ECO mode AUDI A6 2011 Owners Manual

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
(I) Tips
• T he dig ita l clock and the odomete r are t urned on for about 30
seconds when the driver's door is opened .
• When the ign ition is turned off, the odometer read ing and the
digital clock with date disp lay can be switc hed on for about
30 se conds by press ing the
[CH ECK! button~ page 11, fig. 5. •
Speedometer with odometer
The speedometer shows you the vehicle speed, and the
odometer shows you how many miles (kilometers) you
have driven .
Fig. 4 Instrume nt
clu st e r O dom eter a nd
r e se t bu tton
The odometer and tr ip odometer are located inside the speedometer .
• USA models -Miles
• Canada models -Kilometers
You can sw itch the display from miles to kilometers and vice versa via
t he MM I.
Lower odometer
The lowe r odometer shows the total n umber of m iles ( kilometers)
dr iven .
Upper odometer (trip odometer)
The upper odometer shows the total n umber of m iles (k ilometers)
dr iven since you last reset the odometer to zero . You can use th is
odometer when yo u want to keep track of how many m iles (kilome ­
ters) you have dr iven for a sing le trip or errand. The last d igit indicates
1/10 of a mile (100 meters) .
You can reset t he tr ip odometer to zero by pressi ng t he Rese t bu tto n
~ o.o.
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunction somewhere in the instrument cluster, dEF
w ill appear in the tr ip odomete r and will s tay on . Con tact yo ur autho­
r ized Audi dealer to have the problem corrected.
[ i ] Tips
• The d igita l clock and the odometer are turned on for about 30
seconds when the driver 's door is opened .
• When the ignition is turned off, the odometer reading and the
dig it a l cl ock with date d isp lay can be sw itched on for abou t
30 seconds by pressing the [
CHECK! button=> page 11 , fig. 5. •
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is on.
When the need le reaches the rese rve mark, the~
page 30 symbol
appea rs in the instrument cluste r display as we ll as the message
Plea se refuel. T here are approximate ly between 1.8 and 2.4 gallons
(7-9 l ite rs) of fuel left . This message is meant to remind yo u to
refuel.
Th e to tal tank capa city of yo ur vehicle is liste d in ~ page 343.

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
- Press the"+" button to increase the brightness during the
hours of darkness.
- Press the"-" button to decrease the brightness during the
hours of dark ness.
A light sensor in the instrument cluster contro ls the illumination for
the instrument cluster, the center console and the displays. In a
br ight env ironment, using the buttons to change the br ightness has
no effect .
[ i ] Tips
The illumination for the instrument cluster lights up whenever you
switch on the ig nition with the vehicle head lights off. As the daylight
fades, the instrument cluster illum inat ion likewise d ims automati­
cally and w ill go out completely when the outside light is very low.
Th is feature is meant to remind you to sw itch on the headlights when
outside light conditions become poor. •
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions
or a possible malfunction .
Fig . 7 Instr um ent cluste r w ith warn in g/ indicato r lig hts
Your vehicle is equipped with several important warning and ind i­
ca tor lights to he lp you moni to r the continued re liable operat ion of
your vehicle =>& .
AIR
BAG
Electronic power control => page 14
Elect ronic Stabilization Program (ESP) => page 14
USA models: ~page 14
Airbag system

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
(I] Tip s
Many fun ct ions a re mon itored by the Auto-Check system=> page 24.
Malfunctions or faults will be identified either with a red symbol
(pr iority
1-Dange r!) or w ith a ye llow symbo l (prio rity 2 -Warn ing). •
Electronic power control C
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The warn ing/indicator light (Electro nic Power Control) illumi-
nates when you turn on the ignition as a function check .
(I] Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving, then
there is a malfunct io n in the engine electron ics . Have the ma lfunct io n
corrected as soon as possib le by your authori zed Audi dealer or qual­
ified repair fac ility. •
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) •..
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
stabilization program.
T he warn ing/indicator lig ht has the follow ing funct ions:
• It blinks while you are driving when the ESP is working.
• It illumina tes when you sw itch on the ignition fo r approximately 2
seconds as a function check .
• It illuminates whe n there is a malfunction in the ESP .
