2016 AUDI A4 Owners Manual

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Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra ile r, infl ate the tires of yo ur
ve hicl e to the co ld tire press ure listed under "Fu ll
l oad" on the label located on the driver's side B­
pi llar (visib le when th e door is open). Inflate
tra ile r tir es to t railer and tire manufacture rs'
specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked wi th
the trai ler attached before driv ing
off . Check to
make sure both veh icle and trai ler lights are
wo rking prope rly .
Safety chains
Be s ure trai ler s afety chains are p ro p erly conne ct­
ed from the trailer to the hitc h on the vehicle .
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when yo u are
driving.
The chains s hou ld cross under the t railer tongue
to p revent it from dropp ing in case of separat ion
from t he hitc h.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra core
and consideration.
To ob tain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llowing :
.,. Do no t tow a lo ad ed t railer w hen yo ur car i tse lf
i s not lo ad ed.
.,. Be especia lly caref ul when passing ot he r
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits.
.,. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Moni to r th e temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
T owing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds o nly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
Trailer mode
A "ba lanced" rig is easier to opera te and co ntrol.
This means that the tow vehicle sho uld be loaded
to the extent possib le and permissib le, w hile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
cir cumstances . Wheneve r poss ib le, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow ve hicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loa ding consi de rations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icult it be­
comes for the driver to control the r ig. Do not
drive at t he max imum permissib le speed. Reduce
you r sp eed even more if load, weathe r or wind
cond it ions are u nfavo rab le -pa rticularly when
go ing down hill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightes t sign of sway ing .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing trailers are lower tha n for regular
vehicles .
Always apply bra kes early . When d riving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the e ngine
braki ng effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overhea t and fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coo lant tempe rature gauge c:> page 10 m ust
be obse rved caref ully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­
me diate ly and/or t urn
off th e a ir cond it io ne r .
If the coolant temperat ure warning light . in
t h e instr ument cluster starts flashing, pull
off
the road, stop and let the engine idle for about
two m inu tes to pre vent heat build -u p .
A WARNING ,.__ -
A nyone not prope rly restr ained in a moving
ve hicl e is at a m uch grea te r risk in an a cci ­
d ent. Never le t anyon e ride in your car w ho is
n o t pr ope rly we arin g th e res tra ints p ro vid ed
by Au di .
191

Trailer mode
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles different ly when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distr ibution. Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actua lly tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is d ifficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You w ill need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trai ler, you
will need a larger than norma l turning radius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trai ler before chang ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load~
page 258.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
.,. Apply t he foot brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
192
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
.. App ly the parking brake .
.. Place an automat ic transmission* in P, respec­
tively a manual transmission in first or reverse
gear .
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to 0/5, respectively a
manual transmission in first gear.
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the whee l chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone ret rieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
ic transmission* to P before applying the
parking brake and before blocking the wheels,
you may have to use more force later to move
the lever out of the P position.

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General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi­
cle's value.
It can a lso be a requirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your authorized Audi dealer. Read and fol­ l ow the instructions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
- Using clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
-Always store cleaning and care products out of reach of chi ldren to reduce the r isk of po i­
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 that deposits remain on the vehicle,
the mor e the surface may b e damaged . High
temperatures such as those caused by sunlight
increase the damag ing effect.
Before washing, rinse off heavy deposits with
p lenty of water .
S tu bborn depos its s uch as bird d roppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a
microfiber cloth.
A lso , wash the underside of yo ur vehicle once
road sa lt stops being used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instructions
p rovided w ith the pressure washer. This is espe­
cially importa nt in regard to the pressu re and
sp raying distance . Do no t aim the sp ray directly
at seals on side windows, doors, the hood, the
l uggage compartment lid or the sunroof * or at
Ca re and cleaning
ti res, rubber hoses, insulating mate rial, sensors *
or camera lenses* . Keep a distance of at least
40.64 cm (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rota ry nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles.
T he water temperatu re must not be above 140 °F
(60
°().
Automat ic car wa she s
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make s ure that the windows and roo f* are closed
and the windshield 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 ve hicl e starting from the top and wor k­
i ng down using a soft sponge o r cleaning br ush.
U se solvent -free cleaning produ cts.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by
hand
T o avo id damag ing the pa int w hen washing, fi rst
remove dust and large par ticl es from you r vehi­
cle . Insects, grease spots and fingerprints are
best removed with a special cleaner for matte
finish paint.
Apply t he product using a microf iber cloth . To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoroug hly w ith wate r. Then
cl ean usi ng a neutral shampoo and a soft micro­
fiber cloth .
Rinse the ve hicle thorough ly aga in and let it air
dry. Remove any wate r residue using a sham my.
- On ly wash the vehicle when the ign ition is
off and follow the instr uctions from the car
193

