
.....
Vehicle care and cleaning General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi
cle's value.
It can a lso be a req uirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The required cleaning and care products can be
obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler or a
qualified workshop. Read and follow the instruc
tions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
-Us ing clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
- Always store cleaning and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the r isk of poi
soning.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not dispose of leftover cleaning and care
products with household trash.
Car washes
The longer deposits remain on the vehicle, the
more the surface can be damaged. High tempera
tures such as those caused by sunlight increase
the damaging effect .
Before washing, wet heavy deposits with plenty
of water.
Stubborn depos its such as bird droppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a
microfiber cloth .
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops being used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instructions
"' provided with the pressure washer. This is espe-
r--
~ cially important in regard to the pressure and
; spraying distance . Do not aim the spray directly
~ at seals on side windows, doors, the engine com -,.... Vehicle care and cleaning
partment lid, the front lid
or the convertible top
or at tires, rubber hoses, insulating material
orsensors* 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 °().
Automatic car washes
Spray off the veh icle before washing.
Make sure that the windows are closed and the
windshield wipers are off. Follow instructions
from the car wash operator, especially if there are
accessor ies attached to your vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Only use car washes where the vehicle remains
stationary and the washing equipment moves
around t he vehic le when washing and drying. Car
washes that move the vehicle through the car
wash using a chain are not recommended.
Washing by hand
Clean the vehicle starting from the top and work
ing down using a soft sponge or cleaning brush.
Use solvent-free cleaning prod ucts .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing, first
remove dust and large particles from your vehi
cle. Insects, grease spots and fingerprints are
best removed with a spec ia l cleaner for matte
finish paint.
Apply the prod uct using a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
c lean using a neutral shampoo and a soft micro
fiber cloth.
Rinse the vehi cle thoroughly again and let it air
dry. Remove any water residue using a sham my . .,.
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Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciat
ed and most abused parts of a
motor vehicle.
Tires may be the least appreciated
and most abused parts of a motor
veh ic le . Tires are, however, one of
the most important parts of ave
hicle, particularly considering the
comparatively small patch of rub
ber on each tire that assu res that
all-important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road .
Maintain ing the correct t ire pres
sure, making sure that your vehi
c le and its tires do not have to
carry more weight than they can
safe ly handle, avoiding damage
from road hazards and regularly inspecting tires for damage in
c luding cuts, slashes i rregular
wear and overall condition are the most important th ings that you
can do to help avo id sudden tire
failure including tread separation
and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
~ If you have to dr ive over a curb or ":
~ similar obstacle, drive very s lowly
N U'> .....
Tir es a nd whe els
and as close as possible at a right
ang le to the curb.
Always keep chemicals including
grease, oil, gasoline and brake
fluid off the tires. Inspect the tires regularly fo r
damage (cuts, cracks or blisters ,
etc.) . Remove any foreign bodies
embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove them
to indicate the direction of rota
tion. This ensures you to be able
to mount them correctly when
you reinstall them.
When removed, the w heels or
tires sho uld be stored in a coo l,
dry and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position if
they are not mounted on rims, in
a horizon tal position if they are
mounted on rims .
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢,&.
The tread depth of new tires may
vary, according to the type and make of tire and the tread pa t
tern.
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...

Tires and wheels
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often
not readily visible. If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle
pulls to one side, this may indi
cate that one of the tires has been
damaged. The tires must be
checked immediately by an au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be identi
fied by arrows on the sidewall,
that point in the direction the tire
is designed to rotate. You must
follow the specified direction of
rotation . This is necessary so that
these tires can develop their opti
mum characteristics regarding
grip, road noise, wear and hydro
planing resistance. For more in
formation
¢ page 203 .
A WARNING ~ -
New tires or tires that are old,
worn or damaged cannot pro
vide maximum control and
braking ability.
-New tires tend to be slippery
and must be broken in. To re
duce the risk of losing control,
a collision and serious person
al injuries, drive with special
170
care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of con
trol, sudden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden
deflation, crashes and serious
personal injuries. Have worn
or damaged tires replaced im
mediately.
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sud
denly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at
low speed.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure
of their "previous history." Old
used tires may have been
damaged even though the
damage cannot be seen that
can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
-If you notice unusual vibration
or if the vehicle pulls to one
side when driving, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires
for damage.
..

(D Note
- Please note that summer and
winter t ires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons . Audi recom
mends using winter tires dur
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de
crease the elasticity of summ
er tires, which affects traction
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
Tires and wheels
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires . Audi is
not responsible for this type
of damage.
- Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter road condi
tions . The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam aged by road salt or similar
substances .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto
matic transmission, power steer
ing, power brakes, power win
dows , powe r seats , radio , and
heater , to the extent that these
items a re available as factory-in
stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
;:;: the width of the tire in percent .
" ~ Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a ...
~ low sidewall for improved steer -
"' ....
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to f it the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
17 1
...

Tires and wheels
Cold tire infl ation pre ssure
means the tire pressure recom
mended by the vehicle man ufac
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilo
meters) at low speeds in the three
hour period before the tire pres
sure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle with standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additiona l weight of
optional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires my be identified as "XL",
"xl ", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR" )
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces.
1 72
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two ad
jacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in
flation pressure . You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla
tion pressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of :
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible )
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated. A lso called "maxi-
mum inflation pressure ." .,.

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" N ": ... IO "? N U'> .....
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the to
tal seating capacity of yo ur vehi
c le .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire .
Overall width
means the linear distance be
tween the exteriors of the side
walls of an inflated tire, including elevations due to labeling, deco
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular product ion
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including
Tir es a nd whe els
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
heavy duty battery, and special
trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially
90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pre ssure
see c::> page 172, Cold tire infla
tion pressure.
R einforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire. Rein
forced tires my be identified as
"X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF"
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim di ameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
1 73

Tires and wheels
wheel size, you will have to pur
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designat ion
means rim diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend
ed periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
c::;, page 189. You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not required by law.
T he speed rat ing letter code,
where applicable, is mo lded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
c::;, .& in Winter tires on
page 194 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
1 7 4
tires are underinflated and ill umi
nates a low tire p ressure warning
telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees
of wear of the t read. See
c::;, page 185 , Tread Wear Indica
tor (TWI) for more information
on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel
oped by the United States Nation
a l Highway Traffic Safety Adminis
tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buye rs make relative com
parisons among tires . The UTQG is
not a safety rating an d not a guar
antee tha t a tire will last for a
prescr ibed number of mi les or
perform in a certain way. It sim
ply gives tire buyers addit ional in
formation to combine w ith other
considerat ions, such as pr ice,
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.... N
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"' .....
brand loyalty and dealer recom
mendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufac
turers in three areas: treadwear,
traction and temperature resist
ance . The UTQG information on
the tires, molded into the side
walls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number"
It beg ins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standa rds. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac
tured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of
manufacture . For example,
DOT ... 221 3 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 2013. The
other numbers are marketing co des that may or may not be used
by the tire manufacturer. This in
formation is used to contact con-
Tires and wheels
sumers if a tire defect requi res a
recal l.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo
grams) times the vehic le's tota l
seating capac ity as listed on the
label located on the driver's side
B-pillar.
Vehicle ma ximum load on the
tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the
maximum loaded vehicle weight
and div iding by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib uting to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (dis
tributed in accordance with table
below ~
page 176) and dividing
by two. ,..
175