2018 AUDI A6 towing

Table of contents
About this Owner's Manual . .. .. .
Cockpit ... .. ............... .... .. .
Cockpit overview .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Controls at a glance . .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments ....... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Indicato r lights .... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Driver information system ... .. .
Ove rview ....... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Operation . ........ .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
On-board computer ........... .... .. .
Eff iciency program ............ .... .. .
Odometer .. .. .. ................ ... .
T ime/date display ............... ... .
H ead-up display ................. ... .
Starting and driving ............ .
Opening and closing ............ .
Cent ral lock ing .. ............. .... .. .
L ugg age compa rtment lid ...... .. .. .. .
Ch ild safety lock . ............. .... .. .
P owe r windows .... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Sunroof . ....... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .
Va let par king function . ..... ... .. .. .. .
5
6
6
6
9
9
1 0
1 9
1 9
20
20
21
22
22
22
24
24
24
30
33
34
35
36
Garage door opener (Homelink) . . . . . . . . 36
Lights and Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
E xterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
41
V1s1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
W indshield w ipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
General informa tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
47
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
H ead restra ints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
M emory fu nction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
Ciga rette lighte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
12
Volt sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2
Warm and cold .... ... .. ..... ... . .
Climate contro l system . .. .. ..... ... . .
Steering w heel heat ing . .. .. ..... ... . .
Driving . .. .. .. .... .. ... .. ..... ... . .
Genera l information . .... .. ..... ... . .
Steering .. .. .. .. .. .. ............. . .
Start ing and stopping the eng ine ..... . .
Start/Stop system .. .. ... .. ..... ... . .
E lectromechanical parking brake ...... .
Start ing to drive .. .. .. .............. .
A utomat ic transmission
Trailer towing ... .. .............. .
D riving with a tra ile r
Driver assi stance .. .............. .
Assistance systems ............. .
Speed warning system .............. . .
Cru ise cont ro l sys tem . ............. . .
Audi adaptive cruise contro l ...... ... . .
Audi pre sense ..... .. ... .. ..... ... . .
Audi active lane assist .... .. ..... ... . .
Audi s ide ass ist .. .. .. ............. . .
N ight vision assist w ith pedestrian and
wild animal detection . ............. . .
Audi drive select (drive settings) ....... .
58
58
63
6 4
64
66
68
70
72
74
7 4
81
81
84
8 4
84
8 4
86
94
95
98
101
104
Parking systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Parking system plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Rearv iew camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Per iphera l came ras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Adjus ting the d isplay and the wa rn ing
tones.. ... .. .. .... .. ... .. ..... ... ..
11 7
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Traile r hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 11 9
Electronic stabilization control (ESC) . . . . 119
B rakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
E lectromechanical steering, dynamic
steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
122
All wheel drive (quattro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Notice abo ut data recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and veh icle co ntro l
modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12 4

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Correct passenger seating positions . . . . . 126
Driver 's and front passenger's footwell . . 129
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Storing cargo correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Repo rt ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Gene ral informat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Why use safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Safety bel ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Belt tens ione rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
I mportant info rm ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Fr on t ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag System . 154
Knee airbags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
C hi ld safety seats............. .. .. .. . 172
Secur ing ch ild safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
L ATCH system (lowe r anchorages a nd
tethers for children) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Addit io n al i nfo rmat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Maint enance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Fu el . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Emissions control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
On Board Diagnostic System (OBD) . . . . . 189
E ng ine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Eng ine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
W indshield was her system . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Serv ice inte rval d isplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Table of content s
Wheels .. .. .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. ..
20 1
Whee ls and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . . . . 218
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 21
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Cleaning and care informat ion . . . . . . . . . 222
Plac ing your vehicle out of serv ice . . . . . . 225
Do It Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Emergency assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 226
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Eq uipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Replacing w heels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Spa re t ire 232
Fuses ........ .. .. ................ . 234
Replacing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Dr ive r side cockpit f use assignmen t
F ront passenge r side co ckpit fuse 2
35
assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 36
Luggage compartment fuse assignment 236
Bulbs .. .. .. .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 23 8
Replacing light bu lbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Starting by p ush ing or towing . . . . . . . . . . 239
Start ing with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Tow ing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Accessories and Technical Data . 245
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Vehicle spec if icat io ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Notes about technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
D imens ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Capaci ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Weig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 247
Warranty cove rages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 7
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A.
or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
3

