
166 Cleaning and protection
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water .
- You should remove debris (such as in
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel
li ng your vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
On ly wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially
designed for that purpose. This w ill reduce
the risk of d irty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system. In
some areas, washing vehicles outs ide of
these facilities is prohib ited.
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 using the power washe r, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN
I N GS 9 .&. in General information on
page 1 64.
• Always fo llow the opera ting ins truc tions for
the power washer.
• Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray" .
• Do
no t ho ld the spray no zzle too close to
soft materia ls.
Keep a distance from soft materials such as
rubber hoses or insulat ing mater ial as we ll as
sensors and camera lenses.
When clea ning the vehicle wit h a power wash
er
always f o llow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the operating pres
sure and the spraying distance. Do not po int
the spray directly at the sea ls around the s ide
windows, a round t he doors, on the rear lid or
on the su nroof* . Likew ise, do not point it di
r e ctly at t ires, r ubber hoses, insul ation mate
rial or sensors. Hold t he sp ray noz zle at least
1.3 ft ( 0.4 m) away from the vehicle.
D o not use a h igh-pressure powe r washer to
r emove snow and i ce. D
o not use a jet which sprays water in a d irect
stream o r one that has a rotating jet .
Water temper ature sho uld n ot ex ceed 140 °F
(6 0 °C).
A WARNING ~ -
N eve r wash t ires wi th a jet that sprays wa
ter i n a direct stream. This could cause in
v is ib le damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a re lative ly
l ong distance and for a short time. Dam
aged and weakened tires can fail a nd cause
a ccidents and pe rsonal i njury.
([) Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, a lways
make sure that there is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materia ls
like rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound
deade ning ma ter ia ls as w ell as s ensors
and camera lenses. Neve r aim t he sp ray
head a t the same point fo r a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headligh ts
and painted bumpers. Remembe r: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
materia l, the greater the stress on the ma
terial.
Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Applies to vehicles: with matte finish paint
Vehicles with ma tte finish paint require spe
cial care due to the characteristics of the
paint.
Wa shing by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large par ticles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger
pri nts are best removed w ith a
special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the product us ing a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface , do not use
too much pressure . ..,.

Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Clean
the vehicle starting at the top and working to
ward the bottom using a
ne utral shampoo
and a soft m ic ro fi ber cloth . Stop frequently to
rinse the cloth thoroughly.
Clean the wheels and sill panels last. Use a
clean
s p on ge on these areas .
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly aga in and let it
air dry . If there are any water spots, they can
be removed using a
le athe r cloth.
Clean aga in with the s peci al cl ean er for matt e
fini sh p aint
if necessary.
R emoving stubborn dirt
B ird d ropping s or tree sap
are best removed
with p lenty of water and a m icrofiber cloth .
You should r inse
off ga soline residue immedi
ately with plenty of water .
A WARNING
-Wash your veh icle only when the ignition
is switched
off to reduce the risk of a
c rash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
othe r information
r=;> page 164.
(D Note
-Do not treat vehicle parts painted w ith
matte finish paint using polish ing mate
r ials or hard wax. These products could
cause damage to the appea rance or sur
face that cannot be repaired.
- Never use protective wax.
It can destroy
the matte fin is h effect.
- Do not p lace any st ickers or magnetic
s igns on vehicle parts painted w ith
ma tte finish paint. The pa int co uld be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed .
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
the veh icle in direct sunl igh t.
- To prevent damage to the paint su rface,
do no t use insect removal sponges,
r o ugh kitchen sponges or similar items.
- You should remove debris (such as in
sects) from the headl igh t lenses on a
Cleaning and protec tion 167
regu lar bas is, for example when re fuel
ing your vehicle . Only clean the head
lights using a wet cloth or sponge, never
a dry one. Cleaning with soapy water is
recommended.
(D Tips
For more information on special clean ing
products designed for matte f inish paint,
see your Aud i dea ler.
Waxing and Polishing
Wa xing
A good wax coating pro tects the vehicle paint
to a large extent against the environmental
factors listed under
r=;> page 164, Washing and
even against s light scratches.
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your paint as soon as one week after your vehicle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
wa xing process in
automa tic car washes, we recommend that
you manually apply a coat of wax to g ive the
paint extra protection, part icularly if water no
longer beads on the clean paint .
Protect plastic body parts with car wax in the
same way as the veh icle body .
D uring 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 pa int that is waxed
often .
Polishing
Polish your vehicle only if the paint has lost its
shine and the g loss cannot be brought back
with wax.
If the polis h used does not contain p reserva
tive compounds, the paint must be waxed af
terwards.
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 164 .
•
•

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-

-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 177
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 unlocking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed in
structions see
¢ page 179.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 240.
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 176.
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 polluting 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
•
•

