cooling AUDI A6 2012 User Guide

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 201
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 20 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
•
•

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive G12++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 °F ( -3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant additive with
other additives (G12+ or G12). Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 220.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checking and filling 22 7
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle. This coolant additive is availa­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of antifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection. The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool­
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
M AX f
MINf
Fig.174 Engine compar tment: markings on the coo l­
an t expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&, in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220 .
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Switch off the ignition.
"' Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank~
fig. 174. With a

228 Check ing and filling
cold engine, the coo lant level should be be ­
tween the "min" and "max" markings. When
the engine is warm, the level may be s light ly
above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
r:::;, page 222.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System
r:::;, page 16 will
i l lum ina te unti l you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level senso r, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time.
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool ­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
sea led system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avoid be ing burned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
'
or hot engine parts. Under certain cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
ant can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­ i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Veh icle L imited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all W ARN­
INGS c:> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
220 .
.. Turn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
<:;> page 227, fig . 174 and carefully
twist the cap co unte r-clockwise c:> .&, .
.,. Add coolant .
.,. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
r:::;, page 22 7, Coolant.
E ven in an emerge ncy, if coolant add i-
t ive G12 ++, G 12+ or G12 is not available, do
not use a d iffe rent additive. Use plain water
instead unti l you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This shou ld
be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerab le amount o f
coolant, then you sho uld add cold antifreeze
and co ld water on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo la nt when refilling.
Do not fill coola nt above the "MAX" mark . Ex­
cess coola nt will be fo rced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap w hen the e n-
gine becomes hot. .,.

_& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scald ing from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engine and a llow itto cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slow ly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts . Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
g ine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its or iginal containe r and we ll
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
su re relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the cor rect ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 227 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused . A l­
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv­
ing all environmental reg ulations.
Checkin g and fillin g 229
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing cond it ions .
After you switch the engine
off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition
off. It can even switch
on again later by itself ¢&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
_& WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certa in temperature and will
continue to ru n until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 175 En gin e compartment: mark ings on th e brake
fluid rese rvoir

Child safety . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 168
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 179
Important safety instructions fo r using
chi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2
Important things to know when dr iv ing
with chi ldren ............... ... ... 168
Tether anchors ... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 185
Tet her straps ......... ...... .... .. 185
Ch ild safety lock
Reardoo~ .............. .... .. .... 37
Ch ild safety sea ts ....... ... .. .. .. ... 174
Booster seats .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 177
Convertible c hild seats . ... .. .. .. .. . 175
Convertible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 179
H ow do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ............ ... .. 172
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Install ing .. ................ ... ... 179
I nstal ling a chi ld restraint using the
L A T C H sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
L A TCH sys tem ............ .. .. .. .. . 184
L owe r ancho rages ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 183
M ounting and releasing the ancho rage
hook .... .. .. .. ........... .. .. ... 184
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .. .. . 172
C igare tte lig hte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
C lea ning and protection .......... .... 204
A lcantara (synthet ic suede) ..... ... .. 213
E ng ine compartment ...... .. .. .. .. . 214
E xha ust tail pipes ......... .. .. .. .. . 210
Fa brics and fabr ic coverings .. .. .. .. . 210
I ns trumen t panel . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 2 11
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
L eather .... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 212
MMI disp lay/controls ...... .. .. .. .. . 210
P lastic and v inyl .......... .. .. .. .. . 207
Plastic pa rts ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 211
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
tr im str ips .... ........... ... ... .. 208
T rim str ips . ............. .... .. ... 207
Climate control Air vents . ................ ... ... ... 65
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Climate con trol (four-zone)
Opera tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Climate control (three-zone) Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
C lock ..... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... 26
Inde x 285
Closing
Sliding/ti lting s unroof ... .... ... .. .. . 39
Cold tire infla tion p ress ure ............ 239
Coming home . .. .. ................. . 43
Compac t spa re tire ... . ... .... ... .. .. 257
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Compliance ... .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 281
Consumer Informa tion.......... 131, 278
Consumption (fuel) .. . ... .... ... .. .. . 24
Contacting NHTSA ... . .. ..... ... .. .. 131
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Star ting t he engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Stopping the eng ine (S TAR T E NGINE
S TOP b utton) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Switching the ignition on .... ... .. .. . 70
U nlocking and loc kin g vehicle . ... .. .. . 34
Conve rtib le child safe ty seats ..... .... 175
Convertib le loc king retractor
Activating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Deact ivat ing . .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 182
U si ng to secure a child safety seat 1.79, 181
Coolant
refer to E ng ine coolant ......... .... 227
Cooling mode (automat ic climate control) 66
Cooling mode (climate control) . . . . . . . . . 64
Cornering light .. .. ................. . 95
Cruise cont ro l
Changi ng speed . ... . .. ..... ... .. .. . 76
Presetting your speed ... .... ... .. .. . 77
Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Switching on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 22
( upholder .. .... .. .................. 55
D
Data ....... .. .. .. ... ............ .. 276
Data recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Date d isp lay . ..... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 26
Dayt ime runn ing lights ... .. .. ... ... .. . 41
Declarat ion of compliance
Adaptive cruise control ......... .. .. 281
Audi s ide ass ist .. ................. 281
Ce ll phone package . ............... 281
Co nvenience key .. .. . .. .. .. ... ... .. 281
El ectronic immob ilizer .......... .... 281
•
•

