2009 AUDI S6 brakes

Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
/ .J (USA models) / ~ (Canada models)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS and the
electronic differenti al l ock (EDLJ.
T he warning/indicato r ligh t will come on fo r a few seconds whe n the
ignition is switched on . The light will go out after an automatic
check sequence is completed .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
• The war ning/indi cat or l igh t does no t illu minate w he n yo u swi tch
on the ignition.
• The war ning/i ndicat or light does not go out aft er a few seconds .
• T he warning/indicator light il luminates while driving.
The brake system will still respond even without the assistan ce of
the ABS system. See you r authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For mo re in form ati on
re garding the ABS~
page 266 .
The ABS warning light and the brake warning light come on
together. The ABS will not work and you will notice a change in braking response and performance.
Malfun ction in the brake system
If the brake warning light~ page 22and the ABS warning illuminate
together there may be a malfunction in the ABS, a nd there may also
be a ma lfunction in the bra ke system itself~& .
I n the even t of a
malfunction in the brake system th e wa rn in g/in di­
cator light
BRAKE (USA mode ls)/ (©) (Canada models) in the instrument
c lus ter flas hes . B y pres sing the [ C HE CK ] bu tton, you ca n bring u p a
driver message wh ich explains the malfunction in more deta il.
P lease note
~ page 30.
Controls and equip ­
ment
Instruments and warning /indi cator lights
Malfun ction in the electroni c differential lock (EDL )
The ED L wo rks toge ther wit h the ABS. T he ABS wa rn ing light w ill
come on if there is a ma lfunction in the EDL system~
page 263 . See
yo ur aut ho rized Aud i dea ler as soon as poss ib le.
& WARNING
• If the AU (USA models )/u (Canada models ) warning light
does not go out , or if it comes on while driving , the ABS system is
not working properly. The vehicle can then be stopped only with
the standard brakes (without ABS ). You will not have the protec­
tion ABS provides. Contact your Audi dealer as soon as possible .
• USA models :
If the BRAKE warning light and the -warning
light come on together , the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard b raking . Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
autho riz ed Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications .
• Canada models : If the brake warning light (CD) and the ABS
warning light ~ come on together , the rear wheels could lock up
first unde r hard braking . Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an a ccident . Have your veh icle rep aired imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications . •
Electromechanical parking brake
~E (USA models) / (®) (Canada models)
The warning/indicator li ght m onit ors the e lec tromech an­
i c al park ing brake.
W ith the parking brake a pplied and th e ignition tur ned on, the
warning/ indicator light i lluminates. After t he ignition has been
tu rn ed off , th e warni ng/ indicato r ligh t co ntin ues to i llu mina te fo r
about 30 seconds . If t he parking brake is applied with t he ignition _,,
I • •

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
turned off, the warning/indicator light illuminates for about 30
s e co nds.
The warnin g/indicator li ght wi ll go out when the par kin g brak e is
r e lea sed .
I f the wa rn in g/ind ica tor l ig ht flas hes co ntinu ously
after applying th e
par king brake, brakin g force is not sufficient to prevent the veh ic le
fr om r olling u nint enti onally. Ple as e n ote the foll owin g:
• If the s lope of the ground is too steep to park the vehicle, the
additio nal drive message appea rs
Caution: Vehicle parked too
steep .
• In the even t of a parking brake malf unc tion, the yel low I sym bol
appears in the instrument c luster display and the driver m essage
Parking brake malfunction! is displayed. Have the ma lfunct ion
repa ired as soo n as possible b y a qua lified Aud i deale rship. •
Brake system BRAKE (USA models) /(©) (Canada
models)
Th e warn ing/indicator light f lashes if brake fluid level i s
low, if there is an ABS sy stem malfunct ion or a par kin g
b ra ke malfun cti on.
The light illuminate s when the ignition i s turned on . It goes out afte r
the engine has been start ed. Thi s ind icates t hat th e bra ke w arni ng
light is functioning properly .
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking , there may be a malfun ction in the electrical system . In this
case , contact your Audi dealer .
If the b rake system warni ng/ind icator l ight flas he s, t here is a b rake
system malfunction . By pressing the [
CH ECK ] button, you can bring
up a dr ive r m essage w hic h exp la in s the mal funct io n i n mor e deta il
=>
page 30 .
If the ABS fai ls, the A BS warning/indicator lig ht _. (USA
mod els)/ (Ca nada mode ls) flas hes toget he r w ith th e brake sys te m
warn ing/ indicator lig ht=>
& -
(U SA mode ls): If the warni ng light BRAKE and the warning light
illumin ate t oget her, im medi ate ly contact yo ur a uth orized Aud i
dea ler or qua lified workshop to have all brake pads ins pected
=>
p age 35.
When the l ig ht comes on, an aud ible warning signal is also giv en .
& WARNING
• USA models : If the BRAKE warning light and the Af'l~ 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 model s: If the brake warning light (Q)) 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.
• If the brake warning /indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released, or lights up while you are
driving , the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low . If you
believe that it is safe to do so , proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility and have the brake system inspected .
• Always keep
in mind that after several brake applications , you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle. Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations . You must allow for increased braking
distances . The extra di stance used up by fading brakes could lead
to an a ccident. •

