~ Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.
The best way to remove snow from windows
and mirrors is to use a brush. Use a non-abra
sive
plastic ice scraper -better still, a spray
deicer -to remove
ice from windows and mir
rors.
The windows must not be cleaned with insect
remover or wax since these can interfere with
the function of the windshield wiper blades
(chatter).
Oil, grease or silicone residue can be removed
with
glass cleaner or silicone remover. How
ever, wax residue requires the use of a special
ly formulated solvent. Please contact your
Audi dealer for advice on safe products for
wax removal.
Windows should also be cleaned on the inside
at regular intervals.
Never dry windows with the same chamois
that you use to dry painted surfaces. Wax resi
due on the chamois can impair vision through
the windows.
A WARNING
-The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in
crease glare under poor visibility condi
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi
tion, they can cause the windshield wip
ers to chatter.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 164.
(D Note
-Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow and ice from windows and mirrors.
This could cause the glass to crack.
- To prevent damage to the wires of the
rear defogger, do not place any adhesive
stickers on the inside of the rear window
over the wires.
- To help prevent dirt from scratching the
window, always scrape in a forward di-
Cleaning and protection 169
rection -pushing the scraper away from
you -never back and forth.
· Steel wheels
Applies to vehicles : with steel wheels
The wheels also have to be cleaned.
~ Always include the hub caps and wheel rims
when washing your vehicle to remove road
dirt, salt sprays and brake dust.
If necessary, use a commercial wheel cleaner
to remove accumulated brake dust.
The wheel rims are easier to keep clean if they
are regu larly coated with liquid wax.
Paint scratches should be touched up as soon
as possible to prevent corrosion
¢ page 168,
Touch-up paint.
A WARNING
-Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency -
¢ page 153, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully af
ter each vehicle wash.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
¢page 164.
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Applies to vehicles: with Cast alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
~ Wash the wheels with 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 wax onto the rims every
three month. Be sure to reach and treat all
parts of the rim.
To preserve the decorative appearance of the
cast alloy wheels, some special care is neces sary. In addition to road dirt and salt, brake
dust is also corrosiv e. If left on for too long,
brake dust can cause pitting.
Use only special
acid-free cleaners formulated
for alloy rims. Safe products are available at
your Audi dealer. Never leave the cleaner on .,..
•
•
170 Cleaning and protection
the rims longer than specified on the label. If
not rinsed off promptly, the acid contained in
some cleaners can attack the threads on the
wheel bolts.
Never use abrasive or metal polishing clean
ing agents. If the protective coating has been
chipped, e.g. by kicked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possible.
A WARNING
-Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency¢
page 153, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
qpage 164.
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked.
-
All body cavities which could be affected by
corrosion have been given thorough protec
tion at the factory.
This sealing does not require any inspection or
additional treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cav ity when the ambient tempera
ture is high, it can be removed with a plastic
scraper and a suitable solvent.
A WARNING
, -
Solvents can be dangerous.
- Benzine is flammable and toxic. If you use benzine for removing the wax, keep
sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benzine on the
ground, into open streams or down sew
age drains.
- Be sure to observe all safety and environ
mental regulations. Follow all instruc
tions on the container.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
¢page 164.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Audi is also thor
oughly protected against corrosion.
Any damage to the undercoating caused by
road hazards should be repaired promptly.
A WARNING
-Too much undercoating in the wrong pla-
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields. While driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 164.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other corrosive materials will
damage the material in the exhaust tail pipes
if they are not cleaned regularly. Do not clean
the tail pipes with wheel cleaner, paint polish, chrome polish or other abrasive cleaners.
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
t h at are suitable for stainle ss steel.
Your authorized Audi dealer can provide clean ing products that have been tested and ap
proved for your vehicle.
Care of interior
Radio-/Navigation* display
.. Clean the display with a soft clean cloth and
an LCD cleaner.
The display can be cleaned with a professio
nally available "LCD cleaner ". The cloth should
be slightly dampened with the cleaning fluid
to clean the display. .,.
172 Cleaning and protection
-Serious injuries can result if plastic parts
come loos e when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the informat ion
¢ page 164.
(D Note
Clean ing agents containing solvents will
attac k the material and can change the
way it behaves .
Instrument cluster glass
~ Clean the glass with a soft, damp cloth .
