2015 AUDI A6 sensor

168 Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 165. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof p illar.
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide e jection m itigat ion to he lp prevent ve­
h icle occupants or parts of their bodies from
be ing completely or partially ejected from the
ve hicle interior in certain side impacts and ve ­
h icle rollovers.
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso. The s ide curtain airbag inflates in side
impacts and only when the vehicle acce lera­
tion registered by the control u nit is high
enough. If t his rate is below the reference val­
ue programmed into the control unit, the s ide
curtain ai rbag will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re ­
sult of the collision. It is not possible to de­
f ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one coll ision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the natu re (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, etc. ¢
page 169, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts wor k to he lp keep t he d river or front
passenger in posi tion in the event of a co ll i­
sion so tha t the side curta in ai rbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for your
safety be lt. R athe r, it is p art of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your ve hicle . Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
on Ly help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
is another reason w hy you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­ qu ires you to do so¢
page 136, General
notes .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injur ies, for example, swelling, br uising, fric­
t ion burns and minor abras ions can also be as­
sociated w ith these airbags upo n deployment .
Remember too, these airbags will deploy only
once a nd on ly in ce rtain kinds of accide nts -
yo ur safety belts a re always the re to offer p ro­
tection .
The side curtain airbag system basic ally
consists of:
- The e lectro nic co ntrol module and external
side impa ct sensors
- The side curtain a irbags above the front and
rea r side windows wit h ejection mitigation
fe atu res
- The a irbag i ndicator lig ht in the inst rument
pa nel
The airbag system is mon itored electronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each time you sw itch on the ign ition,
t h e airbag system ind icator light will come on
f o r a few seconds (sel f diagnos tics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration
measu red by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posi tion
¢ page 52, General re commendations.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light ¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspe cted immedia tely
by your au thori zed A udi deale r.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will infla te when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.

190 Audi pre sense
Audi pre sense
Preventative passenger
protection
A pp lies to veh icles: with Audi pre se nse
Audi pre sense can initiate steps to help pro­
tect vehicle occupants in certain situations.
The functions described depend on equ ipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic*
The following functions can be triggered in
certain driving situations:
- Tightening of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli­
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to be tightened again.
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*: the
windows and the sunroof* close leaving a
small open gap.
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig­
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Vehicles with Aud i drive select*: the deploy­
ment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli ­
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al­
so calculated . If the system senses an immi­
nent collision the following functions can be
tr iggered :
- Braking guard c::>poge
90
-Tightening the safety be lts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav -
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi pre sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli­
hood of a rear-end collision with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calcu lated.
If the risk
of a co llision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered:
- Tig htening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense plus*
Audi pre sense plus includes the functions in
Audi pre sense front and Audi pre sense rear.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail­
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
-=
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics. It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks. This will increase
the r isk of a collis ion and serious personal
in juries .
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­
jects. This increases the risk of a colli­
s10n.
-Aud i pre sense does not detect people or
an im als or objects that are crossing the
veh icle's path c::> page
84.
-The radar sensor's vis ion can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road sp ray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi­
tions can prevent vehicles from being ac ­
curately detected and in some cases they
may not be detected at all.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au­
thorized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly.

