2012 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
App lies to vehicles: with three -zone cl imate contro l or
four -zone a uto mat ic climate contro l
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the vehicle interior .
It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof* are closed . If the temperature inside
the parked veh icle becomes very warm, open­
i ng the w indow br iefly will speed up the cool­
ing process.
In all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has reached a certain
temperature.
Condensat ion from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of wate r under the ve­
h icle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak .
Pollutant filt er
The pollutant filter removes pollutants such
as dust and po llen from the air.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi­
tioner can properly work .
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high
a ir pollution, the filter may need to be
changed more frequently than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Ma intenance booklet. If
i n doubt, ask your authori zed Audi Service Ad­
visor for adv ice.
K ey coded settings
Three-zone climate control: the blower set ­
ting and air distribution are stored automati­
cally and ass igned to the remote control key
that you are using.
Four-zone automatic climate control: The cli­
mate contro l settings are automatica lly stor­
ed and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Warm and c old 63
A WARNING
-
Reduced visibi lity is dangerous and can
cause acc idents .
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densat ion.
- Comp letely fam il iarize yourse lf with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
a nd ventilation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer system in freez ing weathe r unt il you
have wa rmed the windshie ld first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer sol ution may freeze on the wind­
shie ld and red uce visibi lity.
CJ) Note
- If you s uspect that the air conditioner
has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
inspected by a qualified dea lership .
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire specia l technical know ledge and
special tools. Contact an authorized Audi
dealer fo r ass istance.
@ For the sake of the envi ronment
By reducing the amount of f uel you use,
you also red uce the amount of pollutants
emitted into the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lo ts ( in front of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de­
bris in order to maintain the proper func­
tion of the climate control system.
- The energy ma nagement system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window defroster off temporar ily. These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored .
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When plac ing items of cloth ing
on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.

64 Warm and cold
Three-zone climate control
Operation
Applies to vehicles: with three -zone climate control
We recommend pressing the IAUTO I button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C).
F ig. 66 Three-zone cl imate co ntrol: cont ro ls
Press the buttons to turn the funct ions on or
off. The dia l adjusts the temperature and the
blower. The LED in the butto ns ill uminates
when the function is active.
IAUTO I Switching automatic mode on
Automatic mode mainta ins a constant tem­
perature inside the vehicle . Air temperature,
airflow and air distribution are controlled au­
tomatically.
e °Fe Adjusting the temperature
The temperature can be adjusted individua lly
for the driver and front passenger using the
dials @and @.
8fr Adjusting the airflow
Using the dial@, you can manually adjust the
amount of air generated by the blower to suit
your preferences . To have the airflow regulat ­
ed automatically, press the
!AU TO ! button .
~.~ .~ Adjusting the air distribution
You can manually se lect the vents where the
air will flow. To have the air distribution regu­
lated automatically, press the
IAUTOI button.
1..,., 1 Switching recirculation mode on/off
"' ..... g
0 .. a,
In recirculation mode, the air inside the vehi­
cle is c irculated and filtered . This prevents the
unfiltered air outside the veh icle from enter­
ing the vehicle interior . We recommend
switching recirculation mode on when driving
through a tunnel or when sitting in traffic
¢ ,&.
The !AUTO ! button or~ button swit ches recir­
culation mode off.
IOFFI Switching the climate control
system on/off
T he IOFF ! button switches the climate cont rol
system on or off.
It also switches on when you
turn the dial or press any button . Airflow from
outside is blocked when the climate control
system is switched off .
IACI Switching cooling mode on/off
The air is not cooled and humidity is not re­
moved when cooling mode is switched off .
T his can cause fog on the windows. Cooling
mode switches off automatically when the
outside temperature is be low zero.

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.

66 Warm and cold
Four-zone automatic climate control
Operation
Applies to vehicles: with four -zone automatic climate control
We recommend pressing the IAUTO I button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C).
Fig. 67 Four-zone automat ic climate contro l: controls
Fig . 68 Fou r-zone automatic cl imate cont rol: rear con ·
trol s
Press the buttons to turn the functions on or
off. Use the dials to adjust the temperature,
the blower speed and the air distribution. The
LED in a button will light up when the func­
tion is switched on. The settings are shown in
the climate control display and are also shown in the MMI display for a few seconds . The driv­
er and front passenger sett ings can be adjust­
ing separately.
The settings can also be adjusted in the rear
<::;> fig. 68.
IOFF j Switching the climate control
system on/off
The I O FFI button switches the climate control
system on or off .
It also switches on when you
turn the dia l or press any button . Airflow from outside is blocked when the
climate control
system is switched off .
You can activate the residual heat f unction
whe n the ignition is off by pressing and hold­
ing the ~ button. The residua l heat from the
coolant is used to heat the vehicle interior .
The residual heat function switches off auto­
matically after about 30 minutes.
!ACI Switching cooling mode on/off
The air is not cooled and humidity is not re­
moved when cooling mode is switched off.
This can cause fog on the windows. Cooling
mode switches off automatically when the
outside temperature is below zero .
1-1 Switching recirculation mode on/off
In recirculation mode, the air inside the vehi ­
cle is circ ulated and filtered. This prevents the
unfiltered air outside the vehicle from enter­
ing the vehicle interior . We recommend
switching recirculation mode on when driving
through a tunnel or when sitting in traffic ¢ .&, .
The
! AUTO I button or~ button switches rec i r-
cu lation mode off. .,.

