2011 AUDI A6 brake pads

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
tu rned off, the warning/ind icator light illum inates for abo ut 30
s e co nd s.
Th e warn ing/i ndicator lig ht w ill go out whe n the parking brake is
re lease d.
If the w arn ing/ indi ca tor li ght flas hes c ontinuou sly
after applying th e
park ing brake, braking force is not suffic ient to p revent the vehicle
fro m rolling unin te n ti onally. Pleas e note the following:
• If th e slope of the g round is too ste ep to pa rk the vehicle, the addi­
tional drive message ap pea rs
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep .
• In th e eve nt of a pa rk ing bra ke malfunc tion, t he yellow symbol
appea rs in the inst rument cluste r display a nd the dr ive r message
Parking brake auto release: system fault is displayed . Have the
ma lf u nctio n re paire d as soo n as poss ible by a qualified Audi
dea le rs hi p.•
Brake system BRAKE (USA
models)
/ {Q)) (Canada models)
The war ning/in dic ator li ght flash es i f br ake fluid le vel is
low , if t he re i s an A BS sys te m malfu nction or a pa rking
b rake malf unct ion.
The lig ht ill um inates when the ign it io n is tu rned on . It goes out afte r
t he engi ne has been st arted. This indicat es tha t the b ra k e war ning
light is functioning proper ly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking, there may be a malfunction in the electrical system. In
this case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the b ra ke sys tem w arning/i nd ic a tor light flashes, there is a br ake
system malfunction . By press ing the [
CHECK ] button, you can bring
up a driver mess age whi ch expl ain s t he m alfunc tion in mo re de ta il
=>page 26 .
If the ABS fa ils, t he ABS war ning/ indica to r li ght (USA
mod els)/ (Canada mo dels) fla shes toge ther wi th th e bra ke syste m
warni ng/ind icator light=> &.
(USA models):
If the warning light BRAKE and the wa rnin g light illu­
m inate toge ther, im media tely con tac t you r author ized A udi dealer or
qualif ied workshop to have all brake pads inspected=>
page 31.
When the ligh t comes on, an a udible w arnin g signal is also give n.
& WARNING
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the r i,~ warning
light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light (CD) and the ABS
warning light :::; come on together, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­ di ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released, or lights up while you are
driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility
and have the brake system inspected.
• Always keep in m ind that after several brake applications , you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle.
Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations. You must allow for increased braking
distances. The extra distance used up by fading brakes could lead
to an accident. •

Ignition Lock malfunction ~
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be repaired imme­diately .
If the .Pe symbol in the display blinks, there is a malfunction
in the electronic ignition lock. An additional driver message
can also be displayed by pressing the
[CHECK ] button:
Ignition lock defecti ve . Contact wor kshop!
- Do not turn the engine off.
- Drive immediately to an authorized Audi dealer to have
the malfunct ion correc ted.
If the re is a malfunction in the e lectronic ignition lock, the ignit ion
cannot be turned
off . Drive immediately to an authori zed Audi dealer
to have the cause of the mal function corrected.
On vehicles with Convenience key* , the eng ine should not be switched
off using the [STOP] button because the engine cannot be started
again afte r the ign ition is switched off .•
Yellow symbols
Ayellow symbol means WARNING.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Fig.
18 Disp la y : lo w
f u el l evel warning
(p rio ri ty 2)
Dri ver information display
Yellow symbols ind icate a prior ity 2 malfunct ion - Warning!
When a yellow warning symbo l appears,
one warning tone sounds. A
dr iver message appears as well to expla in the malfunction in more
detail. The driver warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it can
be brought up again a t any time by pressing the
I CHECK] button .
Check the displayed function as soon as possible . If
more than one
pr iori ty 2 malfunction is detected, all symbo ls will appear one after
the other for about 2 seconds.
Yellow symbols mean:
Convenience key*
=> page 112
Key not in vehicle
-
USA models : => page 21
Defective brake light
Canada models : => page 21
Defective brake light
Defective light bulb
=> page 21
L ig ht/rai n sensor defective :::>page 30
Windshield washer fluid =:>page 30
level low
Low fue l level
=:> page30
II Battery voltage => page 31
-
Worn brake pads => page 31
II Dynamic headlight range => page 31
control defective
-
Check engine oil leve l => page 31
=>page 283
...
Vehicle care Technical data

