
92 Transmission
& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the
brakes.
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears .
Fig. 93 C en ter conso le : shift in g th e mu ltitro nic/t ip
tron i c manually
Fig. 94 Steering wheel : Shi ft buttons
Gear selection with selector lever
"' N N N
" "' a)
The tiptronic mode can be s elected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.. Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
S. As soon as the transmission has switched
over , the selected gear appears in the dis
play .
.. To upshift, push the selector lever forward
to the plus position
0 o fig . 93 .
.. To downshift, push the lever to the minus
pos it ion
0 -
Gear selection with paddle levers*
The shift buttons are activated when these
lector lever is in 0/5 or the tiptronic manua l
shift program.
.. To upshift, touch the button on the right ©
ofig. 94 .
.. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0 .
When accelerating, the transmission will au
tomatically shift into the next gea r before the
engine reaches its maximum RPM.
If you apply a light throttle when accelerat
ing, tiptronic will automatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a heavy
throttle , the transmission will stay in 1st gear
until near maximum RPM is reached, or until
the drive r shifts into 2nd gear .
If you take you r foot off the acce le rator pedal
when dr iving down a steep incline, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and engine RPM. Auto
matic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the throttle again.
@ Tips
-When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmission will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev
ving the engi ne.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicl e and engine
speeds .
- Tiptronic is inoperative when the trans
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de
pending on vehicle speed and engine RPM .
It ...

194 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
CD Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in on environmentally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gasoli ne¢ page 211,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty.
,,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine ¢
page 221, "t':::r. Adding engine oil.
,,. Never t ry to push- o r tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an effic ient "clean
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphe re. The exclusive
use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic convert
er and proper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
= -
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con
ver ter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for under coa ting co uld
overhea t and cause a fire.
CD Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill already ser io usly de
gr ad e the per form ance o f the catalytic
c onverte r.
- Do not ex ceed t he corre ct engine oil level
r:;!) page 2 21.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank be co m es
completely emp ty. The engine co uld mis
fire . Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the cata lytic converter to overheat .
- Do not turn off the igni tion whi le the ve
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converte r. T his
co uld resu lt in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System:
- H ave you r vehicle maintained p rope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rvi ce rec
ommen dat ions in yo ur Warranty &
M ain tenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenan ce as we ll as
i mprope r use of t he ve hicl e wi ll impair
the func tion of the em ission cont ro l
system and could lea d to damage .
Ill>

@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Operate your vehicle
economically and minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on you r engine, bra kes and t ires largely
depend on th ree factors:
= your persona l dr iving style
- operating conditions
- technica l lim itations
I f you anticipate what yo u need to do next and
drive economically, you can easi ly cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent. This sec
tion will give you some t ips on how you can
he lp the environment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating.
" Avoid unnecessary accele rat ing and braking.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 195
Vehicles use the most fue l when they a re ac
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, acce lerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
" Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
mum speed.
Acce lerating gently red uces fue l cons ump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the environment.
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emiss ions and en
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds . If you drive at approximately th ree
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con
ditions perm it.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driv
ing the vehicle.
" Do not warm up the ve hicle by letting the
eng ine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa it ing for tra ins to pass at rail
road crossings, or at traffic lig hts t hat have
long waits on red . T ur ning the eng ine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves mo re fuel than is
bur ned star ting the e ngine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is run ning at idle . However, wea r
and noxious emissions are espec ia lly high
whe n the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So yo u shou ld
drive away as soon a s you start the e ngine and
avo id r unning at high rpms whi le the engine is
still warming up.
Ill-
•
•

196 Driving and en vironm ent
(0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in
over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
.,. Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab il ity to hold its value, it also affects
fu el
con sump tion .
C heck your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
l oad and speed.
I t is normal for the oil consumption o f a new
engine to reach its lowest val ue after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You mus t drive yo ur vehicle abo ut 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) be fo re yo u can properly
assess oi l consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en
g ine output.
(]) Note
-Have yo ur vehicle maintai ned properly
and in accordance with the service re c
ommendations in your War ran ty
& Mai n
tenance bookle t. Lack of proper mainte
nance as well as imp roper use of the
ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage. -
Do not alter or
remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or
remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, switches, ignition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine.
The engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
oper ating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious em is
s ions effectively.
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km),
the engine is at its prope r operating tempera
tu re and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that yo u should avo id
short trips whenever poss ible.
T he
outside temperatur e is also cr it ical in t his
regard. Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter tha n in the s umme r.

