towing AUDI A6 2016 Owners Manual

Table of content s
Bulbs ... . ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ...
263
Replacing light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . . . . 264
Starting w ith jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Towing w ith a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Ra is ing the veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Te chnical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Veh icle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
We ights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
D imensions. .. .... ........... .... ... 27 1
Capac ities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 1
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
D iese l engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Consumer information ... .. .. .. . 273
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Operating your vehicle outside the U .S .A .
or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 3
Accesso ries and technical changes . . . . . . 275
D eclarat ion of Compliance,
Telecommu nication and Electron ic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Index ... .. .. .... ........... .. .. .. . 277
4

Instruments and indicator lights
indicator light corresponds with the location on
the vehicle.
Drive to an autho rized Aud i de aler or autho rized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
Vehicle lights : Malfunction
There is a malfunction in the headlights or the
light switch .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or authori zed
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
~(i) Headlight range control
II Headlight range control: defective!
If the symbol illuminates, the headlight range
control is no longer work ing properly. Have the
system checked and repa ired at your Audi dealer .
isO Adaptive Light
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Light
IIJ Audi adaptive light: system fault
If the indicator light turns on and th is message
appears, there is a malfunction in the adaptive
light system . The headlights st ill function .
Go to an authori zed dea lership to have the head­
lights or the control unit for the Adaptive Light
repaired .
~D Light/rain sensor
!I Automatic headlights/ automatic wipers :
System fault
The light/rain sensor is malfunct ion ing.
F or safety reasons, the low beams are turned on
permanently with the sw itch in
AUTO . However,
you can continue to turn the lights on and off us­
ing the light switch. You can still control a ll func­
tions that are independent of t he rain sensor
through the w indshield wiper lever .
Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or authori zed
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct io n corrected.
22
I-! Sport differential
Applies to vehicles: with sport differentia l
I'll Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport d ifferential.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
I'll Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased sig­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less spo rty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the norma l range and the indicator light
switches of .
A WARNING
-
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential is
faulty or malfunctioning. The repair must be
performed by trained personnel using the cor­
rect oil in order to ensure safety .
¢¢Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever yo u use the left II or the right B
turn s ignal, the ind icator light blinks. When you
use the emergency flashers, both indicator lights
flash.
If one of the turn signa l light bulbs burn out, the
turn s ignal will blink twice as fast as normal.
Carefully drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler im­
med iately to have the malfu nction corrected. The
i ndicator light does not indicate a ma lfunction if
a turn signal on the trailer or on the vehicle fails
i n trailer towing mode.
0) Tips
For more information on the turn signa ls, re­
fer to¢
page 45.
CRUISE /l~) Cruise control
The wa rning/indicator light (ijjrn~i~ (USA models)/
... (Canad a models) il lum inates when the cruise
contro l is activated ¢
page 82.

.... N
0 CJ ' M I.Cl ......
The leaving home function illuminates the area
outside the vehicle when you un lock the vehicle.
To turn the function on, select
Lights when un­
locking car> On.
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light switch
is in the
AUTO position.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situation.
Fi g. 41 Cente r console: emergency flasher swit ch
• Press the switch &,. ~ fig. 41 to turn the emer-
gency flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four turn
signals blink at the same time. The turn signal in­
d icator lights
(4B in the inst rument cluste r, as
well as the light in the emergency flasher switch
&,. blink likewise. The emergency flashers also
work when the ignition is turned off.
The emergency flashers w ill turn on automatical ­
l y if you are in an accident where the airbag has
deployed.
(0) Tips
You shou ld turn on th e emergency flashers
when:
-you are the last veh icle standing in a traff ic
jam so that any other vehicles coming can
see you, or when
- you r vehicle has broken down or you are in
an emergency situation, or when
Lights and V ision
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow truck or
if you are towing another vehicle behind
you.
Interior lighting
Front and rear interior lighting
Fig. 42 Front headl iner : in terio r light ing con trols
Fig. 43 Rea r headl iner : read ing light
Press the correspond ing button ¢ fig. 42:
El-Inter ior lighting on/off
[!] -Door contact switch on/off. The interior light­
ing is controlled automatica lly.
~- Reading lights on/off
~* -Sw itch ing the rear reading lights on/off
from the cockpit .
Ambient lighting
Applies to vehicles: with ambient ligh ting
You can adjust the brightness of the inter ior
lighting.
• In the Infotainment system, select: the
ICARI
function button > (Car)'" Systems control but­
ton
> Vehicle settings> Interior lighting >
Brightness . .,.
47

