2011 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

Instruments and controls
General illustration
(D Power window switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
@ Door handle
@ Memory buttons (driver's seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
© Power locking switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
® Adjuster control for outside mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
© Air outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
0 Light switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
@ Control lever for:
- Turn signal and high beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
- Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
® Control lever for:
- Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
- Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
@ Multifunction steering wheel with:
- Horn
- Driver 's airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
- Shift buttons ...... .. .. .... ........ .......... 151, 158
- Button for steering wheel heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
@ Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
@ Switches for
- Windshield wiper/washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
- Trip computer ............... .. .. .. .. ....... .
@ Steering lock/ignition/starter switch ... .. ......... .
@ Buttons for
- resetting the trip odometer .......... .. .. .. ... .
- !CHECK] .... .... .. .... .. .... ............... .
-Instrument lighting . ....... .... .. .. .... .. .. . .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
34
108
10
11
11
Instruments and controls
@ MMI Display, see separate manua l
@ Depending on equipment, switches for:
- Electronic Stabili zation Program (ESP)
- Side assist .. ... . .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. ... .
- Emergency flashers .. .... .. .. .. ............. .
- Power sunshade . ... ... .. .. .. .. .... .. .. ... .. .
- Valet key function .. .. .. .. .... ....... ...... .. .
@ Buttons for
- Switching MMI display on/off
- Unlocking glove compartment
@ Glove compartment ...... .. .. .. .... .. ......... .
@ Front passenger 's airbag ............... ... .. .. . .
@ Climate controls ... .. .. .. .. .. .... .......... ... .
@ Ashtray .............. .. .... .. .. .. .. .... ..... .
@ Shift lever for automatic transmission
- 6-speed automatic transmission ....... .. ... ... .
- multitronic ® ....................... .. .... .. .
@ MMI contro l console, see separate manua l
@ Storage with cupholder ... .. ... .............. .. .
@) Electromechanical parking brake .............. .. . .
@ ISTAR T]-/ISTOP] button ........ .. ... .......... .
@ Adjustable steering wheel, depending on equipment :
- mechanical ............. .. .. .. ............. .
- electrical . ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ....... .. .
@ Data Link Connector for On Board Diagnostics (OBD II)
@ Hood release .......... .. .... .. .. .. .. ......... .
@ Switch for
unlocking the fuel fi ller door .............. .... .
- unlocking the trunk lid . .. ........ .. ... .. .. .. . .
Vehicle care
242
137
61
65
40
94
94
201
98
91
146
154
89
113
110
106
106 23
278
275
46 •
Technical data

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.
F ig. 2 Overview of th e ins trument cluste r
CD Coolan t temperature ga uge ..... .. ...... ... .. ... .
@ T achomete r with t ime and da te d isplay . .... .. .. .. .
@ Warning/indica tor lights ....................... .
© Driver information system .................. .. .. .
© Speedometer with odometer .................. .. .
© Fuel gauge . ... ... .. ... ...... . .. .. .. ... ... . ... .
0 Instr ument cluster i llum ination . .. .............. .
8
9,9
12
19
10
10
11
@ !CHECK] button .... ...... ..... ......... ...... .
® Reset button for trip odometer ................. .
(I) Tips
11
10
The illuminat ion for the instrument cluster lights up whenever you
switch on the ignition with the
v ehicle headlight s off. As the daylight
fades, the instrument cluste r illum ination likewise d ims automati­
cally and w ill go out completely when the outside light is very low .
T his featu re is mean t to remind you to switch on the headligh ts when
outs ide light conditions become poor. •
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge ~ fig . 2 CD only works when the ignition is
on. To p revent damage to yo ur engine, ple ase note the following
important points:
Engine cold
As long as the needle rema ins at or close to the bottom of the gauge,
t he engine s till has not rea ched its operat ing tem perature. Avo id hig h
eng ine speeds, heavy eng ine loads and heavy t hrottle app lications.
