2013 AUDI A6 ignition

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer (eng ine rev counter)
@ Turn signals ............... .
11
12
43
@ Display with
®
®
-Driver information system .. .
- Wa rning/ind icator lights
Tachometer Fuel gauge
@ Tips
23
12
12
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on
and the vehicle lights are turned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of the
dials likewise dims automatically and wil l
go out completely when the outside light
is very low. This feature is meant to rem ind
you to switch on the headlights when out­
side light conditions become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD¢ fig. 3 only
works when the ignition is on . To prevent
damage to your eng ine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the eng ine has not reached operating
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions.
Normal temperatu re
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving cond i­
t ions. The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the engine is under heavy load or the exterior
temperature is high. This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate. If the LEDs
in the upper area of the disp lay and the indica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 16.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢page 219, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
Em turns on ¢ page 21. T
he
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@<=>
fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex haust
system . The catalytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunc tions <=>,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
Q page 23. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher<=>
page 42.
-The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
<=> page 219, Engine compartment
@ Tips
Ma lf u nctions or faults wi ll be identified ei­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (pr iority 2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are ma rked
with a ,/ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there is a malfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbols indicate a prio rity malfunction -
D anger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
-Turn off the engine.
- Check the ma lf u nctioning system . Contact
your authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
USA mode ls:
Brake ma lf u nction,/
Qpage 15
Canada models:
Brake malfunction,/
Qpage 15
USA models:
- Electromechanical parking brake
____ ,
D
<=> page 16
Canada models:
Electromechanical parking brake
<=>page 16
Engine cooling system
<=>page 16
Engine oil pressure
<=>page 17
Engine oil level
Q page 18
Battery
<=>page 17
Safety belt
<=>page 17
Electromechanical steering ,/
<=>page 196
Electronic steering column lock
<=>page 18
Engine start system
<=>page 18
Speed warning system
<=>page 79
Adaptive cruise control*,/
<=>page84
Air suspension*
Qpage 18
Pedestrian warning*
Qpage 101
Yellow indicator lights
Yellow symbo ls indicate a p rior ity 2 malfunc­
t ion -W arning!
I
USA models: Safety systems
<=>page 19 .
El
Canada models: Safety systems
<=>page 19
II
Electronic Stab ilization Control
(ESC) ./
<=>page 19
I
Electronic Stabil ization Control
( E SC) ,/
<=>page 19
USA models:
tm
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ,/
Qpage20
I

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
•
Canada models: Cruise contro l*
¢ page 79
ra
Adaptive cruise cont rol*
¢page8 4
--
Pl
Adaptive c ruise control*
¢ page84
I
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page8 4
•
Audi active lane assist*
¢ page 92
•
Start-Stop-System *
¢page 76
•
Start-Sto p-System *
¢page 76
•
High beam
¢page 43
BRAKE/( ©) Brake system
The ligh t illum inates when t he igni tion is
sw itche d on.
It goe s ou t aft er the eng ine has
been st art ed. This in dicates tha t th e brake
warn ing light is functioning properly .
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking, there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case , contact your Audi dealer.
If t he b rake sys tem warning/ind icator light
tur ns on, t here is a br ake system mal func tion.
1111 (USA models) ;II (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes­
sage appears, p roceed as follows:
... Pu ll off the road .
... St op t he vehicle.
.,. Turn off t he e ngine.
.,. Check the brake flu id leve l<=>
page 234 .
... Contact your neares t authorized repa ir fa­
c ili ty if n ecessary .
Warning! Fault in brake system . Contact
dealer
If the A BS indicator light ri] (U SA mode ls)/
ri] (Canada mode ls), the ESC in dicator light
Pl and the b rake system indicator light
1111 (U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) turn
o n and the message appears, the ABS , ESC
and braking distr ibut ion are not working<=> &..
Carefully drive to your author ized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct ion correct­
ed <=>&. .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the in dicator light and the message ap ­
pea r
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
check if yo u can re lease the
parking brake. Afte r releasing the par king
brake, carefully d rive to your authorized
Aud i dea le r i mmediately to have the ma l­
fu nction corrected . If yo u can not releas e th e
park ing brake , see k professiona l assistan ce.