Sea ts and stor age
Pass-through with ski
bag
Pass -through with ski sack
A pplies to veh icles: with sk i sack
Long objects such as skis con be transported in
the ski sock*.
Fig. 72 Rear bench seat : ope ning the pass-through
F ig . 73 Sk i sack: securing with rear sea t safety belt
Opening the t runk p ass-through
.. Fo ld the center armrest in the rear forward and
out .
.. Pull the release handle c:>
fig. 72 and fold down
the cover of the pass -through in the vehicle in­
te rior.
.,. Open the rear lid .
.. Push the ski sack* through the opening from
t he luggage compartmen t.
Secur ing the ski sack*
.. Insert the ski sack strap @c:> fig. 73 in the cen­
ter buckle
@ .
• Pu ll the safety belt taut on the free end of the
belt @-
66
A WARNING
-The ski sack is intended only for the trans­
portation of skis and other light objects . To
reduce the risk of serious personal injury
never t ransport heavy or pointed objects in
the s ki sack.
- When braking rapidly o r d uring a n accident
the load could be displaced and cause in ju ry
to o cc u pants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be covered
for p rotection_ Always fas ten the be lt t ight­
ly around the sac k and i ts con ten ts
¢fig . 73.
(D Tips
- Never stow the ski sack away when it is st ill
wet o r damp (for examp le, snow melting
from skis). Allow it to dry comp letely before
stowing i t away.
- Posit ion skis in the ski sack wi th the pointed
ends f acing the front and sk i pole s with t he
pointed ends facing the rear.

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0 CJ ' "' U"I
M
"' ......
General information
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
®
©
Fig. 105 Driving s it u atio ns
~ AUD !
• •
F ig. 106 Rear of the vehicle: position of the senso rs
S ide a ssist fu nctions a t speeds above ap proxi­
ma te ly 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicles that are approaching
In ce rtain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itica l for a lane change even if it is still some­
what far aw ay. The faste r a ve hicle app roaches,
t he soo ner the d isplay in the exterio r mirror w ill
t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Ve hicles traveli ng w ith you are ind icated i n the
ex te rior m irro r if they are classifie d as critical for
a lane change. All vehi cles detec ted by s ide assist
Aud i side assist
are ind icate d by the time they ente r your "blin d
spot", at the latest.
© Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pas s a vehi cle that s ide ass ist has
de te cted ( the diffe re nce in speed between t he
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or 15
km/h), the display in the exterior mirror turns on
as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
T he disp lay w ill not tu rn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle th at side a ssist h as dete cte d (t he differ­
ence in speed between the vehicle and yo ur vehi ­
cl e is greater tha n 9 mp h or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
The radar se nsors are des igned to detect the le ft
and right adj ace nt lane s whe n the ro ad la nes are
the normal width . In certa in situations, the dis­
play in the exte rior mirror may turn on eve n
though there is no vehicle located in the area
that is critical for a lane change. For e xample:
- if the lanes a re narrow or i f yo ur are dr iv ing on
the edge o f you r lane. If t his is the case, the
system may have detected t he vehicle in anoth ­
er lane that is
not adjacent to you r cu rrent lane.
- if you are dr iv ing through a curve. Si de assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the ad jacent lane .
- if side assist reacts to ot her objects (such as
high or disp laced guard ra ils).
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
fu nctions a re limited .
D o no t cover the r adar senso rs
c> fig. 106 wit h
stickers, deposits, b icycle wheels or other o b­
jects, because th is wi ll affect the f unction . Do not
u se side assist when towing a t railer . For info r­
mation o n cleaning, refer to
c> page 203.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention t o traffic and to the
area a round your veh icle . S ide assist cannot
replace a driver' s attention. The driver alone
is always respo nsibl e for la ne cha nges and
s im ila r dr iv in g ma neuve rs.
97

