2011 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

Cleaning and protection -
---------------=---------=----
0 Note
• Nev er use che mical s olvents (e.g. lig hte r fl uid , turpen tine), waxe s,
sho e polish or sim ila r pr oducts on A lcantara ® surfaces.
• T o avo id damage, have s tubbor n sta ins removed by a co mmerc ia l
cleaning s pecialist .
• Do not use brushes, stiff spo nges or sim ilarly ab rasive cl ea ni ng
aids. •
Safety belts
Only well- maintain ed safe ty b elts wo rk re liably when
n ee ded.
- Kee p belts cle an.
- F or clea nin g, use a mil d soap and w ate r solution. Let belts
dry thor oug hly and aw ay fro m direct s unlig ht.
- D o not a llow i nertia re el sa fety b elt s t o re trac t bef ore the y
are c ompl ete ly dry .
- Che ck th e condi tio n of you r sa fety belts
regu larly.
H eav ily so iled safe ty be lts may not ret rac t proper ly.
& WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
• Anything that might damage your safety belts could mean
that you and your passengers would not be adequately protected
in an accident.
• Safety belt performance depends on correct installation. Never
remove belts from the vehicle to clean them .
• Do not use chemical cleaning agents , bleach or dyes. They have
corrosive properties which weaken the webbing.
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• When cleaning your safety belts , inspect them for damage . If
you discover damage, see your Audi dealer .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~page 260. •
Engine compartment
Be es pec ially care ful w hen clean ing th e engine co mp art­
m en t.
Always switch off the ign ition before cleaning the engine~,&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum pane l in front of the win dshi eld
under the eng ine hoo d. Thi s preven ts the wa ter d rain holes fro m
becoming blocked , and it prevents debris from enter ing t he veh icle
in ter ior thro ugh t he heat ing a nd ve ntilation ducts.
Corrosion protection
The e ng in e co mp artm ent a nd trans missio n have bee n co rros io n­
protected at the facto ry .
G ood ant i- corro sion t rea tmen t is very i mporta nt, pa rt icul arly in t he
wi nte r. If the ve hicle is freq uently d riven on sa lt treated roads, the
entire eng ine compartment and plenum pane l sho uld be tho rough ly
clea ned at the end of winter and retreated to preve nt salt damage. At
the same time, t he un derside of the vehi cle should be washed as well.
If the eng ine co mpartme nt is clean ed at any t ime wi th gre ase
remov ing so lutions
2
), or if you have the engine was hed, the anti­
cor rosion treat men t is almo st alw ays rem oved as well.
It is the refore
essential to have a long-last ing corrosion protection reapplied to all
s u rfaces, seams, jo ints and com ponents in the engine compartmen t.~
2> Us e on ly the co rrect clean ing so lut ions . Neve r use gaso line or diese l fue l.
Vehicle care Technical data

-Cleaning and protection pn, _____________________ _
in. WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a
potentially hazardous area.
• Before working in the engine compartment, be sure to read the information =>
page 271.
• Before reaching into the front plenum panel, always remove
the ignition key . Otherwise, the windshield wiper system could
unintentionally be switched on, possibly causing personal injury
from the moving wiper linkage.
• Never reach into the area around or touch the radiator fan. The
auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly
- even when the ignition is off.
• Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with the engine running.
Moving or hot parts could injure you.
• Do not clean the underside of the chassis, fenders, wheel
covers, or other hard to reach parts without protecting your hands
and arms. You may cut yourself on sharp-edged metal parts.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=:> page 260. •

Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank Ill --------------'--':.......::-----=--=--------
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment clean and
prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unleaded premium grade
g asoline . See also :::>
page 343, "D ata ". Aud i recommends using TO P
TIER Detergent Gasoline with a minimum octane ra ting of 91 AKI (95
R O N). For more information on TOP TIE R Detergen t Gasoline, please
go to the official website (www. toptiergas .com) .
Th e recommended gasoline octane rating for your engine can also be
found on a labe l located on the ins ide of t he fue l fille r flap. This rating
may be specified as AKI or RON .
Your vehicle may also be ope rated us ing unleaded reg ular gasoline
with a minim um octane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON. However, us ing 87
AKI/91 RON octane fuel will slig htly reduce engine performance.
Use un leaded ga soline only. U nleaded gaso line is available
throughout the USA, Canada, and in most E uropean co untries. We
recommen d that you do not ta ke your veh icle to areas or co unt ries
where unleaded gasoline may not be available.
F or more in formation on re fueling yo ur vehicle, see:::>
page 274 .
Octane rating
Octane r ati ng indi cat es a gaso line's abi lity to resis t engi ne damag ing
"knock" caused by premature ignition and detonat ion. Therefore,
buying the correc t g rade o f gasol ine is very impo rtan t to help preve nt
possible engine damage and a loss of engine performance .
Gaso line most common ly used in the United States and Canada has
the following octa ne rat ings tha t ca n usually be fou nd on the filler
pump :
Safety first
• Premium Grade: 91 - 96 AKI
• Regular Grade: 87 - 90 AKI
Explanation of t he abb reviations :
AKI= Anti Knock Index= (R +M)/2 = (RON+ MON)/2
RO N= Research Octane Number
M ON= M otor Octane Num ber.
0 Note
• Do not use any fue l with octane rat ings lower than 87 AKI o r 91
RO N otherwise expens ive engine damage will occ ur.
• Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of lea ded gasoline w ill
severely damage your veh icle 's cata lytic converter and its abi lity to
cont rol exhaust emissions .•
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE (methyl
tertiary butyl ether)
Yo u may use unleaded gasoline blended w ith alcoho l or MTBE
( c ommon ly referred to as oxygenates) if the blended mix ture meets
the following criteria:
Blend of ga soline methanol (wood alcohol or methyl alcohol)
• Anti -k nock index m ust be 87 AKI or h igher .
• Bl end must con tain no mo re t han 3% methanol.
• Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of ga soline and ethanol (grain alcohol or ethyl alcohol)
• Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI o r higher.
• Bl end must no t contain more th an 10% ethanol.
Vehicle care Technical data

Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
• Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
• Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform especially well fo r
winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest
that you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the seasonal adjustment is
more likely to be made in time.
0 Note
• Methano l fuels which do not meet these requirements may cause
corrosion and damage to plastic and rubber components in the fue l
system .
• Do not use fuels that fail to meet the specified criteria in this
chapter .
• If you are unab le to determine whether or not a particu lar fuel
blend meets the spec ifications, ask your serv ice station or its fuel
supplier.
• Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
• Fuel system damage and performance problems resulting from
the use of fuels different from those specified are not the responsi­
bility of Aud i and are not covered under the New Vehicle or the Em is­
sion Control System Warranties.
• If you experience a loss of fuel economy or driveab ility and perfor­
mance problems due to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended fuel.•
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufacturers is carbon deposit
build-up caused by the type of gasoline you use. Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another,
they have certain things
in common. All gaso line g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect on v ital engine parts,
such as fuel injectors and intake valves. A lthough most gasoline
brands include additives to keep eng ine and fuel systems clean, they
are not equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
webs ite (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate fuels, carbon deposit
build-ups can rob your engine of peak performance.
0 Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel quality is not covered by the
Audi New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear side panel behind the
fuel filler flap .
If the power locking system should fail, you can still open the flap
manually- for detailed instructions see~
page 277.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your vehicle in
Technical Data
~page 343.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells you the correct fuel
for your ve hicle. For more information about fuel specifications, see
~page 273.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refue lling vapor recovery
system. This feature helps to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from
the tank and polluting the environment wh ile you refuel your veh icle . ..,_

