2011 AUDI A6 check engine light

Airbag system ................ 197
Important things to know ...... 197
Front airbags ......... ........ 201
Monitoring the Advanced A irbag
System ...................... 208
Side airbags .................. 213
Side curtain a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Child Safety ................... 219
Impor tant things to know ..... .
Child safety seats ............ .
Installing a child safety seat ... .
LATCH Lowe r anchorages and
tethers for children ........... .
Add it ional Informat ion 219
224
229
232
239
Vehicle operation
...... 24 2
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 242
Notice abou t data recorded by
vehicle control modules . . . . . . . . 242
E lectronic Stab iliza tion Program
(ESP) ........................ 242
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Servo tronic® -advanced power
steering system .......... ..... 247
Driving with your quattro® . . . . . . 248
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Driving and environment ...... 251
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km)
and afterwards . ............. . 251
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . 252
Driving through water on roads . 252
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Operate your veh icle econom ically
and minimize pollution . . . . . . . . . 253
Trailer towing ................. 256
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . 256
T railer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle care
.............. 260
Cleaning and protection ...... 260
General informa tion . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank ..........................
273
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Fuel tank ..................... 274
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . 286
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Windshield/headlight washer container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
T ires ........................ 295
T ire pressure monitoring system 314
Do-it-yourself service . 318
What do I do now? ........... 318
T runk escape handle ........... 318
Jack, tools and spare wheel ..... 318
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
E lectrical fuses ............... 327
Bulbs ........................ 330
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 332
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Starting by pushing or towing 332
Starting with jumper cables . . . . 332
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . 333
Table of contents
Eme rgency towing with
commercial tow truck ........ .
Lift ing vehicle ............... .
Technical data
General information
Explanation of technic al data .. .
Vehicle ident ification ......... .
Weights ................... . .
Dimensions ............... .. .
Data ......................... .
300 hp, 3.0 lite r, 6-cylinder
engine .................... .. .
265 hp, 3.2 liter , 6-cylinder
engine .. .......... .......... .
350 hp, 4.2 liter, 8-cylinder
engine ...... .............. .. .
Consumer Information ...... .
Warranty coverages .......... .
Operating your vehicle outside the
U.S.A. or Canada ............. .
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Li terature ................... .
Maintenance ........... ..... .
Additional accessories, modifications and parts
replacement ............... . .
Declaration of Compliance,
Telecommun ications and
E lectronic Systems .......... . .
Alphabetical index ... .
335
337
340
340
340
340
341
341
343
343
344
345
346
346
346
346
346
348
349
3S2
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of informa ­
tion.
F ig. 2 Overview of th e ins trument cluste r
CD Coolan t temperature ga uge ..... .. ...... ... .. ... .
@ T achomete r with t ime and da te d isplay . .... .. .. .. .
@ Warning/indica tor lights ....................... .
© Driver information system .................. .. .. .
© Speedometer with odometer .................. .. .
© Fuel gauge . ... ... .. ... ...... . .. .. .. ... ... . ... .
0 Instr ument cluster i llum ination . .. .............. .
8
9,9
12
19
10
10
11
@ !CHECK] button .... ...... ..... ......... ...... .
® Reset button for trip odometer ................. .
(I) Tips
11
10
The illuminat ion for the instrument cluster lights up whenever you
switch on the ignition with the
v ehicle headlight s off. As the daylight
fades, the instrument cluste r illum ination likewise d ims automati­
cally and w ill go out completely when the outside light is very low .
T his featu re is mean t to remind you to switch on the headligh ts when
outs ide light conditions become poor. •
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge ~ fig . 2 CD only works when the ignition is
on. To p revent damage to yo ur engine, ple ase note the following
important points:
Engine cold
As long as the needle rema ins at or close to the bottom of the gauge,
t he engine s till has not rea ched its operat ing tem perature. Avo id hig h
eng ine speeds, heavy eng ine loads and heavy t hrottle app lications.
Normal temperature
When the eng ine has reached its ope rating temperature, the needle
w ill move into the midd le of the gauge and remain t he re.
If the
eng ine is working hard at high outs ide temperatures, the needle may
r ise up. This is no need to worry as long as the
_t_ warning light in th e
instr ument cluster does not illuminate.
Warning light in the instrument cluster -t
When the _L warning light in the instrument cluster starts to flash,
this can mean one of two things: e ithe r th e coolan t
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low=> page 27. _,.

