2017 AUDI A6 maintenance

Check ing and F illing
Using the proper engine oil is impo rtant for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was facto ry-filled with a h igh-quality oi l
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
@) Note
Your Limited New Vehicle War ranty 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 Warran ty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil t hat ex-
p ressly complies with the Audi oil qua lity
standard specified for your vehicle's engine.
Using a ny o ther oil can cause serious engine
d am age.
- D o not mix any lubricants o r other addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so ca n cause en­
g ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble t hat meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requi res, you m ay ad d a tot al of
no more than 0.5 q t (0.5
l) of a h igh-quali ty
"synthe tic"oil that meets t he following speci ­
fications.
- Applies to: gasoline engine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity g rade of SAE 0W-30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE SW-40.
- Applies to: diesel engine: ACEA C3 or API C F
with a viscosity grade of SAE 0W-30 or
SAE SW-30.
- Fo r more information about engine o il that
has been approve d for your ve hicle, please
contact either you r authorized Audi dea ler
or Audi C ustome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www .aud icanada .ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubr ication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, a ll inter nal
202
combust ion engines consume a certa in amo unt
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en­
gine and may change signi ficantly over the life of
the engine. Typically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
c:::;, page 66) consume more
o il dur ing the break-in per iod than they consume
af ter o il consumption has stab ilized .
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
wh ich the engine is operated, the amb ient tem­
perature and road condit ions. Furt her facto rs a re
the amo unt of o il di lution from wate r condensa ­
t ion or fue l resid ue an d the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is sub je ct to wear as mileage
builds up, the oi l cons umption may increase ove r
time unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be estab ­
li shed or spec ified. The re is no alte rnative to reg­
ul ar and freq uent checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oi l level warning symbo l in
the instr ument cluster
El lights up, yo u should
check the o il level as soon as possible
c:::;, page 203. Top off the o il at your ea rliest con­
venience
c:::;, page 203.
A WARNING
Before you check a nyth ing in the e ng ine com­
par tment, always read and heed all WARN­
IN GS
c:::;, .&. in Working in the engin e compart­
ment on page 198.
(D Note
Drivi ng w it h an insuff ic ient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing d isplay. 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 alway s before going
on a long trip .

Wheels
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un­
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor­
nering, hydroplaning or peak traction charac­
teristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab­
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflat­
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
CD General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
bel, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant­ ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
228
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a signifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over­
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop­ ping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure tel ltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low t ire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal­
function exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the veh icle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.

Bulbs
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authori zed Audi dealer replace burned out
bulbs for you.
It
is becoming increasingly more and more diffi­
cult to replace vehicle light bulbs since in many
cases, other parts
of the car must first be re­
moved before you are able to get to the bulb.
This applies especially to the light bulbs in the
front of your car which you can only reach
through the eng ine compartment.
Sheet metal and bulb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause serious cuts, and parts must be correctly taken apart and then properly
put back together to help prevent breakage of
parts and long term damage from water that can
enter housings that have not been properly re­
sealed.
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your author ized Audi dealer replace any bulbs for
you, since your dealer has the proper tools, the
correct bulbs and the expertise .
Gas discharge lamps (Xenon lights):
Due to the high electrical voltage, have the bulbs
replaced by a qualified technic ian . Headlights
with Xenon light can be identified by the high
voltage sticker.
LED headlights*
LED headlights require no maintenance. Please
contact your authorized Audi dealer if a bulb needs to be replaced.
A WARNING
Contact w ith high-voltage components of the
electrical system and improper replacement
of gas d ischarge (Xenon) headlight bulbs can
cause se rious personal injury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressurized and can ex­
plode when be ing changed .
- Chang ing Xenon lamps requires the spec ial
training, instructions and equipment .
248
-Only an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop should change the bu lbs
in gas discharge lamps.
A WARNING
There are parts with sharp edges on the open­
ings and on the bulb holders that can cause
serious cuts .
- If you are uncertain about what to do, have
the work performed by an authorized Audi
dealer or other qualified workshop . Ser ious
personal injury may result from improperly
performed work.
(D Tips
- If you still prefer to replace the light bulbs
yourself, be aware that the engine compart­
ment is a hazardous area to work in
~page 198~.&.
- It
is best to ask your authorized Audi dealer
whenever you need to change a bulb.

