2011 AUDI S6 ESP

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

About this Owner's Manual
This owner's manual contains important information, t ips, sugges­
tions, an d warnings fo r the use of yo ur ve hicle.
Make s ure that this owne r's manua l is a lways located in the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if you allow other peop le to drive the
vehicle, or if you sell i t.
Th is owner's manual descr ibes the
equipment range specified for
this model at the editorial deadline date. Some of the equipment
described here will only be ava ilable at a later date, or only in spec ific
ma rkets .
Some se ctions in t his owne r's m an ual do no t app ly to a ll vehi cles. In
that case, the
range of applicability is given at the beginning of the
se ct io n, e.g. "Applies to vehicles: with A udi Parking System". In addi ­
tion, optiona l equipment is indicated by an asterisk"*".
Th e detai ls in the
illust rations may be different from those in your
vehicle, and a re intended to be viewed as a bas ic gu ide.
You w ill find a
table of contents at the beginn ing of this book, which
display s all t opi cs described in this m anu al in o rde r of a ppear ance.
You will find an alphabetica l
index at the end of this book.
All
directions , such as "left", "right", "front", "back", are re lative to
the d irec tion of travel.
* optional eq uipment
.,. Th is section continues on the next page.
• Indicates the
end of a section .
® Registered trademarks are ident ified with a®. If this symbol is
m issi ng, i t is no guarantee that t he te rms c an be used freely.
=> & Cross-reference to a "WARNI NG!" within a sect io n. For indica­
tion with a page number, the correspon ding "WARN ING!" can be
found outside of the sect ion .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
About this Owner's Manual
& WARNING
Tex
t with this symbol contains important information on safety
and how to redu ce the risk of pers onal injury or death .
0 Note
Text with this symbol draws your attentio n to potential sources of
damage to yo ur vehicle.
ci' For the sake of the environment
Text w ith th is symbol contai ns information about the environment
and how you can help protect it.
[I) Tips
Text w it h this symbol contains spec ia l tips and other information
abou t gett ing the mo st out o f yo ur vehi cle and its fea tures. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Instruments and controls
General illustration
(D Power window switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
@ Door handle
@ Memory buttons (driver's seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
© Power locking switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
® Adjuster control for outside mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
© Air outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
0 Light switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
@ Control lever for:
- Turn signal and high beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
- Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
® Control lever for:
- Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
- Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
@ Multifunction steering wheel with:
- Horn
- Driver 's airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
- Shift buttons ...... .. .. .... ........ .......... 151, 158
- Button for steering wheel heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
@ Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
@ Switches for
- Windshield wiper/washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
- Trip computer ............... .. .. .. .. ....... .
@ Steering lock/ignition/starter switch ... .. ......... .
@ Buttons for
- resetting the trip odometer .......... .. .. .. ... .
- !CHECK] .... .... .. .... .. .... ............... .
-Instrument lighting . ....... .... .. .. .... .. .. . .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
34
108
10
11
11
Instruments and controls
@ MMI Display, see separate manua l
@ Depending on equipment, switches for:
- Electronic Stabili zation Program (ESP)
- Side assist .. ... . .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. ... .
- Emergency flashers .. .... .. .. .. ............. .
- Power sunshade . ... ... .. .. .. .. .... .. .. ... .. .
- Valet key function .. .. .. .. .... ....... ...... .. .
@ Buttons for
- Switching MMI display on/off
- Unlocking glove compartment
@ Glove compartment ...... .. .. .. .... .. ......... .
@ Front passenger 's airbag ............... ... .. .. . .
@ Climate controls ... .. .. .. .. .. .... .......... ... .
@ Ashtray .............. .. .... .. .. .. .. .... ..... .
@ Shift lever for automatic transmission
- 6-speed automatic transmission ....... .. ... ... .
- multitronic ® ....................... .. .... .. .
@ MMI contro l console, see separate manua l
@ Storage with cupholder ... .. ... .............. .. .
@) Electromechanical parking brake .............. .. . .
@ ISTAR T]-/ISTOP] button ........ .. ... .......... .
@ Adjustable steering wheel, depending on equipment :
- mechanical ............. .. .. .. ............. .
- electrical . ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ....... .. .
@ Data Link Connector for On Board Diagnostics (OBD II)
@ Hood release .......... .. .... .. .. .. .. ......... .
@ Switch for
unlocking the fuel fi ller door .............. .... .
- unlocking the trunk lid . .. ........ .. ... .. .. .. . .
Vehicle care
242
137
61
65
40
94
94
201
98
91
146
154
89
113
110
106
106 23
278
275
46 •
Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
- Press the"+" button to increase the brightness during the
hours of darkness.
- Press the"-" button to decrease the brightness during the
hours of dark ness.
A light sensor in the instrument cluster contro ls the illumination for
the instrument cluster, the center console and the displays. In a
br ight env ironment, using the buttons to change the br ightness has
no effect .
[ i ] Tips
The illumination for the instrument cluster lights up whenever you
switch on the ig nition with the vehicle head lights off. As the daylight
fades, the instrument cluster illum inat ion likewise d ims automati­
cally and w ill go out completely when the outside light is very low.
Th is feature is meant to remind you to sw itch on the headlights when
outside light conditions become poor. •
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions
or a possible malfunction .
Fig . 7 Instr um ent cluste r w ith warn in g/ indicato r lig hts
Your vehicle is equipped with several important warning and ind i­
ca tor lights to he lp you moni to r the continued re liable operat ion of
your vehicle =>& .
AIR
BAG
Electronic power control => page 14
Elect ronic Stabilization Program (ESP) => page 14
USA models: ~page 14
Airbag system

