:> page 214 .
Warning symbol s
[@] Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:> ,&..
Check the ti re or tires and rep lace or repair if
necessary . The indicator light
RI] in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates
r=:>page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display.
11@1@1 < T ire Pressure Monitoring Sys tem) Tire
p re ss ure! Sy stem malfunction. JfllAl@ ap
pears after switching the ignition on or while
driving
r=:> fig. 152 and the indicator light RI] in
the instrument cluster blinks for approxi
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunction . See your author ized
Aud i dealer as soon as possible.
.&, WARNING
- If the t ire pressure indicator appea rs in
the instrument cl uster d isplay, one or
more o f you r tires is s ignificantly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or bra king
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres-
.
Tire s an d wheel s 213
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure labe l
r=:>page 198. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the t ire to overheat and can lead to tire
fa ilure . Unde r-inflation also is l ikely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability.
- The d rive r is respons ib le for maintaining
the co rrect tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Unde r ce rtain conditions (such as a spo r
ty driving style, winter conditions or u n
p aved roads), the pressu re monitor indi
ca tor may be delayed.
- Ask you r authorized Aud i dea le r i f run
f lat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these t ires when not perm it
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could a lso result.
- If you switch between standard and run
flat tires, an autho rized Audi dealer o r
qualified workshop must reprogram the
contro l modu le.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitor ing system
stops work ing when there is an ESP/ABS
ma lfunction.
- Us ing snow c hains may res ult in a system
ma lfunction.
- Tires wit h the identification "AO" or "RO"
have been specially matched with yo ur
Audi. We recommend using on ly these
tires because they meet the highest
standards regarding safety and dr iv ing
character istics when used correctly. Your
authorized Audi dealer wi ll gladly pro
vide you with more information .
•
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