Care and cleaning
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci­
dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when was h­
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
- A fter washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to mo isture on the
brake rotors or ice i n the winter. The brakes
must be dried first w it h a few careful brake
applications.
{U) Note
- If you wash the ve hicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior m irrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Power folding exte rior m irrors* must on ly
be fo lded in and out us ing the power folding
f u nct io n.
- T o p revent paint damage, do not wash the
vehicle in di rect sunlight. -
To red uce the risk of damage to the s urface,
do not use insect removing sponges, k itchen
sponges o r similar items .
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the r isk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Neve r use 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 re­
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he veh icle in facili ties spec ially de­
s igned for that pu rpose. This will reduce the
r isk of dirty wate r cont am ina ted with o il from
en te ring the sewe r system.
Cleaning and care information
W hen clean ing and ca ring for ind ividua l vehicle
com ponents, refer to the fo llow ing tables. The
i n fo rmat ion conta ined there is s imply recom­
mendations. For ques tions or for components that are
not listed, cons ult an autho riz ed Aud i
dealer or au thor ized A udi Servi ce Fac ility. Also
f o llow the informa tion fo und in ¢ .&, .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wind shield wiper
Deposits ¢ page 55, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
blades
Headlights
/ Tail
Deposits Soft sponge with a m ild soap solutiona>
lights
Sensors /camera
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning solut ion
lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth w ith alcohol-free cleaning so lu-
tion
Snow/ice H
and br ush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dus t Acid
-free special clean ing solu tion
E x haust tail pipes Road salt Water, clean ing solution su itab le for stainless stee l, if nee -
essary
Decorative parts / Deposits Mild soap so
lution al, a cleaning so lution suitable for stain-
t rim less stee l, if necessary
194

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Component Situation Solution
Carbon parts
Deposits clean the same way as
painted parts~ page 193, Car
washes
Paint Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, repair
with touch up paint~
page 255
Spilled fuel Rin se with water immediately
Surface rust Rust remover,
then protect with hard wax; for questions,
consult an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv- ice Facility.
Corrosion Have it removed by an authorized Aud i dealer or author-
ized Audi Se rvice Facility.
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even though Treat with suitable
polish; then apply paint protectant if
paint has been pro- the polish that was used does not contain any protectant
tected/paint looks
poor
Deposits such as in-Dampen with wate r immediately and remove wit h a m icro-
sects, bird droppings, fiber cloth
tree sap and road salt
Grease-based con-Remove immediately with a mild soap solution a) and a
taminants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sunb lock
•> Mild soap solution: maximum two tab lespoons of neutral soap in 1 quar t (1 liter) of wa ter
Internal cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Deposits Glass
cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative parts / Deposits Mild soap solutiona>
trim
Plastic parts
Deposits Damp doth
Heavier deposits Mild soap solution a), detergent-free plastic cleaning solu-
tion, if ne cessary
Displays Deposits Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Deposits Soft brush,
then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutiona)
Safety belts Deposits Mild soap solution a>, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
195

Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Te xtil es
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
a rt ifici al le ather , the surface
Alcant ara Water-based deposits Absorben
t cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
O il-based deposits Apply a m ild soap solution a), blot away the dissolved oil or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material, treat
as ink, na il polish, la- afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary a)
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Natural leather Fresh stains Wool cloth with a mild soap so
lutiona)
Water-based deposits fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, d ried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Fresh staiins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make-up, for leather
etc. dried stains: oil cleaning spray
Special deposits such Spot remover suitab le for leather
as ink, nai l polish, la -
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Ca re Regularly apply cond ition ing cream that protects from
light and penet rates into the materia l. Use specia lly-co l-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
a) Mild soap solution: maximum two tablesp oons of neutral soap in 1 quart (l liter) of water
_& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be trea ted with wa­
ter-repelling windshield coating agents. Un­
favorable conditions s uch as wetness, dark­
ness, or low sun can result in increased glare .
Wiper blade chatter is also possible.
(D Note
- Headlights/tail light s
-Never clean headlights or tail lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that con­
tains alcohol, because they could cause
cracks to form.
- Wheels
196
-
- Never use any paint polish or other abra­
sive materials.
- Damage to the protect ive layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches must
be repaired immediately.
- Sensors /camera lenses
- Neve r use wa rm or ho t wa ter to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could cause the lens to crack .
- N eve r use ab rasive cleaning materials or
a lcohol to clea n the camera lens . This
could cause scratches and cracks .
-Doo r window s
-Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terior mirrors with a plast ic scraper. To

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one direction and not back and forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from door win­
dows and mirrors using warm or hot water
because this could cause cracks to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window de­
fogger, do not apply any stickers on the
heating wires on the inside of the window.
- Decorative parts/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning prod-
ucts.
-Paint
- To reduce the risk of scratches, the vehicle
must be free of dirt and dust before pol­
ishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish or
wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do not
polish away rust spots.
- Remove cosmetics and sunscreen immedi­
ately- these could damage the paint.
-Displays
-To avoid scratches, do not use dry cleaning
methods on displays.
-Controls
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could cause damage.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their compo­
nents chemically or with corrosive fluids
or solvents and never allow sharp objects
to come into contact with the safety belts.
This could cause damage to the belt web­
bing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buckles,
have them replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
- Textiles/artificial leather/ Alcantara
- Never treat artificial leather/ Alcantara
with leather care products, solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remove or similar
products.
- Have a specialist remove stubborn stains
to prevent damage .
Care and cleaning
-Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers,
rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam­
age to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for exam­
ple on clothing, can damage seat covers.
Make sure hook and loop fasteners are
closed.
- Natural leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, spot remover or simi­
lar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers, rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam­
age to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- To help prevent the leather from fading,
do not leave the vehicle in direct sunlight
for long periods of time. If leaving the ve­
hicle parked for long periods of time, you
should cover the leather to protect it from
direct sunlight.
(D Tips
-Insects are easier to remove from paint that
has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust spots from
forming.
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you would like to take your vehicle out of serv­
ice for a longer time, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repa ir facility. They will
advise you of important measures, su ch as corro­
sion protection, maintenance and storage proce­
dures. Also follow the information about the bat­
tery
~ page 212.
197

Fuel and Refueling
Fuel and Refueling
Fuel
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead­
ed premium
grade gasoline. Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini­
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
p lease go to the official website
(www.toptiergas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rating
may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead­
ed regular gasoline with a minimum octane rat­
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON . However, using 87 AKI/91
RON octane fuel w ill slightly reduce engine per­
formance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European countries . We recommend that
you do not take your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gaso line may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
c::> page 200.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re­
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema­
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore, buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
he lp prevent poss ible engine damage and a loss
of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane rat­
i n gs that can usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 - 96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
198
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI= Anti Knock Index= (R+M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON = M otor Octane Number.
CJ) Note
- Do not use any fue l with octane ratings low­
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen­
sive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of lead­
ed gasoline will severely damage your vehi­
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al­
cohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as oxygen­
ates) if the blended mixt ure meets the following
criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alcohol)
-Anti-knoc k index must be 87 AK I or higher.
- Blend must not contain more than 15% etha-
nol.
- Vehicles with flexib le fue l eng ine: blend must
not contain more than 85% ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iv ing . Dur-
i ng seasonal change-ove r, we suggest that you .,.