2015 AUDI A6 engine

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.

-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 .
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
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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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 ..,.

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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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200 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
... Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 mile s (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
... Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.,. Do not rev the eng ine up to high speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transm ission is in N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break-in period
... Do not exceed maximum engine speed un­
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale
c:> page 11.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break- in process is do ne de­
pends to a conside rable extent on th e way the
ve hicl e is driven during the first 1,0 00 miles
(1, 500 k ilome ters).
0 Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduced. However, these rpm
lim its are progr amme d for an engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine .
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ­
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
part icularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
A WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be s ure to remember
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les ( 500 kilo ­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full bra king effect dur ing the fi rst 250 m iles
(400 kilomete rs) afte r they a re insta lled.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
fo re t hey have optima l grab
c:> A .
During the break- in period, you should avoid
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include, for example, sudden hard brak­
i ng, in particular at very high speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
A WARNING
New b rake pa ds don't have t he bes t stop­
pi ng power and mus t be "broke n-in " dur­
i ng the in iti al 1 00 to 150 mi les (150 to
20 0 k ilometers) of no rma l city driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the
br ake peda l mo re f irm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.

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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.
~
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