
192 Cleaning and protection
-To a void damaging yo ur vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis
tance between the spray head and soft
mater ials like rubber hoses, p lastic parts
and sound-deaden ing mater ials as well
as sensors and camera lenses . Never aim
the spray head at t he same po int for a
l ong time. This also app lies to cleaning
headlights and painted bumpers . Re
member: the cl oser the nozzle is to the
su rface o f the materia l, the greater the
stress on the mate rial.
Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Ap plies to vehicles: with matte finish pa int
Vehicles with matte finish point require spe
cial core due to the characteristics of the
poin t.
Washing by hand
To avoid damag ing the pa int when wash ing,
f irst remove dust and large particles from
your ve hicle . Insects, g rease spots and finger
prints are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too m uch pressure.
R inse the vehicle t ho roughly with wa ter. Clean
the vehicle sta rting at the top and working to
ward the bottom using a
neutral shampoo
and a soft mi crofiber cloth . Stop frequently to
rinse t he cloth thoroughly.
C lean the w heels and sill panels last. Use a
clean
s ponge on these areas .
R in se the veh icle tho roughly aga in and let i t
a ir dry . If there are any wa ter spots, t hey ca n
be removed using a
leather cloth.
C lean again with t he special cleaner for matte
fini sh paint
if ne cessa ry.
Removing stubborn dirt
Bird dropping s or tree sap
are best removed
with plenty of water a nd a m icrofiber cloth. You should
rinse off
ga soline re sidue immed i
ate ly wit h plenty of water.
A WARNING
-
- Wash your vehicle only when the ign ition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash.
-Always read and heed a ll WAR NINGS and
other information
c';> page 189.
(D Note
- Do not treat veh icle parts pa inted with
matte finish paint using polishing mate
r ia ls or hard wax . These p roducts could
cause damage to the appearance or s ur
face that cannot be repaired.
- Never use protective wax . It can destroy
the matte f inish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with
matte finish paint . The paint could be
damaged w hen the stickers or magnets
are removed.
'
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in d irect sunlight.
- To prevent damage to the pa int surface,
do not use insect remova l sponges ,
rough k itchen spo nges or sim ila r items.
- You should remove deb ris (such as i n
sects) from the headlight lenses o n a
regu lar basis, for example w he n r efuel
ing your vehicle . Only clea n the head
ligh ts u sing a wet cloth or sponge, neve r
a dry one. Clean ing wi th so apy wate r is
recommended .
{D Tips
For more inform ation on special clea ning
p rodu cts designed fo r m att e fin ish pain t,
see your Aud i deale r.
Power top care
The power top requires special care.
K eep ing you r top looking great and mak ing
c e rtain that it lasts a long time depend to a
great ex ten t on prope r use an d ca re. Remove .,.

If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease removing solutions
1>, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro
sion treatment is almost always removed as
well. It is therefore essential to have a long
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces , seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
.8, WARNING
Be aware: The engine compa rtment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially h azardous
area .
- Before working in the engine compart
ment, be s ure to read the informat ion
r=;, page207 .
-Before reaching into the front plenum
pane l, always remove the ignition key .
Otherwise, 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
could inju re you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts w ithout protecti ng your
hands and arms. You may cut yourse lf on
s harp-edged metal parts .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
othe r information
r=;, page 189.
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 20 1
•
•

202 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 263, 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 avai lable.
F or mo re in format io n on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see
¢ page 203.
Octane rating
O cta ne r ating in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist engine damaging "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 em ission 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.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 AKI or high er. ll-

-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll 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
-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 fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- 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 responsibility 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 driveability and performance prob l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
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 deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 203
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see¢
page 205 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 263.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 202.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and pollut ing the environment while you
refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
•
•

