2013 AUDI S4 SEDAN ESP

198 Trailer towing
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
different weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy wi ll greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become completely familiar with the way
your veh icle-trailer combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
plenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
in g lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler dur ing the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
q page 2 72.
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:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.. Tur n the wheels towards the curb.
.. App ly the parking b rake.
.. Place an automatic transmission* in P, re­
spectively a manual transmission in first or reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake .
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the se lector lever to D/S, respectively
a manual transmission in first gear.
.. Release the parking brake and slow ly pu ll
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission* to P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
lat er to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.

202 Cleaning and protec tio n
paint extra p rotection, particularly if water no
longer beads on the clean paint.
P rotec t plastic body parts with ca r wax in the
same way as the vehicle body.
During warm 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.
Poli shing
Polish your vehicle only if the paint has lost its
shine and the gloss cannot be brought back
with wax.
If the polish used does not contain preserva­
tive compounds, the paint must be waxed af­
terwards.
.8, WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 199.
(D Note
Do not use car wax on
- matte or anod ized metal trim
- rubber or rubber-like tr im.
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care.
F or environmenta l reasons, Audi fabricates
the bright trim strips and trim pieces from pure chromium-free a luminum .
Dirt and marks on the trim str ips should be
removed with a
pH-bal anc ed cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner) . Authorized
Audi dealers carry cleaning products which have been tested for use on your vehicle and
are not harmful to the environment.
To avoid corrosion on the exterior trim strips,
only a pH-balanced solution should be used
for the windshield washer.
.8, WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information ¢
page 199.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care.
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose cleaning solution or a
mild saddle soap for v inyl tr im . Remove water
spots and traces of soap with a clean, damp
cloth o r sponge. Use a clean, soft cloth to rub
dry.
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed with a
clean cloth or sponge soaked with all-purpose
cleaner or with a solvent designed espec ially
to clean v inyl.
Occas ionally apply a colorless vinyl or leather
preservative to retain the material's luster
and pliability .
.8, WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 199.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from a luminum surfaces .
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack a luminum surfaces and can dam­
age them over time.
.8, WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 199.
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up
immediately.
.,. Use either a touch-up paint stick or spray
paint to cover minor scratches and nicks.
Your authorized Audi dea ler has touch-up
paint for minor scratches and stone chips.
Scratches should be touched up soon after
they occur to prevent corrosion .

206 Cleaning and protec tio n
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
so lv ent-fr ee plastic
cleaner/protectant.
_& WARNING
So lvents can change the propert ies of
some plastics and make it harder for the
airbag to dep loy.
-
- Never clean the instr ument pane l or the
surface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents.
- Products containing solvents w ill make
the surface o f this part porous.
- Serious injur ies can result if plastic pa rts
come loose when the airbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
¢page 199.
(D Note
Cleaning agents contain ing solvents will
attac k the mater ial and can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
Appl ies 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 differe nt 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 character istics and appearance .
If the sur­
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
the n the leather is a nappa leat her that has been left in a relative
ly natura l condition . This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes we ll. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, skin fo lds, and s ubt le variations in color
rema in v is ible. 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 sensit ive to soil­
ing and wear, which is someth ing you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
mig ht prove to be part icularly hard o n the
l eather .
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colored finish layer are more durable. This has a positive effect on the leather's resist­
ance to wear and soiling in da ily use . On the
othe r hand, the typica l charac teristics of natu­
ral le a the r are barely o r not appa rent. Howev­
er, th is does not mean that the leather itse lf
is of inferior 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 sens itivity to oils, grease, soil­
ing, etc.), yo u 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 ials 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
wea ken 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
rich aged fi nish. This is a character istic of nat­
ur al leathe r and a s ign of true quality.
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the life of your veh icle, you
shou ld follow t he recomme ndat io ns be low: ..,.

