2011 AUDI A6 warning

brightness increases again, the low beams are turned off again auto­
matically =>& .
In the
AUTO position the low beams are switched off automatically
when the ignition is turned off.
Light Sensor Malfunction
In the event of a light sensor ma lfunct ion, the driver is notified in the
instrument cluster display:
Automatic headlights/automatic wipers defective
For safety reasons the low beams are turned on permanently with t he
switch in
AUTO. However, you can continue to turn the lights on and
off using the light switch. Have the light sensor checked as soon as
possible at a dealership.
& WARNING
• Never use daytime running lights to see where you are going.
They are not bright enough and will not let you see far enough
ahead for safety, especially at dusk or when it is dark. Always
switch on the low beams at dusk or when it is dark.
• Automatic headlights are only intended to assist the driver .
They do not relieve the driver of his responsibility to check the
headlights and to turn them on manually according to the current
light and visibility conditions. For example, fog and rain cannot be
detected by the light sensors. So always switch on the headlights
under these weather conditions and when driving in the dark
io.
• Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and
when you cannot be seen by other motorists.
- Always turn on the headlights so that you can see ahead and
so that others can see your car from the back.
[ i ) Tips
• With the switch in AUTO front fog lights and rea r fog ligh ts cannot
be turned on in addition .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Clear vision
•
The light sensor for headlight control is located in the rear view
mirror mount. Do not apply any stickers to the winds hield in this area
to prevent malfunctions or failures .
• If you remove the ignition from the ignitio n lock w hile the head­
lights are still on, a buzzer will sound as long as the dr iver's door is
open to remind you to turn off the lights.
• Always observe the specific loca l regulations for your area as to
when to use your lights .•
Adjusting exterior lighting
The functions are set in the MMI.
-Select: Function button [CAR]> Systems* > Exterior
lighting .
Coming home
The Coming home function ensures tha t after turning off the igni­
tion and opening the driver's door
the vehicle per iphery is illum i­
nated in the dark. In addition, the front fog lights, the tail lights and
the license plate light are turned on. On-time can be set for a per iod
from O (off) to 60 seconds .
Leaving home
The Leaving home function ensu res that when unlocking the vehicle
per iphery is illuminated in the dark. In addition, the front fog lights,
the tail lights and the license plate light are turned on. This function
can be turned on and off .
Daytime running lights
USA models: On vehicles with xenon lights the daytime running
lights can be turned on or off using this function . On vehicles with
halogen lights there is no daytime running lights function .
Canada models: The function cannot be turned off. It is activated
automatically each time the ignition is tur ned on. This menu item is
shown "greyed out". •
Vehicle care Technical data

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

- Press on both sides of the loc king spring @ on the wiper
blade~
page 68, fig. 58 . Hold t he wiper blade firm ly .
- Remove the wiper blade @.
Installing wiper blade
- Install the new wiper blade in the retainer on the wiper
arm ©~
page 68, fig . 59 u nti l it clicks into place on t he
w iper arm.
- Place the w iper arm bac k against the wi ndsh ield .
Clean yo ur wiper blades regularly with a windshie ld washe r so lution
to prevent streaking . If the blades are very dirty, for example with
insects, caref ully clean the blades with a sponge or a so ft brush.
If the w iper blades begin to st reak the windshield, this could be
caused by res idue left on the windsh ie ld by automatic car washes.
Fill the windshie ld washe r con tainer w it h a specia l solu tion ava ilab le
at your authori zed Audi dealer to remove the residue .
& WARNING
Be sure to inspect the condition of your w iper blades regularly. See
your authorized Audi d ealer f or r epla cement blade s.
0 Note
To preven t da mage to the wipe r system:
• To help prevent damage to the wiper system, always loosen
blades which are frozen to the wi nds hield before operati ng wipers.
• T o help prevent damage to w iper blades, do not use gasoline,
kerosene, paint thinner, or other solvents on or near the wipe r
blades .
• T o help prevent damage to wipe r arms or other components, do
not attempt to move the wipers by hand.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Clear v
ision
• The windshield wiper blades must only be replaced when in the
service positio n =>
page 68! Otherw ise, you risk dam ag ing the pain t
on the hood or the windshie ld w iper motor .
(I) Tips
Commercial hot waxes applied by automatic car washes affect the
cleanability of the win dsh ield. •
Mirrors
Manual anti-glare adjustment
Standard setting
-Move the small lever (located on t he bottom edge of the
mirror) to t he front.
Anti-glare setting
- Move th e small lever (locate d on t he bo ttom edge of the
m irror) to the rear .•
Vehicle care Technical data

