2012 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

steering column will continue moving as long as you are pressing the switch.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
twe en your chest and the cente r of the steer­
ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
F or detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
r::> page 51.
In vehicles with the memory f unction*, the
steering column settings are stored together
with the seat position.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel¢
page 119, fig. 128. If
you cannot maintain this minimum dis­
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you p roperly.
- If phys ical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is availab le.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental driver's airbag
cannot provide as much protection in an accident. Always make sure that the
steering wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
t ions to reduce the risk of personal injury
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering whee l at the 12
o'clock posit ion or w ith your hands inside
On the road 71
the steerin g wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er 's airbag deploys.
Easy entry feature
Applies to vehicles: with electrically adjustable steer ing
wheel
The easy entry feature makes it easier to en­
ter and exit the vehicle by automatically ad­
justing the steering wheel.
.. Select in the MMI : ICAR lfunction button>
Car systems control button > Vehicle set­
tings
> Seats > Driver's seat > Easy entry >
On.
When the easy entry feature is turned on, the
stee ring wheel moves up to the park position
when you switch off the ignition. After you en ­
ter the vehicle, the steering wheel moves to
the stored position as soon as you switch on
the ignit ion .
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine.
Fig . 76 Center console: S TART ENGINE ST OP button
.. Step on the brake pedal and move the selec­
tor lever to
P or N ¢ _&...
.. Press on the ~ ,s_T_A_R_T_E_N_G_I_N_E_S_T_O_P~I button
~ fig. 76 -the engine will start. ..,.

72 On the road
By pressing the I STAR T ENGINE S TOP I button
without depressing the brake peda l, the igni­
tion is on and switched
off by pressing it
again .
After a cold engine is started, the re may be a
brief period of increased noise because oil
pressure must first bu ild up in the hydraulic
va lve adjusters. This is normal and not a cause
f or concern.
If the engine should not start immediately,
the starting process is automatically stopped
after a short time . Repeat starting procedure.
Driver m essag e in th e in strum ent clu ster
d is pl ay
P re ss brake pedal to sta rt engi ne
This message appears if you press the
I START ENGINE STOP ! button to start the en­
gine and do not depress the brake peda l. The
engine can on ly be started if the brake pedal
is depressed.
B C o nve nience ke y: Is ke y not in th e vehi­
cle?
This message appears a long with the B sym­
bol i f the master key is removed from the ve­
hicle with the engine r unning . It is intended
to remind you (e .g . when changing drivers)
not to continue the journey without the mas­
te r key .
If the master key is no longer in the vehicle,
you cannot switch on the ignit ion after stop­
ping the engine and yo u also cannot start the
engine again. Moreover, you cannot lock the
vehicle from the outs ide with the key.
S hift to P , o ther wise v ehicl e can roll away.
Doors do not lock if le ver i s not i n P.
This message appears for sa fe ty reasons
a long w ith an audib le warning tone if the
P
selector lever posit ion is not engaged when
stopping the eng ine with the
I STAR T ENGINE S TOP ! button. Select the P se­
lector lever posit ion. Otherwise the veh icle
could roll and it cannot be locked .
Key not recogni sed . H old bac k of ke y against
ma rked are a. See o wner' s manual.
If the indicator l ight turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malf unct ion
¢ page 73.
Steering lock
The steering locks when you turn the eng ine
off using the I STAR T ENGINE S TOP I butto n
and open t he driver's doo r. T he loc ked s teer­
i ng helps prevent vehicle theft.
& WARNING ~
- Never a llow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyx iat ion .
- Never turn
off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and powe r steering
only work when the engine is running . If
the engine is
off, you have to use more
force when steering or brak ing . Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usual­ ly would, th is cou ld lead to crashes and
serious injuries .
(Q) Note
-Avo id h igh engine rpm, full thrott le and
heavy eng ine loads until the eng ine has
reached operating temperature -other­
wise you risk engine damage .
- The engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
- If the eng ine has been under heavy load
for an extended per iod, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the en ­
gine is switched
off -there is a risk of
damaging th e engine. Allow the engine
to run at idle for about 2 minutes before
switching it
off .
@ Tips
-If you open the driver's doo r with the ig­
nition on, a buzzer sou nds and the mes­
sage
Ignition i s on appears in the instru­
ment cl uste r display . Sw itch the ignition
off . ll-

