2011 AUDI A6 trailer

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

On the road Ill
----------------
• Please also exercise exceptional care when you drive up or down
steep ramps or drive over cu rbs or other obstacles, for which the
vehicle is not designed, because components of the vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers, spoilers and suspension and
exhaust system components , may become damaged. •
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an incline, do
the following:
- Keep the switch pulled and depress the accelerator . The
parking brake stays applied and prevents the vehicle from
rolling bac kward .
- You can re lease the switch once you are sure tha t you are
deve loping enoug h forward momentum at the wheels as
you depress the accelerator.
Depend ing on the we ight of the rig (vehicle and trailer) and the
sever ity of the incline, you may roll backwards as you start. You can
prevent ro llin g backwards by holding the park ing bra ke sw itch pulled
out and accelera ting - just as you would when starting on a hill with a
conventional hand brake. •
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake system fails or
locks.
- Pull the switch and cont inue to pull it to slow your ve hicle
w ith the parking brake in an emerge ncy.
- As soon as you re lease the sw itch or acce lerate, the
braking process stops .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
If you pull the switch and hold it above a speed of about 5 mph (8
km/h),
the eme rgency brak ing f unct io n is ini tia ted. The vehicle is
braked at all four wheels by activat ing the hydraulic brake system .
Brake performance is similar to making an emergency stop=>& .
So that emergency b raking is not act ivated by mistake, an aud ible
warning tone (buzzer) sounds when the switch is pulled. As soon as
the swi tch is released, or the accelerator pedal is depressed, eme r­
gency braking stops.
& WARNING
Emergency braking should only be u sed in an emergen cy, when
the normal foot brake ha s failed or th e brake pedal i s ob structed.
Us ing the park ing b rake to perf orm emergency braking will slow
your v ehicl e as if you had made a full brak e app lic ation . Th e law s
of physics cannot be suspen ded even w ith ESP and it s associated
c omponent s (AB S, ASR , EDS ). In corn ers and when road or
weather condit ion s are bad , a full brake application can cause the
v eh icle t o skid or the rear end to bre ak awa y- r isking an a ccident. •
Driver messages in the instrument cluster
Caution : V ehi cle park ed too steep
Th is message appears whe n the parking brake is applied on an incline
that exceeds abo ut 30%.
I n this case the b raking power of the parking brake may
not be
adequate
to prevent the vehicle from rolling unintentionally.
Plea se re leas e park ing brak e
This message appears , when a gear is se lected and the accelerator
peda l is dep ressed - release the parking brake . .,
Vehicle care Technical data

