Page 225 of 316

& WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong pla
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exha ust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cata lytic con
verter or heat shie lds . Wh ile driving, the
substance used for undercoating could overheat and cause a f ire.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
c:> page 216.
Exhaust tail pipes
-
Road sa lt and other corros ive materia ls will
damage the mater ial in the exhaust tail p ipes
if they are not cleaned regula rly . Do not clean
the ta il p ipes with whee l cleaner, paint polis h,
chrome polish or othe r abrasive cleane rs.
C lean the tail p ipes wi th car care prod ucts
that are s uitab le for stain less stee l.
Your authori zed Audi dealer can provide clean
in g p roducts t hat have been tested and ap
p roved for you r vehi cle.
Care of interior
Radio and MMI* display
.,. Clean the d isp lay w ith a soft clea n cloth and
an LCD cleane r.
The display can be cleaned w ith a professio
na lly available "LCD cleaner". The cloth shou ld
be slightly dampened with the clean ing flu id
to clean the display .
(D Note
To avoid scratching the display, you should
never clean it dry .
MMI control console
Applies to vehicles: with MMI
.. First clean the MMI control console with a
brus h to remove dust from the hous ing .
.,. The n w ipe the MMI con tro l c onso le w ith a
cl ean, soft, s ligh tly damp cloth .
Cleaning and protec tion 223
The M MI contro l console sho uld be cleaned
with a brush first so that no dirt is t rapped be
tween the buttons and the housing . We rec
ommend giving the MMI control conso le a fi
nal wipe with a cloth moistened with water
and dish washing detergent .
(D Note
To prevent damage, make s ure that no flu
i d ever gets into t he MMI contro l conso le.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from aluminum surfaces .
Chrome care products a nd a lkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfa ces and ca n dam
age them over t ime .
& WARNING ~
Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other info rmation
c:> page 216.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fab ric coverings (e.g . seats, door
trim pane ls, etc .) sho uld be cleaned at regular
intervals w ith a vacuum cle aner. This removes
su rface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabric through use . Steam
cleaners sho uld not be used , because the
steam te nds to p ush the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lo ck it the re.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend us ing a soft sponge
o r a lint -free microfibe r clo th to t he clean fab
r ic. B rushes s hou ld only be used for carpets
and floo r mats, since othe r fabr ic surfa ces
cou ld be harmed by br ushes.
Normal su rface stains can be cleaned using a
comme rc ially availab le foam cleaner . Spread
the foam o n the su rface of t he fabric with a
soft sponge and wo rk it in gently . D o no t satu
ra te the f abric. Then pat the foam dry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e .g . m icrofi ber cloth)
and vac uum it after it has dried compl etely .
Ill>
•
•
Page 226 of 316

224 Cleaning and protection
Cl ean ing s ta ins
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
juice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solution. App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric. After
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to remove the remaining detergent . Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric d ry w ith an absorbent, dry cloth.
Stains from chocolate or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed into them. After
wards, remove the soap w ith water (damp
sponge) .
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, oil, lipstick or a ballpo int pen. Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent material.
It may be necessary to re
treat the a reas with dete rgent paste and wa
ter.
In the case of genera l so iling of the uphols
tery and cover mater ial, we recommend h iring
a specialist that has the eq uipment to clean
the sea t covers and other fabric surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information
¢ page 216.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fasteners on your cloth ing can
damage the seat cover. P lease make sure
that Ve lcro 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
solv ent-fr ee plastic
cleaner/protectant.
& WARNING
Solvents can change the properties of
some p lastics and make it harder fo r the
a ir bag to deploy.
-
- Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of airbag modu les w ith cleaning
products that conta in solvents.
- Products containing solvents will make
the surface of this pa rt porous.
- Ser ious injuries can resu lt if p lastic parts
come loose when the a irbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 216.
(D Note
Cleaning agents conta ining so lvents wi ll
attack the material and 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
o u r vehicles. Most are d ifferent types of nappa
l eather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various colors.
The intensity of the co lor determines the visu
al characteristics and appea rance. If the sur
face of the leather has a typica l natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relative ly natural condit ion. This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes we ll. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, sk in fo lds, and subt le variations in color
rema in v is ible. These charac ter istics demon
strate that the mate rial is natura l.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a co l
o r finish.
It is therefo re more sensit ive to soil
ing and wea r, which is someth ing you need to
consider if children, animals or other fac tors
mig ht prove to be particu larly hard on the
l eather . ..,
Page 227 of 316

