2017 AUDI A6 check engine

D
Canada models:
cruise control system
c:::>page86
Adaptive cruise control*
c:::>page90
Adaptive cruise control*
c:::> page 90
Adaptive cruise control*
c:::> page 90
Active lane assist*
c:::>page 97
Start/Stop system*
c:::> page 7 2
Start/Stop system*
c:::> page 72
High beam assistant*
c:::> page 42
High beams
c:::> page 42
BRAKE /(0 ) Brake system
If this indicator light turns on, there is a malfunc­
tion in the brake system.
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models) Stop
vehicle and check brake fluid level.
Stop the vehicle and check the brake fluid level.
See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance if necessary.
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Brakes: malfunction! Please stop vehicle safely
If the ABS indicator light
rJ]l (USA models) /
Ke) (Canada models), the ESC indicator light Dl.
and the brake system indicator light 1111 (USA
models) /. (Canada models) all turn on and
this message appears, then the ABS, ESC and
braking distribution are malfunctioning
c:::> ,& .
Do not continue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as-
~ sistance c:::> ,& .
.....
~ 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada models) Park· .....
g ing brake: System fault! See owner's manual
<..:l ' Instruments and indicator lights
- If the indicator light and the message appear
when the vehicle is stationary or after switch­
ing the ignition on, check if you can release the
parking brake. If you cannot release the park­
ing brake, see your authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility . If you can re­
lease the parking brake and the message still
appears, see an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
- If the indicator light and message appear while
driving, the hill start assist or emergency brak­
ing function may be malfunctioning.
It may not
be possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set. Do not park your vehicle
on hills. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
Applies to USA mode ls
If the 1111 and l'IJ turn on at the same time, the
brake pads are worn out
c:::> poge 17.
_8 WARNING
-Read and follow the warnings in
~ page 198, Working in the engine com­
partment before opening the hood and
checking the brake fluid level.
- If the brake system indicator light does not
turn off or it turns on while driving, the brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low,
and this increases the risk of an accident.
Stop the vehicle and do not continue driv­
ing. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake system indicator light turns on
together with the ABS and ESC indicator
lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function may
be malfunctioning. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer available. This
could cause the vehicle to swerve, which in­
creases the risk that the vehicle will slide.
Do not continue driving. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty for assistance.
13

Instruments and indicator lights
PARK/(®) Electromechanical parking brake
If the - (USA models) /. (Canada models)
i n dicator light t urns on , the par king bra ke was
set.
- (USA model s) /. (Cana da models) Cau ­
tion: Vehi cle parked too ste ep
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, the re is not enough brak ing power to se­
cure the vehicle . The bra kes have overheated. The
ve hicl e co uld ro ll away eve n on a small incline.
- (USA mod els) /. (Canada models) Pr ess
brake pedal to rel ease parking brake
To release the park ing brake, press the brake
pedal and press the
[21 button at the same time
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
r=> page 76.
II Parking brake!
There is a malfunc tion in the park ing bra ke. Dr ive
to an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
(D Tips
For additional information on the parking
brake, see
r=:> page 75.
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
The coolan t leve l is too low .
Do not cont inue d rivin g and switch the engi ne
off. Check the coolant leve l
r=>page 205.
-If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
r=:> page 205 . Only cont inue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off .
• Coolant temperature too high! P lease let en­
gine run with vehicle st a tionary
Let the eng ine run at id le for a few minutes to
coo l off, until the indicator light turns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility
for assistance.
14
A WARNING
-
- Never ope n the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coola nt escaping from t he engine
compar tment . This increases the risk of
burns. Wa it until you no longer see o r hear
stea m or coola nt es caping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dange rous a rea. Stop t he engine and
allow it to cool befo re wor king i n the e ng in e
comp artme nt. Always follow the informa­
tion fo und in
r=:> page 198, Working in the
engine compartment.
Q) Note
D o not con tinue driv ing if the . indi ca to r
li ght turn s on -this in cr eases the risk of en­
gine damage.
~ , Front safety belt
The . indicator lig ht stays on until the driver 's
and front passenger's safety belts are fastened.
Above a certa in speed, there will a lso be a warn­
i ng tone.
(D Tips
For additional informat ion on sa fety belts,
seer=;,
page 139.
D Alternator/vehicle battery
• Electrical system: m alfunction! Battery is
not being charged
There is a ma lfunction in the a lternato r or the ve ­
hicle electrical system.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly. Beca use the ve­
hicle battery is discharging, turn off a ll unneces ­
sa ry electrical equ ipment such as the rad io. See
your authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility if the batte ry charge level is too
l ow .
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving
The starting ability may be impa ired . ...