• It illuminates when ESP or ASR (Ant i-Slip Regula tion) is deacti­
vated .
• It ill umina tes if t he re is a malfunction in the A BS, s ince the ESP is
part of the ABS system. If the battery terminals were disconnected and re-connected, the
vehicle was jump st arted o r th e bat tery is very weak, t he ESP se nsor
system goes through a learning process for the first few yards. The
warning/indicator light illuminates. The war ning/indicator light goes
out as soo n as the learning process is complete .
If the ESP warning/indicator light ill uminates and stays on after yo u
have sta rted t he engine, t his may mean that the co ntrol system has
temporarily switched off the ESP . If this is case , you can react ivate
t he ESP by tu rning the igni tion off and t hen o n ag ain . The
warning/indica tor light should go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
For more information about the ESP=>
page 242. •
Airbag system
~i (USA models) l!.!r (Canada models)
This warning/indica tor ligh t monitors the airbag and the
pretensioner systems.
The G>! (USA models)/ !.!r (Canada mode ls) warn ing light illuminates
fo r a few seconds ea ch time yo u sw itch on the ignitio n.
If the
G>! (USA models)/ !.!r (Canada mode ls) warn ing light does not go
out, or if it illuminates while you are driving, or if it starts to blink,
then there is a malfunction somewhere in the system . If the light
does not illuminate when yo u switch on the ignition, this a lso means
there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in th e airbag syst em, contact your
authorized Audi deale r immediately . Otherwi se the airbag or the
belt pr eten sion er may not work properly in an accid ent .•

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Adaptive Air Suspension
~
This warning/indicator light has the following functions :
• It illuminates for a few seconds after the ignition is t urned on as
function check and then goes out .
• If the warn ing/ind icator light illuminates or blinks continuously,
there is a system fault in the Adaptive Air Suspension . A system fault
can result in limited r ide comfort and
lo w gro un d cle arance. Drive
safely to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop,
and have the fault corrected .
• If the warning/indicator light flashes, you should not drive the
vehicle . The flashing warning/indicator light po ints to an extreme
High level. A very
pronounced lifting of the vehicle (extreme High
level) can resu lt, for example, when a heavy load is removed from the
vehicle . As soon as the level has returned to normal, the
warning/indicator light stops flashing, and you can drive away.
• If the warning/ind icator light flashes in conjunction with the
a,
warning/ indicator light, you shou ld not drive off immediately in order
to prevent damage to the underbody . The two warn ing/indicator
lights flashing together points to an extreme Low level. A
very
pronounced lowering of the vehicle (extreme Low leve l) can result,
for examp le, from a heavy load. As soon as the leve l has returned to
normal , the warning/ indicator lights stop flash ing, and you can drive
away.
0 Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the a,
warning/indicator light, you should not drive the vehicle because low ­
lying vehicle parts can bottom ou t as you drive over uneven ground
and be damaged as a result. •
Adaptive Air Suspension c.:)
This wa rning/indicator light has the following functions : •
It illuminates for a few seconds after the ignition is turned on as
fu nction check and then goes out.
• It comes on for approximately 15 seconds as a warning of
redu ced
gr oun d clea ra nc e,
if the dynamic mode is activated and if the ignition
is switched on =>
page 169, "Chassis controls" .
• If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the
warning/indicator light, you shou ld not drive the vehicle immed iate ly
in orde r to prevent damage to the underbody. The two wa rning/indi­
cator lights flashing together points to an extreme Low level. A very
pronounced lowering of the veh icle (extreme Low leve l) can res ult,
for example, from a heavy load . As soon as the level has returned to
normal, the warning/indicator lights stop flashing, and you can drive
away.
0 Note
If the wa rning/ind icator light flashes in conjunction with the
warning/indicator light, you should not drive the vehicle because low ­
lying vehicle parts can bottom out as you drive over uneven ground
and be damaged as a result. •
High beam ~D
The ~D warning/indicator light illuminates when the high beams are
on or whe n you use the headlight flasher. Fo r more informat ion about
using the high beams, see=>
page 62. •
Cruise control
CRUISE (USA models) /(lJ1 (Canada models)
The warning/indicator light illuminates when the cruise control is
activated .•

Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
A ...