Normal temperature
When the eng ine has reached its ope rating temperature, the needle
w ill move into the midd le of the gauge and remain t he re.
If the
eng ine is working hard at high outs ide temperatures, the needle may
r ise up. This is no need to worry as long as the
_t_ warning light in th e
instr ument cluster does not illuminate.
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: e ithe r th e coolan t
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low=> page 27. _,.

If the needle is well in the upper area of the gauge, the coolant
tempe rat ure 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
• Alway s observe th e warning in => page 271, "Engine comp art ­
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
s ee engin e 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 additiona l lights or accessories in fron t of the a ir inlets
reduces the cooling effect of the radiator . At high outside tempera­
t ur es o r high engine load, the engine could overheat.
• The front spo iler has bee n des igned to prope rly d istribute the
coo ling air when the vehicle is moving.
If the spoiler is damaged, this
cou ld reduce the coo ling effect and the eng ine could then overheat .
Ask your author ized A udi dealer for assistance .•
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicat es th e engine RPM (revolutions
per minutes).
Th e tac home ter @ => page 8, fig. 2 is the left of the two large cloc k­
type displays.
Th e engine tu rns at a speed
1,000 times the si ng le dig it in the
display, e.g. if the need le is po int ing at the "2 " the engi ne is t urning
at 2,000 RP M.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
If e ngine RPM drops below 1,500, you s hould dow nsh ift to t he next
lower ge ar. T he re d area at t he e nd of the s cale i ndic ates m aximum
permissible e ngine RPM after the break-in per iod . Before reaching
this area, move the selector lever to posit ion "D (Drive)" or ease yo ur
foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
T he tachome ter needle s houl d not move into the red range. If it does,
then only fo r a very short period of time . You could damage your
e n g in e by driv ing at h igh RPM .
c£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel a nd reduces e ngine noise. •
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in the MM I.
Fig. 3 Instrumen t
cluster with digital
clock
Th e d ate, t ime o f day, and time and date fo rmat c an be se t in the
MMI. You can find o ut more in the MMI manual.
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
(I) Tips
• T he dig ita l clock and the odomete r are t urned on for about 30
seconds when the driver's door is opened .
• When the ign ition is turned off, the odometer read ing and the
digital clock with date disp lay can be switc hed on for about
30 se conds by press ing the
[CH ECK! button~ page 11, fig. 5. •
Speedometer with odometer
The speedometer shows you the vehicle speed, and the
odometer shows you how many miles (kilometers) you
have driven .
Fig. 4 Instrume nt
clu st e r O dom eter a nd
r e se t bu tton
The odometer and tr ip odometer are located inside the speedometer .
• USA models -Miles
• Canada models -Kilometers
You can sw itch the display from miles to kilometers and vice versa via
t he MM I.
Lower odometer
The lowe r odometer shows the total n umber of m iles ( kilometers)
dr iven .
Upper odometer (trip odometer)
The upper odometer shows the total n umber of m iles (k ilometers)
dr iven since you last reset the odometer to zero . You can use th is
odometer when yo u want to keep track of how many m iles (kilome ­
ters) you have dr iven for a sing le trip or errand. The last d igit indicates
1/10 of a mile (100 meters) .
You can reset t he tr ip odometer to zero by pressi ng t he Rese t bu tto n
~ o.o.
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunction somewhere in the instrument cluster, dEF
w ill appear in the tr ip odomete r and will s tay on . Con tact yo ur autho­
r ized Audi dealer to have the problem corrected.
[ i ] Tips
• The d igita l clock and the odometer are turned on for about 30
seconds when the driver 's door is opened .
• When the ignition is turned off, the odometer reading and the
dig it a l cl ock with date d isp lay can be sw itched on for abou t
30 seconds by pressing the [
CHECK! button=> page 11 , fig. 5. •
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is on.
