2008 AUDI S6 maintenance

Vehicle literature
In addition to this Owner's Manual, your Audi comes with the
• MMI Operating Instructions
• Maintenance
& Warranty booklet
If you are missing one of these publications, or if you believe that
the informat ion is not comp lete, contact your authorized Audi
dea ler for assistance .
MMI Operating Instructions
contain detailed description of the Audi Multi Media Interface (MMD
including the navigation system, the sound system and the hand­
held phone .
The Maintenance & Warranty booklet
explains how you can keep your Audi in top driving condition by
having it serviced regu lar ly and contains detailed information about
the warranties covering your Audi. Always have the booklet with you
when you take your vehicle to an authori zed Audi dea ler for service.
Your Audi Service Adviser will record each schedu led service and
can answer any ques tions y ou may have regarding how to maintain
your vehicle.
In Canada,
the vehicle literature is a lso avai lable in French. To obtain a copy,
co ntact your dealer or write to :
Au Canada, on peut se procurer un exemplaire en fran9ais de ce
document aupres du concessionna ire ou de:
Volkswagen Canada, Inc .
Cl ient Assistance
Assistance a la Clientele
777 Bay ly Street, West,
Ajax , Ontario L 1 S 7G7
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
V
ehi cle litera tur e
If you sell your Audi
a ll l iterature should be left in the vehicle to make the Warranty terms
as well as all operating, safety and ma intenance information avail ­
able to the next owner .
If you change your address or if you bought this
Audi used
be sure to send in a "Notice of Address Change"/ "Notice of Used
Car Purchase" post card. This card can be found in the Maintenance
& Warranty booklet or obta ined from your autho rized Audi deale r.
It i s in your own int ere st t hat we are able to contact you should the
need arise .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driver information display
In addition, all the values in the single -trip or the total -trip memory
can be deleted simultaneously.
[ i ] Tips
All stored values will be lost if the vehicle battery is disconnected. •
MMI settings
Basic settings for the trip computer can be made in the
MM/.
Fig. 25 MMI display :
Trip computer
Setting values to zero
-Press the I CAR I function button.
- Select
Instrument cluster.
-Select Trip computer 1 or Trip computer 2.
-Select Reset to delete all the values in the memory
~ fig. 25.
Displaying and hiding driver information
-Press the I CAR I function button.
- Select
Instrument cluster.
- Selec t Trip computer 1 or Trip computer 2.
-Select, for example, Fuel range On to turn on the display
or
Off to turn the display off.
All values in the single-trip or the total-trip memory can be reset to
zero simu ltaneously in the MMI. In addition you can determine what
driving information from the trip computer shou ld be shown in the
instrument cluster display . If one of the pieces of driver information
is turned
off, that driver in formation will not be shown in the display.
The information will continue to be calculated by the trip computer
and can be turned back
on at any time. •
Tire pressure monitoring system
General notes
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a
tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your tires is significantly
under-inflated . The TPMS on ly provides a low tire pressure warning
and does not reinflate your tires .
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumin ates, you
should stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under ­
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under -inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and
may affect the vehicle's handling and stopping ability .
0 Note
• Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver's responsibility to maintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level to
trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale. .,,_

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Warm and cold
Climate control
Description
The air conditioner is fully automatic and is designed to
maintain a comfortable and uniform climate inside the
vehicle.
We recommend the follow ing settings:
- Set the temperature to 75 °F (+23 °C).
- Press the !AUTO
I button.
With this setting, you attain maximum comfort in the least amount
of time. Change this setting, as desired, to meet your personal needs.
The climate controls are a combination of heating, ventilation and cooling systems, which automatically reduce humidity and cool the
air inside your vehicle.
The air temperature, air flow and air distribution are automatically
regulated to achieve and maintain the desired passenger compart­
ment temperature as quickly as possible.
The system automatically compensates for changes in outside
temperature and for the intensity of the sunlight entering the
vehicle. We recommend you use the
Automatic mode=> page 113
for year-round comfort.
Please note the following:
Turn on the air conditioner to reduce humidity in the vehicle. This also prevents the windows from fogging up.
When the outside temperature is high and the air is very humid,
condensation from the evaporator may drip under the vehicle. This
is normal and does not indicate a leak. If the outside temperature is low,
the fan normally only switches to
a higher speed once the engine coolant has warmed up sufficiently.
The air conditioner temporarily switches off when you drive off from
a standstill using full throttle to save engine power.
The compressor also switches off if the coolant temperature is too
high, so that the engine can be adequately cooled under extreme
loads.
Air pollutants filter
The air pollutants filter (a combined particle filter and activated
charcoal filter) reduces or prevents outside air pollution (dust, or
pollen) from entering the vehicle.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at the intervals specified
in your Maintenance
& Warranty booklet, so that the air conditioner
can properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high air pollution, the filter
may need to be changed more frequently than specified in your
Audi Maintenance
& Warranty booklet. If in doubt, ask your autho­
rized Audi Service Advisor for advice.
