2008 AUDI S6 service

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because the lubricating properties of oil diminish gradually during
normal vehicle use .
Under some circumstances the engine oil should be changed more
frequently . Change oil more often if you drive mostly short
distances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predomi ­
nantly stop -and -go traffic conditions, or have your vehicle where
temperatures remain below freez ing for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oi l will make fresh oil look dark after the
engine has been running for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal, along with the specia l
tools and necessary expertise required, we strongly recommend
that you have your oi l changed by an authori zed
Audi dea ler or a
qual ified service stat ion.
If you choo se to cha nge yo ur oi l y ou rse lf, please no te the following
important information:
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of per sonal injury if you m ust change the engine
o il in you r veh ic le y our self :
• Wear eye protection.
• To reduce the ri sk of burn s from hot engine oil , let the engine
c ool down to the tou ch.
• When removing the oil drain plug with your fing ers , sta y as far
away as po ssi ble . Alw ay s k eep your f orearm par allel to the gr ound
to help pre vent hot oil from running down your arm .
• Drain t he oil int o a contain er de signed for thi s purpo se , one
large enough to hold at l ea st th e total amount of oil in your eng ine .
• Engine oil i s poi sono us. K eep it well out of the rea ch of ch ildr en .
• Continuou s contact with u sed engine oil i s harmful to your
sk in. Al wa ys prote ct you r ski n by washing oil off thoroughl y with
s oap and w ater.
0 Note
Never mix oil addi tives with your engine oil. These add itives can
damage your engine and adversely affect your Audi Limited New
Vehicle Warranty .
c£> For the sake of the environment
• Before changing your oi l, first make sure you know where you
can properly dispose of the us ed oil.
• Always dispose of used engine oil properly. Do not dump it on
garden soil , wooded areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains .
• Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used engine oil collec ­
tion fac ility in your area , or contact a service station. •
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it keeps the
engine from overheating and it protects the engine from
freezing i n the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally requires little attention.
The coo ling system has been fi lled at the factory with a permanent
coolant which does not need to be changed . The coolant consists of
a mixture of water and the manufac turer's glycol-basedcoolant
additive G 12+ an tifreeze with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mixture both assures the
necessary frost protection and protects metal components in the
engine 's cooling system from corrosion and scaling . It also raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo lant in the summer by
adding plain water.
The p ropo rt ion of co ola nt additiv e mu st be at .,_
Vehicle care
I t •

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T he fluid level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto­
m atic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level fal ls
considerably below the "MIN" mark , the
brake warning/indicator light (U.S. models :
BRAKE, Canadian models:
{(j))) will come on~ page 23 and ~ page 32. Do not continue to
operate the vehic le. The complete brake system should be thor ­
oughly checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other qua lified
facili ty and the cause corrected . If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator l ight will illuminate. Contact an au thorized
Audi dea ler
immediate ly .•
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fl uid changed by an experienced techni­
ci an.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the water content in the
brake fluid is too h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid will also
decrease considerab ly and decrease braking performance .
Therefore , the brake fluid must be changed
e v ery tw o year s. Always
use new brake fluid which conforms to Federal Motor Vehic le Stan ­
dard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
T he brake fluid res ervoir can b e difficult to reach, th erefore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your autho ­
rized
Audi de aler . Your dealer has the correct tools, the right brake
fl uid and the know -how to do t his fo r you .
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poi sonous . It mu st be stored onl y in the clo sed
o riginal cont ainer out of the rea ch of children!
• Brake failure c an re sult from old or inappropri ate br ake flu id .
Obs erv e the se pre caution s:
& WAR N IN G (c ontinued )
-Use only brake fluid that meet s SAE specification J 1703 and
c onfo rm s to Feder al Moto r Vehicle St andard 116 . Al wa ys check
w ith your authori zed Audi dealer to make sure you are u sin g
the corre ct b rake flu id. The cor rect type of br ake fluid is als o
indic ated on the brake fl uid reservoir .
- The brake fluid mus t be ne w. Heav y use of th e brake s can
ca use a vapor lock if the bra ke fluid i s left in the sy stem too
long . Thi s can seriou sly affect the efficiency of the brake s as
w ell as your s afety . This could r esult in an a ccident .
0 Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehicle .
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal of brake fluid as well as
the special too ls required and the necessary expertise, we recom­
mend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authori zed Audi
dea ler .•
Battery
General information
Und er n ormal operating conditions, the battery in your Audi does
not need any maintenance. With
high outside temperatures or long
daily drives we recommend that you have the electrolyte level
checked by a se rvice facility . The e lectrolyte level should a lso be
checked each time the battery is charged~
page 310 .
Have the batte ry checked when you take your vehic le in for service.
You are well advised to replace a battery that is o lder than 5 years . _,,
Vehicle care I t •

