2013 AUDI S6 transmission

108 Automatic Transmission
This prevents too much stress from being placed on the locking mechanism.
multitronic transmission : Your vehicle is
equipped with
hill hold assist allowing you to
start while on an incline. The system is acti­
vated when the brake pedal is pressed down
and held
for a few seconds. T he brake pres­
sure will hold for
o moment after the brake
pedal loosens to prevent the vehicle from roll­
ing backwards while starting up .
A WARNING
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping ", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases
braking distance or causes complete fail­
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake. -
Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload . An indicator lamp
[O] illu­
minates and a driver message appears
~ page 110 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
~ page 219, Engine comportment. Oth­
erwise, any increase in engine speed may
set the vehicle in motion, even with the
parking brake applied.
(D Note
- 5 tronic ®- and tiptronic transmission :
When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear
is selected . This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- 5 tronic ®- and tiptronic transmission : Al­
lowing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated under those cir­
cumstances.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with mult itronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects .,.

a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of brak ing, within physical
and technica l limitations. If may still be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
¢ page 79, hill descent control is also activat­
ed when the speed is set.
.&_ WARNING
-
H ill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to app ly the
brakes .
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with mult itronic/S tronic/tiptron ic
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 114 Center co nsole: shi fting the gears manually
Fig. 115 Steering wheel: Shift buttons•
"' 8 0 CJ
cb
Automatic Transmission 109
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
"' Push the se lecto r lever to the right from D/
S. An M appears in the instrument cluster
display as soon as the transm ission has
shifted.
"' To upshift, push the se lector lever forward
to the plus position
0 ¢ fig . 114.
"' To downshift, push the lever to the minus
position
0 .
Gear selection with paddle levers*
The shift buttons are activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual
shift program .
"'To upshift, touch the button on the rig ht G)
C) fig. 115 .
.,. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0 .
"' If you do not press a sh ift button within a
short time while in the D/S position, the
transm iss ion w ill retur n to automat ic mode.
To keep shifting using the sh ift buttons,
move the selector lever to the r ight out of
t he D/S posit ion.
The transmission automatically shifts up or
down before cr itical engine speed is reached .
The transm ission only a llows manual sh ifting
when the engine speed is w ithin the permit­
ted range.
(D Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmission will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
ving the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- T iptron ic is inoperat ive when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode.

110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with multitron ic/S tronic/t iptronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
Applies to ve hicle s w ith a multit ro nic ®
t ra nsmission
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the transmission
downshifts into a lower gear ratio depend ing
on the vehicle speed and engine speed. As l ong as the accelerator peda l is depressed, the
engine speed is a utomat ica lly regulated for
maximum accelera tion.
Appli es to veh icl es with a S tronic ®-/ ,
tiptronic tran smi ssion
When you dep ress the accele rator pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the a utomat ic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on vehicle speed and engine speed.
The upshift into the next higher gear takes p lace once the maximum specified engine
speed is reached.
A WARNING
,-
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road - there is a risk of skidding .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement : The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.. Press the
I~ O FF I button ¢ page 194 while
the engine is running. The
IJ indica tor light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Sta bilization contr ol (ESC ): Off Warn ing!
R educed stabi lit y
appears in the dr iver in­
fo rmat io n system disp lay .
.. Move the selecto r lever to posit ion D/S to
select sport mode (5) or select
D yna mic
mode in Audi dr ive select c:> page 99 .
.. Press the b rake pedal strongly with you r left
foot and hold it down for at least 1 second .
.. At the same time, press the accelerator
pedal down complete ly with your r ight foot
until the engine reaches and mainta ins a
high RPM .
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal
w ith in
5 seconds c:> ,&. .
_&. WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the tr aff ic
f low.
- Onl y use the Launch Cont ro l Program
when road and t raff ic condi tions a llow i t
and other d rivers w ill not be endangered
or annoyed by your driving and the vehi ­
cle 's acceleration.
- Please note that the driving wheels can spin and the vehicle can b reak away
when ESC is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery .
- Once the vehicle has started moving,
press the
1 1' OFFI button brief ly to turn
the ESC on .
(D Tips
- The transmission temperature may in ­
crease signif icantly after using the
launch control program. If that happens,
the program may not be ava ilable for a
few minutes. It w ill be available again af­
ter a cool-down per iod.
- When accelerating using the launch con­
tro l program, all vehicle parts are subject
to heavy loads . This can resu lt in in­
creased wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/S tronic/tiptronic
[O] Tran smi ssi on: Pr ess brake pedal and se­
lect gear again
Press the brake peda l and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can the n
continue d riving .
[O] Transmi ssion overheating: Plea se drive
con servatively

