2017 AUDI A6 maintenance

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Safety .. .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .... . 128
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Correct passenger seating positions . . . . . 129
Driver 's and front passenger's footwell . . 133
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Sto ring cargo correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Repo rting Safe ty Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 5
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
P reventative passenge r protect ion . . . . . . 137
Safety b elts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Ge ne ral informa tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Why use safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 0
S afety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
B el t tensione rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
I m portan t info rm ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
F ront airbags ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. .. .. . 151
M on itor ing the Advanced Airbag System . 159
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Ch ild safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Ch ild seats . .. ............... .. .. .. . 177
Secur ing ch ild seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
L ATCH system ( lower anchorages and
tethers for chi ldren) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Addit io nal info rmat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Di ese l fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Selective catalytic reduction (Ad Blue/
DEF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Diese l particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
E ng ine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
E ng ine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 1
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
B ra ke flu id . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Ba ttery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Table of contents
Windsh ield washer sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 08
Service interva l display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Wheels .. .. .. .. .. .... . ..... ... .. .. 210
Wheels and Tires .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. 210
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . . . . 228
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Ca r washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . . . . 232
Plac ing your vehicle out of serv ice . . . . . . 235
Do It Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Emergency assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 236
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
E q uipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Spa re tire 242
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Repla cing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4
Dr ive r sid e co ckpit fuse assignment . . . . . 245
F ront passenger si de co ckpit fuse
ass ignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 46
Luggage compartment fuse assignment 246
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Replacing light b ulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Starting by p ush ing o r towing . . . . . . . . . . 249
Start ing with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . 249
U se of jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Tow ing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Accessories and Technical Data . 255
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Vehicle spec ificat io ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Notes about technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Weig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Di mens ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
C apaci ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 57
3

Table of contents
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Diesel engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Consumer information . . . . . . . . . . 259
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Operating your veh icle outside the U.S .A.
or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Aud i Service Repair Manuals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Accesso ries and technical changes . . . . . . 261
Declaration of Compliance,
Telecommunication and Ele ct ron ic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Index ..... .. .... ........... .... ... 263
4

Opening and clo sin g
@ Tips
- Do not leave valuables unattended in the ve­
hicle . A locked vehicle is not a safe!
- The LED in the driver 's door rail blinks when
you lock the vehicle . If the LED lights up for
approximately 30 seconds after locking,
there is a ma lfunction in the central locking
system. Have the problem corrected by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility.
Key set
Fig. 15 You r veh icle key set
@ Remote control ke y with integr ated
mechanica l key
You can unlock/lock your veh icle w ith the remote
control key . A mechan ical key is integrated in the
remote control key~
page 29.
@ Separate mechanical ke y
This key is not intended for constant use. It
should only be used in an emergency . Do not car­
ry it on your key ring and do not store it in the ve­
h icle.
Replacing a ke y
If a key is lost, see an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility. Have
this key de­
activated . It is important to bring all keys with
you . If a key is lost, you should report it to your
insurance company.
Number of key s
You can check the number of keys ass igned to
your veh icle in the Infotainment system. Select:
the !CAR !function button>
(C ar )* S yst e m s con­
trol button
> Service & che cks > Programmed
28
k ey s. T his way, you can make sure that you have
all the keys when purchasing a used vehicle.
El ectronic immobiliz er
The immobilizer p revents unauthorized use of
the ve hicle.
Under certain circumstances, the vehicle may not
be able to start if there is a key from a d ifferent
vehicle manufacturer on the key chain.
Da ta in th e master key
When dr iving, service and maintenance-relevant
data is cont inuous ly stored in your remote con ­
trol key. Your A udi se rvice advisor can read out
th is data and tell you about the work yo ur vehicle
needs . This applies also to veh icles with a con­
venience key *.
Personal convenience sett ings
If two people use one vehicle, it is recommended
that each person always uses "their own" master k ey. When the ign ition is turned off o r whe n the
vehicle is locked, personal conve nience set tings
for the following systems are stored and as ­
s igned to the remote maste r key .
- Climate cont rol system
- Central lock ing
- Windows
- Interior lighting*
- Memory function*
- Park ing aid*
- Ad aptive cru ise con trol *
- Ac tive lane assist*
- Side ass ist*
- Drive select
- Night vision assistant*
- Steering wheel heating *
The stored settings a re a utomat ica lly recalled
whe n you unlock t he vehi cle, open the doors or
turn on the ignition.
A WARNING
A lways take the vehicle key with you when
leaving the vehicle, even for a short period of
time. This applies particularly when child ren
rema in in the vehicle . Otherwise the children
-

