2018 AUDI A6 oil change

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 ' Audi rec ommends
~ Castrot /lftlg;'f.E@t Frtrrr.::--.~lri,'lAl.
A ud i recomm ends using the Lo ng Life h igh ­
perfo rm ance eng ine oil from Aud i Genu ine
Parts .
Checking the engine oil level
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info ­
tainment system
Observe the safety precautions ¢ A in Working
in the engine compartment on page 189.
~ Park your vehicle on a level surface.
~ Shut the engine off when it is warm .
~ Switch only the ignition back on.
~ Wait approx imately two minutes.
~ Select : the ICARI function button > (C ar)* Sys ­
tem s
control button > Service & control > O il
l e v el.
~ Read the o il level in the display. Add eng ine oil
i f t he ba r in the oil leve l ind icator is just before
"min" ¢ page 194.
(UJ) Note
The engine oil leve l mus t not be unde r the
"min" mark ing, as this will increase the risk of
engine damage.
(D Tips
The o il level indica tor in the disp lay is on ly an
informationa l display. If the o il level is too
low, a minimum oi l warning appears in the in ­
strument cluster. Add oil and close the hood.
The current oil level is d isplayed in the Info­
tainment system the next t ime the ignition is
sw itched on.
(D Tips
The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 m iles (0.S liter/1,000 km), de­
pending on driving style and operating condi­
tions. Consumpt ion may be h igher during the
first 3,000 miles (5,000 km). Because of this,
the eng ine oil level m ust be checked regu lar­
ly. I t is best to chec k each t ime yo u refuel
your veh icle and befo re long d rives .
Ch eck ing and F illing
-In order to prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l engine components, a ll
internal comb ustion engines consume acer ­
tain amount of oil. Oi l consumption var ies
from engine to engine and may change sig­
nificantly over the life of the engine . Typi­
cally, eng ines with a specified break-in peri­
od consume mo re o il du ring the break-in pe­
r iod than they consume afte r oil cons ump­
t ion has s tabilized.
-Under norma l co ndit io ns, the rate of oil
cons umption depe nds on the q ual ity and
vis cos ity of the oil , the R PM (revo lutions per
m inute) a t which the engine is operated, the
ambient temperature and road conditions .
Further factors are the amount of oi l di lu­
tion from water condensat ion or fue l resi­
due and the oxidation level of the oil. As any
eng ine is subject to wear as m ileage builds
up, the oil consumption may increase over
t ime until replacement of worn components
may become necessa ry.
-With all these var iables com ing into play,
no sta ndard rate of o il consumption can be
established o r specified. There is no a lter na­
ti ve to c hec king the oil leve l reg ularly and
frequently.
-If you have the impress ion your e ngine co n­
sumes excessive amo unts o f oil, we recom ­
mend that you consult an author ized Audi
dea ler to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed . Keep in mind that t he
acc urate measurement of o il cons umption
requires great care and may take some
time . An authorized Aud i dealer has instruc­
tions about how to measu re o il consump­
tion accurate ly.
-You can find informat ion on engine oil and
eng ine o il capacit ies for the USA at
www.aud iusa.com/he lp/ma intenance, o r
for Ca nada at www.aud i.ca/ ca/web/en/
cu stomer -area/ ca re -and -m a i ntena nee/ a u di ­
serv i ce -sched u les. htm l, or ca ll
800 -822-2834 .
193

Check ing and F illing
Adding engine oil
F ig. 180 Engine co mpartment : en gin e oil fille r opening
cove r
Observe the safety precaut ions ¢&. in Working
in the engine comportment on page 189 .
"'Turn the eng ine off.
"' Open the hood ¢ page 191.
"'Unscrew the cap~ for the eng ine oi l filler
opening ¢
fig. 180.
"'Carefu lly add 0.5 quart (0 .5 liter) of the correct
oi l
¢pag e 192.
"'Close the engine oil filler opening cap .
"'Close the hood.
"'Restart the ign ition after two mi nutes and read
the current o il level in the Infotainment system
¢ page 193 , Checking the engine oil level .
"'Add more oil if necessa ry .
,& WARNING
- Whe n add ing o il, do not let oil d rip onto hot
engine components . This increases the r is k
of a fire.
- Yo u m ust seal the cap on the oil fi lle r open ­
ing correctly so that oil does not leak o ut
onto the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is r unning, because this is
a fire hazard.
- Always clean skin thorough ly if it comes into
contact with engine oil.
- Engine oil is poisono us and must be kept
o ut o f reach of chi ld ren.
- Store the engine oi l sec urely in the original
container.
(LlJ) Note
- If the message Ill Oil l evel i s too full.
Plea se redu ce oil le vel.
appears, there is too
194
much oil in the engine and the re is a r isk o f
cata lytic converter and engine damage. Do
not start t he engine. Contact an autho rized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have excess eng ine o il extracted if
necessary .
- Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfunctions due to
failure to follow recommended mai nte­
nance and use requ irements as set fort h in
the A udi Owne r's Manual and War ranty
&
Ma inte nan ce bookle t.
- Use on ly a high quality engine o il that ex­
press ly complies with the A ud i oi l quality
s ta ndard spec ified fo r yo ur vehicle 's eng ine.
Us ing any othe r oi l c an cause ser io us eng ine
damage .
- Do not mix any add it io na l lubr ic a nts in to
t he engine oil. Damage ca used by such add i­
tives is not covered by the warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil sho uld neve r en ter the sewer sys tem or
come in to contact with the g round .
- Pay attent ion to lega l re quir emen ts when
disposing o f emp ty o il conta iners.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified servi ce sta ­
tion.
Befo re yo u check anything in t he engine compart ­
ment,
alway s read and h eed all WARNINGS ¢ &
in Working in the engine comportment on
page 189.
The eng ine o il must be changed according to the
i nte rvals spec ified in yo ur War ranty
& Ma inte ­
nance boo klet. This is ve ry important because the
l ubricating prope rties of oil diminish gradua lly
during norma l vehicle us e.
Un der some circumstances the engine oil should
be c hanged more freq uent ly. Change oi l more of ­
ten if you drive mostly s hort distances, operate
the ve hicle in dusty areas or under
predominantly ..,.