______________________________________________________ P_a _ r_ k_ a_ s_s _i _ s _t __ _
Sensors in the bumper
Sensors are located in the rear bumpers . If these detect a n obsta cle,
audib le and visual sig nals wa rn you. The range at w hich the sensors
beg in to measure is approximately:
T o the sid e
2 ft (0. 60 m)
Center rear 5 .2 ft (1.60 m)
Distan ce warning when reversing s tarts w hen an obsta cle is detec ted
in the range of the parking ass ist system. As the d ista nce decreases,
t he time in te rval between the audib le tones becomes shorter .
When the dis tance is less tha n 1ft
(0.30 m), the tone becomes
cont inuo us. At th is point yo u should stop back ing up.
If the dis tance to an obs tacle stays the s am e, t he volume o f the
distance signal chime is grad ually reduced after about
4 seconds
(does not affe ct the conti nuous signal tone) . App roac hing an oth er
obs tacle w ill cause the distance sig nal to sound aga in at t he normal
vol ume.
Rear view camera coverage area
Th e MM I display s hows the area covere d by the rea r view c amera
=>
page 16 2, fig. 156 G) . Objects that a re not in the area covered @
are not s hown on the MMI dis play .
W e recommend that you prac tice parking w ith th e rear v iew camera
in a traff ic-free location o r parking lot to become fam iliar with the
system, the or ientat ion lines, a nd their functi on . W hen doing this,
there should be good light and weathe r cond itions.
I n the MMI di spla y, obje cts o r ve hicl es appea r closer or fu rt h er aw ay
if:
• you are dr iv ing in reverse gea r from a level sur face onto an incline,
or a dow nwar d slop e,
• you are drivin g in reverse gear toward protrud ing ob jects,
• t he vehicle is ca rry ing too much load in the rear.
T he accuracy of the orientat ion lines and blue s urfaces d imin ishes if :
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
• t
he rear view camera does not provide a re liable image , fo r
ex am ple, in po or visib ility co ndi tion s or if the lens is dir ty,
• the image on the screen is not visible due to sun g la re and reflec­
t io n.
Caring for the rear view camera lens
The re ar view came ra is locat ed above the r ear license pla te br acket .
For the pa rking ass ist to operate, the lens =>
page 162, fig. 157 m ust
be ke pt clean:
• Dampen the lens wi th a household alcoho l-based glass cleaner,
and clean the lens wi th a d ry cloth => 0.
• Remove snow with a hand br us h and ice preferab ly w it h a de- icing
sp ray =>0.
& WARNING
• The parking aid cannot replace the driver's attention. The
driver alone is responsible for parking and similar driving maneu •
vers.
• Always keep your eyes on the vehicle 's surroundings, using the
rear view mirror as well.
• Do not allow yourself to be distracted from traffic by the rear
view camera pictures.
• If the position and the installation angle of the camera has
changed, for example, after a rear end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons. Have it checked by a qualified dealership .
0 Note
• Low obstacles a lready s ignaled by a wa rning can disapp ea r from
the system's detection range as they are approached and will not
co ntinu e to be signaled. O bje cts such a s barrier c hains , trailer draw
bars, thin painted vertical po les or fences may not be detected by the
sys te m , pos ing r isk of d amage. _..
Vehicle care Technical data

___________________________________________________ P_ a _ r_k :...:.; a..::s ...:s...: i..::s ...:t _ ___,Jfflll
Fig. 159 MMI D isplay:
al igni ng the veh icle
- Switch the MMI on and se lect the reverse gear .
- Turn the steering wheel until the orange orientation lines
(D appear in the parking spot=> page 164, fig. 158 . Use
the markings @to help you estimate the distance from an
obstacle. Each marking presents to 3 f t (1 m) . The blue
area represen ts a n extension of the vehi cle's o utline by
approximately 16 ft (5 m) to the rear .
- While driving in reverse gear, adjust the steering wheel ang le to fit the parking space with the aid of the orange
orientation lines =>
0. ® marks the rear bumper . You
should stop driving in reverse as soon as and no la ter than
when the red orientation line© abuts an object=>& !
& WARNING
• The rear view came ra does not show the enti re area beh ind the
v ehicle =>
page 162, fi g. 156. Watch out e spe cially fo r s mall chil ·
dren and animal s. The rear v iew cam era cannot alwa ys dete ct
them , posing ri sk of an accident!
• Plea se note that obje ct s not tou ching the groun d can appear to
be further awa y than th ey reall y are (for example , th e bumpe r of
a parked vehi cle, a trailer hit ch , or the r ear of a truck) . In thi s case ,
Con tro ls a nd e quip ·
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
& WARNING (con tin ued)
you sh o uld not use the help lin es to help with p arking , whic h
po se s dang er of an accident!
0 Note
• Low obstacles a lready signaled by a wa rning c an disappear from
the sys tem's de te ct ion range as they are app roached and will no t
conti nue to be signaled . Objects such as barrier cha ins, trailer draw
bars, thin painted ve rtica l poles or fences may not be detected by the
system , posing risk of damage.
• In the MMI display , the direc tion o f travel o f the vehicle rear is
represen ted depend ing on the steering whee l angle. The vehicle front
swings out more than the veh icle rear . Maintain plenty of distance
from an obstacle so that your outside mirror or a corner of your
vehicle does not collide with any obstacles -danger of accident !•
Ap plie s to veh icle s: with pa rk ing syst e m (r ea r, wi th rear vie w cam era)
Parallel P arking
Use parking mode 2 to help you park on the edge of a
street.
Vehicle care
Fig. 160 MM I Displ ay :
blue surface In the
p arking s pot
~
Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