-If you leave the vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certain period of time . Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exterior lights will switch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
.,. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
.,. Move the selector lever to the
P or N posi­
t ion.
.,. Press the
!START ENGINE STOPI button
¢page 71, fig. 76.
Emergency off
If necessary, the engine can be sw itched off
with the selector leve r in the
R or D/ S posi­
tion . The engine stops if you p ress the
I START ENGINE STOPI button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/h) and press the brake pedal.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usua l­
ly would, this could lead to crashes and
serious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you should always
park your vehicle with the selector lever
in P. Othe rwise, the veh icle could inad­
vertent ly roll away.
- After the engine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can continue to r un for
up to 10 minutes - even with the ign it ion
swit ched off.
It can a lso swi tch on aga in
after some time if the coo lant tempera ­
ture rises as the result of a heat buildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays.
On th e road 73
(D Note
Do not stop the engine immediately after
hard or extended driving. Keep the engine
running for approximately two minutes to
prevent excess ive heat bu ild-up.
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances, for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter­
ference is affected the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
F ig . 77 Center console/master key: start ing the eng ine
i f there is a malfunction
Requirement : The message K ey not recog­
nized . Ho ld back of k ey against mark ed area .
Se e own er's manual.
must appear and the in­
di cator light
I] must swi tch on.
.,. Hold the master key vertically in the loca­
tion indicated
y >>) 9 fig. 77.
.,. Press the b rake pedal¢
& in Starting the
engine on page
72.
... Press the '"" I s"'T ,..,A ""'R ,.,,T ,..., E"' N...,. G = I N~ E-=s"'T '""o '"" P,..,I button.
The engine will start.
... Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler imme­
diately to have the malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
You can view the message again by press­ i ng the
I STAR T ENGINE STOP ! button.

7 4 On the road
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake.
Fig. 78 Center conso le: Park ing brake
~ Pull on the switch ®> r::!;> fig. 78 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator light in the
switch illuminates.
~ Step on the brake pedal or the accelerator
pedal and press the switch
®) at the same
t ime to release the parking brake . The indi­
cator light in the switch goes out.
Your veh icle is equipped with an electrome ­
chan ical parking brake . The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling unintent ionally and replaces the hand brake.
In addition to the normal functions of a tradi­
tional hand brake, the electromechan ical
parking brake provides various convenience
and safety functions.
When starting from rest
-The integral starting assist helps you when
dr iv ing by automatically releasing the park ­
ing brake
r::!;> page 75, Starting from rest.
- When sta rting on inclines, the starting as­
s ist prevents the vehicle from unintentional­
ly rolling back . The brak ing force of the
parking brake is not released until sufficient
dr iv ing force has been built up at the
wheels .
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the veh icle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail ¢
page 76, Emergency braking.
Indicator lights
-If the parking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched on the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch.
- If the pa rking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched off the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch
for about 20 seconds.
A WARNING
-Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver-
tently if the vehicle is stationary but the
engine is running and a gear is selected .
Otherwise the vehicle w ill start to move
i mmediately and could result in a crash.
(D Note
If the symbol . in the display or the indi­
cator light
1111 (USA models)/ . (Cana­
da models) in the instrument cluster flash­
es, there is a ma lfunction in the brake sys­
tem. Please refer to the detailed descrip­
tion of the indicator lights
r::!;> page 14.
- If the indicator light- (USA mod-
els)/ . (Canada models) or
IIJ tur ns
on, there may be a malf unct ion in the
parking brake
¢page 15.
(0 Tips
-Yo u can apply the parking b rake at any
time - even with the ign ition sw itched
off . The ignition must be on in order to
release the parking brake.
- Occasional noises when the parking
brake is applied and released are normal
and are not a cause for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at
regu lar intervals. Any associated noises
are normal.

Parking
Various rules apply to prevent the parked ve­
hicle from rolling away accidentally .
Pa rkin g
.. Stop the vehicle with the foot brake .
.. Pu ll the switch(®) to apply the park ing
brake.
.. Select the
P selector lever position
~page 102 .
.. Turn the eng ine off ~,&. .
In addition on inclines and grade s
.. Turn the steering wheel so that your vehicle
will roll against the curb in case it should
start to move .
A WARNING
-When you leave your veh icle - even if on­
ly b riefly - always take the ignition key
with you. This applies particu la rly when
children remain in the veh icle . Otherw ise
the chi ldren could start the engine, re ­
lease the parking brake or operate elec­
trical equipment (e.g. power windows) .
There is the risk of an accident .
- When the vehicle is locked, no one - par­
ticularly not children sho uld remain in
the vehicle. Locked doors make it more
difficult for emergency workers to get in­
to the vehicle - putting lives at risk.
Starting from rest
The star ting assis t func tion ensures tha t the
parking brake is released automatically upon
starting .
Stopp ing and appl ying park ing b rake
.. Pull the switch<®) to apply the park ing
brake.
Startin g and automatically relea sing the
pa rking br ake
.. When you start to drive as usua l, the park ­
ing brake is automatically re leased and your
vehicle begins to move.
On th e ro ad 75
When stopping at a traffic signal or s topping
in city traffic, the parking brake can be ap­
plied. The vehicle does not have to be he ld
with the footbrake . The parking brake elimi­
nates the tendency to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged. As soon as you drive off as usual,
the parking brake is released automatically
and the veh icle starts to move .
Starting on slope s
When starting on inclines, the starting assist
prevents the vehicle from un intent ionally roll­
i ng back. The braki ng force of the parking
brake is not released unti l suff ic ient driving
fo rce has been built up at the wheels .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the d riv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
.. Keep the switch<®> pulled and depress the
accelerato r. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from roll ing back­
ward .
.. You can release the switch<®) once you are
sure that you are developing enough for­
wa rd momentum at the whee ls as you de­
press the acce lerator .
Depend ing on the weight of the rig (veh icle
and t ra iler) and the severity of the incline, yo u
may ro ll backwards as yo u start . You can pre ­
vent rolling backwards by holding the parking
brake switch (®) pulled out and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with
a conventiona l hand brake.

