2021 AUDI A6 ESP

Care and cleaning

Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi-
cle's value. It can also be a requirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The required cleaning and care products can be
obtained from an authorized Audi dealer or au-
thorized Service Facility. Read and follow the in-
structions for use on the packaging.

ZA\ WARNING
— Using cleaning and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
— Always store cleaning and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the risk of poi-
soning.

@ For the sake of the environment
— Purchase environmentally-friendly cleaning
products if possible.
— Do not dispose of cleaning and care prod-
ucts with household trash.
Car washes
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
droppings, tree sap or road salt remain on the ve-
hicle, the more the surface can be damaged. High
temperatures such as those caused by sunlight
increase the damaging effect.
Before washing, rinse off heavy deposits with
plenty of water.
Stubborn deposits such as bird droppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water anda
microfiber cloth.
Also, wash the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops being used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your vehicle with a pressure wash-
er, always follow the operating instructions pro-
vided with the pressure washer. This is especially
important in regard to the pressure and spraying
distance. Do not aim the spray directly at the
280
seals on the side windows, doors, hood, luggage
compartment lid, or sunroof*, or at tires, rubber
hoses, insulating material, sensors*, camera
lenses*, or the laser scanner*. Keep a distance of
at least 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use cone nozzles or high pressure nozzles.
The water temperature must not be above 140 °F
(60 °C).
Automatic car wash
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make sure that the windows and roof* are closed
and the windshield wipers are off. Make sure that
the vehicle is still able to roll during the washing
process in the car wash. Follow instructions from
the car wash operator, especially if there are ac-
cessories attached to your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes.
Washing by hand
Clean the vehicle starting from the top and work-
ing downward using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
To reduce the risk of damaging the paint when
washing, first remove dust and large particles
from your vehicle. Insects, grease spots, and fin-
gerprints are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint.
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To re-
duce the risk of damaging the paint surface, do
not use too much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft micro-
fiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it air
dry. Remove any water residue using a chamois. >

Care and cleaning




Component Situation Solution
Laser scanner Deposits Soft sponge with a mild soap solution®
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt Water, cleaning solution suitable for stainless steel, if nec-
pipes essary
Decorative parts | Deposits Mild soap solution ®, a cleaning solution suitable for stain-
and
trim
less steel, if necessary

Paint Paint damage Repair with touch-up paint

Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately

Surface rust Rust remover, then treat with hard wax; for questions, con-
sult an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility.

Corrosion Have it removed by an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility.

Water no longer
beads on the surface
of clean paint
Treat with hard wax (at least twice per year)

No shine even though
paint has been pro-
tected/paint looks
poor
Treat with suitable polish; then apply paint protectant if
the polish that was used does not contain any protectant

Deposits such as in-
sects, bird droppings,
tree sap, and road
salt
Dampen with water immediately and remove with a micro-
fiber cloth

Grease-based con-
taminants such as
cosmetics or sunblock
Remove immediately with a mild soap solution ® and a soft
cloth

Carbon compo-__| Deposits clean the same way as painted parts > page 280
nents
Decorative decals | Deposits Soft sponge with a mild soap solution®

a) Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons of
Interior cleaning
neutral soap in 1 quart (1 liter) of water


Component Situation Solution
Window glass Deposits Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative parts | Deposits Mild soap solution®
and
trim
Plastic parts Deposits Damp cloth



Heavier deposits Mild soap solution @), detergent-free plastic cleaning solu-

tion, if necessary

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4K0012721BE
Care and cleaning




Water-based deposits
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Component Situation Solution
Displays/instru- | Deposits Soft cloth with LCD cleaner; dust in the lower area of the
ment cluster instrument cluster can be removed using a soft brush.
Controls Deposits Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solution®
Safety belts Deposits Mild soap solution ®), allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
Textiles, Deposits adhering to | Vacuum cleaner
artificial leather, |the surface
Alcantara Absorbent cloth and mild soap solution®

Oil-based deposits
such as oil, make-up,
etc.
Apply a mild soap solution ®), blot away the dissolved oil or
dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary

Certain types of de-
posits such as ink,
nail polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material, treat
afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary)

