SEN AUDI A6 2012 Owners Manual

Introduction
Thank you for choosing an Audi A6 -we value your trust in us.
Your new Audi A6 incorporates the newest technology as well as numerous fea ­
tures designed for your comfort, convenience and safety. We recommend you read your Owner's Manual thoroughly so that you can quickly become acqua inted
with you r Audi.
In addition to explaining how the different features work, we also give you many
useful tips and information concerning your safety and that of your passengers,
how to care for your vehicle and maintain your veh icle's va lue .
We hope you enjoy driving your Audi A6 and we wish you safe and pleasant mo­
toring .
AUDIAG
11111 11 111 1111~ 11111 11 1 111 11 11 11 111
12256 14G223

Safet y fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 124
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 128
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
R eport ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Why safety bel ts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Safety belt p re tens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
I mpor tant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 1 42
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 168
C hi ld safety seats ............ .... . 174
Install ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 179
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
fo r ch ild ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2
Addit io nal Informa tion 186
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Pr even ta ti ve passe nger p rotec tion 18 7
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 189
N ot ice about da ta re corded by vehi cle
con trol mo dules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) 189
Bra king . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electro-mechanical power assist . . . . . 193
Driving w ith your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 193
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
196
T he first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 197
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 198
Operate your vehicle eco nomically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
D riving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
T ra ile r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 204
General infor mation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4
C are of ex ter ior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4
Care o f inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
F uel tank. ... .. .... . ... ...... ... . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Battery . .. .. .. .... .. ........ ... . 230
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
c onta iner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ire pressure mo nitoring system 253
Do-it -yourself s ervice . . . . . . . . . 256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
T ru nk escape h andle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
E mergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
•
•

In addition to t his Owner's Ma nual, your A udi
comes w ith t he
- MMI Oper ating In st ru cti ons
- Warranty
& Ma intenance boo klet.
If you are m iss ing one of these publicat ions,
or if you believ e that the information is not
comp lete, contact you r auth orized Audi dea le r
for assistanc e.
MMI Operating Instructions
contain detailed desc ription of the Aud i M ulti
Media Interface (MMI) including t he nav iga­
tion system, the so und system and the ha nd­
h e ld pho ne.
The Warranty & Maintenance booklet
explains how yo u can keep your A udi in top
driving condition by hav ing it serviced regular­
l y and conta ins detai led info rmat ion about
the wa rra nties covering your Aud i. Always
h ave the boo klet with yo u when yo u take your
ve hicl e to a n author ized Audi dealer for serv ­
i ce. Y our Audi Servi ce A dviser w ill reco rd ea ch
sche duled service and can an swe r any ques­
tions you may have rega rding how to ma in tain
your ve hicle.
In Canada,
the veh icle lite rat ure is also avai lab le in
Fr ench . T o ob tain a cop y, contact your dea le r
or wri te to:
Au Canada, on peut se p rocure r un exemp la ire
e n fr an<;ais de ce do cument aupres du conces ­
sio nnair e ou de:
Volkswagen Canada Inc.
C lient Assistance
Assis tance a la Clientele
7 77 Bayly S tree t, Wes t,
A jax, On tario LlS 7G 7
If you sell your Audi
all lite ratu re should be left in the ve hicle to
make th e Warranty terms as we ll as a ll oper­
ating, safety and m aintenan ce inform ation
a vaila ble to the nex t owne r.
Vehicle literature 5
If you change your address or if you
bought this Audi used
be s ure to send in a "Notice of Add ress
Change"/ " Notice of Used Car Purchase" post
card. T his card can be fo und in the Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet or obtained from your
autho rized Aud i dea ler .
It is in your own interest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise .
•
•