- If the ind icator light and the message ap ­
pear
while dr iving , the emergency bra king
fu nction may not be available.
It may not be
po ssibl e to set th e par king b rake or re lease
i t once i t has been set . See k profess io na l as­
s is tan ce.
( U SA mode ls) : If the war ning light
1111 a nd
the war ning light
£1 appear together, imme ­
dia tely con ta ct y our au thor ized A udi dealer or
qualifie d wor kshop to have all brake pad s in­
spe cte d
¢ page 20.
When the light comes on , an aud ible warn ing
s ignal is also g iven .
A WARNING
-Always o bserve the warn ing s in
<=>
page 219, Engi ne compar tmen t, be­
fore openi ng the hood and c hec kin g the
brake fluid .
- Driving with low brake f lui d is a safety
hazard. Stop t he car and get professiona l
assis tance .
- USA mode ls: I f t he 1111 war ning light,
the
G1 warning light and t he m!ID warn-
ing light come on together, the rear .,.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 17
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malf unc­
tion .
• Coola nt te mpera tur e too high! Plea se let
e n gi ne r un with veh icle st atio nar y
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
r u n at id le for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING ,_________
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the engine and turn on the ha zard
warning lights
q page 42, Emergency
flasher.
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald ­
ed . Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo la nt escaping.
- The engine compartment of any veh icle
is a dangerous area . Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
t ur n of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning sticke rs
q page 219,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the. symbol
illuminates . There is a ma lf u nct ion in the
eng ine cooling system -you co uld damage
your engine.
0 Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system .
The. warning/ind icator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started .
• Alternator fault : Batt ery i s not being
c h arg ed
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or veh icle electrical system .
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediate ly . Because the vehi ­
cle batt ery is discharging , turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the rad io.
Seek professiona l assistance if the ba ttery
charge level is too low.
(•) Low b atte ry : b atte ry will be cha rged
w hil e driv ing
If the indica tor ligh t turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ab ility .
If this message t urns off afte r a lit tle while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
autho rized Aud i dea ler o r qualified workshop
cor rect the ma lfu nction .
,{,_ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warn ing/ indicator light illum inates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the d river and any front passenger to put on
the safety be lt. Addit ionally, an aco ustic warn­
i ng (gong) wi ll also so und .
For more Informat io n
q page 136, ~ Safety
belt warning light.
't::7: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and ch eck o il leve l
If the indicator light tu rn s on and the mes­
sage appears, the oi l pressure is too low .
.. Pull off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn off the engine.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
There is a malfunction that can resu lt in re­
stricted driving stability.
Ca refully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph
(60 km/h) to your authorized Aud i dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Aud i dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clea rance is very low due to a sys ­
tem malfunct ion. Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance . Otherwise, conditions s uch as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
m1 !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models)/ E,I (Canada models) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems (e .g.
a ir bags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the
(I (USA models)/ E,i (Canada mode ls)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi ­
nates while you are driv ing, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illumi nate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means there is a malfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherwise the safety sys- terns may not work
properly in an acci­
dent.
;;,/ {A Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC )
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stabilization Control.
When you switch the ignition on, the ind icator
li ght
G1 turns on briefly to check the f unction.
If the
J.ii) indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regu lation) is active­
l y regu lating .
If the
J.ii) indicator lamp illum inates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESC off.
If the indicator light II turns on, the ESC was
switched to ESC sport mode with the button
@ c:> page 192. If this is case, you can reacti­
vate the ESC by switching the ignition off and
then on again . The warning/indicator light
shou ld go o ut to show that the system is fu lly
funct ional aga in.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the indicator light Ji) and the ABS indicator
light~ (USA models)
![I] (Canada mod ­
els) turn on and the message appears, there is
a malfunction in the ABS system or electronic
differential lock. This also interrupts the ESC.
The brakes still function with their normal
power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
If the battery terminals were disconnected
and re-connected, the vehicle was jump start ­
ed or the battery is very weak, the ESC sensor
system goes through a learning process for
the first few yards. The warning/indicator
light illuminates. The warning/indicator light
goes out as soon as the learning process is
complete.