Battery voltage ~
If the battery's state of charge is not in the optimal range, the
symbo l is shown in the display and the driver message
Low battery
c harge : battery will be charged wh ile dr iving
appears .
Whi le th is d river notification is displayed, you have to be p repa red
for limited starting capabi lity.
Driver message appears and goes out again
If this driver message appears after the ignition is turned on or
w hile driving and it g oes out agai n after a w hile , th e ba tte ry has
been adequately recharged.
Driver message appears and does not go out again
I f this dr iver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
while driv ing and does n ot go out aga in, the bat tery's state of
charge is not in the optimal range. Starting capability is restricted.
H ave the ba ttery checke d by an au tho rize d Audi deale r as soon a s
poss ible .•
Worn brake pads
Brake pads!
If the wa rning light i lluminates, immediate ly contact your autho ­
rized Aud i d eal er or qualified wor kshop to have a ll brake pads
inspected. On USA models the warning light comes on together
wit h the warning light
BRAKE . Both sets of brak e pads o n an a xle must
a lways be replaced at the same time.
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a collision and serious personal
injury.
• If the warning light • and the warning light
BRAKE11 with the
message Brake pads ! comes on in the instrument cluster display ,
Controls and equip ­
ment
Driv er information display
& W ARNING (continued )
immediately contact your author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if necessary .•
Headlight range control defective ">
l ) Headlight range control defective
If th e sy mbol ill uminates , the dyna mic headlig ht ra nge c ont rol is n o
longer working properly . Have the system checked and repa ired at
yo ur Au di d eale r.•
Engine oil level "'·
Please check oil level
When the symbol il luminates, check the engine o il leve l as soon as
possible =>
page 305. Top off the oi l at your earliest opportu nity
=>
page 306. •
Engine oil sensor defective ~,m,
Oil level! sensor defective
If the symbo l il luminates, contact your authorized Audi dealer and
h ave th e oil sensor insp ecte d. Unt il y ou hav e thi s do ne, c heck the oil
leve l each time you refue l just to be on the safe side=>
page 305. •
11 BRAKE : USA models only
I • •

0 Note
To avoid damaging the socket, only use plugs that fit properly.
[ i] Tips
When the engine is off and accessories are still plugged in and are
on, the vehicle battery can still be drained. •
Storage
General overview
There are numerous places to store items in your vehicle.
Glove compartment
Storage compartment in roof
Coat hooks
Storage compartment in the trunk
& WARNING
~ page 99
~ page 100
~ page 101
~ page 91
• Always remove objects from the instrument panel. Any items
not stored could slide around inside the vehicle while driving or
when accelerating or when applying the brakes or when driving
around a corner.
• When you are driving make sure that anything you may have
placed in the center console or other storage locations cannot fall
out into the footwells. In case of sudden braking you would not be
able to brake or accelerate.
• Any articles of clothing that you have hung up must not inter­
fere with the driver's view. The coat hooks are designed only for
lightweight clothing. Never hang any clothing with hard, pointed
or heavy objects in the pockets on the coat hooks. During sudden
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Seats and storage
& WARNING !continued)
braking or in an accident -especially if the airbag is deployed -
these objects could injure any passengers inside the vehicle. •
Glove compartment
The media player is in the glove compartment.
To open glove compartment
Fig. 99 Unlocking
button for glove
compartment
Press the button ::V => fig. 99 (arrow) - the lid opens auto­
matically.
To close glove compartment
Push the glove compartment lid up unt il the lock
engages.
In the glove compartmen t lid you will find a place to store a pen and
a pad of paper.
CD changer*
The CD changer for the radio system and the Navigation drive* is located in the glove compartment . How to change CDs is described
in the pertinent Owner's Manual.
tJ,,,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

On th e road -
-------------------'
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. 120 Center
co nso le: Parki ng bra ke
- Pull the switch to app ly the park ing brake => fig. 12 0. 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 123, "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
turn 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 ! Please 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 30. ..
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data

