
Vehicle care and clean ing
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
vehicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when submitting warranty claims for corro
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care products can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop . Read and follow the
instructions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
-Us ing clean ing and care products incor
rectly can be dangerous to your hea lth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
out of reach of children to reduce the risk
of poisoning.
@) For the sake of the environment
-Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
care products with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt remain on the
vehicle, the more the surface can be dam aged. High temperatures such as those
caused by sunlight increase the corrosive ef
fect.
Before washing, wet heavy deposits w ith plen
ty of water.
Also, wash the underside of your vehicle once road salt stops be ing used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your vehicles with a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc
tions provided w ith the pressure washer . Th is
is especially important in regard to the pres
sure and spraying distance. Do not aim the
spray directly at seals on side w indows, doors,
Vehicle care and cleaning 217
the hood, the rear lid or the sunroof* or at
tires, rubber hoses, insulating material, sen sors* or camera lenses* . Keep a distance of at
least 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz
zles.
The water temperature must not be above
140 °F (60 °C) .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make sure that the windows and roof* are
closed and the windshield wipers are
off. Fol
low instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the vehicle starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger prints are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint.
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi
crof iber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn deposits such as bi rd droppings or
tree sap are best removed with plenty of wa-
ter and a microfiber cloth.
Ill-
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218 Vehicle care and cleaning
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your
self from sharp meta l components w hen
wash ing the unde rbody or the inside of
the whee l housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef
fect may be de layed due to mo isture on
the b rake ro to rs or i ce in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
(!;) Note
- If you wash t he vehi cle in an automatic
ca r wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior m ir
ro rs in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exte rior m ir
ro rs * must only be folded in and out us
i ng the power folding function.
- Compare the track of your vehicle wit h
the distance between the gui de rails of
the facility - there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and t ires.
- Compare the height and width of your
vehicle with the he ight and width of the
tunnel at the fac ility. -
To p revent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in di rect sunlight.
- T o reduce the ris k of damage to the sur
face, do not use insect removing spong
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- M atte finish painted veh icle compo
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishi ng agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte fi nish effect.
- Do not place any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on v ehicle parts painted w ith
ma tte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r mag nets
a re removed .
@ For the sake of the environment
O nly wash the ve hicl e in facili ties spe cially
d esi gned for that p urpose. This will red uce
the r is k of dirty wate r contam ina ted with
o il from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individua l vehi
cle components, refer to the fo llowing tab les .
The information contained there is simp ly rec
ommendat ions . For quest io ns or for compo- nents that are not listed, refer to an author
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Also
fo llow the information found in <=> & .
Cleaning exterior Component Situation Solution
Wiper blad es Dirty <=> page 55, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap so
lution al
tail lights
Sen sors / Dirty Sensors : soft clot h w it h a so lvent-free cleaning p roduct
camera l enses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol -free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so lvent -free de-icing spray

220 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
T ex tile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
Alcan ta ra Water -based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
O il-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afte rward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe po lish,
etc.
Natu ral leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Wate r-based stains Fresh s tains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover sui table for leather
blood, etc.
Oi l-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and sta in remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regular
ly apply condit ion ing c ream that protec ts from
light a nd penetrates into the materia l. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as plastic parts
a) Mi ld soap solut ion : maximum two tablespoons neut ra l soap in a lite r of wate r
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water -repe lling windshield coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is a lso
possible .
(V Note
-Headlights /tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w it h a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not us e any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
-Wheels
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratc hes
must be repa ired immediately.
- Sensor s/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
le ns. Th is could cause th e lens to crack . ""

-Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
Th is could cause scratches and cracks .
-Window s
-Remove snow and ice on w indows and
exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper.
To avoid scratches, move the scraper only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from w in
dows and m irrors using wa rm or hot
wate r because this cou ld cause crac ks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any stickers on
the heating wires on the inside of the
w indow .
-Dec or ati ve p arts /trim
-Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
-Paint
-To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and dust be
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the veh icle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do
no t polish away rust film .
-Di splay s
-To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays .
-Controls
- Make sure that no flu ids enter the con-
trols, because this cou ld cause dam
age .
-Safet y belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
t hem.
- Never clean safety belts or their com
ponents chemically or with cor ros ive
fluids or solvents and never a llow
sharp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts . This cou ld cause
damage to the belt webbing.
- If the re is damage to the webb ing, the
connections, the retractors or the buck
les, have them rep laced by an author-
V ehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 221
ized A udi dealer or a qualified work
shop.
- Te xtile s/Vin yl/ Alcant ara
- Never treat Vinyl/Alcantara w ith leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or s imilar
p rod ucts.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Aud i deale r
or a qualif ied workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Objects w ith sharp edges such as zip
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fastene rs, for ex
ample on cloth ing, can damage seat
covers. Make sure hook and loop fas
tene rs a re closed.
- Natural leather
- Neve r treat leather w ith solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip·
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- To help prevent the leather from fad
ing, do not leave the vehicle in d irect
sunlight for long per iods of t ime. If
leaving the vehicle parked for long pe
riods of time, you should cover the
leather to protect it from d irect sun
light.
(D Tips
- Insects are easier to remove from paint
that has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust film
from forming.
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222 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Fuel supply
Gasoline
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for yo ur vehicle is un
lead ed premium
grade gasolin e. Audi recom
mends us ing TO P TI ER D ete rgent Gaso line
wi th a m inimum octane ra ting of 91 A KI ( 95
RO N). For more inform ation o n TOP TIER De
tergent Gasoline, p lease go to the off icia l
websi te (www. topt iergas .com) .
T he re commended gasoline octa ne rating for
your engine can also be fo und o n a label loc at
ed on the ins ide of the fue l filler flap . This ra t
in g may be specified as AK I or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operated u sing un
l eaded regular g asoline with a minimum oc
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. Howeve r, using
87 AKI/91 RON octa ne fue l wi ll slightly re
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga soline only. Unleaded g aso
li ne is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd i n most E uro pean countries . We recom
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see~
page 225.
Octane rating
Octane rating ind icates a gaso line's ability to
r es ist engine dam ag in g "kno ck" cau sed b y
premature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
b uy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss o f engine performance.
G asoline mos t commonly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the following octane r
atings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Premium Gr ade: 91 -9 6 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock In d ex = (R+M) /2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resea rch Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Num ber.
(D Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 91 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's cata lytic co nve rter a nd its
ability to co ntrol exha ust em issions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d wi th
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more t han 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 conta in mo re tha n 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flex ible f uel * engine : blend
m ust not contain more t han 8S% ethano l.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 196 Dr iver's side footwell: engin e hood release
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
i=> fig. 196 in the d irection
of the arrow .
The hood pops up slightly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
F ig . 197 Release lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield 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 . 197 . This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way
i=> .&,.
Checkin g and fillin g 231
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 coolant 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 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 block your view while dr iv
ing.
- 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 surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv 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.
Whenever yo u must pe rform any w ork in the
e n g ine com pa rt ment, for e xample ch ecki ng
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury , burn s and accid ent s. T o pr eve nt per
so nal injury alwa ys obs erve the foll owing
WARNINGS . The en gine c ompa rtment of an y
vehicl e is a hazardou s are a
c;, Lh,.
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, be fo re you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.

Checking and filling 233
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 198 Typical layout for contain ers and engine oil filler cap
(D Jump start point( +) under a cov -
er .. .. .. .. .............. .. 244, 284
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . . 241
@ Eng ine oil filler cap ("t=:?1) . . . . . . 236
@ Coolant expansion tank (J-) . . . 239
® Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw ..... .......... ..
244, 284
® Windshield/headlight washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
The pos ition of the engine o il filling hole
¢ fig. 198 (item @) can differ depending on
the engine design.
A WARNING
-
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a specia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. .,..

names etc.) that conform to Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter
va ls is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently .
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and -go traffic con
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
Damage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma intenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW S07 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol
l ow recommended maintenance and use re
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 235
scheduled 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 parts.
In order to prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 205) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
tempe rature a nd road conditions. Furt her fac
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 236 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
~ page 236.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compa rtmen t, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
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