2008 AUDI S6 open hood

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Warning light in the instrument cluster -t
When the _L warning light in the instrument cluster starts to flash,
this can mean one of two things: either the coolant
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low~ page 33.
If the needle is well in the upper area of the gauge, the coolant
temperature is too high.
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off and
allow the engine to cool.
If the warning light comes on again after
driving a short distance, contact an authorized dealer.
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in ~ page 289, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the engine coolant
level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment . You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant.
0 Note
• Mounting additional lights or accessories in front of the air inlets
reduces the cooling effect of the radiator. At high outside tempera­
tures or high engine load, the engine could overheat.
• The front spoiler has been designed to properly distribute the
cooling air when the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is damaged,
this could reduce the cooling effect and the engine could then
over­
heat. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for assistance. •
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revolutions per
minutes).
The tachometer 0 ~ page 13, fig. 2 is the left of the two large clock ­
type displays. The
engine turns at a speed
1,000 times the single digit in the
display, e.g. if the needle is pointing at the "2" the engine is turning
at 2,000 RPM.
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should downshift to the next
lower gear. The red area at the end of the scale indicates maximum
permissible engine RPM after the break -in period. Before reaching
this area, move the selector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
The tachometer needle should not move into the red range. If it
does, then only for a
very short period of time. You could damage
your engine by driving at high RPM .
'£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces engine noise.•
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in the MM/.
Fig . 3 Instrument
cluster with digital
clock
The date, time of day, and time and date format can be set in the
MMI. You can find out more in the MMI manual. .,_

Digital speedometer
Fig. 11 Display: Digital
speedometer
Current speed appears in the display . Speed is shown in 1 mph
measures (USA models) or 1 km/h measures (Canada models).
You can switch the display from miles to kilometers and vice versa
via the MMI. •
Open door or trunk lid warning
The pictogram alerts you when doors or the rear lid have
been left open.
., ., N N t1. ;g
Fig . 12 Display: open
door or rear
lid
warning
With the ignition switched on, the open door or rear lid warning illu ­
minates when at least
one door or the hood or the trunk lid is not
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Driver information display
closed. The symbol also shows you which door(s) or lid is not
closed.
In the illustration=> fig. 12 it is the driver's door, the left rear door
and the rear lid. As soon as all the doors, the hood, the rear lid and
the fuel filler cap are properly closed, the door and rear lid warning
turns off and the Driver Information System functions selected are
displayed again .•
Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you when a vehicle
light bulb has become defective.
Fig. 13 Display: defec­
tive light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning monitors the function of the light
bulbs . If a defective light bulb is detected, or if a light bulb has
burned out, a yellow symbol appears as well as a pictogram in which
the defective light bulb is shown=> fig. 13.
Defective brake light
(USA models)/ (Canada models)
If the symbol illuminates, a brake light has failed. The burned out
light is shown in the pictogram.
Defective bulb L.
If this symbol 'illuminates, a turn signal (front or rear), a headlight,
the backup light, a fog light or a rear fog light has failed . _,,
Vehicle care I I Technical data

If the ABS system malfunctions, the ABS warning/indicator light illu­
minates together with the brake system malfunction warning/indi ­
cator light~
&-
& WARNING
• Always observe the warnings in ~ page 289, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
• Driving with low brake fluid is a safety hazard . Stop the car and
get professional assistance.
• USA models: If the
BRAKE warning light and the c~ warning
light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light
«D> and the ABS
warning light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications. •
Engine cooling system malfunction -L
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
repaired as soon as possible.
When the -t symbol in the display blinks, then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant level
is too low. An additional driver message can also be
displayed by pressing the [ CHECK] button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
-Pull off the road .
Controls and equip ­
ment
Driver information display
Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine.
Check coolant level
=> page 304 .
Add coolant if necessary=> page 305.
Continue driving only after the engine coolant
warning/ind icator light goes out.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assistance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be
the cause of the malfunction.
If the generator warning/indicator light should also illuminate
~ page 79, then the fan belt may be damaged.
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons, park at a safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights
~ page 73, "Emer­
gency flasher
A".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping.
• The engine compartment of any vehicle is a dangerous area.
Before you perform any work in the engine compartment, turn of
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
~ page 289, "Engine compartment" . .,_
I • •