co
co
.... N
" 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

Driving
lead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every kilogram of extra
weight increases
fuel consumption, a quick inspection of the lug­
gage compartment may be worth it to avoid un­
necessary weight.
When not being used, a roof rack should be re­ moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle. You will save approximately 12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62- 7 5 mph (100-120 km/h) .
Save energy
The engine drives the generator, which generates
electricity; the fuel consumption also increases
with the demand for electricity. Therefore, switch electrical equipment off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating*.
CD Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting.
If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty .
CD Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book ­
let . Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not alter or
remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
68
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other
important vehicle components.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
Steering
Manual steering wheel position adjustment
Applies to: vehicles with manual steering wheel adjustment
The steering wheel position is adjustable up and
down and forward and back.
Fig. 76 Lever o n the stee ring col umn
.,. Pull the lever in the direction of the arrow
¢ ,&. .
.,. Bring the steering wheel into the desired posi­
tion .
.,. Push the lever against the steering column un­
til it is secure.
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment
and improper seating position can cause seri­
ous personal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only when the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel so
that there is a minimum of 10 in (25 cm)
between your chest and the steering wheel -

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c::> page 9 must
be observed carefu lly . 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.
F or more information about ind icator lights, re­
fer to.
c::> page 14.
A WARNING
Anyone not proper ly 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 properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer towing information
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribut ion . 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, stopp ing and back ing up in an area away
from traff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely fam iliar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You w ill need more
r oom 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 wou ld because of
the added load. Make s ure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, a llow plenty of room for
your tra iler before changing lanes again.
Trailer towing
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
c::> page 259 .
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
• Apply the foot brake.
• Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
• With 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.
• Select 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.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P before applying the park­
i ng brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
l ever out of the P position.
85

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI"
must be performe d by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circ uit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the veh icle or the c ircuit interrupter is
scrapped, all app licable safety precautions
must be followed .
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the veh icle or parts of the re­
strai nt system including airbag modules and
safety bel ts wit h pretensione rs are scrapped,
all a ppli cable laws and regulations mus t be
observed. Your a uthorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom ­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that t he Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb inat ions no t approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicle, changing the s tiffness of the suspens ion,
includ ing the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic contro l unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not dep loy if
the changes had no t been made. Other kinds of
Airb ag sys tem
changes may red uce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it sho uld.
A WARNING
=
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance a nd in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on you r vehi cle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 1 57 Dr iver 's k nee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the s teer ing whee l~
fig . 157, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at abou t the same
heig ht in the i nstr ume nt p ane l underneath the
glove compa rtment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protection to
t h e d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas a nd supplements the p rotec­
t ion prov ided by the safety bel ts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deploymen t
Iii--
163

Check ing and F illing
- Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty . The engine cou ld mis­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this cou ld cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not sw itch off the ignition while the vehi­
cle is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these cond itions, as otherwise fuel can
reach the catalytic converter . This could re­
su lt in overheating of the converter, requ ir­
i ng its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System :
- Have your ve hicle main tained pro perly and
in accordance with the service recommen ­
dations in your Wa rranty & Maintenance
book let.
- Lac k of proper maintenance as well as im ­
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission cont rol system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op­
erat ing properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erat ing states . This depends on the su lfur
content of the fuel be ing used . Using a differ­
ent brand of fue l may he lp, or filling the tan k
w ith lead-free super grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith diesel e ng in e
The diesel particulate fi lter filters nearly all of
the soot particles out of the ex haust. The f ilter
cleans i tse lf automatically under normal d riv ing
conditions. If the filte r ca nnot clean itse lf (for e x­
a mple , beca u se you are only driving sho rt distan­
ces), the fi lter becomes clo gged with soot and
the . symbo l for the diesel particulate fi lter il­
lum inates
c:> page 18.
A WARNING
- Do not park you r vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
198 -
the high temperature of the diesel particu­
late filte r could sta rt a fire .
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could sta rt.
Engine compartment
· Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment, such as
checking and fill ing fluids , the re is a risk of in­
jury, scalding, accidents , and burns. For this
reason, follow all the warnings and general
safety precaut ions provided in the following in ·
formation . The engine compartment is a dan­
gerous area on the vehicle.
c:> .&, .
A WARNING
-Turn the engine off.
- S witch t he igni tion off.
- Set the park ing bra ke .
- Select the P s elector lever position.
-Let the eng ine cool down .
- Never open the hood when there is steam o r
coo lant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that you could
be burned . Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escaping .
- Keep children away from the eng ine com­
pa rtment .
- Never sp ill fluids on a hot eng ine. These flu­
ids (such as the freeze protection contained
in the coolant) ca n ca tch fire .
- Avoid short c ircuits in the electrical system .
- When working in the engine compa rtment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, wh ich
increases the r is k of p ersona l injury.
- Never ope n the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm . The
coo ling system is under p ressure .
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from ho t steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth wh en opening .
~