
208 Driving and environment
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 serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ability to hold its value, it also affects
fuel
consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain mileage has been driven .
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumption .
This also applies to fuel consumption and en
gine output .
{Q) Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte
nance as well as improper 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 shields, switches, ignition wires,
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 driving short distances with a
cold engine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to
reach their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis
sions effectively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
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 proper operating tempera
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal level. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possible .
T he
outside temperature is also critical in this
regard. Your car consumes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer .

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.
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 m ust not be removed.
If you have installed additional accessor ies 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
Please take note of the follow ing po ints
before going through an automatic car
wash with your vehicle, so that you can
avoid damage to your vehicle.
- Compare the track of your vehicle with
the distance between the gu ide rails of
the fac ility- there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and t ires.
- Compare the height and w idth of your
vehicle with the he ight and width of the
tunnel at the fac ility.
- Fold the exte rior mi rrors flat -there is a
r isk of damag ing the exte rior m irrors.
Power folding ex terior m irrors* must not
be folded in o r out by hand . Use the pow
er function !
- Do not a llow the wipe r blade to fall o nto
t he windsh ield after the vehicle is dried -
there is a r isk o f damag ing the pa int on
the hood .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information ¢
page 216.
-
Cleaning and protec tion 217
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 u nderstood the WARNINGS
Q .&. in General information on page 216 .
.,. 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 wor k your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge g love or a clean
brush.
.,. Rinse the sponge o r 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 with water .
.,. Use a chamo is leather to gent ly w ipe the ex-
ter ior d ry.
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door sills and othe r regions exposed
to road dirt . In this way, you w ill not scratch
the pa int w it h coarse par ticl es imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the ca r.
& 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 WARNI NGS and
other information
~ page 216.
{(D Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mu d or dus t if
t he su rface o f the ve hicle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
co uld 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 . •
•

Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Appl ies to vehicles: with matte finish pa in t
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 necessary.
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 iber 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 216.
(D Note
-Do no t treat vehicle parts painted w ith
matte finish paint using polish ing mate -
Cleaning and protec tion 219
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.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow w ith a hand br ush an d remove
ice with a de -icing spray that does not con
tain so lvents.
- Clean the senso rs (adap tive c ruise control *,
parking system *) with a cleaning so lution
that does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth.
- Dampen the camera lens with a household
alcoho l-based g lass cleaner, and then wipe
the lens clean w ith a dry cloth.
Q) Note
- If you wash your vehicle with a press ure
washer,
- make sure there is eno ugh distance to
sensors in th e re ar bumper.
•
•

226 Cleaning and protec tio n
• Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, felt marker, fingernai l polish, water
based paint, shoe polish, etc .) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather .
Leath er care
• Every ha lf year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized
Audi dealer) to care for the leather.
• Apply the product very sparing ly.
• 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 author ized 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 fo r ballpo int pens, shoe po l-
ish , etc.
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming products.
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
r::!v page 216.
(D Note
- Neve r use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on the leather surfaces
i n you r A ud i.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
r emoved by a commer cial cleani ng spe
cia list .
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia
bly when needed.
• Keep be lts clean .
• Fo r cl eaning, use a m ild soap and wate r sol
u tio n. Let be lts dry thoro ughly and away
from direct sunlight .
• Do not a llow inertia reel safety be lts to re
tract before they are completely dry . •
Check the condition of your safety be lts
reg
ularly .
Heavi ly so iled s afety bel ts may not ret ract
proper ly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash .
- Anyth ing that might damage your sa fety
be lts could mean 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 veh icle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop
erties which weaken the webb ing.
- When cleaning you r safety be lts, inspect
them for damage. If you discover dam
age, see your authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
r::!v page 216.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en
gine compartment.
Alway s swit ch off th e ignition before cle an
ing the engine
r::!v .&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the w indshield under the eng ine hood. This
preve nts the wa ter dr ain holes from becomi ng
blocked, and it prevents debris from entering
the ve hicle interior t hrough the heating and
ventilat ion ducts .
Corrosion protection
T he eng ine compartmen t and transmission
have been co rrosion-protected a t the f actory.
Good anti-corrosion treatment is very impor
tant, particu larly in the w inte r.
If the vehicle
is frequently d riven on salt t rea ted roads, the
en tire engine compar tment and p lenum panel
shou ld be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage. ...

At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time w ith grease removing solut ions
1>, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro
sion treatment is a lmost always removed as
wel l. It is therefore essential to have a long
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before working in the engine compart
ment, be sure to read the informat io n
<=;>page 233.
- Before reaching into the front plenum
pane l, always remove the ignition key.
O therw ise, the windshield wiper system
cou ld unintentiona lly be switched on,
poss ibly causing personal injury from the
moving wiper linkage .
-Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly- even when the ign it ion is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine w ith
the engine running. Moving or hot parts cou ld injure you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts w ithout protecting your
hands and arms. You may cut yourse lf on
sharp-edged metal parts .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information <::;>
page 216.
l) Use o nly the co rr ect clean in g s olu tio ns. Ne ve r use ga s
o line or d ie sel fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion 227
•
•

Refuelling
Fig. 191 Right rear vehicle sid e: Opening t he fuel filler
flap
Fig. 192 Fu el filler flap with attached fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
filler flap is automatically unlocked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition turned
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
.. Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
c:> fig. 191 -arrow- .
.. Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap
c:> fig. 192.
Refuelling procedure
.. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go .
.. Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
.. After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it will go.
.. Close the fuel filler flap.
To avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and completely. An improperly closed fuel filler
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 231
cap may also cause the MIL lamp c:> page 26
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re
fueling. The electromagnetic radiation
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va
pors and cause a fire .
- Never get back into your vehicle while re
fueling. If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refu
eling or filling a portable fuel container .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle . The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash .
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici
ty can build up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 19 4 Driver's s ide footwell: engine hood release
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
i=:> fig. 194 in the d irection
of the arrow.
The hood pops up slightly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
F ig . 195 Re lease lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
"' Pull up on the release under the hood
c;, fig. 195 . This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way
c::> &,.
Checkin g and fillin g 233
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the eng ine
compartment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
"' Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c;, &, .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while dr iv
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper
ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever yo u must pe rform any w ork in the
e n g ine com pa rt ment, for e xample ch e cki ng
and filling differ ent fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury , burn s and accid ent s. T o pr eve nt per
so nal injury alwa ys obs erve the foll owing
WARNINGS . Th e en gine co mpa rtm ent of an y
v e hicl e is a hazardou s ar ea
c;, Lh, .
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, be fo re you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.

234 Checking and filling
-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans- mission to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool
ant system is pressurized and hot cool ant could spray out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running: -
First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans
mission to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards
c:> &, .
&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer.