2012 AUDI A6 oil additives

226 Check ing and filling
and ad versely a ffect yo ur New Vehicl e
W arr ant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network o r
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays rea d an d h eed all WARN­
INGS c::> .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220.
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during normal vehicle use .
Under some ci rcumstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe ­
riods .
Detergent addit ives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ n ing for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along w ith the special tools and necessary ex ­
pertise required , we strongly recommend that
you have your o il changed by an authorized
Audi de ale r or a qual ified servi ce station.
If y ou choo se to c hang e y our oi l y our self,
please note the followi ng important informa­
tion :
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmfu l to your sk in. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
with soap and wate r.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
g ine and adversely affect you r A ud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive G12++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 °F ( -3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant additive with
other additives (G12+ or G12). Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 220.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checking and filling 22 7
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle. This coolant additive is availa­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of antifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection. The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool­
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
M AX f
MINf
Fig.174 Engine compar tment: markings on the coo l­
an t expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&, in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220 .
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Switch off the ignition.
"' Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank~
fig. 174. With a

Engine oi l ... .. .... ..... .. .. .. .. ... 222
Adding .... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 225
Addit ives ... .... ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 225
Changing .. ............. .... .. ... 226
Checking the eng ine o il level .. .. .. .. . 225
Indications and cond it ions requ iring ex -
tra check ing ..... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 225
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
O il consumption .......... .. .. .. .. . 224
O il gr ad es .. ............. .... .. ... 22 2
O il level symbol ....... ... .. .. .. .... 21
P ressu re mal function ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Recommended oil check intervals .. .. . 225
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscos ity .. .. .. .. .. . 222
E ng ine speed limi tat ion .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 21
E ng ine start system (ind icator l ights) .. .. 18
Environment Break- in period ........... .... .. ... 196
Catalytic converter ........ .. .. .. .. . 197
Disposing of your vehicle batte ry .. .. . 234
Driving at h igh speeds ........ .... .. 199
Driving to m inim ize pollution and no ise 198
F ue l ..... .. ................. .. ... 2 17
Fu el economy ............ .... .. .. . 198
L eaks under your ve hicle ... .. .. .. .. . 220
L ett ing the ve hicle stand and wa rm up. 199
Prope r disposal of drained brake fluid . 230
Prope r disposal of dra ined engine coo l-
ant ..... .. ................. .. ... 228
Proper disposal of drained engine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225, 226
Recycling used engine o il . ..... .... .. 225
Un leaded f uel ......... ...... .... .. 215
Wha t should I do wi th an old batte ry? . 234
ESP (Electronic s tabilization program)
War ning/ indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. .. 19
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ... .. .. .. .. . 189
E xhaust tail p ipes .... ...... .... .. .. . 210
Expansion tank ............ .... .. .. . 227
E xterior lighting . ... .... ... .. .. .... .. 41
E xterior mirrors
Ad justing ............ .... ... ... ... 48
D imming . .. ............. .... .. .... 48
H eating .. .. .. ........... .. .. .. .... 48
Exterior temperature d isplay ..... ... ... 23
Inde x 287
F
Fastening
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Convertib le child safety seats . ... .. .. 175
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Fl oor ma ts .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 1 28
Foot peda ls .... ... .. ..... .......... 128
Fo r th e sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and the env ironment . . 217
Red ucing engine noise by early upshift -
ing ....... .. .. .. ................. . 11
Refueling . .. .. .... .. ........ ..... 217
Sav ing fuel by early upsh ifting ...... .. 11
Fo ur-zone automatic climate control ... . 66
Fron t air bags
D es cription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
How they wor k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Frontal coll is io ns and the laws of p hys ics 134
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Adjusting . .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 125
Child restraints in the front seat ...... 144
Fuel Additives . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 215
B lended gaso line ..... ............. 215
C u rre nt consumption ........... .. .. . 24
Economy messages (effic iency program) 25
Fuel fil le r flap emergency re lease . .... 218
Fuel fi ller nec k ... .. .. .. ...... .... . 216
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Gasoline .. .. .. .. ... ............ .. 215
Gasoline ad di tives .... ........... .. 216
L ow fue l level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Octane rat ing . ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 215
Recommendation ... . .. .. ... ... .. .. 215
Ref uel ling ... .. ...... ............. 217
Reserve ... .. .. .. ... ............ .. . 12
Tank capac ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 276
Fuses Ass ignment ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 264
Rep lacing . .. .. .. ................. 264
G
Ga rage door opener (Homelink ®) . ... .. 120
Ga rment hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Gas discharge lamps ............. .... 267
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