2016 AUDI A6 check engine

fill up at busy gas st ations where the season al
adjustment is more likely to be made in time .
(D Note
-Me thanol f uels which do not mee t these re­
quirements may ca use corros ion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the speci­
fied criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
ficat ions, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identif ied.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fue ls differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Veh icle or the Emiss ion Control
System Wa rrant ies.
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy or
driveability and performance prob lems due
to the use of one of these fuel b lends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A ma jo r concern among many au to manufactur ­
e rs is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline gr ades d iffer from one manu ­
facturer to ano ther, they have cer tain things in
common . All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on v ita l eng ine
parts, such as f uel injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. For more informat ion on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www .toptiergas .com) .
Fuel and R efueling
After an extended period o f using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit bui ld-ups can rob your en­
gine o f peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or ma lf u nction due to poor fuel qual ­
ity is not covered by the A udi New Vehicle
Limited Warranty .
Diesel fuel
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) No. 2 .
The ULSD No . 2 meets the ASTM 0975.
Diesel f uel w it h concen tratio ns of b iod iesel h igh­
er than 5 % such as Bl 1, B20 or BlOO are strict ly
prohibited .
Se rvice station fuel p umps are labe led with the
correct f uel i nfo rmat ion for e asy recog nition by
the user.
If the d iesel f ue l pump is no t labeled
ask the station operator what fuel is being dis­
pensed before fil ling up your vehicle .
UL SD No . 2 m ay not be available ou tside the USA
and Canada . Be su re to check befo re t raveling to
other countries .
UL SD No . 2 c an become thic ke r i n ve ry cold tem­
peratures, and this can imp air the engine's s tart ­
ing and running. Depend ing on the sea son, gas
stations provide ULSD No . 2 that flows better in
cold temperatures so that you can continue oper ­
at ing your vehicle as usual.
@ Note
- Your vehicle's diese l engine was designed
soley for use w ith ULSD No . 2 . Therefo re,
neve r use gasoline, heating oil, other fuels
or flow improvers. These contain substances
that will severely damage the fuel system
and the engine . Such damage will not be
cove red by your New Vehicle Limited War­
r a nty.
- If you put a ny amo unt of incorrect fuel in
the fuel tank, do not sta rt the eng ine under
any circumstances. Imme diately contact the
ne arest a uthor ized A udi dealer or author­
ized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance .
209

Fuel and Refueling
These fuels contain substances that can se ­
verely damage the fue l system and the en­
gine if the engine is started .
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel fill er neck is located on the right rear
side panel beh ind the fuel fil ler flap.
If the power locking system should fail , you can
still open the flap manually - for detailed instruc­
tions see ¢
page 212.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle
i n
¢ page 271 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells
you the correc t fuel for you r vehicle . For more in­
formation about fuel specifications , see
¢ page 208 .
Your vehicle fuel t ank has an onboard refuelling
vapor recovery system . This fea tu re helps to pre­
vent fuel vapors from escaping from the tank and
polluting the environment while you refuel your
vehicle. In order to fill the tank properly while
protecting the environment, please fo llow this
refueling procedure carefully.
8_ WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never car­
ry additiona l fuel containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans­
port fuel can be dangerous . Such containers,
full or empty , may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision . If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc.,
be
very careful and always observe local and
state laws regard ing the use, transportation
and storage of such fuel containers. Make cer­
tain the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/ASTM F852 -86).
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank is
completely empty. T he irregular supply of
fue l can cause m isfiring. Gasoline could enter
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
210
Refuelling
Fig. 178 Righ t re ar v ehicl e side : O penin g the fuel fill er flap
Fig. 179 Fuel fille r flap w it h att ach ed fuel c ap
When act iv a ting the central locking, the fuel fill­
er flap is automatically unlocked or locked. Re ­
fuel the veh icle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
.. Press the left s ide of the fuel filler flap to open
i t ¢
fig. 178 -arrow-.
.. Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap~
fig. 179.
.. Check the label on the inside of the fuel filler
flap to determine if the vehicle must be fueled
w ith gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refuelling procedure
.. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline pump
into the fuel filler neck as far as it will go .
.. Select a med ium refuelling rate so that the
nozz le switches off automatica lly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
.. After filling your tank, twist the fuel filler cap
clockw ise as far as it will go .
.. Close the fuel filler flap.

