tow AUDI A6 2011 Owner's Guide

Operating instructions
Max imum tr aile r weight
A trai ler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trail er lo ad di stribut ion
Be sure the load in the t ra iler is held secu rely in place to prevent it
from shift ing forward, backward or sideways.
N ev er a llow a pa ssenge r to ride in a traile r=>
& in "Driving instr uc­
tions".
Eng ine c ooling s ystem
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder. It is important that
the cooling system 's performance is up to the addi tional load. Make
sure that the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pre ssur e
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your veh icle to the co ld tire
pressu re listed under "Full load" on the label located on the d river's
side 8 -pillar (visible when the door is open) . Inflate traile r tires to
t rai ler and tire manufacture rs' specificat io n s.
Light s
The headl ight sett ings shou ld be checked with the tr ailer attached
before driving off. Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chain s
Be sure traile r safety cha ins are p roperly connected from the trai ler
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to perm it
tu rning corners. When you install sa fe ty cha ins, make s ure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
T he chains should cross under the trai ler tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the h itch .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
0 Note
If you are going to tow a t
railer, you must activate the tra iler opera­
tion mode =>
page 170, "T owing a trai ler" .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires e xtra care and
consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehic le and trailer,
please note the following:
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded.
- Be especially careful when passing other veh icles .
- Observe speed limits .
- Do not dr ive at the maximum permissible speed.
- Always apply brakes early .
- Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded tra iler w ith an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of we ight . If this cannot be avoided, d rive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" r ig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
t ow ve hicle sho uld be loaded to the exte nt poss ible and permissib le,
wh ile keeping the tra iler as light as poss ible under the circumstances.
Whenever poss ible, tra nsfer some cargo to the l uggage compart ­
ment of the tow vehicle while observing tongue load requirements
and vehicle load ing considerations .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Trailer towing
"---------------------------------------------------
Speed
T he higher the speed, the more difficult it becomes for the driver to
control the rig. Do not dr ive at the max imum permiss ible speed.
Reduce your speed even more if load, weather or wind conditions are
unfavorable -part icu larly when go ing downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the tra iler shows the slightest
sign of swaying.
Do not try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for veh icles towing
trailers are lower than for regu lar vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driv ing dow nhill, shift in to a lower
gear to use the eng ine braking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
bra kes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
Th e coolant temperature gauge~ page 8 must be observed care­
fully. If the needle moves close to the upper end of the scale, reduce
speed immediately and/or turn off the air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in the instrument cluster
starts flashing
_f_ , pull off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two m inutes to prevent heat build-up.
& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving vehicle is at a much
greater risk in an accident. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided by Audi.•
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
------------
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing a trailer because of the
additiona l weight and different weight distribution. Safety, perfor- mance and economy will greatly depend on how carefully you load
your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice turning, stopp ing and
backing up in an area away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have
become completely familiar with the way your vehicle-t railer comb i­
nation behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice. Backing up with a trailer
generally requires steering action oppos ite to that when backing up
your vehicle without a trai ler.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle and the one in front
of you. You will need more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot accelerate as fast as you normally would because of the added load . Make sure you have
enoug h room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your
trai ler before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky sta rts, sharp tur ns or rapid lane changes.
W Tips
• Do not tow a trailer during the break-in per iod of your veh icle.
• If you tow a trai ler, your Audi may require more frequent mainte­
nance due to the extra load
~ page 346. •
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot be
avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
- Apply the foot brake.
- Have someone p lace chocks under both the vehicle and the
trailer wheels . ._

-With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes until the
wheel chocks absorb the load.
- Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move the selector lever to
P.
When restarting after parking:
- Apply the foot brake.
- Start the eng ine .
- M ove the selector lever to
D.
-Release the parking brake and slowly pu ll out and away
from the wheel chocks .
- Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel chocks .
[ i ) Tips
If you move the se lector lever of the automat ic t ransm ission to P
before applying the parking brake and before blocking the whee ls,
yo u may have to use mo re force later to move the leve r out of t he
P
position. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care.
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove dust and light surface
dirt. For other soil, use a lukewarm all-purpose cleaning solution or a
mild saddle soap for vinyl trim . Remove water spots and traces of
soap with a clean, damp cloth or sponge. Use a clean, soft cloth to rub
dry.
Grease, tar or oil stains can be removed with a clean cloth or sponge
soaked with all-purpose cleaner or with a solvent designed especially
to clean vinyl.
Occasionally apply a colorless vinyl or leather preservative to retain
the material 's luster and pliability.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
:::> page 260. •
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots and deposits from
aluminum surfaces. Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners will
attack aluminum surfaces and can damage them over time .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=>page 260. •
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up immediately.
- Use either a touch-up paint stick or spray paint to cover
minor scratches and nicks.
Your Audi dealer has touch-up paint for minor scratches and stone
chips . Scratches should be touched up soon after they occur to
prevent corrosion.
If a spot starts to rust, however, a simple touch-up job will not be
enough. The affected surface must be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti-rust primer before the painted finish can be restored.
The number for the original vehicle paint can be found on the vehicle identification label=>
page 340.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=>page 260. •
Windows
Clear vision to all sides.
Clean all windows regularly to remove road film and carwash
wax buildup.
- Remove snow from windows using a brush.
- Use a plastic ice scraper to remove ice from windows and
mirrors.
- Remove other residue on the windows with a spray-on glass cleaner.
- Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of cloth or
kitchen paper towel.

