2012 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­ paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents could also result.
(0 Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system stops working when there is an ESP/ABS malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system malfunction .
- To ensure a proper TPMS function use
AUDI Original Tires which are marked
with "AO" or "RO" on the tire sidewall.
¢page 246.
-The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was syntonized using tires with
the "AO" or "RO " identification. We rec­
ommend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
"' Switch on the ignition.
"' Select in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
Car systems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures> Yes, store now.
@ Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of all four tires must correspond
to the specified values. Adjust the tire
Tires and wheels 255
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying
c::!;> page 239.
- Do not store the tire pressures if you are
driving with snow chains. Otherwise , a
system malfunction may occur.
•
•

256 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle.
Fig. 185 Trunk escape handle: View from inside the
close d trunk
To open rear lid
.. Pull the hand le down towards the bumper
r=;,fig. 185.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency re lease lever shou ld never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
Emergency warning
triangle
Applies to veh icles: w it h emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig. 186 Trunk lid: Warn ing t riangle
.. To remove the warning triangle, press the
retainer in the direction of the arrow and
fold the holder down .
The rear lid is only designed to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program. If you wou ld like to retrofit your ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your autho rized Audi dea ler.

Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 187 Luggage co mpa rtmen t: ca rgo f loo r cover
fol ded upwar d/spare t ire
Fig . 188 Trunk lid : Vehicle too l ki t
.. Lift the cargo floo r by the plastic handle
c:> fig . 187.
.. Hook the handle in to the luggage compar t­
ment weather strip .
.. Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise
c:> fig . 187 and remove the spare tire to
reach the vehicle too l kit.
.,. Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wh eel bolt wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- T owing loop
- Jack
Before stor ing the jack, m ake sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
What do I d o now ? 257
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injur ies.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for yo ur vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in­
ju ring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied wit h your Au­
di on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional ext ras .
- Before yo u can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
c:!) page 261.
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire )
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartmen t under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for short-term use only.
T a king out th e spare tir e
.. Lift t he cargo floor by the p lastic handle
<=) page 257, fig . 187 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw ¢
page 257, fig. 187
counter-clockwise .
.,. Take out the spare tire .

258 What do I do no w?
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
Securing the replaced tire
• The fault whee l will not fit inside the spare
wheel wel l. Sto re it in the luggage compart­
ment and sec ure it so that it does not slide
¢ page 59.
• Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid.
U sing the spar e tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergencies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been designed specifically for your type of
vehicle. It must not be swapped with a com­ pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle.
Snow chain s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is not permitt ed .
I f you do have to dr ive w ith snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mo unt the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear t ire. Install the snow
cha ins on the rear tire and use it to rep lace
the defective front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in ­
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex­
treme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possible w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident. -
Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u risk having an accident.
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
braking, and fast cornering. You risk hav­
ing an accident.
- Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
m ust then be instal led in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain be fore mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard brak ing or in an accident.
- Never store the inflatable spare t ire or
jack and too ls in the passenger com­
partment.
- Always store all jacking equipment,
tools, and the inflatable spare t ire in
the luggage compartment.
- Tighten the knurled retai ning screw for
the inflatable spare tire securely .
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a t ire failure, pu ll the
car we ll away from moving traffic and try to
reach level ground before you stop
¢ ,& .
• All passengers should lea ve the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ ,&.
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢,& . ..,

• Move select or lever to p osition P q ,& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your veh icle.
• Take the
jack and the spare t ir e out of the
luggage compartment
q page 257,
q page 257.
A WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a f lat t ire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the eng ine,
turn the emergency f lashers on and use
other warning devices to alert o ther mo­
torists.
- Make su re that passengers wait in a safe
pla ce away from the ve hicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- T o help preven t the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automat ic Transm iss ion in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the ground is level and fi rm. If necessa ry,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spa re wheel, make
sure that you replace the flat tire/whee l
in its sto rage area properly and tighten
the kn u rled re taining screw securely.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exa ctly that order .
-
1. Remove the decorati ve wheel cov er* . For
mo re deta ils see also
Q page 260, Deco­
rative wheel covers
o r q page 260,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel b olts q page 260.
What do I do now? 259
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9 .
jack and align the jack below that point
q page 261.
Raise the car with the jack q page 261.
Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll
th e spare c> page 262.
Tighte n all wheel bolts lightly.
Lower the vehicle wi th the jack.
U se the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten a ll wheel bolts q page 260 .
Replace the decora tive wheel co ver*.
A WARNING
A lways read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
informat ion¢
& in Raising the vehicle on
page 261
and r::> page 263.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
• Replace the too ls and the jac k in their prop­
er locat ion .
• The fault whee l wi ll not fit inside the spare
wheel well. Store it in the luggage compart­
ment and secure it so that it does not slide
r::>page 59.
• Check the tire pressure on the spare wheel
immed iate ly after mounting it.
• As soon as possib le, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts c hec ked with a
t o rque wrenc h. The co rrec t tighte ning tor­
que is
90 ft lb (120 Nm).
• Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi ­
b le.
(D Tips
- I f you not ice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked. ..,_
•
•

