
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic 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 de
sig n of the fac ility, the filtering of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the paint has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
The power top does not require special pre
cautions be fore passing through a car wash.
Howe ver, the c ar mu st not be tre ated with
hot w ax after th e was h cy cle !
The wax could
adversely affect the power top and
even dam
age the fabric
over a period of time.
The power top does not have to be washed
ev
ery time you use a car wash. The power top
can be spared if the car wash facility is equip
ped with manually adjustable roof brushes or
rollers .
Before going through a car wash, be sure to
take the usual precaut ions such as clos ing the
windows . Remove antenna if applicable .
If yo u have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, etc. -it is best to
ask the car wash operator if these should be
removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
Q page 194.
(D Note
- Before washing the vehicle in an auto
matic car wash, please make sure to re
tract t he exterior m irrors to prevent
them from being damaged.
- Compare the width of your vehicle with
the width of the tunnel at the fac ility.
Cleaning and protec tion 195
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi
cle by hand .
.,. Before you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
Q & ,
.,. First soak all dried d irt unt il it is soft, then
r inse it off.
.,. As you clean your vehicle , start w it h the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge g love or a clean
brush.
.,. Rinse the sponge or the sponge g love often,
flushing it clean each time.
.,. Use specia l car shampoo only for
very per
sistent d irt .
.,. Rinse the car thoroughly w ith water .
.,. Use a chamo is leather to gently w ipe the ex-
ter ior d ry.
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 pa int with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the ca r.
A WARNING ~ -
- Wash your vehicle only when the ignition
is switched off to red uce the risk of a
crash.
-A lways read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
Q page 194.
{(D Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, since this
cou ld scratch your vehicle's paint or win
dows.
- Never wash your car in bright s unlight .
Drops of water act as magnifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- When you wash your car in the winter: if
you rinse yo ur vehicle 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 . •
•

196 Cleaning and protection
-Never use sponges designed to remove
insects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products. They can damage
your paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights. Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches .
It is best
to use soapy water.
- You should remove debris (such as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel
ing your vehicle. Never use a dry cloth or
sponge to clean the headlights . Only use
wet cloths or sponges to prevent
scratches.
It is best to use soapy water.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities specially
designed for that purpose. This will reduce
the risk of dirty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system. In
some areas, washing vehicles outside of
these facilities is prohibited.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules.
.. Before using the power washer, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN
INGS¢
A in General information on
page 194 .
• Always follow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
• Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray".
• Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materials.
Never use a power washer to clean the power
top itself.
Keep a distance from soft materials such as
rubber hoses or insulating material as well as
sensors and camera lenses. When cleaning the vehicle with a power wash
er
always follow the operating instructions.
This applies particularly to the operating pres
sure and the spraying distance. Do not point
the spr ay directly at the seals around the side
windows, around the doors, on the rear lid or on the power top . Likewise, do not point it di
rectly at tires, rubber hoses, insulation mate
rial or sensors
¢page 198. Hold the spray
nozzle at least 1.3 ft (0 .4 m) away from the
vehicle.
Do not use a high-pressure power washer to
remove snow and ice .
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a direct
stream or one that has a rotating jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °().
A WARNING "'--
Never wash tires with a jet that sprays wa -
ter in a direct stream . This could cause in
visible damage to the tires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a relatively
long distance and for a short time. Dam
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal injury.
(D Note
- Never use a power washer to clean the
power top itself.
- To avoid damaging your vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis
tance between the spray head and soft
materials like rubber hoses, plastic parts
and sound-deadening materials as well
as sensors and camera lenses. Never aim
the spray head at the same point for a
long time . This also applies to cleaning
headlights and painted bumpers. Re
member: the closer the nozzle is to the
surface of the material , the greater the
stress on the material.

Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Applies to vehicles: with matte finish paint
Vehicles with matte finish paint require spe
cial care due to the characteristics of the
paint.
Washing b y hand
To avo id damag ing the pa int when wash ing ,
first remove dust and large particles from
your veh icle. Insects , g rease spots and finge r
p rints a re best removed with a
s pecial cleaner
for matt e fini sh paint .
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth . To
avoid damaging the paint su rface, do not use
too muc h press ure.
R inse the vehicle thoroughly w ith water . Clean
the vehicle starting at the top and working to
ward the bottom using a
neu tral shampoo
and a soft mi cro fiber cloth . Stop freque ntly to
rinse the clot h thorough ly.
Clean the wheels and sill panels last . Use a
clea n
sp o nge on these areas.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly aga in and let it
air dry . If there are any water spots, they can
be removed us ing a
l e ath er cloth .
Clean again with the special cleaner for matte
finish paint
i f nece ssary.
Rem oving stubb orn dirt
B ird d ropping s or tree sap
are best removed
with p lenty of water and a m icrof ib er cloth.
You sho uld r inse off
ga soline r esidue immedi
ately with plenty of water.
A WARNING
- Wash your vehicle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢page 194.
(D Note
-Do no t treat vehicle parts painted w ith
matte finish paint using polish ing mate -
Cleaning and protec tion 197
ria ls or hard wax. These p rod ucts could
cause damage to the appearance or sur
face that cannot be repaired .
- Never use protective wax . It can destroy
the matte finish effect.
- Do not place any s tickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle pa rts painted with
matte finish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle i n direct sunlight .
- To prevent damage to the paint surface,
do not use insect remova l sponges,
rough kitchen sponges or sim ilar items.
- Yo u should
remove debris (such as in
sects) from t he headlight lenses on a
regu lar bas is, for example when refuel
ing your veh icle. Only clea n the head
lights us ing a wet cloth or sponge,
neve r
a dry one. Cleaning with soapy wate r is
recommended.
(D Tips
Fo r more informat ion on special clean ing
products desig ned fo r matte f inish paint ,
see your Aud i dea le r.
Power top care
The power top requires special care .
Keep ing your top looking great and mak ing
certain that it lasts a long time depend to a
great extent on prope r use a nd care. Remove
bird dropp ings as soon as poss ible , since the
cor ros ive chemicals in them wi ll cause the
rubber imp regna tion in you r top to swell and
poss ibly allow the fabr ic to leak.
With normal soiling, all you need to do is
cl ea r th e top wi th a soft br ush and clea r wa
te r. A lways b ru sh in the di rection of the fabric
from front to rear.
If the top is very dirty and has spotted areas
cl ean it with a brush using a conve rtible top
cl eaner . Always brush in the d irect ion of t he
f abric from front to rea r. R inse wi th p lenty of
clear water, and allow the top to air-dry .
IJI,-
•
•

198 Cleaning and protection
Chamois are not suitable for drying the top .
Neve r use gasoline, spot remover, benzene,
pa int thinner o r so lvents to remove spots. We
recommend that you only use cleaners espe
cially formu lated for use on convertible tops,
and that you follow the produce use directions
caref ully. Authorized Audi deals can provide
deta iled information.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information on
¢ page 194.
@ Note
Never use a high-pressure power washer to
clean the power top.
Wind deflector
App lies to vehicles: with wind def lector
Clear the wind deflector with water or, if it is
heav ily soiled, a chemically neutral cleaning
solut ion .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information on¢
page 194.
Sensors and camera lenses
-Remove snow with a hand brush and remove
ice with a de-icing spray that does not con
tain solvents .
- Clean the sensors (adapt ive cruise control*,
parking system*) with a cleaning solution
that does not conta in solvents and a soft
cloth .
@ Note
- If you wash you r vehicle with a pressu re
washer,
- make sure there is enough distance to
sensors in the rear bumper .
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area around them with the pressure
washer . - Never use warm or hot wate
r to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
cou ld cause the lens to crack.
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive products.
Waxing and Polishing
W axin g
A good wax coating protects the vehicle paint
to a large extent against the environmental
factors listed under¢
page 194, Washing and
even against slight scratches.
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your
paint as soon as one week after your vehicle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
w axin g process in
automatic car washes, we recommend that
you manually apply a coat of wax to give the
paint extra protection, part icularly if water no
longer beads on the clean paint .
Protect plastic body parts with car wax in the
same way as the vehicle
body.
During warm weather dead insects tend to
collect on the front bumper and on the for
ward area of the hood . They are much easier
to remove from pa int that is waxed
often.
Polishing
Polish yo ur vehicle only if the paint has lost its
shine and the gloss cannot be brought back
with wax .
If the polish used does not conta in preserva
tive compounds, the paint must be waxed af
terwards.
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 194.
(D Note
Do not use car wax on
- matte o r anodized meta l trim
- rubber or rubber-like t rim .

Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care.
For environmenta l reasons, Audi fabricates
the br ight trim strips and trim pieces from
pure chromium-free aluminum.
Dirt and marks on the trim strips should be
removed with a
pH -b ala nced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner). Authorized
Aud i dealers carry clean ing products w hich
have been tested for use on your veh icle and
are not harmful to the env ironment .
To avoid corros ion on the exterior trim str ips,
only a pH-balanced solution should be used
for the w indshield washer .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 194.
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 clean ing solution or a
m ild saddle soap for vinyl trim. Remove water
spots and traces of soap w ith a clean, damp
clot h or sponge. Use a clean, soft clot h to rub
d ry.
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed with a
clean cloth or sponge soaked w ith all-purpose
cleane r or with a solvent des igned especially
to clean viny l.
Occasionally apply a colorless vinyl or leather preservat ive to reta in the material's luste r
and pliability.
A WARNING
Alw ays read a nd heed all WARNINGS an d
other information
¢page 194.
Aluminum trim
.
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from alumin um s urfaces.
Cleaning and protec tion 199
Chrome care products and a lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfaces and can dam
age them over t ime.
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 194.
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 .
You r authorized Audi dea ler has touch -up
paint for minor scratches and stone chips.
Scratches sho uld be touched up soon after
they occur to prevent corrosion.
If a spot starts to rus t, however, a s imple
touch -up job will not be eno ugh. The affected
s u rface m ust be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti-rust primer before the painted
finish can be restored.
T he number for the origina l veh icle paint can
be fo und o n the vehicle identification label
¢ page 265.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 194.
Windows
Clear vision to all sides.
Clean a ll w indows regularly to remove road
f ilm and car wash wax buildup.
.. Remove snow from w indows using a brush.
.. Use a plastic ice s craper to remove ice from
w indows and mi rrors .
.. Remove other residue on the windows with
a spray-on g lass cleaner .
.. Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.
•
•

202 Cleaning and protection
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum s urfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack aluminum surfaces and can dam
age them over time.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
9 page 194.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabric coverings (e.g. seats, door
trim panels, etc .) should be cleaned at regular
intervals with a vacuum cleaner . This removes
surface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabric through use. Steam
cleane rs 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 l int-free m icrofiber cloth to the clean fab
ric. Brushes should only be used for carpets
and floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface sta ins 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 dry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g . microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried completely.
Cleaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
juice, etc .) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solut ion . App ly 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 remaining detergent . Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric dry with an absorbent, dry cloth. Stains
from choco late or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed into them. After
wards, remove the soap with water (damp
sponge).
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, oil, lipstick or a ballpoint pen. Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent material. It may be necessary to re
treat the areas with detergent paste and wa
ter .
In the case of general soiling of the uphols
tery and cover material, we recommend hir ing
a specialist that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabric surfaces by
shampooing a nd spray extraction.
A WARNING ,..__
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
9page 194.
(j) Tips
Open Velcro fasteners on your 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
water to clean these areas. For persistent dirt
use an Audi approved
solvent-free plastic
clea ner/protectant.
A WARNING
-Solvents can change the properties of
some p lastics and make it harder for the
a ir bag to deploy.
-
-Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of airbag modules w ith cleaning
products that conta in solvents.
- Products containing solvents will make the surface of this part porous.
- Serious injuries can resu lt if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
9 page 194.