lffll.___P_ a_r_ k_ a_s_ s_ i_ s _t __________________________________________________ _
Fig.161 MMI Display:
Blue curve on the curb
The following steps apply only when there is no obstacle
(such as a wall) near the parking spot. Otherwise, please read
the "Tips on Parking Next to Obstacles".
- Activate the turn signal.
- Switch the MMI on and select the reverse gear. The
parking aid turns on and parking mode 1 appea rs on the
display.
- Position your vehicle parallel to the edge of the street,
approximately 3 ft (1 m) from a parked vehicle.
- Press the control button
(D => page 165, fig. 160 on the
MMI control console. Parking mode 2 appears.
- Back up in reverse gear and align your vehicle so that the
blue area ® borders on the rear end of the vehicle or on
the parking spot line. The blue area represents an exten­
sion of the vehicle's outline by approximately 16 ft (5 m)
to the rear. The long side of the blue area should be on the
curb. The entire blue area must fit into the parking spot.
- While the vehicle is stationary, turn the steering wheel to
the right as far as it will go. -
Back into the parking spot until the blue curve touches the
curb => fig. 161. Stop the vehicle.
- While the vehicle is stationary , turn the steering wheel to
the left as far as it will go .
- Continue to back up into the parking spot until the vehicle
is parked parallel to the curb .® marks the rear bumper .
You should stop driving in reverse as soon as and no later
than when the red orientation line© abuts an object
=> & !Keep an eye on the front of your vehicle while doing
this =>
0.
Parking next to obstacles
When there is an obstacle (such as a wall) next to the parking spot,
choose a spot with more space on the sides. Position the long side of
the blue a rea so that the re is sufficient space from the curb. The area
must not be on the curb. You will also need to start turning the
steering wheel much earlier. There should be a sufficient amount of
space between the curb and the blue curve, and the blue curve
=> fig . 161 must not touch the curb.
& WARNING
• The rear view camera does not show the entire area behind the
vehicle => page
162, fig. 156. Watch out especially for small chil­
dren and animals. The rear view camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
• Please note that objects not touching the ground can appear to
be further away than they really are (for example, the bumper of
a parked vehicle, a trailer hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you should not use the help lines to help with parking, which
poses danger of an accident! _,,,

lffl!I.___A_ d_ a_,_ p_t _i_ v _e _ A_i_ r_ S_ u_ s ... p,_ e_n_ s_ io_ n __________________________________________ _
mode at speeds above SO mph (80 km/h). This mode is then shown
greyed out in the MMI display .
For additional information on the driving modes=>
page 169,
"Chassis controls". •
Appli es to ve hicles: w it h Adap tive Air S uspensi on
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
This mode must be activated in the MMI before raising
the vehicle with a jack or on a vehicle lift.
-Select: Function button [CAR)> function button [SETUP]
> Jacking mode.
The vehicle jack mode must be activated before changing a wheel so
that the au toma tic control processes for the air suspension do not
make lifting with the vehicle jack more difficult.
[ i ] Tips
The vehicle jack mode is switched off automatica lly at speeds above 9
mph (15 km/h) .•
Ap plies to veh icle s: with Ad ap tive Ai r Suspe nsion
Towing a trailer
Automatic lowering is not desirable when towing a
trailer .
-Select: Function button [CAR)> function button [SETUP]
> Towing mode .
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
• Before hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the tongue
we ight at the trailer, the automatic or comfort mode
must be selected, so that the vehicle is at normal
level=>
page 169, "Setting
the driving modes".
• If driving in dynamic mode is desired, this mode
must be selected
before hitch ing up the trailer and before adjusting the tongue
weight . However, note that your vehicle is lowered and ground clear­
ance is reduced .
• If you have to drive under difficu lt road conditions, you can select
lift mode after hitching up the trailer or after adjusting the tongue
weight.
Restrictions when operating with a trailer
When operating with a trailer, the lift mode can only be selected up
to about 25 mph (40 km/h). The system automatically goes out of lift
mode when speed exceeds about 31 mph (SO km/h).
If the vehicle is in automatic, comfort or lift mode before the trailer
towing mode is act ivated, the dynam ic mode cannot be activated .
I f the vehicle is in dynamic mode before towing operation is acti­
vated, it can be driven in this mode .
If the suspens ion is switched
from this mode to automatic mode, dynamic mode cannot be re­
selected.
[ i ] Tips
If the trailer towing mode has been act ivated, the vehicle will not sink
to the dynamic level if selected .•