Key coded settings
The air conditioner settings selected are automatically stored and
assigned to the key being used. When the vehicle is started, the air
conditioner automatically selects the settings assigned to that key.
This way every driver will maintain his/her own personal settings
and does not have to reset them manually.
If a different driver uses your key and changes the air conditioner
settings, the latest adjustments will erase and replace the settings
you have stored.
Energy management
To prevent the battery from being discharged and to restore the
balance of energy, components which require large amounts of

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& W ARNING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter­
ference :
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inf lated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary .
• The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag
has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in you r Audi
Maintenance
& Warranty booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• In accidents when an airbag is deployed , the vehicle battery
separates the alternator and the starter from the vehicle electrical
system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all appli ­
c able safety precautions must be followed . •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the veh ic le 's suspen sion system can change the way that
the Adva n ced Air bag Syst em perfor ms in a crash . For e xamp le,
u sing tire -r im co mbinations not ap proved by Audi , lowering the
v ehi cle, c hang ing the s tiff ness of the susp ens ion, inclu d in g t he
springs, s uspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the
fo rce s t hat ar e meas ured by t he airbag sens ors and sent t o the e lec­
tronic control unit. Some suspens ion changes can, for example,
i nc rease t he for ce leve ls mea sured by th e sen sors and make th e
airbag system dep loy in crash es in wh ich it wou ld not deploy if the
ch anges had no t been m ade. O th er ki nds of change s may red uce
the force levels measured by t he sensors and prevent t he airba g
fr om d eploying when it shoul d.
T he se nso rs in t he safety b elt b uckle for the driver a nd front
passenger seat te ll the electronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If t he safet y bel t is bei ng use d, the front ai rbag w ill
dep lo y at a s lightly hig her rate of veh ic le dece leration than
if the
safe ty belt i s not be ing used . The re fo re, in a pa rticu la r colli sion, i t is
poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a s eating position where
t he safe ty be lt is b ein g us ed b ut will infl ate a t th e po siti on where the
safety belt is not being used. It is important that nothi ng int erfer e
with the safety belt b uckl es so that the sens ors can send the correct
i n formation about safety belt use to the electronic control u nit.
& WARNING
Chang ing the vehicle's suspension includ ing use of unapproved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi. ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tire traction. Always adjust your driving
speed according to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra risks.
The ABS cannot overcome the laws of physics.
[ i] Tips
• If ABS is not functioning properly, a warning light will come on .
See
=> page 22.
• If a fault occurs in the ABS , the EDL is also not functioning. This
is indicated by the ABS warning light. •
Brake assistant
The brake assistant is designed to achieve the optimum
braking effect.
The brake assistant helps to increase the effective braking power
and thus to achieve a shorter stopping distance . If the driver
presses the brake pedal very quickly, the brake assistant automati ­
cally boosts the braking force to the maximum level, up to the point
where the anti-lock brake function (ABS) intervenes to stop the
wheels from locking. You should then keep the brake pedal pressed
until the vehicle has braked to the required speed. The brake assis ­
tant switches itself off as soon as you release the brake pedal.
The brake assistant will not be operative if there is a malfunction in
the ABS.
In vehicles with Adaptive Cruise Control* (ACC), the distance to the
vehicle ahead is continuously calculated using a radar sensor,
within the limits of the system=>
page 135. If the radar system
detects a short distance to the vehicle ahead, the brake system
exerts a small braking force to reduce the brake response time in
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Intelligent technology
case of braking. In this way, the brake application can be quickened
and
the stopping distance reduced.
& WARNING
Please remember that the accident risk always increases if you
drive too fast, especially in corners or on a slippery road, or if you
follow the vehicle ahead of you too closely. Increased risk of an accident cannot be compensated for even by the brake assistant,
so always maintain a safe speed.
n
Servotronic® -advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of the
running engine to allow precise steering with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering system senses the road
speed and electronically adjusts power assistance to provide
comfortable and safe steering response exactly matched to the
vehicle speed.
Power steering will not work if the engine is off. As a result, the
steering wheel will be hard to turn.
The power steering fluid level is checked during the scheduled
maintenance services.
0 Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, servotronic will still function
like a conventional power steering system, providing a constant
steering support force that is no longer proportionate to the vehicle
speed. This is most noticeable when turning the steering wheel at
low speeds (for example when parking), -more effort will be
required than usual.
II-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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New brake pads
--
Remember that new brake pads do not have a full braking
effect during the first 250 miles (400 kilometers) after they
are installed .
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" before they have optimal
grab =>& .
During the break -in period, you should avoid putting severe loads
on the brakes . Severe loads include, for examp le, sudden hard
braking, in particular at very high speeds or, for example, on moun­
tain passes.
