2012 AUDI A6 seats

58 Seats and storage
for your vehicle. Contact the nearest Audi
dealer for information on approved modu lar
roof racks for your vehicle.
- Only use roof racks approved for your vehi­
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program.
- The support feet of the roof rack must al­
ways be installed in the holes in the roof
frame ¢
fig. 59. The holes are only visible
when the doors are open. In the case of roof
racks with pins, the pins must be secured in
the holes during assembly.
- We recommend that you keep the installa­
t io n instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
vehicle.
When should the roof rack be removed?
-Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice).
- When not in use, to reduce fuel consump­
t io n, w ind no ise and to guard against theft.
.&_ WARNING i.c
-Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor-
rect mounting of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack or the items at­
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects fall ing from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury.
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig­
nated locations on the roof¢
fig. 59.
-The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro­
vided.
- When driving w ith a roof rack system,
changes to the center of gravity and wind
resistance can change the veh icle han­
dling and lead to a collision . Always
adapt your driving and your speed to the
current conditions.
(D Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the vehicle caused by using
roof racks or mounting structures not
approved by Audi for your veh icle. The
same applies to damage resulting from
incorrect roof rack installation.
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur­
ing a trip to make sure everyth ing is se­
curely tightened.
If necessary, retighten
the mountings and check the entire sys­
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof
o f you r vehicle, the height of the vehicle
is naturally increased . Be careful when
driving under low bridges or in parking
garages for example. This cou ld cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself.
- Make sure the open rear lid and the sun­
roof* do not come into contact with the
roof rack.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
.,. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
even ly.
.,. Always attach items to the roof rack secure-
ly before you drive off.
The maximum permissible roof weight is
220
lb (100 kg).
The roof weight is the total of
the weight of the roof rack, the attachments
and the cargo you are carrying. You must also
not exceed the maximum load weight for the
roof rack you are using.
When using a roof rack system which has a
lower load carrying capacity, you must not use
up the total maximum permissible load carry­
ing capacity specified above. Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the .,..

60 Seats and st o rage
Enlarging cargo capacity of the vehicle
interior
The seat backs can be folded forward to en­
large the cargo capacity .
Fig. 61 Re lease handle on the seatback
Folding th e se atback forward
.. When you pu ll the release leve r@ ¢ fig. 61
in the direction of the arrow, the safety knob
@ pops out far enough for the red marking
on knob to be visible.
.. Fold the seatback forward .
Raising th e se atback
.. Raise the seatback until it is securely latch­
ed ¢&_ . When you can no longer see the
red mark on the safety knob@, the seat is
l atched.
When the seatback is latched in its upright
position, it can be locked and unlocked with
the mechanical key
c> page 31 next to the re­
lease handle ©
c>fig. 61. This prevents any
entry from the vehicle interior into the lug­
gage compartment .
The luggage compartment can only enlarged
when the seatback is unlocked.
A WARNING
-
-The backrest must a lways be securely
latched so that the safety belt of the cen­
ter seating pos ition can work properly to
help protect the occupant .
- The backrest must be securely latched in
posit ion so that no items contained in
the luggage compar tment can slide for­
wa rd upo n sudden b raking . -
Always check whether the latch is fully
engaged by pull ing the seatback for­
ward.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by be ing caught in door or seat
hardware.
-Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged be lt hardware can break in a
crash . Inspect the belts periodica lly.
Belts show ing damage to webb ing, b ind­
ings, buckles, or retractors must be re­
p laced.
(D Note
- If you move the front seat back when the
rear seat backrest is folded forward, you
cou ld damage the head r estraints on th e
rea r seat.
- Slide the belt guide on the outside safety
be lt a ll the way up befo re fold ing the
backrest back forward. Make sure the
sea t belt is not pinched or damaged
when the rear seat backrest if fo lded
back. Other objects should be removed
from the rear seat bench to protect the
seatback from damage.

Tie-downs and cargo net
The cargo net* prevents small objects from
sliding .
Fig. 62 Location of th e tie -downs in the luggage com­
partment
Fig. 63 Lugg age compartment: cargo net•
.. To secure objects with the luggage com·
partment net*, fold the tie-down bracket
upward
q fig. 62.
.. Insert the hooks on the luggage compart­
ment net* into the tie-downs
q fig . 63 .
.. Read and heed all WARNINGS 9page 129,
Stowing luggage.
In a collision, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will turn into heavy missiles that can cause
serio us i njury. Items in the vehicle pick up ki­
netic energy which varies with the vehicle and
the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the
most significant factor.
F or example, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10- lb (4.5 kg) object are about
20 times the
no rma l weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be the
equivalent of about 200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easily imagine the injuries that an item of that
weight flying freely through the passenger
Seats and storage 61
compartment can cause in a collision at a
speed considered relatively low.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing h ard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always use suitable retaining straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- Never attach a child seat tether strap to
a t ie-down .
- For strength-related reasons, the mount ­
ing hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weigh ing up to 10 lb. (5 kg). Heavi­
er objects will not be adequately secured
- there is a risk of injury.
Pass-through with ski
sack
Pass-through with ski sack
App lies to vehicles : wi th ski sa ck
Long objects such as skis can be transported
in the ski sack* .
Fig. 64 Rear bench seat: opening the pass -through
Fig. 65 Sk i sack: secu ring with rea r seat safety belt

