2012 AUDI S6 engine

110 Autom atic Tran smi ssi on
Dynamic shift program (DSP)
Appli es to vehicles: with tiptronic
The automatic transmission is electronically
controlled .
The transmission is self adapting and will au­
t oma tically
select the best shift program suit­
ed to the driving conditions and driving style .
The transmission will se lect one of the
econo ­
my programs when you drive at a steady
speed or a gradually changing speed without
heavy acceleration . This achieves optimum
fuel efficiency, with early upsh ifting and de­
layed downshifting.
The transmission will automatically select the
s po rty shift programs when you drive at high­
er speeds, or w ith heavy acceleration and fre­
quent ly changing speeds. Upshifts are de layed
to make f ull use of eng ine power. Downsh ift­
i ng takes p lace at higher engine speeds than
in the economy programs.
The se lection of the most suitable shift p ro­
gram is a cont inuous, automati c process. The
driver can also make the t ransmission switch
to a sporty prog ram by
quic kly pressing down
the gas pedal.
This causes the transmission to shift down to
a lower gear to achieve rap id acceleration, e.g.
for qu ickly passing another veh icle. You do not
need to press the gas peda l into the kick-down
range. After the transmission has upshifted,
the original program is selected according to
your driving style.
An additional shift program allows the auto­matic transmission to select the proper gear
for uphill and downhill gradients.
This keeps the transmission from shifting up
a nd down unnecessari ly on hills. The trans­
mission will shift down to a lower gear when
the driver presses the brake pedal on a down­
h ill gradient. This makes use of the braking ef­
fect of the eng ine without the need to shift
down manually .
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: wit h tiptronic
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears .
Fig . 115 Center conso le: sh ift ing the t iptron ic ma nual ­
l y
Fig . 1 16 D isp lay: manual sh ift prog ra m , se lected gear
hi ghlighted
Switching to manual shift program
.,. Push the selector lever to the rig ht from D/
5 . As soon as the transmission has sw itched
over, the se lected gear appears in the dis­
p lay.
To u pshift
.,. Push the selector lever forward to the plus
position
0 ¢ fig .. 115 .
To down shift
.,. Push the lever to the minus pos ition 0 -
When accelerating, the transmission will au­
tomatica lly shift into the next gear before the
engine reaches its maximum RPM.
If you apply a light throttle whe n accelerat-
ing, tiptronic wi ll automatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a heavy
throttle, the transmission wi ll stay in 1st gear .,.

until near maximum RPM is reached, or until
the driver shifts into 2nd gear.
I f yo u take your foot off the accelerator pedal
when dr iving down a steep incline, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and engine RPM. Auto ­
matic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the throttle again.
@ Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmission will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- tiptron ic is inoperative when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Steering wheel with tiptronic
Applies to vehicles: with tiptro nic steer ing wheel
The shift buttons on the steering wheel allow
the driver to shift gears manually.
Fig. 117 Steering wheel: Sh ift buttons
• To downshift, touch the button on the left
0-
• To upsh ift, touch the button on the right
0-
The shift buttons are activated when the se­
lector lever is in
D/S or in the manual shift
program (tiptronic).
Automatic Transmission 111
Of course, you can continue to use the manual
shift program with the selector lever on the
center console.
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles : wit h tipt ro ni c
[O] Transmission : please press the brake ped ­
al and select the position again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then
continue driving.
[O] Transmis sion hot: please modify driving
style
T he tran smission temperature has increased
s ig nificantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Dr ive in a less sporty manner until the tem ­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving
T here is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may cont inue driving. Drive to your
a uthor ized Audi dea le r or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Transmission malfunction: Limited driv­
ing functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion. The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer­
tain gears or will no longer shift at all. The en­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: Stop and shift
to P
Do not continue dr iving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehicle to an
IJll>

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.

134 Safety belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
Fig. 134 Unbe lted occupants in a vehicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 135 Th e vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this veh icle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 134, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 135.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or
more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was t ravell ing just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col­
lisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 136 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown fo rwa rd
Fig . 137 A rear passe nge r not wearing a safety belt
will fly forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of i mpac t by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained
ll-

occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 136. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers
c::> fig. 137. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 138 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts 135
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also su bsta ntia l­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic stabilization
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects
Intelligent technology 189
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
lf.1 in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficu lt driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffi<; and weather conditions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .
•
•

