2016 AUDI S6 towing

Adjusting the display and the warning tones
A ppl ies to vehicles: W it h parkin g system plus/rearview c am·
era/peripheral ca meras
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
~ Se lect: the ICARI function button > ( Car)* Sys­
tems control b utton
> Driver ass istance > Pa rk­
ing aid .
Display
On * -An op tical d isp lay is shown for the parking
system plus, a rearview camera image is s hown
for the rearview camera *.
Off -Whe n the par king system is switched off,
only audib le signa ls are give n.
Warning tones Front volume - Volume for the front a rea
Rear volume - Volume fo r the rear area
Front frequency· Frequency for the front a rea
Rear frequency · Freq uency for the rear area
Entertainment volume lowering - When the
pa rking system is turned on, the volume of the
aud io/video so urce is lowered .
The new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generato r.
@ Tips
- The warning tones can also be adjusted d i­
rectly by the vis ual disp lay or the pictu re
from the camera. Simply press the Settings
control bu tton.
- Changed settings are activated when the
parking system is switched o n aga in.
- The settings for volume and frequency are
automat ica lly saved and assigned to the re­
mote control key be ing used .
Error messages
Appl ies to vehicles: W ith pa rk in g syste m plus/rearview ca m·
era/per ipheral ca meras
There is an erro r in the system if the LED in the
Pw , button is b linking and yo u hear a continuous
Parking systems
alarm for a few seconds after sw itch ing on the
par king system or w hen the pa rking system is a l·
ready activated. If the error is not cor rected be ­
fo re you switch
off the ignition, the LED in the Pw ,
button wi ll blink the next time you switch on the
park ing system by shifting into reverse.
Parking sy stem plus
If a sensor is fa ulty, the .l?4 symbo l will appear i n
front of/behind the vehicle in the Infotainment
display. If a rear sensor is faulty, on ly obstacles
that are in areas @and @ are shown
¢ page 114, fig . 120 . If a front sensor is faulty,
only obs tacles tha t are in areas © and @are
shown. The re is a lso a system ma lf u nction if all
segme nts ar ound the veh icle are red or if no seg·
me nts are disp laye d.
Peripheral cameras*
T he re is a system malfu nction if t he
t8> • symbol
appea rs and the co rresponding disp lay area is
shown in bl ue. The camera is not wo rking in this
area.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
Trailer hitch
App lies to vehicles: wit h parking system pl us/rea rv iew cam ­
era/periphera l cameras an d tra ile r hitc h
For vehicles using the t rai ler socket, the park ing
system rear sensors do not tu rn on whe n you
shift into reverse gear or when yo u press the
Pwi
button. This resu lts in the following restrict ions.
Parking system plus
There is no distance warning for the rear. The
front senso rs remain activated. The v isua l display
switches to t he tra iler tow ing mode.
Rearview camera* /peripheral cameras *
T he re is no distance warning for the rear . The
front sensors remain activated . The visua l display
switches to the tra ile r towing mode. The rearv iew
camera image w ill not show the orientation lines
and the b lue surfaces. .,,.
123

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

Trailer mod e
Tire pr essure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of you r
veh icle to the cold tire pressure listed under "Fu ll
load" on the label located on the driver's side B ­
pillar (visib le when the door is open) . Inflate
trai ler tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specifications.
Light s
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working proper ly.
Safet y chains
Be sure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the h itch on the veh icle.
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When yo u install safety chains, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi d rive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface bef ore
hitching up the t railer and bef ore adjust ing the
tongue we ight . The vehicle must be in
auto or
comf ort driving mode and not raised
r::!> page 100, r::!> 0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button > Lower
control button .
I f you m ust dr ive under poor road condit ions, you
can ra ise the vehicle
afte r coup ling the t rai ler or
after adjusting the tongue weight r:!> page 102.
(D Note
-Changes in tempe rature or load can affect
the he ight of the vehicle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode. Othe r­
wise, the tongue load spec ified for yo ur ve­
hicle w ill no longer be applicable .
200
· Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
To obtain the best possible hand ling of veh icle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded .
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes ea rly.
.,. Monitor the temperat ure gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car results
i n a h ighly unstab le distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steer ing contro l.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle shou ld be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
k eeping the trailer as l ight as poss ible under the
c ircu mstances . Wheneve r possib le, transfer
some ca rgo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icu lt i t be ­
comes fo r the driver to con trol the r ig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
cond itions are unfavorab le -particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
i mmed iatel y if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not tr y
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply bra kes early. Whe n driving down -
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine .,..

braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a tra ile r, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving. Select in the MMI :
ICARI function button > (Car)* systems control
button>
Vehicle settings> Air susp.: towing>
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on .
For more information about ind icator lights, re­
fer to. ¢
page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not p roperly wearing the restraints p rovided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know -
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and
economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come comp letely fami liar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat ion behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer-
Trailer mode
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally wo uld because of
the added load . Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again .
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 2 73.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
"Apply the foot brake .
" Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
"W ith chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
" Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
" App ly the parking brake.
" Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
"App ly the foot brake.
" Start the engine .
"S elect the D/S se lector lever position.
" Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
" Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
201