Natural leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solution®

Water-based deposits
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather

Oil-based deposits
such as oil, make-up,
etc.
Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
for leather
dried stains: oil cleaning spray

Certain types of de-
posits such as ink,
nail polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Spot remover suitable for leather


nents

Care Regularly apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use special colored
conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon compo- Deposits Clean the same way as plastic components

@) Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons of neutral soap in 1 quart (1 liter) of water

Z\ WARNING

The windshield must not be treated with wa-
ter-repelling windshield coating agents. Un-
der
unfavorable conditions, such as wetness,
darkness, and when the sun is low, these coat-
ings can cause increased glare, which increas-
es the risk of an accident. They can also cause
wiper blade chatter.

() Note
— Headlights and tail lights

283

Emergency assistance

Emergency assistance
General information
> Park the vehicle as far as possible from moving
traffic in the event of a breakdown. In the event
of a flat tire, park the vehicle ona level surface.
If you are ona steep hill, be especially careful.
> Set the parking brake.
> Switch the emergency flashers on.
> Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
should move to a safe place, for example be-
hind a guard rail.

-Z\ WARNING
Follow the steps given above. This is for your
protection and the for the safety of others on
the road.


Equipment
e tool kit, tire m
vehicle jack
Applies to: vehicles with the vehicle tool kit, tire mobility kit,
and vehicle jack





Fig. 170 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cover
The vehicle tool kit, vehicle jack*, tire mobility
kit*, and compressor* are stored in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover
> fig. 170.
> Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
> fig. 170.
> Applies to: sedan: Hook the handle into the lug-
gage compartment seal.
> Applies to: vehicles with spare tire: Turn the
handle counter-clockwise and remove the spare
tire.
286
» Applies to: sedan: Unhook the cargo floor cover
again before closing the luggage compartment
lid.
G@) Tips
The vehicle jack* does not require any mainte-
nance.
Tire mobility kit
Applies to: vehicles with tire mobility kit
> Read and follow the important safety precau-
tions > page 286.
> Set the parking brake.
> Select the “P” position.
> Check if a repair with the tire mobility kit is pos-
sible > page 286.
Using the tire mobility kit
Applies to: vehicles with tire mobility kit

B8U-0100



Fig. 171 Tire: tire damage that cannot be repaired
The tire repair is only meant for temporary use.
Change the damaged tire as soon as possible
oA.
If the tire is pierced by an object such as a nail,
do not remove the object from the tire.
The tire mobility kit can be used at temperatures
as low as -4 °F (-20 °C).
The tire mobility kit must not be used:
—If the tire has cuts or punctures that are larger
than 0.16 in (4 mm) @ © fig. 171
— If the rim is damaged (2)
— If you have driven with very low tire pressure or
without air in the tire @)

4K0012721BE
Emergency assistance

> Connect the compressor hose to a vehicle sock-
et and switch it on.
> Let the compressor run until the specified value
on the tire pressure sticker is reached
> page 266, fig. 169>@.
> Screw the valve cap back onto the valve.
Returning to storage
> To release air, turn the valve insert. See an au-
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility.
> Turn the valve insert back once the air has been
released.
> Wait several hours before placing the collapsi-
ble spare tire in the spare wheel well. Only then
will it fold down completely so that you can
store it securely.
> Then screw the valve cap back onto the valve.
> Secure the collapsible spare tire with the hand-
wheel.
> Fold the cargo floor cover back into place.
Snow chains
Using snow chains on the collapsible spare tire is
not permitted for technical reasons.
If you have to drive with snow chains and a front
tire fails, mount the collapsible spare tire in place
of a rear tire. Install the snow chains on the rear
tire that you removed, and install that in place of
the front tire that failed.

Z\ WARNING
— Only use the collapsible spare tire in emer-
gencies and drive very carefully, especially if
it is more than six years old.
— The compressor and the hose can become
very hot during operation which increases
the risk of burn injuries.
— After installing a collapsible spare tire, the
tire pressure must be checked as quickly as
possible to reduce the risk of an accident.
— Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h)
with the collapsible spare tire. Driving faster
than that increases the risk of an accident.
— To reduce the risk of an accident, avoid hard
acceleration or braking and driving fast
around curves with the collapsible spare

tire.

