2016 AUDI A6 inter

Intelligent Technology
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
trips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently , or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is advisable to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few times from a moderately high speed¢& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have failed ¢
&..
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid level
is monitored e lectronically .
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure
which is created only when the engine is running
c:;> &, .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
c;> page 253, Replacing wheels .
A WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken- in" dur ing
the initial 250 miles (400 km) . You can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal more firmly. This also applies later
when new pads are installed.
- You should 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
cause an accident!
-
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often . This could cause the brakes to get
hot and diminish brak ing efficiency.
190
- 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 over­
heat, premature wear and increased stop­
ping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating condi­
tions such as passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced. In winter, ice can accumulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry
and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications .
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a different spoiler, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys­
tem.
- Fa ilure of one brake circuit will impair the
braking capability resulting in an increased
stopping distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest Audi dealer
or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lack of booster
assistance.
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.

Indicator lights and m essa ges
• Do not dri ve v ehicle : steerin g defe ctive
If th is ind icator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steer ing may
h ave fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locat ion as soon as pos ­
sib le . Do
not continue dr iving. See an authorized
Aud i deale r or autho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r
assistance .
'1:I Stee ring: System fau lt You ca n continu e
dri ving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering may be more difficult to
move or more sensit ive tha n usual. The steering
wheel may also be at an angle when driving
stra ight.
Drive s lowly to your author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Fac ility to have the mal ­
function corrected.
kr.ij D ynam ic steering : Ini tializing
If the indicator lig ht ls b link ing and th is message
appears, dynamic steering* is being initialized.
Once you start the engine after this is finished,
the steering wheel will be easy to move. Re-in iti­
alization m ight be necessary if the steering wheel
was moved hard to the left and right wh ile the
ve hicle was not moving . The display turns off if
the initialization was successfu l.
{D) Tips
-If the . or '1:I indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving .
- The dynamic steering stability systems
¢ page 187 are not available in the event of
a system ma lf u nction.
- For additional informat io n on dynamic
steering, refer to¢ page 100.
Intelligent Technology
All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to vehicles: with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered.
General informat ion
In all whee l dr ive, the dr iving power is div ided be­
tween all fou r wheels . This happens automatical­
ly depending on yo ur driving behavior as we ll as
the cur rent road conditions . Refer to ¢ page 187,
E lectronic Stabilization Control (ESC).
A center d ifferential d istribu tes the driving power
variab ly to the front and rear axle. It works to­
gether with selective whee l torque contro l, w hich
activates when driving through curves
¢ page 188. With the sport d ifferential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is variable and can
be adjusted with drive select¢ page 100 .
The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power. Your vehicle is except ionally pow­
erfu l and has excellent driv ing characteristics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice . Always read and follow safety pre­
cautions ¢
..1:)..
Winter tires
By using all wheel dr ive, your veh icle has good
forward motion with standard tires in w inter con­
ditions. However, in w inter we recommend using
winter or all seaso n tires on all four wheels, be­
ca use this will improve the brak ing effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow cha ins must
also be used on veh icles w ith all wheel dr ive
¢ page 246 , Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with a ll wheel drive, on ly wheels with
the same roll ing circumference should be used.
Avo id whee ls with different tread depths
¢ page 238, New tires or wheels .
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle - there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficult terrain. ..,.
191

ensures the vehicle wi ll be able to start after long
periods of time. Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust­
ment, may not be available under certain circum­
stances. These convenience functions will be
ava ilable aga in once you switch the ign ition on
and start the engine .
With the engine switched off
The battery will drain if you use functions s uch as
listening to the radio while the engine is sw itch­
ed off.
The vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message will appear in the In ­
fotainment system d isp lay.
The message indicates that the system will switch off automatically soon . If you wou ld like
to continue using the functions, you must start
the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated while
d riving, the battery can drain. This can happen
when little energy is generated, and much is used
and the charge level of the battery is not optimal.
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­
rari ly scaled back or switched off. Heating sys­
tems in part icu lar require a great deal of energy.
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear w indow defroster is not working, then it
has been temporarily reduced or switched off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
e n ergy ba la nce has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased . Th at is normal and no
cause for conce rn. Due to the increased idling
speed , the additional required energy w ill be
generated and the battery will be charged.
Intelligent Technology
193

Driving and the environment
Driving and the
environment
Breaking in
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the first 600 miles (1,000 kilometers):
.,. Do not use full throttle .
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the maximum permitted RPM .
.,. Avo id high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1,000 to 1,500
kilometers):
.,. Speeds can gradually be increased to the maxi­
mum perm issib le road or engine speed.
During and after break-in period
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds when it
is cold . This applies whether the transmission is
i n N (Neutral) or in gear .
After the break-in period
.,. Do not exceed maximum engine speed under
any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before reach­
i ng the red area at the end of the tachometer
scale~
page 10 .
During the first few hours of driving, the engine's
internal friction is higher than later when all the
mov ing parts have been broken in. How well this
break- in process is done depends to a considera­
b le extent on the way the vehicle is d riven during
the first 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers).
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds are automati­
cally reduced. However, these rpm lim its are
programmed for an engine we ll run-in, not a
new engine .
194
® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high engine
speeds -upshifting early saves fuel, reduces
noise and protects the environment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive par­
ticularly careful for the first 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) after f itting .
.8, WARNING
New tires tend to be slippe ry and must also
be "broken-in". Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 mi les (500 kilometers).
Brake gent ly. Avoid following closely behind
other ve hicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard braking.
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 spo ilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
-
This is especially true for vehicles with low-slung
chassis (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Driving through water on
roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when
driving through water, for examp le on flooded
roads:
- The water must not be any highe r than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walk ing speed .
.8, WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the brak­
ing effect can be red uced due to moisture on
the brake discs and brake pads . A few careful
brake applications should dry off the brakes.

Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
~ Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
The idling phase is automat ically reduced for
veh icles w ith the Start-Stop-System. It is effi­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles without
the Start-Stop-System when stopped at ra ilroad
crossings and long red lights . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is
b ur ned by sta rting the engine ag ain.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is runni ng at idle . Howeve r, wear
and noxio us emiss ions a re espe cially high when
the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So you sho uld d rive
away as soon as you sta rt the engi ne and avoid
r u nning at high rpms whi le the engine is still
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine id ling unatten ded a fter
starting . If warning lights should come on to
indicate im proper operation, they wou ld go
unheeded. Extended id ling a lso produces
heat, wh ich could result in overheat ing or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
~ Have your veh icle serviced at regu lar intervals.
By having your veh icle reg ularly serviced by an
Audi dea ler helps to ensure that it runs proper ly
and econom ica lly. The condition of your veh icle
not on ly affects its safety and ability to ho ld its
va lue, it a lso affects
fuel consumption .
Check you r oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil use d i s re lated to e ngine lo ad
a nd speed.
Driving and the envir onment
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new e n­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mi le­
age has been dr iven.
Yo u m ust dr ive your ve hicl e abou t 3,0 00 m iles
(S, 000 kilometers) befo re yo u can properly as ­
sess oil consumption .
T h is also ap plies to f ue l cons umption and eng ine
o utput .
CD Note
-Have your ve hicle maintained pro perly and
in acc ordance w ith the se rvice rec ommend a­
ti ons i n your W arra nty
& M ain ten ance book­
let . Lack of proper maintenan ce as we ll as
improper use of the ve hicl e w ill impair the
function of the em ission cont rol system and
co uld lead to damage.
- Do not alte r or remove any component of
the Emission Contro l System unless ap­
proved by the man ufacturer.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Contro l System a nd othe r
im por tan t ve hicle components .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips.
~ Try to avo id driv ing short distances with a cold
eng ine .
T he engine and cata lytic conve rter have to reach
their opt imal
operating temperature to reduce
fuel consumpt io n and noxious emiss ions effec­
tively.
Just afte r starting, a cold engine in a mid-size car
only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles per
gallo n (30-40 l/ 100 km) . After about a half a
mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km) . Afte r about
2 .5 m iles (4 km), the eng ine is
at its p roper operat ing temperature and fue l
eco nomy has reached a no rma l level. So yo u can
see th at yo u should avoid short trips w heneve r
poss ible. .,.
197

Driving and the environment
T he
outside temperature is also critical in this re ­
ga rd. Yo ur car consumes mo re fuel in the winter
than in t he s umme r.
198

Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer tow ing not only p laces more stress on the
vehicle, it a lso calls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trai ler operation mode
¢ page 199, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Tr ailer hitch
Use a weight -carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The h itch must be suitab le
for your vehicle and tra ile r and must be mo unted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mou nt. Always che ck wit h the t rail­
e r hitch manufac turer to make s ure that you a re
usi ng the co rrect hitch .
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No mod ifica tions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
Fr om time to time, chec k that all hitch mo un ting
bo lts rem ain securely fastened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca u sing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
struck from behind
¢ .&, .
Trailer mode
Trailer brakes
If your traile r i s equ ipped with a b raking sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to a ll regu la ­
tions.
T he tra ile r h ydr aulic bra ke sy stem must not be
directly con nected to the vehicle's hydr aulic
brake sy stem.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the tra iler .
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w it h your Aud i dealer for correct wir ing,
swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
A WARNING
--
After remov ing the tra ile r hi tch, do not sto re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In case of sudde n brak ing,
t he hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A traile r for yo ur vehicle is lim ited to a typical
cla ss 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribut ion
Be sure the load in the tra iler is held secure ly in
place to p reve nt it from shifting forward, back­
ward o r sideways.
Ne ver allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 201 .
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes the engine wor k harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cool ing system has enoug h fluid . .,..
199

Care and cleaning
-To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when was h­
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings .
- After washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to mo isture on the
brake rotors or ice in the winter . The brakes
must be d ried first w ith a few careful b rake
applications.
(D Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exte rior m irrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Power folding exte rior m irrors* must on ly
be fo lded in and out us ing the powe r folding
f u nct ion.
- To p revent paint damage , do not wash the
vehicle in di rect sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insec t remov ing sponges, kit chen
sponges or similar items. - Matte finish painted vehicle components:
-To reduce the r isk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polis hing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use 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 re­
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he ve hicle in facilities spec ially de­
signed for that pu rpose . This will reduce the
r isk of dirty wate r contaminated with o il from
ente ring the sewe r system.
Cleaning and care information
When clean ing and c aring for ind ividua l vehicle
components, refer to the fo llow ing tables. The
information contained there is simply recom- mendat
ions. For questions or for components
t h at are not listed, refer to an author ized Audi
dealer. Also follow the informat ion found in¢&.
Ext erio r cl eaning
Component Situ ation Solution
Wind shield wip er
Deposits ¢ page 52, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
blade
s
Headligh ts/
Deposits Soft sponge with a mild soap solutiona >
tail light s
S en sors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning solution
cam era le nses Camera lenses: soft cloth with alcohol-free cleaning solu-
tion
Snow/ice H
and br ush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wh eels Road salt Water
Brake dus t Acid-free special
cleaning solution
Ex haust tail p ipe s Road salt Water, clean ing solution su itable for stainless steel, if nee -
essary
Decorative parts / Deposits Mild
soap solution a), a cleaning solution suitable for stain-
trim less stee l, if necessary
204