Car care (Audi A6 C5)

Taking care of your car helps to preserve it.

Regular qualified car maintenance helps to preserve your vehicle.

The necessary car care products can be purchased from Audi or specialist companies. When using them, follow the instructions for use printed on the packaging.

Preservation of the coating

Preservation protects the car's paintwork.

Treat the varnish with hard wax from time to time.

Good preservation largely protects the car from minor mechanical damage.

The paintwork of your car can be treated with liquid hard wax as early as one week after delivery of your new car.

The protective layer of preservative, which is a hard wax, is reapplied no later than when the effect of water droplets rolling off the clean coating has clearly disappeared.

Even with regular use of a cleaning preservative in automatic cleaning systems, it is recommended to additionally apply a protective layer of hard wax to the coating at least twice a year.

The insect residues that stick to the front part and front bumper, mainly during the warm season, are usually much easier to remove from the paintwork with a freshly applied preservative.

Polishing

Polishing serves to restore gloss.

Polishing is only necessary if the paintwork has lost its attractive appearance and it is no longer possible to restore the gloss using preservatives.

If the polish used does not contain preservative components, then after polishing it is necessary to preserve the paintwork.

Caution! Do not use polishing agents or hard wax on matte painted parts or plastic components of the vehicle.

Moldings

Moldings require special care.

To remove stains and deposits from decorative trims, use neutral care products - do not use chrome care products. Audi has cleaning products that have been tested for use on your vehicle and are environmentally friendly.

Synthetic components

Synthetic components require special care.

Synthetic components are subject to normal washing. If this is not enough, synthetic components can also be treated with solvent-free special products intended for the care of such products. Lacquer care products are not suitable for the care of synthetic components.

Damage to paintwork

Minor damage to the paintwork must be removed immediately.

Minor damage to the paintwork can be repaired with a paint pencil or an aerosol can.

Minor damage to the paintwork, such as scratches, marks or marks from stone impacts, should be varnished immediately before corrosion occurs. Suitable paint pencils or spray cans for your car are available from Audi companies).

The original paintwork code number of the vehicle can be found on the manufacturer's identification plate.



Carefully remove any rust that has appeared at the site of damage. First apply an anti-corrosion primer to the area, and then a topcoat.

Window panes

Good visibility improves traffic safety.

• Remove snow and ice with a synthetic scraper.
• Remove other residual deposits with glass cleaner.
• Dry the glass with a clean cloth.

Snow and ice should be removed from glass and exterior mirrors only with a synthetic scraper. In doing so, gradually mix the scraper, and do not move it back and forth, so as not to scratch the glass and mirrors.

Rubber, oil, grease or silicone residues can be removed with glass cleaner or silicone remover. Wax residues can only be removed with a special cleaner.

Glass must be cleaned regularly, also from the inside.

Use a special cloth or leather for glass to dry the glass. Leather intended for treating varnished surfaces should not be used to dry the glass, as the preservative residues will adversely affect visibility.

The rear window heating threads are located on the inside of the glass. Do not stick stickers on the rear window heating threads to avoid damaging them.

Rubber seals

Rubber seals also require maintenance.

Treat rubber seals from time to time with a rubber care product.

Rubber seals on doors, hood, trunk, roof panel and windows retain their properties and last longer if they are rubbed from time to time with a special product designed for the care of rubber products (for example, silicone aerosol). After such treatment, they do not freeze even in winter and the doors open easier. In addition, do not allow premature wear of seals and loss of tightness.

Castles

In winter, locks can freeze.

To defrost the locks, we recommend using the original Audi aerosol, which has degreasing and anti-corrosion properties.

When washing your car, make sure that as little water as possible gets into the locks.

Wheels with steel rims

Wash the rims and wheel caps during the car wash.

Cleaning your wheels will prevent brake pad wear products, dirt and road salt from building up on their surfaces.

Stubborn wear products from brake linings can be removed with a product for removing settled industrial dust.

Repair damage to paintwork before rust appears.

Alloy wheels

• Remove brake pad wear and road salt from discs at least every two weeks.
• Treat clean wheels only with acid-free alloy wheel cleaner.
• Every three months, thoroughly wax the discs with hard wax.

To maintain the decorative appearance of light alloy wheels for a long time, they require regular maintenance. Otherwise, the above-mentioned substances will begin to corrode the light alloy.

Treat the wheels with a special acid-free product for cleaning light alloy wheels. In no case leave the cleaning agent longer than the time prescribed in the instructions. If there is no suitable special cleaning agent, the wheels can also be treated after washing with liquid soap or a solution of vinegar essence diluted with water.

Do not use polish intended for the care of paintwork or other abrasives. If the protective varnish coating is damaged, for example by stone impacts, the defect must be repaired immediately.

Bottom protection

Check the underbody protection from time to time.



The underside of the car is protected by a durable coating that protects it from chemical and mechanical influences.

However, since damage to the protective layer due to the condition of the road surface cannot be ruled out during driving, it is recommended to contact an Audi dealer at regular intervals - preferably before the start of the winter season and in the spring - to check and, if necessary, to repair damage to the protective coating applied to the underbody and chassis of the vehicle.