Trailer towing
"---------------------------------------------------
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger transpor ­
tation .
If you p lan to tow a t railer, p lease remember that the additional load
w ill affect durability, economy and performance.
Tr ailer towing not on ly p laces mo re s tress on the vehicle, it also calls
for more concentration from the driver.
For this reason, a lways follow the operating and dr iv ing inst ructions
prov ided and use common sense .
0 Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must activate the tra iler ope ra­
tion mode =>
page 170, "Towing a tra iler". •
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a we igh t-car rying h itch co nform ing to the gross tra iler we ig ht.
The h itch must be suitab le for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mou nted securely o n th e vehi cle's ch assi s at a
techni cally sound loc a­
tion . Use only a trailer hitch with a removab le ball mount. Always
check wit h the t railer h itch manufactu rer to make sure that yo u are
using the correct h itch .
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The h itch mus t be installed in such a way t hat it does not in terfe re
w ith t he impact-absorb ing bumper system. No modifications shou ld be made to t
he veh icle exha ust and bra ke systems. From t ime to
time, check that a ll hitch mounting bo lts rema in securely fastened.
W hen you are no t tow in g a tra ile r, remove the t railer hit ch ball
mount. This prevents the hitc h from caus ing damage should your
vehicle be str uck from behind=>& .
Trailer brakes
If your trail er is e quipped w ith a b raking system, che ck to be s ure t hat
it conforms to all regulations.
T he tra ile r hydrau lic brake system m ust not be directly connected to
t he vehicle's hyd raulic b rake sys tem .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure to check w ith your
Audi de aler fo r corr ec t wir ing , sw itches and re lays.
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see t he t raff ic be hind you using t he regular
outs ide mirrors, then you
must install extended mi rrors. It is impor­
t an t th at yo u
always ha ve clear vi sion to the re ar.
& WARNING
After removing the trailer hitch, do not store it in your vehicle. In
case of sudden braking , the hitch could fly forward and inju re you
or your passengers. •

Operating instructions
Max imum tr aile r weight
A trai ler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trail er lo ad di stribut ion
Be sure the load in the t ra iler is held secu rely in place to prevent it
from shift ing forward, backward or sideways.
N ev er a llow a pa ssenge r to ride in a traile r=>
& in "Driving instr uc­
tions".
Eng ine c ooling s ystem
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder. It is important that
the cooling system 's performance is up to the addi tional load. Make
sure that the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pre ssur e
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your veh icle to the co ld tire
pressu re listed under "Full load" on the label located on the d river's
side 8 -pillar (visible when the door is open) . Inflate traile r tires to
t rai ler and tire manufacture rs' specificat io n s.
Light s
The headl ight sett ings shou ld be checked with the tr ailer attached
before driving off. Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chain s
Be sure traile r safety cha ins are p roperly connected from the trai ler
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to perm it
tu rning corners. When you install sa fe ty cha ins, make s ure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
T he chains should cross under the trai ler tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the h itch .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
0 Note
If you are going to tow a t
railer, you must activate the tra iler opera­
tion mode =>
page 170, "T owing a trai ler" .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires e xtra care and
consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehic le and trailer,
please note the following:
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded.
- Be especially careful when passing other veh icles .
- Observe speed limits .
- Do not dr ive at the maximum permissible speed.
- Always apply brakes early .
- Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded tra iler w ith an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of we ight . If this cannot be avoided, d rive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" r ig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
t ow ve hicle sho uld be loaded to the exte nt poss ible and permissib le,
wh ile keeping the tra iler as light as poss ible under the circumstances.
Whenever poss ible, tra nsfer some cargo to the l uggage compart ­
ment of the tow vehicle while observing tongue load requirements
and vehicle load ing considerations .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data