2015 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

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run flat tires. If run flat tires
are u sed , they must be in­
stalled on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not per­
mitted.
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to
use the wheel rims from
other vehicles. This can hold
true for wheels of the same
vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different
from the tires that you have mounted on your vehicle
(for example winter tires or
wide profile tires), then use
the spare tire for a short pe­ riod of time only and drive
with extra care. Replace the
flat t ire with the tire match­
ing the others on your vehi­
cle as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the
valve stem cap. The valves
could get damaged .
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accord­
ance with the local require­ ments.
Tires and wheels
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality g rades ca n be foun d where applicab le
on the t ire s ide wall between t read sho ulder
and maximum section width
c> page 257,
fig. 199 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperat ure A .
All passenge r ca r tir es must con form to Feder ­
a l Safety Re quirements in add ition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear g rade is a c omp arat ive rating
based on the wear ra te of the tire when tes te d
u nder con tro lled conditions o n a specifie d
government test course .
F o r example, a tire gr aded 1S 0 wo uld wear
one a nd one h alf ( 11/ 2) times as well on the
governmen t course as a ti re g raded 100 .
T he re lative perfo rman ce of tires depe nds
up on the actu al c ondition s of the ir u se, how ­
ever, and m ay depa rt s ignificantly from t he
no rm due to va ria tions i n driving ha bits, se rv ­
ice p ractices and differences in road c haracter­
istics and cl imate.
Traction
T he trac tio n gr ad es, from hig hest to lowes t,
a re AA, A, Ban d
C. Those g rades represe nt the
ti re 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured u nder cont rolled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of aspha lt
and concrete. A t ire mar ked C may have poor
traction performance
c> ,&. .
Temperature
The temperature gr ades are A (the highest),
B, and C, represent in g the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ab ility to d issi­
pate heat when tested un der controlled condi­
tions on a specif ied indoo r labo rato ry test
whee l.
263
•
•

264 Tire s and wheel s
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure<=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand ­
ard No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
corne ring, hydrop lan ing o r peak traction
character istics .
A WARNING ,.,.____
The temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a tire that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires .
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These t ires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure yo u purchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
If your vehicle is equ ipped with all -wheel
drive*, this will improve t ract ion during w inter
d riving, even wit h the standard tires. Howev­
e r, we strong ly recommend that you always
eq uip a ll four w heels on yo ur vehicle wi th cor­
rectly fitted win ter tires or a ll-season tires,
when winte r road conditions are expected . This also improves the veh
icle's brak ing per ­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires p rovide less gr ip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all fou r wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for perm itted
winter tire siz es. Use
o n ly rad ial winter t ires .
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under winter con ­
ditions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
wheel
<=>page 257.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi ­
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease see<=>
page 260,
Speed rating (letter code)
fo r a listing of the
speed rating lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d riven .
The speed rating letter code (<=>
page 242) is
on the side wall of the t ire
c> page 257.
A WARNING ,.___
W inter t ires have maximum speed lim its
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max­
i mum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur specific
winter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
'----
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle were designed can cause t ire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,

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,...., ..,., ,....,
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.
•
•

26 6 T ire s and whee ls
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. 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 fitted
secure ly and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
~page 294.
_& WARNING
Improperly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle.
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The spec ified torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a toleran ce of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diago- nally
. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped w ith low aspect
r atio tires . These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving cond i­
tions . As k your au thor ized A udi dealer for
more de tails .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The nume ra l represen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low- aspect-r atio tires is
p ar ticu la rly s ens iti ve to improper infl ation
p re ss ure. I t is th erefore im portant th at low
as pect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pressu re is
r e gularl y che cked and mainta ined. Tir e pre s­
su res should be ch ecked at least onc e a
month and alwa ys bef ore a long trip
~ page 249, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to a void tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gull ies
o r r idges on the road, pa rticularly if the tire is
u nderinfla ted .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of you r vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the follow ing p recau ­
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary .
- Dr ive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from dr iv ing ..,.

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thro ugh or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso
cause damage to your tires .
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dea ler. Replace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible.
- Inspect yo ur tires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause tire fa ilure . If you be lieve that a
t ire may have been damaged, replace the
t ir e as soo n as possible.
- T hese tires may wear more quickly than oth­
ers .
- Please also remember that, while these tires deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more no ise than
othe r cho ices .
Reduced perf ormance in winter /cold
season condition s
All t ires are des igned for certain pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra hig h pe rformance
tires orig inally installed on your veh icle are in ­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per ­
formance and handling . They are not s uitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond itions . We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
fo r your ve hicle, or their equ ivalent.
Refer to¢
page 264 for mo re deta iled infor ­
mat io n regarding winter t ires .
Tire pressure
monitoring system
U) General notes
Each t ire, includ ing the spare (if provided),
should be checked month ly when cold and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacture r o n the vehicle
p lacard or tire inflation pressure label. (If yo ur
Tire s an d wheel s 267
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat ion pressure labe l, you sho uld determine
the proper t ire inflation press ure for those
tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
ti res is significant ly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressu re. Driving on a sign ifican tly un­
der -infla ted ti re causes the tire to overhea t
and can lead to tire fai lure . Under-inflation al ­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's hand ling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­ er's respons ibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to tr igger illuminat ion of t he
TPMS low tire pressu re tellta le.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to ind icate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS ma lfunction indicator is combined with
the low t ire pressure telltale . Whe n the sys­
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash fo r approximate ly one m inute and then
r em ain continuously illum ina ted . Thi s se­
quence will continue upon s ubsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists .
When the malfunction indicato r is illum inat­
ed, the sys tem may no t be ab le to detec t or
s ignal low tire pressure as in tended . TPMS
malfu nctions may occur for a var iety of rea ­
sons, incl uding the insta llation of rep lace­
ment or a lternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after rep laci ng one or more tires or
whee ls on your vehicle to ensu re that the re­
placement o r alternate tires and wheels a llow
the TPMS to con tinue to funct ion p ro perly .
•
•

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. ..,

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-Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, w inter condit ions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor
indicator may be delayed.
- Ask your author ized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
- The tire pressure monitoring system may
stop working when there is an ESC mal­
funct ion.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was developed using t ires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall
c> page 257. We recom­
mend using these t ires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
"' Before storing the new tire pressures, check
that the current pressures on all four t ires
correspond to the specified values and
adapt the p ress ures to the current load
c> page 244.
"'Switch on the ignition.
"' Se lect in the MMI:
!CAR ! func tion button>
(Car )* sys tems contro l button > Servicin g &
checks > Tire pre ssure mon ito ring > Store
tire pre ssure s> Y es, sto re now .
Do not store the tire p ress ure if the re a re
snow chains on the tire. Otherwise, a sys­
tem ma lf u nction may occu r.
Tires an d wheel s 269
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•

2 70 What do I do now ?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle.
Fi g. 2 02 Trunk escape handle: View from inside the
closed trunk
To open r ear lid
.. Pull the hand le down towards the bumper
r=;,fig. 202.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency re lease leve r shou ld never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
Emergency warning
triangle
Applies to veh icles: w it h emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig . 203 Trunk lid: Warn ing triangle
.. To remove the warning triangle, p ress the
retainer in the direction of the arrow and
fold the holder down .
T he rea r lid is only des igned to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program . If you wou ld like to retrofit yo ur ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your authorized Audi dea ler.