By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer are more durable. This
has a posit ive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical characterist ics of natu
ral leather are barely or not apparent . Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
i s of infer ior quality.
C ar e and h and ling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to o ils, grease, so il
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care
fu l w ith these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, da rk clot hing
materia ls can d iscolor leather seats (especial
l y i f such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and dirt particles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
weaken seams.
The leather sho uld be cleaned regularly as
needed. After having been used for a re lative ly
long time, your leather seats will acquire a
rich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat
ura l leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the va lue of this natura l
product over the life of your vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- 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 d irect exposure to su n
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on be lts can
l eave pe rmanent scratches o r sc rape
mar ks on the surface of the lea ther.
{O) Tips
-After each time you clean the leathe r and
at regu la r i nte rva ls, use a leather prese r-
Cleaning and protec tion 225
vative c ream that contains UV -b locke rs
and that works into the leather. This
cream wi ll nour ish and mo isturize the
leather, helping it to breathe and stay
supple. It also helps to build up a protec
t ive coating on the surface.
- Clean the leather every 2 - 3 months,
and clean any areas that get soiled.
- Remove fresh marks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as poss ible.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need
ed by us ing a specia l co lored leather care
cream to touch up areas of uneve n color .
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: wi th natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at
tention .
Normal cleaning
.. Clean soiled areas with a slightly moistened
cotton or woolen cloth.
More stubborn dirt
.. More st ubborn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a mild soap solut ion
(2
tablespoons mild 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 spo ts
.. Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or pape r towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil -based spots
(suc h as bu tte r, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorben t cloth or paper towel, o r use
t he cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into t he surface
of the leathe r.
.. Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil /
grease spots ha ve dried on.
•
•
Page 228 of 316

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. ...
Page 229 of 316

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
•
•
Page 230 of 316

228 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the righ t fuel helps keep the environ
ment cle an and preven ts engine dam age .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recomme nded for you r vehicle is un
lead ed premium
g rade gasoline . See a lso
¢ pag e 292, Doto . Audi recommends usi ng
T OP TIER D eterge nt Gaso line wi th a mini mu m
octa ne ra tin g of 9 1 AKI (95 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the officia l webs ite (www.toptier
gas.com).
Th e re commended g asoline oct ane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und on a label loca t
e d on the ins ide of the fue l filler flap . This rat
ing may be specified as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un
l ea ded regular g asoline with a min imum o c
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 R ON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octa ne f ue l w ill slightly re
d uce eng ine perfo rmance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded g aso
line is availab le th rou gho ut the USA, Canada ,
and in most E uropean countries . We recom
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle t o
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re in format io n on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see
¢ page 230.
Octane rating
O cta ne r ating in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist engine damagin g "knoc k" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Unite d
States a nd Canada has the following octane r
at ings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Pre mium G ra de: 91 -9 6 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock Index= (R+M) /2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resea rch Octane Numb er
MON = Motor Octane Num ber .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny f ue l w it h octane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
expensiv e engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline . The use of
lead ed gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's catalytic co nve rter a nd its
ability to co ntrol exha ust e mission s.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly re ferred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o 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% me th-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
ve nts .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re than 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flexible f uel * engi ne : blen d
m ust not contain more t han 85% etha no l.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE .,.
Page 231 of 316

-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.
(D Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in veh icles with flex ible fuel* en
gines. Using high ethano l fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexib le fue l* engines
can cause severe engine damage .
- Methanol fuels which do not meet 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 identified.
- 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 Veh icle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob
l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 229
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to veh icles: w it h flex ible fue l en gin e
You can recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of
the fuel filler flap .
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op
erated with bio -ethanol fuels such as E85
(85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or with un
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95) . T he vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us
ing bio-ethanol 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 b io-etha
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in ve ry
low temperatures. This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
D 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.
(D Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of b io-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A h igher percentage of bio-etha
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fue l system.
- If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fue l tank complete ly w ith un
leaded premium grade gaso line every
5,000 miles.
- If you experience starting, rough id le or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fuel tank comp letely with unleaded pre
mium grade gasoline and dr ive it nor
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
pers ists.
•
•
Page 232 of 316

230 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-Inform your authorized Audi dealer that
you are operating or have operated the
vehicle with E85.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline¢
page 228.
@ Tips
I t may take longer to start the engine
when the outside temperature is very cold.
If possible, use winterized fuel if tempera
tures are below freezing.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause depos its to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
b rands include additives to keep eng ine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas .com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
f u els, b uilt-up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CJ) Note
-Damage or malfunct ion due to poor fuel
q uality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive
products to your fuel tank.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap . If the power
locking system should fai l, you
can still open the flap manua lly -for detailed
instructions see ¢
page 232.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
Technical Data ¢page 292.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
te lls you the correct fuel for your veh icle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 228.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fue l vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fi ll the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
A WARNING "'--
Under normal operating cond itions, never
carry addit ional fuel conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other conta iners used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision . If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow b lower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe loca l and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con
tai ner meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86).
(D Note
Never drive your veh icle until the fuel tank
i s completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.