
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
purchase . Regular and correct care w ill con
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
Furthermore, good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty claim should
corrosion damage or paint defects occur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedicated vehicle-care products and can ad
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Audi or other commercially available cleaning
agents, please make sure you apply them cor
rectly .
.&, WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caution labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di
rect ions carefully.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ignition
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. without pro
tecting your hands and arms. You may cut yourself on sharp-edged metal parts.
Cleaning and protection 199
-Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 187. Test the
brakes carefully each time you wash the
veh icle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often th is is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental influences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus trial gr ime, tar, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle
body, the more lasting their destructive ef
fects will be . High temperatures caused by ex
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro
sive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekly washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
.&, WARNING ,_
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 199 .
•
•

@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the ve
hicle should only be washed in special
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the ex terior of your car wi th a high
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules .
11-Before using the power washer, make su re
you have read and understood the WARN
INGS
c:::> A in General information on
page 199 .
11-Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
11-Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray".
11-Do not ho ld the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power wash
er
always fo llow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
operati ng
p re ssu re
and the s p ra yin g distance . Maintain
a sufficient d istance to soft mater ials such as
rubber hoses and sound/vibra tion deadening
materials (particularly on the underside of the
engine hood) . Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
direct stream or one that has a ro·
tat in g
jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °() .
A WARNING
Never wash tires w it h a jet that sprays wa
t er in a direc t stream. This cou ld cause in
visib le damage to t he tires and weake n
them, even if the spray is from a relatively
long distance and for a short time . Dam
aged and weakened t ires can fai l and cause
accidents and persona l injury.
(D Note
To avo id damag ing your vehicle, always
make sure t hat there is sufficient distance
Cleaning and protec tion 20 1
between the spray head and soft materia ls
like rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound
deaden ing mater ia ls. Never aim the spray
head at the same point for a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bumpers . Remember: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ia l, the greater the st ress on the ma
terial.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow w ith a hand br ush and remove
ice with a de -icing sp ray that does not con
tain so lvents.
- Clean the senso rs (adap tive c ruise co ntrol *,
parking system *) with a cleaning so lution
that does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth.
(D Note
- If you wash your vehicle with a pressure
washer,
- make sure there is enough distance to
sensors i n the rear bumper.
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area a ro und them with the press ure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow o r ice from the camera lens . This
cou ld caus e the lens to crack .
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive products .
Waxing and Polishing
Waxing
A good wax coating protects the vehicle paint
t o a la rge extent agains t the envi ronmental
f actors lis ted under
c:::> page 199, Washing and
even against s light scra tches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect yo ur
paint as soon as one wee k afte r you r vehicle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
wa xing process in
automat ic car washes, we recommend that
you manually apply a coat of wax to g ive the .,.
•
•

208 Cleaning and protection
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
similar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: with A lcantara® up holstery
Removing dust and dirt
,. Moisten a cloth,
squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces .
Removing stains
,. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
ethyl (rubbing) alcohol.
,. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
,. Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois
ture.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al
cantara ®.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing
dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is
left standing in the sun for long periods, the
Alcantara ® should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fading . Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration .
IQ) Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, st iff sponges or sim
i larly abrasive cleaning aids . Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia
bly when needed
.
,. Keep belts clean.
,. For cleaning, use a mild soap and water sol
ution. Let belts dry thorough ly and away
from d irect sunlight.
,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re
tract before they are completely dry.
,. Check the condition of your safety be lts
reg
ularly.
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly.
A WARNING
-
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash .
- Anyth ing that might damage your safety
be lts could mean that you and your pas
sengers would not be adequate ly pro
tected in an accident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop
erties which weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam
age, see your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 199.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en
gine compartment.
Always switch off the ignition before clean
ing the engine
c.? .&, .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drai n holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from entering
the vehicle interior through the heating and
ventilat ion ducts .

Corro sion prot ecti on
The engine compa rtment and transmiss ion
have been corrosion-protect ed at the factory.
Good ant i-corrosion treatment is very impor
tant , particularly in the winter. If the veh icle
is frequent ly driven on sa lt treated roads , the
enti re engine compartment and plenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
wint er and retreated to pr ev ent sa lt damage .
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as we ll.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with gr ease r emoving solutions
1l, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro sion treatment is a lmost always removed as
well. It is therefore essential to have a long
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
e ngine compartment .
.8, WARNING
Be aware: The engine compa rtment of any
motor vehicle is a po ten tially h azardous
area .
- Before working i n the engine compart
ment, be s ure to read the in format ion
Q page 215 .
-Be fore rea ching into the front plenum
pane l, always remove the ignition key .
Otherw ise, the windshield wiper system
cou ld uni ntentiona lly be switched on,
poss ibly causing personal injury from the
moving wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan
is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly -even when the ig nition is
off .
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine w ith
the engine running . Moving or hot parts
cou ld inju re you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas
sis, fenders, wheel cove rs, or other hard
l ) Use o nly t he co rr ect clean in g s olu tio ns. Ne ve r use ga s
o line or d ie sel fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion 209
to reach parts without protecting your
hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
Q page 199.
•
•