When the need le reaches the rese rve mark, the~
page 30 symbol
appea rs in the instrument cluste r display as we ll as the message
Plea se refuel. T here are approximate ly between 1.8 and 2.4 gallons
(7-9 l ite rs) of fuel left . This message is meant to remind yo u to
refuel.
Th e to tal tank capa city of yo ur vehicle is liste d in ~ page 343.

0 Note
Never run the tan k comp letely d ry . An irregular s upply of f ue l can
cause engine misfiring and fue l cou ld enter the ex ha ust system . T he
c ata lytic co nve rter co ul d the n overhea t and be damaged .•
[ C HECK ) button
You can per form differen t functions wi th this button.
Fig . 5 CHE CK button
i n the in strume nt
clu ste r
Th e [ C H ECK] bu tton perfo rms the fo llowing func tions :
Switching on the clock and odometer
With the ignition tu rned off, the odome ter read ing and the dig ita l
clock with date d isplay can be switched on for abo ut 30 seconds by
pressin g the [
CHECK ] button ~ fig . 5.
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system~ page 2 4 constantly monitors ce rtain indi­
vidual functions and components of the vehicle when the ignit ion is
tur ned on and w hen the vehicle is movi ng.
With the ignition turned on, yo u can sta rt the "A uto-Check sequence"
by pressing the
!CHECK ] button. You can perform an Auto -Check
sequence whe n the veh icle is st ationa ry a nd the ignition is turned on
or when the vehicle is moving not faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) .
Control s and equ ip­
m ent Vehicle OP-eration
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
The nu mber of keys programmed to the vehicle is a lso displayed . The
di splay
3\3 indic ates th at three keys have been programmed . T his
allows you to make sure you have received all of the keys w hen you
purc hase a used ve hicle.
For example, if you o nly receive two keys, yo u sho uld ta ke tho se keys
to your a uthorized Audi dealer to have the missing key deactivated so
i t ca nn ot be used. You sh ould also re port the mis sing key to you r
insurance compa ny.
Calling up the driver information
A ye llow or red symbol appears in the instrument cluster display,
us ua lly w it h a dr ive r mes sage . T he driver message display di sappe ars
after about 5 seco nds. The driver message can be displayed again by
br iefly p ressing t he
[CHECK ] but to n.
Setting the speed warning
By press ing t he I CH ECK] button br iefly, you can set t hreshold 1 of
the speed warning while yo u are driving ~
page 33. By maintaining
pressure on the
I CHECK ] button, you de lete the warning th reshol d.•
Instrument cluster illumination
The basic brig htness of the illumination for the inst ru ­
ments, the center console and the display can be
a dju sted.
Fig. 6 Instrument
clu ste r illum inat ion .,,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
- Press the"+" button to increase the brightness during the
hours of darkness.
- Press the"-" button to decrease the brightness during the
hours of dark ness.
A light sensor in the instrument cluster contro ls the illumination for
the instrument cluster, the center console and the displays. In a
br ight env ironment, using the buttons to change the br ightness has
no effect .
[ i ] Tips
The illumination for the instrument cluster lights up whenever you
switch on the ig nition with the vehicle head lights off. As the daylight
fades, the instrument cluster illum inat ion likewise d ims automati­
cally and w ill go out completely when the outside light is very low.
Th is feature is meant to remind you to sw itch on the headlights when
outside light conditions become poor. •
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions
or a possible malfunction .
Fig . 7 Instr um ent cluste r w ith warn in g/ indicato r lig hts
Your vehicle is equipped with several important warning and ind i­
ca tor lights to he lp you moni to r the continued re liable operat ion of
your vehicle =>& .