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" 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

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" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' Contact an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility for more infor­
mation.
- Do not connect or disconnect the charging
cable while charg ing because this increases
the risk of an explosion.
(D Tips
-Only charge the vehicle battery through the
connections in the engine compartment.
- Read all of the manufacturer's instructions
for the charger before charging the ve hicle
battery.
Windshield washer system
F ig. 184 Eng ine co mpartment: washer flu id reservoir cap
M N ~ N
"' a, a,
The winds hield washer reservoir O contains the
cleaning solution for the windshield and the
headlight washer system*
c::;,page 192 , fig . 179.
The reservoir capacity can be found in
c::;, page 245 .
To reduce the risk of lime sca le deposits on the
spray nozzles, use clean water w ith low amounts
of calc ium . Always add window cleaner to the wa­
ter . When the outs ide temperatures are cold, an
anti-freez ing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze.
0 Note
- The concentration of anti-freezing agent
must be adjusted to the vehicle operating
cond itions in the respect ive climate. A con­
centration that is too high can lead to vehi­
cl e damage.
Checking and Filling
- Never add radiato r anti -freeze or other addi­
tives to the washer fluid .
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, because this could damage
the paint.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve ­
hicle is due for service .
The service interval display works in two stages:
-Inspection or oil change reminder : after a cer-
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the igni­
tion is switched on or off. The remaining dis­
tance or time is disp layed briefly.
-Inspection or oil change due: if your vehicle
has reached an inspection or oil change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter switching the ignition on/off .
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un ­
til the next oi l change or next inspection in the
Car menu. To do this, select: the
I CAR I function
button
> (Car)* Systems control button > Service
& control > Service intervals .
Resetting the indicator
An authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility w ill reset the service interval dis­
play after perform ing service .
If you have changed the oi l yourse lf, you must re ­
set the oil change interval.
To r eset the indicat or, select: the
I CARI function
button
> (Car)* Systems control button > Service
& control > Service intervals . Turn the control
knob downward to
Reset oil change interval and
press the control knob.
@ Note
- Only reset the oi l change indicator if the oi l
was changed.
199

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0 0 \,;J ' Raising the vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with floor
jack
The vehicle may only be lift ed at the lifting
points illus tr at ed.
Fig. 212 Fro nt lift in g poin t
Fig. 213 Re ar lift ing poin t
.,. Read and heed WARNING c::> &, .
.. Activate the veh icle ja ck mode* in the M MI:
I CAR I funct ion button> (Car) * systems contro l
bu tton >
Servicing & checks > Air susp.: jack
mode > On .
.. Loca te lift ing po ints c::> fig . 212 and c::>fig . 213 .
.. Adju st lifting arms of wo rkshop hoist o r floo r
jack t o match vehicle li fting poin ts.
.. In se rt a rubb er pa d between the floor jack/
wor kshop ho ist a nd the lifting points .
T he vehicle ja ck m ode* mus t be activa ted so that
the au tomatic a djustment of the Ad aptive Air
Suspension * does no t make it more difficult to
raise the ve hicle wit h the floor jac k.
If you must lift your vehicle with a floor jack to
work underneath, be sure the vehicle is safely
supported on stands intended for this purpose . Emergency situations
Front lifting point
T he lifting poin t is locate d on the floor p an rein ­
f o rcement about at the same level as the ja ck
mounting point
c::> fig . 212 . Do not lift the vehi­
cle at the vertical sill reinforcement .
Rear lifting point
T he lifting p oin t i s lo cate d on the ve rtic al rei n­
f o rceme nt o f th e lower s ill for the on- bo ar d jac k
c::>fig. 213.
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to c::> pag e 229 .
A WARNING
- To reduce the r is k of se rious inju ry and veh i­
cle dama ge.
-Always lift the vehicle o nly at the specia l
wor kshop h oist a nd f loor jack lift points
il­
l ustrated c::>fig. 212 and c::> fig. 213.
-Failure to lift t he ve hicle at these points
could ca use t he veh icle to tilt o r fall from
a lift i f th ere is a change in vehicle weight
dist ribution and balance . This might hap­
pen, fo r example, when heavy compo­
n en ts such as the eng ine block o r trans­
missi on a re removed .
- Whe n re mov ing heavy comp onents like
these, an ch or veh icle t o hois t or ad d co rre­
spon ding weig hts t o m aintai n the cen ter of
g ravi ty . Ot herw ise, the vehicle mig ht tilt or
slip off t he hoist, caus ing se rio us pe rsonal
i njur y .
(D Note
-Be aw are of the fo llow ing po ints b efor e lift­
ing the vehicle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil
pan, the transmission housing, the front
or rear axle or the body side members.
This could lead to serious damage .
-To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be in­
serted between the floor jack and the lift
points .
.,.
243

