2011 AUDI A6 check engine light

Safety switch
® Safety swi tch for rea r window operat ion .
& WARNING
• Do not leav e children unattended in the vehicle, especially with
access to vehicle keys. Unsupervised use of the keys can result in
starting of the engine and u se of veh icle systems su ch a s power
windows, etc. which could result in se rious injury .
• Remember -you can still open or close the power window s for
about ten minutes a fter the ignition is switched off. Only when
either of the front doors are opened are the power windows
switched off.
• Be careful when closing the window s. Check to see that no one
is in the way, o r serious injury could result !
• Alway s remove the ignition key whenever you leave your
vehicle.
• If you lo ck your v ehicle from the outside, no one, e specially
children, should remain in the vehicle.
• Do not stick anything on the windows or the windshield that
may interfere with the dr iver's field of vi sion.
[ i ] Tips
In ad dition to the switches in the d river's doo r there is a separate
switch in each door for the powe r window in that door~
page 52,
fig.39. •
Switches in the driver 's door
T he driver can operate all wind ows.
If the res pective sw itch is pushe d or pulled t he window will
o pen or c los e. Th e powe r window swi tches have a
two-posi­
tion function:
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Opening and closing
Opening the windows
- Push the switch to the first stop and h old i t th ere until the
window has lowered to the desired posi tion .
- Push the switch br iefly to t he
second stop : the window
will automatica lly open a ll the way .
Closing the windows
- Pull the swi tch up to the first stop a n d ho ld it t her e u ntil
the window h as r is e n to t he desir ed posit ion.
- P ull the swi tch qu ickly to th e
second position: the window
w ill automatica lly cl os e a ll th e way ~
& in "Co ntro ls" on
page SO.
Activating/deactivating rear windows
- Press the le ft Cf) sw itch ~ page 50, fi g. 38 to deactivate
o nly the wi ndow reg ulator in the left door. The in dicator
light in the switch illumi nates .
- Press t he r ight
Cf) switc h~ page 50, fig . 38 to deactivate
only the w indow regulator in the right door. The ind icator
lig ht in t he switch illumi nates .
- Press the
[fl switch agai n to reactivate the wi ndow regu-
lator. T he ind icator lig ht in the switch goes out .
This function can a lso deact ivate d. Press both(!) switches ® in
s u ccession.
• If
only the left(!) switch was pressed, only the window regu lator
s w itch in the
left rear door is de acti vated. In a ddi tion , the door i s
locked.
• If
only the right(!) switch wa s pressed, only the window regu lator
switch in the
right rear door is deact ivated. In addition, the door is
locked.
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Vehicle care Technical data

Clear vision
Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off ·"ti-·
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor automatically
switches the head- and taillights on and off in response to light condi tions.
Fi g. 46 In strument
p an el: li gh t swit ch
The ligh t switc h must not be overtur ned past t he stops in
either d irection.
Switching on automatic headlight control
- Turn the lig ht sw itch to AUTO => fig. 46 .
Switching on the side marker lights
-Turn the lig ht swi tch to ~oo~.
Switching on the headlights and high beam
- Tur n the lig ht sw itch to ~D.
- Push the high beam leve r forward tow ards the in strument
panel=>
page 62 .
Switching off the lights
- Tu rn th e lig ht swi tch to 0.
T he headlights on ly work when the ignitio n is switc hed on. Whi le
starting the engine or w hen switching off t he ignition, the headlig hts
w ill go off and o nly the s ide marke r lights will be o n.
After starting the eng ine, the headlights are automatically adjusted*
to the load and angle o f th e vehicle (for example, during acce lerat ion,
brak ing) . This prevents oncom ing traff ic from experiencing unneces ­
sary headlight glare from your head lig hts.
If the system is not operat ing p roperly, a warning symbol in the Auto­
Check Control is displayed=>
page 31.
With the side marker lights o r headlights switc hed on, the symbol
next to the light switch illum inates
':o oc .
Daytime running lights
• USA models: On vehicles w ith xenon lights the dayt ime runn ing
lights will come on automat ica lly when the ignition is turned o n and
the light switch=> fig. 46 is i n the
O position or the AUTO position
(only i n day light conditions) . The
D aytime running light s function
can be turned on and off in the MMI menu
Exterior lighting
=> page 59. On vehicles wit h halogen lights there is no daytime
r u nning lights fu nctio n=>
& -
• Canada models: The daytime ru nning lights wi ll come o n auto­
matically w hen the ignit io n is t urned on and t he light switch=> fig. 46
is in the
O p osition or the AUTO position (on ly in day light co nditions)
=> & -
Automatic headlight control
In the switch pos ition AUTO the automatic headlight control is
t u rned on. The low beams are t urned on automatically t hrough a light
sensor as soon as ambient br ight ness (e .g . when dr iving into a
t u nnel) falls below a val ue p reset at the factory . When ambient .,.

