check engine light AUDI S6 2012 Owner's Manual

230 Check ing and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always r ea d and heed all W ARN­
INGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220.
• Read the brake fluid leve l from the brake
fluid reservoir
¢ fig. 175. The brake fluid
l evel must be between the
"MIN" and
"MAX" markings .
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
co page 222.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
I f the b rake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi ­
cator light- (U.S.
models) ;II (Canadian
models) will come on
¢ page 14. Do not con ­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied fac il ity and the cause corrected. If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
i ndicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moistu re from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease braking per formance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
ev ery tw o y ear s. Always use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r can be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we re commend that yo u
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur a utho r­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct tools, the
right brake flu id and t he know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
-- Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor-
ed only in the closed or igina l container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
spe cifi cation
J 17 03 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 1 16 .
Always chec k with your authorized A udi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The cor rect type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake f lu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left i n the system too
long . This can se riously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety . T h is i:ou ld result in an ai;i;ident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the pai nt of you r
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
r ecommend that yo u have the brake flu id
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Under normal operat ing cond itions, the bat­
te ry in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte leve l che cked by a se rv ice fa­
c il ity. The electroly te leve l should also be
chec ked each time the battery is cha rged
¢ page 233 .

232 Checking and filling
-Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing . Shield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables.
= When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­ tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch
off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected . If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch
off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm. -
When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery .
It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C) .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 6S Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­ gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced .

234 Checking and filling
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
~ page 194. The intell igent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electrica l en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management funct ions cor­
rectly after replacing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), amperage, construct ion
and plug sealing.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig­
nition and all electr ical consumers are switch ­
ed off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you . Batteries contain su lfuric acid and l
ead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment.
Windshield/head Light
washer container
Fig. 177 En g in e compart men t: w inds hield and head ­
lighr washer fluid reservoir
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol~ on its cap.
"' Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 220.
"' Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu ­
id. You can fill the container to the top.
"' Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
fi lling the container.
You can find the reservoir
capacity in the table
in
~ page 2 76.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
@ Note
Do not mix engine coolan t ant ifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir .

268 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin. Flush any contacted area with
water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
page 214, Engine com­
partment.
«I) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, rad io, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,_

28 4 Index
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . 10 1, 106
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . 103, 109
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101, 107
Dynamic shift program . . . . . . . . 104, 110
Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 111
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 112
Kick-dow n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104, 109
M anual sh ift program . . . . . . . . . 105, 1 10
Selec to r l eve r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 , 108
Shift b uttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 1 11
Steer ing whee l w ith mu lti tronic ... .. . 105
Steering whee l with tiptronic ....... . 11 1
Automatic wipe rs ........... ... .. ... . 46
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Average consumption ....... .. .. .... .. 24
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle . ... ... ... . 197
B
Battery ..... .. . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 230
Charging .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 233
Important warnings . ... .. .. ... ... . 23 1
Jump starting .............. .. .... . 268
Locat ion . ............... .. .. .... . 231
low . .. .. .. ... .. ..... ... .... .. .. . 194
Replacing the battery ......... .. ... 234
State of charge ..... ...... .. .. .. .. . 194
W inter operation ......... .. .. .. .. . 230
Wo rking on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 231
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Blended gasoline .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 215
Blower (automatic climate cont rol) .. .. .. 67
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Body cav ity sealing ....... .. .. .. .. .. . 209
Booster seats .............. ... .. .. . 177
Brake fl uid
Changing the brake fl uid ... .. .. .... .
230
Check ing the brake fluid level . .. ..... 229
What is the correct brake flu id leve l? .. 229
What should I do if the brake fluid warn -
ing light comes on? ........ ..... .. .
229
Brake system
Anti-lock braking system ... .... .... ..
19
Brake ass ist system ....... .. .. .. .. . 189
Brake booster .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 192
Brake fl uid . ..... ......... ... .. ... 229
B rake fluid specifications fo r r efill and re -
placement . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. ..
230
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Brake pads .... .. ............. .... 196
Electromechanical parking brake . .... . 73
Fluid reservo ir . .. ................ . 229
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? ....... .. .. ........ ...... .
191
Warning/ind icator lights ...... .. .. .. . 14
Worn b rake pads symbo l ........ .. .. . 20
braking guard . .. .. .......... ...... .. 78
Messages ... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 85
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Break -in period .. .. ... .......... .. .. 196
Brake pads .... .. ............. .... 196
Tires ...... ... .. .. ... ........... . 196
Bulbs . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 267
C
Cali forn ia Proposition 65 Warn ing . .... 221
Battery specific . ... ... ..... ... .. .. 232
Capac,t,es ...... .. .. ... ........... . 276
Engine oil . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 2 22
Car care .... .... .. ............. .... 204
Exterior . .. .. ... ... ... .. ... ... .. .. 204
Interior ...... ... .. .............. . 210
Cargo area ...... .. ... .. .. ... .... . .. 129
Cargo ne t ... .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 61
Catalytic converter . ............. .. .. 197
Center armrest
Cockpit ... .... .. .. .... . ... ... .. .. .
51
Central lock ing .. .. ............. .. ... 32
E mergency loc king ............... .. . 36
Certification ...... ............... .. 281
Changing a wheel . ... ... ..... ... .. .. 258
Changi ng engine oil ................ . 226
Chassis (undercoat ing) ............. .. 209
Checking
Engine coolant level ..... .... ... .. ..
227
Tire pressure ..... ... .. ..... .... . .. 241
Child rest raints
Danger of using child rest rain ts in t he
fron t seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
144
Where can I get additional in format ion
about child restraints and their use? . .
186
Child rest raint system a nchors .. .. .. .. 182