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l - Consumer information
Warranty coverages
Y our Audi is co vered b y the foll owing war ran­
tie s:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfora-
tion
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regard ing your warranties
can be found in yo ur
W arranty & M ainten ance
bookl et.
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government reg ulations in the Un ited States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, vehicles built for the U .S.A. and Cana­
da differ from vehicles sold in other countries.
I f you p lan to take your vehicle outside the conti­
nenta l limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the poss ibility that:
- u nleaded fue ls for vehicles with cata lytic con­
verter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane rat­
i ng . Imprope r fuel may ca use engine damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of p roper
service facilities, tools or testing eq uipment;
- r eplacement parts may not be readily ava ilable.
- Navigation systems for veh icles built for the
U .S .A . and Canada will not necessa rily work in
E urope, and may not wo rk in other countries
outside No rth Ame rica.
Con sumer inf ormation
(D Note
Audi cannot be respons ible for mechanical
damage that could resu lt from inadequate
fuel, service or parts ava ilability.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and L itera ­
ture are published as soon as poss ible after mod­
el introduction. Service ma nuals and literature
are avai lab le to order from the Audi Tec hni cal Lit ­
erature Ordering Center at :
www.audi .t e chlit eratur e.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to he lp keep
maintenance requirements to a min imum. How­
ever, a certain amount of regular maintenance is
still necessary to assure your veh icle's safety,
economy and reliab ility . For detailed vehicle
maintenance consult your Wa rranty
& Mainte­
nance book let .
Und er diff icult op erating condition s, for exam­
ple at extremely low outside temperatures, in
very dusty regions, etc., some se rvice work
sho uld be pe rformed between the intervals speci ­
fied. This app lies part icu larly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the a ir filter .
@ For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emiss ion standards are
maintained, thus min imizing adverse effects
on the enviro nment.
' Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
T he increas ing use of electronics, soph istica ted
f uel injection and emission control systems, and
the genera lly increasing technica l comp lexity of
today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the ""'
259

Consumer information
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Also, safety and
environmental
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en­
gine and transmission parts which an owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
quire special tools, testing devices and other
equipment available to specially trained work­
shop personnel in order to assure proper per­
formance, reliability and safety of the vehicle and
its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your vehicle warranty.
Therefore, proof of servicing in accordance with
the maintenance schedule may be a condition for
upholding a possible warranty claim made within
the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessary risks for you and
your passengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your authorized Audi dealer or any other properly
equ ipped and qualified workshop. We strongly
urge you to give your authorized Audi dealer the
opportunity to perform all scheduled mainte­
nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, original parts and trained specialists to keep your vehicle running properly.
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The following pages describe a limited number of procedures which can be performed on your vehi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personnel be unavailable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
oughly read all of the applicable text and careful­
ly follow the instructions given. Always rigorously
observe the
WARNINGS provided.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARNINGS
c> & and c> & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 198.
260
A WARNING
-
-Serious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extremely careful when working
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­
mon sense. Never risk personal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fully familiar with these
or other procedures with respect to the ve­ hicle, or are uncertain how to proceed.
- Do not do any work without the proper tools
and equipment. Have the necessary work
done by your authorized Audi dealer or an­
other properly equipped and qualified work­
shop.
- The engine compartment of any motor vehi­
cle is a potentially hazardous area. Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan. It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
gine is off. The radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the coolant reaches a cer­
tain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
- Always switch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your vehicle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supplied with the vehi­
cle is not adequate for this purpose and
could collapse causing serious personal in­
Jury.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels are always securely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission selector
lever (automatic transmission) is in P (Park
position) and the park brake is applied. ..,