Clear vision
Applies to vehicles : w ith automat ically d imm ing ins ide m ir ror w ith d ig ital compass
Automatically dimming inside mirror
The automatic dimming function can be turned on and
off if required .
Disabling auto dimming
Fig . 60 I nside rea r
v ie w mirror
- Press but ton @ ~ fig . 60 brie fly, -the green ind icator
light ® goes out.
Activating/reactivating auto dimming
- Press button @ briefly, -the green indicator ligh t® goes
on .
Automat ic dimming function
The automatic dimming function is activated every tim e the ignition
is turned on. The g ree n indicator light is lit to indica te auto d imming
is active.
When d imming is act ivated, the inside mir ror w ill darke n
automati­
cally
in response to the amou nt of light striking the mirror (such as
head lights from rearward approaching vehicles). Even in d imming
mode, the mirror surface turns br ight when :
• the interio r light is switched on
• reverse gear is engaged .
& WARNING
Broken glass of automatic dimming mirro r can cause electrolyte
fluid leakage . El ec trolyte fluid can irritate skin , eyes, and respira­
tory system .
• Repeated or p rolonged expo sur e to ele ctrolyte can cau se irrita­
tion to the resp iratory system, esp ecially among p eople with
asthma or other r espiratory condition s. G et fre sh air immediately
by le aving the vehicl e or, if that is not po ssible , open window s and
doors all the wa y.
• If ele ctrolyte g ets into the eye s, flush th em tho roughly with
large am ount s of clean water f or at lea st 15 minute s; medical
attention is re commended .
• If el ectrolyte contacts skin , flu sh affected area with clean
water for at l east 15 minut es and then wash aff ected area with
s oap and wat er; medical attention is rec ommend ed . Thoroughly
wash affected clothing and sho es before reu se.
• If swallowed and per son is c on sciou s, rinse mouth with water
fo r at le ast 15 minut es. Do not indu ce vomit ing unle ss instru cted
to do so by medical profe ssional. Get medical attenti on imm edi­
ate ly .
0 Note
Liquid e lectrolyte leaked from a broken mirror g lass will damage any
plastic surfaces it comes in contact with. Clean up spi lled electrolyte
immediately with clear water and a sponge.
[I) Tips
• If you switch off the automatic dimming function on th e in side
mir ro r, automatic dimming of the outside mirrors will l ikewise be
di sabled .
• Check to make sure there are no objects preventing light from
reac hing t he i nside m irro r.

Clear vision
0 Note
• Curved ( i.e. co nvex) mir ror s urfaces increase your field of view.
Remember that vehicles or other objects will ap pear smaller and
f art her away th an whe n seen in a fla t mi rror. If you use th is mi rro r to
estimate distances of follow ing ve hicles when chang ing lanes, you
could estimate i nco rre ct ly and ca u se an a cci dent .
• If the mir ror ho using is moved un inte ntionally (for examp le, whi le
par king yo ur veh icle), then you m ust fir st f old the mir ror ele ctrically.
Do not read just the mirro r hous ing manually. You could damage the
mot or w hic h con trols the mi rror .
[ i ] Tips
If the re should be a m alfu nction in the ele ct ric al sys tem, you can st ill
adjust the outs ide mirrors by pressing the edge of the m irror. •
App lies to ve hicles : w ith auto mat ic dimm ing fo r outs ide m ir ro rs
Automatic dimming for outside mirrors
T he ou tside mir rors are dimmed toge ther w it h t he a utoma tic
dimming of the ins ide mirror . When the ignition is sw itched on, t he
m irrors da rken a utomat ica lly depend ing on the light stri king them
(e .g . headlights from the r ea r) .
When the interio r light ing is sw itched on and when reverse gear is
engaged , the mi rrors are switche d back to their or ig inal b rightness
(not d immed).
& WARNING
Broken glass of automatic dimming mirror can cause electrolyte
fluid leakage. Electrolyte fluid can irritate skin, eyes, and respira­ tory system.
• Repeated or prolonged exposure to electrolyte can cause irrita­
tion to the respiratory system, especially among people w ith
& WARNING (co ntinued )
asthma o r other respiratory conditions . Get fresh air immediately
by leaving the vehicle or, if that is not po ssible, open window s and
doors all the way.
• If electrolyte gets into the eyes, flush them thoroughly with
large amounts of clean water fo r at least 15 minutes; medical
attention i s recommended.
• If electrolyte contacts skin , flush affected area with clean
water for at least 15 minutes and then wash affected area w ith
soap and water; medical attention is recommended. Thoroughly
wash affected clothing and shoes before reuse.
• If swallowed and person is conscious, rinse mouth with water
for at least 15 minutes. Do not induce vomiting unle ss instructed
to do so by medical professional. Get medical attention immedi·
ately.
0 Note
El ectro ly te lea king from a br oke n m irro r g lass a ttack s th e veh icle
pa int and plast ic surfaces. Clean up sp illed electrolyte immed iate ly
w ith clear w ater and a s ponge.
[ i ] Tips
• If automatic dimming for the inside mirror is switched off , the
outside mirrors are also not dimmed automatically.
• Automat ic di mmin g for t he mir ro r only oper ates p roperly if the
sunshade * fo r th e rear w indow is retracted, o r the light strik ing t he
inside mi rror is not hindere d by other objects .•

