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.
-
•
•
@ 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,-
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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 .,.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly
col-based coolant additive G13 antifreeze with
anticorrosion additives (50% for USA models;
60% for Canadian models). This mixture both
assures the necessary frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine's
cooling system from corrosion and scaling. It
also raises the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at least 50% but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35 °C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate conditions . This is especially impor
tant if you live in a region where the win
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in-
Checking and filling 223
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is available at au
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor
rosion protection. The resulting corro
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 172 Engine compar tment: Cover on the coola nt
expansio n tank
-... ;;; ,; a, m
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Turn off the ignition .
"' Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank¢
fig. 172 ,
¢ page 218, fig. 169 .
With a cold engine,
the coolant level should be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings . When the en
gine is warm, the level may be slightly above
the "MAX" marking.
Iii>
224 Check ing and filling
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
¢ page 218.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off .
The expans io n tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectr ic cool ant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the A uto-Check System
¢ page 18 w ill
b link until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rm al. Even though the re is
an e lec tric coolant level sensor, we s till rec
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolan t loss, the cool
i ng system should be inspected immedia tely
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
s e aled system, losses can occur only if
the boiling poin t of the coolant is excee ded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get ve ry hot. Reduce the risk of sca ld
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and ve ry carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being b urned, do not spill ant i
freeze or coolant on t he exhaust system
or hot eng ine parts. Unde r certain condi
tions, t he ethy lene g lycol in engine cool
an t can ca tch fire .
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not cove red by your New Veh icle L imited
War ran ty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partmen t,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 216.
.. Turn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 223, fig. 172 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢
,&..
.,. Add coo lant.
.. Twist the cap on aga in
t ightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 223, Coolant. We
recommend using on ly coo la nt add itive G 12+
+ , G 13 or in an eme rgency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until yo u can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amount o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold antifreeze
and cold wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lan t when refilling.
Do not f ill coo lant abov e the
"MAX" ma rk . Ex
cess coo la nt w ill be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
-= -
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,.