@ 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-
•
•
198 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded tra iler whe n your car it
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weigh t di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steer ing control. A "ba
lanced' ' rig is easier to operate and con
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at t he maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do n ot
try to sto p th e swaying by acc elerating .
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent he at build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roperly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by Audi.
-
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be
cause of the added load. Ma ke s ure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 2 73.
Trailer towin g 199
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.. Tur n the whee ls towa rds t he curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an a utomat ic t ransm ission* in P, re
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot br ake .
.. Sta rt t he engine.
.. Move the se lector lever to D/S, respectively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gear .
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before bloc king the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
la ter to m ove the lever out of the P p osi
tion.
•
•
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 .
•
•
@ 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 pers istent dirt
use an Audi approved
s ol vent-fr ee plastic
cleane r/protectant.
_& WARNING
So lvents can change the properties of
some plast ics and make i t harder for the
airbag to dep loy.
-
- Never clean the instr ument pane l or the
s u rface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents.
- Products containing solvents w ill mak e
the surface of this part porous.
- Serious injur ies can result if plas tic par ts
come loose when the airbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other informa tion ¢
page 200.
(D Note
Clea ning agents contain ing solvents will
attac k the mater ial a nd can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
Applies to vehicles: with natural 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
l eather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in var ious co lors .
The intensity of the color determines the v isu
al characteristics and appearance.
If the sur
face of the leathe r has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leat her tha t has
Cleaning and protec tion 207
been left in a re lative ly natural condit ion . This
leather offers particular ly good comfort and
breathes well. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, sk in fo lds, and subt le variations in color
rema in v isible. These character istics demon
strate that the material is natural.
Natura l nappa leather is not covered by a co l
or finish. It is therefore more sens itive to soil
ing and wear, which is someth ing you need to
consider if children, animals or other facto rs
mig ht prove to be part icularly hard o n the
l eather .
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colo red finish layer are more durable. This
has a positive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in dai ly use . On the
othe r hand, the typ ical character istics of natu
ral leathe r are barely or not app arent. Howev
er, th is does not mean that the leathe r itse lf
is of infe rior quality.
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Aud i uses and their uniq ue p rop
erties (such as sen sitiv ity to oils, grease, soil
i ng, etc.), you w ill need to be somewhat ca re
ful with these leathers, and a certain type of care is requi red. For example, dark clothing
mater ia ls can disco lor leather seats (especia l
ly if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correct ly) . 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 hav ing been used for a relat ively
long time, your leather seats will acq uire a
r ich aged fin ish. This is a character istic of nat
u ral leathe r and a s ign of true quali ty.
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the l ife of your veh icle, you
shou ld follow t he recomme ndat ions below:
IJJ,-
•
•
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
•
•
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 .,.