snow chains AUDI S6 2012 Owners Manual

General Information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus wit h rea r
view came ra
Fig. 123 Area cove red (D and area not covered @by
the rear vi ew camera.
Fig. 124 Rear lid: Loc ation of the rear view came ra
Rear view camera coverage area
The MMI display shows the area covered by
the rear view camera
c::> fig. 123 @. Objects
that are not in the area covered @are not
shown on the MMI display.
We recommend that you practice parking with
the rear view camera in a traffic -free location
or parking lot to become familiar with the sys­
tem, the orientation lines, and their function.
When doing this, there should be good light
and weather conditions.
In the MMI display, objects or vehicles appear
closer or further away if:
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level
surface onto an incline or a downward slope,
- you are driving in reverse gear toward pro­
truding objects,
- the vehicle is carrying too much load in the
rear.
The accuracy of the orientation lines and blue
surfaces dimin ishes if:
Parking system 115
- the rear view camera does not provide a reli­
able image, fo r example, in poor visibility
conditions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun glare and reflection.
Caring for the rear view camera lens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
l icense plate bracket. For the parking system
to operate, the lens
c::> fig. 124 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a household alcohol­
based glass cleaner, and then wipe the lens
clean with a dry cloth
c::> Q) .
-Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
preferably with a de-icing spray
c::> (i) .
_& WARNING .. --- Sensors have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected. Pay special attention
to small children and animals because
the sensors cannot always detect them.
- The parking system cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for parking and similar driving
maneuvers.
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's
surroundings, using the rear view mirror
as well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted
from traffic by the rear view camera pic­
tures.
- If the position and the installation angle
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rear end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons .
Have it checked by a qualified dealership.
(D Note
-Low obstacles already signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and w ill not continue to be s ignaled. Ob­
jects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, thin painted vertical poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing risk of damage .

pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repa ir facility
for assistance.
t -r- fl Steering: System malfunction! You may
c ontinue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
@ Tips
If the . or t~fl indicator light only stays
on for a short time, you may continue driv­
ing .
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time. See also¢
page 189. Intelligent technology 193
T
he all -whee l dr ive concept is designed for
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerfu l and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions¢ ,&..
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even w ith
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels.
See also¢ page 250, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 251, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page ¢
page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un­ even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
¢page 197 .
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
•
•

The speed rating letter code (c::> page 23 7) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 246.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@l For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
-
Tires and wheels
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch
(10,S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> (]) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING ,..__
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so. ..,.
251
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252 Tire s and wheel s
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 280.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tightened o r maintained wheel
bolts can becom e loose ca using loss of
c ont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the w heel bolts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
w heel bolts can turn easily and be p rop­
er ly tigh tened .
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lt s an d
the threads in the w heel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- N ever use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Alw ays maintain the co rrec t tighten ing
torq ue fo r th e wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is facto ry-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specific ally fo r your
model fo r their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving condi ­
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
month and always before a long trip
r=> page 241, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ra tio tires can be d amage d more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, g ull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.

impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­ paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents could also result.
(0 Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system stops working when there is an ESP/ABS malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system malfunction .
- To ensure a proper TPMS function use
AUDI Original Tires which are marked
with "AO" or "RO" on the tire sidewall.
¢page 246.
-The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was syntonized using tires with
the "AO" or "RO " identification. We rec­
ommend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
"' Switch on the ignition.
"' Select in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
Car systems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures> Yes, store now.
@ Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of all four tires must correspond
to the specified values. Adjust the tire
Tires and wheels 255
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying
c::!;> page 239.
- Do not store the tire pressures if you are
driving with snow chains. Otherwise , a
system malfunction may occur.
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•

258 What do I do no w?
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
Securing the replaced tire
• The fault whee l will not fit inside the spare
wheel wel l. Sto re it in the luggage compart­
ment and sec ure it so that it does not slide
¢ page 59.
• Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid.
U sing the spar e tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergencies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been designed specifically for your type of
vehicle. It must not be swapped with a com­ pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle.
Snow chain s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is not permitt ed .
I f you do have to dr ive w ith snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mo unt the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear t ire. Install the snow
cha ins on the rear tire and use it to rep lace
the defective front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in ­
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex­
treme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possible w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident. -
Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u risk having an accident.
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
braking, and fast cornering. You risk hav­
ing an accident.
- Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
m ust then be instal led in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain be fore mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard brak ing or in an accident.
- Never store the inflatable spare t ire or
jack and too ls in the passenger com­
partment.
- Always store all jacking equipment,
tools, and the inflatable spare t ire in
the luggage compartment.
- Tighten the knurled retai ning screw for
the inflatable spare tire securely .
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a t ire failure, pu ll the
car we ll away from moving traffic and try to
reach level ground before you stop
¢ ,& .
• All passengers should lea ve the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ ,&.
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢,& . ..,

