2014 AUDI A6 engine oil

202 Driving and en vir onm ent
Catalytic converter
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline e ngin e
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
.. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 215,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp-
ty .
.. Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 229, Adding engine oil .. Never try to push- or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalyti c converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is cr itically
important for the l ife of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
T he temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
@) Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing with
leaded fuel will al ready seriously de­
grade the perfo rmance of the cata lytic
conve rter. -
Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 229.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine co uld m is­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is mov ing .
- Do not continue to ope rate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have you r vehicle maintained p roperly
and in accordance w ith the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty & Maintenance book let.
- Lack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage.
@) For the sa ke of the en vironment
Even when the Emission Control System is
ope rat ing properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operat ing states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Usi ng a different brand of fuel may help,
or f illing the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diese l eng ine
The diesel part icu late filter filters nearly all of
the soot pa rticles out of the exhaust . T he fil­
te r cleans itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l
dr iv ing cond itions . If the filte r cannot clean it­
self (for example, because you are on ly driving
short distances), the filter becomes clogged
with soot and the
II symbol for the diesel
particulate filter ill uminates ¢
page 22. ..,.

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 . ..,.

You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumption.
This also applies to fuel consumption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a
cold engine .
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effectively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6 -8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km),
the engine is at its proper operating tempera­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possible.
Driving and environment 205
The outside temperature is also critical in this
regard. Your car consumes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer.
•
•

Winter operation
At temperatures below 20° F (-7° C), Diesel
fuel No.
2 loses its fluidity due to wax separa­
tion, which may clog the fuel filter or tank fil­
ter and keep the engine from running .
To help the filter from being clogged by wax,
the fuel filter in your vehicle is automatically
preheated. Preheating the fuel filter makes
operation of your vehicle possible with Diesel
fuel No . 2 down to -10° F (-24° C).
If you expect temperatures below
5° F
(-15° C)
ask your fuel dealer whether their
Diese l fuel No.
2 is sufficiently winterized for
the prevailing and expected temperatures.
If not winterized or insufficiently winterized
Diesel fuel has already thickened to the extent
that the engine will not start, warm the vehi­
cle up by leaving it in a heated garage.
It is normal that the engine noise leve l (die­
seling) is louder during the warm-up period in
winter.
It is also norma l when whitish-blue
smoke comes out of the tailpipe after start ing
and during warm-up . The amount of smoke
depends on the outs ide temperature.
Do not let your Diese l engine id le unnecessari­
ly after a cold start. Driving off slowly will
shorten the warm-up period .
A WARNING
-Never use "starting assist fluids." They
may be potent ially explosive or cause a
"run-away" engine condition. This could
result in serious engine damage and per­
sonal injury.
- Never use fuel line anti-freeze offered for
gasoline engines .
0 Note
- Your Diesel engine has been specifically
designed to operate only on Ultra Low
Sulfur Diesel fuel. Therefore, never use
home heating oil or regular gasol ine. Th e
properties of these fuels may cause seri­
ous damage to the fuel injection system
and to the engine. Using these fuels can
-
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 217
cause expensive engine repai rs and will
also adversely affect your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
- If Diesel fuel should get on any rubber
hose, it must be wiped off immediately.
Then wash the contaminated hose por­
tion with soap and warm water. Do not
allow Diesel fuel to remain on connect­
ing hoses . They may develop leaks and
cause serious damage.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see
¢ page 220.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
¢ page 281.
T he labe l on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
¢ page 215.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refue l your vehicle. In order to fi ll the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
A WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry addit ional fuel conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow b lower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe loca l and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the
~
•
•

-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 personal 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 repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical ha zards c:::> & .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition ,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
Checking and filling 225
-Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will 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 vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.,. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"'Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c:::> ,A .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while driv ­
ing .
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­ ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driving that the hood
is not secured properly , stop at once and
close it. •
•

226 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check .
Fig. 188 Typi cal layout for conta iner s and en gine o il filler cap
(D Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw .................
237,274
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. .. .. ........ .. ..... .
237,274
®
©
®
®
Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . 234
Engine oi l fille r cap ( Coolant expansion tank (- L) ...
Windshield/headlight washer
232
t . (.'R ) con ainer ,,.., ...... ....... . 238
The engine oil filler neck (item @) may be lo­
cated in a different area depending on the ver­
sion of the engine.
~ WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 224.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the righ t kind
of oil.
The engin e in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerpl ant that was bu ilt to exacting spe cifi­
cations . Thi s engine needs the righ t kind of
engine oil that meets specification s regarding
quality and v iscosity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the tim e and mileage
intervals printed in you r vehicle's Warra nty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will h elp assur e that your vehicle's engine wi ll
get the lubr ication it need s for proper opera -
tion. ..,.