Tires and wheels -________________ lf:HIIII
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& WARNING (continu ed )
• Only when all tires on the veh icle are filled to the correct pres­
s ure , the tire pre ssure monitoring sy stem can work correctly .
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents
or other damage. Therefore it i s es sential that the driver observe
the specified tire pre ssure values for the tires and the correct pres­
s ures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system.
• Alway s inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres ­
sure before driving off .
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more , letting them get
too hot re sulting in tread separation , sudden ti re failure and loss
of control.
• Ex cessive speed and /overloading can cause heat build -up ,
sudden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well .
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately , drive at reduced speed to the nearest service stat ion
to che ck the tire pressure and add air as required .
0 Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire
valves. To preven t this, a lways make su re t hat facto ry instal led
va lve
stem caps on a ll whee ls are securely mounted on the va lve .
'£> For the sake of the environment
Underinflated t ires will a lso increase the fuel consumption. •
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle and
any t ire can car ry. A vehicle that i s ove rlo aded wil l n ot hand le well and
is more difficu lt to stop . Overloading can not only lead to loss
o f ve h ic le control, but ca n also damage impor ta nt parts o f the
vehic le and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, inc luding a blowout and
sudden defla tion that ca n cause the vehic le to cra sh .
Your sa fety and that o f your passe ngers also depe nds on mak ing
sure that load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load includes every ­
b ody and everyth ing in and on t he veh ic le . T hese load lim its a re
technica lly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehi cle We ight Rating
(" GVWR"l .
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic veh ic le, all factory
insta lled accesso rie s, a ful l tank of fuel , oil, coolant an d other fluids
p lus max imum load. T he ma xim um load inc ludes the number o f
passe ngers that the veh icle is intended to carry ("seat ing capacity")
w ith a n assu med we ight of 150 l bs (68 kg) fo r each passen ger at a
designated seating position and the total weight of any luggage in
the v ehicle. I f you tow a trailer, the we ig ht o f the tra ile r hi tch and t he
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be includ ed as part of the
ve hicle l oad.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR"l is t he maximum load that
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax le s.
The Gross Ve hicle We ig ht Rat ing and t he G ross A xle Weig ht Rat ing
are listed on the safety comp liance stic ker label located either on
t he d rive r's side 8 -p illar or on th e inside of the fuel fil ler fla p. You r
Audi has 5 seating positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for total
seating ca paci ty of 5 . Each seating p ositi on has a safe ty be lt
=> page 202, "Safety belts" .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your veh icle's Gross Vehicle
W eight Rating m eans tha t the to tal weight o f whateve r is bein g
carried in the vehicle (including the weight of a trailer hitch and the
to ngue we igh t of the l oad ed trai ler) is li mit ed . The m ore passe ng ers
in the vehicle or passengers who are heavie r than the standard
we ig ht s assum ed mean that les s we ight ca n be ca rri ed as luggage.
The tire pressure labe l on your Audi also lists the maximum
com bined we ig ht of a ll of t he occ upa nts and luggage or other ca rg o
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Vehicle care I t •

Tires and wheels -_______________ _____.
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on th e
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determin e how this reduces the avail ­
able cargo and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
- Check the tire sidew all (~
page 325,
fig . 244) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific tire . •
Tire service life
The ser vic e life of ti res depends on a lo t o f different things
inclu ding p roper i nstallation and bal ancing, correc t tire
pressu re a nd drivi ng style .
Tread Wear Ind icator (TWll
Fig . 24 2 Tire tread:
tre ad we ar indi cato rs
(TWll
Fig . 2 4 3 Rot ating tire s
for mo re even wear
The or iginal tires on your vehicle have 1 /16 inch ( 1.6 mm) high " wea r
indicators"=> fig. 242 running across the tread. Depending on the
make, the re wil l be six to eight of them even ly p la ced a rou nd the
t ire . Marks on the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other symbols)
indicate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tire s must
be r eplaced. Di fferen t fi gures may apply in other countries ::::>,& . .,_
Vehic le care I I Technical data

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Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this reason, tire pressure must be checked
at least once a month~
page 319.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration and hard braking
increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the same service life, we
recommend that the front and rear tires are rotated according to the
tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals. Please remember the following:
• Tire rotation intervals may differ from the vehicle service inter­
vals outlined in your Maintenance and Warranty Booklet.
• The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle, the
more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals.
• Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread wear on
the front wheels compared to all-wheel drive (quattro®l .
• Please rotate tires as shown ~
page 323, fig. 243.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific tires
~ page 344.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various situa­
tions during everyday driving can cause them to become unbal ­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually feel through the
steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause excessive tire wear, impairing
the safety of the vehicle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro® must always have tires of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see~
page 264.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control, a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as
grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •

