2008 AUDI S6 headlights

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of informa­
tion .
Fig . 2 Overview of the instrument clu ster
G) Coolant temperature gauge ................... .. .
@ Tachometer with tim e and dat e display . ... .... ... .
® Warning/indicator lights .. ...... ...... .......... .
© Driver information system .... .... .... ... .. ..... .
© Speedometer with odometer .... ... ... ... .... ... .
© Fuel gauge . ..... ..... ........ ........ ... .... . .
0 Instrument cluster illumination ... ...... ....... .. .
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
13
14, 14
17
25
15
15
16
© I CH ECK] button . ........... .... ... .... .. ...... .
© Reset bu tton for trip odome ter ...... ....... ..... .
[ i ] Tips
16
15
The illumination for the instrument cluster lights up whenever you
switch on the ignition with the
vehicle headlights off. As the
day light fades , the instrument c luster illumination likewise dims
automatically and will go out completely when the outsid e light is
very low. This feature is meant to remind you to switch on the head ­
lights when outside light conditions become poor. •
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge => fig. 2 G) only works when the ignition
is on. To prevent damage to your engine, please note the following
important points:
Engine cold
As long as th e needle remains at or close to the bottom of the
gauge, the engine still has not reached its operating temperature .
Avoid high engine speeds , heavy engine loads and heavy throttle
applications.
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating temperature, the needle
wi ll move into the middle of the gauge and rema in there. If the
eng ine is working hard at high outside temperatures, the needle
may ris e up . This is no ne ed to worry as long as the
_f_ warning light
in the ins trument cluster does not illuminate . .,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

When this symbol 5' illuminates for the first time, the fuel reserve
in your vehicles is still about 2 Gallons (7 to 9 liters}. Refuel as soon
as possible~
page 292.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is ample fuel in the tank,
and the text
Tank system malfunction! Contact workshop appears
in the display, there is a fault in the system . Contact a qualified work ­
shop to have the fault rectified .•
Battery voltage LJ
If battery power drops below a specified level, idling current
management starts by switching off electrical loads. The driver
message
Power-saving mode activated is shown in the display.
If the battery's state of charge is not in the optimal range, the
U
symbol is shown in the display and the driver message Low battery
charge: battery will be charged while driving
appears .
While this driver notification is displayed, you have to be prepared
for limited starting capability.
Driver message appears and goes out again
If this driver message appears after the ignition is turned on or
while driving and it goes out again after a while, the battery has
been adequately recharged.
Driver message appears and does not go out again
If this driver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
while driving and does not go out again, the battery's state of
charge is not in the optimal range. Starting capability is restricted.
Have the battery checked by an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible. •
Worn brake pads ... 1
C Brake pads!
Controls and equip ­
ment
Driver information display
If the symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dealer to
have the front brake pads inspected (on that occasion have the rear
brakes inspected as well to be safel. •
Headlight range control defective
, Headlight range control defective
If the symbol illuminates, the dynamic headlight range control is no
longer working properly . Have the system checked and repaired at
your Audi dealer. •
Engine oil level r.
' Please check oil level
When the symbol illuminates, check the engine oil level as soon as
possible ~
page 301. Top off the oil at your earliest opportunity
~ page 302. •
Engine oil sensor defective ~1 .•
~ Oil level! sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dealer and
have the oil sensor inspected. Until you have this done, check the oil
level each time you refuel just to be on the safe side~
page 301. •
Applies to veh ic les: w ith Adaptiv e Lig ht
Adaptive Light defective 1
' Adaptive Light defective
When this symbol .... illuminates, it means that Adaptive Light is
defective. Go to an authorized dealership to have the headlights or
the control unit for the Adaptive Light repaired.•
I • •

