
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 155
the hood, the rear lid or the convertible top or
at tires, rubber hoses, insulating material
orsensors*. Keep a distance of at least 16 in
ches (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 are closed and
the windshie ld wipers are off. Follow instruc
tions 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 veh icle 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
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn deposits such as bird droppings or
tree sap are best removed with p lenty of wa-
ter and a microfiber cloth. .,..
•
•

156 Vehicle care and cleaning
_& 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 risk of cuts, protect your
self from sharp metal components when
washing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef
fect may be delayed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications .
@ Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior mir
rors in to reduce the risk of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir rors* must only be folded in and out us
ing the power folding function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not
wash the power top with a pressure
washer. -
To reduce the risk of damage, do not
wash decorative decals* with a pressure
washer.
- To reduc e the risk of damage to the sur
face, do not use insect removing spong
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte finish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities specially
designed for that purpose. This will reduce
the risk of dirty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi
cle components, refer to the following table.
The information contained there is simply rec
ommendations. For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed,
refer to an author
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Also
follow the information found in~.&. .
Cleaning exterior Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades Dirty
~ page 56, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solutional
tail lights
Sensors Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special
cleaning solution

158 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.
- Power top
-Remove bird droppings immediately.
- Never use gasoline, stain remover, ben-
zene, paint thinner or other so lvents to
remove .

-Window s
-Remove snow and ice on windows 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
t o form .
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any sticke rs on
the heating wires on the ins ide of the
window.
- Deco rative p art s/ trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
-Pa int
- 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
not polish away rust film .
-Trim
- To reduce the risk of damage , do not
treat the trim around the panorama
sunroof with paint po lish .
-Deco rative d eca ls
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not
use any rough powder or abrasive
cleaning products.
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not
polish decorat ive parts that have a
matte finish .
-Di spla ys
- To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays.
- Control s
-Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this cou ld cause dam
age.
- Safe ty belt s
-Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
V ehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 159
- Neve r clean safety belts or their com
ponents chemically or with corrosive
flu ids or solvents and never allow
sharp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts . This could cause
damage to the belt webbing .
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buck
les, have them replaced by an author
ized Audi dealer or a qualified work
shop.
- Te xtil es/ Vin yl/ Alcantara
- Never treat Vinyl/Alcantara w ith leath-
er ca re p rod ucts, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar products.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Audi dea ler
o r a qualified workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex
ample on clothing, can damage seat
covers. Make sure hook and loop fas
teners are closed .
-Natural leather
- Never treat leather w ith solvents, floo r
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects w ith 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
sun light for long per iods of t ime .
If
leaving the vehicle par ked 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.
•
•

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 128 Dr ive r's s ide footwe ll: e ng ine hood relea se
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
i=> fig. 128 in the d irection
of the arrow .
The hood pops up slightly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
F ig . 129 Release lever u nde r the engine hood
Before opening the engi ne hood, make sure
that the windshield wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
"' Lift the hood slight ly ¢
_A .
"' Pull up on the release under the hood
¢ fig . 129. This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way .
Checking and fillin g 165
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 ¢_& .
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 proper
ly engaged. The hood shou ld 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 wo rk in the
e n g ine compartment, for e xample ch ecki ng
and filling th e diff erent fluids, there is a risk
of injury, burn s and a ccidents. To prev ent
p ersonal injury always obse rve the foll owing
WARNINGS . The engine compa rtment of an y
vehicle i s a hazardou s area !
¢ &.
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, be fo re yo u check any
thing under the hood:
- Sw itch off the engi ne.
- Remove the ignition key.

Checking and fillin g 167
Eng ine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
•
Fig. 130 Typ ical layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 173
@ Eng ine oi l dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . 170
@ Engine oil filler cap (
® Jump start points(+) under a
cover,(-) bolt head . . . . . . . . . . 218
® Windshield/headlight washer
t . (ffi) con amer *
...... ....... . 180
The position of the engine o il dipstick and the
engine oil filling hole
i::> fig. 130 (items @and
@) can differ depending on the engine de
sign.
_&. WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
i::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 165.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The eng ine in your Aud i is a sophist icated
powerplant that was built to exacti ng spec ifi
cations . T his eng ine needs t he right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoot hly and reliably . Choosing the right o il
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 t hat
will help assu re that you r vehicle's engine w ill
get the l ubr ication i t needs fo r proper opera
tion.
Modern engine lubr ication has taken a q uan
tum leap in the last few years. Many synt het ic
IJI,,

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 134 Eng ine compartme nt: cover o n the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lway s read and he ed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 165.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Switch the ignition
off .
.,. Read the coola nt level at the coolant expan
s ion tank
¢ page 167, fig . 130. With a cold
engine, it must be above the "min" mark.
With a hot engine, it can be a l ittle above
the indica ted range.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compar tment illus
tration
¢page 167.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with a n electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 17 will
illum inate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool
i ng system should be inspected immediately
Checkin g and fillin g 173
by your authorized Audi dea ler . It is not
enough merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can o ccu r on ly if
the boiling point o f the coo lant is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
ing radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af
fect the function and performance of yo ur
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
alway s read and heed alt WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 165.
... Tu rn off the engine .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 173, fig. 134 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢_& .
.,. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢ page 172, Coolant .
.,. Twist the cap on aga in tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact specificat ions¢
page 172, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add itive
Gl2 ++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not
use a different additive. In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi
tive and can resto re the correct ratio . Th is
shou ld be done as soon as possib le.
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount of
coolant, then you should add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex-
cess coolant will be fo rced o ut through the ..,_
•
•

17 4 Che cking and filling
pressure relie f valve in the cap when the
engine becomes hot .
.&_ WARNING
-The coo ling system is under pressure and
can get
very hot. Reduce the risk of
sca lding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protec t your face, hands and arms from
escap ing fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and
very ca refully
in a counter -clockwise direct ion while
applying light, downward p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill an
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en
g ine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an
t ifreeze in its or iginal container and we ll
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con
ta iner clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool
ant will be forced out through the pres
sure re lief
valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between wate r
and antifreeze~
page 172 must be re
stored as soon as possib le.
@) For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant should not be reused. Al
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv
ing all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The electric radiator fan is controlled by ther
moswitches that switch on and off depending
on coolant and eng ine compartment tempera
tures.
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ion conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
-even w ith the ignition off. It can even switc h
on aga in later by itself
c> &. , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.&_ WARNING
-
- To reduce the risk of personal inju ry nev-
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reac hes a certain t emperature and w ill
continue to run until the coolant temper
a ture drop s.
Brake fluid
' Checking brake fluid level
N
N
N
" ~
Fi g. 13S Engine compartment: cover on th e brake fluid
reservoir