For more information about the ESC
c:>page 192.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 21
A WARNING 1= ~
Driv ing with bad brakes can cause a coll i-
sion and serious personal injury .
- If the warning light
EiJ and the warning
light
11111> w ith the message B rake
pad s!
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
tho rized Aud i dealer o r qualified work­
shop to have a ll brake pads chec ked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The Ga warn ing/ indicator light (Electron ic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check .
(D Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are dr iving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine elect ron ics. Have
the malfunction co rrected as soon as pos­
sible by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea ler o r
qualified repair facility.
Ci Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbot
¢1111ij lights up when the ignit ion is
switched on and w ill turn
off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed. Th is ind icates that the MIL is working
properly .
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunct ion in the engine electronic system.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer and have
the ma lfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illum inate
c.> page 222.
For more information c.> page 29.
1) - : USA mod els only
!'1 Engine speed limitation
App lies to veh icles : w ith eng ine speed limitatio n
(I! Engine sp ee d ma ximum XXXX RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to
the speed d isplayed in the dr iver information
system . Th is protects the engine from over­
heating.
The eng ine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have re leased the acce lera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light
Ga a lso turns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed disp layed.
Drive to your author ized A udi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
~, Engine oil level
II Add o il, ma x. x qt (l). You ma y continue
dri ving
When the symbol II and dr iver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity¢
page 230.
~ •. Engine oil sensor
II Oil le vel! Sensor d efecti ve
If the symbol i lluminates, contact your au­
thorized Audi dea ler and have the oil sensor
inspected. Until you have this done, check the
oi l level each time you refue l just to be on the
safe s ide
c.> page 230.
Bil Fuel level indicator
Ii] Ple ase re fuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank. Time to refuel
c.> page 221.
Ii] Tank system malfun ction! Contact dealer ..,_

24 In str um ents a nd warning /indic ato r li ghts
®
Tab
3
4
5
6
®
Cont ent
Night vision assistant*¢ page 101
Telephone*
Navigation*
The second and thi rd tabs are only visib le if at
least one indicator light or message is shown
or if that system is switched on.
The status line © is located in the bottom
part of the display¢
fig. 4. It displays the ex­
terior temper ature, time, selector leve r pos i­
tion, trip odometer and odometer .
For some veh icle functions, you can access the
tr ip informat ion from the temporary memory
¢
page 25 in the line @ ¢ fig. 5 .
.&_ WARNING
-Never rely exclusively on the outside
temperature display to determine if a road surface is icy or not. Keep in mind
that road surfaces, especially bridges and overpasses, could be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41
°F (+5 °().
- Always remember, even if the "snow­
flake" symbol (ice warn ing) does not ap­
pear in the display, black ice could be on
the road .
-Always reduce your speed and drive with special care in cold weather conditions
when the chance of encountering icy road su rfaces increases.
@ Tips
-At temperatures below 14 °F (+ S 0
() a
snowflake symbol appears ahead of the
temperature disp lay.
It is intended to re­
mind the dr iver to pay spec ial attention
to
i ce on th e road ¢ ,&. . If the veh icle is
stationary, or if you are driving at a very
l ow speed, the temperature shown in the
display might be slight ly higher than the
actual outside temperature. This is caused by the heat being radiated from
the engine .
- You can select the units used for temper­
ature, speed and other measurements in
the MMI.
- For information on the audio/video and
navigation* functions, refer to the sepa­
rate MMI owner's manua l.
Operation
The driver information system is operated us­
ing the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel.
F ig . 6 Multifunction steering wheel: operating the driv ·
er informat ion system
Fig. 7 Driver information system: opening the vehicle
functions menu
O pera tin g con cept
.,. Switch the ignition on.
.,. To switch between the tabs, press the rock­
er switch @to the left or right¢
fig. 6.
.,. To access additional information below or
above, rotate the thumbwheel @down or
up .
.,. To confirm a select ion, press the thumb­
wheel @.
.,. Press the~ button @ to open a submenu
for an active tab. ..,.