l The windshield and s ide windows are defrost­
ed or cleared of condensation as quickly as possib le. The maximum amount of air flows
mainly from th e vents be low the windshield.
Recirculation mode switches off .
The
IAU TO I button switches the defroster off.
ICi@ REAR I Switching rear window heate r
on /off
The rear w indow heater only operates when
the engine is running. It switches off auto­
matica lly after a few minutes, depending on
the outside temperature.
To prevent the rear w indow heater from
switching off automatically, press and hold
the ~ button for more than 2 seconds. This
remains stored unti l the ignition is switched
off.
[il A dj ustin g seat heat ing
Pressing the button swi tches the seat heating
on at the highest sett ing ( leve l 3) . The LEDs
indicate the temperature leve l. To reduce the
temp erature, press the button again. To
switch the seat heating off, press the button
repeatedly unt il the LED turns off .
After 10 minutes , the seat heating automati­
cally switches from leve l 3 to level 2.
The seat heating for both outer rear sea ts* is
ad justed using the buttons in the cente r con­
sole.
Warm and c old 65
Air vents
You can open or close the center and outer
vents in the cockpit and the vents in the rear
center console using the ridged thumbwheels.
The l evers adjust the dir ection of the airflow
from the vents.
T he air temperature in the rear can be adjust­
ed so that it is warmer or co lder by turning
the knob to the r ed or blue area.
A WARNING
- Do not use this setting for extended peri­
ods of time. The w indows could fog up
since no fresh air can enter the vehicle . If
the windows fog up, press the air rec ircu ­
lation button again immediate ly to
sw itch off the air reci rcu lation function
or select defrost .
- I ndividuals w ith reduced sensitivity to
pa in or tempera ture cou ld deve lop burns
when using the seat heating function . To
red uce the risk of i nju ry, these indiv idu­
a ls sho uld not use seat heating.
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heat ing e lements
i n the sea ts, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat.

68 Warm and cold
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating e lements
in the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat .
Setup
Applies to vehicles: with four-zone a utomat ic climate con·
trol
The climate control system setup is accessed
through the MMI .
.,. Se lect : ICARI funct ion button> Car sy stem s
control b utton > AC .
Rear cabin settings*
When th is fu nction is selected, all sett ings for
the rear can be adjusted through the climate
control sys tem in the cockpit. The cl imate
con trol sys tem se tt ings cannot be adjusted in
the rea r seat a t the same time. This func tion
switches
off after a certain period of time or
when one of the dials in the cockpit is press­
ed .
Auto recirculation*
The sensit ivity level of the au tomatic rec ircu­
lation mode can be set at vario us leve ls from
off to sensit ive. The recirculation mode is con ­
trolled a utomat ica lly. You must p ress the ~
button if fog forms on the windows.
Footwell temperature
You can adju st the footwell temperat ure so
that it is cooler or wa rme r.
AC mode
The strength of the airflow can be adjusted to
light, med ium or strong.
Steering wheel heating
Applies to vehicles: wit h heated stee rin g wheel
The steering wheel rim can be heated .
Fig. 6 9 Stee ring colu mn: steeri ng wheel hea tin g but ·
ton
.,. Press th e ~ button to switch steering whee l
heati ng on/off . The message
Steering wheel
heating on !/Steering wheel heating off !
appears in the instrument cluster d isplay.
T he temperat ure is maintained at a constant
level when steering wheel heating is switched
on.
T he steering wheel heating se tt ings are stor ­
ed automat ica lly and assigned to the remote
control key that is in use .

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. ..,.

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
Driving Safely 123
accident. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- safety belt pretensioners,
- safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
- safety belt height adjustment systems for the front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor­
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
Fo r your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly.
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and
afford good visibility to the outside.
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
I::!) page 59, I::!) page 56.
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir­
rors correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to the ir height. .,.. •
•

~ Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c:> page 51.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect-
Driving Safely 125
ed ly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
c:> page 168 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 142.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
~ Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
~ Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
<=:>page 127.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
<=:>page 136.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:> page 50 .
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
•
•