2011 AUDI A6 heating

Intelligent technology
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It is in precisely these situations that you will notice energy manage­
ment actively regulating the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off. This
red uces energy consumption and maintains starting capability over a
longer period.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
convenience functions, such as the remote key or power seat adjust­
ment, may not be avai lab le. The convenience functions wi ll be ava il­
able again when you turn on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the engine turned off o r
use other MMI functions, the battery is being discharged.
If starting capability is jeopard ized due to energy consumption, the
following warning appears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will switch off in
3 minutes .
The warning indicates that the system will be turned off automati­
cally after 3 minutes. If you wis h to continue using the funct ions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrica l energy is generated when the vehicle is being
dr iven, the battery can become discharged. This happens mostly
when little energy is being generated and a great deal consumed and
the battery's state of charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which
req uire especially large amounts of energy are temporarily cut back
or switched off . H eating systems in particular require a great deal of
energy. If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or the
heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporarily cut
back or switched off. These systems will be ava ilable again as soon as
the energy ba lance has been restored. You will also
notice that engine idle speed has been increased
slightly. This is normal and not a cause for concern. By increasing
engine idle speed the addit ional energy required is generated and the
battery is charged. •
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery powe r drops into the range where it can limit the ability of
the engine to start, this is shown in the instrument cluster display
w ith the following driver message:
1 Low battery charge: battery will be charged while driving
This notification reminds you that the starting capability of the
eng ine may be limited. As soon as you start driving again, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go out.
Driver notification appears and goes out again
If this driver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
wh ile driving and it goes out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Driver notification appears and does not go out
again
If this dr iver not ificat ion appears after the ign it ion is turned on or
whi le driving and does not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Starting ability is restricted . Have the
battery checked as soon as possible at a dealership.

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Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it keeps the
engine from o ve rheat ing and it prote cts the engine from
free zing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and genera lly requ ires little attention .
Th e cooling system has been fi lled a t the factory w it h a permanent
coo lant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the man ufacturer's glycol-basedcoo lant add i­
tive Gl2++ a ntifreeze with ant i corrosion additives (50% for USA
mode ls; 60% for Canadian mode ls). This mixture bot h assures the
necessary frost protec tion and p rotects metal components i n the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and scaling . It a lso ra ises the
boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in the summer by
adding p lai n water . The proport ion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 % to maintain ant ifreeze protection
and coo ling efficiency. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low, the
coo lant co uld freeze and damage the veh icle heating and eng ine
cooling system .
For year-ro und d riving, antifreeze is added at t he factory for temper­
atures down to:
• - 31°F( -35°C)USA
• - 40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada .
You can mix the G12 ++ coo lant additive with other add it ives (G12 + or
G 12) . Always check with yo ur a utho rized Aud i dea ler .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always
read and heed all WARNINGS=>
& in "Working in the engine
compartment " on
page 279.
0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
coo lant additive in you r vehicle is s ufficient to meet the climate
condi tions. This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, increase the proport ion of
c oo lan t add it ive to 60%.
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coo lant add it ive G 12++ (check the
label) for your vehicle . This coolant additive is available at autho­
r ized A ud i deale rs. Othe r ty pes of antifreeze can s ignifica ntly
reduce corrosion protection. The resulting corrosion can cause a
loss o f coolant and serious engine damage .
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to you r vehicle's
eng ine coolant. Adding rad iator repair fl uid may adversely affect the
function and performa nce of your coo ling system and could resu lt in
d a mage not covered by your New Vehicle Limi ted W arranty. •
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance .
Fig. 211 En gine
compa rtm ent : C oolant
ex pa nsio n tank ..

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Before you c hec k anythi ng in the engine compartment,
alwa ys r ead and heed all WARNINGS==> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 279.
- Turn off the ignition.
- Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expansion
tank==>
page 286, fig. 211. With a cold engine, the
coolant level should be between the "min" and "max"
markings . When the engine is wa rm, the level may be
sligh tly above the "max" marking .
The locat io n of the coolant expansion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment ill ustration ~
page 280.
To obta in an accurate reading, the engine must be sw itched off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equ ipped with an electric coolant
level sensor .
When the coolan t level
is too low, the warn ing light i n th e Au to-Che ck
System ~
page 2 7 will blink until you add coo lant and the level has
bee n restored to normal. Even though the re is an elect ric coolan t
level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may ind icate a leak in the cooling system. I n the even t of
coo lant loss, the cooling system should be inspected immed iately by
yo ur au tho rized A ud i dea le r.
It is not enough mere ly to add coolant.
In a
s ealed system, losses can occur only if the bo iling point of the
coo lant is exceeded as a resu lt of overheating .
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's engine
coo lant. Add ing radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warra nty. •
Safety first
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
B efore you check a nything in t he engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS==> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 279.
- Turn off the engine.
- Let the engine cool down .
- Place a th ick rag over the coolant expansion tank
==>
page 286 , fig. 2 11 and carefully twist t he cap counter­
clockw ise ==>& .
- Add coolant .
- Twist the cap on again
tightly .
Replacement eng ine coolant must conform to exact spec ifications
~ page 286, "Coolant". Even in an emergency, if coolant additive
G 12++, G12+ or G12 is not available, do
not use a different addi tive .
Use plain water instead until you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correc t ratio. This should be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of coolant, then you should
add co ld antifreeze and cold water only when the eng ine is co ld .
Always use
new engine coo lant w hen refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Excess coolant will be
forced ou t th rough the p ress ure relief v alve in the cap when the
engine becomes hot .
& WARNING
• The cooling sy stem i s under pres su re and can get very hot.
Reduc e the ri sk of scalding from hot coolant by following the se
steps.
-Tu rn off the engine and allow it to co ol down . _,.
Vehicle care Technical data