2015 AUDI A6 lights

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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. .,._

-If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed considera­
bly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance.
Electromechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
'y. ij Steering: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slow ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
' :r- ij Dynamic steering: Initializing
If this d river message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering* is being reinitialized. After
starting the engine, the steering whee l w ill
move slightly. Re-initialization might be nec­
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right while the vehicle was not
ev1 moving . The display goes out as soon as initi-
"' 8 alization is complete .
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Intelligent technology 197
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lfunction
corrected.
_& WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop -risk of acc ident!
(D Tips
If the . or (;r, ij ind icator light only stays
on for a short time, you may continue driv­ ing .
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to¢
page 100.
Driving with your
quattro
Applies to veh icles: w it h all -w hee l drive
-
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distr ibuted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time. See also
Qpage 193.
A center differential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear axle.
It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, wh ich activates when driving through
curves ¢
page 194. With the sport differen­
tia l*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive se lect
¢ page 100.
The all-whee l drive concept is des igned for
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions ¢
&- .,._
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than is being generated and ensures an opti­mal state of charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits o f physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) appears
¢ page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-dis tance
driving, in city traffic and d uring the co ld time
of year . Abu ndant e lectrica l energy is re­
q uired, but only a litt le is generated . It is also
cr itical if the engine is not runn ing and electri­
cal components are turned on. In th is in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat­
i n g the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stand s for an e xte nded period
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are grad ually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main­ tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights o r the
power seat adjustment. The conven ience
f u nctions will be ava ilable again whe n you
switch on the igni tion and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you lis ten to t he radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off or use othe r MM I fu nc­
tions, the bat te ry is being discha rged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en ­
e rgy consumpt ion, the follow ing warning ap­
pears in the MMI disp lay :
Int ellig ent technolog y 199
Plea se start the engine soon or the sy stem
will be turned off .
The wa rni ng ind ic ates th at the sys tem w ill be
t u rned o ff autom atically a fter 3 minu tes. If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trical energy is generated when
t h e ve hicl e is being driven, t he battery can be­
come d isc harged. This happe ns mostly when
little energy is being generated and a g reat
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
T o b ring the energy ba lance back in to equili ­
brium, consumers which req uir e especially
l a rge amounts of energy a re temporari ly cut
back or sw itched off. Heat ing systems in par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be availabl e again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is no rmal and not
a cause for concern. By inc reas ing engi ne id le
speed the additional e nergy requi red is gene r­
ated and the b attery is charged.
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@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depend ing upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
~ Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
h appen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less . Let the vehicle coast
wheneve r poss ible -fo r example when you see
that the nex t traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
~ T ry and keep well below your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gent ly reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
g ine no ise increase d ispropo rtionately at high
speeds . If you dr ive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be red uced by one ha lf. Never dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limit and wea ther con­
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
E ven when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
~ Shut the engine off when you are not dr iv ing
the vehi cle.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 203
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
engine run at id le .
T he id ling phase is au toma tic ally red uced for
vehicles with the Start -Stop -System . It is eff i­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles with­
out the Start-Stop-System when stopp ed at
railroad crossings and long red lights. Turning
the engine off for jus t 30-40 seconds saves
more fuel than is burned by start ing the en-
. . gme again .
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is run ning at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly high
when the engine is warm ing up . So you should
dr ive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms whi le the engine is
sti ll warming up.
(L} Note
Do not leave eng ine idling unattended af­
ter start ing .
If wa rni ng lights sho uld come
on to indicate improper ope ration, t hey
wo uld go unheeded . Extended idlin g also
produces heat, wh ich could res ult in ove r­
heating or other damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
~ Have your ve hicle servi ced at reg ular i nter-
vals .
By havi ng your ve hicle regu la rly se rviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re tha t it ru ns prop­
erly and economically . The condition of your
vehicle not on ly affects its safety and ability to
ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel consump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach time you fill your tank.
T he amou nt of oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reac h its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven . .,..
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Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai le r, you must
ac tivate the trailer operation mode
c::> page 205, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weig ht-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trail er
hi tch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check wi th t he tra ile r hi tch man ufactur er to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
h itch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch.
The hitc h m ust be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumper syst em. No mod ificat ions should
b e made to the vehi cle e xhaus t and br ake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check th at a ll hitc h
mo unt ing bo lts rem ain securely fas tened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra ile r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind~ .& .
Trailer towin g 205
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a bra king sys­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
regulations .
T he trailer hyd ra u lic bra ke sys tem mus t not be
d irec tly connec ted to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all reg ulations. Be
su re to c heck with your Audi dea ler for correct
wir ing, switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mir rors. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
_&. WARNING
-
Afte r removi ng the t railer hitch , do no t
stor e it in yo ur v ehicl e. In case of sudden
b raki ng, the hi tch co ul d fly forwar d and in­
j ur e you o r yo ur pass enge rs.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehi cle is l imited to a typi cal
cla ss 1 o r class 2 tr ailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the tra ile r is held secure ly
in place to p revent it from shift ing fo rward,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c::> .& in Driving instructions on page 207 .
Eng ine cooling sy stem
Towing a t railer ma kes the engine wor k hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
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206 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid .
Tire pressure
When towing a traile r, inflate the tir es of your
vehi cle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to trai ler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be­
fore
hitching up the traile r and before adjust­
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
q page 100, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f unc tion button> Low­
er
control button.
I f you must dr ive under poor road condit ions,
you can raise the vehicle
after coupling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tongue weight
qpage 102.
-Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the follow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the max imum permissib le
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Mon itor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
su lts in a highly unstable distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to operate and con­
t ro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be load ed to the extent possible and permissi­
ble , while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi­
ble , transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow veh icle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.

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.
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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