180 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi
cle to dr ive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Warming up and
cooling down
-
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your ve hicle, you can he lp ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessarily dur ing sporty driv
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is d riven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine oi l temperature to a mini
mum of 140
°F (60 °(). The tires also only
reach their full road holding capability once
they have warmed up .
The cooling fan can contin ue to run in your ve
h icle after the engine is switched off. Howev
er, driving the vehicle to cool it down is part ic
ularly important. During sporty driving, the
engine and brakes, the ex ha ust system, and
the transm ission all become extremely hot.
B efore you park the vehicle, you shou ld drive it for a few miles/kilometers at
light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 190,
Fuel supply.
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty .
.. Never put too much moto r oil in your engine
c:> page 199, 't::71 Adding engine oil .
.. Never try to p ush- or tow -sta rt yo ur vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" device bu ilt into the exhaust system of
t h e vehi cle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollu tan ts i n t he exh aust gas be
f ore they are re lease d into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r fu nct ion ing of the engi ne.
8_ WARNING
- T he temperature of the exhaus t system
is high, both when driving and after stop
p ing the engine.
- Never touch the exhaus t tail pipes once
they have become hot . This cou ld result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle i n
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
ver ter or heat shields . Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
182 Driving and en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
"'Try and keep well below your car 's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en
g ine no ise increase d isproportionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never dr ive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"'Shut the engine off when you are not dr iv ing
the vehicle .
"'Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the e ngine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il
road crossings , or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
bu rned s tarting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
([) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starti ng . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over- heating o
r othe r damage to the ve hicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"' Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ular in ter -
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
a utho rized Aud i dea le r helps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ic all y. The cond it ion
of your veh icle not on ly affe cts its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel
con sumption .
Check your oil ea ch time you fill your tank.
The amount of o il used is re lated to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l cons umption and en
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained proper ly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such
a s hea t sh ie lds, swi tches, ig nitio n w ires,
valves, which are designe d to p rotec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other impo rtant vehicle compo
nents .
184 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for corro
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified workshop . Read and follow t he in
structions fo r use on the pac kaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cleaning and care products incor
rect ly can be dange rous to your he alth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of rea ch of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer deposits remai n on t he veh icle, the
mo re the surface ca n be damaged. H igh tem
pe rat ures such as those caused by su nlight in
crease the d amaging effe cts.
Before washing, wet heavy deposi ts w ith p len
ty of wate r.
Stubbor n depos its s uch as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are best removed with plen ty of wa
ter and a m icrofiber cloth .
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stop s be ing used for the season.
Pres sure washers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instr uc
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. T his
is especially important in regard to the pres- s
u re and sp raying dis tance. Do not aim the
s p ray direct ly at sea ls on side windows, doo rs,
t h e hood o r the rear lid or at t ires, r ubber ho
ses, insulat ing mater ial, power top, sensors *
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 .
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
1 4 0 ° F (6 0 °C ).
Automatic car washes
Sp ray off the ve hicle befo re washing .
Make sure that the w indows and power top
are closed and the winds hield wipers are off.
Fo llow i nstructions from the car wash opera
tor, especially if the re a re accessor ies attach
ed to yo ur vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Only use car washes where the vehicle re
mains stat ionary and the was hing equipment
moves around the ve hicle when washing and
dry ing . Car washes that move the veh icle
t hr ough the car wash us ing a chain are no t
recommend ed .
Wa shing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from the top and
worki ng down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent -free clean ing products .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
you r vehicle . Ins ects, grease spots and fi nger
prints are best removed w ith a spec ial cleane r
f o r matte finish paint .
Apply t he prod uct us ing a mic rofiber cloth . To
avo id damaging the pa int surface, do not use
too much pr essure .
M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 18 5
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
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 risk of cuts, protect your
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings .
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat ions.
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir
rors in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior m ir
rors* must only be folded in and out us
i ng the power folding function. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- T o reduce the r isk o f damage, do not
wash the power top with a pressure
washer.
- To reduce 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 fin ish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehi cle in facilities spec ial ly
designed for that purpose. This will red uce
the risk of dirty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clean ing and caring for individua l vehi
cle components, refer to the fo llowing tab les.
