2017 AUDI A6 oil

Intelligent Technology
- For addi tional in format ion on dynamic
steering, refer to
c:> page 104.
ALL wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel drive
In oil wheel drive, all four wheels ore powered.
General information
In a ll wheel d rive, the d rivi ng power is divided be­
t ween a ll four wheels. Th is happens au tomatical­
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
the current road cond itions. Also see
c::> page 120, Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) .
A center differentia l distrib utes the driv ing power
variably to the front and rear axle. It works to­
gethe r with selective wheel torq ue control, which
activates when driving through curves
c::> page 120. With the sport differentia l", power
d istr ibut ion to the rear wheels is variable and can
be ad justed w ith drive select
c::> page 104.
The a ll wheel drive concept is designed for h igh
engine power. Your ve hicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal dr iv ing condit ions and on
snow a nd ice . Always read and fo llow safety pre­
cautions
c::> ,& .
Winter tires
By us ing a ll wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward mot io n with standard t ires in winter con ­
d itions . However, in winter we recommend using
w inter or all season t ires on all fo ur wheels, be­
cause th is w ill improve the b raking effe ct.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
c::> page 226, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only whee ls with
the same rolling circumference should be used .
Avoid using t ires with different tread depths
c::> page 217, New tires or wheels .
124 Offroad vehicle?
You
r A udi is no t an off road vehicle -there is not
eno ugh ground clearan ce . F or this reason, avoid
difficult terra in .
_&. WARNING
- Also, in veh icles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driving sty le to the current road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking r isks,
because this inc reases the risk of an acc i­
dent .
- The b raking ab ility of your vehicle is limited
to the t raction of the whee ls . In this way, i t
is not different from a two wheel d rive vehi­
cle. Do not be tempte d to accelerate to a
hig h speed when the ro ad i s slip pery, be­
cause th is increases the r is k of an accident .
- Note that on wet s treets, the front wheels
c a n " hyd ropla ne" if driv ing a t spee ds tha t
are too h igh. Unlike front wheel drive
veh icles, t he engine does not rev higher sud ­
de nly when t he vehicle begins hydroplan ing.
For this reason, adapt yo ur speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci­
de nt.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
elec trical energy distribution and optimi zes the
availability of electri cal energy for starting the
engine .
When a vehicle wi th a conventiona l energy sys­
tem is no t driven for a l ong time , the veh icle ba t­
te ry is d raine d by equ ipment ( fo r example, the
immo biliz er). In certa in circ umstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the en­
gine.
Yo ur vehicle is equipped with an inte lligen t ener ­
gy management system fo r dist ributing elec trici ­
ty. This significantly improves the starting ability
and increases the vehicle battery life . .,.

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' fill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal
adjustment is more likely to be made in time .
(D Note
-Methanol f uels which do not mee t these re­
quirements may ca use corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the speci­
fied criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
fications, 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 problems 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 auto manufactur ­
e rs is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades d iffer from one manu ­
facturer to ano ther, they have certain things in
common . All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on v ita l eng ine
parts, such as fuel injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective.
Audi 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) .
Check ing and Filling
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit bui ld-ups can rob your en­
gine of 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 fuel w it h concentrations 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 info rmation for e asy recog nition by
the user.
If the d iesel fue l pump is not 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 sure to check befo re t raveling to
other countries .
UL SD No . 2 can become thic ke r i n ve ry cold tem­
peratures, and th is 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 with ULSD No . 2 . Therefore,
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
nea res t a uthor ized Audi dealer or author­
ized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance .
191

