2012 AUDI A6 trailer

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
•
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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.

74 On the road
Parking
Various rules apply to prevent the parked ve­
hicle from rolling away accidentally.
P a rking
.. Stop the vehicle with the foot brake .
.. Pu ll the switch <®l to apply the park ing
brake.
.. Se lect the
P se lector lever position
~ page 101.
• Turn the eng ine off ~.&.
In addition on incline s and grade s
.. Turn the steering wheel so that your vehicle
will roll against the curb in case it should
start to move .
A WARNING
-When you leave your veh icle - even if on­
ly b rief ly - always take the ignition key
with you. This app lies par ticu la rly when
children remain in the veh icle . Otherw ise
the ch ildren could start the engine, re ­
lease the parking brake or ope rate e lec­
trical equipment (e.g. power windows) .
There is the risk of an accident .
- When the vehicle is locked, no one - par­
t icu larly not ch ildren should remain in
the vehicle. Locked doors make it more
difficult for emergency workers to get in­
to the vehicle -putt ing lives at risk .
Starting from rest
The starting assis t function ensures tha t the
parking brake is released automatically upon
starting .
Stopping and appl ying park ing br ake
.. Pull the switch(®) to apply the parking
brake.
Starting and automatically releasing the par king brake
.. When you start to drive as usua l, the park­
ing brake is automatically re leased and your
vehicle begins to move. When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping
in city t raffic, the parking brake can be ap­
plied . T he vehicle does not have to be he ld
with the footbrake . The parking brake elimi ­
nates the tendency to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged . As soon as you d rive off as usual,
the pa rking brake is released automat ically
and the vehicle starts to move .
Starting on slopes
When starting on inclines, the starting assist
prevents the vehicle from u nintent ionally roll­
ing back . The braking force of the parking
brake is not released until suff ic ient driving
force has been built up at the wheels .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re ­
leased automatically o nly when the d riv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
.. Keep the sw itch <®l pulled and depress the
accelerator. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from roll ing back­
ward .
.. You can release the switch
<®l once you are
sure that you are developing enoug h for­
ward momentum at the whee ls as you de­
press the acce lerator .
Depend ing on the we ight of the rig (vehi cle
and t railer) and the severity of the incline, yo u
may ro ll backwards as yo u start . You can pre ­
vent rolling backwards by holding the parking
brake switch <®l pulled out and accelerating -
just as you wou ld when starting on a hill with
a conventiona l hand brake.

right of your travel lane, depending on wheth ­
er you driv e in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge .
I f yo u drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de ­
tection area may a lso include other lanes -es ­
pecia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane¢
fig. 95. Under these condit ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could sw itch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
sig nals .
When driving in very w ide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be­
cause they are not inside the detection area .
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist turns off automatically, the indi­
cator light on the button wi ll go out and you
will see a message in the instrument cl uster
d isplay:
Aud i side a ssist : not availab le. s en sors
blocked
T he side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and right (not visible on
the outside) ¢
page 87, fig. 87. To ensure that
you do not adversely affect the way side assist functions, foreign objects (such as stickers o r
b icycle racks) shou ld not be attached to the
a rea on the rear bumper where the sensors
a re loca ted.
If side ass ist func tions a re ad­
versely affected, yo u will see this message in
the instrument cluster display. Remove any­
thing that may be blocking the sensors .
If no vehicle is detected for a longer period of
time while driving, side assis t will a lso switch
off a utomatica lly.
Audi side as sist currently not available
If there is a tempora ry problem (such as the
veh icle's battery charge being low), s ide ass ist
cannot be activated tempo rarily.
Audi side a ssis t 93
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the system checked by an author ized Au­
di dealer or qualified workshop .
Audi side assist: not available when
to wing
T he radar sensor's view is limited when tow ­
ing a trai ler . F or vehicles with a facto ry instal ­
led towing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to factory specifica­
tions, side assist is automatically deactivated
a s soon as the electrical connection to the
trailer 's electrical socket is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus ­
ter display . Deactivation cannot be guaran­
teed when using a ret rofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed acco rd ing to facto ry
spe cifica tions.
Safety tips
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
T he side assist detection may be limited when
driving around narrow street corners, on hi lly
streets, and under poor weather conditions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may a lso
detect other objects, s uch as high or stag ­
gered guardrails .
S ide assist does not measure act ual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane width.
Detection in the left and right lanes is based
on this ass umed lane width . When driving on
narrow roads or when driving to the left or
right of the center of a travel lane, it is poss i­
ble that vehicles will be detected that are
not
in the lane next to the lane you are using .
A WARNING
-Improper reliance on the side assist sys­
tem can cause coll is ions and serio us pe r­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on side assist when
changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un-
der all conditions- danger of accident!
~