Clear vision
Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off ·t/.·
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor automatically
s w itches the head- and taillights on an d off in resp onse to
l igh t co nditio ns.
Fig . 54 In strument
p anel: light swit ch
T he lig ht switc h must no t be overt urned pas t the stops in
either direc tion .
Switching on automatic headlight control
-Tur n t he light switch to AUTO =:> fig. 5 4.
Switching on the side marker lights
- Turn t he lig ht s witch to ~oo~.
Switching on the headlights and high beam
- Turn t he lig ht switch to ~D.
- Pu sh th e high beam l ever f orwar d tow ards t he ins tru-
m en t panel =:>
page 74 .
Switching off th e lights
- T urn the light switch to 0.
The head lights only work when the ignition is swi tched on. Whi le
starting the engine or when switching off the ignition, the head ­
l ights wi ll go off and only the side marker lights wi ll be on.
After starting the engine, the headlights are automatically adjusted* to the load and angle of the vehicle (for example, dur ing
acce leration, braking) . T his prevents oncoming traffic from experi­
encing unnecessary head ligh t glare from your headligh ts .
If the system is not ope rating properly, a warni ng sy mbol in the
Auto -Check Control is displayed =>
page 37.
With the side marker lights or headlights switched on, the symbol
next to the light switch illuminates
coo:.
Daytime running light s
• USA models : On vehicles with xenon lights the daytime running
l ights wil l come on a utomatica lly when th e ignition is t urned on an d
the light switch => fig. 54 is in the
O position or the AUTO position
(on ly in day light co nditions). The
Daytime running lights func tion
can be turned on and off in the MMI menu
Exterior lighting
=> page 71. On vehicles with halogen lights there is no daytime
running lights function=> &.
• Canada models: The daytime running lights wil l come on auto ­
matical ly when the ignition is turned on and the ligh t switch
=> fig. 54 is in the
O position or the AUTO position (only in day ligh t
conditions)=> &.
Automatic headlight control
In the switch position AUTO the automatic h eadlight control is
turned on . The low beams are tu rned on automatically through a
l ight sensor as soon as ambient brightness (e .g. when driving into a
tunnel) falls below a value preset at the factory . When ambient ...

Clear vision
• Always check that the wiper blades are not frozen to the glass
before you turn the wipers on. Loosen a wiper blade which is frozen
in place before operating the wipers to prevent damage to the wiper
blade or the wiper motor.
• Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted window. Using the
wipers as a convenient ice scraper will destroy the wiper blades.
• Before you take your vehicle to an automatic car wash, make sure
you have the windshield wiper system switched off (lever in position
Ol, otherwise the windshield wiper system could get damaged in the
car wash if it should suddenly come on .
[ i ] Tips
• The rain sensor is part of the interva l wiping system. Turning off
the ignition will also deactivate the rain sensor . To reactivate the
sensor, switch off the interval wiping function, then switch it back
on again.
• Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades cause smearing which
can affect the operation of the rain sensor. Check the condition of
your windshield wiper blades regularly.
• Make sure the washer fluid reservoir in the engine compartment
is topped off before going on a long trip. Look up~
page 312for
checking and filling the washer container .•
App lies to vehic les: w ith head light washer system
Headlight washer system
The headlight washer system cleans the headlights.
-Operate the windshield wiper/washer system~ page 78,
fig. 69
® with the headlights turned on by holding the
lever for longer than one second.
The washer jets extend forward out of the front bumper driven by
water pressure to spray the front headlights with water. You should inspect the headlights regularly (for example when refu­
e ling) and c lean off any so lid dirt or insects from the lenses.
To ensure the system works properly in winter, keep the washer jets
free of snow and remove any ice using a de -icing spray. •
Service position
The wiper blades can only be changed in the service posi­
tion.
Fig . 70 MMI display:
Windshield wipers
At below freezing outside temperatures, make sure first
that the wiper blades are not frozen to the windshield .
Press the
I CAR] function button.
- Select Windshield wipers. The Windshield wipers menu
appears~ fig. 70.
Select Service position on to turn the service position on
or
off to return the windshield wiper to its original posi­
tion.
You must only attempt to change the wiper blades when the service
position is activated. This way, when you are working on the wind ­
shield wipers, you can avoid damaging the paint on the engine
hood.
~

