2015 AUDI A6 Red light

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0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Safet y fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 127
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 131
Pedalarea .. .. .............. ... .. 131
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
R eport ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Safety belts ... .. ...... .. .. .. . .
General notes ............... .. .. .
Why safety bel ts? ........ .... .. . .
Safety belts ............. .. .. .. . .
Safety belt p re tens ioners .. .. .. .. . .
Airbag system ........... .. .. . .
Impor tant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
Fr ont airbags ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag
System .... .. .... .. .... ... .. .. . .
Knee airbags ............. .... .. . .
Side airbags .. ........... .. .. .. . .
Side curta in a irbags ........ . .... . .
Ch ild Safety ............... .. . .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ............ .... .
Install ing a chi ld safety seat .. .. ... .
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
fo r ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit io nal Informa tion
Audi pre sense .......... .. .. . .
Pr even ta ti ve passe nger p rotec tion
Vehicle operation ....... .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
N ot ice about da ta re corded by the
E vent Data Recorder and vehi cle
control mod ules ... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 136
136
137
139
1
4 3
145
1 4 5
1 4 9
157
162 164
167
171
171
177
182
185
189
190
190
19 2
19 2
192
193
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Electromechanical power assist,
dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Driving w ith your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 197
E ne rgy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
200
T he first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Avoid damaging the vehicle. . . . . . . . . 201 Driving through water on roads . . . . . 201
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
D iesel pa rticulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
S hu tting down vehi cle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Operate your vehicle e conomically and
min imi ze poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Dr iving wit h a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
T ra ile r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 209
Genera l informa tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Car was hes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 210
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .
214
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Diesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Fuel tank.. .. .. .. .. .. ........... . 216
Se lective cata lytic reduction . . . . . . . . 218
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
En gine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
E ngine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
En gine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Br ake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Windshie ld/headlight * washer
co ntainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Tire pressure mo nitoring system 267
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 270
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Tr unk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Emergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 270
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Chang ing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
•
•

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
ll'J turns on r=> page 22. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@r=>
page 24, fig . 4 .
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex ha ust
system . The catalytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunctions
r::!> ,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
r::!> page 24. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
r::!> page 44.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
c>page222.
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
w ith a,/ in the followi ng tables.
If one of
these indicator lights does no t turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
Red ind ic a tor l ights
-------------
U SA model s:
Brake malfunction ,/
c>page 15
Canada m odel s:
Brake malfunction ,/
c>page 15
USA models:
Electromechanical parking
brake
c>page 16
Canada m odel s:
Electromechanical parking
brake
c>page 16
Engine cooling system
c>page 16
Engine oil pressure
c>page 17
Engine oil level
c> page 18
Battery
c>page 17
Safety belt
c>page 17
Electromechanical steering,/
c>page 197
Electronic steering column lock
c>page 18
Engine start system
c>page 18
Central ind icator light
c> page 19
USA models: Speed warning
system
c> page 81
Canada mod els : Speed warning
system
c> page 81
Adaptive c ruise control*,/
c> page86
Air suspension*
c> page 18
Pedestrian warning*
c>page 103
Refill Ad Blue*
c> page 218
AdBlue malf unct ion*
c> page 218
Yellow indicator li ght s
"O~ I I \; ,,
-------------
USA models : Safety systems
c>page 19
Canada models : Safety sys­
tems
c> page 19
Electron ic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ./
c>page 19
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ,/
c>page 19
USA model s:
Anti-loc k braki ng system (ABS)
defect ive ,/
c>page 19
Canad a mod els :
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defect ive ,/
c>page 19
Worn brake pads
c>page20
Electromechanica l parking
brake
c>page 16

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low .
If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authori zed Aud i dealer o r qualified repa ir
f acili ty and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond with maxim um stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased brak ing distances . The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator light . (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set .
• (U SA models) • (Canada models ) Cau­
tion: Vehicle pa rked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not eno ugh braking power to
keep the vehicle from ro lling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline.
P res s brake pedal to relea se parking brake
To release the parking bra ke, press t he b ra ke
pedal and press the button~ or start d riving
with start ing assist at the same time
c::> page 78.
Plea se release parking brake
To release the parking brake ma nually, press
the brake pedal and press the button~ at the
same time . T he parking brake on ly re leases
automatically if the dr iver's safety be lt is fas­
tened.
Ill Parking brak e!
If the Ill ind icator light tu rns o n and this
message appears , the re is a parking b rake
malfunction . Drive to your au thorized A udi
dealer or qualif ied workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in th e engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Swit ch off engin e and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the coolant temperature is too
high o r the coolant leve l is too low.
.. Pull
off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Tu rn
off the engi ne .
.,. Check coolant level
c::> page 228 .
.. Add coo lant if necessary c::> page 229 .
.,. Con tinue dr iv ing on ly afte r the engine coo l­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized A udi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Plea se let
engin e run with vehicl e st ationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, let the engine run at id le for a
f ew m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reaso ns, park at a
safe distance from mov ing traffic, turn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
c::> page 44, Emergency
flasher .
-
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coo lant escaping from the en­
g in e compartment -you r isk being scald­
ed. Wait unt il you can no lo nger see or
hear steam o r coolant escap ing .
~