Clear vision
Applies to veh icles : w ith d ig ita l compass
Calibrating the compass
The compass has to be recalibrated if the display is wrong
or inaccurate .
-Hold the@ button down until the letter C is displayed on
the interior rear view mirror .
- Drive in a circle at a speed of about 5 mph (10 km/h) until
a direction is shown on the interior rear view mirror.
& WARNING
The digital compass is to be used as a directional aid only. Even
though you may want to look at it while you are driving, you must
still pay attention to traffic, road and weather conditions as well
as other possible hazards. •

Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adju sted.
Th ere a re various ways of adjusting t he front seats to provide safe and
comfortable support for the driver and the front passenger . Ad just
your seat properly so that :
• you can easily and quickly reach a ll the switc hes and contro ls in the
ins trumen t pa nel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing phys ica l stress and
fatigue
• the safety be lts and airbag system can offer maximum protection
=>
page 197 .
In the following sections, you w ill see exact ly how you can best ad just
your sea ts .
Th ere are special regulations a nd instr uctions for install ing a child
safety seat on the front passenger's sea t. Always follow the informa ­
tion regarding child safety p rovided in=>
page 219, "Child Safety ".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating posit ion of the dri ver and all other passengers
can result in seriou s personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in
motion -never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the window o r on top of the seat cush ion. This applies especially
to the passengers.
If your seating po sition is incorrect, you
increase the ri sk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an acci-
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
& WARNING
(con tinu ed)
dent . If the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect ,
this could result in per sonal injury or even death .
• It is important for both the dri ver and front passenger to keep
a distan ce of at least 10 inche s (25 cm) between themselves and
the steering wheel and /or instrument panel. If you 're sitting any
closer than this , the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition, the front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to
your body height so that they can give you maximum protection .
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your­
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger 's seat while the
vehicle is moving. You r seat may move unexpectedly , causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury . If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving , you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for saf e and
re lax ed driving.
W e recomme nd that you a djust the drive r's sea t in the
f ollowing man ner :
- Ad just the seat in fore and aft direction so that you can
easily pus h the pedals to the floor w hile keeping your
knees slightly bent=>
& in "Why is yo ur seat a djus tme nt
so importa nt?" .
- Adjust the seatback so that when yo u sit with yo ur back
agai nst t he seatback , you can st ill grasp t he top of the
steering w heel. ..,
Vehicle care Technical data

Seats and storage
-Position the head restraint according to the occupant's
height=>
page 81. For maximum protection, the top of
the head restraint should be at least at eye level, prefer­
ably higher and ideally level with the top of the head
=>
page 181, fig. 168.
& WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's footwell. An object could
get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function. In case
of sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake
or accelerate. •
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost
position.
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is deploying, do not
sit any closer to the instrument panel than necessary and
always wear the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly. We recommend that you adjust the passenger's
seat in the following manner:
- Move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position
of the fore and aft adjustment range=>
& in "Why is your
seat adjustment so important?" on
page 75.
- Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright position.
Do
not ride with the seat reclined.
- The ideal position for the head restraint is with the upper
edge of the restraint level with the top of your head
=>
page 81. You should not lower the top of the restraint
below the level of your eyes . -
Place your feet on the floor in front of the passenger's
seat. •
Power seat
Controls
The operating logic for the switches corresponds to the
construction and function of the seat.
Fig. 64 Power seat:
Controls for seat
adjustment
The switches to adjust the seats correspond to the layout, the design
and the function of the seat. The seats are adjusted
by moving the
switches following this logic.
© Seat adjustment=> page 77
@ Adjusting the angle of the seatback ::::> page 77
© Adjusting the lumbar support => page 78
® Upper thigh support*=> page 78
& WARNING
• Never adjust the driver's or front passenger's seat while the
vehicle is moving. If you do this while the vehicle is moving, you
will be out of position. Always adjust the driver's or front
passenger's seat when the vehicle is not moving. _,,,