Get Care of vehicle and cleaning Guide for Audi Rs Q8 SUV First Generation (2020-2026)

Care of vehicle and cleaning

Plug-in hybrid drive: Do not point the spray jet at

the clip wall mount*.

Care of vehicle and

cleaning

Do not use a high-pressure cleaner to remove

snow and ice.

General information

Regular and careful care helps to maintain the

value of the vehicle. This may also be one of the

requirements for upholding any warranty claims

in the event of corrosion or paint defects.

Never use high-pressure cleaners with a round-jet

nozzle or "dirt blasters".

The water must not be hotter than 60 °C.

Automatic car washes

The required car care products are available from

Audi dealers or specialist retailers. Please follow

the instructions for use on the packaging.

Spray the vehicle with water before washing.

Ensure that the windows and sunroof* are closed

and that the windscreen wipers are switched off.

Ensure that the car is free to roll while it is being

washed in a tunnel car wash. Follow the car wash

operator's rules and recommendations, especial-

ly if any accessories are attached to your vehicle.

WARNING

– Cleaning products and other materials used

for car care can damage health if misused.

– Car care products can contain toxic substan-

ces and must always be kept in a safe place

out of reach of children.

If possible, use a brushless car wash.

Washing by hand

Washing the vehicle

Clean the car with a soft sponge or brush, start-

ing on the roof and working down. Use solvent-

free cleaning agents.

The longer residues like insects, bird droppings,

resinous tree sap or road salt are allowed to re-

main on the vehicle, the more damage they can

do to the paintwork. High temperatures (for in-

stance in direct sunlight) further intensify the

damage.

Washing matt-painted vehicles by hand

To avoid damaging the paintwork when washing

the car, first remove any dust, sand and grit. In-

sects, grease stains and fingerprints are best re-

moved using a special cleaning agent for matt-

painted surfaces.

Before washing, soak heavy dirt with plenty of

water.

Stubborn dirt, such as bird droppings or resinous

tree sap, is best removed with plenty of water

and a micro-fibre cloth.

Apply the product with a micro-fibre cloth. Do

not apply too much pressure to avoid damaging

the paintwork.

After the period when salt is put on the roads,

have the underside of the vehicle washed thor-

oughly.

Rinse the car thoroughly with water. Then clean

the car with a neutral shampoo and a soft micro-

fibre cloth.

High-pressure cleaners

Rinse the car with plenty of water again and then

let it dry in the air. Remove any water stains with

a chamois.

When cleaning the vehicle with a high-pressure

cleaner, always follow the operating instructions

for the equipment. This applies particularly to

the operating pressure and the spraying distance.

Do not point the spray jet directly at the seals on

the windows, doors, boot lid, bonnet or sunroof*,

or at the tyres, rubber hoses, insulating material,

sensors*, camera lenses* or the laser scanner*.

Maintain a distance of at least 40 cm.

WARNING

– Follow the rules and recommendations of

the car wash operator and do not wash the

vehicle with the ignition switched on – risk

of accident!

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346

Care of vehicle and cleaning

– Improper use of high-pressure cleaners can

cause damage to the vehicle. Never point a

water jet at electric/electronic components

when cleaning the engine compartment.

These could be seriously damaged by the

pressure or by exposure to water and could

fail as a result.

– To avoid cutting yourself on sharp metal

parts, always wear suitable protection when

cleaning the underside of the car or inside

the wheel arches.

– After the car has been washed, the full brak-

ing effect can be delayed by moisture (or in

winter by ice) on the discs and brake pads –

risk of accident! The brakes should be dried

by pressing the pedal to restore full braking

effect.

– Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight –

otherwise the paint can be damaged.

– The decals* must not be washed with a

high-pressure cleaner – risk of damage!

– Do not use insect sponges or abrasive

household sponges, etc. – they can damage

the surfaces.

CAUTION

– Before washing the vehicle in an automatic

car wash, please make sure to retract the

exterior mirrors to prevent damage. Always

use the electrical power control to fold the

mirrors in/out on vehicles with electrically

retractable exterior mirrors*.

– Matt-painted vehicle parts:

– Do not use polish or wax – otherwise the

paintwork can be damaged.

– Never use car-wash programmes that in-

clude wax coatings. This could spoil the

matt finish.

– Compare the track width of your vehicle

with the distance between the guide rails

for the wheels in the car wash. Otherwise

there may be a risk of damaging the wheel

rims and tyres.

– Do not attach any stickers or magnet la-

bels to matt-painted parts as these could

damage the paintwork when they are re-

moved.

– Compare the height and width of your vehi-

cle with the available height and width

when entering and driving through the car

wash. Otherwise there may be a risk of dam-

aging the vehicle.

For the sake of the environment

The car should only be washed in special wash

bays. This prevents oily water from getting in-

to the public drains.

– Please ensure that there is sufficient ground

clearance in tunnel car washes ðpage 133.

The vehicle could otherwise become lodged

on the guide rails – risk of damage!

Information on cleaning and care

For cleaning and care of individual components

on the vehicle, please refer to the tables below.

