2012 AUDI A6 ESP

Safet y fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 124
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 128
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
R eport ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Why safety bel ts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Safety belt p re tens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
I mpor tant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 1 42
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 168
C hi ld safety seats ............ .... . 174
Install ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 179
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
fo r ch ild ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2
Addit io nal Informa tion 186
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Pr even ta ti ve passe nger p rotec tion 18 7
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 189
N ot ice about da ta re corded by vehi cle
con trol mo dules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) 189
Bra king . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electro-mechanical power assist . . . . . 193
Driving w ith your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 193
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
196
T he first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 197
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 198
Operate your vehicle eco nomically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
D riving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
T ra ile r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 204
General infor mation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4
C are of ex ter ior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4
Care o f inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
F uel tank. ... .. .... . ... ...... ... . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Battery . .. .. .. .... .. ........ ... . 230
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
c onta iner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ire pressure mo nitoring system 253
Do-it -yourself s ervice . . . . . . . . . 256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
T ru nk escape h andle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
E mergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
•
•

6 About this Owner's Manual
This owner's manua l contains important infor­
mation, tips, suggestions, and warnings for
the use of your veh icle.
Make sure that this owner's manua l is always
located in the vehicle. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you allow other people to drive the ve­
h icle, or if you sell it.
This owner's manua l descr ibes the
equipment
range
specified for this mode l at the editoria l
deadline date. Some of the equipment descri­
bed here will on ly be available at a later date,
or only in specific markets.
Some sections in this owner's manua l do not
apply to a ll vehicles . In that case, the
range of
applicability
is g iven at the beginn ing of the
section, e.g. "Applies to vehicles: w ith Ad­
vanced Parking System" . In add it ion, optional
equipment is indicated by an asterisk"*" .
The details in the
illustrations may be differ ­
ent from those in your vehicle, and are intend­
ed to be viewed as a bas ic guide.
You will find a
table of contents at the begin­
ning of this book, which disp lays all topics de ­
scr ibed in this manual in order of appearance.
You will find an alphabetical
index at the end
of this book .
All
directions , such as "left", "right", "front",
"back", are relative to the direct ion of travel.
* optional equipment
... This section continues on the next page.
® Registered trademarks are identified with
a®. If this symbol is miss ing, it is no g uar­
antee that the terms can be used freely.
~ .& Cross-reference to a "WARNING!" with-
in a sect ion. For ind ication w ith a page num­
be r, the corresponding "WARNING!" can be
found ou tside of the sect ion.
& WARNING
Text with this symbol contains important
information on safety and how to reduce
the risk of personal injury or death.
(D Note
Text with this symbo l draws your attention
to potentia l sources of damage to your ve­
hicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Text with this symbo l contains information
abo ut the environment and how you can
help protect it.
{!) Tips
Text with this symbo l contains specia l tips
and other information about gett ing the
most out of yo ur vehicle and its features.