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
-The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 222.
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the. symbo l
illuminates. There is a malfunct ion in the
eng ine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine.
0 Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The. warning/ind icator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignit ion and must go
out after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle e lectr ica l system .
Dr ive to your au thorized Audi dealer or quali ­
fied workshop immediately . Because the vehi ­
cle battery is discharging, turn
off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professional ass istance if the battery
charge level is too low .
(•) Low battery: battery will be charged
while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears , there may be limited starting
abi lity .
If this message turns off after a litt le wh ile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
authorized Audi dealer or qua lified workshop
correct the mal func tion.
~ Safet y belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/ indicator light illum inates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Add it ionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound.
For more Information¢
page 136, i Safety
belt warning light .
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oi l pressure is too low.
.,. Pull
off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check the engine oil level c> page 226 .
.,. If the eng ine o il level is too low, add eng ine
oil ¢
page 226. Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the display before you start dr iv ing again .
.,. If the eng ine o il level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
na l assistance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel ,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
level warning II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam·
age.
~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the driver message
appear, add engine oil immediately
c::>page224.
Ill Add oil, max. x qt (I). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap­
pear , add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity
c::> page 224.
~ - Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears , there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professional assistance.
Ill Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunction .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING , --
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering.
If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the risk of an accident .
©-Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not switch the ignition off
because you may not be able to switch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
ml Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
c:::::> Air suspension
Applies to vehicles: with air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph.
There is a malfunction that can result in re­
stricted driving stability .
Carefully drive a t a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunction . Wait until the air suspen ­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­ ance . Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.

20 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information regarding the ABS
c;,page 193.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light c;,page 15 and the
ABS warning illuminate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may also be a malfunction in the brake system itself
c;, &. . The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per­
formance.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light . (USA
models)/ . (Canada models) in the instru­
ment cluster flashes ¢
page 15.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together with the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a
malfunction in the EDL system¢
page 193.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
A WARNING
- If the f;t11 (USA models);tlJ (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on while driving, the ABS
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will
not have the protection ABS provides .
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the . warning light, the
fjJ warning light and the f;t11 warning
light come on together, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking.
Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of ve­
hicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your au-
l ) . : USA mode ls o nly
thorized Audi dealer or a qualified work­
shop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden,
hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
B.1 warning light and the
ABS warning light
ti] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired immedi­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
(0} Worn brake pads
Ill Brake pads!
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed. On USA models the warning light
Ill
comes on together with the warning light •.
Both sets of brake pads on an axle must al­
ways be replaced at the same time.
A WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light
Ill and the warning
light •
1
) with the message Brake pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster dis­
play, immediately contact your author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop to
have all brake pads checked or replaced if
necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
Applies to veh icles: w ith gasoline engine
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The l3i warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
-
the ignition on as a function check. ..,.

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction , the indica­
tor light ~ also t urns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed .
Drive to your authori zed Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have t he malfunction corrected .
II Oil level! Sen sor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer a nd have the o il sensor
i n spected . Until you have t his done , ch eck the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side
c::> page 2 26 .
Bil Fuel level indicator
ID'J Plea se refuel
If the indicator light turns on fo r the fi rs t
time and the message app ears, ther e ar e
about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of f ue l left in the
t an k. T ime to refue l
c::>page 216 .
Ill Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the i ndicator light tu rns on and t his mes­
sage appears, t here is a ma lfunction in the
tank system .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have t he malfunction corrected.
~ Windshield washer fluid level
~ Please refill washer fluid
If the symbo l illuminates, add windshield
washer f luid to the washer system/headlight
washer system*
c::> page 235.
~• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunct io n with the w indshield
wipers.
D rive to yo ur autho rize d Au di dea ler immedi ­
ate ly to have t he malfunction cor rected .
~/0$ Defective light bulb warning
S:j -If t he in dicato r light tu rn s on, a bu lb h as
f ailed. The message in dicates t he loca tio n of
t h e b ulb .
II-if a rea r fog lamp has fa iled , the ind icator
li gh t tur ns on to ind icate the loca tion on the
vehicle.
Vehicle lights : malfunction
If the message appears, there is a malfu nc­
t ion in the headlights o r light sw itch.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
.&_ WARNING
- Light bulbs a re pr ess urized and could ex­
p lode w hile they are being changed ca us­
i n g s erio us pe rsonal injury .
- Wo rk with due care when han dling the
h igh-vo ltage sect io n o f gas disc harge
(xe non) ligh ts. Failur e to do so could re­
s ult in death or ser ious injury .
(D Tips
Have t he b ulb replaced or the co nnect ion
r epaired by y our auth orized A udi Se rvice
d epartment .
~{i) Headlight range control
II Headlight range control : defective!
If the symbol illuminates, the headlig ht range
control is no lo nger wor king properly . Have
t h e sys tem checked and repaired at yo ur Audi
d eal er.
:sO Adaptive Light
App lies to veh icles : w ith Adapt ive lig ht
r!J Audi adaptive light: sy stem fault
If the indicato r light turns on and this m es­
sage appears, there is a malf unct io n in th e
adaptive ligh t syste m. The head lig ht s s till
funct ion.