2013 AUDI A6 warning

216 Cleaning and protec tio n
8_ WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information <=>
page 208.
(D Tips
Open Velcro fasteners on your clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas . For pers istent dirt
use an Audi approved
so lve nt-fr ee plastic
cleane r/protectant.
8_ WARNING
So lvents can change the propert ies of
some plastics and make it harder for the
airbag to dep loy.
-
- Never clean the instr ument pane l or the
surface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents.
- Products containing solvents will make the surface of th is part porous.
- Serious injur ies can result if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information <=>
page 208 .
(J;) Note
Clean ing agents containing solvents will
attac k the mater ial a nd can change the
way it behaves.
Trim and molding
Trim and mo lding in the vehicle interior can
be cleaned w ith a dry microfiber cloth. To pre­
vent scratches, do not use any cleaning solu­
tions.
Natural leather
Applies to vehicles: wit h natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of interior leather.
General
We offer many d ifferent types of leather on
our vehicles. Most are d ifferent types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various colors .
The intensity of the co lor determines the visu­
al characterist ics and appearance . If the sur­
face of the leather has a typ ica l natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relat ively natura l condit ion. This
leather offe rs particularly good comfort and
breathes we ll. Fine veins, closed grai ns, insect
bites, skin fo lds, and subt le va ria tions in color
remain visible . These characteristics demon­
strate that the material is natura l.
Natura l nappa le ather is not covered by a co l­
o r finish.
It is therefore more sensit ive to soil­
ing and wear, which is something you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
might prove to be part icu larly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colored finish layer are more durable . This
has a positive effect on the leather's resist­
ance to wear and soiling in dai ly use. On the
other hand, the typical characteristics of natu­
ral leather are barely or not apparent . Howev ­
er, th is does not mean that the leathe r itself
is of inferior quality .
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and their unique prop­
erties (such as sens it ivity to oils, grease, soil ­
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
ful with these leathers, and a ce rtain type of
ca re is req uired. For example, dark clothing
mater ials can disco lor le athe r seats (especia l­
ly if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correct ly). Dust and dirt particles in pores ,
folds, and seams can have an abrasive effect .,..

218 Clea ning and protec tio n
- Leat her cleaning and care kit
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpo int pens, shoe pol-
ish , etc .
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming products.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
~ page 208.
{[) Note
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g. lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe pol ish or
s imilar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stai ns
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe­
cia list.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles : wit h Alca nta ra up holstery
R em oving dust and dirt
"" Moisten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and w ipe down the seat s urfaces .
Removing st ains
... Moisten a cloth w ith lukewarm water or
with diluted
e thyl (rubb ing) alcoho l.
"" Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
wor k inwards.
... Once t he stain is no longer v isib le, use a
soft dry cloth or tissue to soak up the mois ­
ture .
Do not use leather cleaning produc ts on Al ­
cantara .
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing
dust and dirt. Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface .
If the car is
l eft stand ing in the sun for long periods , the
A lcantara covers sho uld be p rotected against
d irect sunlight to prevent it from fading.
Slight color variations wi ll deve lop in normal u
se and are not an indication of material dete ­
rioration.
(D Note
- N ever use chemica l so lvents (e.g. lighte r
fluid, tu rpentine), waxes , shoe polish o r
simi lar products on A lcantara ® surfaces .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn sta ins
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist .
- Do not use b rushes, stiff sponges or sim ­
ilar ly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia­
bly when needed.
... Keep belts clean.
... For cleaning, use a mild soap and water so l­
ution. Let belts dry thorough ly and away
from direct sunlight.
... Do not allow inertia ree l safety b elts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety belt s reg­
ularly .
Heavily so iled safety be lts may not retract
properly.
A WARNING ,_
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anyth ing that might damage your safety
be lts could mean that you and your pas­
senge rs would not be adequately pro ­
tected in a n accident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect insta llation . Never remove be lts
from the veh icle to clean them .
- Do not use chemical clean ing agents,
bleach or dyes . T hey have corrosive prop­
ert ies which weaken the webb ing .
- When clean ing your safety belts, inspect
them for damage. If you discover dam­
age, see yo ur Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
other info rmation
~ page 208 .

Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
A lw ays s witch off the ign ition befor e clean ­
ing the eng in e
c:> & .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum pane l in front
of the windshield under the engine compart­
ment. This prevents the water drain ho les
from becoming blocked, and it prevents de­
bris from entering the veh icle inter ior through
the heating and ventilation ducts .
Corro sion protecti on
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory.
Good anti-corrosion treatment is very impor ­
tant, particular ly in the winter . If the vehicle
is frequent ly driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and plenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent sa lt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as we ll.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease removing solut ions
1>, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
sion treatment is a lmost always removed as
well.
It is therefore essential to have a long­
lasting co rrosion protection reapp lied to a ll
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment.
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compa rtment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before working in the engine compart­
ment, be s ure to read the in format ion
c:> page 225.
- Before reaching into the front pane l, al­
ways switch off the ignition. Otherwise,
l ) Use only the correct cleaning sol utions. Never use gas­
oline or diesel fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion 219
the windshield wiper system could unin­
tentionally be switched on, possibly
causing personal injury from the moving
wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The aux iliary fan
is temperature controlled and can sw itch
on suddenly - even when the ignition is
off.
- Do not wash, wax o r dry the eng ine with
the engine running. Moving or hot parts could injure you.
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other ha rd
to reach parts without protect ing your
hands and arms. You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
o ther info rmation
c:> page 208.
•
•

-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 221
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see¢
page 223 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 282.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 220.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on board refuel­
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
•
•

222 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
AS TM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 178 Right rear vehicle side: Opening the fuel filler
flap
Fig . 179 Fuel filler flap with attached fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
~ Press the left side of the fue l filler flap to
open it¢
fig. 178 -arrow-.
~ Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap¢
fig. 179.
Refuelling procedure
~ Insert the fu el nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go .
~ Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After fi lling your tank, twist the fuel filter
cap clockwise as far as it w ill go.
~ Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp¢
page 29
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies.
- Failure to shut the engine
off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filter neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnet ic rad iat ion
can cause sparks that can igni te fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re­
fueling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 182 Dr iver footwell: release leve r
Fig. 183 Rocker switch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow
<=> fig. 182.
.. Raise the hood slightly <=>_& .
.. Press the rocke r switc h under the hood up­
ward
<=> fig. 183 . This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 225
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Wh ene ve r y ou must perform an y wo rk in the
eng ine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluids, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr event per­
so nal injury alwa ys observe the foll owing
WARNING S. The engin e compartment of an y
v e hicle i s a h az a rdou s are a
<=> ,&.
h WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine .
- Sw itch off the ignition .
- Apply the parki ng brake.
- Move selector leve r to P (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen o r heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
a nd can sw itch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
a nt system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This inc reases the
ris k of burns.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri ­
cal system is necessary:

226 Check ing and filling
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames . Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and persona l in ­
jury while the engine is running or being started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fi rst, fully apply the parking bra ke,
move se lec to r lever to P (Pa rk) .
- Always use extreme caution to preven t
clot hing, jewe lry, or long h air from ge t­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V -belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
start ing, and do not wear cloth ing that
will hang or droop into the eng ine.
- Min imize exposure to emission and
chemica l hazards¢ ,&..
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certa in veh icle components conta in
or emit chemicals known to the State of
Califor nia to cause cancer and b irth de­
fec ts a nd reproduct ive ha rm. In addition,
certain fluids conta ined in vehicles and
certa in prod ucts of co mponent wear co n­
ta in o r emi t chemicals known to the
State o f Ca lifornia to cause can cer and
birth defects or ot her reproductive harm. -
Battery posts, terminals and re lated ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cance r and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur.
® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other ve hicle flu­
i ds, have yo ur vehicle inspected by a n au­
thori zed Audi dea le r.
Closing the engine hood
.,. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he struts is reduced.
.,. Let the hood drop down and latch in p lace .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage ¢&_ .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has p roper­
ly engaged. The hood sho uld be flush
with the surrou nding vehicle body pa rts.
- If you notice while driv ing t hat the hood
is not s ecured prope rly, stop at onc e and
close it.

Checking and filling 22 7
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 184 Typical layout for conta iners and engine o il filler cap
@ Jump start poin t(-) with hex
head screw .. .............. . 237,274
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
®
©
®
©
er .. .. ... ..... ...... ...... 237,274
Brake fluid r eservo ir
((0)) . . . . . 234
Eng ine oil filler cap
("1:::r.) . . . . . 230
Coolant expansion tank
(-L) .. .
Windshield/headlight washer
t . ('"') con ainer O ......... .... .
232
239
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in a different area depending on the
ver­
sion of the eng ine.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 225.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This eng ine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regardi ng
quality and viscosity so that it can run smoothly and reliably. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals p rinted in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will hel p assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.