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan ­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synthetic
oils available today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diesel engine) to
he lp keep your vehicle's eng ine running
smoothly and help prevent the fo rmation of
harmf ul depos its, sometimes ca lled "sludge,"
that over time can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of pr inting, engine o ils availab le in
the U.S. and Canada tha t meet the exacting
specifications of A udi oil standard VW 502 00
(vehicles with gaso line engine) or VW 50 7 00
(vehicles with diesel engine) are synthetic en­
gine oils . This does not mean, however, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet Aud i oil
standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline
engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith diese l
engine). So always be sure that you use an ap­
proved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmful de­
posits use only oil with the follow ing spec ifi­
cations printed on t he oil container:
- Aud i oil standard VW 502 00 (gasoline en ­
gine )
- Aud i oil standard VW 50 7 00 (d iesel en -
gine )
Oil conta iner labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion singly or in comb ination with other desig­
nations and oil qua lity standards.
Vi scosi ty
Eng ine oils are graded acco rding to their v is­
cosity. The prope r viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on cl imac tic or seasonal con­
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oi l with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem ­
pe rat ure ranges for normal d riving conditions .
H oweve r, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade
SAE SW40 is not ava ilable, you can a lso use
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
viscosity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW-40 as
long as it meets Audi oil q uality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith diese l eng ine) spec­
ifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oi l
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith d iese l eng ine) spec­
ification, in case you have to top off the oil
wh ile on the road.
App lie s to vehicle s with gasoline engin e on­
l y:
Only if the level of the o il is at or below the
minimum ma rk on the o il dipstick -and no oi l
that expressly conforms to Audi o il st andard
VW 502 00 spec ificat ions is available - may
you top off with a high quality engine o il, pre f­
erably synthetic -based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specificat ions, but even then, only
in v iscosity grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the entire time
between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 0 .5 qt/liter engine
o il that does not conform to Audi o il specifica­
tion VW 502 00.
App lie s to vehicles with die sel engin e only:
Only if the level of the o il is at or below the
min imum ma rk on the o il dipstick - and no oi l
t h at exp ressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 507 00 spec ificat ions is available - may
you top off with a high quali ty engine o il, that
meets ACEA C3 or API CF specifications, but
even t hen, only in viscosity grades SAE
SW-40, SAE 5W-30, or SAE OW-40. However,
during the entire time between oil change in­
terva ls, never top off with more than a total
of 0. 5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con-
for m to Aud i oil spec ification VW 50 7 00.
For more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither you r autho rized Aud i deale r or
Audi Custome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822-2834
o r vis it our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.aud ic a nada. ca. He re you w ill also fi nd a ..,.
•
•

228 Check ing and filling
current list of oils (manufacturers , brand
names etc.) that conform to Aud i oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang in g th e en gin e oil
The engine oil and o il filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (ki lomete rs) and
time inte rva ls spec ified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . Do not exceed
these intervals - harmful deposits from old
engine o il can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changing the oil at the recommended inte r­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oi l decrease grad ually during
norma l vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor .
Under some circumstances the engine o il
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short d istances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point fo r
l ong periods.
Detergent add it ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing fo r a short time. This is no rma l and is not
a reason to change the o il more often than
recommended.
Dama ge or ma lfun cti ons du e to la ck of
maint enan ce
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles wi th gaso lin e engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diese l engine) . Yo ur
Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or ma lf u nctions due to failure to fol­
low recommended maintenance and use re­
qu irements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and War ranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dea ler will have to deny warranty cover­
age unless you present to the dealer proof in the form o
f Service or Repair Orders that all
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
t imely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool oil
of its moving ports.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l engine components, all in­
ternal combust ion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically , engines
with a spec ified break- in period (see
¢ page 201) consume more oil during the
break -in pe riod t han they consume afte r o il
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal cond it ions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the q ua lity and viscos ity
of the oil , the RPM (revol utio ns per minute) at
which the engine is opera ted, the ambient
temperature and road conditions . Furt her fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida ­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as m ileage builds up, the oil consump­
t ion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary .
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es­
tablished or spec ified . There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the o il lev­
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol
in the instrument clus ter
II lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 229 . Top off the oil at your earl iest
convenience
9 poge 229.
,&. WARNING
Before you che ck anything in the engine
compartmen t, a lways rea d and heed al l
WAR NIN GS ¢.&
in Working in the engine
comportment on page 224 .
-