Clear vision
& WARNING
Be sure to in sp ec t the cond it ion of y our wiper bl ad es regul arl y. See
y our authorized Audi deale r for repla ceme nt bl ade s.
0 Note
To prevent damage to the wiper sys tem:
• Always loosen blades which are frozen to the windshield before
operating wipers.
• Do not use gasoline, kerosene , paint thinner, or other solvents on
or near the wiper blades .
• Do not attempt to move the wipers by hand .
• The windshield wiper blades must only be replaced when in the
service position ~
page 80! Otherwise, you risk damaging the paint
on the hood or the windshield wiper motor.
[ i ] Tips
Commercial hot waxes app lied by au tomatic car washes affect the
cleanability of the windshield. •
Mirrors
Manual anti-glare adjustment
Standard setting
Move the small lever (located on the bottom edge of the
mi rror) to the fron t.
Anti-glare setting - Move th e sma ll leve r (located on the bottom edge of th e
m irror) to the rear. •
App lies to vehicles: with aut omat icall y dim ming in side mirro r wi th d igit al c om pass
Automatically dimming inside mirror
The automatic dimming function can be turned on and off
if required.
Disabling auto dimming
F ig . 73 Inside rea r
view mi rror
Press button @~ fig . 73 briefly , - the g reen ind icat or
ligh t® goes ou t.
A ctivating /reactivating auto dimming
- Press button @ briefly, -the green indicato r light ®
goes on.
Automat ic dimming fun ction
The automatic dimming function is activated every time the ignition
is turned on. The green indicator light is lit to ind icate auto dimming
is active.
When dimm ing is activated, the inside mirror will darken
automati ­
cally in response to the amount of light striking the mirror (such as
headlights from rearwa rd approaching vehicles}. Even in dimm ing
mode , the mirror surface turns bright when :
• the interior light is switched on
• reverse gear is engaged .

& WARNING
The glass of the in sid e re ar view mirror is lay ered and contain s an
e lectrolyte to achieve it s propertie s. Be aware of liquid electr olyte
l e aki ng from a broken mi rror gl ass. This liqui d can cause irritation
to skin , eyes , and re spir ator y system . If you get electrolyte in your
eye s or on your skin , i mm ed iatel y rinse wi th plenty of w ater.
If irri­
ta tion per sists , se ek medi cal attention .
0 Note
Liquid electrolyte leaked from a broken mirror glass wi ll damage any
p lastic sur faces it comes in contact with. Clean up spilled electrolyte
immediately with clear water and a sponge.
[ i ] Tip s
• If you sw it ch off the automati c dimming fun ction on the ins ide
mirror , automatic dimming of the out side mirror s will likewise be
disabled .
• Check to make sure there are no objects preventing ligh t from
reaching the inside mirror.
• Do not a ttach any stickers to the windshield in front of the light
sensor, as this wou ld interfere with the automatic operation of the
headlights and the automatic dimm ing of the inside m irror.
• Be aware that automatic dimming of the inside mirror can on ly
operate properly if the rear window sun blind* is retracted. •
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
Outsid e mirrors
The outside mirrors are electrically adjuste d.
Adjusting the outside mirrors
Fig. 74 F orwa rd
s e ction of dri ver's
a rm rest: po wer m ir ro r
co ntr ols
Turn the adjusting knob to position (0 ~ fig. 74 to adjust
the outs ide mirror on t he driver's side .
Turn the adjusting knob to position @ to adjust the
outside mirror on the passenger side.
Press the knob in the appropriate direct ion to
move the
m irror surface so that you have a good view to the rear.
H eated mirrors
- Turn the kn ob to positio n @.
Folding both outside mirrors flat *
-Turn the knob to @.
Depending on the outside temperature, the mirror surfaces are
heated until the ignition is switched off - even if the knob is no
longer in position
@ .
We recommend folding* the outs ide mirrors flat to help when
parking your vehicle or when maneuvering in very tight spaces .
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Clear vision
Mem ory settin g for th e out sid e mirro rs *
When the seat posi tion is saved in the memory, the posi tion of the
outs ide mirrors is saved at the same time=>
page 91.
If th e position of th e mirror surfac e is changed on a ti lted mirror, this
new position wil l be automatically saved to the remote key when the
vehic le is taken out of reverse gear .
Tilting th e passenger's side out side m irro r (on ly with
e xterior mirror m em ory )
When you move the se lector lever in to R (Reverse), the m irror on the
front passenger's door (knob turned to® =>
page 83, fig. 74) will tilt
s lightly downward. Th is m ake is easier for you to see the curb when
you are backing into a parking spac e.
The mirror returns to its ini tial posit ion as soon as reverse gear is
disengaged and vehic le speed is above about 9 mph (15 km/h). The
mirror also retur ns to its init ia l pos ition if the switch is moved to the
dr iver 's outside mirror
(0 or the ignition is switched off .
Automatic anti-glare for the outside mirror s*
The outside mirrors dim at the same time as the inside mirror . When
the ignition is switched on, the mi rrors automat ically dim
depending on the amount of light striking the mirrors (such as head­
lights shi ning into the vehicle from the rear).
When you turn on the interior light, or when you move the selector
lever into
R (Rev erse), the anti-glare function stops and the mirrors
retur n to their original condition (not darkened).
0 Note
• Curved (i .e. convex) mirror surfaces increase you r field o f view .
Remember that vehicles or other objects will appear smaller and
farther away than w hen seen in a flat mirror. If you use this mirr or to
estimate distances of following vehicles when changing lanes , you
cou ld estimate incorrectly and cause an acc ident .
• If the mirror housing is moved unintentionally (for example ,
wh ile pa rking your vehicle), then you must firs t fold the mirro r elec - trically. Do not readjust the mirror housing manually. You cou
ld
damage the m otor wh ich contr ols the mirror .
[ i ] Tips
If the re shou ld be a malfunction in the electrica l system, you can
still adjust the outside mirrors by pressing the edge of the mirror .•
A pplies to vehicle s: w it h a utom ati c d imm ing for out sid e mirro rs
Automatic dimming for outside mirrors
The ou ts ide mirrors are dimmed together with the automa tic
dimming of the inside mirror. When the ign ition is switched on, the
mirrors darken a utomatical ly depending on the lig ht striking them
(e.g. headlights from the rear).
When the interior lighting is switched on and when reverse gear is engaged, the m irrors are switched back to the ir o rigi nal brightness
(not dimmed).
& WARNING
The glas s of the inside rear v iew mirror is layered and contain s an
electrolyte to achieve it s propertie s. Be aware of liquid electrolyte
leaking from a b rok en mirror gla ss . This liquid c an cause irr itat ion
to skin , eyes, and re spiratory sy stem . If you get electrolyte in your
eyes or on your skin , immed iately rinse with plenty of wate r. If i rri­
tation persists , seek m edi cal attention .
0 Note
Electrolyte leaking fro m a broken mi rro r glass attacks the veh ic le
paint and p lastic surfaces . Clean up spilled electrolyte immediately
with clear water and a sponge. _,,,