29 4 Index
Safety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Turn signa ls . .. . ...... ... .. .. .... .. 22
War ning/Ind icator lights
A irbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1S4, 155
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF .. .. .. .... . 1S5
Warranty coverages ............. .... 278
Washer reservoir ....... ... .. .. .... . 234
Washing .. .... ........... .. .. .... . 204
Automat ic ca r wash ................ 205
by hand ......... ....... ... .. .... . 205
with a power washer ...... .. .... .. . 206
Waxing ........................... 207
Wear indicator ..................... 245
Weights . .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 274
What happens if you wear your safety belt
too loose? ......................... 137
What happens to unbelted occupants? .. 134
What impairs driving safety? . .. .. .. .. . 124
What should I do after changing a
wheel? .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. . 242
What should I do after replacing wheels? 242
Wheel bol ts
Torq ue . .. .... ........... ........ . 252
Wheels ... .. ................ ... ... 235
Cast alloy .. .................. ... . 209
Check ing tire pressure .............. 241
Cold t ire in flat ion p ressu re . .. .. .... . 239
General notes ............ .. .. .. .. . 235
Glossary of tire and loading termino lo-
gy . ..... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 236
New tires and wheels .... .. .. .. .. ... 246
Tires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. ... 243
When must a safety belt be rep laced? . . 136
When must the airbag system be inspect -
ed? ... .. .. .. .. . .... ...... ... ... .. . 154
When should I ad just the tire pressures? 242
When shou ld I check the tire pressures? . 242
Where are lower anchorages located? ... 183
Where can I find the tire pressures for my
car? . ... .... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 24 1
Why safety bel ts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133, 134
W indows
Cleaning ..................... ... . 208
defrost ing (automatic climate control) . 67
defrost ing (cl imate control) .. .. .. .... 65 Windsh
ie ld
Cleaning . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 46
defrosting (automatic cli mate control) . 67
defrosting (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . 6S
Windsh ie ld washer system ............ 46
Washer fl u id level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Washer reservoir .... .. ..... .... . .. 234
Windsh ie ld wipers
Folding up .... .. ............. ..... 4 7
Indicator light ... ............. .. .. . 21
Rep lacing windsh ield wiper b lades . ... . 47
Switching on/off ... .... .... ... .. .. . 46
Winter operation Battery . .. .. .. .. .. ... ........ .. .. 230
Cooling system ... ............. .... 22 7
Defrost ing windows (automatic climate
control) ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 67
Defrosting windows (climate control) .. 65
Seat heating (automat ic climate control) 67
Seat heating (climate control) . . . . . . . . 65
Steering wheel heat ing .............. 68
Tires ............................ 193
Windows ........................ 208
Winter tires . .... ................... 250
All-wheel drive . .. ............. .... 250
X
Xenon-Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 267