2012 AUDI A6 ECO mode

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
malf u ncti on in th e ele ctri cal sys tem. In th is
c as e, co nt act yo ur Audi de aler.
If the b rake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction.
- (USA models) JIIII (Canad a model s)
St op veh icle and ch ec k brak e fluid l evel
If the indicator lig ht turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as follows :
.. Pull off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Turn off the engine .
.. Check the brake fluid level
c::> page 229 .
.,. Contact your nearest authorized repa ir fa-
c ili ty if necessary.
W arnin g! Fau lt in brake syst em . Contact
de aler
If the ABS indicator light ii] (USA models)/ §
(Canada models), the ESP indicator light
G1
and the brake system indicator light
- (USA models)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESP
and b raking distribution are not wo rking
c::> .&,. .
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immed iately to have the malfunction correct­
ed
c::> .&,. .
- (U SA mode ls)/. (Can ada mode ls)
P a rk ing br ake: system f ault! Pl ease conta ct
d ea ler
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
when s tat ionar y or a fter sw itch ing the
i gn ition on ,
check if you can release the
park ing brake. After releas ing t he parking
brake, carefully dr ive to your authorized Au­
di dealer immediate ly to have the malfunc­
t ion corrected. If you cannot re lease the
parking brake, seek pro fessional assistance.
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
wh ile drivin g, the eme rgency braking
func tion may not be ava ilable.
It may not be
possib le to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek professional as­
sistance . (USA mode
ls): If the warning light - and
the warning light
Ei] appea r together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have a ll brake pads in­
spected
c::> page 20.
When the light comes on , an audible warning
s ignal is also g iven.
_& WARNING
-Always observe the warn ings in
c::> page 214, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and check ing the
brake fluid .
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard . Stop the car and get professional
assistance .
-USA models: If the - warning light,
the
G] warning light and the m warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up f irst under hard
brak ing. Rear wheel lock-up can ca use
loss of vehicle control and an accident .
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer or a quali­
fied workshop. Dr ive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
DJ warn ing light and the
ABS warning light
(il come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rea r wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle contro l and an acci­
dent. Have your veh icle repa ired immedi­
ately by your a uthorized Audi dea ler or a
qua lified workshop. Drive s low ly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications .
- I f the b rake w arning/ind icator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake released, or lights up wh ile
you are driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
mediately at low speed to the nearest
author ized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the b rake system in-
spected.
~

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Always keep in mind that after several
brake applicat ions, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
vehicle . Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must a llow for
increased bra king distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident .
PARK /(®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light - (USA models) ;II
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the ignition is
off, the indicator light turns off af ­
ter about 20 seconds .
The warning/indicator light will go out when
the parking brake is released .
-(USA model s) /. (Canad a mo dels )
Caution : Vehi cle parke d too s teep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from ro lling. The brakes have
ove rheated. The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline.
Pre ss brak e pedal to r eleas e parking br ake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or start driving
with start ing ass ist at the same time
¢ page 74.
Pleas e rele ase p ark ing brake
To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the brake pedal and press the button ~ at the
same time. The parking brake on ly release au ­
tomatically if the dr iver's safety belt is fas­
tened.
BJ Par king brake!
If the BJ indicator lig ht t urns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction . Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off en gine and che ck cool ant le vel
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high or the coolant level is too low.
.. Pull
off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check coolant leve l~
page 22 7 .
.. Add coo lant if necessary ~
page 228.
.,. Continue dr iv ing on ly after the engine cool­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
tion .
• Cool ant t emp erature too hi gh! Pl ease l et
en gin e r un wit h ve hicl e s tat ion ary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs in trailer mode*, let the eng ine
run at idle for a few minutes to cool down .
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
¢ page 42, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coo lant escaping from the en­
g ine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed. Wait unt il you can no longer see or
hear steam or coolant escap ing .
- The engine compartment of any vehicle is a dangerous area . Before you perform
any wo rk in the engine compartment,
turn of the engine and allow it to cool.

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
level warning 11!1. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam·
age .
~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When the symbo l an d the driver message ap­
pear, the oil has to be replenished r ight now
co page 222.
