2012 AUDI A6 roof

176 Child Safety
• Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
¢page 179.
• If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 185.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than
20 lbs. (9 kg).
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about
4 years old and weigh more
than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs . (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
¢ fig. 155 and ¢fig . 156.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child safe­
ty seat. It is a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat!
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench ,
especially with LATCH universal anchorages,
the unused safety belts must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot
reach them.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation .
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
-
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center
arm rest, door or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c>page 133, Safety
belts,
cc> page 142 , Airbag system and
cc> page 168, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe ­
ty and well-being require that the follow­
ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position.
-

180 Child Safety
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the center rear safety
belt* is attached is securely latched
whenever the rear center safety belt is
being used to secure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­ rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­ ger airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
r::;,page 168 . Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
r::;, page 144, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
& WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
r::;, page 154, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­ senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
-Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the child restraint is properly installed, make
certain that the child restraint is correct­ ly recognized by the capacitive passenger
detection system in the front passenger
seat and that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light signals the correct front pas­
senger frontal airbag status.
& WARNING
-Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.

-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
.8, WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re-
Child Safety 181
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat , prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path
¢ A -
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
.,. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
.8, WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
-
•
•

Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Audi pre sen se can ini tiate steps to help pro­
t ect vehicle occupants in certain situations.
The funct ions descr ibed depend on equipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic*
The following functions can be triggered in
cert ain driving situations :
- Tightening of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensione rs. If a colli ­
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to be tightened again .
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* : the
windows and the sunroof* close leaving a
small open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig­
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h) .
Vehicles with Audi drive select*: the deploy­
ment time is adapted in dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli­
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al­
so calculated . If the system senses an immi­
nent collision the following functions can be
triggered:
-Audi braking guard
¢ page 84
- Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* ( leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi pre sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli­
hood of a rear-end col lision with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calcu lated. If the
Audi pre sense 187
risk of a co llision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered :
- Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense plus*
Audi pre sense plus includes the functions in
Audi pre sense front and Aud i pre sense rear .
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail­
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-=
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics. It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks . This will increase
the r isk of a coll is ion and serious personal
injuries .
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­ jects . This increases the risk of a colli­
s10n .
-Audi pre sense does not detect people or
an imals or objects that are crossing the
veh icle's path ¢
page 78.
-The radar sensor's v is ion can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi­
tions can prevent vehicles from being ac­
curately detected and in some cases they may not be detected at all.
Q) Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au­
thorized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly.
•
•

Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
.. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 215,
Fuel supply.
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to
empty.
.,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine
¢ page 225, Adding engine oil~-
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
importa nt for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
0 Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢ page 225.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire . U nburned fuel could a lso get i nto
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 197
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not swi tch off the ignit ion while the
vehicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
co uld result in overheating o f the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave your vehicle maintained prope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendat ions in you r Warranty &
M aintenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehi cle w il l impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is
operat ing properly, the exha ust gas can
have a sul fur -li ke exhaust gas smell under
some operating states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are drivi ng on poo r roads, or over
c ur bs, s teep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low -lying parts s uch as spoilers and exhaust
system pa rts do not bottom o ut and get dam­
aged.
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles w ith low­
s lung chassis (spor ts chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles. •
•

Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sig n of the fac ility, the filte ring of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the pa int has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a ca r wash, be s ure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and power roof. Factory installed an­
tennas m ust not be removed.
If you have installed additional accessor ies on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car was h operator if these
should be removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 204.
(D Note
- Fo ld the exterior mirro rs -flat there is a
r isk of damaging the exterio r mirrors .
Power folding exterior mirrors must not
be fo lded in or out by hand. Use the pow­
er function!
- Compare the track of your vehicle w ith
the d istance between the guide ra ils of
the facility- there is a risk of damage to
t h e wheels and tires .
- Compare the width of your vehicle wit h
the width of the tu nnel at the fac ility .
Cleaning and protec tion 205
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi­
cle by hand .
.,. Before you start washing, make sure you
have read and u nderstood the WARNINGS
¢ .&. in General information on page 204 .
.,. First soak all dried d irt unt il it is soft, then
r inse it off.
.,. As you clean yo ur vehicle , start w it h the
roof and wor k your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge g love or a clean
brush.
.,. Rinse the sponge o r the sponge g love often,
flushing it clean each time.
.,. Use specia l car shampoo only for
very per­
sistent d irt .
.,. Rinse the car thoroughly with water .
.,. Use a chamo is leather to gent ly w ipe the ex-
ter ior d ry.
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door sills and othe r regions exposed
to road dirt . In this way, you w ill not scratch
the pa int w it h coarse par ticl es imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the ca r.
& WARNING ~ -
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers , or other hard
to reach parts witho ut protecting yo ur
hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 204.
(D Note
- Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if the surface of the ve hicle is dry . Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
cou ld scratch your vehicle's paint or win ­
dows.
- Never wash your car in bright sunlight. Drops of water act as magn ifying lenses
and may damage your paint .
- When you wash your car in the winter: if you rinse your vehicle with a hose, be careful not to aim the stream of water •
•

-To he lp prevent d irt from scratching the
window, always scrape in a forward di­ rection -pushing the scraper away from
you -never back and forth.
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
.,. Wash the whee ls with a sponge o r hose
brush every other week.
.. For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
a ci d-fr ee cast alloy wheel cleaner .
.,. Rub a coat of
liquid w ax onto the r ims every
three month. Be sure to reach and treat all parts of the rim .
To preserve the decorative appearance of the
cast alloy wheels, some special care is neces­
sary . In add it ion to road dirt and salt, brake
dust is also corros ive. If left on for too long,
brake dust ca n cause pitting .
Use only special
acid-free cleaners formulated
for alloy rims . Safe products are available at
your Aud i dealer. Never leave the cleaner on
the r ims longer than spec ified on the label. If
not rinsed off p romptly, the acid co nta ined in
some cleane rs can attac k the th reads on the
wheel bo lts.
Never use abras ive or metal polishing clean­
i n g agents. If the protective coat ing has been
chipped, e.g. by k icked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possib le.
A WARNING
- Moist ure and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency~
page 191, General
information .
Test the brakes caref ully
each time you wash the vehicle.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c:> page 204.
-
Cleaning and protec tion 209
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked .
All body cav ities which could be affected by
corros io n have been thoroughly protected at
the factory .
This sealing does not require any inspection or additional treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cavity when the ambie nt tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed with a plastic
scraper and a su itable solvent .
A WARNING
Solvents can be dangero us.
- Benz ine is flammab le and toxic. If you
use benz ine fo r removing the wax, keep
sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump ben zine on the
groun d, into open streams or down sew­
age drains .
- Be s ure to obse rve all safe ty and environ­
men tal reg ulations. Fo llow all instruc­
tions on the container.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
o ther information
c:> page 204.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor­
oughly p rotec ted against cor ros io n.
Any damage to the undercoat ing caused by
road hazards should be repaired promptly .
A WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong pla­
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalyti c con­
ver ter or heat shields. While driving, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
•
•

224 Check ing and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent add it ives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am age or m alfunc tions du e to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essential that you change your oil at the recommended in tervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. You r Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty &
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a t imely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of oil. O il consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typica lly, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 196) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 225. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 225.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 220.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressu re warn ing display. is
not an indic ator of the oil le vel. Do not
r el y on it . In ste ad, ch eck the oil lev el in
y our engin e at r eg ular inter vals , pref ­
erably ea ch time you r efu el, and alwa ys
before going on a long trip .
- If you have t he impression yo ur engine
cons umes ex cessive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt your Aud i
dea ler to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of oi l con­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dea ler has in­
structions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
-