@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are ma k­
i ng the ad justment .
- Your settings are automatically stored and
ass igned to the remote control key being
u sed.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with Audi side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
i nstr ument cluster d is pl ay :
Audi side assist not available: sensor blocked
T he radar senso rs ' vision is affected. Do not cover
the area in front of the senso rs with bike wheels,
sticke rs, dirt or other ob jects . Clean the area in
front of the senso rs, if necessary
c:> page 97,
fig . 10 6.
Aud i side assist: currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched o n tempo rar ily be­
cause there is a malfunction (for exam ple, the
battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: Syst em fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will detect
ve hicles co rrectly and it is switched off. The sen ­
sors have been d isp laced or are fa ulty. Have the
system checked by an authori zed Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Service Facility soon .
Audi side assist : Unavailable when towing
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a fac ­
tory-installed trailer hitch is connected to t he
e lectrical connector on the trailer. T he re is no
gua rantee the system will sw itch off when using
a retrofitted tra iler hitch . Do not use s ide ass ist
when towing a trailer .
Audi side assist
99

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Engine sound *
The sou nd of the engine is adapted to the select­
ed mode and ranges from subt le to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough cle arance above
and below t he vehicle when parking. The
height of the vehicle can change once it is
parked due to temperature f luctuations,
changes to the load conditions and changes
to the driving modes, which can affect clear­
ance.
- When transporting the vehicle on a car car­
rier, tra in, ship or by other means, only t ie
the vehicle down at the running surface of
the tires, which is the outer circumference.
Securing the vehicle at the axle compo­
nents, suspe ns ion struts or towing eyes is
not permitted be cause the press ure in the
air suspension struts can change dur ing
transport . The vehicle may not be secured
sufficiently if this happens .
-If yo u are going to tow a tra ile r, you m ust
activate the trailer operation mode
r:!;> page 199 .
(D Tips
-In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto and
D ynami c modes.
- Se lecting the
D ynamic mode resu lts in spor­
ty shifting characteristics. The S gear posi­
tion engages a utomatically.
- In vehicles with spo rt d ifferen tial *, the
D y­
n amic
mode is deactivated when towing a
trailer .
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*, op ­
erating noise is heard when start ing or stop -
Adjusting the Individual mode
Audi driv e se lect
ping the engine. This does not indicate a
prob lem.
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between comfort, auto, dynamic
and individual.
F ig. 1 08 In fotainment: drive select
.,. To sele ct the mode, select the fo llow ing in the
I n fotainment system:
I CAR ! function button >
Comfort , Auto , Dynam ic or Indi vidual.
Yo u can change the driv ing mode when the vehi­
cle is stationary or while driving. If t raffic per­
mits, after changing modes, briefly take your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently selected mode is also activated for the engine.
Comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long d rives on h ighways .
Auto -provides an overa ll comfortab le yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day use.
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driv ing style.
Indi vidual -r:!;> page 101 .
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating the
d rive select to reduce the risk of an accident.
You con adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,. Se lect: the ICARI function button > Set indi vid­
u al
control button . Once you select the menu, you will a
utomatically drive in the
Indi vidual
mode .
101

Parking systems
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus/rear view cam­
era/peripheral cameras
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, various
parking aids will help you when parking and ma­
neuvering.
The
parking system plus assists you when park­
ing by audibly and visually indicating objects de­
tected
in front of and behind the vehicle
r::!:>page 114.
The rear view camera shows the area behind the
vehicle in the Infotainment display. This display
assists you when you are cross or parallel parking
r::!:> page 115. In addition, you are assisted by the
functions from the parking system plus
r::!:>page 114.
The peripheral cameras assist you with parking
and maneuvering. You are aided by various cam­
e ras depending on the vehicle equipment leve l
¢ page 118. In addition, you are assisted by the
functions from the parking system plus
r::!:>page 114.
A WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attention. The driver is always
responsible for safety during parking and
for all other maneuvers.
-
-Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
which people and objects cannot be detect­ ed. Be especially cautious of children and
animals.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park­
ing systems may become impaired as a re­
sult. Have your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop check their function.
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions
Parking systems
as it may impair the sensor function. For in­
formation on cleaning, refer to
r::!:>page203.
(D Note
-Some objects are not detected by the sys­
tem under certain circumstances:
- Objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall ex­ tensions
- Objects with specific surfaces or struc­
tures such as chain link fences or powder
snow.
- If you continue driving closer to a low-lying
object, it may disappear from the sensor
range. Note that you will no longer be
warned about this obstacle.
(D Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover­ age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- external ultrasonic sources e.g. from cleaning vehicles.
- heavy rain, snow or thick vehicle exhaust.
- We recommend that you practice parking in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be­
come familiar with the system. When doing
this, there should be good light and weath­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume and pitch of the
signals as well as the display
r::!:>page 123.
-Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trailer
r::!:>page 123.
-What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed.
113

