2015 AUDI A6 engine

202 Driving and en vir onm ent
- Be aware that just one tank fi lling with
le a ded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 226.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this could cause
t h e catalyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ign ition wh ile the
vehicle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherw ise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
could result in overheat ing of the co n­
ve rter, req uiring its repla ceme nt.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
s ion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec ­
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
the funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@) For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
t he s ulfur content of the fue l being used .
Using a differe nt brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w it h lead-free super
grade gaso line .
Diesel particulate filter
Appl ies to vehicles: with diesel e ngin e
The diesel particula te filter fi lters nearly a ll of
the soot part icles o ut o f the exhaus t. T he fi l­
ter cleans itse lf automatically under normal
driving conditions . If the fi lter cannot clean it- se
lf (for example, because you are on ly driving
short distances), the f ilter becomes clogged
with soot and the
II symbol for the diese l
part icu late filter illuminates
¢page 21.
A WARNING
-Do not park your veh icle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel par­
ticulate fi lt e r could start a fire.
- Do not app ly an underbody protectant in
the ex haust system area o r a f ire could
start.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop ­
erative for a longe r per iod of t ime, contact an
A udi o r othe r spec ia liz ed dealer. They can ad­
v ise you on necessa ry precautions e.g. corro­
s io n preven tion, mainten ance and s torage.
Pay a ttent ion to addi tional in format ion con ­
cerning the battery. Refer to¢
page 232 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex ­
haust and noise levels.
F uel economy, envi ronmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, b rakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your pe rsonal d riving s tyle
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt io n by 10-15 percent . This sec ­
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help t he env ironme nt and your pocketbook. ..,.

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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 . .,..
•
•

204 Driving and en vir onm ent
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess o il consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
gine output.
0 Note
- Have yo ur vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main ­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the funct ion of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emi ssion Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or remove any dev ice, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, wh ich are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emiss ion Control System
and othe r important veh icle compo­
nen ts.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.. Try to avo id driving short d istances with a
co ld eng ine .
The engine and ca talytic conver ter have to
reach their optimal
op erating temp eratur e to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effect ively.
Jus t after s tarting, a cold engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6 -8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a
ha lf a m ile, fue l economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). Afte r abo ut
2 .5 m iles (4 km),
the eng ine is at its proper ope rat ing tempera­
ture and fue l economy has reached a norma l
l eve l. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possib le . T
he
ou tsid e tempe rature is also critical in this
regard . Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the summer.

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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.
•
•

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.
•
•

214 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for yo ur vehicle is un ­
l e aded premium
grade gasoline . Audi recom­
mends using TO P TI ER D ete rgent Gaso line
wi th a m inimum octane ra ting o f 91 A KI ( 95
RO N). Fo r more informa tio n o n TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, p lease go to the o fficia l
websi te (www. topt iergas .com) .
The re commended gasoline octane rati ng for
your engine can a lso be fo und o n a label loc at­
ed on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This ra t­
ing may be specif ied as AK I or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operated using un­
l eaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc ­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. However, using
87 A KI/91 RON octa ne fue l wi ll slightly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga soline only. U nleaded g aso­
l ine is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd i n most E uropean countries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or co untries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see~
page 216.
Octane rating
Octane rating ind icates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist eng ine dam ag ing "knoc k" ca use d by
premature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline mos t commonly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the following octane r
atings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Premium Gra de: 91 -96 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RON
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resear ch Octane Numb er
MON = Motor Octane Num ber .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny fue l w it h o ctane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 91 RO N othe rwise
expensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne. The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicle's cata lytic co nve rter and its
ability to co ntrol exha ust em issions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d wi th
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more t han 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co -sol -
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 15%
ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher. IJll,

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,...., ..,., ,....,
-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 215
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diese l eng ine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel)
No. 2. The ULS D No. 2 meets the ASTM D975.
D iesel fuel w ith concentrations of biodiese l
highe r than 5 % such as Bll, B2O or BlOO are
strictly prohib ited.
Serv ice stat ion fuel pumps are labeled with
the correct fuel informat ion for easy recogn i­
t ion by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fuel is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav­
eling to other countries.
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold
temperatures, and this can impair the en­ gine's start ing and running. Depending on the
season, gas stat ions provide ULSD No. 2 that
flows better in cold temperatures so that you
can continue operating your vehicle as usua l.
(D Note
-Your vehicle's diesel engine was de­
signed soley for use with ULSD No. 2.
Th erefore, never use gasoline, heating
oil, other f uels or flow improvers . These
contain substances that wi ll severely
damage the fuel system and the engine. .,.
•
•

216 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Such damage will not be covered by your
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- If you p ut any amount of incorrect fuel in
the fue l tank, do not start the engi ne un­
der any circumstances. Immediately con­
tact the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
s istance. These fuels contain substances
that can severely damage the fuel sys ­
tem and the engine if the engine is start­ ed.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fa il, you
can st ill open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see
c;, page 218.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
c;, page 290.
The label on the inside of the fue l filler flap
tells you the cor rect fuel for your vehicle . Fo r
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c;, page 214.
Your veh icle fuel tank has an onboard refue l­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly whi le protecting the env ironment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly .
A WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, neve r
carry additiona l fuel containers in you r car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fue l to use for yo ur lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of such
fuel containers . Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86).
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fue l tank
is completely empty. The irregu lar supply
of fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter .
Refuelling
Fig. 179 Right rea r veh icle side: Opening the fuel filler
flap
Fig . 180 Fu el filler flap with attac hed fuel cap
When act ivat ing the central locking, the fuel
filler flap is automatically unlocked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
" Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
c;, fig. 179 -arrow -.
" Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fue l filler flap
c;, fig. 180.
"Check the label on the inside of the fuel fill­
er f lap to determine if the veh icle must be
fue led with gasoline or diesel fuel.
Ill>