29 2 Index
Seats (number) .... ..... ... .. .. .... . 133
Selective unlock fea ture ...... ... .. .... 33
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102, 108
Eme rgency release . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 112
Service and disposal
Safety belt p retens ioner ... .. .. .. .. .
140
Service interval d isplay ....... .... ..... 26
Shift but tons..... .. ... .... .. .. 105, 111
Side airbags
Description .... ......... ... .. .... .
162
How they work ... ......... ... .... . 163
Side assist
Activating and deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C leaning sensors .. ..... .. .. .. .. .. .
206
Description ............... ... .... .. 87
Informational and alert stage signals ..
89
M essages in instrument cluster disp lay . 93
MMI settings ............ .. .. .. .. .. 92
Opera tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Safety t ips ........... .... ... .. ....
93
Sensor detection area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Side curtain airbags ....... ... .. .... .
165
Description ... ...... ..... .... .. .. . 165
H ow they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Safety instructions . ....... .. .. .. .. . 166
Side marker lights . ..... ... .. .. .... .. 41
Ski sack . .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 61
Sliding/tilting sunroof
Emergency closing .......... .. .. .. ..
40
Opening and clos ing ....... ... .. .. .. 39
Snow chains .... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 251
Socket .. .. .. .. . ... ... .... .. .. .. .. .. 55
Sources of information about ch ild re-
straints and their use ....... .. .. .. .. .
186
Space-saving spare tire . ... .. .. .. .... . 257
Spare tire .. .. ................ ... ... 257
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26
Speed rating letter code ..... .... .... . 24 7
Speed warn ing system .......... .. .... 75
Star button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
S TART ENG IN E STOP button . .... .... .. 70
Starting from res t ............ .. .. .. .. 74
Starting off with a trai ler . ... .. ... ... .. 74
Starting the eng ine ..... .... ... .. .. ..
70
Stee ring
E lectrica lly adjustable steering wheel
69
Manua lly adjustable steering wheel ... . 69
also refer to E lectro-mechan ica l power
ass ist .... .... .. ............. ....
193
Steering wheel
Easy entry feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
70
Indicator light ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 18
Steering wheel heat ing ..... .... .. .. . 68
Stee ring wheel column
Adjusting electrically . .. ..... ... .. .. .
69
Adjusting manua lly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Steps for determin ing cor rect load limit . 244
Stopping the eng ine ............. .... . 72
Storage . ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .
55
Su nroof ...... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 39
Sun shade
Rear window . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 45
S ide doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Sun visors . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 45
Symbols
refer to Warn ing/ indicato r lights . .. .. . 12
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 23
Technical modifications .. ..... ... .. .. 281
Tempera ture display ............. .... . 23
Tether anchors .. .. ............. .... 185
T ether strap . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 185
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and after-
wards .. .... .... .. ............. ....
196
Three- zone climate contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
r d 1e- owns . ..... .. ... .. ..... .. . 61,130
T ips for the environment
Sav ing fuel ...... ................ ..
58
tiptron ic ... .... .. ............. .... 106
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .... .. .. .. 109
Driving ..... .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .. 107
Dynam ic shift program .......... ... 110
Emergency mode . ................ . 111
Kick-down . .. .. .. ... ...... .... .... 109
Manu al shift program ........ .. .. .. 110
Se lector lever . ... .. .... .... ... .. .. 108
r ire pressure ...... .. .............. . 241

Tire pressure monitoring system .... .. . 253
Loss of air pressure .......... ... .. . 254
Malfunct ion ..... ....... .... ... .. . 254
Resetting tire pressures .... .. .. .. .. . 255
Tires .. .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 235
Service life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Speed rating letter code ............ 247
T ire manufacturing date ............ 247
Tire specifications ........ .. .. .. .. . 247
Tread depth ............. .... .. ... 245
Uniform tire quality grading .. .. ... .. 249
W inter t ires ..... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 250
T ires and vehicle load limits ... ... .. .. . 243
Tires and wheels Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 241
Cold tire inflation pressure ....... .. . 239
Dimensions ................. ... ... 246
General notes .................. ... 23S
Glossary of tire and loading terminolo-
gy .. .. ... . .... ............. .. .. . 236
Low aspect ratio tires ...... .. .. .. .. . 252
New tires and wheels ......... .... .. 246
Replacing ............ ...... .... .. 247
Snow chains ............. .... .. ... 251
Tires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. . 243
Wheel bolts ............. .. .. .. .. . 252
Winter tires ................ ... ... 250
Tire serv ice life ............. ... ... .. 245
T ools . .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 257
Torn or frayed safety belts ..... .. .. .. . 136
T ouch-up paint ............. ... ... .. 208
Towing Tow truck procedures ......... ..... . 270
TPMS Tire pressure monitoring system .. .. . 254
Trailer towing ................ ... ... 201
Operating instructions ..... .. .. .. .. . 201
Technical requirements . . . . . . . . 201, 202
Trailer towing tips ........ .. .. .. .. . 202
Transmission multitronic ........... ...... .... .. 101
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
T ransmission ma lfunction (indicator
light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 111
Transport Canada .................. . 131
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) ...... . ... . 245
Inde x 293
Trip odometer ..... .................. 26
What does it mean when DEF appears in
the tr ip odometer display? ........ .. . 26
T runk
refer to Luggage compartment ... .. .. . 59
Trunk escape handle ..... ....... .... . 256
Trunk lid
refer to Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
T urn signals . .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 43
Warning/indicator lights ............. 22
u
Undercoating ... .. ................. 209
Unfastening safety belts ............. 138
Unidirectional tires ... ............... 235
Uniform tire quality grading .......... 249
Unlocking Power locking switch ........... .... . 35
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Using the key .. ... ...... ........... 35
V
Valet parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Vanity mirrors ..... .................. 45
Vehicle-care products .. .. .... ........ 204
Vehicle electrical system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Vehicle identification label .......... .. 274
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) .. .. 274
Vehicle jack .......... ......... 257,261
Vehicle literature ...... ......... .. .. .. 5
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
w
Warning/indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Airbag system . .. .. ............... . 18
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) ... .. .. . 19
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Electromechanical parking brake ... .. . 16
Electronic power control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) . . 19
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ... .. 20
•
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