CD Note
Cleaning agents containing solvents will
attack the material and can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
App lies to vehicles: with natura l leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of interior
leather.
G ene ra l
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 various co lors.
The intensity of the color determines the visu
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 natural condition. This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes well. F ine veins, closed grains, insect
b ites, skin folds, and subtle variations in co lor
remain visible. These cha racte ristics demon
strate that the mater ia l is na tural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col
or finish.
It is therefore more sensitive to so il
ing and wear, wh ich is something you need to
consider if ch ild ren, an imals o r othe r factors
m ight prove to be particularly hard on the
l eather .
By contrast, leather types that are cove red by
a co lored finish laye r are more durable. This
h as a posit ive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily use . On the
other hand, the typical characteristics of natu
ra l leather are bare ly or not apparent. Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
is of infer ior quality.
Ca re and handling
Because of the exclusive nat ure of the types of
l eather that Audi uses and their unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soi l
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care-
Cleaning and protec tion 203
ful with these leathers, and a ce rtain type of
care is required. For example, dark clothing
mater ia ls can disco lor leather seats (especia l
l y 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 relat ively
long time, your leather seats will acqu ire a
rich aged fin ish. This is a character istic of nat
ural leathe r and a s ign of true quality.
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the life of your ve hicle, you
shou ld follow the recommendat ions below:
CD Note
- To keep your leather from b leac hing out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the veh icle parked outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to s un
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent sc ratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather .
{i) Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser
vative cream that contains UV-b lockers
and that works into the leather. Th is
cream will nour is h and mo isturize the
leather, helping it to breathe and stay
supple. It also helps to build up a protec
tive coating on the surface .
- Clean the leather every 2 - 3 months,
and clean any areas that get soiled.
- Remove fresh marks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as poss ible.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need
ed by us ing a special colored leather care
cream to touch up areas of uneven color. •
•

204 Cleaning and protec tio n
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Appl ies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at
tention.
Norm al cleaning
"' Clean soiled areas w ith a slightly mo istened
cotton or woolen cloth.
M ore stub born d irt
"' More stubborn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a mild soap so lution (2
tablespoons mi ld liquid soap).
"' Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather, and make certain that no water
soaks into the seams .
• Wipe off the soap solut ion with a soft, dry
cloth .
Clean ing s pots
"' Remove fresh wa te r-b ase d spots (such as
coffee, tea, ju ices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
"' Remove fresh
grea se or oil-b ase d spot s
(such as b utter, m ayonnaise , chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towe l, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leather.
"' Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil /
gre ase spot s ha ve drie d on.
• Remove spec ific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, felt marker, fingernail polish, water
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remove r specifically formulated for leather .
Leather care
"' Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized
Audi dealer) to care for the leather .
• Apply the product
very sparingly.
• Wipe it off wi th a damp cloth .
If you have any questions about cleaning and
car ing for the leathe r in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your author ized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to he lp you and te ll yo u about ou r
fu ll range of leather care products, s uch as: -
Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot
removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oi l/grease d issolving spray
- New and upcom ing products .
_&. WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
~ page 194.
(D Note
- Never use chemical so lvents (e.g. lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or sim ilar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi .
I
-To avoid damage, have stubborn sta ins
removed by a comme rcial clean ing spe
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
Applies to vehicles: with Alcantara® upholstery
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 o r
w ith di luted
eth yl (rubbing ) alcohol.
"' Dab at the stain . Start at the outside and
work inwards .
"' Once the sta in is no longe r vis ible, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois
ture .
Do no t use leather cleaning prod ucts on A l
cantara ®.
You may use a suitab le shampoo for removing
dust and d irt.
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 per iods, the
Alcanta ra ® should be protected aga inst direct
s u nl ight to prevent it from fading. S light color
variations will develop in norma l use and are
not an indication of materia l deterioration . ..,.