AIR
BAG
Electronic power control => page 14
Elect ronic Stabilization Program (ESP) => page 14
USA models: ~page 14
Airbag system

Canada models:
Airbag system
Tire pressure monitoring system*
L eft turn signal
Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp (MIL)
/ : Lane assist (system is ready)
Lane assist (system is not ready)
Safety belt
Adapt ive A ir Suspe nsio n*
-~ Adaptive Air Suspension"
D H igh beam
--
Q Right turn signal
CRUISE USA models:
Cruise contro l a ct ivate d =>page
14
=> page 15
=>page 15
=> page 15
=> page 15
=> page 15
=>page 15
=> page 16
=> page 16
=> page 16
=> page 15
=>page 16
Canada models: => page 16
Cruise control activated
USA models: => page 17
Ant i-lock brake system (ABS) defective
Canada models : => page 17
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) defective
USA models: PARK BRAKE Elect romecha nica l parki ng b rake
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
=:::, page 17
-
-
-
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
(®)
BRAKE
--

Canada models: => page 17
E lectromechanical parking brake
USA model s: => page 18
Brake ma lf u nct ion
-Canada models: => page 18
B rake malfunction
Vehicles with the Adaptive Cru ise Control* have the following addi­
ti onal check lamps:
Open road
i;:;::::::, 1111 i;:;::::::, D ri vi n g i n traffic
i;:;::::::, 1111 i;:;::::::, Request for dr iver to
assume con trol
& WARNING
=> page 12 7
=:::, page 127
=> page 127
• Failure to heed warning light s and other important vehicle
information may result in s erious personal injury or vehicle
damage.
• Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe
distan ce off the road, st op the engine, and turn on the emergency
flasher =>
page 61.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle i s a potentially
hazardous area . Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine compart ­
ment, stop the engine and let it cool down. Always exercise
extreme caution when working under the hood=>
page 2 71,
"Engine compartment". .,.
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
(I] Tip s
Many fun ct ions a re mon itored by the Auto-Check system=> page 24.
Malfunctions or faults will be identified either with a red symbol
(pr iority
1-Dange r!) or w ith a ye llow symbo l (prio rity 2 -Warn ing). •
Electronic power control C
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The warn ing/indicator light (Electro nic Power Control) illumi-
nates when you turn on the ignition as a function check .
(I] Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving, then
there is a malfunct io n in the engine electron ics . Have the ma lfunct io n
corrected as soon as possib le by your authori zed Audi dealer or qual­
ified repair fac ility. •
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) •..
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
stabilization program.
T he warn ing/indicator lig ht has the follow ing funct ions:
• It blinks while you are driving when the ESP is working.
• It illumina tes when you sw itch on the ignition fo r approximately 2
seconds as a function check .
• It illuminates whe n there is a malfunction in the ESP .
• It illuminates when ESP or ASR (Ant i-Slip Regula tion) is deacti­
vated .
• It ill umina tes if t he re is a malfunction in the A BS, s ince the ESP is
part of the ABS system. If the battery terminals were disconnected and re-connected, the
vehicle was jump st arted o r th e bat tery is very weak, t he ESP se nsor
system goes through a learning process for the first few yards. The
warning/indicator light illuminates. The war ning/indicator light goes
out as soo n as the learning process is complete .
If the ESP warning/indicator light ill uminates and stays on after yo u
have sta rted t he engine, t his may mean that the co ntrol system has
temporarily switched off the ESP . If this is case , you can react ivate
t he ESP by tu rning the igni tion off and t hen o n ag ain . The
warning/indica tor light should go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
For more information about the ESP=>
page 242. •
Airbag system
~i (USA models) l!.!r (Canada models)
This warning/indica tor ligh t monitors the airbag and the
pretensioner systems.
The G>! (USA models)/ !.!r (Canada mode ls) warn ing light illuminates
fo r a few seconds ea ch time yo u sw itch on the ignitio n.
If the
G>! (USA models)/ !.!r (Canada mode ls) warn ing light does not go
out, or if it illuminates while you are driving, or if it starts to blink,
then there is a malfunction somewhere in the system . If the light
does not illuminate when yo u switch on the ignition, this a lso means
there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in th e airbag syst em, contact your
authorized Audi deale r immediately . Otherwi se the airbag or the
belt pr eten sion er may not work properly in an accid ent .•