— Never drive using more than one collapsible
spare tire, because this increases the risk of
an accident.
— Normal tires or winter tires must not be
mounted on the collapsible spare tire rim.
C) Note
The compressor must be switched off after six
minutes at the most to reduce the risk of
overheating. Let the compressor cool down
for several minutes before using it again.


Jump starting
You should only perform the steps that follow if
you have the necessary tools and technical ex-
pertise.
If the engine does not start because the vehicle
battery is drained, you can jump start your vehi-
cle using another vehicle. Jump start cables are
needed to do this.
Both vehicle batteries must have 12 V nominal
voltage. The voltage capacity (Ah) of the vehicle
battery that is giving power must not be less
than the capacity of the drained vehicle battery.
Jump start cable
Only use a jump start cable with a large enough
diameter. Note the manufacturer's specifica-
tions.
Only use a jump start cable with insulated termi-
nal clamps.
Positive cable - usually red.
Negative cable - usually black.

Z\ WARNING
— A drained battery can freeze at tempera-
tures around 32 °F (0 °C). If the vehicle bat-
tery is frozen, it must be thawed before con-
necting the jump start cables. If it is not,
the risk of an explosion and chemical burns
increases. After jump starting the vehicle, >

293

4K0012721BE
Emergency assistance

> With the engines running, remove the cables in
reverse order of the way they were installed.
> Close the red cover on the positive terminal.

ZA WARNING
— Never connect the jump start cable directly
to your vehicle battery. Only use the connec-
tions in the engine compartment.
— Do not touch the non-insulated parts of the
terminal clamps. The cable must also not
come into contact with vehicle components
that conduct electricity when it is connected
to the positive vehicle battery terminal. This
can cause a short circuit.
— The plugs on the battery cells must not be
opened.
— Keep ignition sources (such as open flames,
burning cigarettes, etc.) away from the vehi-
cle batteries to reduce the risk of an explo-
sion.
— Route the jump start cables so they cannot
get caught in the moving parts in the other
vehicle's engine compartment.
@) Note
Please note that the connecting process previ-
ously described for the jump start cables is in-
tended for when your vehicle is being jump
started.
@) Tips
Make sure that the connected jump start ca-
bles have sufficient contact with metal.

Towing
General information
You should only perform the steps that follow if
you have the necessary tools and technical ex-
pertise.
Towing requires a certain amount of practice.
Audi recommends contacting a towing company
to have the vehicle transported.
You should only have your vehicle towed by an-
other vehicle when disabled in exceptional cir-
cumstances. Inexperienced drivers should not
tow.
Notes on towing
When the engine is stopped, the transmission
will not be sufficiently lubricated if traveling at
high speeds and long distances:
— The maximum permitted towing speed is 30
mph (50 km/h).
—The maximum permitted towing distance is 30
miles (50 km).
Additional information on towing with a tow
truck
The vehicle may only be towed with the front axle
raised. Do not wrap any chains or cables around
the brake lines.
Tow bar and towing cable
The vehicle can be towed with a tow bar or tow-
ing cable. Both drivers should be familiar with
the special considerations when towing, especial-
ly when using a towing cable.
Always make sure the traction force does not ex-
ceed the permitted level and there are no shock
loading conditions. There is always the risk of the
coupling becoming overloaded when driving off-
road.
For the most safety and security, drive with a tow
bar. You should use a towing cable only if a tow
bar is not available. Use a towing cable made of
synthetic elastic cable similar elastic material.

ZA WARNING
— Towing highly increases the risk of an acci-
dent, for example from colliding with the
towing vehicle.
— To reduce the risk of an accident, do not al-
low anyone to remain inside the vehicle
when it is being transported by a tow truck
or a special transporter.
C) Note
—If normal towing is not possible, for exam-
ple if the transmission is faulty or if the
towing distance is greater than 30 miles