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l - is empty or until no more fluid flows into the
tank .
.,. Remove the canister and close the fi ller tube
c:> page 197 , Comple ting AdBlue refill .
CD Note
Only use refi ll canisters that are approved for
your vehicle. Us ing other systems can cause
Ad Blue to leak.
(D Tips
- An authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi repair facility can tell you which ref ill
canisters are approved for your vehicle.
- A permitted refill canister conta ins approxi­
mately 1.3 gallons (5 liters) of AdBlue.
Completing AdBlue refill
Applies to: vehicles with selective catalytic reduction
Clo sing the filler nec k
.,. Tu rn the cap on the filler neck to the right with
the wheel wrench until the cap clicks into place.
This t ightens the cap to the specification c::> .&.
in Filling AdBlue on page 196, c:> 0 in Filling
AdBlue on page 196.
.,. The n press on the left side of the tank doo r un-
t il it latches .
After filling
The vehicle must be dr iven so that the system
recognizes that the Ad Bl ue was refilled . Th is can
take severa l m inutes.
.,. If there was no Ad Blue left in the tank and a
range of O mi (0 km) was shown in the display,
switch the ign ition on for about 30 seconds be­
fore starting the engine.
(D Tips
Ad Blue can freeze at very low temperatures.
If th is happens , the system will not detect
that the Ad Blue was refilled and it will contin­
ue to inform yo u of the low Ad B lue level. The
message turns off as soon as the tank thaws
out again .
Ch eck ing and Filling
Catalytic converter
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission control
system (cataly tic converter) is functioning prop­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner.
.,. Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 190 , Fuel
supply.
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to empty .
.,. Never put too much motor o il in your engine
c:> page 203, Adding engine oil.
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your vehicle.
The catalytic co nverter is an efficient "clean -up"
device built into the exhaust system of the ve hi­
cle. The catalyt ic converter b urns many of the
po llutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of un leaded fuel is cr itically im­
portant for the life of the catalytic converte r and
prope r funct ion ing of the eng ine .
_&. WARNING
The tempera ture of t he exhaus t sys tem is
h igh, bot h when driv ing and a fter stopping
the engine .
- Never tou ch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This cou ld resu lt in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in ar eas
where the hot exhaus t sys tem may come in
contact with dry grass, b rush, fuel spill or
other material which can ca use a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exha ust pipes, cata lytic converter or
heat shields . D uring driving, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a fire.
CD Note
- Be aware that just one tank fi lling with
leaded fuel w ill already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
c:> page 203.
197

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' -Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed with the en­
gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
the high voltage ignition system.
- Do not under any circumstances give gas in­
advertently (for example, by hand from the
engine compartment) if the vehicle is sta­
tionary but the engine is running and a gear
is engaged. Otherwise, the vehicle will start
to move immediately and this could result
in an accident.
- Pay attention to the following warnings list­
ed when work on the fuel system or on the
electrical equipment is required.
- Do not smoke .
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi•
cal burns, accidents or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed
only by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components when the engine is running or is being start­
ed :
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­
tor lever in the P (park) position first .
- Always proceed with extreme caution so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not
become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do not come into contact with hot compo­
nents. Tie back long hair before beginning
work and do not wear clothing that can
hang down into the engine .
Checking and Filling
-Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
c:> A .
A WARNING
-California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to mix the flu­
ids up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and en­
gine damage will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground under
your vehicle in order to detect leaks quickly. If
there are visible spots from oil or other fluids, bring your vehicle to an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility to be
checked.
199

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Checking and Filling
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
Fig. 182 Typ ical locatio n of t he rese rvoi r and the engine o il filler opening
(D Jump start po int(-) with hex head screw
¢ page 207, ¢ page 249
@ J ump start point(+) under a cover
¢ page 20 7, ¢ page 249
® Eng ine oi l label* w ith VW standard
¢page201
© B rake fluid reservoi r (0)) ¢ page 2 06
® Eng ine oil filling opening ('t::r.) ¢ page 203
@ Coolant reservo ir (- L) ¢ page 205
0 Washer fluid rese rvoir (0) ¢ page 208
The engine oil fill ing opening (item@) may be
l oca ted in a different area depend ing on the en­
g ine version.
A WARNING 1 =
Read an d follow the WAR NINGS befo re
checking anything in the engine compartment
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment
on page 198.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used mus t conform to exact speci­
fications.
T he serv ice interv al d isplay in the instrument
cl uster of yo ur vehicle will inform you when it is
t ime for an oi l change. We recommend that you
have yo ur oil changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Adv isor.
If you mu st add oil betwee n oil c hanges, use an
o il that matches the Audi oil qua lity standard
li sted on the sticker. The sticker is located at the
front of the eng ine compartment ¢
page 201,
fig. 182.
Audi recommends
~Castrol / /gfj;;j;f!K[g Frtfl7?-:<:"£Jl.JAi.
Audi recommends Longlife high performance
eng ine oil from Aud i Genuine Parts
II>
201

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 .