I n order to preserve the anti-glare properties
of the inst rument cl uste r glass, it should on ly
be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth.
Natural leather
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties , natural look and feel of interior
leather.
G ener al
We offe r many different types of leather on
our vehicles. Most are different types of nappa
l eather, which has a smooth su rface and
comes in var ious co lo rs .
The in tensi ty of the color de termines the v is u
a l characterist ics and appearance . If the sur
face of the leathe r has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relatively natural cond ition. This
leather offers par ticularly good com fort and
breathes well . F ine veins, closed grains , in sect
b ites, ski n folds , and subtle var iations in color
remain visib le. These characte ristics demon
strate that the mater ia l is na tural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col
or finish .
It is therefore more sens itive to soil
ing a nd wear, which is something you need to
consider if ch ild ren, an ima ls o r othe r factors
migh t prove to be particularly hard on the
l eathe r.
B y contrast, leather types that are cove red by
a co lored f inish laye r are more durable. This has a positive effect on the leather's resis
t
ance to wear and soiling in dai ly use. On the
other hand, the typ ica l character istics of natu
ral leather are barely or not apparent. 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
l eather that Aud i uses and their unique prop
erties (such as sensit ivity to oils, grease, soil
ing, etc.) , you will need to be somewhat care
ful with these leathers, and a certain type of ca re is req uired. Fo r example, dark clothing
mater ials can disco lor leather seats (especia l
l y if such clo thing is damp and was not dyed
correct ly) . D ust and dirt pa rticl es i n pores,
f olds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as we ll as
weaken seams.
T he lea ther should be clea ned regularly as
neede d. After hav ing been used for a relat ive ly
long time, your leather seats will acq uire a
rich aged finish . This is a characteristic of nat
u ral leather and a sign of true quality .
In order to maintain the val ue of this nat ural
product
over the life of your ve hicle, you
sho uld follow t he recommendations be low:
(D Note
- T o keep your lea ther from b leaching o ut,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time . If yo u
have to leave the veh icle parked outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun
light .
- Sharp objects on cloth ing, such as zip
pers, rivets o r sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent sc ratches or scrape
ma rks on the su rface of the leath er.
(l) Tips
- After each time you clean the leather and
a t regular intervals , use a leathe r preser
vative c reme that con tains UV-b locke rs
and tha t wo rks into the leathe r. T his
creme will nourish and moisturize the
l eather, helping it to b reathe 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, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc . as
soon as possib le.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need
ed by using a special colored leather care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color.
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
App lies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at
tention .
Normal cleaning
~ Clean soiled areas wit h a slightly moistened
cotton or woolen cloth.
Mor e stubborn dirt
~ More stubbo rn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a mi ld soap so lution (2
tablespoons mi ld liquid soap) .
~ Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather, and make certa in that no water
soaks into the seams .
~ Wipe off the soap solution with a soft, dry
cloth .
Cleaning sp ots
~ Remove fresh w ater -b ased spots (such as
coffee, tea, ju ices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
~ Remove fresh gr ea se or oil -ba sed spot s
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towe l, or use
the cleane r from the leathe r care kit if the
spot has not yet pene trated in to the surface
of the leather .
~ Use an oil/grease dissolving spray , if oil /
grea se spots h ave d ried on.
~ Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, felt marker, fingernail polish, water-
Cleaning and protec tion 173
based paint, shoe po lish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formu lated for leather .
Le ather car e
~ Every half yea r use an approved leather care
product (available from your Audi dea ler) to
care for the leathe r.
~ App ly the product very sparingly .
~ Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
If you have any questions abou t cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your authorized Audi dea ler, who
will be g lad to help you and tell you abo ut our
full range of leather care products, such as:
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Cremes to care fo r colored lea ther
- Spot removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease d issolving spray
- New and upcom ing products.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information r=) page 164.
Q) Note
- Never use chemical so lve nts (e.g. lighter
fluid, tu rpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
simi lar products on the leather surfaces
in yo ur Audi .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn sta ins
removed by a comme rcial clean ing spe
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
Applies to vehicles: with Alcantara upholstery
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
w ith diluted
ethyl (rubbing ) alcohol.
~ Dab at the stain . Start at the outs ide and
work inwards . •
•
174 Cleaning and protection
• Once the stain is no longer visib le, 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 fo r remov ing
d ust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the ca r is
l eft standing i n the sun fo r long periods, the
A lcantara should be protected against direc t
sunlight to prevent it from fading. Slight co lor
variations will deve lop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration.