114 Park in g s yste m
segments move closer to the vehicle. The col­
lision area has been reached when the next to
l ast segment is displayed. Do not cont inue
driving farther
c:> &.!
A WARNING
-Sensors have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected . Pay special attention
to small children and animals because
the sensors cannot always detect them .
- The parking system cannot replace the
dr ive r's attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for parking and similar driving
maneuvers.
- Always keep your eyes on the veh icle's
surround ings, using the rear view mirror
as well.
(D Note
Low obstacles al ready signaled by a warn­
ing can disappear from the system's detec­
tion range as they are approached and will
not con tinue to be signa le d . Obje cts such
as barrier cha ins, trailer draw bars, thin
pa inted vertical poles or fences may not be
detected by the system, posing risk of
damage.
@ Tips
- The sensors must be kept clean a nd free
of snow and ice for the park assist to op­
erate.
- You can change the volume and pitch of
the signals as well as the display
<=>page 118.
-What appears in the display is time -de ­
l ayed.
Audi parking system
plus with rear view
camera
Introduction
Applies to vehicles : pa rkin g system p lus wit h rear view
came ra
Fig. 121 Parking mode 1: reverse parking
Fig. 122 Park ing mode 2: parallel parkin g
This park ing system integ rates a r e arvi ew
cam era
in addition to the audio and v isual
parking system signa ls
<=> page 113.
0 ± .. a,
You can choose between two modes to assist
yo u w ith parking. For example, you can use
"pa rking mode 1" when parking in a park ing
space or garage
c:> fig. 121. When you want to
park para llel to the edge of the st ree t, select
"pa rking mode 2"
<=>fig. 122.

General Information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus wit h rea r
view came ra
Fig. 123 Area cove red (D and area not covered @by
the rear vi ew camera.
Fig. 124 Rear lid: Loc ation of the rear view came ra
Rear view camera coverage area
The MMI display shows the area covered by
the rear view camera
c::> fig. 123 @. Objects
that are not in the area covered @are not
shown on the MMI display.
We recommend that you practice parking with
the rear view camera in a traffic -free location
or parking lot to become familiar with the sys­
tem, the orientation lines, and their function.
When doing this, there should be good light
and weather conditions.
In the MMI display, objects or vehicles appear
closer or further away if:
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level
surface onto an incline or a downward slope,
- you are driving in reverse gear toward pro­
truding objects,
- the vehicle is carrying too much load in the
rear.
The accuracy of the orientation lines and blue
surfaces dimin ishes if:
Parking system 115
- the rear view camera does not provide a reli­
able image, fo r example, in poor visibility
conditions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun glare and reflection.
Caring for the rear view camera lens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
l icense plate bracket. For the parking system
to operate, the lens
c::> fig. 124 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a household alcohol­
based glass cleaner, and then wipe the lens
clean with a dry cloth
c::> Q) .
-Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
preferably with a de-icing spray
c::> (i) .
_& WARNING .. --- Sensors have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected. Pay special attention
to small children and animals because
the sensors cannot always detect them.
- The parking system cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for parking and similar driving
maneuvers.
- 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 pic­
tures.
- 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.
(D Note
-Low obstacles already signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and w ill not continue to be s ignaled. Ob­
jects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, thin painted vertical poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing risk of damage .

Reverse Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with rear
view camera
Parking mode 1 can be used when parking in
a garage or into a parking space.
Fig. 125 MMI display: a iming at a park ing spot
Fig. 126 MMI display: aligning the vehicle
• Switch the MMI on and select reverse gear.
• Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot¢
fig. 125. Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking represents 3
ft (1 meter). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle's outline by approximately 16
ft (5 me­
ters) to the rear.
• While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines ¢ (D. @ marks the rear bumper. Stop the
vehicle when the red orientation line© bor­
ders an object¢ £!
A WARNING
-The rear view camera does not show the
entire area beh ind the veh icle
¢p age 115, fig. 123. Watch out espe­
cially for smal l children and animals. The
Parking system 117
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 ofa truck). In this case,
you shou ld not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the MMI d isplay, the direction of travel
of the vehicle rear is represented depend­
ing on the steering wheel angle. The vehi­
cle front swings out more than the vehicle
r ear. Maintain plenty of distance so that
your outside mirror or a corner o f your ve­
hicle does not collide with any obstacles.
This can damage to your vehicle.
Parallel Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with rear
view camera
Use parking mode 2 to help you parallel park
along the side of a street.
Fig. 127 MMI display: blue surface in the park ing spot
Fi g. 128 MMI display: Blue curve on the curb

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic stabilization
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects
Intelligent technology 189
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
lf.1 in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficu lt driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffi<; and weather conditions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .
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