Engine light AUDI A6 2014 Owner's Guide

112 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with multitron ic/S tronic/t iptronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
Applies to ve hicle s w ith a multit ro nic
t ransmi ssion
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the transmission
downshifts into a lower gear ratio depend ing
on the vehicle speed and engine speed. As
l ong as the accelerator peda l is depressed, the
engine speed is automat ica lly regulated for
maximum accelera tion.
Appli es to veh icl es with a S tronic -/,
tiptronic tran smi ssion
When you depress the accelerato r pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the a utomat ic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on vehicle speed and engine speed.
T he upshift into the next higher gear takes
p lace once the maximum specified engine
speed is reached.
A WARNING
,-
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road - there is a risk of skidding .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement : The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.. Press the
I~ O FFI button c> page 196 while
the engine is running. The
1B indica tor light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Sta bilization contr ol (ESC ): Off Warn ing!
R educed stabi lit y
appears in the dr iver in­
fo rmat io n system disp lay .
.. Move the selecto r lever to position D/S to
select sport mode (5) or select
D ynam ic
mode in Audi dr ive select <=> page 101 . ..
Press the brake pedal strongly with your left
foot and hold it down for at least 1 second .
.. At the same time, press the acce lerator ped ­
al down completely with your right foot un­
til the eng ine reaches and maintains a high
RPM .
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal
w ith in 5 seconds <=>,&. .
_&. WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the traff ic
f low.
- On ly use the Launch Contro l Program
when road and t raff ic condi tions a llow it
and other d rivers w ill not be endangered
or annoyed by your driving and the vehi ­
cle's acceleration.
- Please note that the driving wheels can spin and the vehicle can b reak away
when sport mode is switched on, espe­
cially when the road is slippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you shou ld
sw itch sport mode off by pressing the
I~ OFF I button.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperature may in ­
crease signif icantly after using the
Launch Control Program. If that hap­
pens, the program may not be availab le
for a few minutes. It will be ava ilable
again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the Launch
Contro l Program, all vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads . Th is can result in
increased wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/S tronic/tiptronic
[O] Tran smi ssio n: Pr ess brake pedal and se­
lect ge ar again
Press the brake peda l and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can the n
continue d riving .
[O] Tran smi ssion overheating: Plea se drive
con servatively

The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will no longer shift at a ll. The en­
gine may stall. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Iii Transmission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic transmission: There is a system mal­
function in the transmission. The transmis­
sion is switching to eme rgency mode. This
mode on ly shifts into certain gears or wi ll no
longer shift at all. The engine may sta ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualif ied repair fa­
cility immediately to have the malfunction
corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle
and shift to P
Do not continue driving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Audi
dea ler or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you shou ld take the vehicle to an
author ized Audi dealersh ip as soon as pos­
sible to have the cond ition corrected.
Automatic Transmission 113
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/t iptronic
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec­
tor lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 117 Front center console: se lector lever emergen ·
cy release
.,. To reach the emergency release mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert*.
.,. Loosen and remove the small cap in the ash­
tray mount ~
fig. 117 .
.,. You now have access to a bolt. Using a
screwdriver or similar, press the bolt down
and hold it down .
.,. Now press the interlock and move the se lec-
tor lever to the N position.
T he selector lever can only be moved from the
P position if the ignition is turned on. If the
power supply fai ls (for example, the battery is
discharged) and the vehicle must be pushed
or towed, move the selector lever to the N po­
sition first using the emergency release.

