2013 AUDI A6 ignition

Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sig n of the fac ility, the filte ring of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the paint has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a ca r wash, be s ure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and power roof. Factory installed an­
tennas must not be removed.
If you have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car was h operator if these
should be removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 208.
CD Note
- Before washing the vehicle in an auto­
matic car wash, please make sure to re­
tract the exterior m irrors to prevent
them from being damaged. Power fo ld­
i ng exter ior mirrors* must not be folded
i n or out by hand . Always use the electri­
ca l power control.
- Compare the width of your vehicle with the width of the tunnel at the fac ility.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi­
cle by hand.
.,. Before you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
¢ fr. .
Cleaning and protec tion 209
.,. First soak all dried dirt unti l it is soft, then
rinse it off.
.,. As you clean your vehicle, start w ith the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge glove or a clean
brush .
.,. Rinse the sponge or the sponge glove often,
flushing it clean each time.
.,. Use spec ial car shampoo only fo r
very per­
sistent d irt.
.,. Rinse the car thoroughly w ith water.
.,. Use a chamois leather to gent ly wipe the ex -
terior dry .
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door s ills and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, you wi ll not scratch
the paint with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
- Wash your vehicle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 208 .
CD Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
could scratch your vehicle's paint or win­
dows .
- Never wash your car in bright sunlight.
Drops of wate r act as magn ifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- When you wash your car in the winter: if you rinse your vehicle with a hose, be careful not to aim the stream of water
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 p rod ucts. They can damage
your paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths o r •
•

Apply the product using a microfiber cloth . To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too much pressure .
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly with water . Clean
the vehicle starting at the top and working to ­
ward the bottom using a
neutra l sh ampoo
and a soft mi crofiber cloth . Stop frequently to
rinse the cloth thorough ly.
Clean the wheels and sill panels last. Use a
clean
s pon ge on these areas .
R inse the vehicle tho roughly aga in and let i t
a ir dry. If there are any wa ter spots, they can
be removed using a
le ather cloth.
Clea n again with the sp ecial cl eaner for matt e
finish paint
i f ne cessary.
Removing stubborn dirt
B ird dropping s or tree sap a re best removed
with plenty of water and a m icrofiber cloth .
You shou ld r inse off
gasoline residue immedi­
ately with plenty o f water.
A WARNING
- Wash your veh icle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
c rash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 208.
0 Note
-Do not treat vehicle parts painted w ith
matte f inish paint usi ng polish ing mate­
r ials or hard wax . These products could
cause damage to the appearance or sur­
face that cannot be repaired.
- Never use p rotective wax.
It can destroy
the matte fin ish effect .
- Do not p lace any st ickers or magne tic
s igns on vehicle parts painted with
matte finish paint. The pa int co uld be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
the veh icle in direct sun ligh t.
Cleaning and protec tion 21 1
-To prevent damage to the pa int sur face,
do not use insect remova l sponges ,
rough kitchen sponges or sim ila r items .
- Yo u should remove deb ris (such as in­
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regu lar bas is, for example when refuel­
ing your vehicle . Only clean the head­
lights using a wet cloth or sponge, never
a dry one. Cleaning with soapy water is
recommended.
(D Tips
For more information on special cleaning
products designed for matte finish paint,
see your Aud i deale r.
, Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand brus h and remove
ice with a de- ic ing sp ray that does not con­
t ain so lvents.
- Clean the senso rs (adaptive cruise co ntrol*,
pa rking system*) w ith a cleaning so lution
tha t does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth .
- The camera lens or the area in front of the
camera lens is norma lly cleaned by the
windshie ld wipers (Audi active lane assist*)
or head light wipers (night vision system *).
If the lens or the area is exceptionally dirty,
clean the area with glass cleaner and a soft,
dry cloth .
@ Note
-If you wash your vehicle with a pressure
was her,
- make sure there is eno ugh distance to
sensors in the fron t and rear bumper,
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area a ro und them with t he press ure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot wate r to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens. This
cou ld cause the lens to crack.
- Never clean the camera lens with abra­
sive products.
•
•

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.
•
•

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.

230 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 185 Disp lay: o il level indica tor
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Shut the engine off when it is warm.
• Switch only the ignition back on.
• Wait approximately two minutes.
• Select:
ICARI function button> (Car)* sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks >
Oil level.
• Check the oil level in the display c::> fig. 185.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is near "min"
c::> page 230.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
can be up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI Display is
only an information display. If the oil level
is low, a minimum oil warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil
c::> page 230. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluster the next time the ignition is
switched on .
Adding engin e oil 't:::r.
Fig. 186 Engine compart men t: cover on the engine oil
fille r neck
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 225.
• Unscrew the cap 't=1'l to the engine oil filling
hole
c::> fig . 186, c::> fig. 184.
• Carefully top off with the appropriate oil in
0.5 liter doses.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
<=:>page 230.
• Top off the oil aga in, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
A WARNING
-- While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appears,
contact your authorized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop to have excess
oil extracted if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine ..,_.

232 Check ing and filling
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive Gl3 ant ifreeze
with ant icorros ion add itives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture both assu res the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
propo rtion of coolant add it iv e mu st be at
l eas t 50 % but not mo re than 6 0%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 ° F ( -40 °C) Canada.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 225.
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coo lant addit ive in
your vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli­
mate cond itions. Th is is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the w in- ter is extreme
ly cold . If necessary, in ­
crease the proportion of coo lant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend us ing only coolant ad­
d itive Gl2++ or G l3 (check the labe l)
fo r your vehicle. This coolant additive is
ava ilable at a utho rized Aud i dea le rs.
Other types of antifreeze can sign ifi­
cantly reduce corros ion protection. The
res ulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal ­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair flu id may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Veh icle
Limited War ranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 1 87 Engin e compar tmen t: cover on t he coo la nt
expansio n ta nk
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys read and heed all WARN­
I NGS c:> &. in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 225 .
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch off the ignition.
.. Read the engine coolant level from the
coola nt expansion tank
c:> fig . 187,
c:> fig. 184 . With a cold engine, the coolant
level shou ld be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the eng ine is wa rm, ..,.