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" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the driver's safety belt must be latched and the
parking brake must be set.
.,. To start driving and release the parking brake
automatically, press the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are available when you start driving
¢page 74,
Starting to drive.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
.,. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold
the(®) switch and
press the accelerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward.
.,. You can release the C®l switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.,. Pull and hold the®) switch.
.,. As soon as you release the (®) switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and holding the
C®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­ ing effect is similar to heavy
braking¢&_ .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when
the®> switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the®) switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
Driving
.,. Pull the®> switch to set the parking brake .
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Turn the engine off¢&_ .
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
A WARNING
-
- Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accident.
- Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
During emergency braking, your vehicle will
brake similar to heavy braking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics . In cor­
ners and when road or weather conditions
are bad, a full brake application can cause
the vehicle to skid or the rear end to swerve,
which
increases the risk of an accident.
- If the power supply fails , you cannot set the
parking brake if it is released . In this case,
park the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- If you leave the vehicle, switch the ignition
off and take the vehicle key with you. This
applies particularly when children remain in
the vehicle. Otherwise children could start
the engine, release the parking brake or op­
erate electrical equipment such as power
windows, which increases the risk of an acci­
dent.
- No one should remain in the vehicle when it
is locked - especially children . Locked doors
make it more difficult for emergency work­
ers to get into the vehicle, which puts lives
at risk.
(D Tips
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping
in city traffic, you can set the parking brake
manually . The vehicle does not have to be
73

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" N .... 0 0 \.J - Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your veh icle is primar ily intended for transport­
ing people and luggage. However, if you dr ive
with a trailer, follow the technical requirements,
the operation and driving tips, and the legal reg­
u lations.
Driving with a trailer affects the vehicle 's fuel
consumption, performance and wear. It also re­
quires highe r concentration from the driver.
A WARNING
Do not transport any people in a trailer due to
the risk of fatal injury.
Technical requirements
Certain requirements must be met when towing
a trailer.
Trailer hitch
Only use a trailer hitch with a removab le ball
hitch mount and ball hitch. The trailer hitch must
be perm itted for the vehicle, the trailer and the
permitted total weight of the trailer being
pu lled. Above all, it must be secure ly and safe ly
attached to the vehicle trailer.
Never mount a trailer hitch on the bumper. The
trailer hitch must be mounted in a way that does
not impair the function of the bumper. Do not
make any changes to the exhaust system and the
brake system.
Check regularly if the trailer hitch is securely
mounted. A lways follow the instructions given by
the trai ler hitch manufacturer .
Trailer brakes
If the tra iler has its own brake system, then fol­
l ow the manufacturer specifications. However,
the brake system on the trailer must never be
connected to the vehicle brake system.
Trailer towing
Engine cooling system
Driving with a trailer means a higher load on the
engine and the cooling system. The coo ling sys­
tem must be designed for additiona l load and
contain enough coo lant
i::> @ .
@ Note
Longer inclines cannot be driven without a
suitab le cooling system, especia lly if t he out­
side temperatures are high . otherwise, this
increases the risk of engine damage.
Operating instructions
Several things must be noted when towing a
trailer.
Towing capacity
Your vehicle can only be operated with class 1 or
class 2 trailers.
Load distribution
Poor cargo load and distribut ion can negatively
impact vehicle handling.
- Store objects preferably in the vehicle luggage
compartment . The vehicle should always carry
the heaviest poss ible load and the trailer
should have the lightest possible load.
- Distribute the load in the trailer so that the
heavy objects are as close to the axle as poss i­
b le.
- Secure objects from sl iding out of place .
- Ut ilize the maximum permitted tongue weight
if possible .
Tires
Set the tire pressure on your vehicle for a "full
load"; see the tire pressure sticker
c::>page 211.
If necessary, also adjust the tire pressure on the
trailer according to the manufacturer's recom­ mendat ion .
Winter tires should be mounted on the vehicle and on the trailer during winter temperatures.
Outside mirrors
If you cannot see the tra ffic behind the trailer
with the standard exterior mirrors, then you
81