co
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" N ..... 0 0 <..:l - If this message turns off after a little while , the
vehicle battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off , have an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty repair the malfunction.
~ Engine stop while driving
• Engine stopped: No power steering and
brake support.
There is a malfunction in the engine or in the fuel
supply system.
More force is needed to steer and brake the mov­
ing vehicle when the engine is stopped. If the ve­
hicle is rolling , try to bring it to a stop off to the
side from moving traffic. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance .
A WARNING
If the engine stops while driving, you will
need to use more force to brake the vehicle.
This increases the risk of an accident . There
will still be power steering if the ignition is
switched on while the vehicle is rolling and
there is sufficient battery charge. Otherwise,
you must use greater force when steering .
~ Engine oil pressure
• Turn off engine and check oil level
Stop the engine and do not continue driving .
Check the engine oil level
Q page 203.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine oil
¢page 203 . Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
- If the engine oil level is correct and the indica­
tor light still turns on, turn the engine off and
do not continue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance.
@ Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil level in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regularly .
Instruments and indicator lights
~ Engine oil level
• Please add oil immediately.
Add oil immediately qpage 201 .
II Add oil max. x qt (l). You may continue driv·
ing
Add the displayed amount of oil immediately
¢page 201.
@ -Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
There is a malfunction in the electronic steering
lock. You cannot turn the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. See an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
Em Steering lock: System fault Please contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the electronic steering
lock.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-
Do not tow your vehicle when there is a mal-
function in the electronic steering lock -this
increases the risk of an accident.
©-Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
Do not switch the ignition off because you may
not be able to switch it on again.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected .
1111 Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
-
There is a malfunction in the engine starting sys-
tem.
~
15

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Stabilization control (ESC / ABS) malfunction!
See owne r's manual
I f the
G1 indicato r light and the ABS indicator
l ight ~ (USA models)
I (c a (C anada models)
turn on and this message appears, the re is a ma l­
function in the ABS system or electronic differen­
tial lock. This also causes the ESC to malfunct ion .
The brakes st ill function with their normal power,
but ABS is not act ive.
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
_&. WARNING
If the 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada mod­
els) brake system indicator light turns on to­
gether with the ABS and ESC indicator lights,
the ABS and ESC regulating function may
have malf uncti oned. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer available . This could
cause the vehicle to swerve, which increases
the risk that the vehicle will slide. Drive care­
fully to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility and have the
ma lfunction corrected.
@ Tips
For additional information on ESC and ABS,
see
~page 120.
~/ !f Safety systems
The
II (USA models) / m (Canada mode ls) indi­
cator light monitors the safety systems.
If the
II (USA mode ls)/ m (Canada models) in ­
dicator light turns on or blinks, there is a mal­
function in a safety system such as the airbag or be lt tensioner system .
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
_&. WARNING
Have the malfunction in the safety systems
inspected immediately . Otherwise, there is a
r isk that the systems may not activate during
-
Instruments and indicator lights
a collision, which increases the risk of serious
injury or death.
(0) Brake pads
EiJ Brake pads!
The brake pads are worn .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
A udi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
brake pads checked.
Applies to: USA models
T he EiJ ind icator light turns on together with the
1111 indicator light
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
If the~ indicator light turns on if there is a
malfunction in the engine contro l.
Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility to have the engine
checked.
W Engine control (die sel engine )
T he engine is preheating if the
II indicator light
turns on when the ignition is switched on .
If the indicator light does not turn on or blinks
whi le driving, there is an engine control malfunc­
tion .
Immediately drive slow ly to an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility to have
the malfunction cor rected.
a Malfunction indicato r lamp (MIL)
The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) is part of
the On Board Diagnostic system (080 II) . The
('4 c;ymbol turns on when the ignition is switched
on and turns off aga in once the engine is started
and running at a steady idle speed . This indicates
that the MIL is function ing correctly.
The ind icator light turns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in the engine electronics . See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility to
have the malfunction corrected. For additional
information, see~
page 25.
17