198 Intelligent technology
Winter tires
When dr iv ing in the w inter, your ve hicl e w ith
a ll-whee l drive has an advantage,
even with
regular ti res . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (o r all-sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
whe els .
See also c:> page 264, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certa in
roads, th is normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive
c:> page 265, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheel s/tir es
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size . Also avoid tires
with d ifferent tread depths. For details see
page
c:> page 257, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driv ing?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear ­
ance to be used as an off-road ve hicle . It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
c:> page 201.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic conditions . Do not let the ext ra safety
afforded by all-wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Alt hough the all-whee l dr ive is
very ef­
fec tive, a lways remember that b raking
c ap aci ty is limited by tire traction. Yo u
sho uld the re fo re not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rfaces.
- O n wet road s urfa ces, be c areful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld begin to sli de on top of the water
(aq uaplaning) . If this sho uld occ ur, you
will have no warn ing from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
w heel d rive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds w hich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of c rash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of t ime, t he bat­
te ry is discharged by idling current consume rs
(e .g. immobili ze r). In certa in circumstan ces it
ca n res ult in the re be ing insu ffic ien t energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e ha ndles the dist rib ution o f electr ica l ene r­
gy. Start ing abili ty is m arke dly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the batte ry. Sensors determine
batte ry voltage, batt ery cu rr e nt and battery
tempe ratu re. This de termines the cur ren t
sta te o f cha rge and t he power o f th e battery.
Idling current management
Idli ng cur rent management reduces energy
consumpt ion while the vehicle is standing .
With the ig nition sw itched off, it controls the
energy supp ly to the variou s ele ctri ca l compo ­
nen ts. Da ta from ba ttery d iagnos is is co nsid­
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
i ndivid ual con sume rs are g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge o f the battery
and th us main tain starting capabi lity.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being d riven, dynamic en­
ergy ma nagement distr ib utes the energy ge n­
era ted a ccord ing to t he needs of the indivi du-
al components .
It regula tes consumption, so
t h at more electrical energy is not being used ..,.

210 Vehicle care and cleaning
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
washing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
(!;) Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must retract the rear spoil­
er if necessary, and fold the exterior mir­
rors in to reduce the risk of damage.
Power folding exterior mirrors* must on­
ly be folded in and out using the power
folding function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight. -
To reduce the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte finish paint. The paint could be
damaged when the stickers or magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities specially
designed for that purpose. This will reduce
the risk of dirty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the following table.
The information contained there is simply rec­
ommendations . For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed, refer to an author­
ized
Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Also
follow the information found in¢,& .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty ¢ page 49, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solutiona>
tail lights
Sensors/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt Water, cleaning solution suitable for stainless steel,
if
pipes necessary

212 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
T ex tile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
A lcan ta ra Water -based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
O il-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe po lish,
etc.
N atu ral leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona>
Water-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oi l-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and sta in remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regular
ly apply condit ioning c ream that protec ts from
light a nd penetrates into the materia l. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as plastic parts
a) Mi ld soap so lut ion : maximum two tablespoons neut ra l soap in 1 quart (I lite r) of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water -repe lling windshield coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is a lso
possible .
(V Note
-Headlights /tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w it h a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
-Wheels
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratc hes
must be repa ired immediately.
- Sensor s/camera len ses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
le ns. This could cause th e lens to crack . ""

M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
al ways r ead and heed all W ARN­
ING S r=;, A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 222.
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.. Switch
off the ignition .
.. Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢
fig. 191, ¢ page 224,
fig. 188.
With a cold engine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
mark ing .
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢
page 224.
To obta in an accurate read ing, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
¢ page 16 will
illum inate until yo u add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coo lant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a lea k in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
enough merely to add coola nt.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing .
A WARNING
The coo ling system is unde r pressure and
c an get ve ry ho t. Reduce the risk of s cald­
ing from h ot coolan t by followi ng these
steps .
- T urn
off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
Checkin g and fillin g 229
-Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by covering the
cap with a large, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plying lig ht, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, th e ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
ant can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coolant. Add-
i ng radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fe ct the funct ion a nd pe rfo rma nce of you r
co oling system and could re sult in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limi ted
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you ch eck anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
alway s re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compar t­
ment on page 222.
.. Requirement: The re must be a residua l
amount of coolan t in the expansion ta nk
¢(D .
.. Tu rn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag ove r th e coo lant expansion
tank
¢ page 228, fig . 191 and carefully
twist the cap counte r-clockwise ¢.&, .
.. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct ratio
¢
page 228, Coolant up to the MAX mark ­
ing .
.. Make s ure that the flu id leve l remains sta-
b le. Add more coo lant if ne cessary.
.. Twis t the cap o n again
t ightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions
r=;, page 228, Coolant. ..,.
•
•

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. ..,

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