Rain sensor
The rain sensor operates on ly in the interval wiper position . When it
starts to rain, the interval wiper mode is activated automat ically .
I f the windshield wiper lever is in the interval wipe position with the
ign ition switched off, the rain sensor is not activated until vehicle
speed is above 4 mph (6 km/h) .
To reduce the sensitivity of the rain sensor, the switch @ must be
moved down . To increase the sensit ivity of the rain sensor, the switch
must be moved up.
The higher the sensitiv ity sett ing, the sooner the windsh ield wipers
react to mo isture on the windshie ld. Increased sensitivity is signa led
by the windshield w ipers making a single pass over the windshie ld.
T he rain sensor wiper intervals depend on the sensitivity setting as
we ll as vehicle speed. During brief stops, wiper motion will adjust in
relation to the amount of rain on the windshield .
& WARNING
• Wiper blades are crucial for safe driving! Only when they are in
good condition are they able to clear the windows properly to
provide uncompromised visibility. Worn or damaged wiper blades
are a safety hazard =>
page 68, "Replacing windshield wiper
blades"!
• The rain sensor is only designed to assist and support the
driver. It remains entirely the driver 's responsibility to monitor
outside weather conditions and to manually activate the wipers as
soon as rain or drizzle reduces visibility through the windshield.
• The windshield must not be treated with water-repellent
materials. They can increase glare under poor visibility conditions
such as wetness, darkness, or when the sun is low on the horizon.
In addition, they can cause the w indshield wipers to chatter.
0 Note
In freez ing or near freezing conditions:
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Clear vision
•
Always check that the wiper blades are not frozen to the glass
before you turn the wipers on. Loosen a wiper blade which is frozen in
place before operat ing the w ipers to prevent damage to the wiper
blade or the wiper motor.
• Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted window . Us ing the wipers
as a convenient ice scraper will destroy the wiper blades.
• Before you take your vehicle to an automatic car wash, make sure
you have the windshield wipe r system switched off (lever in position
0), otherw ise the windshield wiper system could get damaged in the
car wash if it shou ld suddenly come on.
(I] Tips
• Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades cause smearing which can
affect the operation of the rain sensor . Check the condit ion of your
windshield wiper b lades regularly.
• The rain sensor is part of the interval wiping system . Turn ing off
the ignition will a lso deactivate the rain sensor. To reactivate the
sensor, switch off the interval wip ing function, then switch it back on
again.
• The w indshield wipers are switched off when the ignition is turned
off . Activate the windsh ie ld wipers after the ignition is switched back
on by mov ing the w indshield wiper lever to any pos it ion.
• Make sure the washer fl uid reservoir in the engine compar tment is
topped off before going on a long trip . Look up::::>
page 294 for
checking and filling the washer conta iner. •
App lies to ve hicle s: with headli ght was h er syste m
Headlight washer system
The headlight washer system cleans the headlights.
- Operate the windshield wiper/washer system~ page 66,
fig. 57 ®with the headlights turned on by holding the
lever for longer than one second. _,,,,
Vehicle care Technical data

Intelligent technology
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fore-and-aft and lateral directions, the brake pressure and the
steering angle are all measured.
The direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
the aid of the steering angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, for example , when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appropriate wheel to correct
the problem.
The vehicle is then stabilized by the forces acting on the wheel during
braking. If the vehicle is
oversteering (rear tends to skid out of the
turn), the brakes are mainly applied on the wheel that is on the
outside of the curve. In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to slide out of the curve), the brakes are applied at the rear
wheel that is on the inside of the curve. An acoustic signal indicates
when ESP brake application cuts in =>
&.
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system=>
page 246. If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP will be out of action as well.
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESP will automatically be activated and
will perform a self-test . As soon as the test is completed, the system
is in normal operating mode.
You can activate a deactivated ESP or deactivated ESP/ ASR if required
by pressing the=>
page 242, fig. 201 button. When they are acti­
vated, the message
ESP/ASR on appears briefly in the display .