(!) Door handle
@
®
©
®
®
(j)
Audi side assist d isplay
Power locking sw itches
Memory function buttons . ... .
Aud i side assist button .. .. .. .
A ir vents with thumbwheel
Control lever for :
- T urn signal an h igh beam
@ Multifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Driver's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons . .. ............. .... .
- Audio/video, telephone and
vo ice recogn ition buttons
- Steering wheel heating* ... .
- Shift padd les* (mu ltit ron -
. ®) 1c or ... .... .. .. ... .. .. .
- Shift padd les* (tiptronic ®) . . .
® Instrument cluster ..... .. .. .
@ H ead-up Display* ...... .. .. .
@ Windsh ield washer system
l ever .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .
@ Buttons for :
- MM I display
- Reset button for tr ip odome-
ter .. .. ................. .
@ Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction ........... .... .
~ Knee airbag* .......... .... .
@ Steering whee l adjustment, de­
pending on equipment:
- mechanical . ............. .
- electrical ......... ...... . .
@ Leverfo r:
- Cruise contro l system
- Adaptive cruise cont ro l* . ... .
@ Button for switch ing the Head­
up Display* on/off, adjusting the
h eight .. ................ . .
@ Instrument illumination ... .. .
@ Eng ine hood release .... .. .. .
@ D ata Link Connector for On
Board Diag nos tics ( OBD II) . .. .
87
35
53
87
43
146
23
68
105
11 1
11
27
46
26
72
159
69
69
76
78
27
44
220
28
In strument s and control s 9
@ Light sw itch ..... . .. .. ..... .
@ Buttons for :
- All -weathe r lights*
- Night vision assistant* .. ... .
- Rear fog lights . .......... .
@) Rear lid switch . .... ........ .
@ Power exterior m irror adjust-
ment .. .. .. .. ............ .
@) Power w indows .... ........ .
@ MMI display
@ Emergency flashers .. .. .. ... .
@ Glove compar tment ........ .
@ Front passenger's airbag .... .
@ Valet parking feature ....... .
@ Drives (MMI)
@ Buttons/Indicator ligh ts for
- P arking system ........... .
- PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF ... .
- Rear w indow power sun
shade* ....... ...... ..... .
- Electron ic Stabilization Pro-
gram (ESP) .. .. .......... .
@) Climate controls, depending on
vehicle equipment:
- Three-zone cl imate control ..
- Four-zone automat ic climate
contro l ... .. ............ .
@ Storage compa rtment or ash-
t ray* with c igaret te lig hte r* ...
@ I S TAR T ENGINE ST OPI button
@ MMI controls
@ 12-volt socket *, ( upholder
@ Elec tromechanical parking
brake .. .. .. .. .... ... .... . .
@ Depend ing o n veh icle equ ip­
ment, selector lever (a utomatic
t ransmission) for
- m ultitronic ® ............. .
- S tronic ®
(D Tips
41
41
97
41
36
48
38
42 56
146
38
113
155
45
191
64
66
54 ,54
70
55 ,55
73
102
107
- Some of the equipment o r feat ures
shown in the genera l ill ustration may be
standard equ ipment on your vehicle or
may be opt ional equ ipment depending

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
ll
Worn brake pads
¢ page20
•
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 73
g
Tire pressure monitoring system
./
¢page253
11111 Tire pressure monitoring system
¢page253
rm
Electronic power control./
¢page20
g
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
./
¢page20
•
Engine speed limitation
¢page 21
•
Engine oil level
¢page 18
•
Engine o il sensor
¢ page 21
•
Battery
¢page 17
~
Tank system
¢page 21
•
Windshield washer fluid level
¢page 21
m
Windshie ld wipers
¢ page 21
--
I!
Remote control key
¢page 70
I
Remote contro l key
¢ page 72
!!
Battery in remote control key
¢page 31
I:~
Defective light bulb warning
¢ page 21
I a
Rear fog light(s)
¢page 21 Headlight range control
¢
page22
adaptive light *
¢page22
-
Light-/rain sensor faulty
¢page22
Transmission
- multitronic ®
¢ page 106
-tiptronic ® ¢page 111
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 18
Engine start system
<=>page 18
Electromechanical steering./
¢page 193
Other indicator lights
11!1 1!11 Turn signals
m 111 <=>page22
~ USA model s: Cruise control "
~ <=> page 76
ra
I
I
•
Canada mod els: Cruise control*
<=> page 76
Adaptive cruise control *
<=>page 80
Adaptive cru ise cont ro l*
¢ page80
Adaptive cruise control *
¢page80
H igh beam
¢page43
BRAKE /( (f) ) Brake system
The light i lluminates when the ignition is
switched on . It goes o ut after the engine has
been started. This indicates that the brake
warning light is functioning properly .
If the brake warn ing light does not light up
when the engine is cranking , there may be a
Ill-