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ture . For example, the numbers 2207 mean that the tire was
produced in the 22th week of 2007. The other numbers are
marketing codes that may or may not be used by the tire manufac­
turer. This information is used to contact consumers if a tire defect
requires a recall.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of layers of rubber-coated
fabric in the tire. In general, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufacturers also must indi­
cate the materials in the tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in kilograms and pounds
that can be carried by the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades~ page 328.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should ever
be put in the tire under normal driving conditions.
Replacing tires or rims on vehicles equipped with tire
pressure monitoring system
The wheels on your vehicle are equipped with a sensor which
constantly monitors the air pressure inside the tire, and then trans­
mits this information to the tire pressure monitoring system. If you
are going to replace the wheel rims on your vehicle, make sure the
new rims also have these sensors . The sensors must be compatible
with the tire pressure monitoring system on your vehicle.
If you install rims, which do not have the sensors, or have sensors
which are not compatible, then the tire pressure monitoring system
will not work properly. In this case, the tire pressure monitoring system would not be able to monitor the
tire pressure or warn you
if it is necessary.
• The battery inside of the tire pressure sensor has a limited
service life.
• Always drive with the valve stem caps securely mounted. We
recommend using factory installed valve stem caps. Ask your autho­
rized Audi dealer to replace lost valve stem caps .
The installation of replacement tires with steel cord body plies in
the tire sidewall may cause malfunction of the tire pressure moni­
toring system, and is not recommended (cord material information
in molded on the tire sidewall).
Always check your tire pressure monitoring system indicator after replacing one or more tires on your vehicle. If the tire pressure
monitoring system indicator flashes, or is on, your system is not
working properly. Your replacement tire might be incompatible with
your tire pressure monitoring system, or some component of the
tire pressure monitoring system may be damaged.
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can lead to loss of control, collision
and serious personal injury.
• Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifica­
tions of original factory-installed tires or other combinations that
have been specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
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Vehicle care I t •

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Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire side wall
between tread shoulder and maximum section width =>
page 325,
fig. 244.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Require­
ments in addition to these grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (1 1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual condi ­
tions of the ir use, however, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differ ­
ences in road characteristics and c limate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest , are AA, A, Band C .
Those grades represent the tire 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have
poor traction performance =>& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing
the tire 's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissi ­
pate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure =>& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher leve ls of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum
required by law.
& WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excess ive loading, either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire failure . •
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on snow and
ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend
changing to winter tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments may require true
winter or "snow" tires, those with very deeply cut tread. These tires
should only be used in pairs and be installed on all four wheels .
Make sure you purchase snow tires that are the same size and
construction type as the other tires on your vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with al l-wheel drive *, this will improve
traction during winter dr iving, even with the standard tires.
However, we strongly recommend that you always equip all four
wheels on your vehicle with correctly fi tted winter tires or all-season
tires, when winter road conditions are expected . T his also improves
the vehicle 's braking performance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and snow.
Vehicle care I t •

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& WARNING !continued)
• Never start or run the engine while the vehicle is supported by
the jack.
• If you must work under the vehicle, always use safety stands
specifically designed for this purpose.
• Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screw­
driver to loosen or tighten the wheel bolts .
• Always make sure the spare tire and even a flat tire are secured
in place and not loose , otherwise they could fly forward , causing
personal injury to passengers in the vehicle in an accident or
sudden maneuver. •
Tools
The vehicle tools are stored in the luggage compartment
behind the right-side trim panel.
-
T he onboard tool kit includes:
• Hook for removing wheel covers *
• Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers
• Wheel bolt wrench
• Alignment pin for changing wheels
Fig. 247 Luggage
compartment: vehicle
tool kit
• Screwdriver with reversible blade
• Towing eye
[ i ] Tips
Some of the on board items listed above are provided on certain
models only or are optional extras. •
Spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well underneath
the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 248 Luggage
compartment spare
wheel
Your vehicle is equipped with a regular spare wheel. It is
held in place by plastic retaining knurled screw.
Taking out the spare wheel
- Raise the floor panel at the plast ic handle.
- Securely engage the handle in the luggage compartment
seal as illustrated to keep the floor panel up.
- Unscrew the knurled retainer bolt in the wheel center
~ fig. 248. Turn it counter-clockwise.
- Take out the spare wheel.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data