2015 AUDI A6 light

230 Check ing and filling
We recommend using on ly coo lant addi-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do
not use a different additive . In an emergency
use plain water unt il you can get the correct
additive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a cons iderable amount of
coolant, then you should add co ld antifree ze
and cold water only when the engine is co ld.
A lways use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolan t will be forced out through the
p ressure relie f valve in the cap when the en ­
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The coo ling system is under press ure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
sca lding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, han ds and arms from
escap ing fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tur n the cap slowly and very c arefully
in a counter-clockwise d irect ion while
applying light, downward press ure on
the top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill an ­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys ­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
g ine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its or iginal container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
is empty. A ir could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the eng ine. If this is the case, do not cont
inue driving . Seek
professiona l assistance .
- Coo lant poll utes the environmen t and
co uld cause an engine fire . Excess cool­
ant will be forced out thro ugh the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an eme rgency, only wate r can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c::> page 228 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused . A l­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ­
i ng all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself.
An a uxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing condit ions .
After yo u switch the engine off, the auxi liary
fan can continue r unning for up to 10 minutes
- even w ith the ignition off . It can even switc h
on again later by itself
c::> .& , if
- the temperature of the engine coo la nt rises
due to the heat build- up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning .
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certai n temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.

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Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 192 Engine co mpa rtment: cove r on the b rake f luid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
al ways r ead and h eed all WARN·
ING S ¢ &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 222.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fl uid reservoir¢
fig. 192, ¢ page 224,
fig. 188 .
The brake f luid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake flu id reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compa rtment illust rat ion
¢ page 224.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi­
cator ligh t. (U .S. models) . (Canad ian
models) will come on ¢
page 15. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
br ake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au·
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediately .
Checkin g and fillin g 231
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi·
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mois ture from the air. If
the wa ter 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 flu id will also dec rease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
ev ery two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
i zed
Audi d ealer . Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and t he 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 f luid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spe cificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake f luid 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
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi ­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

232 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as we ll as the special tools
required and the necessary expertise, 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 drives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level should also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 234.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ical system for safety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 161.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this , the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrica l system when absolutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capabi lity over a longer period
¢page 198. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, such as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven- ience
functions will be available again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en­ gine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capac ity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
is because more power is a lso consumed whi le
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticu larly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances. Let your authorized Audi
deale r check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in¢
page 234 . A well
charged battery will no t only prevent star ting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery shou ld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor . Before you check any­
thing in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec­
t rical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.

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&
Battery acid contain s sulfuric acid .
Alw ay s w ea r g lov es and eye protec -
ti on.
@
No
-spa rk s
- flam es
- sm oking .
~
When a b attery is charged , it p rodu -
ce s hy d roge n ga s which i s ex plosi ve
.
and could cause personal injur y.
®
Alw ay s keep the batt ery well out of
rea ch of children.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r isk of
injury, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
yo ur sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could leak out of the vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your sk in, immed iately r inse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek med ical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-c ircuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal in ju ry.
Checkin g and fillin g
-When a battery is charged, it produces
hyd rogen gas which is explos ive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the elect rical sys ­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
trical system, switch off the eng ine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If yo u are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switc h off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set off the al arm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
discon nect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch ­
ed off . Re connect the pos it ive cable first
and then the negative cable. Neve r in ter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery.
It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32
°F
(0 oc).
- Make s ure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! A l­
ways rep lace a damaged batte ry.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han- dling.
~
233
•
•

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,...., ..,., ,....,
-Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generated by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the acid.
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
qpage 198. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electrical en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu ­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
authorized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor­
rectly after replacing the battery.
Checking and filling 235
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, construction and plug sealing.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig­ nition and all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery acid can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM
battery. Installing a different type of
battery can cause problems in the vehi­
cle electrical system. When replacing the
vehicle battery, always install one with
the same specifications as the original
battery.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and
lead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment.
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 194 E ng in e compart ment : cov er on th e w in ds hield
and headl ig ht* washer f luid reservoir
II-
•
•