286 Index
Homelink ® un iversal remote control .. 281
Remote control key ......... .. .... . 281
DEF
What does this mean when it appea rs in
the trip odometer display? ... .. .... ..
26
Defective light bulb warning ...... ..... 21
Defrosting (windows)
autom atic cl imate control .. .. .. .... ..
6 7
climate control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Determining correct load limit ....... . 244
Dimensions .. ... ... ... .... .. .. .. .. .
275
Dimming the rearview mirror . ... .. .. .. 48
Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Door/re ar lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
Doors
Pow er child safety lock ..... ... .. ... . 37
Driver information system
CD/radio display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
Door/rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Exterior temperature display ..... .. .. 23
On-board computer ... .... .. .. .... .. 24
Driver seating position .... .. .. .. .. .. .
124
drive select .. .......... ...... ... .. .. 95
Adaptive dampers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Cornering light ............... .. ... . 95
Safety belt tensione r ...... .. .. .. .. . . 95
Driving safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driving through water ........ .. .... . 198
D .
. t· 24
riving 1me .... ... .... ..... .. .. .. . .
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Dust filter
refer to Pollutant filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
E
Easy entry featu re .......... .. .. .. .. .. 70
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Other equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Electrical accessories (sockets) . . . . . . . . . 55
Electro-mechanical power assist .. .. ... 193
Elec tromechanical parking brake
Emergency braking ........... .. .. ..
75
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Parking .. .. .... ......... .. .. .. .. ..
74
Releasing and closing ..... .... .... .. 73 Starting
assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Starting from rest ..................
74
Starting off w ith a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .... . 16
Electronic differential lock (EDL) ....... 189
Warning/ind icator lights ............. 19
Electronic immob ilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 31
Electronic power control ( EPC)
warning/indicator ligh t ......... .. .. .
20
Electronic speed limiter .......... ..... 29
Electronic stabilizat ion program (ESP) .. 189
Warning/indicator lights ........... .. 19
Emergency actuation
Doors .... .. .. . .................. .
36
Power sunroof ... .......... ...... .. 40
Emergency braking ................... 75
Emergency flashe r .... ... ... .... .. .. . 42
Warning/indicator lights .......... .. .
22
Emergency release
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
106, 112
Emergency starting .......... ..... .. 268
Emergency towing .............. .... 270
Emergency unlock ing
Rear lid .... ... .. .. ... ........... .. 37
Emergency warn ing triangle ..........
256
Energy management . .. ...... ... .. .. 194
Engine
Compar tment .. .. ............. ....
222
Coolant ...... ... .. .............. . 227
Data .... ... .. .. .. ...... ..... .. .. 276
starting . .. .. .. .. .... ... . .. ... .. .. . 70
Starting with jumper cables ....... .. 268
Stopping .... .. .. .. ... .. .. .... .... . 72
Engine compartment ............... . 222
Closing the hood .... ... .... ..... .. 221
Opening the hood ................ . 220
Safety instructions ................. 220
Working in the engine compartment .. 220
Engine coolant .. .. ..... ........... . 22 7
Adding coolant ... ..... ........... .
228
Checking the engine coo lant level ..... 227
Expansion tank ... ... .......... .. .. 227
Malfunction symbol ............ .. .. . 16
Radiator fan ..... .. ........... .. .. 229
Temperature gauge ............. ... . 11

