2011 AUDI S6 instrument panel

Driver info rmation d isplay
• Speed warnings threshold 1 B (USA models)/ 8 (Canada models)
and thresho ld 2
9, (USA mode ls)/ 8, (Canada models) are also shown
as red symbols . The warning is always shown as a small symbol in the
upper area of th e display ~
page 32. •
Alternator malfunction 0
If the D symbol in the instrument panel d isplay flashes, then there
is a malfunction in the alternator or the vehicle electronics . A warning
to the driver will appear, too. The driver warning goes out after about
5 seconds, but it can be brought up at any time by pressing the
[CHECK] button again .
Us ua lly, you can still drive to the next dea lership. Tu rn off all but the
mos t necessary elec trical consumers, since these drain the vehicle 's
battery.
0 Note
If the _ f_ warning symbol (coolant system malfunction) a lso lights up
on the instrument panel during the trip~
page 27, then you have to
stop immediate ly and turn off the engine. The coo lant pump is not
work ing anymore - danger of damage to the engine! •
Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be repaired as
soon as possible.
If the warning /indicator light BRAKE (USA models)/ (©)
(Canada models) in the instrument cluster flashes, there is a
brake system malfunction . By pressing the [CHECK] bu tton,
you can bring up a driver message which expla ins the
malfunct ion in more deta il.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
- Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle .
- Turn off the engine .
- Chec k the bra ke fluid level=>
page 289 .
-Contact your nearest authorized repair facility if neces-
sary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Conta ct
workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized repair facility and
have the malfunct ion corrected=> &,.
Parking brake! Please contact workshop
-If the warning/indicator light flashes when the vehicle is
statio nary or afte r the ignition is turned on, check to see if
the parking brake can be released. Drive to an authorized
repair facility as soon as possible and have the malfunc ­
tion corrected . If the parking brake cannot be re leased,
contact your neares t authorized repa ir facility .
If the warning/indicator light flashes while you are
dr iv ing , it is possible that the traction control or the emer ­
gency brake has malfunctioned. It is poss ible that the
park ing brake cannot be applied . It is also poss ible that
the parking brake cannot be released after it has been
applied . Drive to an authorized Audi dealer to have the
ma lfunction corrected .
If the ABS system malfunctions, th e ABS warn ing/indicator light i llu­
m inates together w ith the brake system malfunction warning/indi-
cator light~& . .,_

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. _,,,

_________________________________________________ W_ a _r_m _ a _n.:..d~ c:.. o::...:. ld.:.;___,J-
• in a traff ic jam.
& WARNING
Do not use this setting for extended periods of time. The windows
could fog up since no fresh air can enter the vehicle. If the
windows fog up, press the air recirculation button again immedi­
ately to switch off the air recirculation function or select defrost.•
Rear window defogger [Qiil ]
The rear window defogger clears the rear window of
condensation.
- Press the QW button to turn the rear window defogger on
and
off.
Th e rear window defogger works only when the engine is running. The
light in the switch will illuminate when the defogge r is on .
The rear window defogger will switch off automatically after a short time. The time the rea r window defogger remains on will vary
depending on the outside temperature.
A rear window defogger that was switched on also remains stored for
15 minu tes after the ign ition is switched off . If the engine is
restarted w ith in these 15 minutes, the rear window defogger is a lso
act ivated, depending on outside temperature. With a vehicle that is
parked for a short time, the rear window defogger does not need to
be manua lly activated again.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Turn the defogger off when the rear window is clear. When you save
electricity, you save fuel. •
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Air outlets
Air distribution determines the air flow to the individual
vents.
Fig. 95 Instrument panel: air outlet locations and airfl ow directions
Air outlets ® and ©
- Rotate the vertical thumb wheel beside the outlet to
increase, reduce or shut down the airflow from that
outlet .
- To adjust the direction of the a irflow from the outlet,
move the tab in the center of the outlet in the desired
direction. The direction of the air delivered from the vents
can be adjusted horizontally and vertically.
@ Air flows to windshield and to driver and front passenger side
windows
@ Air flows to w indshield
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-Driving Safely 1---- ---:!....::..-=....:...'=.::,!.._ _______________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor
in front of the seat. Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even increase the risk of injury in a crash.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child safety seats=>
page 219.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat=>
page 197. •
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both feet on
the floor consistent with their physical size and be prop­
erly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect seating
position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an
accident , your passengers on the rear bench seat must
always observe the following :
- Make sure that the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position ~
page 83.
-The rear head restraints must be raised fully upward when
passengers ride in the rear seats~
page 181.
- Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts properly~
page 191.
-Make sure that children are always properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
~ page 219.
& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the rear seat can be seri­
ously injured in a crash.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the seatback
is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
• Always adjust the head restraint properly so that it can give
maximum protection. •