246 Tires and wheel s
If you wish to improve comfort See the illustration ¢ fig. 195
when operating the vehicle at for the locati on of the labe l on
normal load (up to 3 occu -driver's side B -pillar (color of
pants), you can adjust tire the actual label and exact loca-
pressures to those specified tion on the vehic le will vary
for normal vehicle load. Before slight ly) .
operat ing the vehicle at maxi -Note that the following table is
mum load , you must increase accurate at the time of going to
the ti re pressu res to those press and is subject to change .
specified for maximum vehicle In the event of discrepancies,
load¢&. the tire pressure labe l is locat-
Bear in mind that the tire pres- ed on the driver's side 8-pi llar
sure monitoring system can on -always takes precedence .
ly monitor the tire pressures The table below lists the rec-
you have stored . The system
ommended cold tire inflation
does not recogn ize the load
pressures for the Audi model
condition of your vehic le.
covered by your Owner's Litera-
T he effectiveness of the tire ture at the vehicle's capacity
pressure monitoring system weight and the tire sizes instal -
will be impaired if you store led on the respective mode ls as
normal load pressures but then original equipment, or as a fac-
operate the vehicle at its maxi- tory option.
...
mum load¢&.

250 Tires and wheels
amount of luggage into ac-Never exceed the maximum in-
count when adjusting tire pres-flation pressure listed on the
sure for a trip -even one that tire sidewall for any reason.
you would not consider to be
Remember that the vehicle
"long." See
q page 2 52, Tires manufacturer, not the tire man-
and vehicle load limits for more ufacturer, determines the car-
important information. rect tire pressure for the tires
Always use an accurate tire on your vehicle.
pressure gauge when checking It is important to check the tire
and adjusting inflation pres- pressure when the tires are
sures. Check all of the tires and cold.
be sure not to forget the spare -Read the required tire pres-
tire. If the pressure in any tire is
sure from the tire pressure la-
too high when the tire is "cold,"
bel. The tire pressure label is
let air out of the tire slowly
located on the driver's side B-
with the edge of the tire gauge
pillar.
and keep checking the pressure
-Turn the valve stem cap coun-
until you reach the pressure
ter-clockwise to remove it
that is correct for the load (pas-
from the tire valve.
sengers and luggage) and kind
-Place the air pressure gauge
of driving you plan to do .
on the valve.
If the pressure in any tire is too -The tire pressures should only
low, note the difference be-
be checked and adjusted when
tween the pressure in the cold the tires are cold. The slightly
tire and the pressure you need
raised pressures of warm tires
and add the air that you need to must not be reduced.
reach the correct pressure for -Adjust the tire pressure to the
the vehicle load (passengers load you are carrying.
and luggage) for the tires on
-Reinstall the valve stem cap
your vehicle as listed on the on on the valve.
...
your vehicle and in this manual
and the kind of driving you plan
to do.

268 Tires and wheels
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 200 Display : und erinflatio n warn ing
Fig. 201 Display: Syste m malfunction
Using the ABS sensors , the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires.
If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster with a warning symbol
[9] and a
message ¢
fig. 200.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad­
justed (e. g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle¢
page 269 . The
TPMS indicator only monitors the tire pres­
sure that you have previously stored. You can
find the recommended tire pressures for your vehicle on the label on driver's side 8-pillar
¢page 244.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low, -
the tire has structural damage,
- th e tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢page 269.
- the spare tire* is mounted .
Warning symbols
[9] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
necessary. The indicator light
[9] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 12.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
Ill (Tire Pressure Monitoring System ) Tire
pressure! System malfunction . Iflll appears
after switching the ignition on or while driving
¢
fig. 201 and the indicator light [9] in the in­
strument cluster blinks for approximately one
minute and then stays on, there is a system
malfunction . Attempt to store the correct tire
pressure ¢
page 269. If the indicator light
does not turn off or if it turns on shortly
thereafter, immediately drive your vehicle to
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair
facility to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres ­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label¢
page 244 . Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly. ..,