2012 AUDI S6 instrument cluster

42 Clear vision
visibility conditions. For example, fog cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights
io
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists . Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead and so that others can see your car from
the back.
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
@ Tips
-In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display~
page 22.
- You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described .
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situation.
Fig. 33 Center console : emerge ncy flasher switch
• Press the switch~~ fig. 33 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn signal
indicato r lights ¢ Q in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
fl asher switch ~ blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flashers also work when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed .
(D Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
- your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.
· Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
• Select: I CAR I function button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings> Exterior
lighting.
Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following settings in the
Automatic headlights menu :
Headlights activation time -You can adjust if
the headlights switch on
Early , Med. or Late
according to the sensitivity of the light sensor .
Audi adaptive light* -You can switch adaptive
light
On and Off .
Daytime running lights
USA models:
You can switch the daytime run­
ning lights
on and off.
Canada models:
The function cannot be
turned off.
It is activated automatically each
time the ignition is switched on. This menu
item is shown "greyed out".

Coming home , Leav ing home
The coming home function il luminates the
area outside the vehicle when you switch the
ignition off and open the driver 's door . To turn
the function on, select
Light s when le aving
c a r > On .
The leav ing home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when yo u un lock the
veh icle . To turn the function on, select
Li gh ts
when unloc kin g ca r> On.
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light
switch is in the
AUTO pos ition.
Turn signals and high beam lever
The lever on the le~ side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er .
Fig. 3 4 Tu rn signal a nd h igh beam lever
The turn s ignal and high beam lever has the
followi ng functions:
Tu rn sign als ¢ ¢ @@
.. Push the lever up as far as it can go to turn
on the r ight turn signal or down to turn on
the left turn sig nal
c:::;, fig . 34 .
.. Move the lever b riefly until you meet resist­
ance and release it to flash three times .
.. Move the lever (up or down) unti l you mee t
resistance and ho ld it there to dete rmine
the f las hing t ime for the turn signals.
High beam [D @
.. Push the lever forward to switch on the high
beam.
Clear vi sion 43
.. Pull the lever back towards you to switch off
the high beam.
Headlight fla sher [D ©
.. Pull the lever towa rd the stee ring wheel to
use the headlight flasher.
Note s on these features
- The turn signals on ly work with the ignition
sw itched on . The indicator lights
f,j or II in
the inst rument cluster~
page 12 also blink.
- After you have turned a corner, the turn s ig -
nal switches off automatically .
- The
high beam works only when the head ­
lights are on . The indicator light
Ill in the
instrument cluster illuminates when the
h igh beams are on.
- The
headlight flasher works only as long as
you hold the lever -even if the re a re no
lights turned on. The indicator light
Ill in
the inst rument cluster i lluminates whe n you
use the headlight flasher.
(D Note
Do no t use the high beam or headligh t
flasher if yo u know that these could blind
oncoming traffic.

68 Warm and cold
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating e lements
in the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat .
Setup
Applies to vehicles: with four-zone a utomat ic climate con·
trol
The climate control system setup is accessed
through the MMI .
.,. Se lect : ICARI funct ion button> Car sy stem s
control b utton > AC .
Rear cabin settings*
When th is fu nction is selected, all sett ings for
the rear can be adjusted through the climate
control sys tem in the cockpit. The cl imate
con trol sys tem se tt ings cannot be adjusted in
the rea r seat a t the same time. This func tion
switches
off after a certain period of time or
when one of the dials in the cockpit is press­
ed .
Auto recirculation*
The sensit ivity level of the au tomatic rec ircu­
lation mode can be set at vario us leve ls from
off to sensit ive. The recirculation mode is con ­
trolled a utomat ica lly. You must p ress the ~
button if fog forms on the windows.
Footwell temperature
You can adju st the footwell temperat ure so
that it is cooler or wa rme r.
AC mode
The strength of the airflow can be adjusted to
light, med ium or strong.
Steering wheel heating
Applies to vehicles: wit h heated stee rin g wheel
The steering wheel rim can be heated .
Fig. 6 9 Stee ring colu mn: steeri ng wheel hea tin g but ·
ton
.,. Press th e ~ button to switch steering whee l
heati ng on/off . The message
Steering wheel
heating on !/Steering wheel heating off !
appears in the instrument cluster d isplay.
T he temperat ure is maintained at a constant
level when steering wheel heating is switched
on.
T he steering wheel heating se tt ings are stor ­
ed automat ica lly and assigned to the remote
control key that is in use .

Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake.
Fig. 74 Center conso le: Park ing brake
.. Pull on the switch<®> Q fig. 74 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator light in the
switch illuminates.
.. Step on the brake pedal or the accelerator
pedal and press the switch
(®) at the same
t ime to release the parking brake. The indi­
cator light in the switch goes out.
Your vehicle is equipped with an electrome ­
chan ical park ing brake . The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intent ionally and rep laces the hand brake.
In addition to the normal functions of a tradi ­
tional hand brake, the electromechan ical
parking brake provides var ious convenience
and safety functions.
When starting from rest
-The integral starting assist helps you when
driving by automat ically releasing the park­
ing brake ¢
page 74, Starting from rest.
-When starting on inclines, the starting as ­
sist prevents the vehicle from unintentional­
ly rolling back . The braking force of the
parking brake is not released until suff icient
driv ing force has been built up at the
wheels.
On the road 73
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the vehicle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail ¢
page 75, Emergency braking.
Indicator lights
-If the parking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched on the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch.
- If the parking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched off the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch
for about 20 seconds.
A WARNING
Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if the veh icle is stationary but the
engine is running and a gear is selected .
Otherwise the vehicle w ill start to move
immediately and could result in a crash.
(D Note
If the symbol . in the display or the indi­
cator light
1111 (USA models)/ . (Cana­
da models) in the instrument cluster flash­
es, there is a malf unction in the brake sys­
tem. Please refer to the deta iled desc rip­
tion of the indicat or lights¢
page 14.
-If the ind icator light - (USA mod-
els)/ . (Canada models) or
I.I turns
on, there may be a ma lfunction in the
parking brake
Q page 16.
(0 Tips
-Yo u can apply the parking brake at any
time -even with the ignition switched
off. The ignition must be on in order to
release the parking brake.
- Occasional noises when the parking
brake is applied and released are normal
and are not a cause for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at
regu lar intervals. Any associated noises
are normal.

76 On the road
Cruise control
Switching on
Applies to vehicles: wit h crui se contro l
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph
(30 km/h).
0
f
~
0
Fig. 75 Control lever with set b utto n
Fig. 76 Display: Selected speed
• Pull the lever to position @~ fig. 75 to
switch the system on.
• Drive at the speed you wish to set.
• Press button @to set that speed.
The stored speed and the indicator light
18;\0~1~ (US models)/ . (Canadian models) ap ­
pear in the instrument cluster display
~ fig. 76. The display may vary, depending on
the type of display in your vehicle . T he indica­
tor light
ll in the instrument cluster also illu­
minates.
This information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up Display* .
The speed is kept constant via an engine out­
put adjustment or active brake intervention.
A WARNING
-- Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on. You are always responsible for your speed and
the distance between your vehicle and
other veh icles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise contro l
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic , on twisting roads and
when road condit ions are poor (such as
ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
p laning) - risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily
when entering turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cruise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched
off. The other cruise control functions re­
main active as long as the indicator light
mmJI (US models)/ . (Canadian mod­
els) is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the
brakes decelerate automatically .
Changing speed
Applies to vehicles: w ith cruise co ntrol
• Press lever in the 0 or 0 direct ion
~ page 76, fig. 75 to increase or decrease
your speed .
• Release the lever to save that speed.
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by lightly pressing the lever . If you keep the
lever pressed down, you will alter your speed
in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g . if you want to .,..

82 Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
@ Tips
-If adaptive cruise contro l is active and
your vehicle does not start dr iving as ex­
pected after pulling the lever once, you
can start out aga in by tapp ing the accel­
erator pedal.
- If an obstacle is detected when your ve­
hicle starts dr iv ing, the system w ill
prompt you to take over
c> page 82.
Your vehicle w ill dr ive more slowly when
starting. This may a lso happen in some
situations when there no obstacle is ap­
parent.
Interrupting cruise control
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
Requirement: adaptive cruise control must be
switched on.
Overriding cruise control
., To accelerate manually, pull the lever to­
ward you into position @~
page 80, fig. 81
and hold it there. The message ACC override
appears . Or
.. press the accelerator peda l.
.. To resume cruise control, release the lever
or take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Canceling cruise control while driving
.. Move the lever into position @. The mes­
sage
ACC standby appears. Or
.. press the brake peda l.
.. To resume the stored speed, move the lever
into position @.
Canceling cruise control when stopped
.. Push the lever away from you into position
· @ . The message
ACC standby appears .
.. To resume cruise control, press the brake
pedal and pull the lever toward you into po­
sition @.
A WARNING
Improper use of the adaptive cruise con­
trol can cause collisions, othe r acc idents
and serious personal injuries. -
Never resume t he stored speed if the
speed is too high for prevailing road,
traffic or weather conditions.
Prompt for driver intervention
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
Fig. 83 Instrument cluster: requ est for driv er interve n·
tion
In certa in situations, the system will prompt
you to take action . For example, braking by
the adaptive cruise control system is not enough to mainta in enough distance to the
vehicle ahead.
The indicator light
I and the symbol in the
display will warn you about the situation
~ fig. 83. You wi ll also hear an acoustic signal.
- Press the brake pedal to slow your vehicle
down.
Changing the speed
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
0
f
jJ
0
Fig. 84 Operating lever: changing the speed
.. To increase or reduce the speed in incre­
ments,
tap the lever up or down.
.. To increase or reduce the speed qu ickly,
hold the lever up or down until the red LED ..,.