• ....__D_ r_iv _i_ n_, g=-- S_ a _ f_e _,Ly _ ______________________________________________ _
The following bulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious injury and death. Our hope is that these
examples will make you more aware of seating positions that are
dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
• never stand up in the vehicle
• never stand on the seats
• never kneel on the seats
• never ride with the seatback reclined
• never lie down on the rear seat
• never lean up against the instrument panel
• never sit on the edge of the seat
• never sit sideways
• never lean out the window
• never put your feet out the window
• never put your feet on the instrument panel
• never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back of the seat
• never ride in the footwe ll
• never ride in the cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a proper
seating position and are properly restrained whenever the vehicle
is being used. •
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and must never
be interfered with by a floor mat or any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without interference and that
nothing prevents them from returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free and can be secured
with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal travel is required to bring
the vehicle to a full stop.
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss of vehicle control
and increase the risk of serious injury .
• 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!
• Always make sure that nothing can fall or move into the
driver's footwell. •
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely attached to
the floor mat fasteners and do not interfere with the free
movement of the pedals.
- Make sure that the floor mats are properly secured and
cannot move and interfere with the pedals~& .

• ....__D_ r_iv _i_ n_, g=-- S_ a _ f_e _,Ly _ ______________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through th e
vehicle c au sing seriou s per sonal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident . To h elp reduce the risk of serious personal injury :
• Always put objects, for examp le, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggag e compartment .
• Alway s secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie -down eyelets and suitable straps.
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles. To help
reduce the ri sk of a loss of control leading to seriou s personal
injury:
• Always keep in mind when tran sporting heavy objects, that a
c hange in the center of gr avity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always di stribute the load as evenly as po ssible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as po ssible.
• Never e xceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the
left door jamb . Exceeding permissible weight standards can cause
the vehicle to slide and handle differently .
• Please observe information on safe driving =>
page 176 .
in. WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open , ob serve the
following note s to reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows ,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlet s in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation ,
- Set th e fresh air fan to the high est speed .
in. WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs , all windows, the power roof*
and the rear lid are securely clo sed and locked to reduce the risk of
i njury when the vehicle is not be ing used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could c rawl into the vehicle through the luggage
c ompartment and clo se the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never l et pa ssengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle 's seating positions .
(I) Tips
• Air circulation helps to re d uce win dow fogging. Sta le air es capes
to the outside through vents in the trim panel, on the left s ide of the
lugg age compa rtmen t. B e sur e to keep these s lots free and ope n.
• Th e tire pressure m ust correspond to the load . The tire pressure is
shown o n the tir e pressu re label. The tire pressu re label is loc ated o n .,_

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=> page 188, fig. 171, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops them
- here, the wall =>
page 188, fig. 172.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is
involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to SO km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000
lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash . Of course,
the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they deter­
mine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.•
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig. 173 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Fig. 174 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way=> fig. 173. This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not supposed
to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is equipped
with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver, must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of severe injury or
death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the vehicle
where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly. Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers=> fig . 174. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data