2018 AUDI A6 oil level

Instrum ent s and ind icat or light s
-The front spoiler also he lps to distribute
cooling air while driving . If the spoiler is
damaged, the cooling effect w ill be im­
paired and the r isk of the engine overheat­
i ng will increase. See an author ized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility for
ass istance.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM) .
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1,S00 RPM. The beginn ing of
the red zone in the tachometer indicates the maximum permissible engine speed for all gears
once the engine has been broken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature. Before
reaching the red zone, yo u should shift into the
next higher gear, choose the Dor S se lector lever
position, or remove your foot from the accelera ­
tor peda l.
@ Note
The needle in the tachometer @ ¢ page 9,
fig. 3
may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or there is a risk of engine
damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early he lps you to save fuel and re ­
duces operating noise.
(D Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is limited when the eng ine
is cold - the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper­
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a hig her RPM range .
Fuel level
The display @ only wo rks when the ignition is
sw itched on. If the fuel level d rops below 2 .6 gal
(10 li ters), a red L ED w ill tur n on and t he
rD indi ­
cator light will turn
on ¢ page 17. The LED
blinks red when the fuel leve l is very low .
10 The possible range based on the cu
rrent fue l lev ­
e l is shown in
tab @ ¢page 19 , fig . 4 .
Fo r th e tank capacity i n your veh icle, refe r to the
Techn ica l
Data ¢ poge 245.
@ Note
Never drive until t he tank is comp lete ly emp­
ty. The ir reg ular supply of fuel t hat res ults
from tha t ca n cause engine m is fires. Uncom ­
b usted fue l w ill then enter the exhaust sys ­
tem . This can cause overheating and damage
to t he catalyt ic converter .
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or tur n on. They ind icate functions or mal ­
functions .
Messages may appear w ith some indicator lights.
A war ning s ignal will sound at the same time.
The ind icator lights and messages in the instr u­
ment cluster disp lay can be covered by ot her dis ­
plays . To show them again, se lect the tab for in­
dicator lights and messages using the mu ltifunc­
tion steering wheel
¢ page 19 . lfthere are sev­
eral malfunctions, you can display them one at a
time us ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicator lights in the display can disp lay in
several colors.
Central indicator light
App lies to : vehicles wit h mo nochrome display
If a message appears together with a central in­
dicator light . or
0. the central ind icator light
will indicate the priority of the warning. If a
wh ite ind icator light a lso appears, the centra l in­
dicator light w ill have its ow n colo r. Fo r example,
i1' ii ::ippea rs togethe r wi th • • read the descr ip ­
tion
for • .
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly as a function
check when you switch the ignition on. These sys­
tems are marked with
a./ in the fo llow ing tab les. 1111-

Instruments and indicator lights
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let en­
gine run with vehicle stationary
Let the engine run at idle for a few minutes to
cool 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 Audi Service Facility
for assistance.
A WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This increases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see or hear
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the engine
compartment. Always follow the informa­
tion found
in¢ page 189, Working in the
engine compartment.
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the. indicator
light turns on as this increases the risk of en­
gine damage.
~ Front safety belt
The. indicator light stays on until the driver's
and front passenger's safety belts are fastened.
Above a certain speed, there will also be a warn­
ing tone.
(D Tips
For additional information on safety belts,
see
¢page 134.
0 Alternator/vehicle battery
• Electrical system: malfunction! Battery is
not being charged
There is a malfunction in the alternator or the ve­
hicle electrical system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately. Because the ve-
14
hicle battery is discharging, turn off all unneces­
sary electrical equipment such as the radio. See
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility if the battery charge level is too
low.
(•) low battery: Battery will be charged while
driving
The starting ability may be impaired.
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¢ page 193.
-
- If the engine oil level is too low, add engine oil
¢ page 194 . Only continue driving once the in-
dicator light turns off.
1111-