Adaptive cruise control and braking guard 83
@ reaches the desired speed ¢ page 80,
fig . 82.
Setting the distance and driving
program
App lies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
Fig. 85 Opera tin g le ve r: se tt ing th e distanc e
The distance at wh ich the adaptive cruise con ­
trol fo llows a vehicle in front is determined by
time intervals. A time interval to a vehicle in
front is estab lished and maintained. This pro­
duces a speed-dependent interval. The higher
the speed, the greater the safety interval in
yards (meters) ¢&, .
Setting the distance
.. Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance¢
fig. 85 .
.. To increase or reduce the distance by incre­
ments , tap the switch again to the left or
right . The distance between the two vehicles
will change in the instrument cluster dis­
play.
Setting the driving program
.. Select in the MMI: !CAR I function button>
Car Systems control button > Driver assist >
adaptive cruise control > Driving program .
Setting the distance
When approaching a moving vehicle up ahead,
the adaptive cruise control system automati­
cally brakes to match that object's speed and
then maintains the stored distance . When this
happens , the actual distance may briefly be
less than the stored distance. If the vehicle
ahead accelerates, adaptive cruise control will
also accelerate up to the stored speed. The
higher the speed , the greater the d istance
in yards (meters) ¢&,. .The
Distance 3 setting
is recommended.
The distances provided are specified values .
Depending on the driving situation and the
how the vehicle ahead is driving, the actual
distance may be more or less than these tar­
get distances .
c=::,_c=::, ___ Distance 1: This setting corre -
sponds to a distance of 92 feet/28 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 1 second .
c=::, __ c=::, __ Distance 2: This setting corre­
sponds to a distance of 118 feet/36 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 1.3 seconds.
c=::, ___ c=::,_ Distance 3: This setting corre-
sponds to a distance of 164 feet/SO meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 1.8 seconds.
c=::, ____ c=::, Distance 4: This setting corre-
sponds to a distance of 210 feet/64 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 2.3 seconds .
Setting the driving program
You can select Dynamic , Standard or Comfort
driving programs. Depending on the selected
driving program and distance, driving behav ­
ior when accelerating wi ll vary from dynamic
to comfortable.
A WARNING
Following other vehicles too closely in­
creases the risk of collis ions and ser ious
personal injury .
- Setting short distances to the traffic
ahead reduces the time and distance
availab le to bring your vehicle to a safe
stop and makes it even more necessary
to pay close attention to traffic.
-
- Always obey applicable traffic laws, use
good judgment, and select a safe follow­
ing distance for the traffic, road and
weather conditions.

right of your travel lane, depending on wheth ­
er you driv e in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge .
I f yo u drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de ­
tection area may a lso include other lanes -es ­
pecia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane¢
fig. 95. Under these condit ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could sw itch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
sig nals .
When driving in very w ide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be­
cause they are not inside the detection area .
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist turns off automatically, the indi­
cator light on the button wi ll go out and you
will see a message in the instrument cl uster
d isplay:
Aud i side a ssist : not availab le. s en sors
blocked
T he side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and right (not visible on
the outside) ¢
page 87, fig. 87. To ensure that
you do not adversely affect the way side assist functions, foreign objects (such as stickers o r
b icycle racks) shou ld not be attached to the
a rea on the rear bumper where the sensors
a re loca ted.
If side ass ist func tions a re ad­
versely affected, yo u will see this message in
the instrument cluster display. Remove any­
thing that may be blocking the sensors .
If no vehicle is detected for a longer period of
time while driving, side assis t will a lso switch
off a utomatica lly.
Audi side as sist currently not available
If there is a tempora ry problem (such as the
veh icle's battery charge being low), s ide ass ist
cannot be activated tempo rarily.
Audi side a ssis t 93
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the system checked by an author ized Au­
di dealer or qualified workshop .
Audi side assist: not available when
to wing
T he radar sensor's view is limited when tow ­
ing a trai ler . F or vehicles with a facto ry instal ­
led towing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to factory specifica­
tions, side assist is automatically deactivated
a s soon as the electrical connection to the
trailer 's electrical socket is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus ­
ter display . Deactivation cannot be guaran­
teed when using a ret rofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed acco rd ing to facto ry
spe cifica tions.
Safety tips
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
T he side assist detection may be limited when
driving around narrow street corners, on hi lly
streets, and under poor weather conditions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may a lso
detect other objects, s uch as high or stag ­
gered guardrails .
S ide assist does not measure act ual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane width.
Detection in the left and right lanes is based
on this ass umed lane width . When driving on
narrow roads or when driving to the left or
right of the center of a travel lane, it is poss i­
ble that vehicles will be detected that are
not
in the lane next to the lane you are using .
A WARNING
-Improper reliance on the side assist sys­
tem can cause coll is ions and serio us pe r­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on side assist when
changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un-
der all conditions- danger of accident!
~