___ C_ le_ a _ n_i_n ~g _ a_ n_ d __ p_r _o _t _e _c_ t_ i_o _n ___________________________________________ _
0 Note
• Never try to remove d irt, mud or dust if the surface of the vehicle
is dry . Never use a dry cloth or sponge, since this cou ld scratch your
vehic le's paint or w indows.
• Never wash your car in bright sunlight. Drops of water act as
magnify ing lenses and may damage your 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 products. They can damage your paint
finish .
• Never use a dry cloth or sponge to c lean the head ligh ts. Only use
wet cloths or sponges to prevent scratches . It is best to use soapy
water.
For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the vehicle should on ly be
washed in specia l wash bays. •
Washing your vehicle with a power washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high -p ressure
power washer is safe as l ong as y ou observe a few simple
rules .
-Before using the power washer, make s ure you have read
and understood the WAR NINGS=::;,
& in "General infor­
mati on" o n
page 278.
-Always follow the operating instructions for the power
washer. - Make sure that the jet o
n the spray hose pro duces a "fan
sha ped sp ray".
D o
not hold the spray nozzle too close to soft materials.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power washer always follow the
operating instructions. This applies particula rly to the
operating
pre ssure
and the spraying di stance . Maintain a sufficient distance
to soft materia ls such as rubber hoses and sound/vibration dead ­
ening materia ls (part icularly on the underside of the engine hood).
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a
direct stream or one that
has a
rotating jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F (60 °Cl.
& WARNING
Never wash tire s with a jet that sp ra ys water in a dir e ct stream .
Thi s could cau se invisible damage to the tire s and we ake n them ,
eve n if th e spra y is from a re lativel y lo ng dis tanc e an d f or a sh o rt
time . Damaged and weakened tire s can f ail and cau se ac cident s
a nd per sona l injur y.
0 Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, always make sure that there is
suffic ient distance between the spray head and soft materia ls like
rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound -deadening materials . Never
aim the spray head at the same p oint for a long time . This also
applies to cleaning headlights and painted bumpers . Remember :
the c loser the nozzle is to the surface of the material, the greater the
stress on the mater ial. •