202 Cleaning and protec tio n
@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the ve
hicle should on ly be washed in special
wash bays.
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
c::> A in General information on
page 200 .
~ 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 ho ld the spray nozzle too close to
soft materials.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power wash
er
always follow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
o per atin g
p re ss u re
and the s p rayin g distance . Maintain
a sufficient d istance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses and sound/vibrat ion deadening
materials (part icularly on the underside of the
engine hood). Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
dire ct st ream or one that has a ro
ta ting
jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °() .
A WARNING
Never wash tires w ith a je t that sprays wa
ter in a direc t stream. This cou ld cause in
visib le damage to the tires and weake n
t hem, 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.
([) Note
To avoid damag ing your vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient distance between the spray head and soft materia
ls
like rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound
deaden ing mater ials. 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 ial, the greater the stress on the ma
terial.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand brush and remove
ice with a de -icing spray that does not con
tain so lvents.
- Clean the sensors (adaptive c ruise control*,
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 in the rear bumper.
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area around them with the p ressure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove snow o r ice from the camera lens. This
could cause the lens to crack.
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive products .
Waxing and Polishing
Waxing
A good wax coating prot ects the vehicle paint
to a la rge extent against the envi ronmental
factors lis ted under
c::> page 200, Washing and
even against s light scra tches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect you r
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
1111>
paint extra protection, particularly if water no
l onger beads on the clean paint .
P rotec t plastic body pa rts with ca r 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 a re much easier
to remove from paint that is waxed
often.
Poli shing
Polish your vehicle only if the pa int has lost its
shine and the g loss 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
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
(D Note
Do not use car wax on
- matte or anod ized metal trim
- rubber or rubber-like tr im .
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special core.
For env ironmenta l reasons , Aud i fabricates
the bright tr im strips and trim pieces from
pure chromium-free a lum inum.
Dir t and mar ks on the trim str ips should be
removed with a
pH-balan ced cl eaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner) . Authorized
Audi dealers ca rry clea ning products w hich
have been tested for use on your vehicle and
are not harmful to the env ironment.
To avoid cor ros ion on the exterior trim str ips,
only a pH-balanced sol ution should be used
for the windshield washer.
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
Cleaning and protec tion 203
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special core .
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For o ther soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose cleaning so lu tion or a
mild saddle soap for v inyl tr im . Remove water
spots and traces of soap with a clean, damp
cloth or sponge. Use a clea n, soft cloth to rub
dry.
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed w ith a
clean cloth or sponge soaked with all-purpose
cleaner or with a so lvent designed espec ially
to clean v inyl.
Occas ionally app ly a colorless v inyl or leather
preservative to retain the material's luster
and pliability .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
other information
¢ page 200 .
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from a luminum surfaces .
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 200 .
Touch-up paint
Minor point damages should be touched up
immediately.
.. Use either a touch-up paint stick or spray
paint to cover m inor scratches and nicks.
Your a uthorized 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 .
•
•
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
~ Wash the wheels with a sponge or hose
brush every other week.
~ For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
aci d-fr ee cast alloy wheel cleaner.
~ Rub a coat of liqui d wax onto the r ims every
t hr ee month. Be sure to reach and treat a ll
parts of the r im.
To preserve the decorat ive appearance of the
cast alloy whee ls, some special care is neces
sary. I n add it ion to road d ir t and sa lt, b rake
dust is a lso cor ros ive. If left on for too long,
b rake dus t ca n cause pitting.
Use only specia l
acid-free cleaners formulated
fo r alloy rims. Safe products are available at
your author ized Audi dealer. Never leave the
cleane r on the rims longer than specif ied on
the label. If not rinsed
off promptly, the acid
contained in some cleaners can attack the
threads on the whee l bolts.
Never use abras ive or metal polishing clean
ing agents.
If the protective coating has been
chipped, e .g. by kicked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possib le.
A WARNING
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency
q page 188. Test the
brakes carefully each time you wash the
vehicle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
q page 200.
Body cavity sealing
-
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked.
All body cavities which co uld be affected by
corrosion have been thoro ughly protected at
the factory.
This sea ling does not require any inspection or
addit ional treatment . If any wax should seep
out of the cav ity when the ambient tempera-
Cleaning and protec tion 205
ture is high, it can be removed with a p lastic
scraper and a suitable solvent.
A WARNING
Solvents can be dangerous.
- Benzine is flammab le and toxic. If you
use benzine fo r removing the wax, keep
sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benz ine on the
ground, i nto open streams or down sew
age drains.
- Be sure to observe all safety and environ
mental regulations. Follow all instruc
tions on the container.
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS and
other information
q page 200.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body she ll of your Audi is also thor
oughly protected against corros ion.
Any damage to the unde rcoat ing caused by
road hazards sho uld be repaired prompt ly .
A WARNING
Too much undercoating i n the wrong p la
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additiona l undercoating or
r u stproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields. While driving, the substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
q page 200.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other co rrosive materials w ill
damage the mate rial in the exhaust tail pipes
i f th ey a re not clea ned regularly. Do not clea n
the tail pipes with wheel cleane r, pa int polish,
c h rome pol ish or o ther ab ras ive cleane rs .
Clean the tail pipes with ca r care products
that are suitable fo r stainless steel. •
•
206 Cleaning and protection
Your authorized Audi dealer can provide clean
ing prod ucts that have been tested and ap
proved for your vehicle .
Care of interior
Infotainment components
The Radio/MM !* display may be cleaned with
a soft cloth and commerc ially-avai lable "LCD
cleaner" . The cloth should be coated lightly
when the cleaning solution when cleaning the
display.