Deactivating
The ESP should normally be activated all the time. If necessary , you
can deactivate Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) or the Electronic Stabiliza­
tion Program (ESP) by pressing the button =>
page 242, fig. 201.
• Deactivating ASR: Tap the but ton . In certain excep tional situa­
tions (e.g. driving with tire chains) , the Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) can
be deactivated=>
page 244 . The message ASR off appears in the
display as well.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation •
Deactivating ESP/ASR
Press the button for more than 3 seconds .
With the ESP/ASR deactivated, the ESP check light comes on, see
=>
page 14. The message ESP switched off appears in the display as
well.
& WARNING
The Electronic Stabilization Program is nevertheless subject to the laws of physics. It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and traffic conditions. Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into
accepting additional safety risks. •
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the rotational
speed of the drive wheels.
General notes
The electronic differential lock (EDL) helps the car to start moving,
accelerate and climb a gradient on surfaces providing poor or almost
no grip . Without EDL, this would be difficult, if not impossible .
How the system works
The EDL operates automatically . It monitors the rotational speed of
the drive wheels on an axle with the help of the ABS sensors
=>
page 246 . If a noticeable difference in rotational speed between
the drive wheels on one axle is detected (e.g. on slippery ground
on
one side),
the spinning wheel is braked, thereby transferring power to
the othe r drive wheel or wheels (all-wheel drive). This is done up to a
speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h) . Noises from the brake system
signal that wheel spin is being controlled.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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Driv ing off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road conditions in mind as
you acce lerate. If one d rive w heel spins because it is on a surface with
less grip, gradua lly inc rease the press ure on the accelerator pedal
un til the car sta rts to move .
Overheating of brakes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel from overheating if
subjected to excessive loads o n this whee l, t he EDL cuts out tem po­
ra rily. The vehicle rema ins operat iona l a nd be haves in the same way
as a ve hicle wit hout EDL.
As soon as the bra ke has coo le d down , ED L swit ches on again au to­
matically.
& WARNING
• When accelerating on slippery surfaces , such as on i ce or snow ,
alway s be careful when depre ssing the accelerator pedal. Even
with the EDL work ing , the drive wheels can spin and reduce your
ability to control your car. Risk of crash!
• The increased safety afforded by EDL does not mean that you
can take safety ri sks . Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
(I) Tips
If a fa ult occurs i n the ABS, the EDL is also not f unct io ni ng . This is
indic ated by t he A BS war ning ligh t=>
page 17.
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti- S lip Re gula tio n Sy stem preven ts the dr iven
w heels from spin ning w hen t he car is accelerating .
General notes
The Anti-S lip Reg ulation Sys tem (AS R) is in tegr ate d in the ele ctroni c
stabilization program (ESP) . When the ve hicle starts up and acceler­
at es, the whee ls are p reven ted from sp inning by adjust ing t he engine
power to match the amount of grip avai lable from the road surface.
How the system works
ASR performs automatically, i.e. witho ut the driver 's intervent ion.
W ith the a id of t he ABS sensors=>
page 246, ASR moni to rs the speed
of the dr iven wheels. If the wheels start to spin , th e engine torque is
redu ced a utomatically unti l the t ires find enou gh gr ip to lock onto
the road surface. T he system is active across the entire speed range .
Th e ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If a malfunction sho uld
occ ur in th e ABS, th e AS R w ill also be out of action.
Activating
The ESP is automatically activated whe n the engine is started and it
performs a se lf-test. You can act ivate a deact ivate d ASR if required by
press ing the=>
pag e 242, fig. 201 button. Whe n it is act ivated, t he
message
ESP/ASR on appears briefly in t he disp lay. Vehicles with
front-wheel d rive a dea ct iva te d ASR a uto mat icall y re-ac tiva tes i tself
at a speed of 40 mp h (70 km/h) .
Deactivating
You can deact ivate t he ASR if required by pressing t he button (for less
t han 3 se conds) =>
page 242, fig . 2 0 1. Wi th the ASR dea ct ivated, the
ESP check light comes on, see=>
page 14. The message ASR off
appe ars i n the di sp la y as wel l. On vehicles wi th fro nt-whee l dr ive:
deactivation is possible only up to 30 mph (SO km/h) for safety
reas ons. Vehi cles w ith all -wheel drive: the AS R can be deac tivated at
any speed. ..