{[) Note
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fl uid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polis h or
similar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains removed by a commercial cleaning spe
cia list.
- Do not use br ushes, stiff sponges or sim
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well -maintained safety belts work relia
bly when needed .
Heavily soiled safety belts may no t retr act
p roperly.
• Keep be lts clean.
• Fo r cl eaning, use a m ild soap and wate r sol
u tion. 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 belts
reg
ularly.
.&_ WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
1l Use o nly the co rrect cleaning so lu tions. Never use gas
o line or d iese l fue l.
-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 insta llation. Never remove be lts
from the veh icle to clean them .
- Do not use chemical clean ing agents,
b leach or dyes. They have co rrosive prop
erties which wea ken the webb ing.
- When clean ing your safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam
age, see your Audi dealer.
'
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS and
the information
<=;> page 164.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en
gine comportment.
Alway s swit ch off the ign ition before clean
ing the engine <=;>.&, .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the w indshield under the eng ine hood . This
prevents the water drain holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the vehicle interior t hro ugh the heating and
ventilat ion ducts.
Corrosion protection
T he engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion -protected at the factory .
Good anti- corrosion treatmen t is very impor
tant, particu larly in the w inter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment 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
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease removing solutions
1>, or if ..,.
176 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is un
lead ed premium
grade gasoline . See also
¢
page 240, Data . Audi recommends using
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a minimum
octane rating of 91 AK I (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TI ER Detergent Gasoline,
p lease go to the officia l website (www.toptier
gas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label locat
ed on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rat
ing may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your veh icle may also be operated using un
l eaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octane fuel wi ll slightly re
duce engine performance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso
line is available throughout the USA, Canada ,
and in most European countries . We recom
mend that you do not take your vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be available.
F or more information on refueling your vehi
cle, see¢
page 177.
Octane rating
Octane rating ind icates a gasoline's ability to
resist engine damaging "knock" caused by
premature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gasoline is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane r
atings that can usually be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock Index= (R+M)/2 = (RON
+MON )/2
RON= Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number .
(D Note
-Do not use any fuel w ith octane ratings
lower than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise
expensive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline! The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
your vehicle's catalytic converter and its
ability to control exhaust emissions.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended mixture meets the
following criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not contain more than 10%
ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher. ll-
180 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle.
Fi g. 132 Dr iver's side footwell: engine hood re lease
lever
.. Open the driver's door.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
c> fig. 132 in the direction
of the arrow .
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig . 133 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 cou ld damage the
pa int on the hood.
.. Lift the hood s light ly
c> _& .
.. Pull up on the release under the hood
¢ fig. 133. This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood all the way.
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 o r heard before care
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until 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
i ng.
- 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 surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv 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!
Wheneve r you must pe rform any wo rk in the
eng ine compartment, for e xample chec king
and filling the different fluids, ther e is a risk
of injury, burns and a ccident s. To prevent
p ers onal injury al ways obs erv e the following
WARNINGS. The eng in e c ompartm ent of an y
vehicl e is a hazardou s area!
c> .&.
A WARNING
To he lp avoid injury, before yo u check any
thing under the hood:
- Sw itch off the engine .
- Remove the ignition key.
182 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
•
Fig. 134 Typ ica l layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
CD Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
'2' E . 'l d. . k \61 ngIne 0 1 1pst1c .......... .
@ Engine oil filler cap ('1:::r.) .. .. .
@ Brake fluid reservoir((();) .. .. .
® Jump start points(+) under a
cover, (-) bolt head .... ... .. .
® Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
;;p, ) con ainer ,-!,, •••.•••.•.•••.
187
185
185
189
233
194
The pos ition of the engine o il dipstick and the
engine o il fi lling hole
r::> fig. 134 (items @and
@) can differ depending on the engine de
sign .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
c::> .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 180.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
T he eng ine in your Aud i is a soph ist icated
powerplant that was built to exact ing spec ifi
cat ions . T his engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regard ing
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliably . Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the time and mileage
i ntervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day tha n it did years ago. Audi has developed
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that you r vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs fo r proper opera
t ion.
Modern engine l ubr ication has taken a q uan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthet ic
1J.