Trail er to wing
must attach additiona l exterior mirrors . Adjust
them so you have a sufficient visibility behind
you .
Exterior lighting
Follow the lega l regulat ions regard ing the light ­
ing eq uipment on your trailer . Conta ct an author ­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty for more information.
Before start ing to drive, check a ll l ight ing equip­
men t on the hitc hed trailer.
The headlig ht range contro l adjusts automatical­
ly to the light range of the headl ights.
Safe ty chain s
Make su re the safety chains are correctly applied
when pulling a trailer . The chains should hang
enough so t hat the trailer can dr ive around
curves. However, they must not touch the
g round .
Air su spension
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
The air suspension must be at the standard vehi­
cle height before you set the tongue weight on
the trailer a nd h itch the trailer ¢@ ,
¢page 106,
Raising/lowering the vehicle .
For ve hicles w ith a factory-installed tra iler hitch,
the air suspension trailer mode will automat ically
sw itch on if you connect the trailer cable to the
socket.
F or ve hicles w ith a retro fitted trailer hitch, you
must switch on the air suspension trailer mode
manually . Select in the Infota inment system:
ICARI function button > ( Car )* s yste m s contro l
button
> V ehicle setting s > Air su spen sion : trail ­
e r > On .
Switch it off again after tow ing a tra ile r.
You can also switch off tra iler mode ma nually
while driving , for example, when using a bicycle
rac k system .
If you have to drive through difficult road condi­
tions , you can raise the vehicle aga in after hitch­
ing the t rai ler or after adjust ing the tongue
weight .
82
@ Note
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
-Changes i n temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle .
- Set the air suspension to the standard veh i­
cle he ight, otherwise the applicable tongue
we ight no longer appl ies to your veh icle .
(D Tips
-Use chocks when park ing on inclines if the
trai ler is loaded.
- We recommend also hav ing the vehicle in­
spected between the inspection intervals if
you are towing a trailer frequently .
- Avoid driv ing with a trai ler dur ing the veh i­
cle break-in per iod.
Driving with a trailer
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Sp eed
Adhere to t he lega l speed lim its . Fo llow the legal
regu lat ions
sp ecific to the country.
As the speed increases, the dr iv ing stab il ity of
t h e tra ile r decreases. Therefore you should not
exceed the max imum lega l speed lim it w hen
t h ere are unfavorab le road, weather and/or wind
conditions. This especia lly applies when driving
downh ill.
Yo u m ust always red uce your speed as soon as
you notice even the slightest swinging motion o f
the trai ler . Never try to "straight en out" the trai l­
er by acce lerating.
The we ight d istr ibution is very poor if the vehicle
is empty and the trai ler is loaded. However if you
must drive under these circumstances, then drive
especially slowly .
Brakes
B rake in a time ly manner. Downs hift befo re dr iv ­
i ng down hill so that the engine can assist with
braking ¢&. .
When using a trailer w it h over run bra kes, fi rst
bra ke gently t hen q uick ly. This red uces the r isk of
j erking while braking if the trailer wheels lock up .
IIJJ,,

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Engine coolant temperature
Pay att ention specifica lly to the coolan t tempera ­
t ure d isp lay when t here are high outside tempe r­
atures, an d when dr iv ing on long inclines
~ page 9 . Shift to a highe r gear in a timely man ­
ne r.
A WARNING
Constant b raking causes the brakes to ove r­
heat and substant ially reduces b raking per­
formance, increases brak ing distance or caus­
es complete fa ilu re of the brake system.
-
Trailer towing
83