76 On the road
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys­
tem fails or locks .
.,. In an emergency, pull the switch(®) and
continue to pull it to slow your vehicle down
with the parking brake .
... As soon as you release the sw itch <®> or ac-
cele rate , the braking process stops.
If you pull the switch <®> and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen­
cy braking function is in itiated . The vehicle is
b raked at all four wheels by activating the hy­
dra ulic bra ke system. The b ra ke performance
i s simi lar to making an emergency stop ¢
A.
In order not to activate the emergency brak­
ing by mistake, an audible wa rning tone (b uz­
z e r) sounds when the switch<®> is pulled. As
soon as the switch(®) is released, or the accel­
erator pedal is depressed , emergency braking
stops .
&_ WARNING
Emergency braking shou ld only be used in
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
Using the parking brake to perform emer­
gency braking will slow you r vehicle down
as if you had made a fu ll brake application.
The laws of physics cannot be s uspended
even w ith ESP and its associated compo ­
nents (ABS, ASR, ED L). In corners and
when road or weather conditions are bad,
a full b rake application can cause the vehi­
cle to skid or the rear end to break away -
r isking an accident.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you
are exceeding the max imum speed that you
have set . You w ill hear a warn ing tone when
your speed exceeds the stored va lue by ap- proximate
ly 3 mph (3 km/h) . An ind icator
light . (USA
models) ;a (Canada models) in
the instr ument cluster d isp lay also turns on at
the same time. The indicator light./.
turns off when the speed decreases be low the
stored maximum speed .
Setting a threshold is recommended if you
would like to be rem inded when you reach a
certain maximum speed. S ituations where you
may wa nt to do so include driv ing in a country
with a general speed limit or if there is a
specified maximum speed for winter tires .
(D Tips
Even though your vehicle is equipped w ith
a speed warn ing system, you should still
watch the speedometer to ma ke sure you
a re not dr iv ing faster than the speed limit.
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold
in the MMI.
.,. Select: !CAR ! function button> Car sy stems
cont rol button > Driver a ssist > Sp eed warn­
ing .
You can set any threshold between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h) . Sett ings
can each be adjusted in increments of 5 mph
(10 km/h).

Cruise control
Switching on
Applies to vehicles: with cr uise contro l
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph
(30 km/h).
0
•
~
0
Fig . 79 Contro l lever with set button
Fig. 80 Display: Selected speed
• Pull the lever to position (D ¢ fig. 79 to
switch the system on.
• Drive at the speed you wish to set.
• Press button @to set that speed.
The stored speed and the indicator light
lff;(1)~1~ (US models) 111 (Canad ian models) ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display
¢ fig. 80. The display may vary, depending on
the type of display in your vehicle . The indica­
tor
light ll in the instrument cluster also illu­
minates.
This information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up Display*.
The speed is kept constant via an engine out­
put adjustment or active brake intervention .
On the road 77
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on. You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between your veh icle and
other veh icles .
- For safety reasons, the cruise contro l
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of accident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily
when entering turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones .
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cruise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched off. The other cruise control functions re­
ma in active as long as the indicato r light
mmlm (US models) !Iii (Canadian mod­
e ls) is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the
brakes decelerate automatically.
Changing speed
Applies to vehicles: wi th cruise co ntrol
• Press lever in the 0 or 0 direction
¢ page 77, fig. 79 to increase or decrease
your speed .
• Release the lever to
save that speed.
Change speed in in crements of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by lightly pressing the lever. If you keep the
lever pressed down, you will a lter your speed
in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g . if you want to
II>

78 On the road
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­
ator peda l.
If , however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cruise contro l wi ll turn off temporarily.
The green symbo l
IB;(l)~i~ (US models) ;II
(Canad ian models) in the display will go out
but the saved speed remains the same.
Presetting your speed
Applies to vehicles: with cruise control
You con preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving .
.. Switch on the ignition .
.. Pu ll lever into position@¢
page 77,
fig. 79.
> Press the lever in the 0 or 0 direction to
i ncrease or decrease your speed .
.. Release the lever to save that speed .
This funct ion makes it possible, for example,
to save the speed you want before driving on
the highway . Once on the highway, activate
the cruise control by pull ing the lever toward
@ .
Switching the system off
Applies to vehicles: with cruise control
Temporary deactivation
.. Press the brake peda l, or
.. Press the lever into position @ (not clicked
into pla ce)
¢ page 77, fig. 79, or
.. Drive for longer than 5 minutes at more
than 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press lever into position @(clicked into
pla ce), o r
.. Switch the ignition off.
The system reta ins the saved speed if you de­
activate the cruise control tempo rari ly. To re­
sume the saved speed, release the brake ped­
a l and pull the lever to position@. Switching
the ignition off erases the saved
speed.
A WARNING
-You shou ld only return to the saved speed
if it is not too fast for the c urrent traffic
conditions -risk of an accident!