The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive 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
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will no longer shift at a ll. The en­
gine may stall. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Iii Transmission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic ® transmission: There is a system mal­
function in the transmission. The transmis­
sion is switching to eme rgency mode. This
mode on ly shifts into certain gears or wi ll no
longer shift at all. The engine may sta ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility immediately to have the ma lfunction
corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle
and shift to
P
Do not continue driving. 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 shou ld take the vehicle to an
author ized Audi dealersh ip as soon as pos­
sible to have the cond ition corrected.
Automatic Transmission 111
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to veh icles: w it h m ult itronic/5 tro nic/t iptro nic
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec­
tor lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 116 Front center console: se lector lever emergen ·
cy release
.,. To reach the emergency release mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert*.
.,. Loosen and remove the small cap in the
ashtray mount
c:> fig . 116.
.,. You now have access to a bolt. Using a
screwdriver or similar, press the bolt down
and hold it down .
.,. Now press the interlock and move the se lec-
tor lever to the N position.
T he selector lever can only be moved from the
P position if the ignition is turned on. If the
power supply fai ls ( for example, the battery is
discharged) and the vehicle must be pushed
or towed, move the selector lever to the N po­
sition first using the emergency release.

freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
few careful brake applications sho uld d ry
off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at h igher speeds wit h
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter­
va ls so as to improve reaction t ime when brak­
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver w ill not no­
tice anything.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt -covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coat ing
from brake discs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake
¢ ,&..
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bui ld up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
f irmly a few times from a moderately high
speed ¢,&. .
Fa ult s in the b rake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed
c> ,&..
Lo w brak e flu id le vel
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically.
Brake boo ste r
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running ¢ ,&. .
Brake lining w ear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by vis ual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces-
Int ellig ent technolog y 195
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection ¢
page 263 , Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range . Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long o r too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing you r
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain cl imatic and operating
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, lin ings,
discs and drums . Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings w il l be cleaned
off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period o f time on
salt- covered roads wi thout using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near-
est A udi dealer or qualified wo rkshop.
~
•
•

Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
.. Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold. This applies whether the
transmission is i n N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed maximum engine speed un­
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale
¢ page 11.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
i n. How well this break-in p rocess is done de­
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven d uring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 ki lome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduced. However, t hese rpm
lim its are progr amme d for an eng ine well
r u n- in, not a new engine .
Driving and environment 199
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect dur ing the first 250 m iles
(400 ki lomete rs) afte r they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
fore they have optima l grab¢ .&. .
D uring the brea k-in period, yo u should avo id
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include , for example, sudden hard brak­
i ng, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
.&, WARNING
New b rake pads don't have the best stop­
p ing power and must be "broken-i n" dur­
ing the initi al 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) o f no rma l ci ty driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the b rake peda l more firm ly . This also applies
later when new pads are installed.
•
•

Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full b raking effect.
([) Note
-Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or electr ical
system can be severely damaged by driv­
i ng th rough water.
- Always switch off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water~ page 76.
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng t hrough it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the eng ine off whe n driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep fo r your vehi­
cle to drive t hrough safely.
- Avoid dr iv ing through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 201
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your eng ine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your pe rsonal d riving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut you r
fuel consumpt io n by 10-15 percent . T his sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your po cketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROT ECTI ON AGENCY
( E PA) a nd Tra nspo rt Canada may no t corre­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
road, which will va ry depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most f ue l when they a re ac ­
ce le rat ing. If you ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
•
•

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.
•
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