2015 AUDI A6 brakes

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Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard 89
When approaching a moving vehicl e up ahead,
the adaptive cruise contro l system automati­
cally brakes to match that object's speed and
then maintains the stored distance.
If the ve­
hicle ahead accelerates, adaptive cruise con­
trol will also accelerate up to the stored
speed .
The higher the speed, the greater the distance
in yards (meters) ¢.&. . The
Distance 3 setting
is recommended .
The distances prov ided are specified values .
Depending on the driving situation and the
how the vehicle ahead is driving, the actual
distance may be more or less than these tar ­
get distances.
The various symbols for the time increments appear briefly in the information line @
¢
page 86, fig . 90 when you change the set ­
tings .
,::::::,_,::::::, ___ Distance 1: This setting corre-
sponds to a distance of 92 feet/28 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 1 second.
,::::::, __ ,::::::, __ Distance 2: This setting corre­
sponds to a distance of 118 feet/36 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 1.3 seconds .
,::::::, ___ ,::::::,_ Distance 3: This setting corre-
sponds to a distance of 164 feet/SO meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 1.8 seconds .
,::::::, __ __ ,::::::, Distance 4: This setting corre-
sponds to a distance of 210 feet/64 meters
when traveling at 62 mph (100 km/h), or a
time interval of 2.3 seconds .
A WARNING
Following other vehicles too closely in­
creases the risk of collisions and serious
personal injur y.
- Setting short distances to the traffic
ahead reduces the time and distance
available to bring your vehicle to a safe
stop and makes it even more necessary
to pay close attention to traffic. -
Always obey applicable traffic laws, use
good judgment, and select a safe follow­
ing d istance for the traff ic, road and
weather conditions .
(D Tips
-Distance 3 is set automatically each time
you switch the ignition on.
- Your standard settings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote con­
trol key being used.
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
.. Select the desired driving mode in dr ive se­
lect <=;>
page 100.
(D Tips
Your settings are automat ically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Prompt for dr iver intervention
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 94 Instrument cluster: req ues t fo r drive r inte rven­
tio n
In certain situations, the system will prompt
yo u to take action . This could happen, for ex­
amp le, if braking by the adaptive cruise con­
trol system is not enough to maintain enough
distance to the veh icle ahead .
The indicator light . and the symbol in the
display will warn you about the situation
<=;> fig. 94. You wi ll also hear an acoustic signal.
- Press the brake pedal to slow your vehicle
down.

90 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
Audi braking guard
Descript ion
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 95 Instrument cluster: approach warn ing
Braking guard uses radar sensors and a video
camera . It also functions within the limits of
the system when adapt ive cruise control is
switched off .
What can braking guard do?
When detected in time, the system can assess
situations when a vehicle ahead brakes sud­
denly or if your own vehicle is traveling at a
high speed and approaching a vehicle up
ahead that is moving more slowly . Brak ing
guard does not react if it cannot detect the
situation .
The system advises you of various situations:
- The
distance warning is given if you are too
close to the vehicle ahead for a long time. If
the vehicle ahead brakes sharply, you will not be able to avoid a collision . The indicator
light. in the display comes on .
- The
approach warning is given when a de­
tected vehicle up ahead in your lane is mov ­
i ng much more slowly than you are or if it
brakes sharply . When this warning is given,
it may only be possible to avoid a collision
by swerving or braking sharply . Th e indicator
light. and indicator in the display will
warn you about the danger
c::> fig. 95. You
will also hear an acoustic signa l.
ll This is not ava ilable in some co un tri es .
If you do not react fast enough or do not react
at all to the situation, braking guard will inter·
vene by braking.
- If a coll is ion is imminent, the system will
first provide an
acute warning by briefly and
sharply applying the brakes.
- If you do not react to the acute warning,
braking guard can brake wit h increasing
force w ith in the limits of the system . This
reduces the vehicle speed in the event of a
collision.
- The system can initiate maximum braking
short ly before a collision
1l . Full deceleration
at high speeds occurs only in vehicles with
adapt ive cruise control and side assist (pre
sense plus).
- If the braking guard senses that you are not
braking hard enough when a collision is im·
m inent, it can increase the braking force.
- The pre sense functions also engage when a
collision is imminent
c::> page 190.
Which functions can be controlled?
You can switch braking guard and the dis­
tance/approach warning on or off in the MMI
c::> page 91, Settings in the MMI.
A WARNING
Lack of attention can cause collisions, oth­
er accidents and serious personal injuries.
The braking guard is an assist system and
cannot prevent a collision by itself. The
driver must always intervene. The driver is
always respons ible for braking at the cor­
rect time.
- Always pay close att ent ion to traffic,
even when the braking guard is switched
on. Be ready to intervene and be ready to
take comp lete control whenever necessa­
ry . Always keep the safe and legal dis­
tance between your vehicle and vehicles up ahead.
- Braking guard works within limits and
will not respond outside the system lim· its, for example when approaching a ..,.