126 Homelink
Homelink
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Homelink u nive rsal remote con­
tro l
The HomeLink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand-held transmitters
from existing equipment.
With Homelink, you can control devices such
as the garage door, security systems, house
lights, etc. comfortably from the inside of you
vehicle.
Homelink makes it possible for you to replace
three different remote controls from devices in your home with one universal remote . Th is
feature works for most garage door and exte­
rior door motor signals. Programming the in­
d iv idual remo te control fo r your remote con ­
trol takes p lace near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programm ing of the sensor mus t
be performed before you are able to use sys­
tems w ith Homelink.
A WARNING
- Never use the Homelink transmitter
with any garage door opener that does
have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as requ ired by federal safety stand­
ards. Th is includes any garage door open­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Us ing a garage doo r
opener witho ut these fea tures increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the Homelink remote control is being pro­
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, this can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components -an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avo id possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certa in that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(0 Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink Un iversal Transceiver,
Homelink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories su ch as the
Homelink Lighting Package, please con­
tact Homelink at 1 -800-355-3515 or on
the Internet at www.homelink.com.
- For Declara tion of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Ind ustry Canada reg ula ­
tions¢
page 286 .
-For security reasons, we recommend that
you clear the programmed b uttons be­
fore selling the ve hicle .
Operation
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h Ho melink
Fig . 14 2 Headliner: controls
M 0
9 (!)
~
Requirement: The buttons must be program­
med
¢page 127.
"'To open the garage door , press the program­
med b utton . The LED @ will light up o r
flash.
"' To close the garage door, press the button
again .
Ill>

-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 14 7 Unbe lted occupants in a ve hicle head ing for a
wall
Fig. 1 48 The vehicle cras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
veh icle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
SO km/h), the ene rgy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of th is vehicle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 147, they will keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just befo re the crash, unt il something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 148.
Safety belts 139
The same principles apply to people s itting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal coll ision .
Even at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these fo rces are even
highe r.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle . In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was travel ling just before
the crash . Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens i n all k inds of a cc ident s and col­
li s ions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
F ig . 14 9 A driver not wea ring a safety be lt is vio lently
th row n forwa rd
F ig. 150 A rear passenger not wearing a sa fety belt
w ill fly forward a nd strike the d river
Unbelted oc cupants a re not able to resist the
tremendous forces o f impact by hold ing tight
o r bracing themse lves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestra ined .,..

196 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
ca l tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
Switching on and off
- If the indicator light DJ or til] (USA
mode ls)/ [I] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 20 ,
¢ page 19.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 178 Ce nter co ns ole, f). O FF bu tton
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following situations are exceptions where
it may be usefu l to switch on sport mode to
allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it i s st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose g round
- Driving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Beha vio r
The ESC a nd ASR stabilization fun ct ions The fu ll stabilization function o f the ESC
are limited ¢.&, .
Op eration Pr ess the 1.$ O FFI button .
Indicato r I) turns on.
lights
Driv er mes- Stabiliza tion control (ESC ): Sport
sage s Warning! R educed stability
,8. WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if
your driving abilities and road cond itions
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on. The
dr iv ing whee ls could spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces .
{D) Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched on when
adapt ive cr uise control* is switched on.
-
and ASR is availab le again .
Press the
1 .$ O FF I button again.
fl tu rns off.
Stabilization c ontrol (ESC ): On
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra kes on today's automobiles a re still
s u bje ct to wear, depending largely on ope rat­
i ng conditions and driving hab its
¢ A . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop­
and-go city traff ic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure .,,_

198 Intelligent technology
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caref ul
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distan ce. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle a nd have it towed to t he near­
est Aud i dea ler o r qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle rol l to a stop w ith
the engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Ind icator light s and m essages
• Steerin g defecti ve! Stop the vehicle
If th is indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, t he power steering
may have fa iled.
Do
not cont inue driving . See you r autho rized
Aud i dealer or other qualified repa ir facility
fo r assistance.
l~ ij Ste ering: Sy stem malfunction ! You m ay
cont inue dri ving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sens itive than usual.
Drive s low ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
(D Tips
If the . or
£'I' ij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue dr iv­
i ng.
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to vehicles: wit h all-w hee l drive
With a/I-wheel drive, all four wheels ore driv­
en.
General information
With all Wheel Drive, power is distributed to all four wheels. This happens automatically
depend ing on your driving style and the road
condit ions at the time. See also ¢
page 194.
With the sport diffe rent ia l*, power distribu­
t ion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted with Audi drive select*¢
page 100.
Always read and follow safety precautions
¢ &.
Winter tires
When dr iving in the win ter, yo ur vehicle wi th
all-wheel drive has an advantage, eve n with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing : these tires must be mounted on
all fou r
w heel s.
See also¢ page 255, Winter tires .
Tire chain s
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this norma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 256, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheel s/tire s
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For detai ls see
page ¢
page 251, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off -Road dr iving?
Your Audi does not have enough gro und clea r-
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle .
It is jll,,

therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
<=:> page 203.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef­
fective, a lways remember that braking
capacity is limited by t ire traction . Yo u
should therefore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rfaces.
- On wet road su rfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because t he fro nt wheels
c ou ld beg in to s lide on top of the wa ter
(aq uaplaning). If this sho uld occ ur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in ­
crease in engine speed as with a front ­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine .
If a veh icle wit h a conventional energy system
i s not d riven for a lo ng pe riod o f time, the bat­
tery is discha rged by idling cu rrent co nsu mers
(e .g. immobilizer) . In ce rtain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insufficient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine .
I n tell igen t energy m anagemen t in your veh i­
cle hand les the d istribu tion of electrical ener­
gy . Starting ab ility is marked ly imp roved and
the life of the battery is extended.
B asically , energy management consists o f
battery diagnos is , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic ene rgy man agement.
Int ellig ent technolog y 199
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously de termines
the state of the battery . Sensors de termine
batte ry voltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling curren t management reduces energy
consumption while the vehi cle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo­
nents. Data from battery diagnos is is cons id­
ered .
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
i ndivid ua l cons umers are g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en ­
ergy ma nagement distrib utes the energy ge n­
erated accord ing to the needs of the individ u­
al components . It regulates consum ption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of cha rge for the battery .
(D Tips
-But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
t hat the powe r and life of a battery are
limited .
- If start ing ability is threatened , the indi­
cator light (•) appears
c::> page 17 .
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year . Abundant electrical energy is re -
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also ..,. •
•

200 Intelligent technology
critical if the engine is not running and electri­
cal components are turned on. In this in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you wi ll
notice energy management actively regulat­
ing the distribut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a pe riod
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer period.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The conven ience
functions will be available again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off or use other MMI func­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption, the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
The warning indicates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes. If
you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although elect rical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged. This happens most ly when
little energy is being generated and a great
dea l consumed and the battery 's state of
charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equili­
brium, consumers which require especia lly
large amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par­
ticular requ ire a great deal of energy. If you notice,
for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be available again as
soon as the energy balance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly. Th is is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine idle
speed the additional energy required is gener­
ated and the battery is charged.

204 Driving and en vir onm ent
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip length, etc .
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
• Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the mo st fuel when they are ac­
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
wheneve r poss ible -for example when you see
that the next traffic l ight is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
• Try and keep well below your car 's max imum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
g ine no ise increase d isproportionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be reduced by one half. Neve r dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limit and wea ther con­
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
• Shut the engine off when you are not dr iv ing
the vehicle. •
Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at id le .
T he id ling phase is automatically red uced for
vehicles with the Start/Stop system . It is effi ­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles with ­
out the Start-Stop -System when stopp ed at
railroad crossings and long red lights. Tu rning
the engine off for jus t 30-40 seconds saves
more fuel than is burned by starting the en-
. . gme again .
It takes a long time for the eng ine to warm up
fully when i t is running at idle. However, wear
and noxiou s emissions are espec ially high
when the eng ine is warm ing up . So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
W Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter start ing . If wa rning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wo uld go unheeded . Ex tended idling also
produces heat, wh ich could res ult in ove r­
heating or other damage to the ve hicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
• Have your veh icle serviced at reg ular in ter -
vals .
By having your ve hicle regu la rly se rviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re tha t it runs p rop ­
erly and economically . The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
ho ld its va lue, it also affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach time you
fill y our tank.
The amount of o il used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven . ..,.

206 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
c:::> page 206, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trai ler hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind
c:::> A.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brakin g sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your Audi dealer for correct
wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors. It is important
that you
always have clear v is ion to the rear .
A WARNING
--
After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle . In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shift ing forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c:::> A in Driving instructions on page 208.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system 's
performance is up to the additional load.