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 .•

Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
A ...
.j {USA models) /..., {Canada models)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS and the
electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The warning/indicator light will come on for a few seconds when the
ign ition is switched on . The light w ill go out after an a utomat ic check
sequence is comp leted .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when: • Th e warn ing/ indic ator light does not ill uminate when you swi tch
on the ig nit io n.
• Th e warn ing/ in dic ator lig ht does not go out a fter a few se conds .
• The warning/ind icator light illuminates while d riving.
The brake sy stem will still re spond even without the a ssistance of
the ABS system . See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more i nformat ion
regarding the ABS=>
page 246.
The ABS warning l ight and the brake warning light come on
together. The ABS will not work and you will noti ce a change in
brak ing response and performance.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light=> page 18 and the ABS warning ill uminate
together there may be a malfu nction in t he A BS, a nd there may a lso
be a malfunction in the brake system itself=>& .
In the even t of a
malfunction in the b rake system the warning/ indi ­
ca tor light
BRAKE (U SA mode ls)/ ((])) (Canada models) in the instrume nt
cl uster flashes . By p ressing the
I C H ECK ) button, you ca n bring up a
dr iver message w hic h explains the malfunc tion in mo re de tail. Please
not e=>
pag e 26 .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Malfunction in the electroni c differential lock (EDL)
Th e ED L wor ks toge ther w it h the ABS . The A BS wa rning light will
come on if t he re is a malfunction in the EDL system=>
page 243. See
your authorized Aud i dea le r as soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the ... Is~ (USA models)/ d (Canada models ) warning light
does not go out , o r if it comes on while driving, the ABS system is
not working properly . The vehicle can then be stopped only with
the standard brakes (without ABS ). You w ill not have the protec­
tion ABS provide s. Contact your Aud i dealer as soon as pos sible.
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the 9 warning
light come on together, the rear wheel s could lock up fir st under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cau se los s of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by you r
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work shop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light «D> 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
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work shop.
Drive slowly and a void sudden, hard brake applications. •
Electromechanical parking brake
~E {USA models) /(®) {Canada models)
The warning/indicator light monit ors the electromechan­
ical parking brake.
With the parking bra ke app lied and the ignition turned o n, t he
warning/indicator light illum inates. After the ign ition has been
t u rned
off, the wa rni ng/ind icator light co nti nu es to i llumi nate for
abou t 30 seconds . If the parki ng brake is applied w it h the ignition _,,
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. •

Driver information display
Sound system display
Fig. 9 Displa y: soun d
system
If prior ity 1 or priority 2 fau lts are not show n by the A uto Check
C on tro l, t he name of the ra dio s tat ion you are tuned to or the
frequency and the reception range are shown in the upper area o f the
display.
W hen the C D is in use, t he tit le of th e track bei ng played is show n. The
num ber of t he CD (CD l to CD6) current ly being played is a lso
show n.•
Outside temperature display
Fig. 10 D isplay:
outs ide temperature
At temperatures be low 41 °F ( +S °C) a snowflake symbol appears
a he ad of the te mp eratu re di splay.
It is in te nded to rem ind the driver
to pay special attent io n to
ice on the road .
If you have selected the °C ( degrees Celsius) u nit for tem perature i n
t he
MM I, the ou tside te mpera tu re di sp lay also appe ars automatic ally
in
°C.
& WARNING
• Never rely exclusively on the outside temperature display to
determine if a road surface is icy or not . Keep in m ind that road
su rfaces , especially bridges and overpa sses, could be ice covered
and slippery even at an outside temperature above 41 °F (+5 °C ).
• Always remember , even if the "snowflake" symbol (ice
warning ) does not appear in the di splay, black ice could be on the
road.
• Always reduce your speed and drive with special care in cold
weather conditions when the chance of encountering icy road
surfaces increases.
(I] Tips
If the vehi cle is stat io na ry, or if yo u are driv ing at a very low speed, the
temperature shown in the display m ight be slightly higher than the
a ctu al outside tempe ra t ure. This is ca used by the he at being radi ated
from the engine .•