1 78 Fuel supply and filling your fuel 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 (A NSI/
AS TM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle unti l the fuel tank
is completely d ry. The irreg ular s upply of
fuel can cause misfir ing. Gasoline cou ld
e nte r into the exhaust system and damage
t he cata lytic conve rter.
Refuelling
Fi g. 12 9 Drive r's doo r: Un lo cki ng fuel f ille r flap
Fi g. 130 Fu el cap hooke d on the opened fuel filler flap
When adding fue l, the ignition and any ce llu
lar phones in the vehicle must be sw itched
off .
Tak ing the fuel cap off
• To open the fuel filler flap, pull the button
r:> fig. 129.
• Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it o n the fuel filler flap ¢
fig. 130 .
Refuelling procedure
• Insert the f uel no zz le from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it w ill
go .
• Select a med ium refuelling rate so that the
no zz le sw itches off automatically when the
tank i s full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
• After fi lling your tank, twist the fuel filler
cap clockw ise until you hear a definite click.
• Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel s pill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly and completely . An improperly closed fuel fi ll
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp¢
page 30
to come on.
A WARNING
Imp roper 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 .
- Fai lure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fu lly into the fuel filter neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to ove r
f low. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a ce llu lar telephone whil e re
fue ling . Th e e lec tromagnet ic radiat io n
can cause spa rks th at can igni te fuel v a
pors an d cause a fire.
- N ever get back in to your vehicle whi le re
fue ling.
If in excep tio nal cir cumstances
you must get back in your vehi cle while
ref ueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity be fore touching the fill
er nozzle again . Static e lectr icity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
re leased d uring refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any
where in or near your ve hicle when refu
eling or fi lling a portable fue l conta iner .

-For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not trave l w ith a portab le
fuel container in your vehicle. The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and cou ld
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under except ional circumstances, you
must transpo rt a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never f ill a portable fue l container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for examp le, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the tr unk) . Static electric i
ty can bu ild up while f illing and ca n ig
n ite fuel vapors causing a f ire.
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
-Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete
ly inside the portable conta iner before
a nd during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the containe r. 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. Fuel vapors are
h ighly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/p rov in
cial laws regard ing the us e, storage
and trans po rt ation of fuel con tainers.
- Make certa in the fuel conta iner meets
in du stry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8 52-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the ca r, it
should be remov ed immed iate 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 rs t
time, th e tank is full. Do not try to add
more fue l because fuel may spill ou t. In
a dd ition, the exp ansio n sp ace in the fuel
t ank will be f illed -ca using the fue l to
Fu el suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 179
ove rf low w hen it becomes warm and pol
l ute the environment .
a) Tips
- Running y our eng ine wh ile ref ue lli ng
may cause va pors to esca pe or even fuel
to spill out of the tank . This would then
shut o ff th e f ue l nozz le before the tank
is f ull.
- Do not refue l you r vehicle with the ig ni
t ion switched on. The fuel ga uge may
ot herwise not ind icate the correct fue l
level after refuel ling.
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 1 31 Lu ggage co mpa rtment : Cove r in th e right
side interior trim
If the power locking system shou ld fa il, you
can still open the flap man ua lly:
.. Open the rear lid .
.. Open the round cover in the right-side inte
r ior trim .
.. Remove the red plastic knob from its retain
er.
.. Pull the plastic cord in the d irection of the
arrow to unlock the fuel fi ller flap
~fig. 131 .

-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic trans-
mission to "P" (Park); put manual trans
mission in Neutral.
- Always let the engine cool down . Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk 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 fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool
ant system is pressurized and hot cool ant could spray out .
-Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
-If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
Checking and filling 181
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of automatic trans
mission to "P" (Park); put manual
transmission in Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, 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 wear no clothing that will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~,& .
.8, WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
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
id s, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer . •
•

184 Checking and filling
Detergent additives in the o il will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
D am ag e o r m alfun ction s due to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essent ial that yo u change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Lim ited New Vehicle War
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
M aintenance book let . Your dea ler will have to
deny warranty coverage un less you p resen t to
the dea ler proof in the form of Servi ce or Re
pa ir Orde rs that all schedu led maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports.
I n o rder to prov ide effective lubr ication and
cooling of internal engine components, a ll in
ternal comb ustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oi l consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the eng ine . Typically, eng ines
with a specif ied break-in per iod (see
c::;, page 159) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumpt io n depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road cond it io ns. Furthe r fac
tors are the amo unt of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bui lds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over t ime until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. Wi
th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tab lished or spec ified. There is no alte rnative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instr ument cluster
II lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
with the oil dipstick c::;, page 185. Top off the
o il at your earliest conven ience
c::;, page 185 .
A WARNING
-Before you chec k anything in the eng ine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::;, .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 180.
CI) Note
D riving with an insufficient o il level is like
l y to cause sever e damage to the engine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
re ly on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pr ef
erably ea ch time you refu el, and alway s
before going on a long trip.
- If you have the impression yo ur engine
cons umes excessive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of o il con
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime . Your Audi dea ler has in
struct ions about how to measure oil con
sumption acc urately.