2015 AUDI A6 suspension

162 Airbag system
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per ­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts wit h pretens ioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Aud i dea ler is familiar wit h these requ ire­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea le r perfo rm this se rv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion st ruts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and se nt to the electron ic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels meas ured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­ ured by the sensors and prevent the a irbag
from deploying when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire -rim combina­
tions can change Advan ced A irbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serio us
personal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance character istics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinatio ns that
have not been approved by A udi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
F ig . 1 61 Driver's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the ins trumen t
pane l underneath t he steering wheel
¢ fig. 161, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneat h the glove compartment.
T he knee airbag offe rs additional p rotection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If t he front airbags dep loy , the knee ai rbags
also dep loy in frontal coll isions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the contro l unit
is met
<=> page 155, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their norma l safety function,
safety belts help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in position in a fronta l collision so that
the a irbags can provide supplemental protec­
t ion .
The airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
o nly help to protect you if you are weari ng
your safety belt and wea ring i t properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just beca use the law requi res you to
do so
r::!;>page 136, General notes . ..,.

M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis) * and fully load­
ed veh icles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any h igher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
..&, WARNING
After driving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical
system can be severely damaged by driv­
ing thro ugh water.
- Always switch
off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water¢
page 79 .
@ Tips
-Check the depth o f the wate r before driv ­
ing through it.
- Do not s top the veh icle, dr ive i n reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncom ing vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
l eve l and make it too deep for you r vehi­
cle to drive through safely .
-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 201
- Avo id driving through salt wate r because
it can cause corrosion .
Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: w ith gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
... Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 214,
Fuel supply.
... Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
.,. Never put too much motor o il in your engine
¢ page 226, Adding engine oil~-
... Never try to push- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean­
up" dev ice bui lt into the exhaust system of
the ve hicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be­
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere .
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is c ritically
important for the life of the ca talyt ic convert­
er and proper f unct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after s topping
the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot . This cou ld result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
~
•
•

Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trai ler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air
suspension trailer mode on when you are tow­
ing a trailer. This will limit the regulation by
the air suspension while driving. Select in the
MMI:
! CARI function button> (C ar) * systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Air susp.:
towing > On .
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds . Re­
duce your speed immed iately if the LEDs in
the top pa rt of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢
page 16 .
A WARNING
Anyone no t properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater ris k in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
M N turning, stopping and backing up in an area 0
~ away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
~ have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Trailer towing 207
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally req uires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trai ler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer , you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 292.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­ lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re starting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine.
•
•

256 Tires a nd whee ls
Driving style - Extra care must be ta ken when
Driving fast around curves , rotat
ing direction-specific
heavy acceleration and hard tires
¢
page 2 77.
b raking increase tire wear.
Wheel balancing
Rotating tires for more even
The wheels on new vehicles are
wear ba lanced. However, various sit-
For all four tires on your vehicle uations during everyday driving
to have the same service life, can cause them to become un-
we recommend that the front balanced, resulting in vibra-
and rear tires are rotated ac -tions you can usually feel
cording to the tire manufactur- through the steering wheel.
er's suggested tire rotation in- Unbalanced wheels must be re-
tervals . Please remember the
balanced to avoid excessive
following: wear on steering, suspension
-T ire rotation intervals may dif -and tires. A wheel must also be
fer from the vehicle service in· rebalanced when a new tire is
tervals outlined in your War- insta
lled.
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . Incorrect wheel alignment
-The longer one tire is used in
Incorrect wheel alignment can
one location on the vehicle,
cause excessive tire wear, im-
the more it wears at certain
pairing the safety of the vehi-
points; therefore, we recom-
cle. If tires show excessive
mend that you follow the tire
wear, have the wheel alignment
manufacturer's suggested tire
checked by an authorized Audi
rotation intervals.
dealer or qualified workshop.
-Vehicles with front-wheel
dr ive experience more t read
All-wheel drive
wear on the front wheels com-
Vehicles with quattro must al-
pared to all-wheel drive (quat- ways have tires of the same
tro) .
size, construction and tread
-Please rotate tires as shown type. For details see
¢
fig . 198. ¢page 197. ...

M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed.
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch (10,5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
q(D _ For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
Tires and wheels 265
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
([) Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
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 severely dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the vehicle.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive.
•
•

28 0 Fu ses and bulb s
No. Equ ipment Amps
4 Suspension control system sen-
5
sor
5 E
lectronic Stabilization Control
5
(ESC) mod ule
6 Climate control
5
7 Adaptive cruise control 10
8
Airbag control module, front
5
passenger's seat sensor system
9 Gateway 5
Garage door opener (Homelink),
10 night vision system contro l 5
module
11 Image
processing (active lane
10
ass ist, adaptive cruise control)
12 Dynamic steering 5
13 Terminal 15 in the
instrument
15
panel
14 Termina
l 15 in the luggage com-
partment 30
15 T
erminal 15 (engine)
15
16 Starter 40
Fuse p anel @ (b rown )
No . Equipment Amps
1 Gateway
5
2 Cl imate control 10
Electronic Stabilization Contro l
10
3
(ESC) module
4 Front door
(driver's side)
30
5 Power seat adjustment (driver's
7,5
seat)
6 Dynamic steering
35
7 Su nroof 20
Rear door control module (driv-
15
8
er's side)
9 Lumbar support
(Front passen-
5
ger seat)
10 Tire pressure monitoring system
5
11 Su
nroof, rear spoiler (Sportback)
20
12 Driver
door control module
15
Fuse panel © (r e d )
No . Equipment
2 Fuel pump
3 Brake light
sensor/brake pedal
sensor system
4 AdBlue
control module (Diesel)/
Engine acoustics
5 Left rear door contro l modu le
6 Power seat adjustment
(pas-
senger's seat)
7 Horn
8 Windshield wiper motor
9
Light/rain sensor,
heater for vid-
eo camera in windscreen
10 Lumbar support (driver seat)
11 Front
passenger door control
module
12 Right rear door control mod ule
Front passenger side cockpit fuse
assignment Amp
s
25
5/5
5/7,5 30
7,5 15
30
5
5
15
15
Fig . 2 1 6 Front passenger side cockp it: fuse pane l w ith
plastic bracket
Fu se p anel @ (bla ck)
No . Equipment Amps
1 Head-up Display
5
2 MMI Display 5
3 CD/DVD changer
5
4 MMI unit/dr ives 7,5
5 Chip
card reader (not in all coun-
5
tries)
6 Instrument cluster
5
7 Steering column
switch module 5