-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­ tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­
ed.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU ­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS "on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 241, fig. 195.
Wheels
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers
from "XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 241, fig . 195 .
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the "XXX " amount
equals
1400 lbs. and there will
be five
150 lbs . passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs .)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­ ceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces ..,
245

Emergency assistance
-Hooks to remove the whee l covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Whee l bolt wrench
- Al ignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with revers ible blade
- Towing eye
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it wi ll go.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se­
rious persona l injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten whee l bolts, since the bolts cannot
atta in the necessary tighten ing torque if you
use the hex head, potentially caus ing an ac­
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on ly
for your vehicle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you r isk injuring
yourself.
- Never start the eng ine when the vehicle is
raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the veh icle securely with appropri­
ate stands if work is to be performed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po­
tent ial r isk for injury .
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack is only suitable for use on the
vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the on board items listed above are
provided on certain models only or are op­
tiona l extras.
- Before you can ra ise your veh icle using the
j ack, you must act ivate the jacking mode
c:::;,page255.
252
· Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It is
intended for short -term use only.
Taking out the spare tire
" Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
c:::;,page 251, fig. 200 .
" Hook the handle into the luggage compartment
weather strip.
"Tur n the large sc rew
c:::;, page 251, fig. 200
counter-clockwise .
" Take out the spare tire.
" Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack* and
the replaced tire in the luggage compartment
c:::;,page 131.
"Unhook the cargo floor before closing the rear
lid .
Using the spare tire (compact spare tire)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for emer­
gencies until you can reach a repair shop. Replace
it as quickly as poss ible with a standard wheel
and t ire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare tire has
been designed spec ifically for your type of vehi­
cle . It must not be swapped with a compact
spare tire from another type of veh icle .
Snow chains
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains on
the compact spare tire is
not permitted .
If you do have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare whee l with tire
instead
of a rear tire. Install the snow chains on
the rear tire and use it to replace the defect ive
front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged or if
it is worn down to the tread wear indicators .
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driving.

-The spare tire is intended on ly for tempora­
ry and short-term use. It shou ld be replaced
as soon as possible with the normal wheel
and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire, the
tire pressure must be checked as soon as
poss ible. The t ire pressure of the compact
spare tire m ust be 4.2 bar; otherwise, you
risk having an accident.
- Do not drive faster than SO mph (80 km/h).
You risk hav ing an accident .
-Avoid full-throttle accelerat ion, heavy brak­
ing, and fast cornering . You risk having an
acc ident.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire . You risk having an acc ident.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be
mounted on the compact spare wheel rim .
- For technical reasons, the use of tire chains
on the spare tire is not perm itted. If it is
necessary to drive with t ire chains, the spare
wheel m ust be mounted on the front axle i n
the even t of a flat in a rea r tire. The new ly
avail able front wheel m ust then be insta lled
in place of the rear wheel with the flat tire .
Installing the tire chain before mounting
the wheel and tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compartment
can cause ser ious personal injury during
hard braking or in an acc ident. Never store
the inflatable spare t ire or jack and too ls in
the passenger compartment.
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure , pull the car
well away from moving t raff ic and try to reach
level ground before you stop¢ A-
• All passengers sho uld leave the car and move
to a safe location (fo r instance, be hind the
guardrail) ¢
A.
• Engage the parking b rake to prevent yo ur vehi­
cle from roll ing unintentionally ¢
A-
Em ergenc y ass is tanc e
• Move selecto r lever t o po sit ion P ¢ A .
• If you are towing a trai ler, unhitch the trailer
from yo ur vehicle .
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the lug­
gage compartment
¢page 251, ¢page 252.
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while
changing a whee l if you do no t follow these
safety precaut ions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road. Turn off the eng ine, turn the
emergency f lashers on a nd use other wa rn­
ing devices to alert other motorists.
- Make sure that passenge rs wait i n a safe
p la ce away from the vehicle and well away
fr om the road and t raff ic.
- To help preven t the veh icle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the ja ck,
always fu lly set the park ing brake and bloc k
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel be­ ing changed. When one front whee l is lifted
off the ground, placing the Automatic
Transmission in P (Park) wi ll
not prevent the
veh icle from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 131.
(!) Tips
Before changing the wheel, you must activate
the jacking mode, so that the automat ic con­
tro ls for the Adaptive Air Suspension* do not
make it more difficult to lift the vehicle with
the jack ¢
page 255.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the sequence
described below step -by -step and in exactly that
order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode*¢ page 255. .,.
253

Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
CD Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission can­
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine con be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe hand Ling of your vehicle's battery .
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before con­
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
264
frozen battery completely, otherwise it could explode .
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-volt rating. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an explo­
sion and personal injury .
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped in the ice may cause an explosion .
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak­
ened .
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub­ stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~page 216.
CD Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
@ Tips
The discharged battery must be properly con-
nected to the vehicle's electrical system. .,.