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" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi i s co vered by the following warran­
tie s:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfora-
tion
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warranties
can be found in your
Warranty & Maintenance
booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulati ons in the United States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, vehicles built for the U.S.A. and Cana­
da differ from vehicles sold in other countries.
If you p lan to take you r vehicle outside the conti­
nenta l limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the possibility that:
- un leaded fue ls for vehicles with catalytic con­
verter may not be available;
- fuel may have a conside rably lower octane rat­
ing . Improper fuel may cause engine damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of proper
service facilities , tools or testing eq uipment;
- r eplacement parts may not be readily available.
- Navigation systems for veh icles built for the
U .S .A . and Canada w ill not necessarily work in
Eur ope, and may not wo rk in other countries
outside North America.
Consumer Information
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsib le for mechanical
damage that could resu lt from inadequate
fuel, service or parts ava ilability.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and Litera­
ture are published as soon as poss ible after mod­
el introduction. Se rvice ma nuals and literature
are available to order from the Audi Tec hni cal Lit ­
erature Orde ring Center at :
www .aud i.techli terature .com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum. How­
ever, a certain amount of regular maintenance is
still necessary to assure your vehicle's safety,
economy and reliab ility . For detailed vehicle
maintenance consult your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for exam­
ple at extremely low outside temperatures, in
very dusty regions, etc., some service work
shou ld be performed between the intervals speci ­
fied. This applies particula rly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the a ir filter .
@ For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emiss ion standards are
maintained, thus min imizing adverse effects
on the environment.
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, soph isticated
fuel injection and emission control systems, and
the genera lly increasing technica l comp lexity of
today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the
.,.
247

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' Lifting jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
L ight
Ambie nt l ighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Com ing/Leav ing home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Da ytime runn ing lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
High beam assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Low beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Pa rking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Rear fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
L ight/ rai n sensor
H eadlig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
Intermittent (windshield wipe rs) . . . . . . . . 44
L ighting
E xte rio r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
I nter io r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
L ights
H eadlig ht flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
H eadlig ht range contro l system . . . . . . . . . 38
H eadlig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
I nter ior/reading lig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
L oad ...... .. .. ................ ... .. . 246
Lock ing/un locking
By remote cont rol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Using the door lock cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
W ith the convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
L ow beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
L ower universa l anchor ages (C anada) . . . . . 180
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
12 Volt socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Increas ing the size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
L uggage compartment net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
P ass -throug h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Ski bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6
Storing cargo correct ly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Tie -downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Va let parking f unction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
L ugg age com par tment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
C losing but ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Eme rgency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
M ovement -activated opening . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Opening/closing .............. .. .. . 30, 31
Opening from the ins ide in an emergency . 33
L umbar s upport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Index
M
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 47
Maintenance intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL) . . . . . . . 189
Massage function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Mechan ica l key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 26
Mechanically locking the front passenge r
door.. ... .. ...... .. ... .. ..... ... .. ... 29
Memo ry funct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Mirrors
o· . , mming ... ... .. .. ................ .. 42
Ex terior m irrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Vanity mirro r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Monito ring the Advanced Airbag System . . 154
Mult ifunc tion s teer ing whee l. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
N
Natu ral lea the r ca re/ clea ning
N HTSA 22
4
Contacting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Night vision assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Cleaning the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
N umber of sea ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
0
Occupant seati ng positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Octane rating (gasoline) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Odomete r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
OF F (4 -zone deluxe a utomat ic climate con -
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
OFF (deluxe automatic climate control) 59
Oil In dicator lig ht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
also refer to Engine oi l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Oil change inte rva l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
On-board comp uter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
On -Bo ard Diagnos tic Sys tem ( OBD) . . . . . . . 189
Open ing ..... ... .. .. ................ .. 24
Fuel fille r door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
L uggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
S unr oof. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Windows ... .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 3 4
257