295

4K0012721BE
Data privacy

Data privacy
Privacy
notice
You can find information about responsibility for
data protection in the MMI.
Transmitted information
Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen: SET-
TINGS > General > Legal notes > About Audi
connect.
Image recording
Surrounding area monitoring
Applies to: vehicles with surrounding area monitoring
The functionality of the park assist plus requires
detecting and evaluating the vehicle's path. This
is done by cameras installed permanently on the
vehicle that detect objects in the vehicle's sur-
roundings (such as obstacles or guard rails). The
live images from the cameras are transmitted to
the applicable control module.
The camera images are transferred to the respon-
sible control module for processing and may be
stored, depending on vehicle equipment. The
control
module analyzes the current camera im-
age using image evaluation software. This image
evaluation software detects anonymized techni-
cal measurements, such as distances to objects.
The control module evaluates these technical
measurements and makes it possible for the as-
sist systems to control the vehicle, if necessary.
Data memories
5 io. oO
2 x= + oO


Fig. 191 Driver's side footwell: connection port for the On
Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
Your vehicle is equipped with electronic control
modules for various vehicle systems such as the
airbags. These vehicle control modules store data
while driving normally that is required by an au-
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility for diagnosis and repair purposes. Only
certain types of data are recorded for a very short
period of time if a control module has detected a
system event. No noises, conversations, or im-
ages will be recorded in the vehicle.
The data may include information such as the ve-
hicle speed, the direction of travel, and informa-
tion about the brake system, or also the behavior
of the restraint system in the event of an acci-
dent. The stored data can be exported and down-
loaded with special devices, which must be con-
nected directly to the vehicle.
On Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
There is a diagnostic connector socket in the driv-
er's side footwell to read out the various control
modules and the event data recorder. Data re-
garding the function and condition of the elec-
tronic control modules is stored in the event
memory. Only have an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility read out and de-
lete the event memory.

ZA\ WARNING
— Incorrect use of the connection port for the
On Board Diagnostic System can cause mal-
functions, which can then result in accidents
and serious injuries.
— Only allow an authorized Audi dealer or au-
thorized Audi Service Facility to read out the
engine data.
h data recorder
Event Data Recorder

This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re-
corder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa-
tions,
such as an airbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand-
ing how a vehicle's system performed. The EDR is
designed to record data related to vehicle dynam-
ics and safety systems for a short period of time, >
303

Data privacy

typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehi-
cle is designed to record such data as:
— How various systems in your vehicle were oper-
ating;
— Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
— How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
— How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understand-
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in-
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e.g.
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re-
corded. However, other parties, such as law en-
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac-
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip-
ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu-
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can read the in-
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR.
Assist system monitor
This vehicle is equipped with an Assist System
Monitor (ASM). The ASM collects data that is not
stored by the EDR in the event of an accident. The
main task of the ASM is to make it possible to un-
derstand the role and the behavior of the assist
systems in these accident situations. In addition
to the data that the EDR stores, the ASM records
data related to the assist systems starting sever-
al seconds before the accident or near-accident.
The data collected by ASM depends on the equip-
ment and may include the following information:
status information of the assist systems (for ex-
ample, if they are switched on or off, system
events, etc.), control interventions (for example,

D_ System availability may be limited depending on the mar-
ket.
2) In preparation at the time of printing.
304
by ESC, ABS, Audi pre sense’, etc.), and assist
systems settings (such as speed settings).
Special devices and access to the vehicle or to the
ASM are necessary in order to read the data from
the ASM memory. In addition to the vehicle man-
ufacturer, third parties such as law enforcement
authorities can also read and analyze the stored
data if they have access to the vehicle or to the
ASM.
Data usage
Audi can read out the information stored in the
data memories or similar data, or give this infor-
mation to third parties, especially in the follow-
ing situations:
— If the vehicle owner or lessee agrees
— If there is an official request from the police
— Ifa court or authorities request it
If legally permitted, Audi can also use the data
for analysis of vehicle operation and safety per-
formance or provide this data to third parties for
research purposes.
Data memory for autonomous driving!)
Applies to: vehicles with data memory for autonomous driv-
ing
When park assist plus is active > page 170, data
is stored in a memory in the vehicle. This data is
continuously overwritten by more current data
after a few seconds. The data is erased when the
ignition is switched off.
In certain situations, such as if an airbag has
been triggered or a parking process was ended,
the corresponding technical data may be stored
in the data memory for autonomous driving. The
data memory for autonomous driving is a read-
only memory that has a limited amount of stor-
age space. If the storage space is full, the oldest
data will be overwritten with the newest data. >