These are recommendations only. If you have

special questions or certain components are not

listed, please ask your qualified workshop. Please

also refer to the notes ð

.

Cleaning the exterior

Component(s)

Wiper blades

Situation

Dirt/deposits

Remedy

Soft cloth with glass cleaner ðpage 68

a)

Headlights/

rear lights

Dirt/deposits

Snow/ice

Soft sponge with mild detergent

Sensors/

camera lenses

Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning agent

Camera lenses: soft cloth with alcohol-free cleaning agent

Small brush/solvent-free de-icer spray

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347

Care of vehicle and cleaning

Component(s)

Laser scanner

Wheels

Situation

Dirt/deposits

Remedy

a)

Soft sponge with mild detergent

Road salt

Brake dust

Road salt

Water

Acid-free cleaning agent

Tailpipes

Water; suitable stainless steel cleaning product if necessa-

ry

a)

Trim/

Dirt/deposits

Mild detergent ; suitable stainless steel cleaning product

mouldings

if necessary

a)

Rubber seals

Dirt/deposits

Frost

Micro-fibre cloth with mild detergent

Protect the seals on the doors/bonnet/boot lid/flaps, etc.

against freezing with suitable care products

Paintwork

Fuel overflow

Surface rust

Rinse with water without delay

Surface rust remover, apply wax afterwards; contact your

qualified workshop with any questions

Corrosion

Have it removed by your qualified workshop

Apply wax (at least twice a year)

Water no longer

pearls off clean paint-

work

Paint has lost its

shine, gloss cannot

be restored by waxing

Treat with a suitable polish; finish with wax coating if pol-

ish does not contain wax compounds

Residues, e.g. insects, Remove immediately using water and a micro-fibre cloth

bird droppings, resin-

ous tree sap, road salt

a)

Fat-based stains, e.g. Remove immediately using mild detergent and a soft

cosmetics or sun lo-

tion

cloth

Carbon parts

Decals

Dirt/deposits

Same treatment as painted parts ðpage 346

a)

Soft sponge with mild detergent

Residues, e.g. insects, Remove immediately using water and a micro-fibre cloth

bird droppings, resin-

ous tree sap, road salt

a)

Fat-based stains, e.g. Remove immediately using mild detergent and a soft

cosmetics or sun lo-

tion

cloth

Fuel overflow

Remove immediately using a soft cloth and then with mild

detergent and a soft cloth

a)

Audi e-tron

Dirt/deposits

Soft, dry cloth

charging system

Clip wall mount Dirt/deposits

Soft cloth with alcohol-free cleaning agent

a)

Mild detergent: not more than two tablespoons of pH-neutral detergent to one litre of water

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348

Care of vehicle and cleaning

Cleaning the interior

Component(s)

Situation

Dirt/deposits

Remedy

Windows

Glass cleaning agent, then wipe dry

a)

Trim/

Mild detergent

mouldings

Plastic parts

Dirt/deposits

Damp cloth

a)

Heavier dirt/deposits Mild detergent ; solvent-free plastic cleaning agent if nec-

essary

Displays/instru- Dirt/deposits

ment cluster

Soft cloth with LCD cleaner; dust deposits in the lower area

of the instrument cluster can be removed with a soft brush

a)

Controls and dis- Dirt/deposits

Soft brush, then soft sponge with mild detergent

plays

a)

Seat belts

Dirt/deposits

Surface dirt

Mild detergent (allow to dry before retracting)

Fabrics,

Vacuum cleaner

a)

leatherette,

microfibre

Water-based stains,

e.g. coffee, tea,

blood, etc.

Absorbent cloth and mild detergent

a)

Fat-based stains, e.g. Apply mild detergent , dab off dissolved grease or colour

oil, make-up, etc.

particles with absorbent cloth; if necessary treat with wa-

ter

Special dirt/stains,

e.g. ballpoint pen,

nail varnish, disper-

sion paint, shoe

cream, etc.

Special stain remover (dab off with absorbent fabric); if

necessary treat with mild detergent

a)

Natural leather

Fresh dirt/stains

Cotton cloth with mild detergent

Water-based stains,

e.g. coffee, tea,

blood, etc.

Fresh stains: absorbent cloth

Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather

Fat-based stains, e.g. Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and suitable stain remover

oil, make-up, etc.

for leather

Dried stains: grease removal spray

Special dirt/stains,

e.g. ballpoint pen,

nail varnish, disper-

sion paint, shoe

cream, etc.

Stain remover suitable for leather

Care of vehicle

Regularly apply leather-care cream with ultra-violet pro-

tection and impregnating compound; if necessary use spe-

cial colour leather cream

Carbon parts

Dirt/deposits

Same treatment as plastic parts

a)

Mild detergent: not more than two tablespoons of pH-neutral detergent to one litre of water

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349

Care of vehicle and cleaning

only be pushed in one direction and not

moved to and fro.

WARNING

Do not use water-repellent coatings on the

windscreen. In bad visibility conditions such as

light rain, low sun or when driving at night

these coatings can cause increased dazzle,

which is a serious safety hazard. Such coat-

ings can also cause the wiper blades to judder.

