
204 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
T ex tile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
A lcan 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 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 solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe po lish,
etc.
N atu ral leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Water-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable 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 ioning 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 so lut ion : maximum two tablespoons neut ra l soap in 1 quart (I lite r) of water
& 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 use 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 len ses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
le ns. This could cause th e lens to crack . ""

220 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 192 Engine compar tment: cove r on the brake fl uid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 211.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
fig . 192, ¢ page 213,
fig. 188 .
The brake fluid level must be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake flu id reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illust rat ion
¢ page 213.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light . (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indic ator light will illuminate. Contact an au
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the effi
c ie ncy of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

M N
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa
cility . The electrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 223.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 155.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢
page 193. Some of the co nvenience func
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights or power seat adjustme nt. The conven-
Checkin g and fillin g 221
ience funct ions w ill be available again when
yo u sw itch on the ign ition and start the en
gine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery ca pa city
tends to decrease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc., are used mo re often.
Avoid unnecess ary powe r consumpt ion, pa r
ticu lar ly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before w inter sets in¢
page 223 . A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freez e. This will
p reve nt it from be ing dam aged and having
to be repl aced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
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w
Warning/indicator lights . ... .. .. .. .. .. 11
Airbag system . .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 1 8
Ant i-lock braking system (ABS) . ... .. .. 18
Brake system ............ .... .. .... 14
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Electromechan ical park ing brake ...... 15
Electronic power control . .. ... .. ... .. 19
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . . . 18
Ge ne rato r .. .... ......... .. .. .. .... 16
I ns trumen t cluste r ........ .. .. .. .. .. 10
M alfu nct io n I ndica to r Lamp (M IL) . .. .. 20
Safety belt ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 1 6
Turn signa ls . .... ..... ... .. .. .. .... 22
War ning/Ind icator lights
A irbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 1, 15 2
P ASSENG ER AIR BAG O FF .. .. .. .. .. . 152
Warranty coverages ........... .... .. 282
Washer reservoir .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 224
Wear ind icator ............ .. .. .. .. . 24 3
Weights ... .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. ... 279
What happens if you wear yo ur sa fety be lt
too loose? ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 134
What happens to unbelted occupants? . . 13 1
What impairs driving safety? . .. .. .. .. . 121
What should I do after chang ing a
wheel? . ..... .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 239
What should I do after rep lacing wheels? 239
Wheel bolts Torque ... .. ............. .... .. ... 254
Wheels ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 226
C hec kin g tire pressure .. ... .. .. .. .. . 23 7
C leaning ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 202
Cold tire inflat ion pressure . .. .. .. .. . 233
General notes ............ .. .. .. .. . 226
Glossary of t ire and load ing termi nolo-
gy ...... ... ...... ............. .. 228
New tires and wheels ...... .. .. .. .. . 24 5
T ires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. . 24 0
When must a safety belt be rep laced? . . 133
When must the airbag system be inspect-
ed? ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. ... 151
When shou ld I ad just the tire p ressu res? 239
When shou ld I check the tire pressures? . 239
Where are lower anchor ages located? .. . 180
Inde x 297
Where can I find the t ire pressures for my
ca r? .. ... .. .. .. .... .. .. ...... ... .. 237
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130, 131
Windows Cleaning/removing ice . .. .... ... .. .. 203
defrosting (automatic climate control) 71
Windshie ld
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .... ............. . 48
defrosting (automatic climate control) . 71
Windshie ld washer system .... ... .. .. . 48
Washer fl uid leve l .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 20
Washe r reservo ir ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 224
Windsh ie ld w ipers
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 49
F olding up . ... .. .. .. ... ..... ... .. . 49
Ind icator lig ht ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 21
Replacing windshield wiper b la d es . ... . 49
Switching on/off . ............. .... . 48
Win ter operation
B attery ... .. .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 2 21
Car washes . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 201
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Defrost ing windows (automatic climate
control) ... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 71
Removing ice from windows ......... 203
Seat heating (automat ic climate control) 71
Steering w heel heat ing . .. .. ... ... .. . 72
T ires ........ ... .. ............... 193
Winter tires . .. .. .. ... ............ .. 252
All-wheel drive . .. ............. .... 252
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