On the road -
----------------
The display=> page 124, fig. 122 will show the set speed . The
display may vary depending on the type of disp lay in your vehicle .
The ind icator light
CRU ISE (US model) I (')0 (Canadian mode l) wi ll also
light up in the instrument cluster.
The speed is kept constant via an engine output adjust ment or
active brake intervention .
_& WARNING
• Always pay attent ion to traffic even when the crui se control is
s w it ched on. You are alw ays r esp onsi ble for your speed and the
di sta nce b etween your vehi cle and other vehi cle s.
• For s afet y reason s, the crui se control should not be u sed in the
c ity , in stop- and-go traffic , on twi sting roads and when road condi ­
t ion s a re p oor (s uch a s ice , fo g, gra vel , he avy ra in and h ydro ­
planing ) - risk of accident.
• Turn off the crui se control tempor arily when e nte ring tu rn
lan es, highway exit lanes or in constru ction zone s.
• Plea se note that in adv ertentl y "re sting " yo ur foot on the accel­
erator ped al cau se s the cruise control not to brake . Thi s is b ecau se
the crui se control i s overridden b y the dri ve r's acc eleration .
[ i] Tips
The brake lights il luminate as soon as the brakes decelerate
automatically .•
Ap plie s to v ehicl es: w it h c ruise contro l
Changing speed
-Press lever in the 0 o r Q dir ection => page 124, fig. 121
to increase or decrease you r sp eed.
- Release the lever to s ave that speed.
Controls and equip ­
ment Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/h) by
lightly pressing
the lever . If you keep the lever pressed down, you will a lter your
speed in 5 mph (10 km /h) increments .
You can a lso press the acce lerator pedal down to increase your
speed, e.g. if you want to pass someone. The speed you saved
earlier will resume as soon as you release the accelerator pedal.
If , however, you exceed your saved speed by 5 mph (10 km/h) for
longer than 5 minutes, the cruise control will turn off temporarily .
The symbol wi ll go ou t bu t the saved speed wi ll be retained. •
Applie s to v ehic le s: with c ru ise cont ro l
Presetting your speed
You can prese t your desire d speed while the vehicle is not
moving.
- Turn o n the ignition .
Pu ll lever into pos ition
G) => page 124, fig. 12 1.
Press the lever in the
0 or Q direction to increase or
decrease your speed .
- Release the lever to save that speed .
This function makes it possible, for example, to save the speed you
want before driving on the highway. Once on the highway , activate
the cruise contro l by pu lli ng the lever toward
G) . •
Ap plies to ve hic les: with c ruise contro l
Switching the system off
Temporary dea ctivation
- Press the brake pedal, or
I • •

• .___A_ d_a_ p:- t_iv _ e_ C_ r_u _is _ e_C_ o_ n_ t_ r_ o_ l --------------------------------------------
& WARNING (continued)
• Never allow the closing speed between you and other vehicles
to be so high that the Adaptive Cruise Control may not be able to slow your vehicle safely. If closing speed is too high , you must
apply the brakes yourself to reduce the risk of a rear -end crash.
• Never rest your foot on the accelerator pedal, especially when
the Adaptive Cruise Control is being used. Pressure on the acceler ­
ator will override the ACC braking function and prevent the brakes
from being applied when ACC detects a situation when the brakes must be applied .
• Never use Adaptive Cruise Control when you cannot drive
safely at a steady speed, including on city streets, on winding
roads or when road conditions are poor (for example, on ice,
gravel, in fog, heavy rain or on wet roads that increase the risk of
hydroplaning).
• The radar sensor's
vision can be reduced by rain, snow and
heavy road spray. These and similar conditions can prevent vehi ­
cles up ahead from being accurately detected and in some cases
they may not be detected at all. Do not use ACC when the radar sensors cannot accurately detect vehicles moving ahead of you in
traffic.
• Always turn off Adaptive Cruise Control when entering turn
lanes, exit lanes and construction zones or in similar situations
because the vehicle will automatically accelerate to the stored
speed when the road ahead is clear.
• To prevent unintended operation, always switch ACC off when
it is not being used.
[ i) Tips
• For safety reasons, the stored speed is deleted when the ignition
is turned off .
• The Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) and the Anti-Slip
Regulation (ASR) cannot be deactivated when the Adaptive Cruise
Control is switched on. If the ESP and the Anti-Slip Regulation (ASRI has been deactivated and you then switch on the
Adaptive Cruise
Control, the ESP function will also be activated automatically.
• Damage caused by accidents and some minor collisions can
affect the radar sensor settings and cause the system to malfunc­
tion or switch off completely.
• The radar sensor cover is heated. In winter conditions, you
should still check before driving to make sure it is free of ice and
snow. If necessary, clean the area near the radar sensor carefully
=>
page 127, fig. 123.
• To ensure that the radar sensor is not blocked, foreign objects
(e.g. stickers, larger license plate mounts, add -on parts) must not
cover the area near the radar sensor=>
page 127, fig. 123. The area
near the radar sensor must not be painted, either.
• For Declaration of Compliance to United States FCC and Industry
Canada regulations =>
page 375. •
Applies 10 veh ic les: w ith Ada ptive Crui se Contro l
How does Adaptive Cruise Control work?
Vehicles traveling ahead are detected with the aid of a
radar sensor.
Fig. 124 Basic prin­
ciple diagram : Radar
sensor measurement
range
Adaptive Cruise Control uses a radar sensor in the front of the
vehicle=> fig. 124. Th e system has limitations=>
page 140. Things
that are not moving in your lane and in your direction of travel will
~