Opening and closing
H ow is th e a nti-th eft alarm s yste m swi tched off ?
The anti -theft alarm sys tem is switched off only whe n you un lock
your vehicle. If you do not open a door within 60 seconds after you have un locked with the remote control , the vehicle will lock itself
again automatically.
When will the anti -th eft alarm syst em be trigg ered ?
When the vehicle is locked, the alarm system monitors and protects
the following parts of the vehic le:
• engine compartment
• luggage compartment
• doors
• vehicle incline
• ignition
When the system is activated, the alarm will be trigge red if one of
the doors, the engine hood or the rear lid are opened, or if the igni­
t ion is turned on or if the veh icle incline has been changed. The an ti­
theft a larm system will also go off when the battery is disconnected.
You can also trigger the alarm by pressing the PA NIC button on your
remote control. This w ill alert other people in case of emergency.
Press the
PANIC button again to turn off the alarm.
H ow i s th e ant i-th eft al arm swit ch ed off whe n
tr igg ered ?
The alarm system is switched off when you unlock the vehic le or
when the ignition is switched on . T he alarm will a lso switch itself off
when it comes to the end of its cycle .
Emergency flasher and horn
The emergency flasher wi ll blink briefly and the horn sounds when
the doors, engine hood and rear lid are properly closed.
If the emergency flashers do not blink, or the horn does not sound ,
check the doors, engine hood and rear lid to make sure they are
properly c losed . If you close a doo r, the hood or the rear lid w ith the anti
-theft a larm switched on, the emergency flashers will blink and
t he horn will sound only af ter you have closed the door or l id .
Ii ] Tips
Fo r the anti -theft a larm system to function proper ly, make sure a ll
vehic le doors and windows are closed before leaving the vehicle .•
Tilt sensors 1Q
The tilt sensors trigger an alarm if they detect vehi cle
movement.
F ig . 4 5 Driver 's doo r:
tilt sensor swit ch
Sw itch o ff th e til t sensors if you ar e go ing to have your
vehic le transporte d.
Switch off the tilt sensors Press the switch
~ located in the driver's door~ fig. 45.
Lock the ve hicle .
When you turn off the tilt sensors, the diode in the switch~ will illu ­
minate. Also, the indicator light in the door trim will illuminate for
about three seconds. After you lock the vehicle, the indicator light
in the door t rim wil l bl ink quick ly for about three seconds . After that,
the blinking s lows down. .,.

___________________________________________________ O_ n_ t_h _e_ r_o _a_ d _ ___.9I
and then the driver's door is opened. In this instance, the steering is
not locked . The steering is locked :
• If you press the
I STOP ] button aga in for more than 1 second.
• If you c lose the driver's door and lock your vehicle from the
outside .•
Electromechanical parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking brake replaces the hand
brake.
Fi g. 12 6 Center
co nso le: Parki ng bra ke
- Pull the switch to app ly the park ing brake => fig. 12 6. The
indicator light in the switch will come on .
- Step on the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal and
press the switch at the same time to rel ease the parking
brake. The indicator lig ht in the switch wi ll go out.
Your vehicle is equipped with an elect romechanical parking brake
which replaces the handbrake . T he parking brake is designed to
prevent the vehicle from rol ling unintentional ly.
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
I n add ition to the normal functions of a traditional hand brake, the
e lectromechanica l parking brake provides various convenience and
safety functions.
Emergen cy brake
An emergency brake ensur es that the vehicle can be slowed even if
t he
normal brakes fail=> page 131, "Emergency braking".
Ind icator lights
• If the parking brake is applied with the ignition tu rned on , the
indicator light in the instrument cluster (U.S models :
::i.:,, Canadian
models: ®)) and in the switch <®) will com e on .
• I f the parking brake is app lie d with the ignition
tu rn ed off , the
indicator light in the instrument cluster (U.S. models: ::.:\,, Canadian
models :(®) ) and in the switch© will come on for about 30 seconds
and then go out .
& WARNING
If the vehicle i s stationary and the tr ansmi ssion is engag ed with
the engine ru nning , the engine should not be speeded up (e .g .
manu ally from under the hood ). Otherwi se the vehicle will sta rt to
move -you run the risk of a n accident .
0 Note
If the warning/indica tor light (U.S . mode ls: BRAKE , Canadian mode ls :
(Ci)) ) flashes in the instrument clus ter, there is a brake system
malfunction . By pressing the
I CHECK] button, you can bring up a
driver message which explai ns the ma lfunc tion in more detail. If the
message
P a rki ng brake ! Plea se conta ct w ork shop appears, there is
a par king brake malfunction which you should have repaired imme -
d iate ly by an authorized dealership=>
page 32. ..
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data

___ 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. •