The
MM I* controls must be cleaned first with
a brush so that dirt does not enter the unit or
enter between the buttons and the housing.
Then wiping the controls with a cloth damp
ened with dish detergent and water is recommended.
(D Note
- To avoid scratching the disp lay, you
shou ld never clean it dry.
- To prevent damage, make sure fluids do
not enter the controls.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral -pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum surfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum surfaces and can dam
age them over time.
..&, WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fab rics and fabric coverings (e.g. seats, doo r
trim panels, etc.) should be cleaned at regular
interva ls with a vacuum cleaner. This removes
surface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabr ic through use. Steam
cleaners should not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabr ic 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 shou ld only be used for carpets
and floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface stains can be cleaned using a
commercially availab le 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. m icrofiber 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 solution. Apply the detergent solution
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 doth or sponge and pat
the fabric dry with an absorbent, dry cloth .
Stains from chocolate 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, o il, 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 upho ls
tery and cover material, we recommend hiring
a specia list that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
..&, WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
i:> page 200.
208 Cleaning and protection
-To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not a llow 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
li ght.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
l eave pe rmanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
@ Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser
vat ive cream that contains UV-blockers
and that works into the leather. This
cream will nourish and moistur ize the
l eather, 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 ballpoint
pens, ink, lipst ick, shoe polish, etc . as
soon as possible.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need
ed by using a special colored leather care
cream to touch up areas of uneven color.
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
App lies to vehicles: with nat ura l leather
Natural leather requires special care and at
tention.
Normal cleaning
.. Clean soi led areas wit h a slightly moistened
cotton or woo len cloth.
More stubborn dirt
.. 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 so lution with a soft, dry
cloth.
Cleaning spots
.. Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil-based spots
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or pape r towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care k it if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leathe r.
.. Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil/
grease spots have dried on.
.. Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, fe lt marker, fingernai l polish, water
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather.
Leather care
.. Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized
Audi dea ler) to care for the leather .
.. App ly the product very spar ingly.
.. Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
If you have any questions about cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your authorized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to help you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as :
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc .
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcom ing products.
,&. WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
~page 200.
CD Note
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar 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 Alcantara® upholstery
Rem oving dus t and dirt
.,. Moisten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces .
Rem ov ing sta in s
.,. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
e th yl (rubb ing ) a lcohol.
.,. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
.,. Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or t issue to soak up the mois
tu re.
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 fad ing . Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration.
CD Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe
cia list .
- Do not use brushes, st iff sponges or s im
i larly abrasive cleaning aids .
Cleaning and protec tion
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia
bly when needed .
.,. Keep belts clean.
.,. For cleaning, use a mild soap and water so l
ution . Let belts dry thoroughly and away
from d irect sunlight .
.,. Do not allow inertia ree l safety belts to re
tract befo re they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety bel ts
reg
ularly .
Heavi ly so iled safety be lts may not ret ra ct
properly.
A WARNING
-Damaged safety belts can break in a crash .
- Anyth ing that might damage yo ur safety
be lts could mea n that you and your pas
sengers would not be adequate ly pro
tected in an accident .
- Safety belt performance depends on cor
rect insta llation. Never remove be lts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical clean ing agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop
erties which wea ken the webbing.
- When clean ing you r safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam
age, see yo ur authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en
gine compartment.
Alway s swit ch off th e ign ition befor e clean
ing the engine
¢ ,&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the eng ine hood . This
prevents t he wate r drain holes from becomi ng
blocked, and it p revents deb ris from enter ing
the ve hicl e interio r th ro ugh the heating and
ventilat ion duc ts . .,..
209
•
•
216 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 16 7 Dr iver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood re lease
lever
.. Open the drive r's door.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
inst rument panel
c> fig . 167 in the d irect ion
of the ar row .
The hood pops up s light ly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 168 Re lease lever under the eng ine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make s ure
that the windshie ld w ipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they co uld damage the
pa in t on the hood.
.. Pull up on the release unde r the hood
r:!> fig . 168 . This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood all the way
c> .&,.
A WARNING
-Hot eng ine co olant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
o pen the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escapi ng from the eng ine
compa rtment . W ait unt il no steam or
coo lant can b e se en o r heard before care
fu lly openi ng the ho od.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down an d latc h in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c> .&, .
A WARNING
--
A ho od t hat is not completely latched
could fly up an d block your vi ew while dr iv
i ng.
- W hen you close the engine hood, c heck it
to make sure the safety catch has p ro per
ly engaged . The ho od s houl d be flush
wit h the surrou nding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing t hat t he hood
is not s ecured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment .
Whenever you must perform any wo rk in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartm ent of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
c> &, .
A WARNING
To he lp avo id i njury, before yo u check any
thi ng under the hoo d:
- Tu rn off the eng ine.
- Remove the igni tion key.
218 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 169 Typical layout for containers and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap ("1::::r.) . . . . . 221
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. .... ... ....... .... ..
229, 264
@ Bra ke fluid reservo ir (0)) . . . . . 225
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 224
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head sc rew ..... .......... ..
229, 264
® W indshield/headlight* washer
. (" ') container o ....... . ... .. . 230
The pos ition o f the engine o il fi lling hole
¢ fig . 169 (item @) can differ depending on
the eng ine design.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
-
Engine oil
· Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The eng ine in your Audi is a sophist icated
power plant that was b uilt to exacting specifi
cations . Th is engine needs the right k ind of
engi ne oil that meets specifica tions regard ing
quality a nd v iscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the rig ht o il
and changing oil within the t ime and mile age
i n tervals prin ted in you r vehicle's Warr anty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day tha n it did years ago . Aud i has deve loped
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle 's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera-
t ion . ..,_