2013 AUDI A6 tow

250 Tires and wheels
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehi cle. Consult thi s manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available car go
and luggage lo ad capacity of
y o ur vehicle .
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(9 fig . 195) to de termine the
de signated load rating for a
s pe cifi c tir e.
Tire service life
The s ervi ce life of tires dep ends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correc t tire pressu re and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 193 T ire tread: tread wea r ind icators ( TWI)
( ,------- ')
l"-------
Fi g. 1 94 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore eve n wear
Tread W ear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l t ires o n your ve hicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators" ¢
fig. 193 r
u nning across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, t here will be six to e ight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for examp le "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the positions of the tread
wear indicato rs . Wor n tires must be rep laced.
D iffere nt f igures may apply in othe r countr ies
Q ,&. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect t ire pressure ca uses premature wear
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
o nce a month ¢
page 246.
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy acce lerat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all four tires on your ve hicl e to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear t ires a re rotated according to
the tire manu fact urer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from t he
veh icle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& M aintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
o n t he vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; theref ore, we recommend t hat y ou
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation int ervals .
- Veh icles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the fro nt wheels com­
pa red to a ll-wheel d rive ( quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown¢
fig. 194.
- Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires ¢
page 268.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
Howeve r, various s ituations during everyday
dr iv ing can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulti ng in vibrations you can usually
feel th rough the steer ing wheel.
liJJ,-

What do I do now? Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle .
Fig. 198 Trunk escape hand le : View from inside the
close d trunk
To open rear lid
.,. Pull the handle down towards the bumper
~fig. 198.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
(D Tips
The emergency release lever shou ld never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
What do I do now? 261
Emergency warning
triangle
App lies to veh icles: w it h emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig. 199 Trunk lid: Warning triangle
.,. To remove the warning triangle, press the
retainer in the direction of the arrow and
fold the holder down .
The rear lid is only designed to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program. If you would like to retrof it yo ur ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your authorized Audi dealer.

.,. Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c!:> page 132.
.,. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergencies until you can reach a repair shop .
Replace it as quick ly as poss ible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been designed specifically for your type of
veh icle. It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare t ire from another type of vehicle.
Snow chain s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not permitted.
If you do have to dr ive w ith snow cha ins and a
front tire f ails, mount the spare whee l with
tire instead of a rear tire . Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
o r if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators .
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex­
treme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possible w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c ompact sp are tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident .
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You risk having an acc ident.
- Avoid fu ll-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . Yo u risk hav­
ing an acc iden t.
What do I do now? 263
- Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent .
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted .
If it is necessary to drive w ith t ire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front axle in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The newly available front whee l
m ust then be instal led i n place of the
rea r whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain be fore mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart ­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident. Never store the inflatab le spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
ment.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
.,. After you expe rience a t ire failure, p ull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
l e vel ground before you stop ¢ _& .
.,. All passengers should lea ve th e car and
move to a safe location (f or instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
,&.
.. Engage the par king br ake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally
c:> _&.
.,. Move selecto r le ver to pos ition P c:> _& .
.,. If you are towing a tra iler, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
.,. Take the
jack and the spar e tir e out of the
luggage compartment¢
page 262,
¢page 262. .,.
•
•

2 7 4 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another veh icle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
¢page 219, Engine com­
partment.
«I) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, rad io, etc .
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,_

2 76 Emergency situations
-When connecting jumper cables, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the engine compart­
ment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS c:>
page 219, Engine com­
partment.
(D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru­
in the generator.
-Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI­ TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies specifically to the case of
you r vehicle being jump started. When
you are giving a jump start to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative(-) ca­
ble to the negative(-) terminal on the
discharged battery@c:>fig.
215. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(-)
cable to either a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to the engine block itself. If the bat­
te ry that is being charged does not vent
to the outside, escaping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
tng.
The follow ing information is to be used by
commercia l tow truck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safely.
-Never tow your Audi. Towing will cause
damage to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch ca­
bles around the brake lines.
- To prevent unne cessary damage , your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use
the towing loop found in the vehicle tools
and attach to the front or rear anchorage
c:> page 2 76 and c:> page 2 77.
.&_ WARNING
=
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas-
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Only install the front towing loop when it is
needed.
Fig. 216 Front bumpe r: cove r
Fig. 217 Front bumper: installing the towing loop
-
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo ­
cated on the right side of the front bumper
and covered by a sma ll cover when not in use.
.,. Remove the towing loop from the vehicle
tool kit.