Instruments and indicator lights
The indicator light can also turn on if t he fuel fill­
er cap is not closed correct ly ¢
page 192.
~ Diesel particulate filter
App lies to: veh icles w ith diesel engine and diesel particulate
filter
II Particul ate filter: System fault See owner' s
manual
The diesel pa rticulate fi lter requires regene ra ­
tion . To suppo rt the fil ter's se lf-cleaning f un c­
tion :
D rive fo r approximate ly 15 m in utes at 37 mph
(60 km/h) o r above in the S se lector lever posi ­
tion . Keep the eng ine s peed around 2 ,00 0 RPM .
The temperature increase tha t will result from
this can b urn o ff the soot in the filter. The indica ­
tor light will turn off when the cleaning has com­
p leted successf ully.
I f t he i ndicator lig ht does
not tur n o ff, drive im­
mediately to an a utho rized Audi dea ler or a uth or ­
ized A udi Service Faci lity to have the malfunction
corrected.
A WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the cu rrent
weather, road and traffic conditions . You
should never disobey traffic laws in order to
follow driving recommenda tions.
(D Tips
For add it iona l information on the diese l par­
tic ulate fi lter, see
¢ page 198.
!'7 Engine speed limitation
Applies to: veh icles with engine speed limitation
Ill Maximum engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatica lly lim ited to the
speed d isplayed in the instrument cluster. T his
protects the eng ine from overheating .
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critica l temperature
range and you have released the acce lerato r ped­
a l once .
18
If the engine spee d limitation was activa ted by
an engine cont rol malfunct ion, the ~ indicator
li ght a lso turns on. Ma ke sure that the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Dr ive to
an a uthorized Audi dea ler or authori zed Audi
Service Facility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunc ­
t ion corrected .
(D Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is lim ite d w hen t he engine
i s cold -the fu ll engine ou tput is no t av aila ­
b le . When the eng ine is at o perating tem per­
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a h igher R PM range .
~c, Engine oil sensor
• Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the eng ine o il level has
f ailed. Drive to an au thori zed A udi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunct ion corrected .
f Engine warm -up request
0 Please warm up engine
Fuel has entered the engine oil, eithe r from low
outside temperatures or frequent short d rives.
D rive until the eng ine is warm so that the fuel in
the engine o il w ill evaporate. Avoid hig h engine
speeds, full accelerating a nd heavy engine loads
whe n doing this .
rn Tank system
II) Please refuel
If the indicato r light turns on for the first time
and t he message appears , there are about 2 .6
gallons ( 10 li ters) of f uel left in t he tank .
II) Fuel tank system malfunct ion! Please con­
tact dealer
There is a ma lf u nction in the f uel tank system .
D rive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au thoriz ed
A udi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to h ave the
malfunction cor rec ted.

Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate control system
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and re­ moves humidity from the air in the vehicle interi­
or. It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof * are closed. If there is a bui ld-up of heat
insid e the vehicle, ventilation can he lp to speed
up the cooling process.
I n all heating mode f unctions, except for defrost,
the blower only switches to a higher speed once
the engine coolant has reach ed a suffici ent tem­
perature .
Pollutant filt er
The po llutant filter removes poll utants such as
dust and pollen from the a ir .
Ke y recognit ion
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith de luxe au toma tic clima te co ntro l
The blower sett ing and air distribut ion are stored
automatically and ass igned to the remote control
key that you are using.
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith 4 -zo ne del uxe auto matic c limate
co ntrol
The climate con trol set tings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use.
A WARNING
Poor visibility can lead to accidents.
- For safer driving, keep all windows free of
ice, snow and fog .
- Become familiar as quickly as possible with the correct use and function of the cl imate
contro l system, especially with the defrost­
ing and defogg ing function.
- When the temperat ure is below freezing,
only use the windsh ield washer system after
60
the windshield has been warmed by the cli­
mate control system. The washer fluid could
freeze on the windshie ld and impair visibi li­
ty .
Cl) Note
-If you suspect that the cl imate contro l sys­
tem is damaged, switch the system
off to
prevent further damage and have it checked
by an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility .
- Repa irs to the Aud i climate control system
requ ire special technical knowledge and
special tools . See an authorized Aud i dea le r
or autho rized Aud i Service Faci lity .
@ For the sake of the environment
- To save fuel, turn off cooling mode by press ­
ing the
IAJC I button. This w ill also reduce
em issions .
- In veh icles w ith a diesel engine, you ca n
switch the auto supplementary heater off in
the Infotainment system.
(D Tips
- To prevent interference with the heat ing
and cooling output and to prevent the win­
dows from fogging over, the a ir intake in
front of the windshie ld must be free of ice ,
snow or leaves.
- Conde nsation from the coo ling system can
dr ip and fo rm a pudd le of water under the
vehicle. This is norma l and does not mean
there is a leak.
- Th e energy managemen t sys tem may tem­
porarily switch
off certain functions, such as
t h e seat heating * or rear window defogger.
These systems are ava ilable again as soon
as the ene rgy supply has been restored.