– Never use warm or hot water to remove

snow and ice from windows and mirrors.

This could cause the glass to crack!

– To avoid damaging the heating element,

do not put stickers on the inner side of the

rear window.

– Ornamental trim/mouldings

WARNING

– Do not use chrome cleaning agents.

– Rubber seals

– Never immerse the Audi e-tron charging sys-

tem or the connectors in water.

– Do not use solvent-based cleaning prod-

ucts – risk of damage!

– Only clean the Audi e-tron charging system

when the operating unit is fully disconnec-

ted from the power grid and from the vehi-

cle.

– Paintwork

– The vehicle must be free of dirt and dust

before applying polish/wax – otherwise

the paintwork may be damaged.

– Do not polish/wax the vehicle in direct

sunlight – this can damage the paint!

– Do not attempt to polish out surface rust

deposits – this can damage the paint!

– Remove cosmetics and sun lotion immedi-

ately – otherwise the paintwork may be

damaged.

CAUTION

– Headlights/rear lights

– Never clean the headlights/rear lights

with a dry cloth or sponge – risk of dam-

age!

– Do not use cleaning agents containing al-

cohol. This could cause the glass to crack!

– Wheels

– Decals

– Do not use paint polish or other abrasive

agents.

– Do not clean the decals with a high-pres-

sure cleaner as this could cause them to

come loose.

– If the protective paint coating on the

wheel rim is scratched or damaged by

stone chips etc., the damaged area should

be touched up without delay.

– Camera lenses

– Do not use any powder-based or abrasive

cleaning products – risk of damage!

– Do not polish decals – risk of damage!

– Do not use an ice scraper to remove snow

and ice from windows to which decals

have been applied – this could damage the

decals.

– Never remove snow and ice from the cam-

era lens using warm or hot water – danger

of cracks appearing on the lens.

– Never clean the camera lens with cleaning

agents which are abrasive or contain alco-

hol – danger of scratches and cracks.

– Laser scanner

– Displays/instrument cluster

– Before cleaning, ensure that the displays

and the instrument cluster are switched

off and cool. To switch off the upper and

lower display, select the following on the

home screen of the MMI: SETTINGS > Dis-

play & brightness > MMI > Screen clean-

ing.

– Never use abrasive cleaning agents to

clean the laser scanner – danger of

scratches and cracks.

– Windows and windscreen

– The displays/instrument cluster and the

surrounding trim must not be cleaned

with a dry cloth – this can scratch the sur-

faces!

– Remove snow and ice from windows and

exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper on-

ly. To avoid scratches, the scraper should

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350

Care of vehicle and cleaning

– Do not let any liquid get between the in-

strument cluster and the trim – risk of

damage!

– Avoid exposing leather to direct sunlight

for long periods, otherwise it may tend to

lose some of its colour. If the car is left for

a prolonged period in the bright sun, it is

best to cover the leather.

– Control consoles

– Do not let any liquid get inside the control

consoles – risk of damage!

– Seat belts

– Clip wall mount

– Do not use abrasive cleaning agents or flu-

ids containing alcohol – risk of discoloura-

tion!

– Do not remove the seat belts to clean

them.

– Do not use chemical cleaning agents, cor-

rosive liquids, solvents or sharp instru-

ments to clean the seat belts or their com-

ponents – this can damage the belt web-

bing!

Note

– It is much easier to remove dead insects if

the car has been waxed recently.

– Regular waxing can help protect against

surface rust.

– If you find any damage to the belt web-

bing, the belt fittings, the belt retractor or

the buckle, have the belt in question re-

placed by a qualified workshop.

– Fabrics/leatherette/microfibre

– The decals undergo an ageing process (e.g.

becoming brittle) due to various environ-

mental factors. Excessive exposure to sun-

light may cause irregularities in the colour-

ing of the decals.

– Do not use leather care products, sol-

vents, wax polish, shoe cream, stain re-

movers, or any similar products on leath-

erette/microfibre fabrics.

Taking the vehicle out of

service

– To avoid damage, stubborn stains should

be removed by a qualified workshop.

– Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard

sponges or similar utensils.

If you wish to take your vehicle out of service for

a long period of time, contact an Audi dealer or

other qualified workshop. They can give you ad-

vice on the measures necessary, depending on

where and for how long the vehicle is to be kept

out of service.

– Do not use the seat heating* to dry the

seats.

– Sharp-edged objects on clothing, such as

zip fasteners, rivets or belts, can also

damage the surface of the fabric.

– Please make sure you close any velcro fas-

teners, e.g. on your clothing, as these

could otherwise damage the upholstery.

– Natural leather

– Do not use solvents, wax polish, shoe

cream, stain removers, or any similar

products on leather fabrics.

– Sharp-edged objects on clothing, such as

zip fasteners, rivets or belts, can also

damage the surface of the fabric.

– Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard

sponges or similar utensils.

– Do not use the seat heating* to dry the

seats.

351

Care of vehicle and cleaning for Your Audi Rs Q8 SUV First Generation (2020-2026)

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