If th e indica tor light and the message appear,
a d d engine oil immed iate ly
co page 225.
Ill Add oil, max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
W hen the symbol and the dr ive r message ap­
pear, add t he amo unt of o il appearing in the
d is pl ay a t the next opport unit y
co page 222 .
~- Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If t he indicator light tu rns on and t he mes­
sage a ppears, t he re is an ele ct ro nic steer ing
col um n lo ck ma lf u nction. You c annot sw itch
the ign ition on.
D o
not tow your vehicle because i t ca nnot be
s teered. Seek professional ass istance.
1!!11 Steering lock : system fault . Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light t urns on and t he mes­
sage appears , th ere is an elect ronic steer ing
column lock ma lfunction .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r i mmedi­
ately to have the mal function corrected.
A WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunct io n in the electron ic
s te eri ng colum n loc k because i t cannot b e
s teer ed du e to t he locked s teering . If it is
to wed w ith the s tee ring lo cked, there is
t he ri sk of an accide nt.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If th e indicato r ligh t turns on and the mes ­
sage app ears, do
not switch the ig nitio n off
be cause you may no t be a ble to sw itch i t on
ag ain .
D rive to your authorized A udi dealer i mmed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfu nction corr ected .
II! Engine start system fault. Please con ­
tact dealer
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, there is a malfunct ion in the en­
gine sta rt system.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
~ii !i: Safety systems
The fl (USA models)/ E,i (Canada models) in­
dicator light mo nitors the sa fety systems e.g.
airbags , pretensione rs and illuminates fo r a
f e w s econds each time you switch the ign it io n
o n .
If the
fl (USA models)/ E,i (Canada mode ls)
i ndicato r light does not go o ut, or if it illum i­
na tes whil e you are driving, o r if it s tarts to
blink, then there is a malfu nctio n so mewhe re
i n t he sys te m .
If the light does no t illumina te
whe n you swi tch the ig nitio n on, this also
mea ns there is a mal funct ion .
A WARNING ~
If yo u have a ma lf un ction in t he safety sy s-
tems , contact you r authorized Audi dea le r
i mmediately. Othe rwise the safety sys­
tems may not work pr operly in an acc i­
dent.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
!;.!~ Electronic stabilization program
(ESP)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic stabilization program.
When you sw itch the ignition on, the indicator
light
G1 turns on briefly to check the function .
If thE:
G1 indicator lamp blinks while dr iving,
the ESP or ASR (Ant i- Slip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating.
If thE:
hJ indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESP off.
If the indicator light
I turns on, the ESP was
switched to ESP sport mode with the button
I!]<=>
page 189. If this is case, you can reacti­
vate the ESP by switching the ignition off and
then on again . The warning/indicator light
should go out to show that the system is fully
functiona l again.
Stability program and ABS fault! See own­
er's manual
If the indicator light D] and the ABS indicator
light
m (USA mode ls) ;fl] (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, there is a
malfunct ion in the ABS system or electron ic
differential lock . This also interrupts the ESP.
The brakes still function with their normal
power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi ­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
If the battery term inals were disconnected
and re-connected, the vehicle was jump start­
ed or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes through a learning process for
the first few yards . The warning/ind icator
light illuminates . Th e warn ing/ indicator light
goes o ut as soon as the learning process is
comp lete.
For more informat ion about the ESP
<=> page 189. ABS/(
8) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The warning/indicator light B (USA mod­
els)
/ l(O] (Canada models) w ill come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is sw itched on .
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is comp leted.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
-The warning/indicator light does not illumi·
nate when you switch the ignition on.
- The warning/indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds.
- The warning/indicator light illuminates
while driving.
The ESP indicator light also illuminates if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS . The mes ­
sage
Stability program and ABS fault! See
owner's manual
a lso appears in the instru­
ment cluster d isp lay and a warning tone
sounds .
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
Fo r more information regarding the ABS
<=>page 189.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light<=> page 14 and the
ABS warning illum inate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may also
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
<=>
&. . The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per·
formance .