.j {USA models) /..., {Canada models)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS and the
electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The warning/indicator light will come on for a few seconds when the
ign ition is switched on . The light w ill go out after an a utomat ic check
sequence is comp leted .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when: • Th e warn ing/ indic ator light does not ill uminate when you swi tch
on the ig nit io n.
• Th e warn ing/ in dic ator lig ht does not go out a fter a few se conds .
• The warning/ind icator light illuminates while d riving.
The brake sy stem will still re spond even without the a ssistance of
the ABS system . See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more i nformat ion
regarding the ABS=>
page 246.
The ABS warning l ight and the brake warning light come on
together. The ABS will not work and you will noti ce a change in
brak ing response and performance.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light=> page 18 and the ABS warning ill uminate
together there may be a malfu nction in t he A BS, a nd there may a lso
be a malfunction in the brake system itself=>& .
In the even t of a
malfunction in the b rake system the warning/ indi ­
ca tor light
BRAKE (U SA mode ls)/ ((])) (Canada models) in the instrume nt
cl uster flashes . By p ressing the
I C H ECK ) button, you ca n bring up a
dr iver message w hic h explains the malfunc tion in mo re de tail. Please
not e=>
pag e 26 .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Malfunction in the electroni c differential lock (EDL)
Th e ED L wor ks toge ther w it h the ABS . The A BS wa rning light will
come on if t he re is a malfunction in the EDL system=>
page 243. See
your authorized Aud i dea le r as soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the ... Is~ (USA models)/ d (Canada models ) warning light
does not go out , o r if it comes on while driving, the ABS system is
not working properly . The vehicle can then be stopped only with
the standard brakes (without ABS ). You w ill not have the protec­
tion ABS provide s. Contact your Aud i dealer as soon as pos sible.
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the 9 warning
light come on together, the rear wheel s could lock up fir st under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cau se los s of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by you r
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work shop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light «D> and the ABS
warning light come on together , the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work shop.
Drive slowly and a void sudden, hard brake applications. •
Electromechanical parking brake
~E {USA models) /(®) {Canada models)
The warning/indicator light monit ors the electromechan­
ical parking brake.
With the parking bra ke app lied and the ignition turned o n, t he
warning/indicator light illum inates. After the ign ition has been
t u rned
off, the wa rni ng/ind icator light co nti nu es to i llumi nate for
abou t 30 seconds . If the parki ng brake is applied w it h the ignition _,,
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
tu rned off, the warning/ind icator light illum inates for abo ut 30
s e co nd s.
Th e warn ing/i ndicator lig ht w ill go out whe n the parking brake is
re lease d.
If the w arn ing/ indi ca tor li ght flas hes c ontinuou sly
after applying th e
park ing brake, braking force is not suffic ient to p revent the vehicle
fro m rolling unin te n ti onally. Pleas e note the following:
• If th e slope of the g round is too ste ep to pa rk the vehicle, the addi­
tional drive message ap pea rs
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep .
• In th e eve nt of a pa rk ing bra ke malfunc tion, t he yellow symbol
appea rs in the inst rument cluste r display a nd the dr ive r message
Parking brake auto release: system fault is displayed . Have the
ma lf u nctio n re paire d as soo n as poss ible by a qualified Audi
dea le rs hi p.•
Brake system BRAKE (USA
models)
/ {Q)) (Canada models)
The war ning/in dic ator li ght flash es i f br ake fluid le vel is
low , if t he re i s an A BS sys te m malfu nction or a pa rking
b rake malf unct ion.
The lig ht ill um inates when the ign it io n is tu rned on . It goes out afte r
t he engi ne has been st arted. This indicat es tha t the b ra k e war ning
light is functioning proper ly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking, there may be a malfunction in the electrical system. In
this case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the b ra ke sys tem w arning/i nd ic a tor light flashes, there is a br ake
system malfunction . By press ing the [
CHECK ] button, you can bring
up a driver mess age whi ch expl ain s t he m alfunc tion in mo re de ta il
=>page 26 .