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' system can be severely damaged by driving
th rough water.
- Always swi tch the Sta rt/S top sys tem * off
when driving through wate r
r:!;> page 72.
@ Tips
-De te rmi ne the de pth befo re dr iv ing th ro ugh
w at er.
- Do no t stop the veh icle, dr ive i n reverse or
swi tch the eng ine off when dr iving t hrough
wa ter .
- K eep in mind that oncomin g ve hicl es m ay
crea te waves that raise the wate r level an d
make it too deep for your vehi cle to drive
th rough sa fely.
- Avo id d riving throu gh sal t wa ter, because
th is can ca use corros ion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l consumption, the e nviron­
men tal impact and the wear to the engine ,
b rakes and ti res depends mostly on your dr iving
s tyle. W it h an anticipatory a nd econom ic dr iv ing
style , fu el consumpt ion can be reduced by ap ­
p roxima te ly 10 -15% . The following tips will help
you conse rve the environment and you r money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the mos t fu el when a ccele ra ting.
W hen you drive wi th an tic ipa tion, you do not
n eed to brake as often and so yo u ac celerate less .
When possib le, let your vehicle coast w ith a
gear
engaged ,
for example, when you notice that the
next tra ffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumpt io n to ze ro (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera ­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
An effective way to save f uel is to upshift earlier .
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
l y .
Press down o n the acce lerator peda l s lowly and
avoid "k ic k -down".
D riving
Avoid full acceleration
Yo u should rarely travel at the maxi mum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproport ionate ly
high increase i n fue l cons umption, emissions and
t raffic noise. S lowe r driving saves fue l.
Reduce idling time
The Sta rt-Stop system* helps to red uce the idling
t ime a utoma tically. In veh icles w ithout the S ta rt­
Stop system *, i t is eff icient to sw itch the engine
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
r ed lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds a lready saves more fuel than the amo unt of
extra fue l needed to restart the engine.
It ta kes a very long time in id le to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm- up
phase. Therefore, you sho uld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engine. Avoid h igh
RPMs wh ile doing this .
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance pe rformed regu larly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel co n­
sumption before you even start to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not o nly
affects traffic safe ty a nd long-term val ue but al­
so impa cts
fuel consumption . A poorly main­
t ai ned engi ne ca n lead t o fuel co nsump tion that
is 1 0% hig he r th an no rmal.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exhaust cleaning system must
r each their optima l
operating temperature to ef­
fec tively reduce consu mption a nd emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reac hes operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption normal izes on ly
af ter app roxima tely
2 .5 miles (4 km ).
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to the correct press ure
r:!;> page 220. The
fuel consumpt io n can increase by 5% if the pres ­
s ur e is on ly 0 .5 bar too low. Due to t he inc reased
r oll ing resistance, low tire p ressures w ill also .,..
67

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" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI"
Stopping/starting the engine
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Fig. 80 ll)strument cluster: eng ine sw itched off (stop
p hase)
~ B rake the ve hicle to a stop. The engine stops
shortly befo re the vehicle comes to a stop or if
the vehicle is stationa ry
1l . Keep yo ur foot on
the brake pedal. The
II indicator light appears
in the information line at the bottom of the in­
strument cluster d isplay. The needle in the
tachometer also moves into the
READY1 ) pos i­
t ion .
~ The eng ine starts aga in when you take you r
foot off the b rake pedal. The ind ic a tor light
tu rns off.
Additional information
T he engine stops in the P, N and D se lector lever
positions .
If you select the R position dur ing a stop phase,
the eng ine will start again.
Shift to P quick ly to prevent the engine from
starting unintentionally w hen s hifting t hrough R.
You can dete rm ine for yo ursel f if the eng ine will
stop or not by reducing or increas ing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex­
ample, if you only lightly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and -go traff ic or when turning, the en­
g ine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta­
tionary . As soon as you press the brake down
ha rder, the eng ine will switch off .
ll Market -s p ecific
D rivi ng
(D Tips
-Press the bra ke peda l during a Stop phase
to keep the vehicle from rolling.
- The ignition will turn off if yo u press the
!START ENGINE STOPI butto n dur ing a stop
phase. The needle in the tachometer moves
into the
OFF position.
General information
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
T he standard Start/Stop mode con be canceled
for various system-related reasons.
Eng ine does not swit ch off
Be fo re and dur ing each stop phase, the system
checks if certain conditions have been met. If the
rjj indicator light appears in the instrument clus­
ter display, the eng ine will not be stopped, for
example in the following situations:
- The engine has not reached the minim um re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode .
- The interior temperature selec ted by the A/C
system has not been reached.
- The outside tempera ture is ex tremely high/low.
- The windsh ield is being defrosted® .
- The parking system * is be switched on .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle or
is moving.
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp incl ines .
Engine automatically restarts
The s tandard Start/Stop mode w ill be can celed
dur ing a stop phase in the following si tuations.
T he eng ine res tarts wi thout a ny action by the
driver .
- The vehi cle ro lls, fo r example whi le on a slope .
- The inte rior tempe rature d iffers from the tem-
pe rature selected in the A/C sys tem.
- The windsh ield is being defrosted® .
- The brake peda l is pressed several times in a
row .
73