... N
0 CJ ' M I.Cl ......
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with selective catalytic reduction
The display indicates if the Ad Blue level is low or
if there is a system malfunction .
AdBlue le vel low
You will be informed if the Ad Blue in the tank
drops below a certa in level.
Plea se refill Ad Blue. Range 1500 mi (2400 km )
This message appears whe n there is only eno ugh
Ad B lue lef t to d rive the distance indicated in the
d river i nformation system. Fill the AdBl ue.
AdBlue ,0 Refill AdBlue! No re start in 600 mi
( 1000 km )! See owner 's manual
This message appea rs when there is only eno ugh
Ad Blue left to drive the distance indicated in the
driver info rmation system . Fill the Ad Blue . Ot her­
wise the eng ine will not sta rt aga in if you s top it
once the d ist anc e in dicate d ha s been d riven. Yo u
can also check t he remai ning dis tan ce in the on­
board com puter* .
Refill Ad Blue! No restart! See own-
er's manual
This message appears whe n the AdBlue ta nk is
empty. F ill the AdB lue. Otherwise you will not be
ab le to s tart the engine aga in once yo u stop it.
The AdBlue must be refilled when t he amount in
the tank has reached the minimum level
q page 213, Filling Ad Blue.
Incorrect filling /system malfunction
A message appears if the AdBlue tank was filled
with a fluid other than AdBlue and the system
has detected that the tan k was fi lled incor rect ly,
or if there is a system malfunction .
Ad Blue -I' Ad Blue: System fault! No restart in
600 mi (1000 km ). See owner's manual.
This message appears when it is only poss ible to
drive the d istance indicated in the dr iver informa­
tion system. Drive to the nearest authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Serv ice Facility to have
the ma lfunction co rrected. Otherwise the engine
w ill not start agai n if you stop it once the d is­
tance ind icated has been driven .
Fuel and Refueling
AdBlue: System fault No re start!
See owner's manual
T his mess age app ea rs if the sy stem ha s detec ted
t h at the t ank was fi lled incor rec tly or tha t there
is a ma lf u nction . Drive immediate ly to the near ­
est authorized A udi dealer or authorized A udi
Se rvice Facility to have the ma lf u nction co rrect ­
ed. Ot herwise you wi ll not be able to start the en­
gine again once you stop it .
Filling AdBlue
Applies to vehicles: with selective catalytic reduction
Fig. 182 Right rear vehicle side: removing the Ad Bl ue cap
The Ad Blue filler t ube is located near the d iesel
filler t ube. Add at least 1.5 gallons (5.7 lite rs) of
AdBl ue. This is the min imum amount required to
ensure the system detects the refilling and to
sta rt the eng ine . You can add a maxim um of ap­
prox imately 4 . 5 gallons ( 17 li ters) .
Requirement: The request to add Ad Blue must
appear in the instrument cluster display.
.. Switch th e ignition off .
.. Open the tank door
q page 210.
.. Tu rn the ta nk cap counterclockw ise w it h the l ug
w rench from the veh icle tool k it to remove it
qfig. 182.
.,. Fill the Ad Blue with the bottle ~ page 214 or
t he ca nister ~
page 21 4.
.&_ WARNING
Ad Bl ue can ir rit a te the s kin, eyes an d respir a­
tory sy stem.
If there is co nta ct wi th t he f lu id ,
f lus h imme diate ly w ith plenty of water . Con-
su lt a p hys ician if necessary .
IJII>
213

Checking and Filling
Checking and Filling
Hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehi­
cle .
Fig. 184 Driver footwell: release leve r
Fig . 185 Rocker switch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever un ­
der the instrument panel in the direction of the
arrow ¢
fig. 184.
.. Raise the hood slightly Q _A .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
Q fig. 185. This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you .
- To reduce the risk of be ing burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the eng ine compart­
ment. Wait unt il no steam or coolant can be
216
seen or heard before carefully open ing the
hood.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engine comportment.
Whenev er yo u mu st perform an y work in the
engin e compartment , for example ch ecking and
filli ng d iffe rent fl uids , the re is a risk of injury ,
bu rn s and a ccid ents . To pre ve nt p erso nal injur y
a lway s obse rve the foll owing WARNING S. The
e ng ine compartment o f an y v ehicl e is a haz ard ­
ou s a rea
Q _6 .
A WARNING
To he lp avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine .
- Switch off the ignit ion.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always let the eng ine cool down. Hot com-
ponents will burn skin on contact .
-
-To redu ce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coo lant escaping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully open ing the
hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is sti ll warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .

-Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary:
- Always d isconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Flu ids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an app roved fire ext inguisher imme­
d iate ly availab le.
- To avo id electr ical shock and personal injury
wh ile the eng ine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever to P (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
cloth ing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other mov ing parts, or from contacting
hot parts. Tie back ha ir before starti ng,
and do not wear clothi ng that will hang or
d roop into t he engine.
- Min imize exposu re to emission and chem i­
cal hazards¢ .&.-
_& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warn ing:
- E ngine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
em it chem ica ls known to the St ate of C ali­
f orn ia to cause cancer and bi rth de fects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in ve hicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
Ch eck ing and Filling
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, term inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Was h hands afte r handling .
([) Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper co nta iner or
fille r opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems w ill occur.
® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the veh icle
floor pan from unde rneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other veh icle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.,.. Pull the hood down un til the press ure from the
struts is reduced.
.,.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace . Do
not try to push it shut;
it may fail to engage
¢ _& .
_& WARNING
--A hood that is not completely latched co uld
fly up and block your view while driv ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly en­
gaged . The hood s hou ld be flush with the
sur rounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood is
not secured properly, stop at once and close
it.
-
217

Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 186 Typical layout for containers and eng ine oil fille r cap
screw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228, 264
@ Jump start point(+) under a co ver
® Brake fluid reservoir ((0}) ...... .
@ Eng ine oil filler cap ('t::r.) ...... .
® Coolant expansion tank (-t) .... .
@ Windshield/headlight washer con -
t . (ffi) amer ~ ..................
. 228,264
225
220
222
229
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be locat­
ed in a different area depending on the version of
the engine.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ~.&.
in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 216.
218
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The serv ice interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l chang e. We recommend that you
have your oil changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
i ce Advisor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
us e the Audi oil quality standard specified in the
ta ble.
~

....
Audi oil quality standard
Gas oline
VW 502 00 or
engi ne vw 504 00
Die sel vw 507 00
en gin e
Using the prope r engine oil is important for the
functiona lity and service life of the eng ine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high -quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
@ Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Aud i oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine.
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requ ires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a h igh-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the followi ng speci­
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoline eng ine: AC EA A3 o r
API SM wi th a viscosity g rade of SA E OW-30,
SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- Vehicles wit h diesel eng ine: ACEA C3 o r
API CF with a v iscosi ty grade of SA E OW-30
or SA E SW -30.
- Fo r more information abou t engine o il that
has been approved for your vehi cle, please
contact either you r a utho rized Audi dea ler
or A udi Customer Relations at
"' 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
0
~ www.audiusa.com or www.aud icanada.ca.
.... M Ch eck ing and Filling
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool oil of
its moving ports.
In order to provide effect ive lubrication and cool­
i ng of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion eng ines consume a certa in amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from eng ine to en­
gine and may change s ign ificantly ove r the life of
the engine. Typ ica lly, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
¢ page 194) consume more
oi l during the break -in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the q uality and viscosity o f
the oil, the RPM (revol utions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­
perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of oil dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
time unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of o il consumption can be estab­
li shed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rnative to reg­
u la r and frequent checking of the oi l level , see
Note .
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning symbo l in
the instrument cluster
II lights up, yo u should
c h eck the o il level as soon as possible
¢ page 220. Top off the o il at your earlies t con­
venience
¢ page 220.
A WARNING
--=-
Before you check anything in the engine com-
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 216.
(D Note
Driving wit h an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
IJJ,,
219

Checking and Filling
@ Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it. Instead, check the oil level in your en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel, and always before going
on a long trip.
- If you have the impression your engine con­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom­
mend that you consu Lt your Audi dealer to
have the cause of your concern properly di­
agnosed . Keep in mind that the accurate
measurement of oil consumption requires
great care and may take some time. Your
Audi dealer has instructions about how to
measure oil consumption accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
Fig. 187 I n fo tai nme nt: oil level indic a to r
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
" Shut the engine off when it is warm .
.. Switch only the ignition back on.
.. Wait approximately two minutes.
" Select : the
ICAR I function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems
control button > Service & control > Oil
level.
.. Check the oil level in the Infotainment system
display ¢
fig. 187. Add engine oil if the bar of
the oil level indicator is near "min"
¢page 220.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and
the operating conditions, oil consumption can be
up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0 .5 liter per
220
1,000 km). Consumption may be higher within
the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
Because of this, the engine oil level must be
checked regularly. It would be best to check each
time you refuel your vehicle and before long
drives.
{!) Tips
The oil level indicator in the instrument clus­
ter display is only an informational display. If
the oil level is too low, a minimum oil warning
appears in the instrument cluster. Add oil. If
the hood was opened, the current oil level is
shown in the instrument cluster the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Adding engine oil 'l:::1:
Fig. 188 En g in e compartment : cover on the engine oil fill­
er neck
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page 216.
"Shut the engine off .
"Unscrew the cap~ to the engine oil filling
hole
¢ fig. 188, ¢page 218, fig. 186.
.. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters) of
the appropriate oil ¢
page 218.
.. Check the oil level again after two minutes
¢ page 220, Checking the engine oil level.
"Top off the oil again, if necessary.
"Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
_&. WARNING
- While topping off, the oil must not come in
contact with hot engine parts - fire hazard!