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
Follow the warning stickers¢ page 214,
Engine compartment.
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you co uld damage
your eng ine.
D Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle e lectrica l system.
Drive to you r authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediately. Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the radio .
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge leve l is too low.
(•i Low battery charge : battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited star ting
ability.
I f this message turns off after a litt le wh ile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound.
For more Information¢
page 133, i Safety
belt warning light.
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on the message ap­
pears, the oil pressure is too low.
"" Pull off the road .
... Stop the vehicle.
... Tur n off the engine .
"" Check the engine oil level¢ page 225.
"" If the eng ine oil level is too low, add eng ine
oil ¢
page 225. Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the display before you start dr iv ing again .
"" If the engine oil level is correct and the indi ­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
na l assistance .
(D Tips
-The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel ,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning . starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil ..,

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
!;.!~ Electronic stabilization program
(ESP)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic stabilization program.
When you sw itch the ignition on, the indicator
light
G1 turns on briefly to check the function .
If thE:
G1 indicator lamp blinks while dr iving,
the ESP or ASR (Ant i- Slip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating.
If thE:
hJ indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESP off.
If the indicator light
I turns on, the ESP was
switched to ESP sport mode with the button
I!]<=>
page 189. If this is case, you can reacti­
vate the ESP by switching the ignition off and
then on again . The warning/indicator light
should go out to show that the system is fully
functiona l again.
Stability program and ABS fault! See own­
er's manual
If the indicator light D] and the ABS indicator
light
m (USA mode ls) ;fl] (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, there is a
malfunct ion in the ABS system or electron ic
differential lock . This also interrupts the ESP.
The brakes still function with their normal
power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi ­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
If the battery term inals were disconnected
and re-connected, the vehicle was jump start­
ed or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes through a learning process for
the first few yards . The warning/ind icator
light illuminates . Th e warn ing/ indicator light
goes o ut as soon as the learning process is
comp lete.
For more informat ion about the ESP
<=> page 189. ABS/(
8) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The warning/indicator light B (USA mod­
els)
/ l(O] (Canada models) w ill come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is sw itched on .
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is comp leted.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
-The warning/indicator light does not illumi·
nate when you switch the ignition on.
- The warning/indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds.
- The warning/indicator light illuminates
while driving.
The ESP indicator light also illuminates if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS . The mes ­
sage
Stability program and ABS fault! See
owner's manual
a lso appears in the instru­
ment cluster d isp lay and a warning tone
sounds .
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
Fo r more information regarding the ABS
<=>page 189.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light<=> page 14 and the
ABS warning illum inate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may also
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
<=>
&. . The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per·
formance .
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light _
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes <=>
page 14.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
T he EDL works t ogether w ith the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
!?i Engine speed limitation
A ppl ies to vehicles: wit h en gin e s pee d l im itat ion
(II Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­ heating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light~ also turns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~ . Engine oil level
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol Ill and driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ¢
page 225.
~ .... Engine oil sensor
II Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor inspected. Until you have this done, check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side¢
page 225.
Bil Fuel level indicator
Ii Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank . Time to refuel
¢ page 216.
Ii Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
tank system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
C> Windshield washer fluid level
II Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illuminates, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system/headlight
washer system* ¢
page 234.
~ Windshield wipers
rlJ Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunction with the windshield
wipers.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~/0$ Defective light bulb warning
f'a-If the indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. The message indicates the location of
the bulb.
IJ-if a rear fog lamp has failed, the indicator
light turns on to indicate the location on the
vehicle.
Vehicle lights: malfunction
If the message appears, there is a malfunc ­
tion in the headlights or light switch .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
- Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
plode while they are being changed caus­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work with due care when handling the
high-voltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lights. Failure to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury.

