2012 AUDI A6 brake

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.

50 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
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 adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
you r seat prope rly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and a irbag system can offer
maximum protection
¢ page 142 .
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child seat on the front pas­
senger's seat. Always fo llow the information
regarding ch ild safety provided in
q page 168, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal in jury.
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
f eet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion . Th is app lies especially to the passen­
gers .
If your seating posi tion is incorrect,
yo u increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident.
If the
a irbag infla tes and the seating positio n
is incorrect, this could result in personal
injury o r even death.
- It is import ant for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can­
not protect you properly . In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel o r inst rument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle cont rol and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat '
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend tha t you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner :
.,. Adjust t he seat in fo re and aft direction so
t ha t you can eas ily pus h the peda ls to the
floor w hile keeping your knees sl igh tly bent
q A in Why is your seat adjustment so im ­
portant? on page 50.
.. Adjust the back rest so that when you sit
w ith your back against t he backrest, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as poss ible with the top of your
head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
t he head restraint so that it is as close to
t his pos it ion as possib le
q page 52.
A WARNING
Neve r place any objects in the dr iver's foot ­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function . In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate .

- Compartment in the rear center armrest
-Two mounting hooks* unde r the base of the
rear window inside the luggage compart­
ment. You can attach light objects to these
hooks. The mounting hooks are spring-load­
ed and will return to their normal position
when not in use.
A WARNING
- Always remove objects from the instru­
ment panel. Any items not stored could
sl ide aro und inside the vehicle while driv­
ing or when accelerating or when apply­
ing the brakes or when drivi ng around a
corner.
- When you are driving make sure that
anything you may have placed in the cen­
ter console or othe r storage locat ions
cannot fa ll out into the footwells. In case
of sudden braking you would not be able
to brake or accelerate.
- Always keep the l id of the compartment
for (sun)glasses* closed while driv ing to
reduce the risk of injury during a sudden
braking maneuver or in the event of an
acc ident.
- Any articles of cloth ing that you have
hung up must not interfere with the driv­
er's v iew. The coat hooks are designed
only for lightweight clothing. Never hang
any clothing w ith ha rd , pointed or heavy
objects in the pockets on the coat hooks.
During sudden braking or in an accident -
especially if the airbag is deployed -
these objects could injure any passen­
gers inside the vehicle.
- To reduce the risk o f personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
glove compartment closed while dr iv ing .
- Read and fo llow all WARN INGS
~ page 164, Important safety instruc­
tions on the side airbag system.
- Hang clothes in such a way that they do
not impair the driver's vision .
- The coat hooks must only be used for
lightweight clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp edged objects in the pock ­
ets which may interfere with the side cur-
S ea ts a nd s to rage 57
tain airbag deployment and can ca use
personal injury in a crash .
- Do not use coat hangers for hanging
cloth ing on the coat hooks as this can in­
terfere with proper deployment of the side curta in a irbags in an acc ident.
- Do not hang heavy objects on the coat hooks, as they could cause personal in­
jury in a sudden stop.
- For strength-re lated reasons, the mount­
ing hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weigh ing up to 10 lb . (5 kg). Heavi­
e r objects will not be adequately secu red
- there is a r isk of injury .
(D Note
Objects located on the rear shelf that rub
against the rear window could damage the
heating wires for the rear w indow defog­
ger .
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof
luggage rack .
Fig. 59 Roof rack attac hment po ints
.,. Always read and follow the instructions pro­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when
the roof rack system must be installed .
If luggage or cargo is to be carried on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- To enhance the vehicle's streamlined design,
rain gutters have been molded into the roof.
It is not poss ible to use normal roof racks.
Only install a roof rack specifically designed .,.

