2012 AUDI A6 service interval

26 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Odometer
Fig . 10 In str ument cl uster: Odomete r an d reset but­
ton
The odometer shows yo u how many mile s
(kilome ters) yo u have driven. You c an switch
the disp lay from mi les to kilome ters and vice
ve rsa via the M MI.
Upper odometer
Th e trip odom eter shows the d istance d riven
si nce i t was last rese t.
It can be used to meas ­
u re shor t distances. The l ast d igit in di cates
1/1 0 of a m ile ( 100 mete rs) .
You can reset th e trip o dom eter to ze ro by
p re ss ing the Reset button~-
Lower odometer
The lower odometer shows the total numbe r
of m iles (k ilometers) d rive n.
Malfunction message
If t here is a ma lfunction in the instrument
cluster ,
DEF will appear in the trip odometer
d isplay area. Contact your authorized Audi
deale r to have the p roblem corrected.
Time and date display
F ig. 11 I n str ume nt cluster : cloc k an d date
You can set the time and t he date disp lay in
the MMI. Refer to the M MI owne r's manual
f or instructions.
When yo u open the driver's door, the date and
time appea r in the inst rument cluster disp lay
for 30 seconds .
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fig . 12 Instrume nt c lu ste r: Se rvice inte rval disp lay
The schedule for the next o il change or inspec­
tion is ca lculated automatically and disp layed
accord ingly . Th e d isp lay works in two stages:
Service reminder
30 days be fore the next service is d ue, a serv ­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
switch the ign ition on
¢ fig. 12.
After about 5 seconds the display switches
back to norma l. The distance and time re­
mai ning are updated each t ime the ignit io n is
switched on until the date due for service is
r eached.
Service due
When the due date for se rvice is reached, the
message
Service due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immed iate ly after yo u sw itch the
ignition o n. Add it iona lly, a warning tone
sounds . After about 5 seconds the disp lay
switches bac k to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the MMI display by selecting
t h e service interval d isplay in the car menu.
II>

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 2 7
Select the I CAR I func tion button > Car sy s­
tems
co ntrol button > Servicing & check s >
Service inte rval displays . In new vehicles, the
schedu le can only be called up after approx i­
mate ly S00 km.
Resetting the ser vice interval d isplay
Your authorized A udi dealer wi ll rese t the cor ­
respo nding service schedule after performing
the appropriate service on yo ur vehicle. You
also have the possibility to reset the oil
change schedule after having performed an
oil change accord ing to Audi specifications.
Select the
I CAR ! function b utton > Car sys­
tem s
control button > Servicing & checks >
Servic e int erval display s> Reset oil change
interval.
(D Note
If you disconnect the bat tery t ermina ls, no
calc ulatio ns can be made for the servi ce
interv al displ ay d uring this time and no
service remi nder w ill appear. Remembe r
that obse rving the prope r se rv ice intervals
is vita lly impo rtant to extend ing the life of
y o ur veh icle, part icu larly the eng ine, and
maintaining its va lue . Even if th e mileage
driven is low, the maximum period of one
yea r from one se rvice to the next must not
be excee ded.
@ Tips
- Do not reset t he display between o il
changes, o therw ise the display will be i n­
cor re ct.
- The informati on in the Service Reminder
r ema ins sto red even when the vehicle
batte ry is disco nnecte d.
Head-up Display
Applies to vehicles: with Head-up Disp lay
Fi g. 13 Exampl e: indica tors in th e Head -up D isp lay
Fi g. 14 In strument pa nel: k nob for the Head-up Dis­
play
T he Head- up D isplay projects certain warnings
o r se le cted information from the ass istance
systems* o r naviga tion * on t he windshie ld.
T he disp lay appea rs within t he dr ive r's fie ld o f
vision .
Switching on/off
1-Press t he knob~ to switch the Head-up
Displ ay on/off ¢
fig. 1 4.
Adjusting the height
The height of the dis p lay can be adjusted to
the individual drive r.
.. Make s ure you are seated correctly
¢page
124 .
.. Turn the knob~ to adjust the display.
Settings in the MMI
.. Se lect: I CAR I function button > Car systems
cont ro l butto n > Driver assistance > Head·
up D isplay
> Head -up Display content or
Display br ightness . ..,.