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light _
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes <=>
page 14.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
T he EDL works t ogether w ith the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 25
on until it is switched off. If yo u continue driv ­
ing within two hours after switching the igni­
tion off, the new val ues are included when
calculating the current tr ip informat ion.
Unlike the short-term memory, the long-term
memory is not e rased automatica lly. You can
se lect the t ime period for eval uat ing trip in ­
formation yo urself.
F or some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the temporary memory
i n the line
(I) ~ page 23, fig. 5.
Efficiency program
The eff iciency p rogram can help yo u to u se
l ess fuel. I t eva luates dr iving information in
re ference to fue l consumpt ion and shows oth ­
er equipment inf luencing co nsumption as we ll
as shift recommendations.
c> page 25. Fue l
economy messages
c> page 25 provide tips
for efficient driving. The eff ic iency prog ram
uses distance and consumption data from tr ip
computer
1.
To display the efficiency program, call up Ve ­
hicle functions and select the menu option
Efficiency program . If the data are deleted in
the efficiency program , those values are also
reset in trip computer.
(D Tips
- All stored va lues w ill be lost if the veh i­
cle battery is disconn ected.
- Fuel consumptions (ave rage and cu r­
ren t), range and spe ed are displayed in
m etr ic uni ts on Cana dian models .
Other equipment
Fig. 8 Tri p co mpute r: ot her eq uipment
Req uirement: The e fficiency program m ust be
displayed
~ page 25.
1-Tur n the thumbw heel u ntil th e other e quip-
men t ap pears in the display.
Ot her equ ipment t hat is c urrently affe cti ng
fuel consump tion is liste d in t he eff iciency
progr am. The disp lay sh ows up to th ree o ther
items of eq uipment @. The equ ipment using
the most fuel is listed first . If more than th ree
items us ing fuel are switched on, the equip ­
ment that is c urrently using the most fuel is
displayed .
A scale @also s hows the c urrent tota l co n­
sumption of all other equipment .
Fuel economy messages
Fig. 9 Dis play : exa m ple of a fuel eco nomy m essage
Fuel economy me ssage s are di splayed when
fuel consum ption is increased by cert ain con­
di tions. If you fo llow these fuel economy mes ­
sa ges, you ca n re duce your ve hicle's consump­
t ion o f fuel. The messages appear a utomat i­
ca lly and are only d isp layed in the efficiency
program. The fue l economy messages turn off
automat ica lly afte r a certain period of t ime .
.,. To turn an economy message off immedi-
ately after it appears, press any button on
the mult ifunct ion steering wheel.
{!) Tips
- Once yo u have tur ned a f ue l economy
m essage off, it will o nly appear agai n af­
ter yo u turn the ign itio n on again .
- The fue l economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in­
te rvals over a period of time.

46 Clear vis ion
Wiper and washer
system
Switching the windshield wipers on
F ig. 4 1 Windsh ie ld wipe r lever
Move the windshield wiper lever to the corre­
spond ing pos ition:
@ -Windshie ld wipers off
(I) -Rain sensor mode . The windshield w ipers
switch on once the vehicle speed exceeds ap­
proximately 2 mph (4 km/h) and it is raining.
The higher the rain sensor sens it ivity is se t
(switch @to the right), the earlier the wind ­
shield wipers react to moisture on the wi nd­
shie ld. You can deact ivate rain sensor mode in
the MMI, which w ill then activate intermi ttent
mode. Selec t:
ICAR I function bu tton > C ar s ys­
t e m s
contro l bu tton > Dri ver a ssis t > Rain
se nsor
> Off . In intermittent mode, you can
adjust the interval time using the switch @.
@-Slow wiping
@-Fast wiping
©-Single wipe. If you hold the lever in this
posi tion longer, the wipers sw itch from slow
wiping to fast wip ing .
® - Clean the windshield . The wipers wipe
one time after several seconds of driv ing to
remove water drop le ts. You can switch this
function off by mov ing the lever to position ®
within 10 seconds after the afterw ipe . The af­
terw ipe fun ct ion is react ivated the next time
you swit ch the ig nitio n on .
Clean ing the headlights . The headlight wash ­
e r system* only functions when the lights are
switched on . The headlights and the night vi- s
ion system camera * are cleaned automatical ­
ly the first time the lever is press in position
® and every 8 times it is pressed after that.
