General Information and Safety Precautions

GENERAL INFORMATION

These models have a unibody design, in which the floor panel with front and rear side members (frame rails) serves as the support for the other body parts, the front and rear suspensions and other mechanical components. The windshield and rear window are bonded in. Some components are especially vulnerable in accidents and can be bolted off and repaired or replaced. These include the hood, trunk lid, doors and front fenders. When fitting, observe the gaps; otherwise, for example, a door may rattle or excessive wind noise may occur while driving. The gap must be parallel along its entire length, i.e. the distance between body parts must be kept constant over the whole length. Deviations of up to 1 mm are permitted.

During production the body is fully galvanized. External body panels have electrolytic zinc coating, as this type of coating is suitable for paint application and deforms easily. Internal and hidden body parts have cheaper hot-dip galvanizing. To improve corrosion resistance, all hollow body parts are additionally filled with wax, and a protective coating is applied to the underbody. Bumpers and wheel arch liners are made of plastic for strength and durability.

When disassembling and assembling, take care not to damage the seals and the anti-corrosion coating applied by the factory.

Before working on the instrument panel, doors or any electrical equipment, disconnect the negative battery cable. To do this, refer to the subsections Removing and installing battery and Entering radio code.

Safety precautions when performing body work

– When repairing the body, use spot welding. Only if electrodes cannot reach the welding point should inert gas welding be used. Since the body is fully galvanized, observe the following safety precautions: – When welding or performing any other work that generates sparks, always disconnect the battery (positive and negative cables) and carefully insulate both the (–) and (+) terminals. When working near the battery, remove it.

CAUTION

When the battery is disconnected, data stored in electronic control module memories is erased, in particular the radio code. Without the code, the radio can only be activated by its manufacturer or an AUDI dealer. Therefore, read the notes in the Entering radio code subsection. Welding galvanized sheet metal produces toxic zinc oxide. Therefore, ensure good ventilation at the work area. Increase welding current by 10, maximum 30 %. Use hard copper electrodes with high heat resistance (above + 400°C). Clean and dress electrodes more frequently to a contact surface diameter of 4 mm. Increase electrode pressure. Increase welding time. The time is correct if spot welds are made without spatter. Air conditioning components filled with refrigerant must not be welded or soldered, either with soft or hard solder. This also applies when there is a risk of heating air conditioning components while welding or soldering other body components.

Additional

Do not open the air conditioning refrigerant circuit, as refrigerant contacting the skin may cause frostbite.

When applying paint in a drying oven, do not heat the vehicle above + 80°C. Otherwise, the vehicle's electronic components may be damaged. In addition, pressure in the air conditioning system increases, which may cause system failure.

– PVC underbody protective coating is removed with a rotating steel brush or with hot air up to + 180°C using a scraper. When PVC coating is heated above 180°C, a chemical reaction occurs and hydrochloric acid is formed, which promotes active corrosion; in addition, harmful vapours are produced.