108 Automatic Transmission
N -N eutr al
The transmission is in neutral in this position.
Shift to this position for stand ing with the
brakes applied
q .&. in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 11 O.
When the ve hicle is stationary o r at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the footbrake befo re and while moving the
l ever out of N.
D IS -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmiss io n can be
operated e ither in the normal mode Dor i n
the sport mode S. To select the sport mode S,
pu ll the se lector lever back briefly . Pulling the
lever back aga in will select the normal mode
D. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driving mode.
In the normal mode D, the transmission a uto ­
mat ica lly selects the suitab le gea r ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, veh icle speed and driv­
ing style.
Select the sport mode S for sporty driving .
The vehicle makes fu ll u se of the engine's
power. Shifting may become noticeable when
accelerating.
When the ve hicle is stationary o r at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while moving the lever to D/S out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS q .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 110.
(D Note
-
Coast ing downh ill with the transmission in
N and the e ngine not r unning w ill result in
damage to the automatic transm iss io n
and possib ly the catalyt ic converter.
@ Tips
- Audi drive select : you ca n adj ust the
sporty s hift c haracte ristics in th e
Dy-
namic driving mode.Swi ll appea r in the
instrument cluster display instead of D.
-If you a cc iden tally selec t N whi le driving,
take your foot off the accelerato r pedal
immediately and wa it for the engine to
slow down to idle before select ing D/S.
- If there is a power fai lure, the selector
lever w ill not move out of the P position.
The emergency release can be used if
this happens
qpage 113.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
0, N ! ' g
i
) ( )
-
Fig. 1 15 Shift gate: selector leve r lock positions a nd
r e lease button highl ighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
... Tur n the igni tion on.
... Step o n the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the re lease button on the
side of the gear selector knob
¢ fig. 115
with your thumb until yo u have moved the
selector lever to the desired posit ion.
Automat ic selector leve r lo ck
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
sitions when the ignition is turned on. Yo u
must press the brake pedal and t he re lease
button to select another position . As a re­
minder to the driver, the following warni ng
appears in the instrument cluster display
when the selector is in P and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while se -
lecting gear
ll>

110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
multitronic transmission : Your vehicle is
equipped with
hill hold assist allowing you to
start while on an incline. The system is acti­
vated when the brake pedal is pressed down
and held
f o r a few s econds . The brake pres­
sure will hold for
a moment after the brake
pedal loosens to prevent the veh icle from roll­
ing backwards whi le starting up .
A WARNING
- The veh icle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended veh icle movement can cause
serious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gea r. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
act ivate the park ing brake and move the
selector lever to P .
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat io nary and the
engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P wh ile driving .
- Before driv ing down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces b raking performance, inc reases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail­
ure of the brake system.
- T o prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stoppi ng on incl ines, always hold it
in place with the brake peda l or parking
brake.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incl ine with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto ­
matically when it becomes too hot from the overload. An indicato
r lamp
ml illu­
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 112 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving posit io n engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P w it h the park ing brake set
¢ page 222 . Otherwise, any increase in
eng ine speed may set the vehicle in mo­
tion, even with the parking brake ap­ plied .
(D Note
-S tronic- and tiptronic transmission :
When stopping on an incl ine , do not try
t o hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the parking brake or press the brake
peda l to prevent the vehicle from roll ing.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission : A l­
lowing the vehicle to ro ll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not l ubricated unde r those cir­
cumstances.
{!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
l eased automatically only when the d riv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent contro l is activated when these ­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is su itable fo r the incline. H ill de­
scent contro l tries to ma inta in the speed ach­
ieved at the time o f braking, within phys ica l
and technical limitations. If may sti ll be nec -
essary to adj ust the speed with the brakes . ..,..

