2012 AUDI A6 check engine light

Safet y fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 124
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 128
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
R eport ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Why safety bel ts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Safety belt p re tens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
I mpor tant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 1 42
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 168
C hi ld safety seats ............ .... . 174
Install ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 179
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
fo r ch ild ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2
Addit io nal Informa tion 186
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Pr even ta ti ve passe nger p rotec tion 18 7
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 189
N ot ice about da ta re corded by vehi cle
con trol mo dules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) 189
Bra king . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electro-mechanical power assist . . . . . 193
Driving w ith your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 193
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
196
T he first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 197
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 198
Operate your vehicle eco nomically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
D riving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
T ra ile r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 204
General infor mation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4
C are of ex ter ior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4
Care o f inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
F uel tank. ... .. .... . ... ...... ... . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Battery . .. .. .. .... .. ........ ... . 230
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
c onta iner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ire pressure mo nitoring system 253
Do-it -yourself s ervice . . . . . . . . . 256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
T ru nk escape h andle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
E mergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
•
•

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer (eng ine rev counter)
@ Turn signals ............... .
@ Display with
®
®
-Driver information system .. .
- Wa rning/ind icator lights
Tachometer Fuel gauge
@ Tips
11
12
43
23
12
12
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on
and the vehicle lights are turned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of the
dials likewise dims automatically and wil l
go out completely when the outside light
is very low. This feature is meant to rem ind
you to switch on the headlights when out­
side light conditions become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD¢ page 11, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your eng ine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the eng ine has not reached operating
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions.
Normal temperatu re
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving cond i­
t ions. The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the engine is under heavy load or the exterior
temperature is high. This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru ­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the indica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 16.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢ page 214, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
<=> page 214, Engine compartment
@ Tips
Ma lf u nctions or faults wi ll be identified ei­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (pr iority 2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are ma rked
with an./ in the fo llow ing tab les. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there is a malfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbols indicate a prio rity malfunction -
D anger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
-Turn off the engine.
- Check the ma lf u nctioning system . Contact
your authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
USA mode ls:
Brake ma lf u nction./
c::>page 14
Canada models:
Brake malfunction./
c::>page 14
- USA models:
----
Electromechanical parking brake
<=> page 16
Canada models:
Electromechanical parking brake
<=>page 16
Engine cooling system
<=>page 16
Engine oil pressure
<=>page 17
I
Engine oil level
Q page 18
Battery
Qpage 17
Safe ty belt
Q page 17
Electromechanical steering ./
<=>page 193
Electronic steering column lock
Qpage 18
Engine start system
Qpage 18
Speed wa rning system
Qpage 76
Adaptive cruise control./
Qpage 80
---Pedestrian warn ing
Qpage97
Yellow indicator lights
Ye llow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc ­
tion - Warning!
I
USA models: Safety systems
Q page 18 •
m
Canada models : Safety systems
Qpage 18
Ji]
Ele ctronic Sta bilizat ion Prog ram
( E SP)./
Q page 19
I
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP) ./
Qpage 19
rm
USA models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
c::> page 19
--
E
Canada models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
<=>page 19
l
I

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
malf u ncti on in th e ele ctri cal sys tem. In th is
c as e, co nt act yo ur Audi de aler.
If the b rake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction.
- (USA models) JIIII (Canad a model s)
St op veh icle and ch ec k brak e fluid l evel
If the indicator lig ht turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as follows :
.. Pull off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Turn off the engine .
.. Check the brake fluid level
c::> page 229 .
.,. Contact your nearest authorized repa ir fa-
c ili ty if necessary.
W arnin g! Fau lt in brake syst em . Contact
de aler
If the ABS indicator light ii] (USA models)/ §
(Canada models), the ESP indicator light
G1
and the brake system indicator light
- (USA models)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESP
and b raking distribution are not wo rking
c::> .&,. .
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immed iately to have the malfunction correct­
ed
c::> .&,. .
- (U SA mode ls)/. (Can ada mode ls)
P a rk ing br ake: system f ault! Pl ease conta ct
d ea ler
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
when s tat ionar y or a fter sw itch ing the
i gn ition on ,
check if you can release the
park ing brake. After releas ing t he parking
brake, carefully dr ive to your authorized Au­
di dealer immediate ly to have the malfunc­
t ion corrected. If you cannot re lease the
parking brake, seek pro fessional assistance.
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
wh ile drivin g, the eme rgency braking
func tion may not be ava ilable.
It may not be
possib le to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek professional as­
sistance . (USA mode
ls): If the warning light - and
the warning light
Ei] appea r together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have a ll brake pads in­
spected
c::> page 20.
When the light comes on , an audible warning
s ignal is also g iven.
_& WARNING
-Always observe the warn ings in
c::> page 214, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and check ing the
brake fluid .
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard . Stop the car and get professional
assistance .
-USA models: If the - warning light,
the
G] warning light and the m warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up f irst under hard
brak ing. Rear wheel lock-up can ca use
loss of vehicle control and an accident .
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer or a quali­
fied workshop. Dr ive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
DJ warn ing light and the
ABS warning light
(il come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rea r wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle contro l and an acci­
dent. Have your veh icle repa ired immedi­
ately by your a uthorized Audi dea ler or a
qua lified workshop. Drive s low ly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications .
- I f the b rake w arning/ind icator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake released, or lights up wh ile
you are driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
mediately at low speed to the nearest
author ized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the b rake system in-
spected.
~