M N
0 I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
No. Equ ipment Amps
8
Headlight range adjustment/ 5/7,5
adaptive lighting system
10
Left headlight (headlight with 7,5 adaptive light)
11 Supplementary heater s
Fuse p anel @ (b ro w n)
No . Equipment Amps
1 Climate control 10
2
Climate control system blower 40
3
Diagnostic interface 10
4
E lectrical ignition lock 5
5
Power steering column adjust-
ment
5
6 Steering column switch module 10
7
Power steering column adjust-
ment
25
8 Light switch 5
Luggage compartment fuse assignment
Fig . 217 Luggage compa rtmen t: fuse panel wit h p las ­
tic bracket
Fuse p anel @ (black )
No. Equipment Amps
4 Electromechan ical parking brake 30
5
Electromechanical parking brake 30
6
Front door (front passenge r's
30 s ide)
7 Rear exterior light ing 30
Rea r sun shade, closing aid, lug-
8
gage compartment lock, con-
20 venience key, START ENGINE
STOP, fuel filler door
Fu se s and bulb s 281
No. Equipment Amps
9 Power seat adjustment 15
10
Parking system 5
11
Rear seat heating 30
Fu se p an el@ (r e d )
No . Equipment Amps
1 Left belt tensioner 25
2
Right belt tensioner 25
3
Socket/cigarette lighter 20
4
Socket 20
5
Electromechanical parking brake 5
6 adaptive air suspension 15
7
Rear door (front passenger's
30 side)
8 Rear exterior lighting 30
9
Luggage compartment lid con-
30 trol modu le
10 Telephone 5
11
Sound amplifier 30
12
Rear spoiler (Sportback) 20
Fuse panel© (brown)
No . Equ ipment Amps
1
Radio receiver, Sound amplifier/
30/20
MMI unit/drives
2 Tank leak detection system 5
4
AEM control module/battery 10/15
module
6 Battery fan 35
7
Rad io receiver 7,5
8 Rear Seat Entertainment 7,5
9
Automatic d imm ing interior 5/15
rearview mirror/battery module
10 Parking system 5
Fu se pan el@ (gr ee n)
No . Equipment Amps
1 pre sense s
2 Electromechanical parking brake 5
3
adaptive air suspension 5
4 Automatic transmission 7,5

M N
0 I.J "". rl I.O
"'
@ Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up
is secure before moving the car up the flat­
bed truck ramp .
Vehicle transport
Whenever you hov e your vehicle transported,
be sure to note the following :
(D Note
Mount the tie-down chains/cables over the
running surface (circumference) of the
tires. Never secure the vehicle by the axle,
the suspension struts or the front or rear
towline eye . For technical reasons, the
pressure in the suspension struts may
change du ring the transport and this will
adve rsely affect vehicle handling.
Lifting vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with
floor jack
The vehicle may onl y be li~ed at the lif ting
points illu stra ted.
Fi g. 2 25 Front l ift ing po int
Fig. 226 Rea r lifti ng poin t
:;:; N 0 6 ., a,
5 .. Read and heed WARNING Q ,&..
Emergenc y situ ation s 287
.. Activate the vehicle jack mode* in the MM I:
!CAR I function button > (C ar)* s ystem s con­
trol button>
S e rv ic ing & check s> Air su sp. :
jack m ode> On .
.. Locate lifting poin ts Q fig . 225 and
Q fig . 226 .
.. Adjust lifting arms of workshop hoist or
floor jack to match veh icle lifting points.
.. Insert a rubber pad be tween the floor jack/
workshop hoist and the lift ing po in ts.
The vehicle jack mode* must be activated so
that the automat ic adjustment of the Adap­
tive Ai r Suspens ion* does not make it more
diffi cult to raise the vehicle with the floor
jack.
If yo u must lift your v ehi cle with a floor jack
t o wo rk und ern eath , be sure th e vehicle i s
s af ely s upported on s tands intended for thi s
purpo se.
Front lifting point
The lifting po int is located on the floor pan re­
inforcement abo ut at the same leve l as the
jac k mounting point
Q fig. 225 . Do n ot lift
t h e ve hicle at th e verti cal sill reinforc em ent .
Re ar lifting point
The lifting point is located on the vert ical rein­
forcement of the lower sill for the on-boa rd
ja ck
c::> fig. 226 .
Lifting with veh icle j ack
Re fer to Q page 275.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of ser ious injury and
veh icle damage .
- Always lift the veh icle only at the spe ­
cia l workshop hoist and floor jack lift
po ints illust rated
c::> fig . 225 and
c::> fig . 226.
- Failu re to lift the vehicle at these
po ints could cause the vehicle to tilt or
fall from a lift if there is a change in ve­
hicle weight distribution and balance .
This might happen, for example, when
-