2012 AUDI S6 warning lights

120 Homelink®
Homelink®
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Home link® universal remote
control
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand-held transmitters
from existing equipment.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can operate equipment such as garage
doors, property gates and house lights from
ins ide your vehicle .
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can replace up to three separate hand­
held transmitters for equipment on your
property with just one universal remote con­
trol. Most of these transmitters are used to
ope rate ga rage doo rs and property gates. The
individual transmitters are programmed at
the front bumper. That is where the control
module is located.
The transmitters must be programmed first in
order to operate systems using the Homelink
universal remote control.
.&_ WARNING
-
-Never use the Homelink ® transmitter
with any garage door opener that does have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as requ ired by federal safety stand­
ards. This includes any garage door open­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signa ling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Using a garage door
opener witho ut these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the Homelink
® remote control is being pro­
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, this can overstrain motor and
damage its electr ical components - an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avoid possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certain that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(D Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink ® Universal Transceiver,
Homelink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories such as the
Homelink® Light ing Package, please
contact Homelink at 1-800 -355-3515 o r
on the Internet at www.homelink .com.
- For Declaration of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions¢
page 281.

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
Driving Safely 123
accident. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- safety belt pretensioners,
- safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
- safety belt height adjustment systems for the front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor­
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
Fo r your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly.
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and
afford good visibility to the outside.
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
I::!) page 59, I::!) page 56.
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir­
rors correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to the ir height. .,.. •
•

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts a re nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se­
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci­
de nts . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
imp aired perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating posit ions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot wea ring safety belts or wea ring the m
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
perso nal i njur y an d deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl ud ing s mall ch ild ren, into any belt . It is
e speci ally dangerous t o pl ac e a safety
bel t over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re peo ple ride in t he ve hicle
th an there are s afety be lts availab le.
Safety belts 13 3
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fe­
ty belt or child restra int.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig . 1 33 Safety belt warning lig ht in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, alway s:
~ Fasten your safety be lt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect children w it h a child restraint sys-
t em approp riate for the s ize and age .
The warning lig ht . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ig nit io n is on as a reminder
to fasten the safety belts. In add it ion, you will
hear a wa rning tone fo r a ce rtain per iod of
t im e.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belt s.
A WARNING
- Safety b elts are th e single most eff ect ive
mean s ava ilable to reduce the r is k o f se­
rio us inju ry and dea th in au tomobile a cci­
dents. Fo r you r protection and that of
your passe ngers, a lways correctly wear
safety belts when t he ve hicle is m oving . •
•

pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repa ir facility
for assistance.
t -r- fl Steering: System malfunction! You may
c ontinue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
@ Tips
If the . or t~fl indicator light only stays
on for a short time, you may continue driv­
ing .
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time. See also¢
page 189. Intelligent technology 193
T
he all -whee l dr ive concept is designed for
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerfu l and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions¢ ,&..
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even w ith
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels.
See also¢ page 250, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 251, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page ¢
page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un­ even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
¢page 197 .
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
•
•

Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"" Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
mum speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­ tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
g ine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"" Shut the engine off when you are not driv­
ing the vehicle.
"" Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
bu rned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 199
'
heating o r othe r damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"" Have your veh icle serviced at reg ular i nter-
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its sa fety and ability to
hold its value, it a lso affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach t ime you fill your tank .
The amount of o il used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven .
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(U) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss io n cont ro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, swit ches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to p rotec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
•
•

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 201
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 20 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
•
•

202 Trailer towing
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trai ler and t ire manufac ­
turers' specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
ve­
hicles.
.. Observe speed limits .
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at
very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent poss ible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi- ble,
transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re­
duce your speed
even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 11
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the d isplay turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢
page 16 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and ..,.

206 Cleaning and protec tio n
directly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings -they can freeze shut.
- Never use sponges designed to remove insects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products . They can damage
your paint finish.
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water.
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headl ight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel­
i ng your vehicle. Never clean the head­
li ghts w ith a dry cloth or sponge. Use a
wet cloth or sponge.
It is best to use
soapy wa ter.
@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the envi ronment, the ve­
hicle sho uld only be washed i n special
was h bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules.
.. Befo re using the power washer , make sure
yo u have read and understood the WARN­
INGS¢
A in General information on
page 204.
.. Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
.. Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray" .
.. Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls .
When cleaning the veh icle with a power wash­
er
always follow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
op erating
pr essure
a nd the s pray ing di stance . Keep a
d ista nce from soft materials such as rubber
hoses o r insulat ing ma ter ial as well as sensors
and camera lenses . Do not use a jet which sprays water in a
d
ir ect
stream
or one t hat has a rotating jet .
Water temper ature sho uld not ex ceed 140 °F
(60 °().
A WARNING ~ -
Neve r wash tires with a jet that sprays wa­
ter i n a direct stream. This could cause in ­
vis ib le damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a re lative ly
l ong distance and for a short time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal inj ury.
'
([) Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, a lways
make sure that there is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materia ls
like rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound­
deaden ing mater ials as w ell as sensors
and camera lenses. Neve r aim t he sp ray
head at the same point for a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headligh ts
and painted bumpers. Remembe r: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
materia l, the greater the stress on the ma ­
terial.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand br ush and remove
ice with a de- ic ing spray that does not con­
tain so lvents .
- Clea n the sensors (adaptive cruise control*,
pa rk ing system*) w ith a cleaning so lution
that does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth .
- The camera lens or the area in front of the
came ra le ns is no rmally cleaned by the
w indshie ld w ipers o r he adlig ht wipers (night
vision system *).
If the lens or the area is ex­
ceptionally di rty, clean the area wit h glass
cleaner and a soft, dry cloth .
(D Note
-If you was h your veh icle with a pres sure
washer,