Adjusting the display and the warning tones
A ppl ies to vehicles: W it h parkin g system plus/rearview c am·
era/peripheral ca meras
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
~ Se lect: the ICARI function button > ( Car)* Sys­
tems control b utton
> Driver ass istance > Pa rk­
ing aid .
Display
On * -An op tical d isp lay is shown for the parking
system plus, a rearview camera image is s hown
for the rearview camera *.
Off -Whe n the par king system is switched off,
only audib le signa ls are give n.
Warning tones Front volume - Volume for the front a rea
Rear volume - Volume fo r the rear area
Front frequency· Frequency for the front a rea
Rear frequency · Freq uency for the rear area
Entertainment volume lowering - When the
pa rking system is turned on, the volume of the
aud io/video so urce is lowered .
The new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generato r.
@ Tips
- The warning tones can also be adjusted d i­
rectly by the vis ual disp lay or the pictu re
from the camera. Simply press the Settings
control bu tton.
- Changed settings are activated when the
parking system is switched o n aga in.
- The settings for volume and frequency are
automat ica lly saved and assigned to the re­
mote control key be ing used .
Error messages
Appl ies to vehicles: W ith pa rk in g syste m plus/rearview ca m·
era/per ipheral ca meras
There is an erro r in the system if the LED in the
Pw , button is b linking and yo u hear a continuous
Parking systems
alarm for a few seconds after sw itch ing on the
par king system or w hen the pa rking system is a l·
ready activated. If the error is not cor rected be ­
fo re you switch
off the ignition, the LED in the Pw ,
button wi ll blink the next time you switch on the
park ing system by shifting into reverse.
Parking sy stem plus
If a sensor is fa ulty, the .l?4 symbo l will appear i n
front of/behind the vehicle in the Infotainment
display. If a rear sensor is faulty, on ly obstacles
that are in areas @and @ are shown
¢ page 114, fig . 120 . If a front sensor is faulty,
only obs tacles tha t are in areas © and @are
shown. The re is a lso a system ma lf u nction if all
segme nts ar ound the veh icle are red or if no seg·
me nts are disp laye d.
Peripheral cameras*
T he re is a system malfu nction if t he
t8> • symbol
appea rs and the co rresponding disp lay area is
shown in bl ue. The camera is not wo rking in this
area.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
Trailer hitch
App lies to vehicles: wit h parking system pl us/rea rv iew cam ­
era/periphera l cameras an d tra ile r hitc h
For vehicles using the t rai ler socket, the park ing
system rear sensors do not tu rn on whe n you
shift into reverse gear or when yo u press the
Pwi
button. This resu lts in the following restrict ions.
Parking system plus
There is no distance warning for the rear. The
front senso rs remain activated. The v isua l display
switches to t he tra iler tow ing mode.
Rearview camera* /peripheral cameras *
T he re is no distance warning for the rear . The
front sensors remain activated . The visua l display
switches to the tra ile r towing mode. The rearv iew
camera image w ill not show the orientation lines
and the b lue surfaces. .,,.
123

Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer tow ing not only p laces more stress on the
vehicle, it a lso calls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trai ler operation mode
¢ page 199, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Tr ailer hitch
Use a weight -carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The h itch must be suitab le
for your vehicle and tra ile r and must be mo unted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mou nt. Always che ck wit h the t rail­
e r hitch manufac turer to make s ure that you a re
usi ng the co rrect hitch .
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No mod ifica tions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
Fr om time to time, chec k that all hitch mo un ting
bo lts rem ain securely fastened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca u sing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
struck from behind
¢ .&, .
Trailer mode
Trailer brakes
If your traile r i s equ ipped with a b raking sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to a ll regu la ­
tions.
T he tra ile r h ydr aulic bra ke sy stem must not be
directly con nected to the vehicle's hydr aulic
brake sy stem.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the tra iler .
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w it h your Aud i dealer for correct wir ing,
swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
A WARNING
--
After remov ing the tra ile r hi tch, do not sto re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In case of sudde n brak ing,
t he hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A traile r for yo ur vehicle is lim ited to a typical
cla ss 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribut ion
Be sure the load in the tra iler is held secure ly in
place to p reve nt it from shifting forward, back­
ward o r sideways.
Ne ver allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 201 .
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes the engine wor k harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cool ing system has enoug h fluid . .,..
199