a co ,...,
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" N ,...,
0 0 \,;J ' General information
Applies to: ve hicles with Audi side assist
®
®
©
F ig . 105 D riving situat io ns
~ AUD !
. ---.
Fi g. 10 6 Rear of the vehicle: position of the sensors
Side assis t fun ctions at speeds above app roxi­
mate ly 19 mph (30 km/h).
® Vehicles that are approaching
In ce rtain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itica l for a lane change even if it is still some­
what far away. The faste r a ve hicle app roaches,
the soo ner the display in the exterio r mirror w ill
turn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Veh icles traveli ng w ith you are ind icated i n the
exte rior m irro r if they are classified as critical for
a lane change. All vehi cles detec ted by side assist
A ssi st a nce systems
are indicated by the time they enter your "blind
spot", at the latest.
© Vehicles you are passing
If
you s low ly pass a vehi cle that s ide assist has
de tected (the difference in speed between t he
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph ( 15
km/h)), the display in the exterior mi rror turns
on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
T he display w ill not turn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle th at s ide ass ist has de te cted (the differ­
ence in speed is greater than 9 mph (15 km/ h)) .
Functional limitations
The radar sensors are des igned to detect the left
and right adjacent lanes when the road lanes are
t h e norma l width. In some si tua tions, the display
in the exterior m irror may turn on even though
there is no veh icle located in the area that is criti­
ca l for a lane change. For example:
- I f the lanes are na rrow or if you a re dr iving on
the edge o f you r lane . If t his is the case, the
system may have detected a vehicle i n another
lane that is
not adjacent to your current lane.
- If you are driving through a curve . Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the ad jacent lane .
- If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or disp laced guard rai ls).
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
functions are limited .
D o no t cover the radar senso rs
¢ fig. 106 wit h
stickers, deposits, bicycle wheels or other ob­
j ects, because t hey will impair the func tion. Do
not use side assist when towing a trai ler. For in­
f ormat ion on cleaning,
see ¢ page 221.
A WARNING
-== -
-Always pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your vehicle. S ide assist cannot
replace a driver's atte ntion. The driver alone
is always respons ible for la ne cha nges and
similar dr iv ing maneuvers .
- In some situations, the system may not function o r its function may be limi ted. For
examp le:
99

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" N ,...,
0 0 \,;J ' (D Tips
-Side assist is not active w hile you are mak­
i ng the ad justment.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
ass igned to the remote control key being
used.
Messages
App lies to: ve hicles with Audi side assist
If side assist switches off by i tself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
i nstr ument cluster d isplay:
Audi side a ssist: Currently una vailable . N o
senso r vision
The radar sensor v is ion is impaired . Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects . Clean the area in
front of the senso rs , if
necessa ry ~ page 99 ,
fig . 106.
Audi side as sist: Currently un avail able
Side assist cannot be switched on at th is time be ­
cause there is a malfunction (for example , the
battery charge level may be too low) .
Audi side as sist : System fault!
The sys tem cannot guarantee that it will detect
veh icles correctly and it has switched off. The
sensors have been moved or are faulty . H ave the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Se rvice Facility soon .
Audi side assist: Unav ailable when towing
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a fac­
tory-ins talled trailer hi tch is connected to the
e lectrical connector on the trailer . There is no
gua rantee the system will sw itch off when using
a retrofi tte d trai ler hitch. Do not use s ide ass ist
when towing a t railer.
A ssi st a nce systems
Night vision assist with
pedestrian and wild
animal detection
Description
Applies to : vehicles wit h night vision assist
The night vision assist con detect, highlight and,
if n ecessary, warn about p ed estrians and large
wild animals.
Night vision assist wit h pedest rian and wi ld ani ­
mal detection assists you at night by using an in­
frared camera to monitor the a rea in front of
your vehicle, within the limits of the system. It can d isplay objects up to a distance of approxi­
mately 1000 feet (300 m). The thermal image
detected by the camera is shown in the inst ru­
ment cluster d isp lay. Wa rm areas appear lighter
and co ld areas appear da rker.
Highlighting detected pedestrians and wild
animals
Appl ies to: vehicles with night vision assist
Fig. 1 08 In strum ent cluster: ye llow highlig h ted pedes ­
tria ns
Fi g. 10 9 Ins trumen t cl uster : sy mb ol when t he in frar ed im ­
age is not v is ib le
Wi thin the limi ts of the sys tem, the night v is io n
ass ist can detec t pedestr ians and wild animals
.,_
101