2018 AUDI A6 coolant

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 0 <..:l ' Opening/closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle.
Fig. 177 Dr ive r footwell: release leve r
Fi g. 178 Rocker sw itc h under the hood
Make sure the w iper arms are not raised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the pa int could be
damaged .
Opening the hood
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the leve r be­
low the instrument panel in the direct ion of the
arrow ¢ fig. 177 .
Checking and Filling
.. Raise the hood slightly ¢.&_ .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
¢
fig. 178. T his releases the catch .
.. Open the hood.
Closing the hood
.. Push the hood down until yo u over ride the
force of the strut .
.. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch. Do not
press it in.
¢ .&_ .
A WARNING
-
-Never open the hood when there is steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­ ment, because there is a risk that you could
be burned . Wait unti l no steam or coolan t is
escaping.
- For safety reasons, the hood m ust always be
closed securely while driv ing . Because of
this, always check t he hood afte r closing i t
t o make sure it is latched correct ly . T he
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you no tice that the hood is not latched
while you are d riving, stop immed iately and
close it, because drivi ng when the hood is
not latched increases the r isk of an accident .
191

Checking and Filling
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 179 Typical location of the rese rvoir and the engine o il filler open ing
(D Jump start point(-) with hex head screw
~page 198, ¢page 239
@ Jump start point(+) under the cover
~ page 198, ¢ page 239
® Engine oil label* with VW standard
¢page 192
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) ¢page 197
® Eng ine oil filler opening(~)¢ page 194
@ Coolant reservoir ( - L) ~ page 196
(j) Washer fluid reservoir (0) ¢ page 199
The engine oil filler opening ® may be located in
a different area depending on the specific engine.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine
compartment¢ &
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 189.
192
Engine oil
If the engine oil level is too low
If you need to add engine oil, use an oil that is
listed on the sticker.
The sticker is located at the
front of the eng ine
compartment¢ page 192,
fig . 179 .
If the recommended engine oil is not availab le,
in an emergency you may add a maximum of 1
quart(! liter) of ACEA C3 or API SN eng ine oi l
one time until the next oil change .
For more information on the correct eng ine oil
for your vehicle, contact an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility . Have the oil
c h anged by an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Service Facility.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' 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
l ook dark after the engine has been running for a
short time. This is norma l and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposa l, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
quired, we strong ly 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:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your veh icle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine
o il, let the eng ine 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.
- Cont inuous contact w ith used engine oil is
harmful to your sk in. Always protect your
sk in by washing oil off thoroughly w ith soap
and water.
@ Note
Never mix oil addit ives with your engine o il.
These additives can damage your eng ine and
adversely affect your Audi Limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
Checking and Filling
@) For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine oi l properly.
Do not dump it on garden soil, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oil collection fac ility in your area, or
contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine cooling system is filled wit h a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac ­
tory. This coolant must not be not changed.
T he coolant level is monitored through
the . in­
dicator light
r=:>poge 13. However, we do recom­
mend occasionally checking the coolant leve l
manua lly.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant additive. Mixing the coo lant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of anti-freezing and
corrosion protection agents. Only use the follow­
ing coolant additives. These additives may be
mixed with each other .
Coolant additive Specification
Gl2evo
TL 774 L
Gl2++ TL 774 G
Gl3 TL 774
J
The amount of coolant additive that needs to be
mixed with water depends on the climate where
the vehicle wi ll be operated .
If the coolant addi ­
tive percentage is too low, the coolant can freeze
and damage the engine.
.,.
195

Checking and Filling
Coolant Freeze protec-
additi ve tion
Warm min. 40% min. -13 °F
regions max. 45% (-25 °C)
Cold min. 50% max. -40
°F
regions max. 55% (-40 °C)
([) Note
- Before the start of winter, have an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility check if the coolant additive in your
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especially important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the appropriate coolant additive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive. You could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­ store the correct mixture ratio with the
spec ified coolant additive as soon as possi­
ble.
- Only refill with new coo lant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed w ith
the coo lant .
Adding coolant
F ig. 181 Engine compartment: coolant expans ion tank
cover
Observe the safety precautions~ page 189,
Working in the engine compartment .
Checking the engine coolant level
• Park the vehicle on a leve l surface .
• Switch the ignition off.
• Read the coolan t leve l on the coo la nt expansion
tank~ page 192, fig . 179. The coolant level
must be between the MIN and MAX markings
196
when the engine in cold. When the engine is
warm it can be slightly above the MAX marking .
Adding coolant Requirement: there must be a residual amount of
coolan t in the expansion tan k
~CD -
• Let the engine cool down .
• Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockw ise
~ & -
... Add coo lant m ixed in the cor rect ratio
~ page 195 up to the MAX marking.
• Make sure that the fluid level remains stab le .
Add more coolant if necessary .
• Close the cap securely.
Coolant loss usually ind icates there is a leak . Im­
mediate ly drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility
and have the cooling system inspected. If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheat ing
and being pushed out of the cooling system .
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure. Do
not open the coo lant expansion ta nk cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the
risk o f bur ns.
- The coolan t addi tive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health. For t his reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
and away from children. There is a risk of
poisoning.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty. A ir cou ld enter the cooling system and
damage the engine. If this is the case, do not
continue driving. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Serv ice Facility for assis­
tance.