70 On the road
steering column will continue moving as
l ong as you are pressing the switch.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steer ­
ing whee l.
If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
For detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<::> page 51 .
In vehicles with the memory f unction* , the
steering column settings are stored together
with the seat position.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause se rious personal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l column on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that the re is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel ¢
page 124, fig. 131. If
you can not maintain this min imum dis­
tan ce, the airbag system cannot protect
yo u properly.
- If phys ica l limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 in ches (25 cm) o r more from
the steering wheel, check with yo ur au­
tho rized Aud i dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is availab le .
- If the steering wheel is aligned with you r
face, the supp lemental driver's airbag
cannot provide as much protect ion in an
acc ident. A lways make sure that the
steering wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
t ions to reduce the risk of pe rsonal injury
if the d river 's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering whee l at the 12
o'clock posit ion or w ith your hands i nside the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Hold
ing the steer ing wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er 's airbag deploys.
Easy entry feature
Applies to vehicles: with electrically adjustable steering
wheel
The easy entry feature makes it easier to en­
ter and exit the vehicle by automatically ad­
justing the steering wheel.
.. Select in the MM I: ICARlfunction button>
Car system s control button > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Seats > D rive r's seat > Easy entry >
On .
When the easy ent ry feature is turned on, the
steering wheel moves up to the park position
when you switch
off the ignition. After you en­
ter the veh icle, the steering wheel moves to
the stored position as soon as you sw itch on
the ignit ion.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine.
Fig . 72 Center console: S TART ENGINE S TOP butto n
"' Step on the brake pedal and move the selec­
tor lever to
P or N <::> .&_ .
"' Press on the ~ ,s_T_A_R_T_E_N_G_I_N_E_S _T_ O_P~I button
<::> fig. 72 -the engine will start. ..,.

By pressing the I START ENGINE STOPI button
without depressing the brake peda l, the igni­
tion is on and switched
off by pressing it
again.
After a cold engine is started, the re may be a
brief period of increased noise because oil
pressure must first bui ld up in the hydraulic
va lve adjusters. This is normal and not a cause
for concern.
If the engine should not start immediately,
the starting process is automatically stopped
after a short time. Repeat starting procedure.
Driv er m essag e in th e in strument clu ste r
disp lay
Pr ess br ak e p ed al to start engin e
This message appears if you press the
I START ENGINE STOP ! button to start the en ­
g ine and do not depress the brake peda l. The
engine can on ly be started if the brake pedal
is depressed.
!!I C o nv enience ke y: I s ke y not in th e vehi­
cle ?
This message appea rs a long with the !!I sym­
bol if the maste r key is removed from the ve­
hicle with the engine r unning . It is intended
to remind you (e .g . when changing drivers)
not to continue the journey witho ut the mas­
ter key.
I f the master key is no longer in the vehicle,
you cannot sw itch on the ignition after stop­
ping the engine and yo u also cannot start the
engine again. Moreover, you cannot lock the
veh icle from the outside with the key.
Shift to P , other wis e vehicle c an roll away.
Doo rs do not lock if le ver i s not in P.
This message appears for sa fety reasons
a long with an audib le warning tone if the
P
selector lever position is not engaged when
stopping the eng ine with the
I STAR T ENGINE STOP ! button. Select the P se­
lector lever posit ion. Otherwise the veh icle
could roll and it can not be locked .
On th e ro ad 71
Ke y not r ecogni sed . Hold bac k of ke y again st
ma rked area. See owne r's manual.
If the indica tor l ight turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malf unct ion
¢ page 72.
Steering lock
The steering locks when you turn the engine
off using the I START ENGINE STOP ! button
and open the d river's doo r. T he locked steer ­
i ng helps p revent vehicle theft.
& WARNING ~
- Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiation .
- Never turn
off the engine un til the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the eng ine is r unning . If
the engine is
off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usual­ ly would, this cou ld lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
(CT) Note
- Avo id h igh engine rpm, full thrott le and
heavy engine loads until the engine has
reached operating temperature -other­
w ise you risk engine damage .
- The engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended per iod, heat builds up in
the engine compa rtment afte r the e n­
gine is switched
off -there is a risk of
damaging the engine. Allow the engine
to run at idle fo r about 2 minutes before
switching it
off.
(D Tips
- If you open the d river 's doo r with the ig­
nition on, a buz ze r sounds and the mes­
sage
Ignition i s on appears in the instr u­
ment cl uste r display . Sw itch the ignition
off . Ill-

