Exterior care AUDI A6 2013 Owners Manual

208 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 194 , General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Select only 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 210.
A WARNING
-A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c::> page 208.

Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sig n of the fac ility, the filte ring of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the paint has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a ca r wash, be s ure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and power roof. Factory installed an­
tennas must not be removed.
If you have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car was h operator if these
should be removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 208.
CD Note
- Before washing the vehicle in an auto­
matic car wash, please make sure to re­
tract the exterior m irrors to prevent
them from being damaged. Power fo ld­
i ng exter ior mirrors* must not be folded
i n or out by hand . Always use the electri­
ca l power control.
- Compare the width of your vehicle with the width of the tunnel at the fac ility.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi­
cle by hand.
.,. Before you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
¢ fr. .
Cleaning and protec tion 209
.,. First soak all dried dirt unti l it is soft, then
rinse it off.
.,. As you clean your vehicle, start w ith the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge glove or a clean
brush .
.,. Rinse the sponge or the sponge glove often,
flushing it clean each time.
.,. Use spec ial car shampoo only fo r
very per­
sistent d irt.
.,. Rinse the car thoroughly w ith water.
.,. Use a chamois leather to gent ly wipe the ex -
terior dry .
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door s ills and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, you wi ll not scratch
the paint with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
- Wash your vehicle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 208 .
CD Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
could scratch your vehicle's paint or win­
dows .
- Never wash your car in bright sunlight.
Drops of wate r act as magn ifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- When you wash your car in the winter: if you rinse your vehicle with a hose, be careful not to aim the stream of water
directly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings - they can freeze shut.
- Never use sponges designed to remove
insects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar p rod ucts. They can damage
your paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths o r •
•

210 Cleaning and protec tio n
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water .
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel­
ing your vehicle. Never clean the head­
lights w ith a dry cloth or sponge. Use a
wet cloth or sponge. It is best to use
soapy water .
@) For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially
designed for that purpose. Th is w ill reduce
the risk of d irty water contaminated w ith
oil from entering the sewer system . In
some areas, wash ing vehicles outs ide of
these facilities is prohib ited.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules.
• Before using the power w asher , make sure
yo u have read and understood the WARN­
INGS
q A in General information on
page 208.
• Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer.
• Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray" .
• Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls .
Keep a d istance from soft materials such as
rubber hoses or insulat ing mater ial as we ll as
sensors and camera lenses.
When cleaning t he vehicle wit h a power wash­
er
always fo llow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the operating pres­
sure and the spraying distance . Do not po int
the spray direc tly at the sea ls around the s ide
windows, aro und t he doors, on the re ar lid or
on the sunroof* . Likew ise, do not point it di­
rectly at tires, r ubber hoses, ins ulation mate­
rial or sensors
q page 211. Hold the spray nozzle at least 1.3 ft (0.4 m) away from the
vehicle.
Do no t use a high-pressu re power was her to
remove snow and ice .
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a d irect
st ream o r one that has a rotating je t.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °() .
A WARNING ,..__
Neve r wash t ires with a jet that sprays wa­
ter in a direct stream. This could cause in­
v is ible d amage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a relative ly
l ong distance and for a short time . Dam ­
aged and wea kened tires can fail a nd cause
accidents and personal in jury.
(D Note
To avoid damaging yo ur vehicle, a lw ays
make sure tha t the re is sufficien t distance
between the spray head and soft materia ls
li ke rubber hoses, plast ic parts and sound ­
deaden ing mater ia ls as well as sensors
and camera lenses. Never a im the spray
head at the same point fo r a long time.
This also app lies to cleaning headlights
and paint ed bumpers . Remembe r: t he
closer the no zzle is to the surfa ce of the
m at erial , the gre ater t he s tress on the ma ­
terial.
Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Applies to vehicles: wit h matte finish paint
Vehicles with matte finish paint require spe ­
cial care due to the characteristics of the
paint.
Washing by hand
T o avoid damaging the pain t when was hing,
fi rst remove dust and la rge particles from
yo ur vehicle . Insects, grease spots and finger­
prints are best removed with a
special cleaner
for matte finish pa int .
1111>

Automatic climate control Air vents ... ..... ..... ... .. .. .. .... 68
Automatic recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Setup ... .. ................. .. .... 69
synchron izing ............... ... ... . 68
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . ... .. .. .. . 106
Automatic t ransmission
Automatic Sh ift Lock (ASL) . .. .. .. .. . 106
D nvrng .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 10 7
Emergency mode . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 110
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 11
Kick-dow n .. .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 110
Manual shift program ..... .. .. .. .. . 109
multitronic ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
S tron ic ® ...... ........... ... ... .. 105
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Automatic wipers .......... .... .. .... 46
Auto Safety Hotline ........ .. .. .. .. . 134
Average consumption ............ .... . 24
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .. .. .. .. . 200
B
Battery ... ... ............. ...... .. 235
C ha rging ................... ... ... 237
I mportan t war nings ...... .. .. .. .. . 236
Ju mp s tarting . ........... .. .. .. ... 274
L ocat ion ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 236
l ow ..... .. .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. ... 197
Replacing the battery .. ... .. .. .. .. . 239
State of charge ........... .. .. .. ... 197
W inter operation ......... .. .. .. .. . 235
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 236
B efore driving . ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 126
B lended gasoline . ............. ... .. 220
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 68
B lower ( climate con trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Body cav ity sealing .......... ... ... .. 214
Booster seats . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 180
B rake fl uid
Changing the brake fl uid ... .. .. .. .. . 235
C heck ing the bra ke fluid level . .. .. .. . 234
What is the cor rect brake fl uid leve l? .. 234
What should I do if the bra ke fl uid warn-
ing light comes on? ....... .. .. .. .. . 234
Inde x 291
Brake system
Anti- lock b raking system ..... ... .. .. . 20
B rake assist system .. .. ..... ... .. .. 192
Brake booster .. .. ................. 195
Brake fluid .. .. .. .... ............. 234
B rake fluid specifications fo r refill and re -
placeme nt .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 235
B ra ke light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Br ake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
El ec tromech an ic al par king br ake . .. .. . 74
Fl uid reservo ir ... .. .. .. ...... ... .. 23 4
How does moist ure or roa d salt affect the
brakes? ... .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 194
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .... . 15
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
braking gu ard
Set tings . ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 89
B rak ing guard ..... .. ................ 82
Messages . .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 89
Break-in per iod .. .. .. ............... 199
B rake pads .. .. .. .... ... .... .... .. 199
T ires ........ ... .. ..... .......... 199
Bu lbs . ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 273
C
Cali forn ia Proposition 65 Warn ing ... .. 226
Battery specific .... . .. ..... ... .. .. 237
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
E ngine o il . .. .. .. ................. 227
Car care .... .. .. .. ................. 208
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Inter ior ... .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 214
Car carrier Transporting your vehicle ....... .. .. 278
Cargo area . ... .... .. . .. ... .... ... .. 132
Cargo ne t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Catalytic converter ... . ... .... ... .. .. 200
Center armre st
Cockpit ... .. .. .. ................. . 52
Central lock ing .. .... ... ....... ...... 33
E mergency locking .. ... ....... .... .. 37
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Ch ang ing a wheel .. .... ......... .... 263
Changi ng engine oil .. ... ....... .... . 231
Chassis (undercoating) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
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