Page 217 of 316

@ Tips
-Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period o f your vehicle .
- If you tow a t railer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 295.
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:
.,. Apply t he foo t brake .
.,. Have someone place c hocks under bo th the
vehicle and the trai ler whee ls .
.,. With chocks in p lace, s lowly re lease the
brakes unti l th e wheel chocks absorb the
l oad .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply t he pa rking brake .
.,. Mov e the sel ecto r leve r to P .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the selecto r lever to D/S .
.,. Re lease th e par kin g b rake and slowly pull
out and away from the whee l cho cks .
.,. Stop and have someone re tr ieve the w hee l
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of t he a uto
mat ic t ran sm ission to P before app lyi ng
t he p ark in g br ake an d bef ore blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
later to move the lever out of t he P posi
tion.
Trailer towin g 215
•
•
Page 218 of 316

216 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 200 , Broke sys
tem .
Test the brakes carefully each t ime
you was h the vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Select 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
frequ ent 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 mo re 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 waxi ng 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.
Vehicles with matte finish paint*
¢ page 219.
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other in fo rmation¢
page 216.
Page 219 of 316

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 . •
•
Page 220 of 316

218 Clea ning and protec tio n
- Never use sp onges designed to remove
insects, or a ny kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products . They can dama ge
you r paint f inish.
- Never use a dry cloth or s ponge to clean
the headligh ts. On ly use wet clot hs or
sponges to prevent scratches.
It i s best
to use soapy water.
- You should rem ove debris (suc h as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, fo r example when refuel
i ng your vehicle. Never clean the head
li ghts w ith a dry cloth or sponge. Use a
wet cloth or sponge.
It is best to use
soapy water.
@ For the sake of the environment
On ly wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially
designed for that pu rpose. This w ill reduce
t he risk of d irty water contami nated with
oil from en tering the sewer system. In
some areas, washing vehicles outside of
these facilities is prohibited .
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 us ing the power washe r, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN
INGS¢
A in General information on
page 216 .
• Always follow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
• Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped sp ray ".
• Do
not ho ld the spray nozzle too close t o
soft materia ls.
Keep a d istance from soft mate rials such as
rubber hoses or insulat ing mater ial as well as
sensors and camera lenses .
When clea ning the veh icle w it h a power wash
e r
always fo llow the operating instructions.
This applies particul arly to the operating pres
sure and the spraying distance. Do not po int the spray di
rectly at the seals around the side
windows, around the doors, on the rear lid or
on the Panoram ic sliding sunroof* . Likewise,
do not po int it direct ly at tires, rubber hoses,
insulat ion material or sensors
¢ page 219.
Hold the spray nozz le at least 1.3 ft (0.4 m)
away from the vehicle.
Do not use a high-pressure power washer to
remove snow and ice .
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a direct
stream or one that has a rotating jet .
Water tempera ture sho uld no t exceed 140 ° F
(60 °().
_& WARNING
Neve r wash tires with a jet t hat sprays wa
ter in a direct stream . Th is could cause in
v is ible damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a relative ly
l ong distance and for a short time. Dam
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal in ju ry .
(D Note
To avoid damaging you r vehicle, always
make sure that there is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materia ls
l ike rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound
deade ning mater ia ls as well as sensors
and camera lenses. Never a im the sp ray
head at the same point fo r a long time .
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bumpers. Remembe r: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ia l, the greater the stress on the ma
terial.
Page 221 of 316

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.
•
•
Page 222 of 316

220 Cleaning and protec tio n
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area around them with the pressure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens. T his
could cause the lens to crack.
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive prod ucts .
Waxing and Polishing
Wa xing
A good wax coating protects the vehicle paint
to a large extent against the environmental
factors listed under
qpage 216, Washing and
even against slight scratches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your pa int as soon as one week after your veh icle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
w axi ng process in
automatic car washes, we recommend that
you manua lly app ly a coat of wax to give the
pa int extra protection, particularly if water no
longer beads on the clean paint .
Protect p lastic body parts with car wax in the
same way as the vehicle body.
During wa rm weather dead insects tend to
collect on the front bumper and on the for
ward area of the hood . They are much easier
to remove from paint that is waxed
often.
P oli shing
Polish your vehicle on ly if the paint has lost its
shine and the g loss cannot be brought back
with wax .
I f the polish used does not contain preserva
tive compounds, the paint must be waxed af
terwards .
_&. WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
9 page 216.
@ Note
Donotusecarwaxon -
matte o r anodized meta l trim
- rubber or rubber- like t rim.
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care.
For environmental reasons, Audi fabricates
the bright trim strips and trim p ieces from
pure chromium-free aluminum .
Dirt and marks on the trim strips should be
removed with a
pH-b alan ced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner) . Authorized
Audi dealers carry cleaning products which have been tested for use on you r vehicle and
are not ha rmfu l to the environment.
To avoid corrosion on the exter ior trim strips ,
only a pH-ba lanced solution shou ld be used
for the windsh ield washer.
_&. WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
q page 216.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care.
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt . For othe r soil, use
a lukewa rm all-pu rpose cleaning solution or a
mild saddle soap for v inyl tr im . Remove wate r
spots and traces of soap wi th a clean, damp
cloth or sponge. Use a clean, soft cloth to rub
dry.
G rease , tar or oil sta ins can be removed with a
cle an cloth or sponge soaked wi th a ll-purpose
cleaner or with a solvent designed especia lly
to clean vinyl.
O ccas ional ly app ly a colorless v inyl or leather
preservative to re tain the materia l's luster
and pliability.
_&. WARNING
A lways read and heed all WAR NINGS and
other information
q page 216.
Page 223 of 316

Aluminum trim
Use only neutral -pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum in um s urfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack aluminum surfaces and can dam
age them over time.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information ¢
page 216.
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up
immediately.
"" Use either a touch-up pa int stick or spray
paint to cover minor scratches and nicks.
Your author ized A udi dealer has touch-up
pa int for minor sc ra tches and stone ch ips.
Scratches shou ld be touched up soon after
they occur to prevent corrosion .
If a spot starts to rust, howeve r, a simple
t ouch- up job w ill not be enough. The affected
sur face must be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti-r ust primer before the painted
finish can be restored.
The number for the origina l vehicle paint can
be found on the vehicle identi ficat ion labe l
¢page 290.
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 216.
Windows
Clear vision to all sides .
Clea n all windows regularly to remove road
fi lm and ca r wash wax b uild up.
"" Remove snow from windows using a brush .
"" Use a plast ic ice scraper to remove ice from
windows and mirro rs.
"" Remove other res idue on the windows with
a sp ray -on glass cleaner.
Cleaning and protec tion
"" Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towe l.
T he best way to remove snow from windows
and mirrors is to use a brush . Use a non-abra
sive
plastic ice scrape r -better sti ll, a spray
deicer - to remove
ice from windows and mir
rors.
T he windows must not be cleaned with insect
remover or wax since these can interfere with
the function of the windshie ld w iper blades
(chatter) .
Oil, grease, o r si licone residue can be removed
with
gla ss cleane r or silicone remove r. How
ever, wax residue requires the use of a specia l
ly formulated so lvent. Please contact your au
thori zed Audi dealer for advice on safe prod
ucts for wax removal.
Windows should also be cleaned on the inside
at regu lar intervals .
Never dry windows wit h the same chamo is
that you use to dry painted surfaces . Wax resi
due o n the chamois can impair vision through
the windows .
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 216.
-The windsh ield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in
crease glare under poor v is ibility condi
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when the sun is low on the hor izon. In addi
tion, they can ca use the w indshie ld w ip
ers to ch atter.
@ Note
- Never use warm o r hot wate r to remove
snow and ice from w indows and mirro rs.
T his could cause the glass to crack.
- T o prevent damage to the wires of the
rear defogger, do not place any adhesive
st ic kers on the ins ide of the rear w indow
over the wires.
221
•
•
Page 224 of 316

222 Cleaning and protec tio n
-To h elp prevent dirt fr om scratch ing the
win dow, always scrape in a f orward di
rection -pu shing the scraper away from
you -never back and fo rth.
- Water leaking from the inside of the rear
windows may damage sensitive electrical
components located either under the
rear parcel shelf or in the rear trunk area.
Always ensure that water
never leaks
through the body sect ion of the vehicle.
You can do this by using waterp roof pro
tection
over the vehi cle's electr ical com
ponen ts (e.g., when ins tall ing window
tinting) .
- Damage or malf unct ion of electrical
componen ts due to wa ter damage or any
other outside influence is not covered by
the Audi New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
See your Warranty
& Maintenance book
l et for add itiona l details about your war
ranty.
Cast (light ) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
... Wash the whee ls w ith a sponge or hose
brush
every other week .
... For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
acid-free cast alloy wheel cleaner.
., Rub a coat of
liquid wa x onto the r ims every
three month . Be sure to reach and treat a ll
parts of the rim .
To preserve the decorat ive appearance of the
cast a lloy whee ls, some specia l care is neces
sary. In add it io n to road dirt and sa lt, b rake
dust is a lso cor ros ive . If left o n for too long,
b rake dust ca n cause pitting.
Use on ly special
acid-free cleaners formulated
for a lloy rims . Safe products are available at
your author ized Audi dealer. Never leave the
cleane r on the r ims longe r than spec ified o n
the label.
If no t rinsed off p romp tly, the a cid
con tained in some cleaners can attack the
threads on the whee l bolts.
Never use ab ras ive or metal polishing clean
i ng agen ts.
If the pro te ct ive coa ting has been chipped, e.g
. by kicked up road dirt, to uch it
u p as soon as possible.
A WARNING
--
- Moisture and ice on b rakes may affect
brak ing eff ic iency
c::> page 200, Brake sys
tem.
Test the brakes carefully each t ime
you wash the vehicle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c::> page 216.
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked.
All body cavit ies which could be affected by
corros ion have been thorough ly protected at
the factory.
T his sealing does not require any inspection or
additional treatment. If any wax shou ld seep
o ut of the cavity when the ambient tempera
ture is high, it can be
removed with a p lastic
scraper and a suitable solvent .
A WARNING
-Solvents can be dangerous.
- Benz ine is flammab le and toxic. If you
use benz ine for removing the wax, keep
sparks , flame and lighted cigarettes
away . Never dump benz ine on the
g round, into open streams or down sew
age d rains.
- Be s ure to
observe all safety and environ
men tal regulat ions. Follow all instruc
tions on the container.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
other info rmation
c::> page 216.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time .
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor
oughly protected against corros io n.
Any damage to the undercoat ing ca used by
road hazards should be repaired prompt ly.