2012 AUDI A6 charging

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 ..,

218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can bui ld up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel conta iners .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2 -86) .
d) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated noz zle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
(D Tips
-Running your engine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spi ll out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the ins ide .
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 167 Lug g ag e compar tmen t: o pe ning th e side tri m
Fig. 168 Rig ht s ide t rim p an el in t he luggage compart ­
ment : emer gen cy re lease mech anism
Opening the side trim
.. To r emove th e right side trim, first remove
the retainer from the mounts¢
fig. 167.
.. Turn both locking mechanisms 90° to the
left using a coin or a similar object and re-
move the locking mechanisms. ..,_

Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery .
Fig. 176 Eng ine compartment : connectors for a charg ­
er and jump sta rt cab les
A lwa ys re ad and heed all WARNING S below
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working on the battery on
page 231 .
.. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers .
.. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery .
.. Open the engine hood
c:> page 220 .
.. Open the red cove r on the posit ive pole
c:>fig. 176.
.. Connect the charger connectors accord ing
to the instructions to the
jump start b olts .
(Bolts under the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative").
.. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipmen t into the wall outlet and turn
it on
c:> 8_ .
.. Ma ke sur e t he charging rat e is not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Vol t.
.. When the batte ry is fully charged: Turn the
charging eq uipment off a nd remove the
ma ins lead from the wall outlet .
.. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
.. Close the hood
c:> page 2 21.
A discharged battery can free ze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it
c:> .&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat-
Checkin g and fillin g 233
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle cha rger ), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected f irst . The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not
necessary to disconnect the cables.
Fast ch arging the batte ry (charging rat e
a bove 14.8 Volt s)
For technica l reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dange rous .
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Cha rge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spar k. Do not smo ke. Hyd rogen gas
generated by the bat tery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger i s ope rat ing.
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dange rous and
should only be at tempted by a compe­
tent techn ician wi th the prope r equip­
ment .
- Ba ttery acid that may spi ll dur ing charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
tralize the ac id.

28 4 Index
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . 10 1, 106
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . 103, 109
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101, 107
Dynamic shift program . . . . . . . . 104, 110
Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 111
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 112
Kick-dow n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104, 109
M anual sh ift program . . . . . . . . . 105, 1 10
Selec to r l eve r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 , 108
Shift b uttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 1 11
Steer ing whee l w ith mu lti tronic ... .. . 105
Steering whee l with tiptronic ....... . 11 1
Automatic wipe rs ........... ... .. ... . 46
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Average consumption ....... .. .. .... .. 24
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle . ... ... ... . 197
B
Battery ..... .. . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 230
Charging .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 233
Important warnings . ... .. .. ... ... . 23 1
Jump starting .............. .. .... . 268
Locat ion . ............... .. .. .... . 231
low . .. .. .. ... .. ..... ... .... .. .. . 194
Replacing the battery ......... .. ... 234
State of charge ..... ...... .. .. .. .. . 194
W inter operation ......... .. .. .. .. . 230
Wo rking on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 231
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Blended gasoline .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 215
Blower (automatic climate cont rol) .. .. .. 67
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Body cav ity sealing ....... .. .. .. .. .. . 209
Booster seats .............. ... .. .. . 177
Brake fl uid
Changing the brake fl uid ... .. .. .... .
230
Check ing the brake fluid level . .. ..... 229
What is the correct brake flu id leve l? .. 229
What should I do if the brake fluid warn -
ing light comes on? ........ ..... .. .
229
Brake system
Anti-lock braking system ... .... .... ..
19
Brake ass ist system ....... .. .. .. .. . 189
Brake booster .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 192
Brake fl uid . ..... ......... ... .. ... 229
B rake fluid specifications fo r r efill and re -
placement . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. ..
230
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Brake pads .... .. ............. .... 196
Electromechanical parking brake . .... . 73
Fluid reservo ir . .. ................ . 229
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? ....... .. .. ........ ...... .
191
Warning/ind icator lights ...... .. .. .. . 14
Worn b rake pads symbo l ........ .. .. . 20
braking guard . .. .. .......... ...... .. 78
Messages ... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 85
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Break -in period .. .. ... .......... .. .. 196
Brake pads .... .. ............. .... 196
Tires ...... ... .. .. ... ........... . 196
Bulbs . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 267
C
Cali forn ia Proposition 65 Warn ing . .... 221
Battery specific . ... ... ..... ... .. .. 232
Capac,t,es ...... .. .. ... ........... . 276
Engine oil . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 2 22
Car care .... .... .. ............. .... 204
Exterior . .. .. ... ... ... .. ... ... .. .. 204
Interior ...... ... .. .............. . 210
Cargo area ...... .. ... .. .. ... .... . .. 129
Cargo ne t ... .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 61
Catalytic converter . ............. .. .. 197
Center armrest
Cockpit ... .... .. .. .... . ... ... .. .. .
51
Central lock ing .. .. ............. .. ... 32
E mergency loc king ............... .. . 36
Certification ...... ............... .. 281
Changing a wheel . ... ... ..... ... .. .. 258
Changi ng engine oil ................ . 226
Chassis (undercoat ing) ............. .. 209
Checking
Engine coolant level ..... .... ... .. ..
227
Tire pressure ..... ... .. ..... .... . .. 241
Child rest raints
Danger of using child rest rain ts in t he
fron t seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
144
Where can I get additional in format ion
about child restraints and their use? . .
186
Child rest raint system a nchors .. .. .. .. 182