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Have the bulb replaced or the connection
repaired by you r aut horized Aud i Service
department.
i,lD Headlight range control
II Headlight range control: defective !
If the symbo l illuminates, t he headlight range
contro l is no longer working properly . Have
the system checked and repaired at your Aud i
dealer .
l§O Adaptive Light
Applies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Light
II Audi adaptive light: system fault
If the indicator light t urns on and th is mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
adapt ive light system . The headlights still
f u nction .
Go to an aut hori zed dea lership to have the
h eadlights or the contro l unit for t he Adapt ive
Light repai red .
~D Light/rain sensor
f'al Automatic headlights /automatic wipers:
system fault
I f th e i ndicator lig ht turns on and t his mes­
sage appears, t he lig ht/ra in sensor is no t
f u nctioni ng cor rec tly .
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
on permanent ly w ith the switch in
AUTO .
However , you can continue to turn the ligh ts
on an d off using the light swi tc h. Y ou can still
con trol a ll fu nct ions tha t are indepe ndent of
t h e rai n sens or throug h the win dshi eld wipe r
l eve r.
Contact your au thor ized Audi deal er as soon
as poss ible to have the prob le m cor recte d.
¢ Q Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever yo u use the left B o r th e right rl
turn s ignal , the indicator light blinks. Whe n
you use the emergency flas he rs, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bulbs b urn o ut,
the turn signal w ill blink twice as fast as nor ­
mal. Carefu lly dr ive to your aut horized Aud i
dealer immed iate ly to have th e malfu nction
cor rected. The indicator lig ht does not indi­
cate a m alfu nction if a tur n signal on t he tra il­
er o r on the veh icle fails in trail er t ow ing
mode .
(D Tips
For m ore inf orm ation on the t urn sign als ,
r e fer to ¢
page 43 .
CRUISE/" (-) Cruise control
The warning/in dicator lig ht mIDJm (U SA mod ­
els)ll'II (Canada models) ill umi nates when
the cr uise c ontrol is activated ¢
page 76 .

Removing the mechanical key
Fig. 17 Remote control master key : remov ing the me­
chanical key
• Press the release butto n@ c::> fig. 17.
• Pull the mechanica l key @ out of the mas ­
ter key.
Using the mechan ica l key, you can:
- lock and unlock the storage compartment
on the passenger's side
c::> page 56.
- lock and unlock the vehicle manually
c::>page 35 .
-lock the front and rear passenger doors me­
chanically
c:> page 36.
Master key battery replacement
F ig . 18 Remote master key: Removing the battery
holde r
Check li ght in the ma ste r key
The check light @ in the master key prov ides
information about different cond itions .
• The check light comes on briefly once when
a button is pressed, and during an "inquiry"
by the conven ience key system .
• If the check light does not come on, the
battery is dead and has to be replaced. In
addition, when the battery is dead the
I'!!
symbol appears in the instrument cluster
Op enin g an d clos ing 31
disp lay as well as the message: Ple ase
chan ge k ey batte ry.
Ma ster ke y battery replacement
We recommend having the battery changed
by an authorized Audi dea ler. However, if you
wish to rep lace the dead battery yourse lf, pro­
ceed as follows:
• Pull the mechanical key out of the master
key
c::>page 31.
• Press the release button @ on the battery
holder and at the same time pull the battery
holder out of the master key in the direction
of the arrow.
• Insta ll the new battery CR 2032 with the
"+" sign facing down.
• Push the battery holder carefully into the
master key .
• Install the mechanical key.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to pollute the environment.
(D Tips
The replacement battery must be the
same specification as the origi nal.
Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer helps to prevent unauthor­
ized use of your vehicle.
A computer chip inside your key automatically
deactivates the electronic immobilizer when
the key is inside the vehicle. When you remove
the key from the vehicle, the electron ic immo­
bilizer is automatically activated once aga in .
.&, WARNING
-
A lways take the key with you when you
leave the vehicle. The key ca n disa rm the
e lectronic engine immobilizer and permit
an unauthorized person to start the engine
and enable operation of the vehicle sys­
tems such as power window or power sun-
roof leading to serious personal injury. .,