Engine oi l ... .. .... ..... .. .. .. .. ... 222
Adding .... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 225
Addit ives ... .... ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 225
Changing .. ............. .... .. ... 226
Checking the eng ine o il level .. .. .. .. . 225
Indications and cond it ions requ iring ex -
tra check ing ..... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 225
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
O il consumption .......... .. .. .. .. . 224
O il gr ad es .. ............. .... .. ... 22 2
O il level symbol ....... ... .. .. .. .... 21
P ressu re mal function ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Recommended oil check intervals .. .. . 225
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscos ity .. .. .. .. .. . 222
E ng ine speed limi tat ion .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 21
E ng ine start system (ind icator l ights) .. .. 18
Environment Break- in period ........... .... .. ... 196
Catalytic converter ........ .. .. .. .. . 197
Disposing of your vehicle batte ry .. .. . 234
Driving at h igh speeds ........ .... .. 199
Driving to m inim ize pollution and no ise 198
F ue l ..... .. ................. .. ... 2 17
Fu el economy ............ .... .. .. . 198
L eaks under your ve hicle ... .. .. .. .. . 220
L ett ing the ve hicle stand and wa rm up. 199
Prope r disposal of drained brake fluid . 230
Prope r disposal of dra ined engine coo l-
ant ..... .. ................. .. ... 228
Proper disposal of drained engine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225, 226
Recycling used engine o il . ..... .... .. 225
Un leaded f uel ......... ...... .... .. 215
Wha t should I do wi th an old batte ry? . 234
ESP (Electronic s tabilization program)
War ning/ indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. .. 19
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ... .. .. .. .. . 189
E xhaust tail p ipes .... ...... .... .. .. . 210
Expansion tank ............ .... .. .. . 227
E xterior lighting . ... .... ... .. .. .... .. 41
E xterior mirrors
Ad justing ............ .... ... ... ... 48
D imming . .. ............. .... .. .... 48
H eating .. .. .. ........... .. .. .. .... 48
Exterior temperature d isplay ..... ... ... 23
Inde x 287
F
Fastening
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Convertib le child safety seats . ... .. .. 175
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Fl oor ma ts .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 1 28
Foot peda ls .... ... .. ..... .......... 128
Fo r th e sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and the env ironment . . 217
Red ucing engine noise by early upshift -
ing ....... .. .. .. ................. . 11
Refueling . .. .. .... .. ........ ..... 217
Sav ing fuel by early upsh ifting ...... .. 11
Fo ur-zone automatic climate control ... . 66
Fron t air bags
D es cription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
How they wor k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Frontal coll is io ns and the laws of p hys ics 134
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Adjusting . .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 125
Child restraints in the front seat ...... 144
Fuel Additives . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 215
B lended gaso line ..... ............. 215
C u rre nt consumption ........... .. .. . 24
Economy messages (effic iency program) 25
Fuel fil le r flap emergency re lease . .... 218
Fuel fi ller nec k ... .. .. .. ...... .... . 216
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Gasoline .. .. .. .. ... ............ .. 215
Gasoline ad di tives .... ........... .. 216
L ow fue l level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Octane rat ing . ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 215
Recommendation ... . .. .. ... ... .. .. 215
Ref uel ling ... .. ...... ............. 217
Reserve ... .. .. .. ... ............ .. . 12
Tank capac ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 276
Fuses Ass ignment ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 264
Rep lacing . .. .. .. ................. 264
G
Ga rage door opener (Homelink ®) . ... .. 120
Ga rment hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Gas discharge lamps ............. .... 267
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