Intelligent technology
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these circ umstances, it is especially importa nt that you dr ive slowly
a nd wi th grea t ca re .
How the ABS system works
An au tom ati c c heck is m ade w hen a speed of about 4 mp h (6 km /h) is
reac hed. When th is happens, a pump ing no ise can be heard.
If an indivi dual w heel beg ins to rot ate too s low ly in relat ion to vehi cle
speed and tends to lock, t he A BS a utomat ically reduces brake pres­
sure to prevent that w heel from loc king .
Thi s au tom atic adju stm ent pr oces s w ill c au se a
slight vibration of
the brake pedal and some noises to alert you that vehicle speed must
be ad apted to exis tin g road and traff ic c ondi tio ns.
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tire traction. Always adjust your driving
speed according to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra risks.
The ABS cannot overcome the laws of physics.
[ i J Tips
• If A BS is no t fu nct ion ing prope rly, a w arn ing ligh t will come on .
See
~ page 17 .
• If a f ault o ccur s in the A BS, the EDL is also not func tio ning. T his is
ind icated by the ABS war ning light.
Brake assistant
--
The brake assis tan t is d esign ed to achie ve the opt imum
b raki ng eff ect.
The b rake ass istant he lps to increase the effective braking power and
t hu s to ac hi eve a shorter stopping dis tance . If t he dr iver p re sse s t he
brake peda l ve ry qu ickly, the b rake assistant automatica lly boosts the
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
brak
ing fo rce to t he maximum level , up to the point where the anti­
l ock brak e fu nction (A BS) in terve nes to stop the whee ls fr om l ocking.
Yo u should t hen kee p the brake pedal pressed unti l the ve hicle has
bra ked to the required speed. The bra ke ass istant switches itself off
as soon as you re lease the brake pedal.
The brake assistant will not be operative i f th ere is a ma lf u nction in
t he A BS.
& WARNING
Please remember that the accident risk always increases if you
drive too fast, especially in corners or on a slippery road , or if you
follow the vehicle ahead of you too clo sely. Increa sed risk of an
accident cannot be compensated for even by the brake assistant ,
so always maintain a safe speed .•
Servotronic® - advanced power
steering system
The po wer s teerin g sys tems uses the power of the
runnin g engine to a llow p re cis e st ee rin g with little effort.
The adva nced Servotronic ® power stee ring syste m senses the road
speed and elect ronically adjusts power assistance to p rovide
c omfortab le and saf e steer ing response exa ctly match ed to th e
vehicle speed.
P owe r steer ing will not wor k if the engine is o ff. As a resul t, the
steeri ng wheel will be hard to tu rn .
The power steering fluid level is checke d dur ing the sched uled main ­
tenance se rvices .
0 Note
If the re is a n ele ct ronic mal func tion, s ervo tr onic will s till f unction
like a conventional power steering system, provid ing a constant
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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.

Driving and environment
(I] Tip s
The consumption estimates as pub lished by ENV IRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will vary
depending upon vehicle load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc. •
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are accelerating .
-Avo id unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fue l when they a re accele rating. If you antici­
pate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possible -for
example when you see that the next traffic l ight is red. •
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and improves your
mileage.
- Try and keep well below your car's maximum speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consumption, engine wear, and does
not disturb the environment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine noise increase
disproportionately at high speeds . If you drive at approx imately three
qua rters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half.
Never drive faster than the posted speed limit and weather condi­
tions permit.
a Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
-
Shut the engine off when yo u are not driving the vehicle.
- Do not warm up the vehic le by letting the eng ine run at
idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic jams, when waiting for
trains to pass at rai lroad crossings, o r at traffic lights that have long
wa its on red . Turn ing the eng ine off for just 30-40 seconds saves
more fuel than is burned starting the engine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up fully when it is running
at idle. Howeve r, wear and noxious emissions are espec ially high
when the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So you sho uld d rive away as soon as
you start the engine and avoid running at hig h rpms while the eng ine
is still warming up.
0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after starting . If warning
lights should come on to indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which cou ld result in
overheat ing o r othe r damage to the vehicle or other p roperty. •
Regular maintenanc_e ____________ _
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
- Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals .
By having yo ur vehicle regularly se rviced by an Audi dealer helps to
ensure that it runs properly and economically . T he condition of your
vehicle not only a ffects its safety and ability to ho ld its va lue, it a lso
affects
fu el con sumption .
Check your o il e ach tim e you fill you r tank.
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