The information contained there is simply rec ommendations . For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed, re
fer to an author
ized Audi dea ler or qualified workshop . A lso
follow the information found in
Q & .
Cle anin g ext erio r
Component Situation Solution
Wipe r bl ade s
Dirty <=> page 5 7, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Hea dli ght s/ Dir ty Soft sponge with a m
ild soap solutional
tail li ghts
S en so rs /
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a so lvent-free cleaning product
c a mera l ense s Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol -free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so
lvent-free de-icing spray
•
•
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,...., ..,., ,....,
Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 18 7
Component Situ ation Solution
P las tic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plastic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary
Di spl ays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Co nt rols Dirty Soft brus
.h, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutio nal
S afe ty be lt s Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
Tex tile s, Stains adhering to
Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and m ild soap solutional
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutional, blot away the dissolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special
stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutional, if necessary
nail polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
N atur al lea ther Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Water-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oi l-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Sta in remover sui table for leather
as ballpoint pen, nai l polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Ca re Regularly apply condit ion ing c ream that protects from
light and penetrates into the mater ial. Use specially-col-
ored condit ioning cream, if necessary.
Carb on p art s Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons neu tral soap in 1 quart ( 1 lite r) of water
& WARNING
T he windshie ld may not be treated with
wate r-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in-
-
creased glare. Wiper b lade chatter is also
possib le.
(D Note
- Hea dlight s/tail ligh ts
•
•
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Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 172 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood release
lever
F ig . 173 Re lease lever un der the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield w ipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
q fig. 172.
.. Raise the hood slightly q &.
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up
ward
c::> fig . 173 . This re leases the catch .
.,. Open the hood.
& WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To redu ce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if yo u see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
Checkin g and fillin g 195
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully 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 place .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
q &, .
_&. WARNING
-
A hood that is not comple tely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, chec k it
to make sure the safety catch has p ro pe r
ly engaged . The hood sho uld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts .
-If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine compartment .
Whenever yo u mu st p erform an y w or k in th e
eng in e compa rtment, for example checking
and filling differ ent fluid s, there i s a ri sk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per
sonal injury always obser ve the following
WARNINGS . The eng ine compa rtment of an y
v ehicle is a hazardous are a
q A.
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move selector lever of automatic trans -
mission to "P" (Park).
- Always le t the engine cool down . Hot
components wi ll bur n skin on contact .
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Checking and fillin g 197
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 174 Typical layout for containers and engine oil filler cap
(D Coolant expansion tank (- L) . . . 202
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ....... ........ ..
207, 256
@ Engine o il filler cap (
head screw ............ .... .
207, 256
© Brake flu id reservoi r((())) . . . . . 204
® W indshie ld/headlight* washer
container
(0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
q .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 195.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interval disp lay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform y ou when it
is time for an oil change. We recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi Se rv ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the o il between o il
changes, use the Audi o il quality standard
specified in the tab le.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
eng ine vw 504 00 ...
198 Checking and filling
Using the proper engine oil is important for
the functionality and service life of the en
gine. Your engine was factory-filled with a
high-quality oil which can usually be used
throughout the entire year.
0 Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or malfunctions due to
failure to follow recommended mainte
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality engine oil that ex
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's en
gine . Using any other oil can cause seri
ous engine damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other addi
tives into the engine oil. Doing so can
cause engine damage.
If you need to add oil and there is none
available that meets the Audi oil quality
standard your engine requires, you may
add a total of no more than 0.5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gasoline engine: ACEA A3
or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- For more information about engine oil
that has been approved for your vehicle, please contact either your authorized
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www.audiusa .com or
www .audicanada .ca .
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 provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in
ternal combustion engines consume a certain amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢ page 179) consume more oil during the
break -in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions . Further fac
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement of worn components may become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil lev el, see
Note.
If
the yellow engine oil level warning symbol
El in the instrument cluster lights up, you
should check the oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 199. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 199.
A WARNING
--
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 195.
{(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is like
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip. .,.