If the ABS fa ils, t he ABS war ning/ indica to r li ght (USA
mod els)/ (Canada mo dels) fla shes toge ther wi th th e bra ke syste m
warni ng/ind icator light=> &.
(USA models):
If the warning light BRAKE and the wa rnin g light illu­
m inate toge ther, im media tely con tac t you r author ized A udi dealer or
qualif ied workshop to have all brake pads inspected=>
page 31.
When the ligh t comes on, an a udible w arnin g signal is also give n.
& WARNING
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the r i,~ warning
light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light (CD) and the ABS
warning light :::; come on together, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­ di ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released, or lights up while you are
driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility
and have the brake system inspected.
• Always keep in m ind that after several brake applications , you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle.
Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations. You must allow for increased braking
distances. The extra distance used up by fading brakes could lead
to an accident. •

Digital speedometer
Fig. 11 Display:
Digital speedomete r
Current speed appears in the display. Speed is shown in 1 mph
measures (USA models) or 1 km/h measures (Canada models) .
You can switch the display from miles to kilometers and vice versa via
the MMI. •
Open door or trunk lid warning
The pictogram alerts you when doors or the rear lid have
been left open.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t
Fig . 12 Display: open
door or rear lid
warning
Vehicle OP-eration
Driver information display
With the ignition switched on, the open door or rear lid warning illu­
minates when at least
one door or the hood or the trunk lid is not
closed . The symbol also shows you
which door(s) or lid is not closed.
In the illustration ~ fig. 12 it is the driver's door, the left rear door
and the rear lid. As soon as all the doors, the hood, the rear lid and
the fuel filler cap are properly closed, the door and rear lid warning
turns off and the Driver Information System functions selected are
displayed again. •
Defective Light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you when a vehicle
light bulb has become defective.
Fig. 13 Display: defec ­
tive light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning monitors the function of the light
bulbs.
If this symbol illuminates, a brake light, a turn signal (front
or rear), a headlight, the backup light, a fog light or a rear fog light
has failed .
& WARNING
• Light bulbs are pressurized and could explode while they are
being changed causing serious personal injury. .._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Driver m essages and yellow symbols
If a y ellow symbol appears in the display, a dr iver message is a lso
displayed automatically .
For example, the symbo l appears in the display, ind icating low
windshield washer flu id level. The following message also appea rs:
Please refill washer fluid
Th e d river message d isappears after a few seconds . The d rive r
message can be displayed again by briefly press ing the
I CHECK ]
button.•
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
-Pu ll off the road.
- Sto p the veh icle.
- Turn off t he eng ine.
Fi g. 1 7 Disp lay:
e ngine c oolan t le vel
warn in g { priority 1 )
- Check th e ma lfu nct ioning system . Contac t your au tho-
rized A ud i dea ler or a qualified works hop fo r assistance .
Red symbo ls indi ca te a pr io rit y 1 malfu nction - D ange r!
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
With a prior
ity 1 malfunction , a large symbol appears i n the center
area of the display :::> fig . 1 7 . When the symbol app ears,
three
warning tones sound in s uccession . The symbol conti nues to bli nk
until the ma lfunction has been repaired.
If the re a re
more than one pr io rit y 1 ma lf u nctions, t he sy mbols
appear one after the other for about 2 seconds.
An addi tion al dr iver mes sage can also be displayed by b rie fly pressing
the [
CHECK ] button.
T he red symbols mean:
0
BRAKE

Al ternator malf unc tion
USA models:
Brake system malfunction
Canada models:
Bra ke system malfu nction
=:> page 2 6
=:> page 26
=:> page 26
Engine coolant level too I[:::> page 2 7
low/engine coolant temperature
too high
c:e::,, Engine oil press ure too low
Faulty steering
Faulty ignit ion sw itch
(I] Tips
=:> page 28
=:> page 28
=:> page 29
• If the wa rning/ind icator ligh t BRAKE (USA models)/ {(])) (Canada
mode ls) in the instrument cluster flashes, there is a b rake system
ma lfunction . By p ress ing t he
I CHECK] button, yo u can br ing up a
dr iver message which exp la ins the ma lfunction in mo re deta il. Please
no te :::,
page 26. ~
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver info rmation d isplay
• Speed warnings threshold 1 B (USA models)/ 8 (Canada models)
and thresho ld 2
9, (USA mode ls)/ 8, (Canada models) are also shown
as red symbols . The warning is always shown as a small symbol in the
upper area of th e display ~
page 32. •
Alternator malfunction 0
If the D symbol in the instrument panel d isplay flashes, then there
is a malfunction in the alternator or the vehicle electronics . A warning
to the driver will appear, too. The driver warning goes out after about
5 seconds, but it can be brought up at any time by pressing the
[CHECK] button again .