IAUTO I Switching automatic mode on
Automatic mode mainta ins a constant tem­
perature inside the vehicle . Air temperature,
airflow and air distribution are controlled au­
tomatically.
Adjusting the temperature
Temperatu res between 60 °F (+16 °C) and
84 °F ( +28 °C) can be set. O uts ide of this
range,
lo or hi wi ll appear in the climate con ­
trol system disp lay. At both of these settings,
the climate control system runs continuously
at maximum cooling or heating power. There
is no temperature regulation.
~ Adjusting the airflow
You can adjust the airf low manually to suit
your needs . To have the airf low regulated au­
tomatically, press the
I AU TOj button.
li!J Adjusting the air distribution
You can manually se lect the vents where the
air will flow. To have the air distribution regu­
lated automatically, press the
IAUTOI button .
~I~ * Adjusting seat heating/
ventilation*
Pressing the button switches the seat heat­
ing/ventilation on at the highest setting ( level
3). The LEDs indicate the heating/ventilation
level. To reduce the heating/venti lation, press
the button again. To switch the seat heating/
ventilation off, press the button repeatedly
until the LED turns off.
After 10 minutes, the seat heating automati­
cally switches from level 3 to level 2.
I@ FRONT I Switch the defroster on/off
The windshield and side windows are defrost­
ed or cleared of condensation as quickly as
possible. The maximum amount of air flows
mainly from the vents below the windshield.
Recircula tion mode switches off.
The
IAU TOI button switches the defroster off.
Warm and cold 67
liiii REAR! Switching rear window heater
on/off
The rear window heater only operates when
the engine is running. It switches off auto­ matically after 10 to 20 minutes, depending
on the outside temperature.
To prevent the rear window heater from
switching off automatically, press and ho ld
the~ button for more than 2 seconds. This
remains stored until the ignition is switched
off .
I SYNC I Synchronization*
When synchronization is switched on, the
same settings are applied to both the driver
and front passenger, except for the seat heat­
ing/ventilation*. The rear zone is also
synchronized. Synchronization switches off
when the settings for the front passenger s ide
o r r ear are adjusted.
You can also switch synchronization on by pressing and holding a dial. For example, if
you press and hold the dial on the front pas­
senger side, the settings for that side are
transferred to the driver side. The same ap­
plies to the rear.
Air vents
You can open or close the center and outer
vents in the cockpit and the vents in the rear
cente r console and door pillars using the
ridged thumbwheels. The levers adjust the di­
rection of the airflow from the vents.
&_ WARNING
-=
-Do not use this setting for extended peri-
ods of time . The windows could fog up
since no fresh air can enter the vehicle. If
the windows fog up, press the air recircu­
lation button again immediately to
sw itch off the air recircu lation function
or select defrost.
- Individuals w ith reduced sensitivity to
pa in or temperature cou ld deve lop burns
when using the seat heating function . To
red uce the risk of injur y, these individu-
als should not use seat heating . ..,.

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 .

On the road
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
Applies to vehicles: with manu ally adjustable steering
w hee l
The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be adjusted.
Fig. 70 Lever on the steer ing co lumn
" Pull the lever <=> fig. 70 -arrow- <=>,&. .
" Move the steer ing wheel to the desired po­
sition.
" Push the lever against the steering column
u ntil it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steer­
ing wheel.
If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steer ing whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering whee l.
F or detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see <=>
page 51.
_& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steering whee l column only
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
<=> page 124 , fig . 131 . If
you cannot maintain this minimum dis-
On the road 69
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is available.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplementa l driver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the
steering wheel is aligned with your
chest .
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or wi th your hands inside
the stee ring wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Electrically adjustable steering wheel
App lies to vehicles: wi th electrica lly ad justable stee ring
w heel
The steering wheel position can be electrically
adjusted for height and reach.
Fig. 71 Switc h fo r steering w heel adju stment
" To adjust the height, press the swit ch up/
down. The steer ing column w ill cont inue
moving as long as you are pressing the
switch .
" To move the steer ing whee l forward or
back, press the switch forward/back. The

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. ..,.