.. Press i nward strongly to the b utton side of
the cap to
remove it from the bumper
e::> fig . 216 .
.. Screw the towing loop in the threaded
opening and tighten it u ntil it stops
e::> fig . 217 .
Remove the towing loop when you are done
using it and place it back in the vehicle tool
kit . Install the
cover in the bumper . Always
keep the tow ing loop in the vehicle .
..&_ WARNING
If you do not sc rew the tow ing loop com­
pletely, it cou ld come out of the threaded
hole while the vehicle is bei ng towed caus ­
ing damage to the vehicle and possible se­
r ious perso nal injury .
Rear towing loop
Only install the rear towing loop when it is
needed.
Fig. 218 Rear b umper: cover
Fig . 21 9 Rear bum per: tow ing loop installed
There are threads located beh ind the right
side of the rear bumper where a towing loop
can be installed . The threads are located be­
hind a
cover.
-
Emergenc y situ ation s 2 77
.. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
too l kit .
.. Press inward strong ly to the button side of
the cap to remove it from the bumper
¢fig. 218 .
.. Screw the towing loop in the threaded
open ing and t ighten it unt il it stops. The in­
dicator ma rking must be f lush with the
bumper
e::> fig. 219 .
Remove the towing loop when you are done
using it and place it back in the ve hicle too l
ki t. Always keep the towing loop in the vehi­
cle.
..&_ WARNING
If yo u do not screw the towing loop com ­
p letely, i t could come ou t of the th readed
hole while the vehicle is being towed caus­
ing damage to the vehicle and possible se­
rious pe rsonal injury.
loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Fi g. 220 Ve hicle on flat bed t ruck
Front hook up
.. Align the vehicle with the centerline of the
car car rier ramp .
.,. Attach the winch hook to the front tow line
eye prev iously insta lled .
Rear hook up
.,. Align the vehicle with the c enter line of the
car earner ramp .
.. Attach the winch hook to the re ar towli ne
eye prev ious ly insta lled .
M a, N 0 0
"' "'

2 78 Emergency situations
@ Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up
is secure before moving the car up the flat­
bed truck ramp.
Vehicle transport
Whenever you have your vehicle transported,
be sure to note the following:
(D Note
Mount the tie-down chains/cables over the
running surface (circumference) of the
tires. Never secure the vehicle by the axle,
the suspension struts or the front or rear
towline eye. For technical reasons, the
pressure in the suspension struts may
change during the transport and this will
adversely affect vehicle handling.
Lifting vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with
floor jack
The vehicle may only be lifted at the lifting
points illustrated.
Fig. 221 Front lift in g po int
Fig. 222 Rear lifti ng point
.,. Read and heed WARNING ¢ _&.
~ N 0 6 .., (0
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode * in the MMI:
!CARI function button > (Car)* systems con­
trol button>
Servicing & checks> Air susp.:
jack mode > On .
.,. Locate lifting points ¢ fig. 221 and
¢fig. 222 .
"' Adjust lifting arms of wo rkshop hoist or
floor jack to match veh icle lifting points .
"' Insert a rubber pad between the floor jack/
workshop hoist and the lifting points .
The vehicle jack mode* must be activated so
that the automat ic adjustment of the Adap­
tive Ai r Suspens ion* does not make it more
difficult to raise the vehicle with the floor
jack .
If you must lift your vehicle with a floor jack
to work underneath, be sure the vehicle is
safely supported on stands intended for this
purpose.
Front lifting point
The lifting point is located on the floor pan re­
inforcement about at the same level as the
jack mounting point
¢fig. 221. Do not lift
the vehicle at the vertical sill reinforcement .
Rear lifting point
The lifting point is located on the vert ical rein­
forcement of the lower sill for the on-board
jack ¢
fig. 222.
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to¢ page 266 .
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of ser ious injury and
veh icle damage.
- Always lift the vehicle only at the spe­
cial workshop hoist and floor jack lift
points illustrated
¢fig. 221 and
¢ fig. 222.
-Failure to lift the veh icle at these
points could cause the vehicle to tilt or
fall from a lift if there is a change in ve­
hicle weight distribution and balance.
This might happen, for example, when
-

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your 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 yo ur warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations 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 .
I f 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 lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
Consumer Information 285
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, serv ice or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduct ion. Service manuals and lit­
erat ure 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 m inimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions , for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
in very dusty regions, when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some serv ice work
shou ld be pe rformed 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 veh icle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imiz ing adverse
effects on the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophistica t­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technica l ..,_
•
•