190 Intelligent technology
ESP includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys ­
tem, anti-slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
f erential lock ( ED L) and e lectronic interax le
d ifferential lock* . ESP is switched on all the
time . In certain situat ions when you need less
traction , you can switch off ASR by pressing
the button
I!] c:;, page 191 , fig. 164 . Be sure
to switch ASR on again whe n you no longe r
need less tra ct ion.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even du ring hard b rak ing . Apply steady p res­
sure to the brake pedal. Do no t pu mp the ped­
a l. A puls ing in the b ra ke ped al ind icates that
the system is he lp ing you to b rake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d ista nce. It increases braking power w hen the
d river p resses the brake pedal quic kly in eme r­
gen cy situa tions. You mus t press and hold the
b rake peda l until the si tuation is over. In veh i­
cles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake
assist system is more sensitive if the distance
detected to the vehicle ahead is too smal l.
Anti-slip r egulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the d rive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerat e and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the o ther d rive
wheel or whee ls i f th e vehi cle is equipped with
a ll-whee l drive *. This function is available up
to about 7S mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Electronic interaxle differential lock */
selective wheel torque control*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
whee l drive) or the se lective whee l torque
control (all-wheel dr ive) operates when d riv­
ing t hrough curves . The front wheel on the in­
s ide of the curve or both whee ls on the inside
of the curve a re b raked select ively as needed .
T his m inimizes sliding in th e front wheels and
allows for mo re p reci se d rivi ng throug h
c ur ves . The appl icable system may not acti­
vate when dr iving in we t or snowy conditions.
_& WARNING ~
- ESP , ABS, AS R, E DL and the e lectronic in­
terax le d iffe rential lock function* cannot
overcome the laws of physics . This is es­
pecially important on slippery or wet
roads. If the systems begin acti ng to sta­
b ili ze your ve hicle , you s hould immed i­
ately c hange yo ur speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
t he incre ased safety provide d by the se
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will increase the r is k of a loss of vehi­
cle control, collision and serious persona l
in jur ies.
-Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and weather conditions . The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and o n slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . ESP, ABS, the brake ass ist system,
E DL, ASR and the e lectronic interax le dif­
fe ren tial lo ck fu nction * can not prevent
coll is ions.
- Always ac celerate with spe cial care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as tho se th at
ar e we t or covered with i ce and snow.
The drive wheels can spin eve n with
these assistance systems t hat cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve -
hicle control. ..,.

@ Tips
-ABS and AS R on ly wor k co rrectly when
a ll fo ur wheels are eq uipped w ith identi­
ca l tires . Different tire s izes can lead to a
r educt io n in eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the sys tems
desc ribed are working.
- If the indicato r light
D] or m (USA
models) ;£1 (Canada models) appea rs,
there may be a malfunctio n ¢
page 19 ,
¢ pag e 19.
Switching on and off
ESP turns on automatically when you start
the engine .
Fig. 1 64 Center co nsole wit h ESP OFF button
Switching sport mode on
Press th e I,$ OF F I button ¢ fig. 164. The ac­
tions tak en by the ES P syst em to stabili ze th e
ve hicl e are lim ited. In ve hicl es w it h fro nt
wheel drive, the an ti-s lip reg ulat ion (ASR) is
limited . In vehicles wi th a ll-wheel d rive, t he
AS R is switc hed off. The
I ES P i ndicator lig ht
turns on and the message
Caution! Reduced
tract ion ¢.&
appears in the driver informa ­
tion system d isplay.
The fo llow ing examples a re u nusua l situa­
tions where it may make sense to switc h sport
mode on in order to a llow the whee ls to spin:
- Rocking the vehi cle back and forth when it is
stuck
- D rivin g in d eep snow or on loose groun d
- D riving wi th s now cha ins
Intelligent technology 191
Switching sport mode off
Press the In OF FI but ton ag ain. T he ltJ in dica ­
tor lig ht tur ns off an d the message
Stability
program on
appears in t he d river info rmation
system display .
&_ WARNING
-- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
contro l of t he ve hicle more eas ily w hen
ASR and ESP are in sport mode, especial­
ly whe n th e road is slippery.
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving sk ills, traff ic and weat her co ndi­
tions perm it.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise control* is w orki ng.
Braking
General information
Wha t affe cts bra king effici ency?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles a re still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­ i ng co nd it io ns and driving habits ¢,& . On ve­
hi cles that a re e it h er dr iven most ly in stop­
and-go city t raff ic or are dr iven hard, the
br ake pa ds should be check ed by yo ur au thor­
iz ed Audi dea ler m ore often th an spec ified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have yo ur brake pads ins pected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On stee p slopes, you sho uld use the br aking
e ff ect o f the engine. This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on t he brake system. If you
must use your bra kes, do not hold the brakes
down cont in uous ly. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Moisture or road salt
U nder certa in conditions, for exam ple, when
driving th roug h water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your veh icle , the b raking
effect can be reduced due to m oist ure (or in ..,.