184 Cleaning and protection
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fab rics and fabr ic coveri ngs (e.g. seats, door
tr im panels, etc.) should be cleaned at reg ular
inte rva ls with a vacuum cleaner. This removes
sur face dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabric through use. Steam
cleaners shou ld not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab
ric. Brushes should on ly be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface stains can be cleaned using a
commercially available foam cleaner. Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu
rate the fabric. Then pat the foam d ry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g . microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it afte r it has dried comp lete ly.
Cleaning stain s
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
ju ice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solut ion. App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubbor n stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the sta in and wor ked into the fabric. Afte r
wards, use copio us amo unts o f cle an water to
remove t he remaining dete rgent. Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric d ry w ith an absorbent, dry cloth.
S tains from chocola te or make up s hou ld have
detergent paste (e .g. ox -gall soap) r ubbed in
to them. Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge).
A lcohol can be used to t rea t stains from
g rease, oi l, lips tick or a ballpo in t pen . Me lted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent materia l. It may be necessary to re
treat the areas with dete rgent paste and wa
ter. In the case of gene
ra l soiling o f the uphols
tery and cover material, we recommend hiring
a spec ia list that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
A WARNING '"--
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~ page 178.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fasteners on yo ur clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
~ Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
wate r.
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For pe rsisten t dirt
use an Aud i approved
solvent -free p lastic
cl eaner/p rotec tant.
A WARNING
S olven ts ca n ch ange the prope rties of
some p lastics and make it harde r fo r the
a ir ba g to de ploy .
-
- N ever cle an the in st rument p anel or the
sur face of Ai rbag modu les with cleaning
prod ucts t hat conta in solvents .
- P roduc ts containing solven ts will make
the surface of this part poro us.
- Ser ious inju ries c an resu lt if p lastic parts
come loose when t he ai rbag is deployed.
- Always re ad and heed a ll WAR NIN GS and
t he information¢
page 178 .
(J) Note
Cleaning agents conta ining so lvents w ill
a ttack t he mate rial and can ch ange the
w ay it behaves.
Natural leather
Appl ies to vehicles: with nat ura l 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 veh icles. Most are different types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in var ious colors .
The intensity of the color determines the v isu
al characteristics 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 nat ural condition . This
l eather offers pa rticularly good comfo rt and
breathes well. Fine ve ins, closed g rains, i nsect
b ites, skin folds, and subtle variations in color
remain visib le. These characteristics demon
strate that the materia l 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 chi ldren, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer are more durable. This
has a positive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical characterist ics of natu
ral leather a re barely or not apparent . Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
i s of infer ior quality.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to o ils, grease, so il
in g, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care
fu l w ith these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, da rk cloth ing
materials can d iscolor leather seats (especial
l y i f such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
Cleaning and protec tion 185
and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
weaken seams.
T he lea ther should be cleaned regularly as
needed. After hav ing been used for a relat ive ly
long time, your leather seats will acq uir e a
rich aged finish . This is a characteristic of nat
ural leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the val ue of this natural
product over the li fe of your vehicle, you
sho uld follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- T o keep your lea ther from b leach ing out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time . If you
have to leave the ve hicle parked outside
for long per iods, 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.
(D 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 leathe r. T his
c reme w ill nour is h and mo istu rize the
lea ther, helping it to breathe and stay
supple.
It also helps to build up a protec
tive coating on the surface.
- C lean the leather every 2 - 3 mon ths,
and clean any areas that get soi led .
- Remove fresh m arks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as possible .
- Preserve the color o f the leather as need
ed by using a specia l co lored leathe r care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color . •
•