In order to fill the tank properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure carefully.
& WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never carry additional fuel
containers in your car. Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such containers, full or empty,
may leak and could cause a fire in a collision. If you must transport
fuel to use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc., be very careful
and always observe local and state laws regarding the use, trans­
portation and storage of such fuel containers. Make certain the
container meets industry standards (ANSI /ASTM F852 -86).
0 Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank is completely empty . The
irregular supply of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could enter the
exhaust system and damage the catalytic converter. •
Refuelling
The fuel filler flap is unlocked from a button in the
driver's door.
Fig . 202 Driver's
door: Unlock ing fuel
filler flap
Vehicle OP-eration
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fig. 203 Fuel cap
hooked on the opened
f uel filler flap
When adding fuel , the ignition and any cellular phones in the
vehicle must be switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
- To open the fuel filler flap, press the button~ fig. 202.
- Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise and hang it on
the fuel filler flap~ fig . 203.
Refuelling procedure
- Insert the fue l nozzle from the gasoline pump into the
fuel filler neck as far as it will go.
- Select a medium refuelling rate so that the nozzle
switches off automatically when the tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
- After filling your tank, twist the fuel filler cap clockwise
until you hear a definite click .
- Close the fuel filler flap.
To avo id fuel spi lling or evaporating from the fuel tank always close
fuel filler cap properly and completely . An improperly closed fuel
filler cap may also cause the MIL lamp~
page 23 to come on. ._.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
in. WARNING
Improper refu eling or handling of fuel can cause fire , explosion
and sev ere burns .
• Fuel is highly flammable and can cause seve re burns and other
injuries .
• Failure to shut the engine off while refueling and /or to inse rt
the pump nozzle fully into the fuel fill er n eck could cau se fuel to
spray out of filler neck or to overflow. Fuel sp ray and overflowing
fue l can cau se a fire.
• Never u se a cellula r telephone while refueling. The electromag ­
netic radiation can cau se spark s that can ign ite fuel vapor s and
cause a fire.
• Never get back into your vehicle while refue ling . If in ex cep­
tional circumstances you must get back in your veh icle while refu ­
eling , make certain that you clo se th e door and touch metal to
discharge static electricity before touching the filler nozzle again .
Static electricity can cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
• N ever smoke or have an open flame anywhere in or near your
vehicle when refueling or filling a portable fuel containe r.
• For your safety, we strongly recommend that you do not travel
with a portable fuel container in your vehicle. The containe r, full
or empty may leak and could cau se a fire, especially in a crash .
• If, under except ional circumstances , you must t ranspo rt a
portable fuel container, please ob serve the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it is anywhere in or
on the vehicle (for example, in the luggage compartment, or
on the trunk ). Static electricity can bu ild up while filling and
can ignite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Alway s place a portable fuel container on the ground before
fill ing.
- Alway s keep the filler nozzle completely inside the portable
container before and during fill ing.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
-If filling a portable container made of metal , the filler nozzle
must alway s be in contact with the container. This will help
prevent static electricity from dis charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or luggage compartment .
Fuel vapor s are highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state /provincial laws regarding the
use , storage and transportation of fuel containers .
-Make certain the fuel container meets industry standards
(ANSI / ASTM F852-86).
0 Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the ca r, it should be remove d immed iate ly
t o prevent damage to t he pa int.
For the sake of the environment
As soo n as t he correct ly operated nozz le switches off automatically
for the first time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fue l because
fue l may spill out . In addition, the expansion s pace in the fuel tank
w ill b e filled -causing the fue l to overflow when it becomes warm an d
poll ute the e nvironment .
(I] Tips
• Runn ing your e ngine while ref uellin g may cause vapo rs to escape
or even cause fuel to spill out of the tank . This wou ld then shut off the
fue l nozzle before the tank is f ull.
• Do not refuel your vehicle with the ignition turned on. The fuel
gauge may o therwise not ind icate the correc t fu el leve l after
refuell ing .•