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.

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.

Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 180 Tire tread: tread wea r ind ica tors (TWI)
Fi g. 18 1 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 in ch (1.6 mm) high "wear ind icators"
M ....
9 <.7
~
c::> fig . 180 run ning across the tread. Depend ­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire . Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tir e pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premat ure wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 241.
Dri ving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear. Tires and wheels 245
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your ve
hicl e to have the
same service life, we recomme nd that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota­
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all -wheel d rive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 181.
-Extra care must be taken when rotat ing di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 263 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Inco rrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impair ing the safety of the vehi­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-whe el drive
Vehicles wi th quattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
c::> page 193.

2 78 Consumer Information
Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
You r Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regu lations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A . and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lowe r octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement pa rts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
(D Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and Lit­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erature are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
s afety, economy and rel iability. For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
i n very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
should be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technical
liJJ,

29 2 Index
Seats (number) .... ..... ... .. .. .... . 133
Selective unlock fea ture ...... ... .. .... 33
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102, 108
Eme rgency release . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 112
Service and disposal
Safety belt p retens ioner ... .. .. .. .. .
140
Service interval d isplay ....... .... ..... 26
Shift but tons..... .. ... .... .. .. 105, 111
Side airbags
Description .... ......... ... .. .... .
162
How they work ... ......... ... .... . 163
Side assist
Activating and deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C leaning sensors .. ..... .. .. .. .. .. .
206
Description ............... ... .... .. 87
Informational and alert stage signals ..
89
M essages in instrument cluster disp lay . 93
MMI settings ............ .. .. .. .. .. 92
Opera tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Safety t ips ........... .... ... .. ....
93
Sensor detection area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Side curtain airbags ....... ... .. .... .
165
Description ... ...... ..... .... .. .. . 165
H ow they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Safety instructions . ....... .. .. .. .. . 166
Side marker lights . ..... ... .. .. .... .. 41
Ski sack . .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 61
Sliding/tilting sunroof
Emergency closing .......... .. .. .. ..
40
Opening and clos ing ....... ... .. .. .. 39
Snow chains .... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 251
Socket .. .. .. .. . ... ... .... .. .. .. .. .. 55
Sources of information about ch ild re-
straints and their use ....... .. .. .. .. .
186
Space-saving spare tire . ... .. .. .. .... . 257
Spare tire .. .. ................ ... ... 257
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26
Speed rating letter code ..... .... .... . 24 7
Speed warn ing system .......... .. .... 75
Star button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
S TART ENG IN E STOP button . .... .... .. 70
Starting from res t ............ .. .. .. .. 74
Starting off with a trai ler . ... .. ... ... .. 74
Starting the eng ine ..... .... ... .. .. ..
70
Stee ring
E lectrica lly adjustable steering wheel
69
Manua lly adjustable steering wheel ... . 69
also refer to E lectro-mechan ica l power
ass ist .... .... .. ............. ....
193
Steering wheel
Easy entry feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
70
Indicator light ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 18
Steering wheel heat ing ..... .... .. .. . 68
Stee ring wheel column
Adjusting electrically . .. ..... ... .. .. .
69
Adjusting manua lly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Steps for determin ing cor rect load limit . 244
Stopping the eng ine ............. .... . 72
Storage . ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .
55
Su nroof ...... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 39
Sun shade
Rear window . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 45
S ide doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Sun visors . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 45
Symbols
refer to Warn ing/ indicato r lights . .. .. . 12
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 23
Technical modifications .. ..... ... .. .. 281
Tempera ture display ............. .... . 23
Tether anchors .. .. ............. .... 185
T ether strap . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 185
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and after-
wards .. .... .... .. ............. ....
196
Three- zone climate contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
r d 1e- owns . ..... .. ... .. ..... .. . 61,130
T ips for the environment
Sav ing fuel ...... ................ ..
58
tiptron ic ... .... .. ............. .... 106
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .... .. .. .. 109
Driving ..... .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .. 107
Dynam ic shift program .......... ... 110
Emergency mode . ................ . 111
Kick-down . .. .. .. ... ...... .... .... 109
Manu al shift program ........ .. .. .. 110
Se lector lever . ... .. .... .... ... .. .. 108
r ire pressure ...... .. .............. . 241