If the needle is well in the upper area of the gauge, the coolant
tempe rat ure is too high.
Stop the vehicle , switch the engine off and
allow the engine to cool.
If the warning light comes on again after
driving a short distance, contact an authorized dealer.
& WARNING
• Alway s observe th e warning in => page 271, "Engine comp art ­
ment ", before opening the hood and checking the engine coolant
level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
s ee engin e coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant .
0 Note
• Mounting additiona l lights or accessories in fron t of the a ir inlets
reduces the cooling effect of the radiator . At high outside tempera­
t ur es o r high engine load, the engine could overheat.
• The front spo iler has bee n des igned to prope rly d istribute the
coo ling air when the vehicle is moving.
If the spoiler is damaged, this
cou ld reduce the coo ling effect and the eng ine could then overheat .
Ask your author ized A udi dealer for assistance .•
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicat es th e engine RPM (revolutions
per minutes).
Th e tac home ter @ => page 8, fig. 2 is the left of the two large cloc k­
type displays.
Th e engine tu rns at a speed
1,000 times the si ng le dig it in the
display, e.g. if the need le is po int ing at the "2 " the engi ne is t urning
at 2,000 RP M.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
If e ngine RPM drops below 1,500, you s hould dow nsh ift to t he next
lower ge ar. T he re d area at t he e nd of the s cale i ndic ates m aximum
permissible e ngine RPM after the break-in per iod . Before reaching
this area, move the selector lever to posit ion "D (Drive)" or ease yo ur
foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
T he tachome ter needle s houl d not move into the red range. If it does,
then only fo r a very short period of time . You could damage your
e n g in e by driv ing at h igh RPM .
c£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel a nd reduces e ngine noise. •
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in the MM I.
Fig. 3 Instrumen t
cluster with digital
clock
Th e d ate, t ime o f day, and time and date fo rmat c an be se t in the
MMI. You can find o ut more in the MMI manual.
Vehicle care Technical data

0 Note
Never run the tan k comp letely d ry . An irregular s upply of f ue l can
cause engine misfiring and fue l cou ld enter the ex ha ust system . T he
c ata lytic co nve rter co ul d the n overhea t and be damaged .•
[ C HECK ) button
You can per form differen t functions wi th this button.
Fig . 5 CHE CK button
i n the in strume nt
clu ste r
Th e [ C H ECK] bu tton perfo rms the fo llowing func tions :
Switching on the clock and odometer
With the ignition tu rned off, the odome ter read ing and the dig ita l
clock with date d isplay can be switched on for abo ut 30 seconds by
pressin g the [
CHECK ] button ~ fig . 5.
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system~ page 2 4 constantly monitors ce rtain indi­
vidual functions and components of the vehicle when the ignit ion is
tur ned on and w hen the vehicle is movi ng.
With the ignition turned on, yo u can sta rt the "A uto-Check sequence"
by pressing the
!CHECK ] button. You can perform an Auto -Check
sequence whe n the veh icle is st ationa ry a nd the ignition is turned on
or when the vehicle is moving not faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) .
Control s and equ ip­
m ent Vehicle OP-eration
Instruments and warning /indicator lights
The nu mber of keys programmed to the vehicle is a lso displayed . The
di splay
3\3 indic ates th at three keys have been programmed . T his
allows you to make sure you have received all of the keys w hen you
purc hase a used ve hicle.
For example, if you o nly receive two keys, yo u sho uld ta ke tho se keys
to your a uthorized Audi dealer to have the missing key deactivated so
i t ca nn ot be used. You sh ould also re port the mis sing key to you r
insurance compa ny.
Calling up the driver information
A ye llow or red symbol appears in the instrument cluster display,
us ua lly w it h a dr ive r mes sage . T he driver message display di sappe ars
after about 5 seco nds. The driver message can be displayed again by
br iefly p ressing t he
[CHECK ] but to n.
Setting the speed warning
By press ing t he I CH ECK] button br iefly, you can set t hreshold 1 of
the speed warning while yo u are driving ~
page 33. By maintaining
pressure on the
I CHECK ] button, you de lete the warning th reshol d.•
Instrument cluster illumination
The basic brig htness of the illumination for the inst ru ­
ments, the center console and the display can be
a dju sted.
Fig. 6 Instrument
clu ste r illum inat ion .,,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Canada models:
Airbag system
Tire pressure monitoring system*
L eft turn signal
Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp (MIL)
/ : Lane assist (system is ready)
Lane assist (system is not ready)
Safety belt
Adapt ive A ir Suspe nsio n*
-~ Adaptive Air Suspension"
D H igh beam
--
Q Right turn signal
CRUISE USA models:
Cruise contro l a ct ivate d =>page
14
=> page 15
=>page 15
=> page 15
=> page 15
=> page 15
=>page 15
=> page 16
=> page 16
=> page 16
=> page 15
=>page 16
Canada models: => page 16
Cruise control activated
USA models: => page 17
Ant i-lock brake system (ABS) defective
Canada models : => page 17
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) defective
USA models: PARK BRAKE Elect romecha nica l parki ng b rake
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
=:::, page 17
-
-
-
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
(®)
BRAKE
--

