2015 AUDI S6 coolant level

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Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer (eng ine rev counter)
@ Turn signals ............... .
@ Display with
®
®
-Driver information system .. .
- Wa rning/ind icator lights
Tachometer Fuel gauge
@ Tips
11
12
45
24
12
12
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on
and the vehicle lights are turned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of the
dials likewise dims automatically and wil l
go out completely when the outside light
is very low. This feature is meant to rem ind
you to switch on the headlights when out­
side light conditions become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD¢ page 11, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your eng ine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the eng ine has not reached operating
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions.
Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving cond i­
t ions. The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the engine is under heavy load or the exterior
temperature is high. This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the indica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 16.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢ page 222, before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
ll'J turns on r=> page 22. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@r=>
page 24, fig . 4 .
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex ha ust
system . The catalytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunctions
r::!> ,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
r::!> page 24. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
r::!> page 44.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low .
If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authori zed Aud i dealer o r qualified repa ir
f acili ty and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond with maxim um stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased brak ing distances . The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator light . (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set .
• (U SA models) • (Canada models ) Cau­
tion: Vehicle pa rked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not eno ugh braking power to
keep the vehicle from ro lling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline.
P res s brake pedal to relea se parking brake
To release the parking bra ke, press t he b ra ke
pedal and press the button~ or start d riving
with start ing assist at the same time
c::> page 78.
Plea se release parking brake
To release the parking brake ma nually, press
the brake pedal and press the button~ at the
same time . T he parking brake on ly re leases
automatically if the dr iver's safety be lt is fas­
tened.
Ill Parking brak e!
If the Ill ind icator light tu rns o n and this
message appears , the re is a parking b rake
malfunction . Drive to your au thorized A udi
dealer or qualif ied workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in th e engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Swit ch off engin e and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the coolant temperature is too
high o r the coolant leve l is too low.
.. Pull
off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Tu rn
off the engi ne .
.,. Check coolant level
c::> page 228 .
.. Add coo lant if necessary c::> page 229 .
.,. Con tinue dr iv ing on ly afte r the engine coo l­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized A udi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Plea se let
engin e run with vehicl e st ationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, let the engine run at id le for a
f ew m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reaso ns, park at a
safe distance from mov ing traffic, turn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
c::> page 44, Emergency
flasher .
-
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coo lant escaping from the en­
g in e compartment -you r isk being scald­
ed. Wait unt il you can no lo nger see or
hear steam o r coolant escap ing .
~

228 Check ing and filling
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper ­
l y . Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi­
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling . It also raises the boil­
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
p ropo rtion of coolant add itive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not mo re th an 60 %
to ma in­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien­
cy . If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cool ing system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the facto ry for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
If you m ust add coo lant, use a m ix tu re of wa ­
ter and coo lant addit ive . M ixing the coolant
additive with disti lled water is recommended .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS~ &.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page
222 .
(D Note
-Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a reg ion where t he win ­
t er is ex treme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the p roportion of coo lant add it ive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant addi tive to yo ur
c ooling sys tem, remembe r:
- We recommend us ing on ly coolant ad­
d itive G12++ or G13 (check the label)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
ava ilable at autho rized Aud i dea le rs.
Other types of antifree ze ca n sign ifi­
ca ntly reduce co rros io n protec tion. The
res ulting corrosion c an cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of r ad iator le ak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle 's engine coolant .
Adding radiator repair flu id may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
-
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig. 1 91 Engi ne compartment: cover on the coola nt
expansio n tank

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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. ..,.
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29 4 Con sum er Inf ormation
-Always make sure the transmission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in P (Park position) and the park brake is
applied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll ad­
versely affect em iss ion levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when dispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo ­
rate Material -spec ial handling may ap­
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system including
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten ­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authori zed Aud i dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac­
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­ proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced , please observe
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories: Approved Audi accessories and genuine Aud
i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal­
ers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the parts and acc essories proper ly .
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and gen uine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on yo ur ve­
h icle .
- Never install accessor ies such as tele­
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNI NGS
9 page 222 .
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this c an resu lt in seve re damage to
your vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized A udi dealer as soon as
possible .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.