210 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the righ t fuel helps keep the environ
ment cle an and preven ts engine dam age .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recomme nded for you r vehicle is un
lead ed premium
g rade gasoline . See a lso
¢ pag e 270, Data . Audi recommends usi ng
T OP TIER D eterge nt Gaso line wi th a mini mu m
octa ne ra tin g of 9 1 AKI (95 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the officia l webs ite (www.toptier
gas.com).
Th e re commended g asoline oct ane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und on a label loca t
e d on the ins ide of the fue l filler flap . This rat
ing may be specified as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un
l ea ded regular g asoline with a min imum o c
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 R ON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octa ne f ue l w ill slightly re
d uce eng ine perfo rmance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded g aso
line is availab le th rou gho ut the USA, Canada ,
and in most E uropean countries . We recom
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle t o
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be avai lable.
F or mo re in format io n on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see
¢ page 212.
Octane rating
Octa ne r ating in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist engine damaging "knoc k" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Unite d
States a nd Canada has the following octane r
at ings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Pre mium G ra de: 91 -9 6 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock Index= (R+M) /2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resea rch Octane Numb er
MON = Motor Octane Num ber .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny f ue l w it h octane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
expensiv e engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline . The use of
lead ed gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's catalytic co nve rter a nd its
ability to co ntrol exha ust em ission s.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly re ferred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% me th-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
ve nts .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re than 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flexible f uel engine: blend
m ust not contain more t han 85% etha no l.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE .,.

-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in vehicles with flexible fuel en
gines. Using high ethanol fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexible fuel engines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob
lems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to vehicles: with flexible fuel engine
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
(85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or with un
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95). The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us
ing bio-ethanol fuels due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha
nol.
Warming up the Flexible fuel engine in low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of bio-etha
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures . This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up .
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru
ment cluster display, drive with a warm en
gine to reduce the oil level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of bio-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fuel system.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline¢
page 210.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common . All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER ..,.
•
•

212 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
websit e (www.toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, built -up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fi ller flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can st ill open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see¢
page 214 .
You can find the fuel t ank ca pa city of your ve
hicle in
Technical Data¢ page 270.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
tells you the correct fuel for your veh icle. For
more inform ation about fuel specifications,
see
¢page 210 .
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel
ling vapor recovery system . This feature helps
to preven t fuel vapors from escaping from the
ta nk and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protect ing the env ironment,
p lease follow this refueling procedure careful
l y .
& WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry add itiona l fuel containers in your car .
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a f ire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc ., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of such
fuel containers . Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86).
CD Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fue l tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fue l can cause misfir ing. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter .
Refuelling
Fig. 161 Righ t rea r v ehicle s ide: Opening th e fuel filler
flap
Fig . 16 2 Fuel fille r flap wit h at tac hed fuel ca p
When act ivat ing the central locking, the fuel
filler flap is automatically unlocked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition turned
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
.,. Turn off the igni tion .
.,. Press the left side of the fuel filler f lap to
open it¢
fig. 161 -arrow -.
.,. Unscrew fue l cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fue l filler flap
¢ fig . 162.

Refuelling procedure
"' Inse rt the fue l nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fue l filler neck as far as it will
go.
"' Se lect a m edium refuelling rate so that the
noz zle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
"' After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it will go.
"' Close the fuel filler flap.
To avoid fuel spi lling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
comp letely.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel f iller neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over
flow. Fuel spray and overflow ing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone wh ile re
fueling. The electromagnetic radiation
can cause sparks that can ign ite fue l va
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while re
fueling. If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle wh ile
refue ling, make certain that you close
the door and touch me tal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again . Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refu
eling or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con-
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 213
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici
ty can build up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire.
-Always place a portab le fue l container
on the ground before fi lling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete
l y inside the portab le container befo re
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the fi ller nozzle must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment . Fuel vapors are
highly flammable .
-Always observe loca l and state/provin
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spi lled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correct ly operated nozzle
switches off automat ically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out . In
addition , the expansion space in the fuel
tank w ill be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol
l ute the environment. •
•