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' -If the engine oi l leve l is correct and t he in dica ­
tor light st ill tu rns on, turn the eng ine
off and
do not continue driving . See an a uth orized Audi
dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Fac ility for as ­
s istance .
(D Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an o il level in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regu la rly.
'.!2" .. Engine oil level
App lies to: ve hicles wit h oil level warn ing
• Please add oil immed iately .
Add engine oil imme diate ly r=:>poge 192.
II Add oil max . x qt (l). You may continue driv­
ing
Add the disp layed amo unt of o il immed iate ly
r=:> page 1 92.
@ -Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle : Steering defective
There is a malfunc tion in the elec tronic stee ring
l o ck. You ca nnot t urn th e igni tion o n.
Do
not tow your vehicle beca use it ca nnot be
steered . See an au thor ized A udi dealer or au thor ­
iz ed A udi Service Fac ility for assis tance .
l!llt Steering lock: System fault Please contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the elect ronic stee ring
l ock .
Dri ve to an autho rize d Aud i dea ler o r a uth o rized
Au di Service Faci lity immediately to have t he
mal funct ion corrected .
A WARNING
Do not tow your veh icle when there is a mal­
function in the electronic stee ring lock - this
increases the r isk of an accident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
-
Instruments and indicator lights
D o not switch the ignition o ff because you may
not be able to switch it on again .
Dr ive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au thoriz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity immed iate ly to h ave the
malfu nction corrected.
ml Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
T he re is a ma lf u nct ion in the engine s ta rting sys­
tem .
Drive to an author ized A udi dealer or autho rized
A udi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected .
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: System fault. You can drive
slowly (max . speed 35 mph))
The re is a ma lf u nct ion that can resu lt in restric t­
ed dr iving stab ility .
Drive to an author ized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly at a maxim um
speed of 35 mph (60 km/h) to hav e the malfunc­
t io n co rrected .
• Air suspension: Service mode . Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Caref ully drive to an aut ho rize d Aud i dea le r o r
autho rize d Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to
have the service mode deact ivated.
rl Air suspension: System fault.
T he re is a syste m malfu nction t hat can resul t in
r es trict ed dr iv ing stabilit y or reduced grou nd
cl ear ance.
D rive to an author ized A udi dealer or autho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Fac ility i mmed ia te ly to have the
m alfu nction corr ecte d .
rl Air suspension: Vehicle too low Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is ve ry low due to a system
malfu nction . Wait u nti l the a ir su sp ension sys­
tem has res to red normal g ro und clea rance . O th­
erwise, con ditions s uch as an un even roa d surface
c a n l ead t o ve hicle dam age .
15

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the engine
checked.
! ?) Engine speed limitation
Applies to: ve hicles with eng ine speed lim itat ion
Ill Maximum engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically limited to the
speed displayed in the instrument cluster. This
protects the engine from overheating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critical temperature range and you have released the accelerator ped­
a l once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine contro l ma lfunction, the
ll:a indicator
light also turns on. Make sure that the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
Q) Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is limited when the engine
is cold
-the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper­
ature, the red area in the tach ometer moves
to a highe r RPM range.
~;... Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sensor defective
The senso r to check the engine oil level has
fa iled. Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or a u­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
f Engine warm-up request
0 Please warm up engine
Fuel has en tered the engine oi l, either from low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives. Drive unti l the engine is warm so that the fue l in
the eng ine oil will evaporate. Avoid high engine
Instruments and indicator lights
speeds, full accelerating and heavy engine loads
when doing this.
Bil Tank system
II] Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first time
and the message appears, there are about 2.6
gallons ( 10 liters) of fuel left in the tank.
II] Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact deal­
er
T here is a ma lfunct ion in the fuel tank system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iately to have the
malfu nction corrected .
(D Tips
For additional informat io n on refueling, see
c::>page 186 .
.. Washer fluid level
m Please refill washer fluid
Fill the washer fluid for the windsh ie ld washer
system and the headlight washer system* when
the ignit ion is switched off
c::> page 199 .
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunction w ith the windshield wip­
ers .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
i§! l0$ Defective light bulb warning
If the 1:1 ind icator light turns o n, a light has
failed . The message indicates the location of the
lig ht. If the
IJ indicato r light also turns on, then
a rear fog light has failed. The position of the in­
dicator light corresponds with the location on the
vehicle.
..,.
17

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 ..,.

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