Canada models: => page 17
E lectromechanical parking brake
USA model s: => page 18
Brake ma lf u nct ion
-Canada models: => page 18
B rake malfunction
Vehicles with the Adaptive Cru ise Control* have the following addi­
ti onal check lamps:
Open road
i;:;::::::, 1111 i;:;::::::, D ri vi n g i n traffic
i;:;::::::, 1111 i;:;::::::, Request for dr iver to
assume con trol
& WARNING
=> page 12 7
=:::, page 127
=> page 127
• Failure to heed warning light s and other important vehicle
information may result in s erious personal injury or vehicle
damage.
• Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe
distan ce off the road, st op the engine, and turn on the emergency
flasher =>
page 61.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle i s a potentially
hazardous area . Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine compart ­
ment, stop the engine and let it cool down. Always exercise
extreme caution when working under the hood=>
page 2 71,
"Engine compartment". .,.
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
(I] Tip s
Many fun ct ions a re mon itored by the Auto-Check system=> page 24.
Malfunctions or faults will be identified either with a red symbol
(pr iority
1-Dange r!) or w ith a ye llow symbo l (prio rity 2 -Warn ing). •
Electronic power control C
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The warn ing/indicator light (Electro nic Power Control) illumi-
nates when you turn on the ignition as a function check .
(I] Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving, then
there is a malfunct io n in the engine electron ics . Have the ma lfunct io n
corrected as soon as possib le by your authori zed Audi dealer or qual­
ified repair fac ility. •
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) •..
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
stabilization program.
T he warn ing/indicator lig ht has the follow ing funct ions:
• It blinks while you are driving when the ESP is working.
• It illumina tes when you sw itch on the ignition fo r approximately 2
seconds as a function check .
• It illuminates whe n there is a malfunction in the ESP .
• It illuminates when ESP or ASR (Ant i-Slip Regula tion) is deacti­
vated .
• It ill umina tes if t he re is a malfunction in the A BS, s ince the ESP is
part of the ABS system. If the battery terminals were disconnected and re-connected, the
vehicle was jump st arted o r th e bat tery is very weak, t he ESP se nsor
system goes through a learning process for the first few yards. The
warning/indicator light illuminates. The war ning/indicator light goes
out as soo n as the learning process is complete .
If the ESP warning/indicator light ill uminates and stays on after yo u
have sta rted t he engine, t his may mean that the co ntrol system has
temporarily switched off the ESP . If this is case , you can react ivate
t he ESP by tu rning the igni tion off and t hen o n ag ain . The
warning/indica tor light should go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
For more information about the ESP=>
page 242. •
Airbag system
~i (USA models) l!.!r (Canada models)
This warning/indica tor ligh t monitors the airbag and the
pretensioner systems.
The G>! (USA models)/ !.!r (Canada mode ls) warn ing light illuminates
fo r a few seconds ea ch time yo u sw itch on the ignitio n.
If the
G>! (USA models)/ !.!r (Canada mode ls) warn ing light does not go
out, or if it illuminates while you are driving, or if it starts to blink,
then there is a malfunction somewhere in the system . If the light
does not illuminate when yo u switch on the ignition, this a lso means
there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in th e airbag syst em, contact your
authorized Audi deale r immediately . Otherwi se the airbag or the
belt pr eten sion er may not work properly in an accid ent .•

App lies to vehicl es: wi th t ir e pr essure mon it o ring system
Tire pressure monitoring system - telltale
indicator Lamp '
The warning/indicator light appears in the event of a
significant loss of tire pressure or if there is a malfunc­
tion .
The indicator light 'J illuminates to check the func tion when you
switch on the ignition.
If the
I symbol remains on or blinks after you sw itch on the ignit ion,
there is a loss of tire pressure or a system malfunction . If there is a
system malfunction, see your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
Detailed information on the tire pressure monitoring system can be
found in=>
page 314. •
Turn signals ¢ ¢
The indicator light blinks when you use either turn signal.
Whenever you use the left¢ or the right¢ turn signal, the indicator
light blinks. When you use the emergency flashers, both indicator
lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bu lbs burn out, the turn signal will blink
twice as fast as normal. •
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) !'.I
The Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is part of the On-Board Diag­
nostic (OBD II) system . The symbol lights up when the ignition is
t u rned on and will turn off after the engi ne has started and has
sett led at a constant idle speed. This indicates that the MIL is working
properly .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
In
strum ents and warning /indicator lights
The warning light illuminates when there is a malfunction in the
engine electron ic system. Contact your author ized Audi dealer and
have the malfunction corrected .
An imp rope rly clo sed fu el fille r cap ma y al so cau se the M IL l ight to
illum in ate =>
page 2 75.
For more information=> page 23. •
App lies to vehicles : w ith lane ass ist
Lane assist (system is ready) /:
T he ind icator light shows that the system is ready to use . A warn ing
aler ts the driver when the veh icle drives over de tected lane boundary
lines.
More information about lane assist=>
page 134. •
Applies to vehi cles : wit h lane assis t
Lane assist (system is not ready) I
The indicator light shows that the system is turned on but unab le to
send a warn ing .
Mo re information about lane assist =>
page 134. •
Safety belts ,i
This warning/indicator light reminds you to put on your
safety belt.
The 4t warning/indicator light illuminat es when th e ignition is
switched on to rem ind the d river and (on USA models only) any front
pass enger to put on the safety b elt. Add itionally, an acoustic wa rning
(gong) will a lso sound.
For more Information=>
page 187, "Safety belt warning light~".•
Vehicle care Technical data

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. •