Adaptiv e Crui se Contro l IIJ!IIIII ---------------------------------..:....:.:=:...:.;_;....::.....::...._ \
_______ _
not be detected. The sensor measures the distance to reflective
surfaces that must have a certain size. The system responds only
after the distance measurement has been made . If a measurement
is not possible, the system cannot respond and wil l not react to a
vehicle or something else up ahead.
O pen ro ad
When the road is clear, the Adaptive Cruise Control works like cruise
control. It main tains a constant target speed specified by the driver.
D riv in g in tr affic
If a slower vehic le driving ahead is detected, the Adaptive Cruise
Control dece lerates (within the limits of the system)::::;,
page 138,
"Driver intervention prompt" and::::;, page 140, "System limitations"
to its speed and after adjusting, tries to maintain the set distance
from the vehicle ahead . The vehicle may temporarily drive s lower
than the set speed while adjusting::::;,
& in "Description" on
page 127.
If the vehicle in front accelerates, Adaptive Cruise Control a lso acce l­
erates up to the speed that you have set.
Sit uation s re qui ring d rive r int erve ntion
In some situations you will have to use the footbrake to s low the
vehicle down in order to keep a safe distance from vehic le in front
of you or to avoid a rear -end collision. In this situation, a symbol
appears and a warning tone sounds::::;,
page 138.
P assing anoth er veh icle
If you move into the pass ing lane and no vehicle is detected ahead,
the Adaptive Cruise Control accelerates to the speed you have set
and ma intains it.
O ve rridin g ACC
You can increase your speed at any time by stepping on the acceler­
ator pedal. After you re lease the acce lerator pedal, the system
adjusts back down to the speed you previously set.
Controls and equip ­
ment R
edu cin g s topping di sta nce
If the radar sensor detects that the distance to the vehicle ahead is
less than defined minimum distance, the brakes are automatical ly
prepared for emergency braking by the driver . The brake pads are
moved very c lose to the brake discs without actual ly braking the
vehic le. This brake assistant feature reacts more quick ly to the
driver's braking, and also works when Adaptive Cruise Control is off.
The stopping distance is reduced as a result of this advance brake
preparation. This function does not perform any emergency brak ing
maneuvers by itself; the driver must always app ly the brakes.
& WARNING
• Never r ely on the d istan ce control feature of ACC alone t o
p re vent re ar- end colli sio ns. Alwa ys be prep ared t o br ake and take
eva sive ac tion to a void colli sio ns and ot her acc ident sit uation s.
• Never allo w the clo sing sp ee d b etwe en you and other vehi cle s
to be so hi gh th at th e Ada ptive Crui se Control may not b e able to
s low your vehicl e safely . If clo sing spe ed i s too h igh , you must
a pp ly the brake s yours elf to reduce the risk of a rea r-end cras h.
[ i ] Tip s
Please note that the amount of acceleration the Adaptive Cruise
Contro l uses depends on the Distance setting selected . DISTA NCE 1
gives you acceleration that is dynamic and sporty . D ISTANCE 4, on
t he o ther hand, gives more moderate acce leration. For more infor ­
mation about the time intervals::::;,
page 133, "How is the distance
(time interval) set?" .
• Please note that if the Adaptive Cruise Control has begun braking
t he vehicle and the driver chooses to brake the vehicle additional ly,
the brakes may feel "hard". This is simply due to the pressure build ­
up of the initial braking .
• Adaptive Cruise Control is switched off after pressing the foot­
brake . The speed saved up this point can be resumed. To resume the
saved speed, release the brake pedal and pu ll the control lever _.,
I • •