Wheel s
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power steer­
ing , power brakes , power win­
dows , power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in­
stalled equipment (whether in­
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
20 4
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufac­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilo ­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle w ith standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, ai r condi­
tioning and additional weight of
optional equipment.
E x tra load ti re
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "X L",
"
l" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" on X I I
the sidewall. .,.

Wheels
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas­ sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen-
214
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar.

Consum er Info rmation
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Al so , sa fet y and
en vironment al
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and ad justments to en­
g ine and transmission parts wh ich an owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
qu ire special tools, testing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work­
shop personnel i n order to assure proper per ­
formance, reliab ility and safety of the veh icle and
its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliab ility of your
veh icle and eve n void your vehicle warranty .
Therefo re, proof of servicing in accordance w ith
the ma intenance sc hedule may be a condition fo r
up hold ing a possible wa rra nty claim made wi thin
the warranty pe riod.
Above all , operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, c reating unnecessa ry risks fo r you and
your p assengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other properly
eq uipped and qualified workshop . We strongly
urge yo u to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opportu nity to pe rform a ll scheduled ma inte ­
nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, origina l parts and train ed sp ecialists to
keep your veh icle running properly.
Performing limited maint enance yourself
The fo llow ing pages describe a limited number of
procedures w hich can be performed on your ve hi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personne l be unavai lable . Before pe r­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
ough ly read a ll of the app licab le text and carefu l­
ly follow the instructions g iven . A lways rigorously
observe the
WARNING S provided .
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment , alw ays read a nd heed all WARNINGS
c> .&. and c> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 189 .
248
A WARNING
-Ser ious personal in jury may occur as a result
of imp roperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extreme ly careful when work ing
on the vehicle . Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never r is k personal in jury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fu lly fam il iar with these
or other proce dures with respect to t he ve­
hicle, or are uncertain how to proceed.
- Do not do any work wi thout the prope r tools
an d equi pmen t. H ave the necessary wo rk
done by your authorized Au di 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 radiato r fan switches on au­
tomatically when the coolan t reaches a cer­
tain tempe rature and w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always sw itch 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 supp lied with the veh i­
cle is no t adequate fo r th is pu rpose a nd
could collapse causing serious personal in­
jury .
- If you must wor k unde rneath the vehicle
w ith the wheels on the g round, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels a re always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic t ransm iss ion) is in P (Park
position) and the pa rk b rake is applied .
Ill>

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' @ For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll adversely
affect emission leve ls. Th is is detrimental to
the env ironment and increases fuel con ­
sumption.
- A lways observe environmenta l regu lations
when disposing of old engine o il, used brake
flu id, d irty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mate­
rial -spec ial handl ing may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/perch lo­
r ate. When the vehicle or pa rts of t he re­
stra int system includi ng a irbag mod ules
s af ety be lts with pretens ioners a re scrap ­
ped, a ll applicab le laws and regulations
must be observed. Your a uthorized Audi
dealer is fam iliar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your dea l­
er perform this service for you.
Accessories and
technical changes
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult on authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Audi ve hicles that are constructed with advanced
materials like Steel/Aluminum (Hybrid construc­
tion), Aluminum (Aud i Space Frame), and/or Alu­
minum/Carbon Fiber (Ultra Advanced Light
We ight Materials) are as unique as the ir dr ivers .
Therefo re, the ava ilability of certain parts needed
for repa ir , restorat ion, or reconstruction w ill be
rest ricted , or pa rts will be unava ilable, if the ve ­
hicl e is not repa ired at an a uthorized Aud i co lli­
sion repair facility . This includes but is not limi t­
ed to structura l parts which require specia lized
training and equipment to restore their crash ­
worthiness back to the original NHTSA and IIHS performance.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design
features ensuring a high standard of active and passive safety.
Con sum er In form ation
This safety could be compromised by non -ap ­
proved changes to the vehicle. For t his reason, if
parts have to be rep laced, p lease observe the fol ­
lowing points when install ing additional accesso­
ries:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are avai lab le from authorized Aud i dea lers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have t he necessa ry fa cilit ies,
tools and trained specialists to install the pa rts
and accessories proper ly .
A WARNING
--
Using the wrong spare parts or using non -ap­
p roved accessories can cause damage to the
vehicle and serious personal injury.
- Use on ly accessories expressly approved by
Aud i and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessor ies have been spe­
cially designed to be used on your vehicle.
- Do not use license p late brac kets in the
front area that are d ifferent from the one
installed at the factory, or add additional
li­
cense plate brackets.
- Never install accessor ies such as telephone
cradles or beverage holders on airbag covers
or w ith in the airbag deployment zones. Do­
ing so will increase the risk of injury if a ir­
bags a re tr iggered in an accident!
- Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
~page 189.
@ Note
- If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repa ir work is not per­
form ed according to specified methods, th is
c an result in seve re damage to you r vehi­
cle's eng ine and body (s uch as cor rosion)
and adve rsely affec t your ve hicle's warranty.
- If emergency repa irs m ust be pe rformed
elsew here, have the vehicle ex am ined by an
authorized A udi dealer as soon as possib le .
- Th e manufac ture r ca nnot be he ld liable fo r
damage wh ic h occur s d ue to fail ure to com ­
ply with these stipulations.
249