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Hill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
¢ page 82, hill descent control is also activat­
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the
brakes .
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 117 Center console; shift ing the gears manually
Fig. 118 Steering wheel: Shift paddles•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tipt ron ic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.,. Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
5. An M appears in the instrument cluster
display as soon as the transmission has
shifted.
Automatic Transmission 111
.,. To upshift, push the se lector lever forwa rd
to the plus position
0 ¢ fig . 117.
.,. To downshift, push the lever to the minus
position
0 .
Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift paddles are activated when these­
lector lever is in 0/S or the tiptronic manual
shift program.
.,. To upshift, touch the shift paddle on the
right 0¢fig.118 .
.,. To downshift, touch the shift paddle on the
left
0 .
.,. If you do not press a shift paddle within a
short time while in the 0/S position, the
transm iss ion will return to automatic mode.
To keep shifting using the shift paddles,
move the selector lever to the r ight out of
the 0/S position.
The transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transm ission only allows manual sh ifting
when the engine speed is with in the permit­
ted range.
@ Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmission will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
ving the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inoperative when the trans ­
mission is in the fai l-safe mode.
, Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
Applies to vehicles with a multitronic
transmission
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance point, the transmission
downshifts into a lower gear ratio depend ing
on the vehicle speed and engine speed. As .,.

194 Intelligent technology
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
smal l.
Anti -slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels .
This function is available up to abo ut 75 mph
(120 km/h) .
I n extreme cases , ED L automat ic all y switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL will switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Dynamic st eering*
On vehicles with dynamic steering* , ESC helps
stabilize the steering in critical situations .
Electronic interaxle differential lock */
s elective whe el torque control *
The electronic in teraxle d iffe ren tial lock (fro nt
wheel drive) or the select ive whee l torq ue
control (a ll-wheel drive) operates when driv­
ing throug h curves . The front whee l on the in­
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed.
T his minimizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more precise driving through
curves . The applicable system may not acti­
vate when d rivi ng in wet or snowy conditions.
_& WARNING
- E SC, ABS, ASR, EDL, dynamic steering*
and the E lec tronic interaxle differentia l lock
*/se lective whee l torque control*
cannot overcome the laws of physics.
This is especially important on slippery
or wet roads .
If the systems beg in acting
to stabilize your veh icle, you should im­
mediately chang e you r speed to match
the road and t raffi c conditions. Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems temp t you to take risks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and serio us per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions . The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and o n slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
a head . ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys­
tem, ED L, ASR, dynam ic steeri ng* and
the Electronic in terax le different ial
loc k*/se lective whee l torque control*
cannot prevent collisions .
- Always accelerate wi th spe cial care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al ­
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires . D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- You may hear noises when the systems descr ibed are working.
- If the ind icator light
Bl or fJl1 (USA
mode ls)l iiJ (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 19,
¢page 19 .

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Intelligent technology 195
Switching on and off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 178 Center console,:, OFF button
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following situations are exceptions where it may be useful to switch on sport mode to
allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iv ing with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The fu ll stab ilizat ion function of the ESC
are limited¢ ,&.
Operation Press the I~ OFFI button .
Indicator II turns on.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC): Sport
sages Warning! Reduced stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if
your dr iving abilities and road conditions
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on . The
dr iv ing wheels could spin and the vehicle
cou ld swerve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
@ Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched o n when
adapt ive cru ise control* is sw itched on.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are st ill
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
in g conditions and driv in g habits ¢.&,. . On and
ASR is available again.
Press the
I S'} OFF I button again.
Iii turns off.
Stabilization control (ESC): On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
t he
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuous ly. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Moisture or road salt
Under certain cond itions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remov e any ice coatings. .,._

196 Intellig ent technolog y
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will
briefly touch the brake d iscs in regular inter­
vals so as to improve reaction t ime when brak­
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver will not no­
tice anything .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coat ing
from brake d iscs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake¢.&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with l ittle use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firm ly a few times from a mode rately high
speed ¢.& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢.&. .
Low brake fluid le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically .
Brake boost er
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running ¢ .&. .
Brake lining w ear status
Brake lining wea r may be checked by vis ual in ­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces­
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in ­
spection
¢ page 272, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the br akes or ho ld the pedal down too
long o r too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter , dr iving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the b rakes can be reduced . In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the bra ke pads, lin ings,
d iscs and drum s. Carefully app ly bra kes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coa t­
ings wi ll be cleaned
off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt -covered roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the a ir
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effective ness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it to wed to the near­
est A udi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a s top with
the eng ine shut
off.