& WARNING
New brake pads don't have the best stopping power and must be
"broken-in" during the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilome­
ters) of normal city driving. You can compensate for this by
pressing the brake pedal more firmly . This also applies later when
new pads are installed.
:J
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission control system
(catalytic converter) is functioning properly to ensure that
your vehicle is running in an environmentally sound
manner.
- Always use lead-free gasoline:=> page 291, "Fuel supply".
- Never run the tank down all the way to empty.
- Never put too much motor oil in your engine ==>
page 302,
"Adding engine oil 't=:;r\11
•
Never try to push- or tow-start your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean-up" device built into the
exhaust system of the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns many
of the po llutants in the exhaust gas before they are released into the
atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically important for the life
of the catalytic converter and proper functioning of the engine.
& WARNING
• Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas where the hot
exhaust system may come in contact with dry grass, brush, fuel
spill or other material which can cause a fire .
• Do not apply additional undercoating or rustproofing on or
near the exhaust manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or
heat shields. During driving, the substance used for undercoating
could overheat and cause a fire .
0 Note
• Be aware that just one tank filling with leaded fuel will alr eady
seriously degrade the performance of the catalytic converter.
• Do not exceed the correct engine oil level=>
page 302.
• Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes completely empty. The
engine could misfire. Unburned fuel could also get into the exhaust
system and this could cause the catalytic converter to overheat.
• Do not turn off the ignition while the vehicle is moving.
• Do not continue to operate your vehicle under these conditions,
as otherwise fuel can reach the catalytic converter. This could result
in overheating of the converter, requiring its replacement .
• To assure efficient operation of the Emission Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with
the service recommendations in your Maintenance
& Warranty
booklet. •

- Lack of proper maintenance as wel l as improper use of the
vehic le wi ll impair the func tion of the emission con tro l system
and could lead to damage.
<£> For the sake of th e envir onm ent
Even when the Emission Control System is operating properly, the
exhaust gas can have a su lfur -like exhaust gas smell under some
operating states . This depends on the sulfur content of the fuel
being used. Using a different brand of fue l may help, or filling the
tank with lead-free super grade gasoline. •
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over curbs, steep ramps,
etc., make certain that low- lying parts such as spoi lers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get damaged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low-slung chassis (sports
chassis) * and fully loaded vehicles .
a
Operate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the economy
of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and wear on your engine,
brakes and tires largely depend on three factors:
• your personal driving style
• operating cond itions
• technica l limitations
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Dri
ving and environm ent
If you anticipate what you need to do next and drive economica lly,
you can easily cut your fuel consumption by 10 -15 percent . This
section wil l give you some tips on how you can help the environ­
ment and your pocketbook.
[ i ] Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENV IRONMENTAL
PRO TEC TION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre ­
spond to your actua l consumption on the road, which wi ll vary
depending upon vehic le load and speed, road and weather condi­
tions, trip length, etc. •
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they ore accelerating.
-Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are accelerating . If you antici­
pate what is going to happen next, you wi ll need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possib le - for
examp le when you see that the next traffic light is red. •
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and improves your
mileage.
-Try and keep well below your car 's max imum speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fue l consumption , engine wear, and
does not disturb the environment.
Fue l consumption, exhaust emissions and engine noise increase
disproportionately at high speeds . If you drive at approximate ly
three quarters of top speed, fuel consumption wil l be reduced by
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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one half. Never drive faster than the posted speed limit and weather
conditions permit. •
Reducing unnecessary =citing
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
- Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving the vehicle .
- Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the engine run at
idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic jams, when waiting
for trains to pass at rai lroad crossings , or at traffic lights that have
long waits on red. Turning the engine off for just 30 -40 seconds
saves more fuel than is burned starting the engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up fu lly when it is
running at idle. However, wear and noxious emissions are especially
high when the engine is warming up. So you should drive away as
soon as you start the engine and avoid running at high rpms while
the engine is still warming up.
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting . If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would
go unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which could result in overheating or other damage to the vehicle or other
property .•
Regu1ar ma1--.tenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
-Have your vehic le serviced at regular intervals .
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an Audi dealer helps to
ensure that it runs properly and economically. The condition of your
vehic le not only affects its safety and abi lity to hold its value, it also
affects
fuel con sumpt ion.
C hec k your o il e ach time you fill your t ank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load and speed.
It is norma l for the oil consumption of a new engine to reach its
lowest va lue after a certain mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) before you can properly assess oil consumption .
This also applies to fuel consumption and engine output .
0 Note
• Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with
the service recommendations in your Maintenance
& Warranty
booklet. Lack of proper ma intenance as well as improper use of the
vehic le wi ll impair the function of the emission control system and
cou ld lead to damage.
• Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Control
System unless approved by the manufacturer.
• Do not alter or remove any device, such as heat shields,
switches, ignition wires, valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Em ission Control System and other important vehicle
components .•
Fewer short tr ips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high on short
trips.
- Try to avoid driving short dista nces wi th a cold engine. _,