cleaners AUDI A4 2013 Owners Manual

There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce ­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft , dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi .
Airbag system 159
-Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated , it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­ placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only.
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a
pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre ­
cautions must be followed.
{® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­ ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi .,..
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202 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value .
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes, corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
purchase . Regular and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
Furthermore, good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty claim should
corrosion damage or paint defects occur.
Your author ized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedicated vehicle-care products and can ad­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and interior of your vehicle .
Whether you use products recommended by
Audi or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product . Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted.
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail pol ish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammable or
hazardous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ignit ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, etc. without pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may cut yourself on sharp-edged metal parts. -
Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing eff ic iency
c::> page 188. Test the
brakes carefully each time you wash the
veh icle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environ mentally friendly clean­
ing products. Leftover cleaning products
should not disposed of in the household
waste .
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best p rotection against environmental in ­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often this is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the vehicle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasona l and weather conditions
- Environmental influences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and industria l gr ime, tar, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle body, the more lasting their destructive ef­
fects will be . High temperatures caused by ex­
posure to intense sunlight intensify the corro­
sive effect, particularly when humidity is high as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekly washing
may be necessary. Under other conditions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferably in a
professional car wash.
Vehicles with matte finish paint
c::> page 204.
A WARNING
-A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c::> page 202.

206 Cleaning and protection
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your
paint as soon as one week after your vehicle
has been de livered.
Even if you regularly use a
waxing process in
automatic car washes, we recommend that
you manua lly app ly a coat of wax to give the
pa int extra protection, particular ly if water no
longer beads on the clean paint.
Protect plastic body parts with car wax in the
same way as the vehicle body.
During warm weather dead insects tend to
collect on the front bumper and on the for­
ward area of the hood. They are much easier
to remove from paint that is waxed
often.
Polishing
Polish your vehicle only if the paint has lost its
shine and the gloss cannot be brought back
with wax.
If the polish used does not contain preserva­
tive compounds, the paint must be waxed af­
terwards.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 202.
(D Note
Do not use car wax on
- matte or anod ized metal trim
- rubber or rubber-like trim .
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care.
For environmenta l reasons, Audi fabricates
the bright trim strips and trim pieces from pure chromium-free aluminum.
Dirt and marks on the trim strips should be
removed with a
pH-balanced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner). Authorized
Aud i dealers carry cleaning products which
have been tested for use on your vehicle and
are not harmful to the environment . T
o avoid corrosion on the exterior trim strips,
only a pH-ba lanced solution should be used
for the windsh ield washer.
A WARNING "--
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 202.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care .
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose cleaning solution or a
mild saddle soap for vinyl trim. Remove water
spots and traces of soap with a clean, damp
cloth or sponge. Use a clean, soft cloth to rub
dry .
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed with a
clean cloth or sponge soaked with all-purpose
cleaner or with a solvent designed espec ially
to clean v inyl.
Occasiona lly app ly a colorless vinyl or leather
preservative to retain the material's luster
and pliability .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 202.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from aluminum surfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack aluminum surfaces and can dam­
age them over time.
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 202.

208 Clea ning and protec tio n
- Damage or ma lfunction of electrical
components due to water damage or any
other outside influence is not covered by
the Aud i New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
See your Warranty
& Maintenance book­
l et for additional details about your war­
ranty.
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
.. Wash the whee ls with a sponge or hose
brush every other week.
.. For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
aci d-fr ee cast alloy wheel cleaner.
.. Rub a coat of
liqui d wax onto the r ims every
three month . Be sure to reach and treat a ll
parts of the rim.
To preserve the decorat ive appearance of the
cast alloy wheels, some specia l care is neces­
sary. In addit ion to road d irt and sa lt , brake
dust is a lso cor ros ive.
If l eft on for too long,
brake dus t can cause pitting.
Use only specia l
acid-free cleaners formulated
for a lloy rims. Safe p roducts are available at
your author ized Audi dealer. Never leave the
cleane r on the rims longer than specified on
the label. If not rinsed
off promptly, the acid
contained in some cleaners can attack the
threads on the whee l bolts.
Never use ab ras ive or metal polishing clean­
ing agents. If the protective coating has been
chipped, e .g. by kicked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possible .
.&, WARNING
-Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency¢
page 188. Test the
brakes carefully each time you wash the
vehicle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 202.
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked .
All body cav ities which could be affected by
corros ion have been thoroughly protected at
the factory .
This sealing does not require any inspection or additional treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cavity when the ambient tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed with a plastic scraper and a suitable solvent .
.&, WARNING '"-'--
Solvents can be dangerous .
- Benz ine is flammable and toxic. If you
use benz ine for removing the wax, keep
spa rks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benz ine on the
g round, into open streams or down sew ­
age drains .
- Be s ure to observe all safety and environ­
mental regulations. Follow all instruc­
tions on the container.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 202.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor­
oughly p rotected against corros ion.
Any damage to the undercoat ing caused by
road hazards should be repaired promptly .
.&, WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong p la­
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalyti c con­
ver ter or heat shields. While driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.

-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 202.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other corros ive materia ls will
damage the mater ial in the exhaust tail pipes
if they are not cleaned regularly . Do not clean
the ta il p ipes with wheel cleaner, paint pol ish,
chrome po lish or other abrasive cleaners.
C lea n the ta il p ipes wi th car ca re p rod ucts
that are s uitabl e for s tain less stee l.
Your authorized Audi dealer can provide clean­ i n g p roducts t hat have been tested and ap­
p roved fo r you r vehi cle.
Care of interior
Infotainment components
The Radio/MMI* display may be cleaned with
a soft cloth and commerc ially-avai lab le "LCD
cleane r" . The cloth should be coated l ightly
wh en the clean ing solution when cleani ng the
d isp lay.
The
MMI* contro ls must be cleaned first with
a br ush so that dirt does not e nte r the un it o r
ente r betwee n th e bu ttons and the hous ing.
Then w ip ing t he con tro ls w ith a cloth damp­
e ned wi th dish de tergent and water is recom ­
mended .
(D Note
- To avoid sc ratch ing the disp lay, yo u
s ho ul d neve r clea n it dry.
- To prevent damage, ma ke s ure fl uids do
n ot en ter the co ntrols.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and deposits from alum inum surfaces.
C hrome ca re products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum in um s urfaces and can dam­
age them over time.
Cleaning and protec tion 209
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 202.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabr ics and fabric cover ings (e.g. seats, door
trim pa ne ls, etc.) shou ld be cleaned at regular
i n tervals w it h a vac uum cleaner. This removes
s ur face di rt particles which cou ld become em­
bedded in the fabri c throug h use. Ste am
cleaners sho uld not be used, beca use the
steam tends to p ush the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there .
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
o r a lint -free microfibe r clo th to the clean fab­
ric. Br ushes shou ld only be used for carpets
and floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by br ushes.
Norma l su rface s tains c an be cleaned using a
commerc ially availab le foam cleaner . Spread
the foam on the s urface of t he fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu­
rate the fabric. T hen pat the foam dry us ing
absorbe nt, dry cloths (e.g. m icrofiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried completely.
Cleaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e .g. coffee, fr uit
juice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter­
gent solution. Apply the detergent sol ution
with a spo nge. In the case of stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric. After­
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to
remove the rem aining de terge nt. Apply the
w at er wit h a d am p clot h or sponge a nd pat
the fabric dry with an abso rbent, dry clot h.
Stains from choco late or makeup should have
de terge nt pa ste rubbed i nto them. After­
w ards, remove the soa p with wa te r (damp
sponge).
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from grease, o il, lipstic k or a ballpoin t pen. Melted .,.
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