7 2 On the road
-If yo u leave the vehicle wi th the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certa in period of time . Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exter ior lights w ill switch off as well
when that happens .
Stopping the engine
.,. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop .
.,. Move the selector lever to the
P o r N posi­
t ion.
.,. Press the
!S TAR T ENGINE S TOPI button
9 page 70, fig. 72 .
Emergency off
If necessary, the eng ine can be sw itched off
with the selector leve r in the
R or D /S posi­
tion . The engine stops if you press the
I START ENGINE STOP! button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/h) and press the brake pedal.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine unti l the vehi ­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usua l­
ly wou ld, this could lead to crashes and
serious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you should always
park your vehicle with the selector lever
in P. Othe rwise, the veh icle could inad­
vertent ly roll away.
- After the engi ne has been switched off,
the radiator fan can continue to run fo r
up to 10 m in utes - even with the ig nitio n
swit ched off.
It can a lso switch on ag ain
afte r some time if the coolant tempera"
t u re rises as the result of a heat buildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine compartment is addit ionally heated by
the sun's rays.
(D Note
Do not stop the eng ine immediately after
hard or extended driving . Keep the engine
running for approximate ly two minutes to
prevent excessive heat bu ild-up .
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un ­
der certain circumstances, for example if the battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter­
ference is affe cted the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
F ig. 73 Center co nsole/master key: start ing the eng ine
i f there is a malfunct io n
Requ irement: The message Key not r ecog­
nized . H old back of key ag ainst marked are a.
See owner 's manual.
must appear and the in­
dicator light
m must swi tch on.
.,. Ho ld the mas ter key vertically in the loca­
tion indicated
y >l) 9 fig. 73.
.,. Press t he b rake pedal ~ .&. in Starting the
engine on page 71 .
... Press the ..., IS"'T :,-,A -,,R "'T ,.., E"" N...,..,,, G""IN ,-,-: E-,s"'T ,...,O ,.., P,..,I button .
The engine wi ll start.
.,. Dr ive to your authorized Audi dea ler imme­
diately to have the malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
You can v iew the message again by press ­
ing the
I STAR T ENGINE STOP ! button.

Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake.
Fig. 74 Center conso le: Park ing brake
.. Pull on the switch<®> Q fig. 74 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator light in the
switch illuminates.
.. Step on the brake pedal or the accelerator
pedal and press the switch
(®) at the same
t ime to release the parking brake. The indi­
cator light in the switch goes out.
Your vehicle is equipped with an electrome ­
chan ical park ing brake . The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intent ionally and rep laces the hand brake.
In addition to the normal functions of a tradi ­
tional hand brake, the electromechan ical
parking brake provides var ious convenience
and safety functions.
When starting from rest
-The integral starting assist helps you when
driving by automat ically releasing the park­
ing brake ¢
page 74, Starting from rest.
-When starting on inclines, the starting as ­
sist prevents the vehicle from unintentional­
ly rolling back . The braking force of the
parking brake is not released until suff icient
driv ing force has been built up at the
wheels.
On the road 73
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the vehicle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail ¢
page 75, Emergency braking.
Indicator lights
-If the parking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched on the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch.
- If the parking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched off the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch
for about 20 seconds.
A WARNING
Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if the veh icle is stationary but the
engine is running and a gear is selected .
Otherwise the vehicle w ill start to move
immediately and could result in a crash.
(D Note
If the symbol . in the display or the indi­
cator light
1111 (USA models)/ . (Cana­
da models) in the instrument cluster flash­
es, there is a malf unction in the brake sys­
tem. Please refer to the deta iled desc rip­
tion of the indicat or lights¢
page 14.
-If the ind icator light - (USA mod-
els)/ . (Canada models) or
I.I turns
on, there may be a ma lfunction in the
parking brake
Q page 16.
(0 Tips
-Yo u can apply the parking brake at any
time -even with the ignition switched
off. The ignition must be on in order to
release the parking brake.
- Occasional noises when the parking
brake is applied and released are normal
and are not a cause for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at
regu lar intervals. Any associated noises
are normal.

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.