2010 AUDI S6 Owners Manual

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Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The b rake f lu id l eve l can be checke d wit h a qui ck g lanc e.
Fig . 212 E ngine
compartment : Br ake
fluid re se rv o ir
Before you c heck a nythi ng in the eng ine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
the e ngi ne comp art ment" on
page 27 7.
- Read t he bra ke flu id level from the bra ke fluid reservoir
~ page 287, fig . 212. The brake flu id level must be
between the " MIN" and " MAX" mar kings.
The brake fluid reservoir is locate d at the rear pa rtition of the engine
compartmen t on the left s ide=>
page 278 .
The f luid leve l may drop slightly after some time d ue to the auto ­
m atic a dju stment of t he b rake pads. This i s not c ause for ala rm.
If the brake flu id level falls
considerably be low the "M IN" mark, the
brake warni ng/ind icator light ( U.S. models :
BRAKE, Canadia n mo dels:
(0) ) will come on=> page 18 and=> page 26. Do not continue to
operate t he vehicle. The complete brake system sho uld be thoroug hly
chec ked by an au thor ized A ud i d eale r or othe r qualified fac ility and
the cause corrected.
If the brake fluid level is too low, the brake
Vehicle OP-eration
warning/ind icator light will illum inate . Contact an au thoriz ed Aud i
de aler
immediately .•
Changing brake fluid
H av e the b rake fluid chang ed by an expe rie nc ed t echni ­
CJ an.
B ra ke flui d absorb s moi stur e from the air. If the wa te r co nten t in t he
brake fl uid is too high, corros ion in the b rake system may res ult after
a pe riod of time. The boili ng po int of the brak e flu id will als o decrea se
co nsiderab ly and decrease brak ing perfo rmance.
Th erefore, the brake f lui d m ust be c hanged
every two years . Always
use new brake fluid w hich conforms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle Stan ­
dard "F MVSS 1 16 DOT 4" .
Th e br ake f luid reserv oir can be diffi cult to rea ch, there fore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authori zed
Audi dealer . Your deal er h as th e correc t tools, the rig ht bra ke flui d
and the know-how to do th is for you.
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the rea ch of children!
• Brake
failure can result from old or inappropriate brake fluid .
Observe these precaution s:
- Use only b rake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conforms to Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are using
the correct brake fluid. The corre ct type of brake fluid is also
indicated on the brake fluid rese rvoir.
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use of the brakes can
c ause a vapor lo ck if the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . Thi s can seriously affect the efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety. This could result in an accident .
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

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0 Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehicle.
Because of the problem of proper disposal of brake fluid as well as
the special tools required and the necessary expertise, we recom­
mend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authorized Audi
dealer. •
Battery
General information
Under normal operating condit ions, the battery in your Aud i does not
need any maintenance. With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the electrolyte level checked by
a service facility. The electrolyte level should also be checked each
time the battery is charged~
page 290.
Have the battery checked when you take your vehicle in for service.
You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
With certain types of a irbag deployment, the battery is disconnected
from the vehicle electrical system for safety reasons=>
& in "Repair,
care and disposal of the airbags" on
page 209.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regulators, for example) are
lost if the battery terminals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are connected aga in. To
prevent this, the battery should only be disconnected from the
vehicle electrical system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your veh icle over a period of severa l days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off. This
reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability over a
longer period~
page 247.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
convenience functions, such as the master key remote function or
power seat adjustment, may not be available. The convenience func­
tions will be available again when you turn on the ign ition and start
the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends to decrease as
temperatures drop. This is because more power is also consumed
while starting, and the headlights, rear window defogger, etc., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumpt ion, particu larly in city traffic or
when traveling only short distances. Let your authorized Audi dealer
check the capacity of the vehicle battery before w inter sets in
=> page 290. A well charged battery will not only prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will also last longe r.
(I] Tips
If your veh icle is left standing for several weeks at extreme ly low
temperatures, the vehicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it from being damaged and
having to be replaced.•