(D Note
-To keep your leathe r 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 sun­
l ight .
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip­ pers, rivets or sha rp pieces on belts can
l eave pe rmanent scratches o r scrape
mar ks on the surface of the leather.
@ Tips
- After each time you clean the leathe r and
at reg ular i nte rva ls, use a leather prese r­
vat ive cream th at co ntains UV-blo ckers
and th at wor ks into the leather. This
cream will no urish and moistur ize the
l eather, helping it to breathe and stay
supple . It also helps to b uild up a protec­
tive coat ing on the surface.
- Clean the leather every 2 - 3 months,
and clean any areas that get soiled.
- Remove fresh marks made by ba llpoint
pens, in k, lipst ick, shoe polish, etc . as
soon as possib le.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need­
ed by using a special colored leather care
cream to touch up areas of uneven color.
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at­
tention .
Normal cleaning
.,. Clean soiled areas w it h a slightly mo istened
cotton or woolen cloth.
More stubborn dirt
.,. More stubbo rn dirt can be removed using a
cl oth saturated with a m ild soap so lution ( 2
tablespoons mi ld liquid soap) .
Cleaning and protec tion 207
.,. Never allow the soap sol ution to sa turate
the leather, and make certain that no water
soaks into the seams .
.,. Wipe
off the soap so lution with a soft, dry
cloth.
Clean ing spots
.,. Remove fresh wate r-ba sed spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.,. Remove fresh
grease or oil -based spots
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent clot h or pape r towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care k it if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of t he leathe r.
.,. Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil /
grease spot s have dried on.
.,. Remove s pecific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, fe lt mar ker, fingernai l polish, water­
based pa int, shoe po lish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather.
Leather care
.,. Every ha lf year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized
Audi dea ler) to care for the leather .
.,. App ly the product very spar ingly.
.,. Wipe it
off with a damp cloth.
If you have any q uestions about cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your a uth orized Audi dea ler, who
will be g lad to help you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as:
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to ca re fo r colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc .
- Oil/grease d issolving spray
- New and upcom ing products .
_&. WARNING
Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
other information
q page 199.
•
•

208 Cleaning and protection
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
similar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe­
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: with A lcantara® up holstery
Removing dust and dirt
,. Moisten a cloth,
squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces .
Removing stains
,. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
ethyl (rubbing) alcohol.
,. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
,. Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois­
ture.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al ­
cantara ®.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing
dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is
left standing in the sun for long periods, the
Alcantara ® should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fading . Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration .
IQ) Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, st iff sponges or sim­
i larly abrasive cleaning aids . Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed
.
,. Keep belts clean.
,. For cleaning, use a mild soap and water sol­
ution. Let belts dry thorough ly and away
from d irect sunlight.
,. Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
,. Check the condition of your safety be lts
reg­
ularly.
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly.
A WARNING
-
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash .
- Anyth ing that might damage your safety
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 installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
erties which weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam­
age, see your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 199.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Always switch off the ignition before clean­
ing the engine
c.? .&, .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood. This
prevents the water drai n holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from entering
the vehicle interior through the heating and
ventilat ion ducts .

-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 stations 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 flexible fuel en­
gines. Using high ethanol fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexible fuel 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 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
lems 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: with flexible fuel engine
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op­
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
(85% ethanol 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 will increase when us­
ing bio-ethanol fuels 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 . This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up .
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru­
ment cluster display, 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
engine or to the fuel system.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline¢
page 210.
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 systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER ..,.
•
•

Refuelling procedure
"' Inse rt the fue l nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fue l filler neck as far as it will
go.
"' Se lect a m edium refuelling rate so that the
noz zle 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 spi lling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
comp letely.
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 f iller neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fuel spray and overflow ing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone wh ile re­
fueling. The electromagnetic radiation
can cause sparks that can ign ite fue l va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while re­
fueling. If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle wh ile
refue ling, make certain that you close
the door and touch me tal 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-
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 213
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 portab le fue l container
on the ground before fi lling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
l y inside the portab le container befo re
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the fi ller nozzle must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment . Fuel vapors are
highly flammable .
-Always observe loca l and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spi lled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correct ly operated nozzle
switches off automat ically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out . In
addition , the expansion space in the fuel
tank w ill be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
l ute the environment. •
•

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 165 Dr iver's s ide footwell: engine hood release
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
r=> fig. 165 in the d irection
of the arrow.
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
.... ~- ---=-
Fig . 166 Re lease lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshie ld wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
"' Pull up on the release under the hood
r::!> fig. 166 . This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way
c::> &,.
Checkin g and fillin g 215
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 coo lant 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 b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has p roper­
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 prope rly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whene ver you must perform any wo rk in the
eng ine compartment, for e xample checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accident s. To pr event per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS . The engine compartment of an y
vehicle i s a hazardou s area
c;, Lh, .
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, befo re yo u check any­
thing under the hood:
- Tu rn off the engi ne.
- Remove the ignition key.