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Always keep in mind that after several
brake applicat ions, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
vehicle . Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must a llow for
increased bra king distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident .
PARK /(®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light - (USA models) ;II
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the ignition is
off, the indicator light turns off af ­
ter about 20 seconds .
The warning/indicator light will go out when
the parking brake is released .
-(USA model s) /. (Canad a mo dels )
Caution : Vehi cle parke d too s teep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from ro lling. The brakes have
ove rheated. The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline.
Pre ss brak e pedal to r eleas e parking br ake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or start driving
with start ing ass ist at the same time
¢ page 74.
Pleas e rele ase p ark ing brake
To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the brake pedal and press the button ~ at the
same time. The parking brake on ly release au ­
tomatically if the dr iver's safety belt is fas­
tened.
BJ Par king brake!
If the BJ indicator lig ht t urns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction . Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off en gine and che ck cool ant le vel
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high or the coolant level is too low.
.. Pull
off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check coolant leve l~
page 22 7 .
.. Add coo lant if necessary ~
page 228.
.,. Continue dr iv ing on ly after the engine cool­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
tion .
• Cool ant t emp erature too hi gh! Pl ease l et
en gin e r un wit h ve hicl e s tat ion ary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs in trailer mode*, let the eng ine
run at idle for a few minutes to cool down .
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
¢ page 42, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coo lant escaping from the en­
g ine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed. Wait unt il you can no longer see or
hear steam or coolant escap ing .
- The engine compartment of any vehicle is a dangerous area . Before you perform
any wo rk in the engine compartment,
turn of the engine and allow it to cool.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
Follow the warning stickers¢ page 214,
Engine compartment.
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you co uld damage
your eng ine.
D Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle e lectrica l system.
Drive to you r authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediately. Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the radio .
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge leve l is too low.
(•i Low battery charge : battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited star ting
ability.
I f this message turns off after a litt le wh ile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound.
For more Information¢
page 133, i Safety
belt warning light.
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on the message ap­
pears, the oil pressure is too low.
"" Pull off the road .
... Stop the vehicle.
... Tur n off the engine .
"" Check the engine oil level¢ page 225.
"" If the eng ine oil level is too low, add eng ine
oil ¢
page 225. Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the display before you start dr iv ing again .
"" If the engine oil level is correct and the indi ­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
na l assistance .
(D Tips
-The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel ,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning . starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil ..,

20 Instrum ent s a nd w arn in g/i ndic ato r light s
malfunction in the EDL system c> page 189 .
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as possib le.
A WARNING
- If the 9 (USA mode ls)l ii] (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on while driving, the ABS
system is not working properly . The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will
not have the protection ABS provides.
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the - warning l ight,
the
ljJ warning light and the m warn­
ing 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 Aud i dealer or a quali ­
fied workshop . Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard bra ke applications.
- Canada models:
If the brake warn ing
light ., the
DJ wa rning light and the
ABS warning light
ii] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up fi rst under
hard bra king. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­ dent. Have your vehicle repaired immedi ­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
{0) Worn brake pads
El Brak e pad s!
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your authori zed Audi dealer or quali ­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­ ed . On USA models the warning light
El
comes on together with the warn ing light
- · Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time.
l ) - : USA m od els only
A WARNING
Driving w ith bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and ser ious personal injury .
- If the warn ing light
El and the warning
light
- l) with the message Brake
p ads!
comes on in the instrument cluste r
d isp lay, immediately contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all b rake pads checked or
replaced if necessa ry.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/ind icator light (Electronic
Power Cont rol) illuminates when you sw itch
the ignit io n on as a function check.
-
© Tips
If this warn ing/ indicato r light illum inates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
fun ct io n in the engine electronics. Have
the malf unct io n corrected as soon as pos­
s ib le by your au thorized A udi dealer or
qualified repa ir facility .
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbol
f• lights up when the ign ition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed . This indicates that the MIL is work ing
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electron ic system .
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction cor rected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may a lso
cause the MIL light to illuminate
c> page 217 .
For more information
c> page 28.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
!?i Engine speed limitation
A ppl ies to vehicles: wit h en gin e s pee d l im itat ion
(II Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­ heating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light~ also turns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~ . Engine oil level
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol Ill and driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ¢
page 225.
~ .... Engine oil sensor
II Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor inspected. Until you have this done, check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side¢
page 225.
Bil Fuel level indicator
Ii Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank . Time to refuel
¢ page 216.
Ii Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
tank system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
C> Windshield washer fluid level
II Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illuminates, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system/headlight
washer system* ¢
page 234.
~ Windshield wipers
rlJ Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunction with the windshield
wipers.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~/0$ Defective light bulb warning
f'a-If the indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. The message indicates the location of
the bulb.
IJ-if a rear fog lamp has failed, the indicator
light turns on to indicate the location on the
vehicle.
Vehicle lights: malfunction
If the message appears, there is a malfunc ­
tion in the headlights or light switch .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
- Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
plode while they are being changed caus­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work with due care when handling the
high-voltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lights. Failure to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury.