2014 AUDI A6 check engine

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
®'-Diesel particulate filter clogged
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine and diesel particu­
late filter
II Particulate filter: System fault See own­
er's manua l
When the. symbol ill uminates, you can a l­
ter your driving style to assist the fi lter self­
clean ing p rocess . D rive for approx imately 15
minu tes wi th the sel ector leve r in the S pos i­
tion at a m inimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/
h ) a nd an engine speed of app rox imately
2, 000 R PM. The tempe ratu re i ncrease th at
will resu lt fro m t his can bur n off t he soo t in
the fil ter. The symbol wi ll switch off when the
clean ing is successf ul. Afte r a successful
cleaning, there is no need to br ing the car to
an author ized dealer or qualif ied worksh op
beca use this is part of normal vehicle opera­
ti on .
I f the symbo l
Ill does not switch off, see
your author ized dealer or other qualified
workshop to have the prob lem cor rected.
For more in format io n on the diesel pa rticu ­
l ate filte r, refer to
¢ page 202.
A WARNING
Always adapt yo ur s peed to the cu rrent
weat her, road and traffic conditions. Y ou
sh ould never disobey t raffic laws in order
t o follow driv ing recomm endations .
!'7i Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitat ion
Ill Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
-
The engine speed is automatically lim ited to
the speed disp layed in the dr ive r information
system. This protects t he e ng ine from over ­
h eat ing.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the eng ine is no longer in the crit ica l tempera­
ture range and you have released the acce lera ­
tor peda l once.
If t he engine speed limitation was act ivated
by an eng ine control malfunction, the ind ica- tor
light ~ also tu rns on . Ma ke s ure that the
s p eed does not go a bove the s peed disp layed .
Drive to y our authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
~"" Engine oil sensor
l!I Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact yo ur au­
t h orized Audi dea ler and have the oil sensor
i nspected . U ntil yo u have this done, check t he
o il level each time you refue l just to be on the
saf e side
c> page 229.
EltJ Fuel level indicator
Ii] Please refuel
If the indicato r light turns on f or the first
t ime and the message appea rs, there are
abo ut 2.6 ga llons (10 lite rs) o f fuel left in the
tan k. Time to refu el
<=> page 217 .
llD Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage a ppears, there is a malf unct ion in the
tank system.
D rive to your au thori zed A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfu nction corrected.
Co Windshield washer fluid level
• Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illum ina tes, ad d windshie ld
washe r fl ui d to t he washer system/headlight
washe r system *
¢ page 238 .
4J:> Windshield wipers
£~$ Windshield wiper defective
T he re is a malfunction with t he windshie ld
wipe rs .
Dr ive to your au th o riz ed A udi de aler i mme di­
ately to have the m alfunction correc ted.

Removing the mechanical key
Fig. 18 R emo te contro l master key : remov ing the me­
chanica l key
• Press the release button @ c:> fig. 18.
• Pull the mechanica l key @ out of the master
key.
Using the mechan ica l key, you can:
- lock and unlock the storage compartment
on the passenger's side
c::> page 60.
- lock and unlock the vehicle manually
c::>page 37 .
-lock the front and rear passenger doors me­
chanically
c:> page 38.
Master key battery replacement
F ig . 19 Remote master key: Removing the battery
holde r
Check light in the master key
The check light @ in the master key provides
information about different cond itions .
• The check light comes on briefly once when
a button is pressed, and during an "inquiry"
by the conven ience key system .
• If the check light does not come on, the bat­
tery is dead and has to be replaced. In addi­
t ion, when the battery is dead the
I!! sym­
bol appears in the instrument cluster dis-
Opening and closing 33
play as well as the message: Please change
key battery .
Master key battery replacement
• Pull the mechanical key out of the master
key
c::> page 33.
• Press the release button @ on the battery
holder and at the same time pull the battery
holder out of the master key in the direction
of the arrow.
• Install the new battery CR 2032 with the
"+" sign facing down.
• Push the battery holder carefully into the
master key .
• Install the mechanical key.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to poll ute the environment.
(D Tips
The replacement battery must be the
same specification as the original.
, Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer helps to prevent unauthor­
ized use of your vehicle.
A comp uter chip inside your key automatica lly
deactivates the electronic immobilizer when
the key is inside the vehicle. When you remove
the key from the vehicle, the electronic immo­
bilizer is automatically activated once again .
A WARNING
-
Always take the key with you when you
leave the vehicle. The key can disarm the
e lectronic engine immobilizer and permit
an unauthorized person to start the engine
and enable operation of the vehicle sys­
tems such as power window or power sun­
roof leading to serious personal injury.
(D Tips
- Th e vehicle cannot be started if an unau­
thorized key is used. The vehicle may not
start if another radio device such as a key .,.

7 4 On the road
column will continue moving as long as you
are pressing the switch.
There must be at least 10 inc hes (25 cm) be­
tween you r chest and the center of the steer ­
ing whee l.
If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<::> page 53 .
In vehicles with the memory f unction* , the
steering column settings are stored together
with the seat position.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause se rious personal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l column on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that the re is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel ¢
page 129, fig. 144. If
you can not maintain this min imum dis­
tan ce, the airbag system cannot protect
yo u properly.
- If phys ica l limi tations prevent you from
sitting 10 in ches (25 cm) o r more from
the steering wheel, check with yo ur au­
tho rized Aud i dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is availab le .
- If the steering wheel is aligned with you r
face, the supp lemental drive r's airbag
cannot provide as much protect ion in an
acc ident. A lways make sure that the
steering wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
t ions to reduce the risk of pe rsonal injury
if the d river 's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering whee l at the 12
o'clock posit ion or w ith your hands i nside the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Hold
ing the steer ing wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er 's airbag deploys.
Easy entry feature
Applies to vehicles: with electrically adjustable steering
wheel
The easy entry feature makes it easier to en­
ter and exit the vehicle by automatically ad­
justing the steering wheel.
.. Select in the MM I: ICARI function button>
(Car )* sys tem s control b utton > V ehicle set­
ting s
> Seats > D rive r's seat > Easy entry >
On .
When the easy ent ry feature is turned on, the
steering wheel moves up to the park position
when you switch
off the ignition. After you en­
ter the veh icle, the steering wheel moves to
the stored position as soon as you sw itch on
the ignit ion.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine.
Fig . 75 Center console: S TART ENGINE S TOP butto n
Switching the ign ition on /off
.. To switch the ign ition on/off, press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OPI button . Do not press
the brake pedal while doing this . Diesel
veh icles are preheated while the ignit ion is
sw itched on .
lilJ,

80 On the road
Starting/stopping the engine
Applies to vehicles: with Start-Stop-Syste m
Fig. 78 Instrument duster : eng ine sw itched off (stop
phase)
.. Slow the vehicle to a stop us ing the bra ke
and keep p ress ing t he b rake pedal. The en ­
gine w ill switch off. The
[IJ in dicator light
appears in the information line in the instru­
ment cluster d isplay .
.. When you take your foot off the brake ped­
al, the engine restarts. The indicator light
turns off.
Additional information
The engine wi ll switch off in the P, D, N and S
positions as well as in manua l mode . In the P
position, the engine wi ll also remain off if you
take your foot off the brake pedal. The eng ine
starts again when you select another se lector
lever pos ition and take your foot off the brake
pedal.
If you select the R pos ition during a Stop
phase, the engine will start again.
Shift from D to P quickly to prevent the engine
from start ing unintentionally when shift ing
through R .
You can determine for yourself if the eng ine
will stop or not by reducing or increasing the
amount of force you use to press the brake pedal. For example, if you only lightly press
on the brake pedal in stop-and and-go traffic
or when turni ng, the engine will not switch off
when the vehicle is stationa ry . As soon as you
p ress the brake down harde r, the eng ine will
switch off.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Start -Stop-System
The standard Start-Stop-mode can be cancel­
led for different system-related reasons.
Fig. 79 Inst rume nt cluster: eng ine -S top te mporarily
un ava ilab le
Eng ine w ill not sw itch off
Before each stop phase, the system checks if
certain conditions have been met. For exam­
ple, the eng ine will
not be switched off in the
follow ing s ituations :
- The engine has not reached the minimum
requ ired temperature for Start-Stop-mode.
- The interior temperat ure se lected by the A/C
system has not been reached.
- The outside temperatu re is extremely high/
low .
- The windshield is being defrosted
i=:> page 69, i=:> page 71.
- The parking system* is switched on.
-The battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is sharply tur ned o r
t here i s a steer ing movemen t.
- After engaging the reverse gear .
- O n sharp incl ines.
The
r,J indicator light appears in the informa­
t ion line in the instrument cluster d isplay
¢ fig . 79.
Engine automatically resta rts
T he stop p hase is inter rupted in the following
situations, for example . The engine resta rts
without any action by the driver .
- The interior tempera ture varies from the
temperature selected in the A/C system .