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Cleaning spots
- Remove fresh water-based spots (such as coffee, tea,
juices, b loo d) with a n absorben t cloth o r paper towel.
- R emove fresh
grease or oil-based spots (such as butter,
mayonnaise, chocolate) with an absorbent cloth or paper
towel, or use the clea ner from the leather care kit i f the
spot has not yet penetrated into t he s urface of the
leather.
- Use an oil/grease d isso lv ing spray, if
oil /grease spots
have dried on .
-Remove spec ific kinds of spots (ballpoint pen, felt marker,
fingernai l polish , water-based paint, shoe polish, etc .)
with a spo t remover specifica lly formulated for leather.
Leather care
- Ever y hal f year us e an ap proved leat her car e prod uct
(avai lable fr om you r A udi dea ler) to care f or th e le ather.
- Ap ply t he produ ct very spari ngly .
- W ipe it off with a da mp cloth.
If yo u have any quest ions about cleaning and caring for the leathe r in
your ve hicl e, i t is best to con tact you r au thor ized Audi dealer, who w ill
be glad to help yo u and tell you about our fu ll range of leather care
prod ucts, such as:
• Leathe r cleaning and ca re k it
• Creams to ca re for colo red leather
• Spot removers for ba llpoint pens, shoe polish, etc .
• Oil/g rease disso lv in g sp ray
• New and upcoming pro ducts.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
:=> page 260 .
0 Note
• N ever use chemical so lvents (e.g. lighte r fluid, turpentine), waxes,
shoe po lish or simi lar p roducts on the leathe r surfaces in your Aud i.
• T o avo id d amage, have st ubbor n st ains remove d by a commerc ial
cleaning specialist. •
Applie s to v eh icl es: with Alca ntara up hols ter y
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
Removing dust and dirt
- Mois t en a clot h, squeez e out excess wat er a nd wipe down
the sea t surfaces .
Removing stains
-Mois te n a c loth wi th lukewarm water or wi th diluted ethyl
(rubbing) alcohol.
- Dab at t he stai n. S tart at the outside a nd wor k inwar ds.
- Once the sta in is no longer v isib le, use a soft dry cloth or
tissue to soak up t he m oisture .
Do not use leather cleanin g products on Alcantara.
You may use a s uit able sha m poo fo r remov ing dust and d irt.
Dust and grit i n the pores and seams ca n scratch and damage the
s u rface . If th e car is lef t stan ding in the s un for long periods, the
Alcan ta ra should be p rotected aga inst direct su nlight to preve nt i t
from fading . Slig ht co lor var iat ions wi ll deve lop in no rma l use and are
not a n in dicat ion of material dete rioration. .,_

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Yo ur sa fety and that of your passengers also depends o n mak ing s ure
t h at loa d limits are no t ex ceede d. Vehicle lo ad incl udes eve rybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These load limits are tech nica lly
referred to as the ve hicle 's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("G VW R").
T he "G VWR" includes the we igh t of the b asic ve hicl e, all fa ctory
installe d accesso ries, a fu ll tank of fue l, o il, coo lant and other fluids
p lu s m aximu m lo ad. Th e maxi mum lo ad include s th e num ber of
passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity")
w ith a n assu med we ight of 150 l bs (6 8 kg) for e ach p assenger at a
designated seating position and the tota l weight of any luggage in
t he vehicle . If you tow a trai le r, t he weight o f the t railer hitch and t he
tongue we ig ht of the loaded trailer must be included as pa rt of the
veh icle load .
T he
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the m aximum load tha t
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
Th e Gross Vehi cle We ight Ratin g a nd the Gross Axle Weigh t Ra ting
are listed o n the safety compliance sticker label located on the
dr ive r's side B-pillar. You r A udi has 5 sea ting positions, 2 in the fron t
and 3 in the rear fo r tota l seati ng ca pac ity of 5 . Eac h seat ing position
has a safety belt ~
page 18 7, "Safety belts".
T he fa ct t hat t here is an upper lim it to your ve hicle's G ross Veh icle
We ight Rating means that t he total weight of whatever is being
c arried in t he ve hicle (includi ng the wei ght of a tra ile r hit ch an d the
tongue weig ht of the loaded tra iler) is limited. The more passengers
i n th e ve hicl e or p assenge rs who are heavier th an the stan dard
we igh ts assumed mean that less we igh t can be ca rried as luggage.
The tire pressure label on yo ur A udi a lso lists the max imum combined
w eight of all of th e occ upants and luggag e or o ther cargo that th e
vehicle ca n car ry. Fo r the location o f the labe l~
page 299, fig . 216.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was de signed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe di stance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash .
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gros s Vehicle Weight Rating. •
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded. .-.

Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1.Locate the statement "THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure label) =>
page 299,
fig. 216.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker =>
page 299, fig. 216.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lbs . passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
Safety first
Tires and wheels -
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer ,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
- Check the tire sidewall(=>
page 307,
fig. 220) to determine the designated load rating for a specific tire . •
Vehicle care Technical data

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What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be opened from
the inside using the trunk escape handle.
To open rear Lid
Fig . 223 Trunk escape
handle : View from
inside the closed trunk
- Pull the hand le down towards the bumper~ fig. 223.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is made of fl uorescent
material to glow in the dark.
& WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only in an emergency.
(I) Tips
The emergency release lever should never be used as a handle for
closing the rear lid.•
Jack, tools and spare wheel
Jack
The jack is stored in the luggage compartment behind the
right-side trim panel.
Fig . 224 Luggage
c ompartment vehicle
jack
Before stor ing the jack, make sure it is wound back down as far as it
wi ll go .
& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause serious personal inju­
ries.
• Never use the jack supplied with your Audi on another vehicle,
particularly on a heavier one. The jack is only suitable for use on
the vehicle it came with.
• Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle will damage the
bumper system. The jack may slip, causing injury.
• Never support your vehicle on cinder blocks, bricks or other
objects. These may not be able to support the load and could cause
injury when they fail. _,,.

What do I do now? -______________________________ ____::..:..:..:..::..::....::..::.....::.....:::...::,_ __ __,J
& WARNING (continued)
• Never start or run the engine while the vehicle is supported by
the jack.
• If you must work under the vehicle, always use safety stands
specifically designed for this purpose.
• Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screw­
driver to loosen or tighten the wheel bolts.
• Always make sure the spare tire and even a flat tire are secured
in place and not loose, otherwise they could fly forward, causing
personal injury to passengers in the vehicle in an accident or
sudden maneuver. •
Tools
The vehicle tools are stored in the luggage compartment
behind the right-side trim panel.
-
The onboard tool kit includes:
• Hook for removing wheel covers*
• Wheel bolt wrench
• Alignment pin for changing wheels
• Screwdrive r with reve rsible blade
Fig. 225 Luggage
compartment: vehicle
tool kit
Vehicle OP-eration
• Towing eye
[ i] Tips
Some of the onboard items listed above are provided on certain
models only or are optional extras. •
Spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well underneath
the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 226 Luggage
compartment spare
wheel
Your vehicle is equipped with a regular spare wheel. It is held
in place by plastic retaining knurled screw .
Taking out the spare wheel
- Raise the floor panel at the plastic handle.
- Securely engage the handle in the luggage compartment
seal as illustrated to keep the floor panel up.
Unscrew the knurled retainer bolt in the wheel center
=> fig. 226. Turn it counter-clockwise.
- Take out the spare wheel.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service iTechnical data

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- Disengage and lower the floor panel before you close the
luggage compartment lid again.
Storing the replaced wheel
-Place the replaced wheel inside the spare wheel well in the
luggage compartment.
Tighten the knurled retaining screw clockwise to secure
the wheel in place.
- Disengage and lower the floor panel before you close the
luggage compartment lid again.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compartment can cause serious
personal injury during hard braking or in an accident.
• Never store the spare wheel or jack and tools in the passenger
compartment.
• Always store all jacking equipment, tools, and the spare wheel
in the luggage compartment.
• Tighten the knurled retaining screw for the spare wheel
securely.
[ i] Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the spare tire periodically to keep the
tire ready for use.•
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own and your
passenger's safety when changing a wheel.
- After you experience a tire failure, pull the car well away
from moving traffic and try to reach
level ground before
you stop :::> & .
- All passengers should
leave the car and move to a safe
location (for instance, behind the guardrail) :::>& .
- Engage the
parking brake to prevent your vehicle from
rolling unintentionally:::> &.
- Move
selector lever to position P :::> & .
- If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trailer from your
vehicle.
- Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the luggage
compartment:::>
page 318.
& WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while changing a wheel if
you do not follow these safety precautions:
• If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance off the road. Turn
off the engine, turn the emergency flashers on and use other
warning devices to alert other motorists.
• Make sure that passengers wait in a safe place away from the
vehicle and well away from the road and traffic.
• To help prevent the vehicle from moving suddenly and possibly
slipping off the jack, always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel being changed. When
one front wheel is lifted off the ground, placing the Automatic
~