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Starting with jumper cables . ... .. .. . 283
Stopping ... ..... ..... ... ... ... .... 75
E ng ine compartment ....... .. .. .. .. . 224
C losing the hood ......... .. .. .. .. . 223
Opening the hood ........ .. .. .. .. . 222
Safety instructions ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 222
Working in the engine compartment .. 222
E ng ine coolant ............ .... .. .. . 228
Adding coolant ........... .. .. .. ... 229
Chec king the eng ine coolan t leve l .. .. . 228
Expansion ta nk . ....... ... .. .. .. ... 228
M alfunct ion symbo l .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 1 6
Radiator fan . ..... .... ... .. .. .. ... 230
Temperature ga uge ....... .. .. .. .. .. 11
E ng ine oi l ... ............. .... .. ... 224
Adding .... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 226
Addit ives ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 226
Changing .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 227
Checking the eng ine o il level .. .. .. .. . 226
Indications and cond it ions requ iring ex-
tra check ing .. ... .. ... ... .. .. .. ... 226
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
O il consumption ............. .... .. 225
Pressu re malfunct ion ...... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Recommended oil check in tervals .. .. . 226
Sensor defe ctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Specification and viscos ity . ... .. .. .. . 224
E ng ine sound .............. ... ... .. 100
Eng ine speed limitat ion ..... .. .. .. .. .. 21
E ng ine start-stop mode
refer to Star t-Stop-System ... .. .. .. .. 81
E ng ine start system (indicator lights) .. .. 18
Environment Break- in period ........... .... .. ... 200
Catalytic converter ........ .. .. .. .. . 201
D iese l particu late filter .... .. .. .. .. . 202
Disposing of your vehicle battery ..... 235
Driving at high speeds ........ .... .. 203
Dr iving to m inimi ze pollu tion and no ise 202
Fu el ... .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 216
Fu el economy ... .. .... ... .. .. .... . 202
L eaks under your vehicle ... .. .. .. .. . 222
L etting the ve hicle stand and warm up . 203
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 231
Prope r disposal of drained engine coo l-
ant . .. ... . .... ............. .. .. . 229
Proper disposal of dra ined engine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226, 227
Index 301
Recycling used engine oil ..... ... .. .. 226
Unl eaded fuel .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. 214
What shou ld I do with an o ld battery? . 235
E vent Data Recorde r (ED R) ........ .. .. 192
Exhaust tail pipes Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. ... ....... ..... 210
Expansion tank .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. 228
E xte rior lighting . .. ................. . 43
Exterior m irrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
Dimm ing .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. . 51
Heating ......... .. ..... ........... SO
Exterior temperature display ...... .. .. . 24
F
Fastening
Booster seats .. .. .. ........... .... 180
Convertib le child safety seats .... .. .. 178
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Floor mats . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 131
Foot peda ls .... ... .. ..... .......... 131
For the sake of the environment
Ga soline fumes and the env ironme nt .. 216
Reduc ing engine noise by early upshift-
ing .......... ... .. ................ 11
Refueling . .. .. .... .......... ..... 216
Savi ng f uel by early ups hifting ... .. .. . 11
Fo ur- zone automatic climate control . .. . 70
Front airbags Description . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 149
How they work ...... .. .. ..... ... .. 155
Fron tal coll is io ns and the laws of p hysics 13 7
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Adjusting ... .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 128
Child restraints i n the front seat ...... 147
Fuel Additives .. .. .. .. .. . .............. 214
B lended gasoline ..... ............. 214
Current consumption ... .... .... .. .. . 25
E conomy messages (effic iency p rogram) 26
Fuel fi ller flap emergency re lease . .... 218
F uel fi ller nec k ... ............. .... 216
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Gasoline .. .. .. .. ... ............ .. 214
Gasoline additives . .. .. .. ..... ... .. 215
Low fue l level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Octane rat ing .. .. .... ......... .. .. 214
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