2014 AUDI A6 ESP

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 . ..,.

212 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Decorative
Dirty Mild soap solutional, a cleaning solution suitab le for
parts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, re-
pair with touch up paint
q page 280
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust film Rust
film remover, then protect with hard wax; for ques-
tions, refer to an authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an autho rized Aud i dealer or a quali-
fied workshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even T
reat with suitable polish; then app ly paint protectant if
though paint has the polish that was used does not contain any protec-
been protected/
tant
pa int looks poor
Carbon parts Dirty Clean tlhe same way as painted parts qpage 210, Car
washes
a ) Mild soap so lution: maximum two tablespoons neut ra l soap in a lite r of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative Dirty Mild soap
solutional
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plastic cleaning sol u-
tion, if necessary
Displays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutional
Safety belts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
...

216 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-Blend must contain not more than 1S%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driv ing.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
(CT) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If yo u are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel sup plier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades differ from one
manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to co llect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and fuel
systems clean, they a re not equally effec­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
f uels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or malf u nct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) sul­
fur content 15 ppm or less.
T he ULSD (U ltra Low Sulfur Diesel) meets the
ASTM-D-97S (grade 2).
Diesel fuel with a higher concentration than
ULSD-Diesel No. 2 ASTM 0975 and Bio-die­
sel with a higher concentration than S
% like
B11, B20 or B100 are strictly prohibited.
Serv ice stat ion fue l pumps a re labeled with
the correct fuel information fo r easy recogn i­
t ion by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fue l is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
Service stations offering Diesel fuel are gener­
ally located on truck routes or major high­
ways. Directories of Diesel fuel stations are
usually available at Diesel fuel stations.
Some states in the USA req uire permits to
purchase Diesel fuel. Check with your State
Motor Vehicle Department.
Diesel fuel may not be ava ilable outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav-
eling to other countries . .,..

-For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for examp le, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­ n ite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
he lp prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are highly f lammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­ cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel container meets industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
«I) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint .
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches
off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full . Do not try to add
more fue l because fuel may spill out. In
add ition, the expans ion space in the fuel
tank will be fi lled -causing the fue l to
Fu el su ppl y and fi lling yo ur fu el t an k 219
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
l ute the environment .
(0 Tips
-Running your eng ine while refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spill out of the tank . This
would then shut
off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refuelling.
- Diesel vehicles* are equipped with a die­
sel misfueling protector. It allows the
vehicle to be fueled only with a diesel
fuel pump nozzle. A worn or damaged nozzle or a nozzle that is too small may
not be ab le to open the diesel misfueling
protector. If this is the case, try turning
the nozzle before insert ing it in the f uel
filler neck, use a different fuel pump or
see your authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized repair facility for assistance.
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside . •
•

224 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 186 Driver foo twell: release lever
Fig. 187 Rocker switch un der the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged .
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow
¢ fig. 186.
.,. Raise the hood slightly¢,&. .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 187. This releases the catch.
• Open the hood.
&_ WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned,
never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
'Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
¢ ,&. .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not
remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:

@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q uir es lit tle atten tion .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a pe rmanent coo lant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ial ly conditioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-based cool ant ad di-
tiv e G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi ­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and p rotect s metal com ­
ponents in the engine's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil­
i ng point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add it ive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not mor e than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and coo ling efficien­
cy .
If the coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coolant cou ld free ze and dam age the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for tempera tures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
Checkin g and fillin g 231
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa ­
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 224.
Q) Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate condi tions. This is especi ally impor­
tan t if you live i n a region wher e th e win­
ter is ex treme ly co ld. If necessary, i n­
crease t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n ad ding coolant additive t o yo ur
c ooling sys tem, reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad­
d itive G12++ or G13 (check the labe l)
fo r your vehicle . This coolant additive is
ava ilable at autho rized Aud i dea le rs .
Ot he r ty pes of antifree ze can sign ifi­
cantly reduce corros io n protection. The
r es ult ing co rrosion can ca use a loss of
coolan t and serious e ng ine damage.
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal­
a nt to yo ur vehicle 's engine c oolant .
A dd ing radia tor repair fl uid may adverse ­
ly affect the f unction and pe rformance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty.
-
•
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 237.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 163.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, ele ctrical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢
page 199. Some of the co nvenience func­
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights or power seat adjustme nt. The conven-
Checkin g and fillin g 235
ience funct ions w ill be available again when
yo u sw itch on the ign ition an d start the en­
gine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery ca pa city
tends to decrease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used mo re often.
Avoid unnecess ary powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticu lar ly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in¢
page 23 7. A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freez e. This will
p reve nt it from be ing dam aged and having
to be repl aced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any­
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec­
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•