2014 AUDI A6 warning

206 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
c:::> page 206, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trai ler hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind
c:::> A.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brakin g sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your Audi dealer for correct
wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors. It is important
that you
always have clear v is ion to the rear .
A WARNING
--
After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle . In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shift ing forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c:::> A in Driving instructions on page 208.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system 's
performance is up to the additional load.

208 Trailer towing
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
¢ page 17 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wear ing the restraints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trailer because of the additional weight and
different weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp lete ly familiar with the way
your ve hicle-trai ler comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler generally requi res
steering act ion opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you wi
ll need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, a llow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang ­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 283.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on o slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Select the P selector lever position .
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Select the D/S selector lever position .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
Ill-

210 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for corro ­
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or a qualified workshop. Read and follow the
instr uctions for use on th e packaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cleaning and care products incor­
rec tly can be dange ro us to your hea lth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of rea ch of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that depos its suc h as insects, bird
d roppings , tree sap o r road salt rema in on the
ve hicl e, the more the su rface can be dam­
aged. High tempe ra tur es such as those
c a used by s unligh t increase the cor rosive ef­
fect.
B efore was hing, wet heavy deposits w ith p le n­
ty of water.
A lso , wash the underside of your vehicle once
r oad salt stops be ing used fo r th e season .
Pressure wa shers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. Th is
i s especially important in rega rd to t he pres ­
sure and spray ing distance . Do not aim the
spray d irectly at seals o n side w indows, doors, the
hood, the rear lid o r the sunroo f* or at
t ir es , rub ber hoses, insu lating mate rial, sen­
sors * or camera lenses *. Keep a d istance o f at
l east 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice wi th a p ressu re
washe r.
Never use rota ry no zzle s or high pressure noz­
z les.
T he wate r temperature must not be above
140
° F (60 °() .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the ve hicle before washing.
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off . Fo l­
l ow instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicl e starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent-f ree cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and la rge particles from
yo ur vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger­
pri nts are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the p rod uct us ing a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoro ughly with water . Then
clean usi ng a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
crof iber cloth.
Rinse t he vehi cle thoroughly again and le t it
air dry . Remove any wa ter residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn dep osit s su ch as b ird drop pin gs o r
t ree sap are best remove d with p le nty o f wa -
te r and a microfiber cloth . ..,.

Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 211
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fec t may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
Q) Note
- If you wash t he vehicle in an automatic
car wash, yo u must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir­
rors* must only be folded in and out us­
ing the power folding function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight . -
To reduce the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface, do not use polishing agents or hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte fi nish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehi cle in facilities spec ial ly
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the risk of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individua l vehi ­
cle components, refer to the fo llow ing tab le.
The information contained there is s imp ly rec­
ommendations. For quest ions or for compo- nents
that are not listed, refer to an author­
ized Audi dea ler or a qualified workshop . Also
fo llow the information found inc>,& .
Cle aning e xterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper b lades
Dirty i=> page 49, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headligh ts / Dirty Soft
sponge with a m ild soap solutional
tail light s
S ensor s/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
camera l enses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhau st t ail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for sta inless steel, if
pi pes necessary
•
•

Vehicle care and cleaning 213
Component Situation Solution
Te xtile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap
solutional
such as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona l, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona l, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona l
Water-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood , etc .
Oil-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up , etc . dried sta ins: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Sta in remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
nai l polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regularly apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates
into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mil d soap so lution: m axim um two ta bles poo ns neu tral soa p in a lite r of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is also
possible.
- Headlights/tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w ith a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
-Wheels
-Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately .
-Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
len s. This could cause the lens to crack .
IJII>
•
•

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
~
•
•

218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
container meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM 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
catalytic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 179 R ig ht rear v ehicl e side: Openin g th e fu el fille r
fl ap
Fig. 180 Fu el f iller flap with attached f uel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
filler flap is automatically unlocked or locked .
Refuel the vehicle with the ign ition switched
off .
Taking the fuel cap off
,. Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
c:> fig. 179 -arrow -.
,. Unscrew fuel filler cap counter -clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap
c:> fig. 180.
,. Check the label on the inside of the fuel fill­
er flap to determine if the vehicle must be
fueled with gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refuelling procedure
,. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go .
,. Select a med ium r efuelling rate so that the
no zzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
,. After filling your tank, twist the fuel filler
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
c:> page 30
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 filler 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 ignite 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 conta iner . ..,

220 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 181 Luggage co m partmen t: open ing the side tr im
Fig. 182 Right side trim panel in the lu ggage compar t­
ment: e mergency release mechanism
Opening the side trim
• To remove the right side trim, first remove
the retainer from the mounts
¢ fig. 181.
• Turn both locking mechanisms 90° to the
left using a coin or a similar object and re­
move the locking mechanisms.
• Tilt the retainer upward and pull the trim
out . Lay the trim down on its side, because
there is an electrical wire on the back.
Fuel filler door emergency release
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment.
• Loosen the loop i:>
fig. 182 from the retainer
and then pull on the loop carefully i:>Q).
• Press on the left side of the fuel filler door
to open
i=> page 218, fig. 179.
(D Note
Only pull on the loop until you feel resist­
ance. You will not hear it release . Other- wise you could
damage the emergency re­
l ease mechanism .
Selective catalytic
reduction
General information
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
On vehicles with selective cata lytic reduction,
an urea solution (Ad B lue) is injected into the
exhaust system before a nitrogen oxide cata­
lytic converter to reduce nitrogen emissions.
The Ad Blue is stored in a separate tank in the
vehicle. The Ad Blue usage accounts for ap­
proximately 0.5% to 1.2% of the diesel fuel
that is used.
You must refill the Ad Blue or have it refilled
by you r authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop as soon as the Ad Blue refill mes­
sage appears in the instrument cluster
¢page 222.
A WARNING
-Failure to heed AdBlue refill information in
the instrument cluster can prevent the ve­
hicle from be ing started and driven . If the
vehicle cannot be driven and an emergency
arises, personal injury can occur.
- Always have the AdBlue tank refilled well
before the tank runs dry.
(D Tips
-The instrument cluster display ind icates
the distance remaining that can be driv­
en
c> page 221. If the Ad Blue tank is
completely empty, the engine will not
start again after the ignition is switched
off.
-Ad Blue is required by law to operate this
vehicle.