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l - Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adjusting i llumination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
Inter ior lighting
Ambie nt l igh ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
Fr ont and rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Intermittent (w indshield wipers) . . . . . . . . . 47
]
Jump-starting 249
J umpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
K
Key... .. .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. 28
Indicator ligh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1
Key not recognized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
72
K ey replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
M echanical key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29
Replac ing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Unlock ing/ locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Unlock ing and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32
Key recognition (climate control system) . . . 60
Kick-down (automat ic transmission) . . . . . . . 8 1
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Descr ipt ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
163
H ow they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Important safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 165
L
Lane assist
refer to Active lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
L ATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Descr ipt ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Install ing a child restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Locat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
M ou nting and releasing the anchorage
hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Launch contro l program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
L eather care/clean ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Leaving home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
43
Lifting jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Light
Ambie nt ligh ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Coming/Leav ing home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
D aytime running lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Headlig ht flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Index
Head lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
High beam assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Low beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Rear fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
L ight/rain senso r
Head lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
Intermittent (windshie ld wipers) . . . . . . . . 47
Li ght ing
E xterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
Li ghts
Head light range cont ro l sys tem . . . . . . . . . 41
Interio r/ re a d ing l ig ht s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Locking/unlocki ng
By remo te control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Wi th the cen tra l locking switch . . . . . . . . .
31
Wi th the conven ien ce key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Locking and unlock ing
On the door lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32
Low beam
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
Low beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Lower universal anchorages (Canada) . . . . . 185
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12 Vo lt socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Increasing the size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Luggage compartment net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Pass-through . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Ski bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Stor ing ca rgo cor rectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
134
Stow ing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
T ie -downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Valet Par king fun ct io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
39
Luggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Clos ing b utton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
move men t-a ctivated openi ng . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Open ing/clos ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 34
Open ing from the inside in an eme rgency . 36
olso refer to Luggage compartment lid . . . 33
Luggage rack .. .. .... .. ... ..... ... .... . 57
Lumbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
M
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
269

Index
Maintenance intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) . . . . . . . . 25
Massage function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Mechanical key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29
Memory function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Mirror Dimming ... .. .. ................ ... .. 45
Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Mirrors Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System . . 159
Multifunction steering wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
N
Natural leather care/cleaning
NHTSA
Contacting . ..................... .. .
Night vision assist ............. ...... .
Cleaning the camera ................ .
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) catalytic converter
refer to Ad Blue .. ............. .... .. .
Number of seats ..................... .
0
Occupant seating positions 234
135
101
232 194
139
129
Octane rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
OFF (4-zone deluxe automatic climate con-
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
OFF (deluxe automatic climate control) 61
O il
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
also refer to Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Oil change interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
Data Link Connector (DLC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Electronic speed limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) . . . . . . . 25
Opening..... ......................... 27
Fuel filler door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Hood ........ .. ................ .... 200
Luggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Sunroof. ..... .................. ..... 38
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
270
Opening/closing
With the central locking switch . . . . . . . . . 31
With the convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Opening and closing
On the door lock cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Other consumers (efficiency program) . . . . . 23
Overview (Cockpit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
p
Paint damage
Paint number
Parking aid 233
255
Cleaning sensors/camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Parking brake
refer to Electromechanical parking brake . 75
Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Parking system Adjusting the display/warning tone
... .. 118
Cleaning the rearview camera . ....... ..
110
Malfunction
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 118
Parking system plus ................. . 109
Periphera l cameras
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 113
Per ipheral display
.... ............. .. 109
T railer hitch
... .. .... ............. .. 118
also refer to Parking systems . . . . . . 109, 110
Parking systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Rearv iew camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Parking (automatic transmission) . . . . . . . . . 79
Parking (Valet Parking function) . . . . . . . . . . 39
Parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Pass-through . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
PASS ENGER A IR BAG OFF light . . . . . . . . . . 159
Passenger protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Pedestrian detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Peripheral display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Physical p rinciples of a frontal collision . . . 140
Polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Pollen filter
refer to Pollutant filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Pollutant filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Power Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37