110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
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
f o r a few s econds . The brake pres­
sure will hold for
a moment after the brake
pedal loosens to prevent the veh icle from roll­
ing backwards whi le starting up .
A WARNING
- The veh icle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended veh icle movement can cause
serious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gea r. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
act ivate the park ing brake and move the
selector lever to P .
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
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 pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat io nary and the
engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P wh ile driving .
- Before driv ing 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 dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces b raking performance, inc reases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail­
ure of the brake system.
- T o prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stoppi ng on incl ines, always hold it
in place with the brake peda l or parking
brake.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incl ine with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto ­
matically when it becomes too hot from the overload. An indicato
r lamp
[O] illu­
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 112 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving posit io n engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P with the park ing brake set
¢ page 224. O therwise, any increase in
engine speed m ay se t the vehicle in mo­
tion, even with the parking brake ap­ plied .
(D Note
-S tronic- and tiptronic transmission :
When stopping on an incl ine , do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the parking brake or press the brake
peda l to prevent the vehicle from roll ing.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission : A l­
lowing the vehicle to ro ll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not l ubricated unde r those cir­
cumstances.
{!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
l eased automatically only when the d riv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with multitro nic/5 tronic/t iptronic
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 sui table fo r the incline. H ill de­
scent contro l tries to ma inta in the speed ach-
ieved at the time of b raking, with in physica l .,.

196 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
ca l tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
Switching on and off
- If the indicator light DJ or til] (USA
mode ls)/ [I] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 20 ,
¢ page 19.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 178 Ce nter co ns ole, f). O FF bu tton
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following situations are exceptions where
it may be usefu l to switch on sport mode to
allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it i s st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose g round
- Driving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Beha vio r
The ESC a nd ASR stabilization fun ct ions The fu ll stabilization function o f the ESC
are limited ¢.&, .
Op eration Pr ess the 1.$ O FFI button .
Indicato r I) turns on.
lights
Driv er mes- Stabiliza tion control (ESC ): Sport
sage s Warning! R educed stability
,8. WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if
your driving abilities and road cond itions
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on. The
dr iv ing whee ls could spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces .
{D) Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched on when
adapt ive cr uise control* is switched on.
-
and ASR is availab le again .
Press the
1 .$ O FF I button again.
fl tu rns off.
Stabilization c ontrol (ESC ): On
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra kes on today's automobiles a re still
s u bje ct to wear, depending largely on ope rat­
i ng conditions and driving hab its
¢ A . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop­
and-go city traff ic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure .,,_

to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, yo u prevent un­
necessary wea r on the brake system . If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at inter ­
vals.
Moi stu re or r oad salt
Under certain conditions, for examp le, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle , the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
free zing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
f ew care ful brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you a re d riving at higher speeds with
the w indshield wipers on, the brake pads will
briefly touch the brake d iscs in regular inter­
vals so as to improve reaction t ime when brak­
ing on wet surfaces . You the driver will 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 accumu lated salt coat ing
from brake discs and pads with a few carefu l
appl ications o f the brake ¢,&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
on ly for short trips with l ittle use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently , or if cor­
rosion has fo rmed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by brak ing
firm ly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed ¢.&. .
F a ults in the brake system
If you should notice a
sudden increase in
b rake pedal travel, then one of the two bra ke
circu its may have failed¢,&. .
Int ellig ent technolog y 197
Low br ake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the brake system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he brake booster wo rks with vacuum pres­
s ur e which is created only when the engine is
runn ing ¢.&. .
Brake lining we ar statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
th rough the open ings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for th is 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 or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Unde r ce rtain cl imatic and operat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, lin ings,
discs and drums . Carefully app ly brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings w ill be cleaned off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can a lso affect bra king efficiency. ..,.
•
•

204 Driving and en vir onm ent
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip 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 mo st fuel when they are ac­
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
wheneve r poss ible -for example when you see
that the next traffic l ight is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
• Try and keep well below your car 's max imum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
g ine no ise increase d isproportionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be reduced by one half. Neve r dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limit and wea ther con­
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
• Shut the engine off when you are not dr iv ing
the vehicle. •
Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at id le .
T he id ling phase is automatically red uced for
vehicles with the Start/Stop system . It is effi ­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles with ­
out the Start-Stop -System when stopp ed at
railroad crossings and long red lights. Tu rning
the engine off for jus t 30-40 seconds saves
more fuel than is burned by starting the en-
. . gme again .
It takes a long time for the eng ine to warm up
fully when i t is running at idle. However, wear
and noxiou s emissions are espec ially high
when the eng ine is warm ing up . So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
W Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter start ing . If wa rning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wo uld go unheeded . Ex tended idling also
produces heat, wh ich could res ult in ove r­
heating or other damage to the ve hicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
• Have your veh icle serviced at reg ular in ter -
vals .
By having your ve hicle regu la rly se rviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re tha t it runs p rop ­
erly and economically . The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
ho ld its va lue, it also affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach time you
fill y our tank.
The amount of o il used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven . ..,.