Battery voltage 1• i
If the battery's state of charge is not in the optima l range, the
symbo l is show n in the di splay and the d river me ssage
Low battery
charge: battery will be charged while dri ving
appears.
Whi le this d river notification is displayed, you have to be prepared for
limited starting capability .
Driver message appears and goes out again
If this driver message appears after the ignition is turned on or while
driving and it goes o ut again afte r a while, the ba ttery has been
adequate ly recharged.
Driver me ssage appears and does not go out again
If th is dr iver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
wh ile driving and does not go ou t aga in, the battery 's state o f charge
is not in the opt imal range . Starting capability is restricted. Have the
bat tery checked by an au thor ized A udi dea le r as soon as possible. •
Worn brake pads U
._ Brake pads!
If the war ning lig ht ill um inates, immediately co ntact your au tho rized
Audi dea ler or qualified wor kshop to have all brake pads inspected.
On USA mode ls the warn ing light comes on together w it h the
warning light
BRAKE . Both sets of brake pads on an axle must a lways
be re placed at th e same time.
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a collision and serious personal
injury .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• If the warning light... and the warning light BRAKE1l with the
mes sage Brake pads! comes on in the instrument cluster di splay,
immediately contact your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if necessary. •
Headlight range control defective ((
~ ~ Headlight range control defective
If the symbo l illumina tes, the dynam ic he adlig ht r an ge con tro l is no
longer working properly. Have the system checked and repaired at
your Audi de aler. •
Engine oil Level~
Please che ck oil level
Whe n the symbol i llumina tes, check t he engine o il level as soo n as
poss ible => page 283 . Top off the oil at yo ur earlies t oppor tunity
=>page284 .•
Engine oil sensor defective _t..
Oi l level! sensor defective
If the symbo l illuminates, contact your author ized A udi dealer and
have the oi l senso r inspected. Un til you have t his don e, check the oil
level each time you refue l just to be on the safe side => page 283. •
ll BRAKE : USA mode ls only
Vehicle care Technical data

_________________________________________ __;A~ d:.; a::..i.:: p..:t ..:..iv ..:....:: e_C.::..;.. r_u _i _ s _e _C_;__ o_n_ t_ r_ o_ l __ _
detected. The senso r measures the distance to reflective s urfaces
t h at m ust have a cert ain s ize. T he sys tem res ponds only aft er t he
dis tance measurement has been made.
If a measureme nt is not
poss ible, t he system cannot res pond and w ill not react to a vehicle o r
something else u p ahead.
Open road
When th e road is clear, t he Adaptive Cruise Con trol works like cru is e
co ntrol.
It m ainta in s a c onst ant ta rg et spee d sp ecif ie d by the dr ive r.
Driving in traffic
If a sl ower ve hicle dr iv ing ahead is detec ted, the A dap tive Cr uise
Control decele rates (within t he lim its of the system)=>
page 130,
"Driver interven tion promp t" and => page 131, "System lim itatio ns"
t o its speed and af ter adjus ting, tries to maintain the set d istance
from t he ve hicle ahe ad. Th e vehicle m ay temporari ly dr ive slower
t han the set s peed wh ile adjus ting=>
& in " Descr ipt io n" on
page 119 .
If th e vehicle in front acc ele ra tes, Ad aptive Cru ise Contr ol also a ccel­
erates up to the speed t hat you have set.
Situations requiring driver intervention
In some situat ions you will have to use the footbra ke to slow the
vehicle down in order to keep a sa fe distance from vehi cle in fro nt of
you or to avo id a rear -end co llision. I n this s ituation, a symbo l
a ppe ars and a war ning t one soun ds =>
page 13 0.
Passing another vehicle
If you move in to the passing lane and no ve hicle is detected ahea d,
the Adaptive Cruise Control accelerates to the speed you have set and
mai ntains it.
Overriding ACC
You ca n increase your spee d at a ny ti me by steppi ng on t he acceler­
ato r pedal. After you release the accelerator peda l, t he system
adju sts bac k dow n to the s peed yo u previously se t.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Reducing stopping distance
If the radar sensor de
tects tha t the dis tance to the vehi cle ahea d is
less than defined minim um distance, the brakes a re au toma tically
pre pare d fo r emer gency b rak ing by the driver . The brake pads are
moved very close to t he b rake discs wi thou t ac tually b rak ing t he
vehicle . This bra ke ass istant feature reacts more quickly to t he
dr iv er 's brak ing, and a lso wo rks wh en Ada ptiv e Cr uise Contro l is off .
T he stopping distance is reduced as a result of this advance b rak e
pre par at ion. Th is fu n ction does n ot p erform a ny eme rgency brak ing
maneuve rs by itself; t he d river must always app ly the brakes.
& WARNING
• Never rely on the distance control feature of ACC alone to
prevent rear-end collisions. Always be prepared to brake and take
evasive action to avoid collisions and other accident situations.
• Never allow the closing speed between you and other vehicles
to be so high that the Adaptive C ru ise Control m ay not be able to
slow your vehicle safely. If closing speed is too high, you must
apply the brakes yourself to reduce the risk of a rear-end crash.
[I) Tips
Please note that the amo unt o f acce leration the Ada ptive Cr uise
C on trol uses depe nds on t he Dist ance se tt ing se lec ted . DIS TA NCE 1
gives you accelerat io n that is dynamic and spo rty . DISTANCE 4, on the
o th er h an d , gives more mo derat e accelera tion. Fo r mo re info rm at ion
about the time intervals=>
page 125, "H ow is the distance (time
interva l) set ?".
• Please note that if the Adapt ive Cru ise Control has begun b raking
t he vehi cle and t he dr ive r ch oose s to brake the vehicle additi onally,
t he brakes may fe el "hard". Thi s is s imply due to the press ure build ­
up of the initia l bra king .
• Adaptive Cr uise Contro l is sw itched off afte r pressing the foot­
br ak e. Th e speed saved up this poin t ca n be resu med. T o resume the
saved speed, release t he brake pedal and p ull the control lever _.,
Vehicle care Technical data

Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' '----'----
The ASR should normally be activated all the time . Only in certain
except ional situations when some slip is desirable does it make sense
to deactivate the ASR. Examples:
• when driving with tire chains
• when driving in deep snow or on loose ground and
• when rocking the vehicle loose after it has become stuck.
When the abnormal s ituation is over, you should activate the ASR
again .
& WARNING
The increased safety afforded by ASR does not mean that you can
take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
[I] Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all four whee ls must be fitted
with ident ical tires . Any differences in rolling radius of the tir es can
cause the system to reduce engine power when this is not desired.
See also=>
page 307, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels". •
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automob iles are still subject to wear ,
depending largely on operating conditions and driving habits=>& .
On vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traffic or
are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your authorized
Aud i dealer more often than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte-
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation nance booklet.
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing effect of the engine . This
way, you prevent unnecessary wear on the brake system. If you must
use your brakes, do not hold the brakes down continuously. Pump the
brakes at intervals.
Noises may occur when brak ing depending on the speed , braking
force and outside cond it ions such as temperature and humidity.
Moisture or road salt
If you are driving faster than 50 mph (80 km/h) and the windshield
wipers are on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in
regular intervals so as to improve reaction t ime when braking on wet
surfaces. You, the driver, will not notice anything.
Under certain cond it ions, for example , when driving through water or
very heavy rain, or even after washing your vehicle, the braking effect
can be reduced due to moisture (or in freezing conditions ice) on the
brake pads. A few careful brake applications should dry off the brake
pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced when the vehicle is driven on a sa lt-covered road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and
pads with a few careful applications of the brake=>& .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up on the brake pads and
corrosion to form on the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or only
for short trips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corrosion has formed on
the discs, it is advisable to clean off the pads and discs by braking
fi rm ly a few times from a moderately high speed=>& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake pedal travel, then one
of the two brake circuits may have failed=>& . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology!_ _______________________________________ _
Low brake fluid l evel
Ma lf u nctions can occ ur in the brake system if the brake fluid level is
too low . T he brake flu id level is monitored e lec tron ically .
Brake lining wear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visua l inspection of the condi­
t ion of t he brake pads through the open ings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the wheel may be removed fo r thi s inspection~
page 320,
"Changing a whee l".
& WARNING
• You should p erform braking maneuvers for the purpo se of
cleaning the brake system only if road condit ions permit. Other
road u sers must not be put at risk - you may cau se an accident!
• Befo re descending a steep grade, reduce speed and sh ift t rans ­
mission into a lower gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often. Th is could
cause the brake s to get hot and diminish braking efficiency.
• Do not "ride the b rakes " by resting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake. Thi s may cau se the brakes to overheat ,
premature wear and increased stopping distance.
• Under certain climatic and operating condition s such as
passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brake s can be reduced. In winter ,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings, discs and drums.
Carefully apply brakes for a test. Brake s will dry and ice coating s
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can also affect brak ing efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt co ating from brake disc s and pads with a few
careful brake applications.
• If you damage the front spoiler , or if you in stall a different
spoiler , be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obst ructed.
Otherwi se the brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system .
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an increa sed stopping di stance. Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest Audi dealer or qualified
workshop. •
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra brakin g po wer.
Th e bra ke booster wor ks with vacuu m pressure which is created on ly
when the eng ine is running ~& .
& WARNING
• Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the engine shut off.
• If the brake booster is not working , for e xample when towing
y our vehicle , or be cause the brake booster has somehow been
damaged , the brake pedal must be pressed considerably harder to
make up for the lack of boo ster assistance. •
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
AB S prevents the wh eels from locking up under braking .
The ABS co ntrib utes effe ctive ly to ve hicl e con tro l s in ce i t preven ts t he
wheels from
locking when the brakes are applied . This means that the
vehicle remains steerable and is less likely to s kid.
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down.
However, do not expect t he A BS to sho rten b raking di stan ce u nder all
circumstances. W hen driving on grave l or on newly fa llen snow on top
of icy s urfaces, braking distance may be even longer, therefore, under .,_

