2014 AUDI A6 checking oil

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Homelink
Universal remote control ... .. .. .. . .
S afet y fir st ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Dri ving Safely ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Gene ral notes ..... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . .
Driver and passenger side footwell . . .
Pedal area .. ................. .. . .
Stowing luggage ............. ... .
Report ing Safety Defects .......... . 126
126
12
8
128
128
129
133
133
1 34
136
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 41
Safety bel t pre tens io ners . . . . . . . . . . 1 45
Airbag system ........... .. .. .. 147
I mpo rtant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 147
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 51
M on itoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Child Safety ............... .. . .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ... ...... .... .. . .
Install ing a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
L ATC H Lower ancho rages and tethe rs
for ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
P reven tat ive passenger p rotection
Vehicle operat ion ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
Not ice about da ta re cor ded by veh icle
control mod ules ... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) .
Braking .... .. .... .. .... ... .. .. . .
E lectro-mechanical power assist . .. . . 173
173
179
184
187
19
1
192
19 2
194
194
194
194
196
198
Table of contents 3
Driving with your q uattro . . . . . . . . . . 198
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driving and environment . . . . . 201
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Diesel particulate f ilter . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 203
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 203
Sh utting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Operate your vehicle economically a nd
min imi ze poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Drivi ng with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
T rail er tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 210
Genera l informa tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Car was hes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 211
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Diesel f uel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fuel tank.. .. .. .. ... ............ . 217
Se lective cata lytic reduction . . . . . . . . 220
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 224
E n gine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
E n gine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
En gine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Br ake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
B attery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Windsh ie ld/headligh t washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 0
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . 258
•
•

-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. ..,.

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 .
-

(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine.
@ Tips
- The oil pre ssure w arning di spl ay . is
n ot an indi cato r of the oil le vel. D o not
rely on it. Inste ad , c heck th e oil le vel in
y ou r engine at regula r inter vals, pref ­
er ably each t ime you refu el, and al way s
befor e going on a long tr ip .
- If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Audi
dealer to have the cause of yo ur conce rn
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate measurement of oil con­
sump tion requires great care and may
take some time. Your Audi dealer has in­
str uctions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 18 9 Display: oil leve l indicato r
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Shu t the engine off when it is warm.
"' Switch only the ignition back on.
"' Wait approximately two minutes.
"' Se lect :
I CARI funct ion button > ( Car )* sys -
tems
control button > Se rvicing & che ck s >
O il lev el.
"'Check the oil level in the display ¢fig. 189.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is near "min"
c::;,page 229 .
Depending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumption
Checkin g and fillin g 229
can be up to 1/2 quart pe r 600 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,000 km). Consumption may be higher
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
(D Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI Display is
on ly an information display. If the oil level
is low, a minimum oil warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil
c::;, page 229. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluster the next t ime the ignition is
switched on.
Adding engine oil~
Fig. 190 Eng in e compa rtm ent : cove r on the engine oi l
filler neck
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com ­
partment,
alw ays rea d and he ed all WARN ­
ING S
c::;, &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 224.
"' Shut the eng ine off .
"' Unscrew the cap
't".:::?: to the engine o il filling
hole
c::;, fig. 190, c::;, page 226, fig . 188.
"' Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters)
of the appropriate oil
c::;, page 226.
"' Check the oil level again after two minutes
c::;, page 229, Checking the engine oil level.
"'Top off the oil again, if necessary.
"' Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
A WARNING
--Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come
in conta ct with hot engine parts -fi re
ha zard!

232 Check ing and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig . 191 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coolant
expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lwa ys re ad and h eed a ll WA RN­
INGS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 224 .
., Park your vehicle on a level surface.
., Switch
off the ignit io n.
., Read the eng ine coolant level from the cool ­
ant expans ion tank
o fig . 191, o page 226,
fig. 188. With a cold eng ine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant exp ans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
o page 226.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
o page 17 will
illum inate unt il you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level senso r, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool- ing system shou
ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dea ler . It is not
enough mere ly to add coolant .
In a
sea le d system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
A WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot . Red uce the risk of scald­
i ng from hot coolant by fo llow ing these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by covering the
cap with a large, th ick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts . Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant . Add­
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af­
fe ct the funct io n and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment ,
alway s re ad and h eed all WARN­
IN GS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 224.
., Tu rn
off the engi ne.
., Let the eng ine cool down.

234 Checking and filling
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 192 Engine compartment : cove r on the brake fl uid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ~ .&. in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 224.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir~
fig. 192 , ~ page 226,
fig.
188. The brake fluid leve l must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake flu id reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
~ page 226.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . Th is is not cause for alarm.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
lo w the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi­
cator light
1111 (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on~
page 15. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the ca use corrected. If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light w ill illuminate . Contact an au ­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance .
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FM VSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake flui d is also ind icated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long. This can seriously affect the effi­
c ie ncy of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle .
@ Tips
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all -wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mu st always be tigh tened to the
correc t torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory in sta lled r ims. If different rims are fit ­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used . This ensures that wheels are f itted
secure ly and that the brake system f unctions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a d iffe rent vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l
¢page 285.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig hte ned or maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose causin g loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury .
- Alw ays keep the w heel bolts and the
th reads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the w heel h ubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the co rrect tightening
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
Tire s an d wheel s 257
risk of a wheel loss. If the tighte ning tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing . If the tighte ning torque is
too h igh, the wheel bol ts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(I) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb ( 120 Nm) with a tole ranc e of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r cha nging a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque w rench -prefe rably by an au thor­
i z ed Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is facto ry-eq uipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance , road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving cond i­
tions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation . The numera l rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewall height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in perce ntage. Conven ­
tion al tires have a he igh t/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspe ct-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitiv e to improper infla tion
pres sure. It is therefore important that l ow
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pres·
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
¢ page 246, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes , curbs, gul lies ..,.
•
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