(!) Door handle
@
®
©
®
®
(j)
Audi side assist d isplay
Power locking sw itches
Memory function buttons . ... .
Aud i side assist button .. .. .. .
A ir vents with thumbwheel
Control lever for :
- T urn signal an h igh beam
@ Multifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Driver's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons . .. ............. .... .
- Audio/video, telephone and
vo ice recogn ition buttons
- Steering wheel heating* ... .
- Shift padd les* (mu ltit ron -
. ®) 1c or ... .... .. .. ... .. .. .
- Shift padd les* (tiptronic ®) . . .
® Instrument cluster ..... .. .. .
@ H ead-up Display* ...... .. .. .
@ Windsh ield washer system
l ever .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .
@ Buttons for :
- MM I display
- Reset button for tr ip odome-
ter .. .. ................. .
@ Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction ........... .... .
~ Knee airbag* .......... .... .
@ Steering whee l adjustment, de­
pending on equipment:
- mechanical . ............. .
- electrical ......... ...... . .
@ Leverfo r:
- Cruise contro l system
- Adaptive cruise cont ro l* . ... .
@ Button for switch ing the Head­
up Display* on/off, adjusting the
h eight .. ................ . .
@ Instrument illumination ... .. .
@ Eng ine hood release .... .. .. .
@ D ata Link Connector for On
Board Diag nos tics ( OBD II) . .. .
87
35
53
87
43
146
23
68
105
11 1
11
27
46
26
72
159
69
69
76
78
27
44
220
28
In strument s and control s 9
@ Light sw itch ..... . .. .. ..... .
@ Buttons for :
- All -weathe r lights*
- Night vision assistant* .. ... .
- Rear fog lights . .......... .
@) Rear lid switch . .... ........ .
@ Power exterior m irror adjust-
ment .. .. .. .. ............ .
@) Power w indows .... ........ .
@ MMI display
@ Emergency flashers .. .. .. ... .
@ Glove compar tment ........ .
@ Front passenger's airbag .... .
@ Valet parking feature ....... .
@ Drives (MMI)
@ Buttons/Indicator ligh ts for
- P arking system ........... .
- PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF ... .
- Rear w indow power sun
shade* ....... ...... ..... .
- Electron ic Stabilization Pro-
gram (ESP) .. .. .......... .
@) Climate controls, depending on
vehicle equipment:
- Three-zone cl imate control ..
- Four-zone automat ic climate
contro l ... .. ............ .
@ Storage compa rtment or ash-
t ray* with c igaret te lig hte r* ...
@ I S TAR T ENGINE ST OPI button
@ MMI controls
@ 12-volt socket *, ( upholder
@ Elec tromechanical parking
brake .. .. .. .. .... ... .... . .
@ Depend ing o n veh icle equ ip­
ment, selector lever (a utomatic
t ransmission) for
- m ultitronic ® ............. .
- S tronic ®
(D Tips
41
41
97
41
36
48
38
42 56
146
38
113
155
45
191
64
66
54 ,54
70
55 ,55
73
102
107
- Some of the equipment o r feat ures
shown in the genera l ill ustration may be
standard equ ipment on your vehicle or
may be opt ional equ ipment depending

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
<=> page 214, Engine compartment
@ Tips
Ma lf u nctions or faults wi ll be identified ei­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (pr iority 2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are ma rked
with an./ in the fo llow ing tab les. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there is a malfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbols indicate a prio rity malfunction -
D anger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
-Turn off the engine.
- Check the ma lf u nctioning system . Contact
your authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
USA mode ls:
Brake ma lf u nction./
c::>page 14
Canada models:
Brake malfunction./
c::>page 14
- USA models:
----
Electromechanical parking brake
<=> page 16
Canada models:
Electromechanical parking brake
<=>page 16
Engine cooling system
<=>page 16
Engine oil pressure
<=>page 17
I
Engine oil level
Q page 18
Battery
Qpage 17
Safe ty belt
Q page 17
Electromechanical steering ./
<=>page 193
Electronic steering column lock
Qpage 18
Engine start system
Qpage 18
Speed wa rning system
Qpage 76
Adaptive cruise control./
Qpage 80
---Pedestrian warn ing
Qpage97
Yellow indicator lights
Ye llow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc ­
tion - Warning!
I
USA models: Safety systems
Q page 18 •
m
Canada models : Safety systems
Qpage 18
Ji]
Ele ctronic Sta bilizat ion Prog ram
( E SP)./
Q page 19
I
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP) ./
Qpage 19
rm
USA models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
c::> page 19
--
E
Canada models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
<=>page 19
l
I

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.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
Follow the warning stickers¢ page 214,
Engine compartment.
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you co uld damage
your eng ine.
D Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle e lectrica l system.
Drive to you r authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediately. Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the radio .
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge leve l is too low.
(•i Low battery charge : battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited star ting
ability.
I f this message turns off after a litt le wh ile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound.
For more Information¢
page 133, i Safety
belt warning light.
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on the message ap­
pears, the oil pressure is too low.
"" Pull off the road .
... Stop the vehicle.
... Tur n off the engine .
"" Check the engine oil level¢ page 225.
"" If the eng ine oil level is too low, add eng ine
oil ¢
page 225. Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the display before you start dr iv ing again .
"" If the engine oil level is correct and the indi ­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
na l assistance .
(D Tips
-The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel ,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning . starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil ..,

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