Us ua lly, you can still drive to the next dea lership. Tu rn off all but the
mos t necessary elec trical consumers, since these drain the vehicle 's
battery.
0 Note
If the _ f_ warning symbol (coolant system malfunction) a lso lights up
on the instrument panel during the trip~
page 27, then you have to
stop immediate ly and turn off the engine. The coo lant pump is not
work ing anymore - danger of damage to the engine! •
Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be repaired as
soon as possible.
If the warning /indicator light BRAKE (USA models)/ (©)
(Canada models) in the instrument cluster flashes, there is a
brake system malfunction . By pressing the [CHECK] bu tton,
you can bring up a driver message which expla ins the
malfunct ion in more deta il.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
- Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle .
- Turn off the engine .
- Chec k the bra ke fluid level=>
page 289 .
-Contact your nearest authorized repair facility if neces-
sary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Conta ct
workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized repair facility and
have the malfunct ion corrected=> &,.
Parking brake! Please contact workshop
-If the warning/indicator light flashes when the vehicle is
statio nary or afte r the ignition is turned on, check to see if
the parking brake can be released. Drive to an authorized
repair facility as soon as possible and have the malfunc ­
tion corrected . If the parking brake cannot be re leased,
contact your neares t authorized repa ir facility .
If the warning/indicator light flashes while you are
dr iv ing , it is possible that the traction control or the emer ­
gency brake has malfunctioned. It is poss ible that the
park ing brake cannot be applied . It is also poss ible that
the parking brake cannot be released after it has been
applied . Drive to an authorized Audi dealer to have the
ma lfunction corrected .
If the ABS system malfunctions, th e ABS warn ing/indicator light i llu­
m inates together w ith the brake system malfunction warning/indi-
cator light~& . .,_

Ignition Lock malfunction ~
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be repaired imme­diately .
If the .Pe symbol in the display blinks, there is a malfunction
in the electronic ignition lock. An additional driver message
can also be displayed by pressing the
[CHECK ] button:
Ignition lock defecti ve . Contact wor kshop!
- Do not turn the engine off.
- Drive immediately to an authorized Audi dealer to have
the malfunct ion correc ted.
If the re is a malfunction in the e lectronic ignition lock, the ignit ion
cannot be turned
off . Drive immediately to an authori zed Audi dealer
to have the cause of the mal function corrected.
On vehicles with Convenience key* , the eng ine should not be switched
off using the [STOP] button because the engine cannot be started
again afte r the ign ition is switched off .•
Yellow symbols
Ayellow symbol means WARNING.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Fig.
18 Disp la y : lo w
f u el l evel warning
(p rio ri ty 2)
Dri ver information display
Yellow symbols ind icate a prior ity 2 malfunct ion - Warning!
When a yellow warning symbo l appears,
one warning tone sounds. A
dr iver message appears as well to expla in the malfunction in more
detail. The driver warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it can
be brought up again a t any time by pressing the
I CHECK] button .
Check the displayed function as soon as possible . If
more than one
pr iori ty 2 malfunction is detected, all symbo ls will appear one after
the other for about 2 seconds.
Yellow symbols mean:
Convenience key*
=> page 112
Key not in vehicle
-
USA models : => page 21
Defective brake light
Canada models : => page 21
Defective brake light
Defective light bulb
=> page 21
L ig ht/rai n sensor defective :::>page 30
Windshield washer fluid =:>page 30
level low
Low fue l level
=:> page30
II Battery voltage => page 31
-
Worn brake pads => page 31
II Dynamic headlight range => page 31
control defective
-
Check engine oil leve l => page 31
=>page 283
...
Vehicle care Technical data