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Working on the battery
Be es peciall y careful when wor kin g on or near the
ba ttery .
Fig. 213 Luggage
compartment : Battery
T he b atte ry is loc ated in th e lugg age co mpartmen t under the
flo or. Before you check an ything i n the lu~ga ge compart­
m ent , read and heed all WARNINGS~
&-
- Li ft the fl oor by the plastic handle .
- Hook the ha nd le i nto the lugga ge com partm ent weat her
s tri p.
Always heed the safety warnings, when working on the veh icle
b att ery o r the vehi cle elec trical sys te m t o pr even t injury .
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre­ cautions when working on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Always wear
gloves and eye protection. I
Vehicle OP-eration
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking .
When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen
gas which is explosive and could cause personal
injury.
Always keep the battery well out of reach of chil­
dren.
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system,
there is the risk of injury, accident and even fire . Read and heed
the following WARNINGS:
• Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead
particle s get on your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfuric acid can cause
blindness and severe burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protection. Do not tilt the battery because acid could leak out of the ventilation open ­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi­
ately rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attent ion.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek medical attention
immediately.
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame, electric sparks or
an open light. • Do not smoke.
• Do not interchange the positive and negative cable s.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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& WARN ING (con tinu ed)
• When working on the batter y, be su re not to short-ci rcuit the
terminal s with tools or other metal object s. This would cau se the
battery to heat up very quickly , which could lead to damage or
e xplo sion and per sonal injury .
• When a battery is charged , it produces hydrogen gas which i s
explo sive and could cau se p ersonal injury .
• Alway s keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
• Before work is done on the electric al system, di sconnect the
negative ground cable.
• Before perfo rming any work on the electrical system , switch
off the engine and ignition a s well as any electrical equipment .
The negative cable on the battery mu st be disconnected. If you are
just g oing to replace a light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the l ights.
• Before dis conne cting the battery, swit ch off the anti -theft
ala rm system! Otherwise you w ill set off the alarm .
• When d is connecting the battery, first di sconnect the negative
cable and then the positive cable .
• Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical
consumers are switched off . Reconnect the positive cable first and
then the negative cabl e. Never interchange th e cables· this could
start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out battery . It could
e xplode! If a battery has frozen , then it must be replaced. A
dis charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C ).
• Make sure the vent ho se is always atta ched to the opening on
the side of the battery .
• Never use batteries which are damaged. There is the danger of
an e xplosion! Always replace a damaged battery.
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts , terminal s and r elated ac cessorie s cont ain lead
and lead compounds, chemi cals known to the State of Cal ifornia
to cause cancer and reproductive problem s. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• Do not disco nnect the vehicle battery when the ign ition is
switched on or whe n the engine is runni ng, otherwise, you wi ll
damage electronic compone nts in the electr ical system .
• If you r ve hicl e is go ing to s ta nd for a long pe riod of time wit ho ut
being driven, protect the battery from "freezi ng", ot herwise it w ill be
damaged and will then have to be replaced .•
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery.
Fi g. 2 14 Engin e
c omp artm ent : Connec ­
to rs for charger an d
jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS be lo w => & and => &
in "Work ing o n the bat tery" on pag e 289.
-Turn o ff the ign it ion and all electrical consumers. ~

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- Mak e su re the a rea is w ell ventilated when you charge the
battery .
- Open the hood
~ page 2 76 .
- Open the red cover on the positive pole~ fig. 214.
- Connect the charger connectors according to the instruc- tions to the
jump start bolts . (Bolts under the red cover =
"positive", Bolts wit h hex head = "negative").
- Only now p lug the ma ins lead for the charging equipment
into the wall outlet and turn it on
~ &,. .
- Make sure the charging rate is not over 30 amps /14.8
Volt.
- When the batte ry is fully charged : Turn the charging
equipment off and remov e the ma ins lead from the wall
ou tlet.
- Now remove the clamps for the charging equipment .
- Close the red cover on the posit ive pole .
- Clos e the hood ~
page 277.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempe rat ures of only O 0C. Allow a
frozen battery to thaw completely before attemp ting to charge it
~ ,&. . However, we recommend not using a thawed battery again
because the battery casing can be cracked due to ice formation and
can leak battery acid.
B atter y charging (Ma ximum charging rate of 30
amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. w ith a trickle charger ), the
ba ttery cab les do not have to be disconnec ted first. The battery caps
should
not be opened when charging a battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the luggage compart­
ment.
Safety first
Fa st charging the b atter y (charging rat e above 14 .8
Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a batte ry c ha rger that uses voltage
greater t han 14.8 Volts to charge your veh icle's battery .
& WARNING
Charging a batter y can be dange rou s.
• Always follow the ope rating instruct ions p ro vi ded by the
batt ery c harger manufa cturer when charging your battery .
• Never cha rge a frozen battery. It ma y explode be cause of gas
trapped in the i ce. Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
• Do not reu se batter ies which were frozen. The battery housing
may have cracked and weakened when the batt ery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated are a. Keep a way from
open flame or el ectr ica l spark. Do not sm oke. Hydrogen gas gener­
ated by the battery i s ex plosive.
• To r educ e th e danger of e xplosion , nev er conn ect or dis conne ct
c harger cable s while the charger i s operating.
• Batt ery acid that may spill during charging should b e washed
off with a solution of warm water and bakin g soda to neutralize
the acid .
0 Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine . This will seri ­
ous ly damage sensitive electronic components , such as control units,
re lays, rad io, etc., as well as the battery charger. •
Vehicle care Technical data