200 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value .
Any automobile is exposed to industr ial
fumes, corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
p ur chase . Reg ular and correct care w ill con
tr ibute to maintain ing the beauty and valu e of
your Aud i.
Furthermore, good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty claim should
corrosion damage or paint defects occur.
Your auth orized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedicated vehicle-care products and can ad
v ise wh ich ones to use for cleaning the ext eri
or a nd inte rior o f you r vehi cle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially ava ilable clean ing
agen ts, pleas e make sure you apply t hem cor
r ectly .
A WARNING
-Cleani ng agen ts m ay be poi sonous. Kee p
them o ut of t he rea ch of childre n.
- H eed a ll ca ution labels.
- Always read directions on th e co ntai ner
b efore using a ny produc t. Follow the di
rec tions caref ully.
- Most chemical cleaners a re concentrat ed
and have to be diluted.
- Use spot removing flui ds only i n well
ventila ted areas.
- Do not use gasoline, ke rosene, d iesel
fuel, nail pol is h remov er or ot her volati le
fluid s. T hey may be to xic, flammab le or
h azar dou s in other w ays. D o not was h,
w ax or dry the vehicle wi th the ig nit ion
on or the eng ine running .
- D o not cl ean t he under sides of ch assis,
f en ders, wheel cove rs , etc. without pro
tectin g your hands and a rms. You may
c u t yourself on s harp-ed ged metal parts . -
Moisture and ice on b rakes may impair
brak ing eff ic iency
c::> page 188. Test t he
brakes carefully each time you was h the
ve hicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Selec t on ly environ mentally frien dly clean
i ng products. Leftover cleaning pr oducts
s hou ld not d isposed of in the househo ld
waste .
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protec ts the vehicle .
The best p rotection against environmen tal i n
fluences is
frequent wash ing and waxing . H ow
often t his is requ ire d d epends o n:
- How much t he ve hicle is used
- W he re the veh icle is parked (garage, i n the
open under trees, etc .)
- The seasona l and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird d roppings, inse cts, tree res in,
r oad and indus trial grime, t ar, soo t, ro ad salt
and other mater ials remain on the veh icle
body, the more lasting their destr uctive ef
f ects w ill be . Hig h temperatures ca used by ex
pos ure to intense su nlight i ntens ify the c orro
s ive effect, particular ly when hum id ity is high
as wel l.
U nder certa in circumstances,
weekly washing
may be necessary. Unde r other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade
quate .
After the winter, the unders ide of the vehicle
sho uld be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional ca r wash.
A WARNING
-A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rma tion
c::> page 20 0.

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 filte ring 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.
Before going through a ca r wash, be s ure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and the roof . Factory installed an
tennas must not be removed.
If you have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car was h operator if these
should be removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
(D Note
Before washing the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, p lease make sure to retract the
exterior m irrors to prevent them from be
ing damaged.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi
cle by hand.
~ Before you start washing, make sure yo u
have read and understood the WARNINGS
¢ A in General information on page 200 .
~ First soak all dried dirt until it is soft, then
rinse it off .
~ As you clean your veh icle, start with the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
us ing a sponge , a sponge glove o r a clean
brush.
Cleaning and protec tion 20 1
~ Rinse the sponge or the sponge g love often,
flushing it clean eac h time .
~ Use spec ia l car shampoo only for very per
sistent d irt .
~ Rinse the car thoroughly with water.
~ Use a chamois leather to gently w ipe the ex-
ter ior d ry .
U se a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door sills and other regions exposed
to road dirt . In this way, you w ill not scratch
the pa int wit h coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
&_ WARNING
- Do not clean the underside of the chas
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or o ther ha rd
to reach pa rts without protect ing you r
hands and arms. You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts .
-Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
(D Note
- N ever try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the s urface o f the veh icle is dry . Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, since this
co uld scratch your vehicle's paint or win
dows.
- Never wash your car in bright s unlight .
Drops of wate r act as magnifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- When you wash yo ur 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 .
- Never use sponges designed to
remove
insects, or any k itche n scou ring sponges
or s imilar products. They can damage
your paint finish .
- You should remove debris (such as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regu lar bas is, for exampl e w hen refuel
ing your veh icle . Never use a dry cloth o r
sponge to clean t he headlights. On ly use
wet cloths o r sponges to prevent
scratches. It is best to use soapy water.
-
•
•

Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for you r vehicle is un
leaded premium
g rade gasolin e. See also
¢ page 271, Data . Audi recommends usi ng
TO P TI ER Deterge nt Gaso line wi th a minim um
oc ta ne ra ti ng of 9 1 AK I (9 5 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the official website (www.toptier
gas.com).
The re commended g asoline octane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und o n a label loca t
e d on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rat
ing may be specif ied as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un
l e aded regular gasoline with a minimum oc
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON . However, using
87 AKI/9 1 RO N octa ne f ue l w ill sli ghtly re
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd in most E uropean cou ntries . We recom
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or count ries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see ¢
page 213.
Octane rating
Octane r ati ng in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
r es ist engine damaging "knock" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
i mportant to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most common ly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the followin g octane
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
ra tings that can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
p ump :
- Premium Gr ade: 9 1 -9 6 AKI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RO N
+M ON)/2
RON= Resear ch O ctane Num ber
MO N= Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne . The use of
leaded gasolin e w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicl e's cata lytic co nve rter and its
ability to control exh aust em iss ions.
Blended gasoline
U se of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
a lcohol o r MTBE (commonly re fer red to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets the
fo 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% meth-
anol.
- Blend must co ntain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flex ible f uel engine : blend
m ust not contain more t han 85% ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE ..,_
•
•

212 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
- 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 stat ions 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 flex ible fuel en
gines. Using high ethano l fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexib le fue l eng ines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not mee t 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 identif ied.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility 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 driveab ility and performance prob
le ms 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: wit h flexible fue l e ngi ne
Vehicles with f lexible fuel engines may be op
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85 (85% ethano
l 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 wi ll increase when us
ing bio-ethano l fue ls 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 . Th is fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru
ment cluster disp lay, 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
eng ine or to the fuel system .
- Read and follow the information and t ips
about gasoline¢
page 211.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon depos it build-up caused by
the type of gaso line you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
th ings in common . All gasol ine grades conta in
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fue l injectors
and intake valves. A lthough most gasoline
brands include add itives to keep engine and
f uel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For mo re information on TOP TIER .,.