They a re also cleaned every time you ho ld the
lever in posit ion ® for longer than 8 seconds.
A WARNING
--The rain sensor is only designed to assist
and support the dr iver .
It rema ins enti re­
ly the d river's responsibility to monitor
outs ide weather cond itions and to ma n­
u a lly activate the wipe rs as soon as rai n
or drizzle reduces visibility through the
windshie ld .
- The windsh ield mu st not b e tre ate d w ith
water -repellent materials . They can in ­
crease glare under poor v isibility condi­
tions such as wetness, da rkness, or when
the sun is low on the hor izon. In addi­
tion , they can cause the w indshield w ip­
ers to chatter.
- Properly function ing windsh ield wiper
b lades are req uired for a clea r view and
safe driving
i::> page 47, Replacing
windshield wiper blades.
(D Note
- In the case of frost, check whether the
w indshield wiper blades are fr ozen to
the windsh ield . Sw itching on the wind ­
shield wipers can damage the wiper blades!
- Pr ior to us ing a car wash, the w indshield
w iper system must be sw itched off ( lever
in posit ion 0). This he lps to prevent un in­
t en tional switch ing o n and dam age to
t he winds hield wiper system.
- Do not use the w ipers to clear a frosted
w indow. Us ing the wipers as a conve n­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades.
(D Tips
- T he windshie ld wipers are sw itched off
w hen the ig nit io n is off . Activate the
windshield wipers after the ignition is
switched back o n by moving the w ind­
shield wiper lever to any position.

56 Seats and storage
Front cuphold er
.,. To open the c upholder, tap the cover
~ fig. 56.
Rear cuphold er
.,. Press on the symbol 'i@ ~ fig. 57 .
.,. To adjust the a rm @ , swing it in the direc­
t ion of the a rrow .
.,. Place the beverage in the holder and release
the arm . The arm swings back by itself and
automatically secures the beverage .
.,. Press on the center section between the
two arms and push the cup holder in the
slot as far as it will go.
_& WARNING
Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident
and personal inj ury .
-
- Never carry any beverage containe rs with
hot liquids, such as hot coffee or hot tea,
in the vehicle while it is mov ing . In case
of an accident, sudden b ra ki ng o r other
vehicle movement, hot liq uid c ould spill,
causing sca ld ing burns. Sp illed hot liq ui d
can also ca use an accident and personal
injury.
- Use only soft cups in the cupholde r. Hard
cups and g lasses can ca use inj ury in an
accident.
- Never use the cupho lder or adapter as an
ashtray- r isk of f ire.
(D Note
On ly drink containers wi th lids should be
carried in the cupho lder. Liqu id could spi ll
ou t and damage your vehicle's e lectronic
equ ipment or stain the upholstery, etc.
Cooled glove compartment
Applies to vehicles: wit h coo led g love compartment
The cooled glove compartment only functions
when the A/C system is switched on .
Fig . 58 G love compartme nt: sw it c hin g cooli ng m ode
on/off
.,. Turn the knob @counterclockwise to
sw itch cooling on . The symbols on the knob
ind icate the correct position .
.,. Turn the knob @clockwise to switch cool-
ing off.
The glove compartment cooling mode only
funct ions when the vehicle A/C system is
switched on . If the heat ing is sw itched on,
switching the g love compa rtment coo lin g
mode off is recommended.
Additional storage
T here a re a var iety of storage compartments
and fasteners in various places in the vehicle.
- S torage compartments in the doors
- Compartment in the glove compartment
(coo led*) . T he g love compar tment can be
loc ked using the mechan ica l
key ~ page 31.
-Sta rage compartment for (su n)g lasses* in
t he roof (near the interio r mirror)
- Storage compartments under the center
armrests
- Storage compartment on the rear side of
the front seat *. T he compa rtment can hold a
maximum weigh t of 1 kg.
- Compa rtments* on the back of the front
seat ba ckrests
- Garment hooks on the sides of the pi llars in
th e rear of the vehicle a nd in the rear g rab
ha ndles
lllJ,,

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.