~ 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. .,.
196 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in
cluding tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one side, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sid ewa ll, that po int in the direc
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢page 227.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in jur ies, d rive w ith special ca re fo r the
fi rst 350 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.
202 Tire s and whee ls
vehicle with diffe rent rims/ti res or you bought
the vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
l oad limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle . These load limits are technically refer
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the veh icle 's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rat ing a re listed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
d river's side B-pi llar. T he tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or
othe r cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
locat ion of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 142.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se
r ious personal injury, and even death.
- Carry ing more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling p roperly and in
c rease the risk of a loss of veh icle con
tro l.
- T he brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be ab le to stop the
vehicle within a sa fe distance.
- Ti res on a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con
tro l and a crash .
A WARNING
-Incorre ct tire pressures and/or underin
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/o r underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fai l
ure, incl uding a blowo ut and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
t ire pressure label and in the table
¢
page 200, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means tha t the pressu re must be che cked and
adjus ted whe n the t ire has not been dr iven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
l ow speeds d uring the previous t hree ho urs.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions ¢
page 200 . The
t ires would then be unde rinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures fo r
the new, orig inal equ ipment tires that were
on your veh icle at the time it was manufac
tu red. Fo r the location of the labe l
¢page 200, fig . 142.
Most t ires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you d rive over a pot
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not poss ible to see whethe r the rad ial tires
u sed today are underinfla ted just by loo king
at them .
T he refore, be sure to check t ire p ressu res at
least on ce a mo nth and a lways befo re going
on a long trip. Ma ke s ure to ta ke the n umbe r
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that yo u wo uld not consider to be
"long." See ¢
page 204, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accurate tire press ure ga uge
when checking and ad justing inflation pres
s u res. Check all of the tires and be sure not to ..,.
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious personal injury !
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning " and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their" previous histo
ry ." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 207
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 146 Tir e specifica tion codes on t he s idew all o f a
t ire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials used
@ Maximum toad rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major
contribution to good road holding and safe .,.
•
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)
1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1 )
Your veh icle is norma lly factory equipped with
t ires, which posses s excellen t driving charac
ter istics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An electronic speed limiter
¢ page 31 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r th an the tire speed rating
¢ &_ .
U.S. DOT T ire Identification Number (TIN )
and tire manufactur e date
This is the t ire's "serial numbe r" . It begins
with the le tters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufactu re.
Fo r example, the numbers 2211 mean that
t he t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
2011. The other numbers are marketing co
des that may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con
tact consume rs if a tire defect requires a re
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving charac ter istics whe n used
correctly. Yo ur authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more informat ion.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The numbe r of p lies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber -coa ted fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
mo re weight a tire can support . Tire manufac
turers also must indicate the materials in the
1) F o r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e le tters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 209
tire, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max imum load in
kil ograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion , and temperature resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempe ra tur e grades
¢page 210 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_&. WARNING
-Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control
,
collision and serio us personal inj ury .
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- insta lled tires or other combina
tions that have been specifically ap proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen tha t can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted wit h ra dial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir
cumference) and the same tread pattern . ..,
•
•
210 Tire s and wheel s
Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
co ntrol.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra ca re. Refit the nor
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faste r than the maximum
speed for which the tires o n your veh icle
are ra ted because ti res th at are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly .
- Over loading t ires c ause heat b uild- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- T emperature grades app ly to tires t hat
are properly inflated and not over o r un
derinflated.
- F or technical reasons it is not a lways
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even w heels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you insta ll wheel trim discs on t he ve
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air f low
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that were equ ipped w it h them
at the facto ry. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for run f lat t ires and a
fac to ry-installed t ire p ress ure moni to r
ing system that ind ic a tes a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents .
Check with an a uth orized Audi dea ler or
t i re spec ialist to see i f your vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires. If r un flat
t ires a re used, they must be installed on
all four wheels . M ixing tire types is not
permitted . (D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the w heel rims from oth
er ve hicles. T his can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is diffe rent from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w it h the
ti re mat ching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possi ble.
- N ever d rive without the valve stem cap.
T he v alves co ul d get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dis pose of o ld tires in accordance w ith the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Tra ction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicab le
o n the tire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 207,
fig. 146.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car ti res must conform to Feder
al Safety Req uirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
F o r example, a tire gra ded 150 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a ti re graded 100.
snow c hains are suitably cove red . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled r ims . If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bo lts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures t hat wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -even if it
i s the same model
¢ page 245.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened or maintained wh eel
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
con trol, a collision and serious person al in
jury.
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be p rop
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled, even if tig htened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use whee l bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintai n the co rrect tig htening
torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor-
Tire s an d wheel s 213
que of t he whee l bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is mov ing. If the tig htening torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago
nally. After changing a whee l, the tor que
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torq ue w rench -prefe rably by an au thor
iz ed A udi de aler or qu alified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -eq uipped w ith low aspect
r atio tires . These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handli ng under a var iety of driving condi
tions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more d etails.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in pe rce ntage. Conven
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitive to impr oper inflation
pre ssure .
It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tire s are inflated to the specified
pres sure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s
sures should be checked at least once a month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 202, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gul lies ..,.
•
•