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Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifications and
dimensions as the original equipment battery.
Inte lligent energy management in your veh icle is responsible for
dis trib uti ng the elect ric al ene rgy throughout yo ur vehi cle
::} page 247 . The intelligent energy management system will keep
t he e ngine battery charged be tter then vehicles withou t this system.
To make sure the additional e lectrical energy is available once again
after you have changed the ba tte ry, we recom mend that you in sta ll
batter ies of the same type and manufacture only (the same as those
installed at the t ime your vehicle was delivered). Specifications are
listed on the battery hous ing. Your author ized Audi dealer will then
code the battery management control unit .
If it is no t poss ible to use a ba tte ry of this type, the new battery m ust
have the same capacity, vo ltage (12 volts), amperage, construction
and plug sea ling.
When install ing the battery, make sure the ign it ion and a ll electrica l
cons umers are turned off .
0 Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the side of the battery is
connec ted, othe rwise fumes or battery acid ca n leak out .
W For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a bat tery, w e recom­
mend your authorized Audi dealer change the battery for you.
Batte ries contain sulfu ric acid and lead and mus t alway s be d ispose d
of properly in compliance with all environmental regulat ions.
Di sposing of vehicle b atteries imprope rly is very dange ro us to t he
environme nt.•
Windshield/headlight washer
container
Fi g. 215 En gine
compartm ent: Wind·
s hie ld and head light*
w as her flu id co ntainer
Th e washe r fluid contain er is mark ed with the symbol O on
its cap .
- Bef ore you check anything i n the engin e compartm ent,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working
in th e e ngine com partme nt" on
page 277 .
- Lift t he filler cap tongue to add washe r fluid. You can fill
the conta iner to the top.
- Press the cap bac k onto the filler neck af ter filling the
container .
You can find the reservoir capacity in the table in::} page 341 .
To preven t lime res idue from bui ldi ng up on t he spray jets, use
distilled water when refilling. Always add a glass cleane r so lution
(with frost protection in t he winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreeze or any othe r additives to fi ll up
the windsh ield washe r rese rvo ir .•

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Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least appreciated and most abused pa rts of a motor
vehicle . Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle , pa rticul arly conside ring the comparat ive ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assures that all-important contact between
you, your veh icle and the road.
Maintai ning t he cor rect tire pressu re, mak ing su re that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight t han they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and regularly inspecting
tires for damage includ ing cuts, s lashes irregular wea r and ove rall
condi tion a re the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoid
sudden t ire failure including tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to d rive ove r a cur b or sim ilar obstacle, d rive very slowly
and as close as possible at a rig ht angle to the curb .
Always keep chemicals incl ud ing grease, oil, gaso line and brake f luid
o ff t he t ires .
Ins pect the ti res regularly for damage (cu ts, cracks o r blisters, e tc.) .
Remove any foreign bodies embe dded in the treads.
Storing tires
M ark tires w hen yo u remove t hem to indica te t he d ire ct io n of rota ­
tion . This ensures you to be ab le to mount them correctly when you
re insta ll them.
Whe n removed, t he wheels or tires should be sto red in a cool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace.
Safety first
Store tires in a v ertica l pos it io n if they a re not mount ed on rims, in a
hor izonta l posit ion if they are mounted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be broken in=> & .
Th e tre ad d epth of new ti res may v ary, accor ding t o th e type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often not readi ly visible. If yo u notice
unu sual vib ra ti on o r the ve hicle pulls to one side, t his may in dica te
that one of the t ires has been damaged. The tires must be checked
im media tely by an auth oriz ed A ud i d eale r or qual ifie d wor ks hop.
Unidirectional tires
A un id irectional tire can be identified by arrows o n th e sidewall , th at
point in the direct ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must fo llow
t he s peci fied dire ction o f ro tat io n . This is neces sary so t hat t hese
tires can deve lop their optimum cha racte ristics regard ing g rip, road
noise, we ar an d hy dropl aning res ist an ce. F o r more informat ion
:::>page 323 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, dri ve with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. _..
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Tire s age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (in excess of those sta nda rd items which
may be rep lace d) of automatic transmission, power steering, power
bra kes, powe r w indows , power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent
that these items are avai lab le as factory- installed equipment
(w het he r i nsta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
me ans the ratio of t he he ight to t he w id th of the tir e in percent .
Numbe rs of 55 o r lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
respo nse an d be tter overa ll handling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part o f the tire that is made of stee l w ires , wrap ped o r
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bon d between components in the bead .
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the tire.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous hi story ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unu sual vibration or if the vehicle pull s to one side
when driving, alway s stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle ma nufa cturer
for a tire of a des ignated size t hat has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree ho ur period
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed.
Curb weight
mea ns the weig ht of a motor vehicle wit h standard equ ipment
including the max imum cap aci ty of f ue l, oil, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designe d to operate at higher loads and at higher infla­
t ion p ressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard t ire. Ext ra load tires
my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load -ca rry ing capacity of a s ingle ax le system, measured at
t he t ire-grou nd inte rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded we ight of the vehicle .