204 Fuel suppl y and filli ng your fu el t ank
transport fue l to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
AS TM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring . Gasoline could
e nte r the exhaust system and damage t he
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 171 Rig ht rea r veh icle s ide: Ope ning the fuel fille r
f lap
Fi g. 1 72 Fuel filler fla p with attached fuel c ap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or locked.
Refue l the vehicle with the ignition turned
off .
Taking th e fu el cap off
,.. Turn off the ignit ion.
,.. Press the left side of the fue l filler flap to
open it q fig .171-a rrow -.
"" Unsc rew fuel cap counter -clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap
~ fig. 172 .
Refuell ing proc edur e
,.. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fille r neck as far as it will
go .
,.. Sele ct a med ium r efuelling rate so that the
no zz le switches off automatically when the
tank i s full.
Putting the fu el cap back on
,.. After fi lling your tank, twist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it will go .
,.. Close the fue l fill er flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and complete ly .
A WARNING
-
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fue l is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies.
- 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 electromagnet ic rad iat ion
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va
pors and cause a fire .
- Never get back into your vehicle white re
fueling .
If in exceptional circumstances
you mu st get back in your vehicle while
ref ueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again. Static e lectricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during ref ueling .
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any
where in or near your veh icle when refu
eling or filling a portab le fuel conta iner.
- 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 co uld
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, yo u
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fi ll a po rtable fue l container
while it is anywhe re in or on the vehicle
(for examp le, in the luggage compar t
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electric i
ty can bui ld up while fi lling and can ig
n ite fue l vapors causing a fire .
- Always p lace a portable fuel container
on the gro und before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete
ly inside the po rtable conta iner before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
he lp prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fi re .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fue l vapors are
h ighly f lammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin
cial laws regard ing the use, storage
and tra nsporta tion of fuel co ntainers .
- Make certai n the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F 8 52 -86) .
(D Note
If any f uel has spilled onto t he car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
~ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle sw itches off automatically fo r the fi rst
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fue l because fue l may spill out . In
add it io n, th e expans io n sp ace in the fuel
t ank will be fi lled -cau sin g the fue l to
over flow whe n it be come s w arm a nd pol
lu te the env iro nment.
Fu el suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 205
@ Tips
- Ru nning your eng ine whi le refue lli ng
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to sp ill out of the tank. T his
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be
f o re the ta nk is f ull.
- Do not refuel you r vehicle with the ign i
tion turned o n. The fuel gauge may oth
erwise not indicate the correct f uel level
after refuelling .
- The fue l filler flap of yo ur vehicle is not
locked when you lock t he ve hicle from
t he insid e.
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 173 Lug gage compa rtm ent: ope ning th e side trim
Fig .1 74 Luggage co mpa rtme nt: Eme rgency ope ning
of fue l fil le r flap
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug
gage compartment .
Opening the side trim .,. Insert a tool such as a screwdriver
¢
page 243 or the emergency key into the
r ight side of the upper gap¢
fig. 173. .,.

206 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
• Pry upward to re lease the trim .
Fuel filler door emergency release
.. Loos en the strap from its bracket and pull
on it~
fig. 174. You can now open t he fue l
filler flap as usu al¢
page 204.

208 Check ing and filling
- To reduce the r isk 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 flu ids on hot engine compo
nents . They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electr ic fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the eng ine is still warm . The cool
ant system is pressur ized and hot coo l
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam o r hot eng ine coolant by placing a
thi ck rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any c ircumstances. Th is increases the
risk of burns.
- If wo rk on the fuel system or the electri
c al system is necessa ry:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames . Fluids in the engine com
pa rtment cou ld start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately avai lable.
- To avoid electrical s hock and persona l in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Othe r components of the high voltage
e lectronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking bra ke,
move se lector lever o f automat ic trans
missio n to "P" (Park). -
Always use extreme caution to p revent
clothing, jewel ry, 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 wea r clothing that
will hang o r droop into t he engine.
- Mi nimize exposure to em ission and
chemical hazards~ &.
A WARNING
Ca lifo rnia Proposition 65 Wa rning:
- Eng ine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals know n to the State of
California to cause cancer and birt h de
fects and reproduc tive harm. In addition,
certain fl uids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and b irth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac cessories conta in lead and lead com ·
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands afte r handling .
(I) Note
When adding f lu ids, always make sure that
they are poured i nto the proper conta iner
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems w ill 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 veh icle flu
i ds, have yo ur vehicle inspected by a n au
thor ized Audi dea ler.