2012 AUDI A6 battery

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
•
•

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

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
ll
Worn brake pads
¢ page20
•
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 73
g
Tire pressure monitoring system
./
¢page253
11111 Tire pressure monitoring system
¢page253
rm
Electronic power control./
¢page20
g
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
./
¢page20
•
Engine speed limitation
¢page 21
•
Engine oil level
¢page 18
•
Engine o il sensor
¢ page 21
•
Battery
¢page 17
~
Tank system
¢page 21
•
Windshield washer fluid level
¢page 21
m
Windshie ld wipers
¢ page 21
--
I!
Remote control key
¢page 70
I
Remote contro l key
¢ page 72
!!
Battery in remote control key
¢page 31
I:~
Defective light bulb warning
¢ page 21
I a
Rear fog light(s)
¢page 21 Headlight range control
¢
page22
adaptive light *
¢page22
-
Light-/rain sensor faulty
¢page22
Transmission
- multitronic ®
¢ page 106
-tiptronic ® ¢page 111
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 18
Engine start system
<=>page 18
Electromechanical steering./
¢page 193
Other indicator lights
11!1 1!11 Turn signals
m 111 <=>page22
~ USA model s: Cruise control "
~ <=> page 76
ra
I
I
•
Canada mod els: Cruise control*
<=> page 76
Adaptive cruise control *
<=>page 80
Adaptive cru ise cont ro l*
¢ page80
Adaptive cruise control *
¢page80
H igh beam
¢page43
BRAKE /( (f) ) Brake system
The light i lluminates when the ignition is
switched on . It goes o ut after the engine has
been started. This indicates that the brake
warning light is functioning properly .
If the brake warn ing light does not light up
when the engine is cranking , there may be a
Ill-

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

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.

Removing the mechanical key
Fig. 17 Remote control master key : remov ing the me­
chanical key
• Press the release butto n@ c::> fig. 17.
• Pull the mechanica l key @ out of the mas ­
ter key.
Using the mechan ica l key, you can:
- lock and unlock the storage compartment
on the passenger's side
c::> page 56.
- lock and unlock the vehicle manually
c::>page 35 .
-lock the front and rear passenger doors me­
chanically
c:> page 36.
Master key battery replacement
F ig . 18 Remote master key: Removing the battery
holde r
Check li ght in the ma ste r key
The check light @ in the master key prov ides
information about different cond itions .
• The check light comes on briefly once when
a button is pressed, and during an "inquiry"
by the conven ience key system .
• If the check light does not come on, the
battery is dead and has to be replaced. In
addition, when the battery is dead the
I'!!
symbol appears in the instrument cluster
Op enin g an d clos ing 31
disp lay as well as the message: Ple ase
chan ge k ey batte ry.
Ma ster ke y battery replacement
We recommend having the battery changed
by an authorized Audi dea ler. However, if you
wish to rep lace the dead battery yourse lf, pro­
ceed as follows:
• Pull the mechanical key out of the master
key
c::>page 31.
• Press the release button @ on the battery
holder and at the same time pull the battery
holder out of the master key in the direction
of the arrow.
• Insta ll the new battery CR 2032 with the
"+" sign facing down.
• Push the battery holder carefully into the
master key .
• Install the mechanical key.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to pollute the environment.
(D Tips
The replacement battery must be the
same specification as the origi nal.
Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer helps to prevent unauthor­
ized use of your vehicle.
A computer chip inside your key automatically
deactivates the electronic immobilizer when
the key is inside the vehicle. When you remove
the key from the vehicle, the electron ic immo­
bilizer is automatically activated once aga in .
.&, WARNING
-
A lways take the key with you when you
leave the vehicle. The key ca n disa rm the
e lectronic engine immobilizer and permit
an unauthorized person to start the engine
and enable operation of the vehicle sys­
tems such as power window or power sun-
roof leading to serious personal injury. .,

It is not possible to re-open the door for a
brief period direct ly after closing it. This al­
low s you to ensure that the doors are properly
l ocked.
It depends on the settings in the MMI wheth ­
er the entire vehicle is unlo cked or one of the
doors
¢page 33.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS c> ..&. in
General description on page
32.
@ Tips
-
If your vehicle has been standing for an ex­
tended period, please note the following:
- The proximity sensors are deactivated af-
ter a few days to save power. You then
have to pull on the door handle once to
unlock the veh icle and a second time to
open the veh icle.
- To prevent the battery from being dis­
charged and to preserve your vehicle's
ability to start for as long as possible,
the energy management system gradu­
al ly sw itches off unnecessary conven­
ience functions.
It is possible that you
will not be able to unlock your vehicle us­
ing these convenience functions.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions~
page 281.
Operating locks with the key
In the event of a failure of the power locking
system, the driver's door can be locked and
unlocked at the lock cylinder.
•
Fig. 21 Key turns for opening and clos ing.
Opening and closing 35
.. Remove the mechanical key Q page 31 .
.. Turn the mechanical key to position @
r::!) fig. 21 to unlock the driver's door .
.. Turn the key to position
@ to lock the d riv­
er's door
q ,&. .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS Q ..&. in
General description on page
32.
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
Fig. 22 Drive r's door: power locking switch
Fig. 23 Rear power locking switch
.. Press t he button [ml to lock the vehicle q ,&. .
.. Press the button Im to unlock the veh icle.
If you lock the vehicle using the power locking
switch, please note the following:
- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from the
outside (increased security, for ex­
ample when you are stopped at a red light).
- The diodes in the power locking switches il-
luminate when all the doors are closed and
locked.
- Front doors: you can unlock and open the
doors from the inside by pulling on the door
handle. ..,.