Driving and environment
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a f ull braki ng
e ff e ct during the first 250 miles (400 kilometers) after they
are i nsta lle d.
New bra ke pads have to be "b ur nished in " before they have opt ima l
grab=> &.
Dur ing the break -in period, you sho uld avoid putting severe loads on
the brakes . Severe loads incl ude, for example, sudden hard braki ng,
in particu lar at very high s peeds or, for examp le, on mountai n passes.
& WARNING
New brake pads don 't have the be st stopping power and must be
" broken -in " during the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilo­
meters ) of normal cit y driving. You can compensate for thi s by
pressing th e brak e pedal more firmly. This also applies lat er wh en
new pad s are installed. n
Avoid damaging the vehicle
W hen yo u are d riving on poor roads, or over c urbs, steep ram ps, etc.,
ma ke c ert ain that low-lying pa rts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damage d.
Thi s is espe cially t rue for veh icle s wi th low-slung chass is (spor ts
chassis)* and fully loaded vehicles.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when driving throug h
water, fo r example on flooded roads: •
The water must not be any higher than the bottom of the vehicle
body .
• Do not dr ive faster than wa lking speed.
& WARNING
After driving through water , mud, slush , etc. , the brake s may be
slow to take effect because of wet brake rotors and pads.
Dry the
brakes first by braking carefully to restore the full b rak ing effect.
0 Note
Vehicle components such as the engine, transmission, suspension o r
elect rical sys tem can be seve rely damaged by dr iv ing t hrough w ater.
[ i ] Tips
• Check t he de pth of the wa ter bef ore dr iv ing thro ugh it.
• Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or switch the engine off
when drivi ng throug h wate r.
• Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves t hat raise
t he wate r level a nd make i t too deep fo r yo ur veh icle to drive th ro ugh
safe ly.
• Avoid dr iv ing through sa lt water because i t can cause corros ion. •
Catalytic converter
--
It is very impor tant that your emission control system
(catalyti c converter) is functioning properly t o ensure
that y our vehicle i s run ning i n an en viro nme ntally sou nd
man ner.
- A lways us e lead-fr ee gasoline=> page 273, "F uel supp ly".
- N ever run the tan k down all the way to empty. .._

___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g .._ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g '-- ........
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The b rake f lu id l eve l can be checke d wit h a qui ck g lanc e.
Fig . 212 E ngine
compartment : Br ake
fluid re se rv o ir
Before you c heck a nythi ng in the eng ine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
the e ngi ne comp art ment" on
page 279.
- Read t he bra ke flu id level from the bra ke fluid reservoir
~ page 289, fig . 212. The brake flu id level must be
between the " MIN" and " MAX" mar kings.
The brake fluid reservoir is locate d at the rear pa rtition of the engine
compartmen t on the left s ide=>
page 280 .
The f luid leve l may drop slightly after some time d ue to the auto ­
m atic a dju stment of t he b rake pads. This is not c ause for ala rm.
If the brake flu id level falls
considerably be low the "M IN" mark, the
brake warni ng/ind icator light (U .S. models :
BRAKE, Canadia n mo dels:
(0) ) will come on=> page 18 and=> page 26. Do not continue to
operate t he vehicle. The complete brake system sho uld be thoroug hly
chec ked by an au thor ized A ud i d eale r or othe r qualified fac ility and
the cause corrected.
If the brake fluid level is too low, the brake
Vehicle OP-eration
warning/ind icator light will illum inate . Contact an au thoriz ed Aud i
de aler
immediately .•
Changing brake fluid
H av e the b rake fluid chang ed by an expe rie nc ed t echni ­
CJ an.
B ra ke flui d abso rb s moi stur e from the air. If the wa te r c on ten t in t he
brake fl uid is too high, corros ion in the b rake system may res ult after
a pe riod of time. The boili ng po int of the brak e flu id will also decrea se
co nsiderab ly and decrease brak ing perfo rmance.
Th erefore, the brake f lui d m ust be c hanged
every two years . Always
use new brake fluid w hich conforms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle Stan ­
dard "F MVSS 1 16 DOT 4" .
Th e br ake f luid reserv oir can be diffi cult to rea ch, there fore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authori zed
Audi dealer . Your deal er h as th e correc t tools, the rig ht bra ke flui d
and the know-how to do th is for you.
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the rea ch of children!
• Brake
failure can result from old or inappropriate brake fluid .
Observe these precaution s:
- Use only b rake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conforms to Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Alway s check
with you r authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are using
the correct brake fluid. The corre ct type of brake fluid is also
indicated on the brake fluid rese rvoir.
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use of the brakes can
c ause a vapor lo ck if the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . Thi s can seriously affect the efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety. This could result in an accident .
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data