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' -If you have the im pression your engine con­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom­
mend that you cons ult 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
A udi dealer has instructions about how to
measure oil consumption accurate ly.
Checking the engine oil level and adding
engine oil
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
Fig. 183 Eng ine compartment : eng ine oil filler opening
cover
Obse rve the safety precautions¢ &. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 198 .
Checking the engine oil level
.,. Park the vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Shut the engine off when it is warm. Wait ap­
prox imately two m inutes so that the engine oil
can flow back in to the oil pan .
.,. Switch only the ignition back on.
.,. Se lect: the
ICARI function button > (Car )* Sy s­
tems
control button > Service & checks > Oil
le vel.
.,. Read the oil level in the Infota inment system.
Add engine oil if the bar in the oil level indica­
tor is just before "min".
Adding engine o il
.,. Turn the engine off.
.,. Unscrew the engine oil filler opening cap
"t!:r.
¢fig.183, ¢page 201, fig.182.
.,. Carefully add 0.5 quart (0.5 liter) of the correct
o il
¢ page 201.
Check ing and Filling
.,. Close the engine oi l filler open ing cap "t!:r. .
.,. Close the hood, restart the ignition after two
m inutes and read the current o il leve l in the In­
fotainment system.
A WARNING
-When adding oil, do not let oi l dr ip onto hot
e ngine components. This increases the risk
of afire.
- You must seal the cap on the oil filler open­
ing correctly so that oi l does not leak ou t
onto the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing, be ca use this is
a fire hazard.
- Always clean sk in thoro ughly if it comes into
con ta ct w ith eng ine oi l.
d) Note
-The e ngine o il level must not be under the
"min" marking, beca use this increases the
r is k of engine damage.
- If the message
Oil level is too full. Pleas e
reduce
oil level. appea rs, the re is too m uch
oil in the engine and the re is a r is k of cata­
lyt ic converte r and engine damage. Do no t
start the eng ine. Co ntact an a uthorized Audi
dea ler or authorized Audi Service Facility to
have excess engine oil extracted if necessa­
ry.
-Do not mix any ad ditiona l lubricants into
the engine oil. Damage caused by such add i­
tives is not covered by the warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil sho uld never enter the sewer system or
come into contact with the ground .
- Pay attention to lega l req uiremen ts when
disposing of empty oil containers .
(D Tips
- T he oil level in dicator in the inst rumen t
cl uster display is only an informationa l dis ­
play. If the o il level is too low, a minim um
oil warn ing appears in the instrument clus­
ter. Add oil and close the hood. The c urrent
oil level is d isplayed in the Infotainment
203

Checking and Filling
system the next time the ignition is
switched on.
- The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 miles (0.5 liter/1 ,000 km),
depending on driving style and operating
conditions . Consumption may be higher
during the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km). Be­
cause 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 .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­
tion.
Before you check anything in the engine compart ­
ment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS q .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 198.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
intervals specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet. This is very important because the
lubricating properties of oil diminish gradually
during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil should
be changed more frequently . Change oil more of­
ten if you drive mostly short distances , operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly
stop-and-go traffic conditions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
look dark after the engine has been running for a
short time. This is normal and is not a reason to
chang e the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
quired, we strongly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or
a qualified service station .
If you choose to change your oil yourself, please
note the following important information:
204
A WARNING
-
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine
-
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch .
- When removing the oil drain plug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
help prevent hot oil from running down your
arm .
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at
least the total amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it well out of
the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil is
harmful to your skin . Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adversely affect your Audi Limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make sure you know where you can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine oil properly .
Do not dump it on garden soil, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine cooling system is filled with a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac-
tory. This coolant must not be not changed. ..,.