260 What do I do now?
-After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
i n a ll four ti res must be checked/cor rect­
ed and t he tire pressure mo nitor ing indi ­
cator m ust b e stored in the MMI
Q page255 .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicl es: with decorative wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 189 Chan ging a w hee l: R em ovin g the whee l cove r
Removing
.. Inse rt the
hook (provided with the ve hicle
tool kit) in the hol e in the wheel hub cove r .
.. Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
c> fig. 189.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The caps must b e removed first from the
wheel bol ts before the bol ts can be u n­
s cre wed.
Fig . 19 0 Chang ing a w hee l: remov ing t he w heel bo lt
caps
Removing
" Push the
plastic clip (provide d w ith the ve­
hicle too l ki t) over the w heel bo lt ca p un til the inner
reta iners on the clip a lign with t he
edge of the cover .
.. Remove the cap with the
plastic clip (veh i­
cle tool kit)
c> fig. 190.
Refitting
.. Pla ce t he caps over t he whee l bolts and
push them back o n.
T he cap s are to pro te ct and kee p the w heel
b olts clean .
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
T he wheel bol ts mu st be loosened befo re rais ­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 191 Cha ng ing a w heel: loosenin g th e w hee l bol ts
Loosening
.. Slide the
wheel wrench ont o the wheel bo lt
as far as it w ill go.
.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
ha ndle a nd turn th e wheel bo lts
counter­
clockwise
about on e single tu rn in the dire c­
tion of ar row
c> fig. 191.
Tightening
.. Slide the wheel wrenc h onto the wheel bolt
as far as it w ill go .
" Take tig ht hold of the
end of the wr ench
ha ndle a nd turn each wh eel bo lt
clockwise
until it is seate d .
.8_ WARNING
- Do n ot u se forc e or hurry whe n ch ang ing
a w heel -yo u can ca us e the vehicle to sli p
off the jack and ca use ser io us pe rso nal
i njur ies.

-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
@ Tips
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a whee l bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully push ing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your ba lance
and take care not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jock first
before the wheel con be removed .
Fig. 1 92 Changing a w hee l: mou nting po ints fo r the
jack
F ig . 19 3 Close -up: proper positioning of jack
.. Engage the parking bra ke to prevent your
vehicle from rolling un intentionally.
.. Move the
selector le ver to position P .
.. Position the jack below the door sill under
the
mounting point that is closest to the
wheel to be changed¢
fig. 192.
What do I d o now ? 261
.. Extend the jack under the lifting point on
the door sill until its arm is positio ned di­
rectly under the lifting point ¢,&. .
.. Align the jack so that its arm@¢
fig. 193
engages in the designated lifting point in
the doo r si ll and the movable base @ lies
flat o n the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under th e lifting point @.
.,. Wind the jack up fu rther until the f lat t ire
comes off the gro und ¢ ,&. .
The jack mus t be installed
only at the places
i ndicated ¢
fig. 192. The re is exactly one loca­
tion for each wheel. The j ack mus t not be
pos it ioned at any other location ¢
&.
An unstable surfac e under the jack ca n cause
the ve hicl e to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the ja ck on the g ro und . If nec­
essary p lace a sturdy board or sim ilar support
u nder the jack . On
hard, slippery surface s
(such as tiles) use a rubbe r mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
¢ & .
A WARNING
- You or your passengers co uld be in jured
while c hanging a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safety precautions:
- Positioning the j ack under the vehicle
at any o ther place than those indicate d
above may damage the vehicle or may result in persona l injuries .
- A soft o r uns table surf ace unde r the
j ac k may cause the veh icle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a f irm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary, u se a st urdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as ti les)
use a rubber mat or similar t o prevent
the jack fr om slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yo urself and
your passengers:
- Do not ra ise the veh icle until you are
s ur e the jack is securely engaged .
- Passe ngers must not remain in the ve­
h icle when i t is ja cke d up.

262 What do I do now ?
-Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe p lace away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad­
just as necessary and then continue to ra ise the jack.
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow th es e ins truc tions st ep-by-st ep for
changing the wheel.
F ig . 194 Chan gin g a w hee l: us ing t he sc rew drive r han ·
die (w ith t he bla de re moved) t o tu rn the b olts
Fig. 195 Chang ing a w hee l: alignm en t pin insid e t he
to p hole
Aft er you h ave loosened all wheel bol ts and
ra is ed the veh icle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwd riv ·
er handle to comp lete ly remove the top­
mos t wheel bo lt and set it as ide on a
clean
surface ¢ fig . 194 .
.. Screw the threaded end of the alignment
pin from the too l kit hand-tig ht into the
empty bolt hole
r::;, fig. 195.
.. Then remove the other whee l bolts as de­
scrib ed above.
.. Take off the whee l leaving the a lignment
pin in the bolt hole
¢ 0) .
Putting on th e spar e wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and carefully s lide it
over the alignment pin to g uide it in place
¢ (D .
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the sc rewd river
handle to screw in and tig hten all whee l
bolts
slightly .
.. Remove the a lignment pi n and insert and
tighten the rema in ing wheel bolt slightly
like the rest .
.. Turn t he jack hand le co unter -cloc kwise to
lowe r the veh icle un til the jack is fully re­
leased .
.. Use the wheel bo lt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts firm ly
r::;, page 260 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposi te one, to keep the
wheel cen tered.
(D Note
When remov ing or installing the whee l,
the rim cou ld hit the brake rotor and dam·
age the rotor . Work carefu lly and have a
second pe rson help you .
@ Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
d le of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bolts.
- Pull the revers ible blade from the screw·
dr iver before you use the hexagonal
sock et in the hand le to turn the w heel
bolts.
- Whe n mount ing tires w ith unidirectional
tread design make sure the tread pat·
t er n is po inted the right way
r::;, page 2 63.
- T he wh eel bolts s hou ld be cl ean and easy
t o tu rn . Chec k for dirt and corrosion on
t he m ating surfaces of bot h the wheel
an d t he hub . Remove all d irt from these
surfaces befo re remounting the whee l.