Therefore, work on restoring the protective coating or carrying out additional measures to protect the body from corrosion should be carried out by these enterprises.

Caution. In the area of exhaust pipes, catalytic converters or heat shields, additional materials for underbody protection or against corrosion must not be used under any circumstances. These substances may ignite while driving.

Preservation of body cavities

There is no need to check the preservation of the body cavities.

All cavities of the car that are subject to corrosion are treated with preservative wax at the manufacturing plant.

Such preservation does not require control and subsequent processing. In case of wax release from the body cavities at high temperature, remove it with a synthetic scraper and washing gasoline.

Synthetic components, artificial leather, linings and upholstery

• Wipe synthetic components with a damp cloth.
• The door trims and upholstery, ceiling, etc. should be treated with a sponge and special cleaners.

Wipe synthetic components and artificial leather with a damp cloth. If this is not enough, these components can only be treated with solvent-free special products intended for the care of such products.



Door trims and upholstery, trunk seals, ceiling, etc. are treated with special cleaners or dry foam and a soft sponge.

Genuine Leather

The intensity of the color filling determines the appearance and properties. Nappa leather is recognized by its natural surface and guarantees exceptional comfort. Fine veins, scars, insect bites, fat folds and a slight color shade are preserved and give the leather the naturalness of a natural material.

The natural quality of Nappa leather is not coated with a topcoat of paint, which makes it more sensitive. This should be remembered when children, animals or other factors are on it.

Even more reliable are the proposed types of leather with a more or less multi-layer paint coating. This coating has a positive effect on everyday use. Of course, in this case, the natural signs of the leather surface are almost or not at all visible. However, this does not affect the quality of the leather.

When handling and caring for leather, it is necessary to observe certain caution and certain rules, which is due to the exceptionally high quality of the leather grades used and their special properties (sensitivity to oils, fats, dirt, etc.).

For example, dark colored clothing items (especially poorly dyed and damp clothes) may leave traces of paint on the seat. Dust, dirt particles in the pores, folds and seams contribute to the wear of the leather and can damage its surface. Therefore, genuine leather must be treated regularly or at intervals depending on the intensity of use. After a long period of use, the seats of your car are covered with a typical, unique "patina" coating. This is typical for genuine leather and is a sign of excellent quality.



To preserve the valuable qualities of natural material throughout the entire period of use, it is important to remember the following:

Carefully

• Avoid leaving the car in the sun for a long time to protect the leather from fading. If the car is in the sun for a long time, the leather should be protected from direct sunlight.
• Sharp-edged clothing items such as belt buckles, zippers, pop-up rivets, etc. can also leave scratches and marks on the skin.

Note

• Regularly and after each cleaning, use a cream with a light-protecting and impregnating effect. The cream nourishes the leather, helps your leather upholstery remain elastic and breathable, and restores moisture. At the same time, the cream creates or renews surface protection.
• Clean the leather every 2-3 months. Remove fresh dirt immediately.
• Fresh stains from ballpoint pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. should be removed as quickly as possible.
• Skin color care is also necessary. Use a special skin color care cream to refresh the color in the appropriate places.

Skin cleaning and care

Genuine leather requires very specific attention and care.

Normal cleaning

Clean the contaminated surface with a slightly damp cotton or woolen cloth.

Heavy pollution

• Clean heavily soiled areas with a cloth dampened with a mild soap solution (two tablespoons of chemically neutral soap per liter of water).
• At the same time, it is important to ensure that the leather does not become completely wet and that water does not penetrate through the seams.
• After washing, wipe the leather with a soft, dry cloth.

Stain removal

• Fresh water based stains, (for example, coffee, tea, juices, blood, etc.) remove with an absorbent cloth or tissue. Remove dried stains with a cleaner from a leather care kit.
• Fresh grease stains (for example, butter, mayonnaise, chocolate, etc.) remove with an absorbent cloth or tissue, or, if the stain has not yet been absorbed, with a leather care cleaner.
• Remove dried grease stains using a grease-dissolving aerosol.
• Special spots (for example, stains from ballpoint pens, felt-tip pens, nail polish, emulsion paint, shoe polish, etc.) can be removed with a special stain remover suitable for leather.

Skin care

• Treat the leather every six months with a leather care product available from Audi dealers.
• Apply skin care product extremely sparingly.
• After leaving it for a while to take effect, it is then washed off with a soft cloth.

Seat belts

• Keep belts clean.
• Contaminated belts can be washed with a mild soap solution.
• Check the condition of the seat belts regularly.

If the belt tape is heavily contaminated, the automatic belt tape retraction mechanism may not operate properly.

Before winding the belt tape using the retractor mechanism, it must be allowed to dry completely.

Carefully

• There is no need to remove the seat belts to clean them.
• Do not dry clean the belts, as chemical cleaning agents may destroy the fabric. Also, do not allow caustic liquids to come into contact with the belts.
• Replace belts at a specialized facility if the fabric, connections, belt retraction mechanisms or locks are damaged.

The original text is available on the website: AudiManual.ru