2012 AUDI A7 check engine light

30 Opening and clo sing
Removing the mechanical key
Fig. 17 Remote control master key: remo vin g the me­
ch ani cal key
> Press the release button @ c:> fig. 17 .
.. Pull the mecha nica l key @out of the mas ­
te r key.
Using the mechan ica l key, you can:
- lock and unlock the storage compartment
on the passenger's side
c:> page 56.
- lock and unlock the vehicle manually
<=>page 34.
-lock the front and rear passenger doors me­
chanically
c:> page 35.
Master key battery replacement
Fig . 18 Remote mas ter key: Removing the batter y
ho lder
Ch eck light in the master ke y
The check light @in the master key provides
information about d ifferent cond itions .
.. The check light comes on briefly once when
a button is pressed , and during an "inquiry"
by the convenience key system .
> If the check light does not come on, the
battery is dead and has to be replaced . In
addition, when the bat tery is dead the
I!
symbol appears in the instrument cluster disp
lay as well as the message:
Ple ase
c h ange key batt ery.
Ma ster key batter y replacement
We recommend having the batte ry changed
by an authorized Audi deale r. However, if you
wish to rep lace the dead battery yourse lf, pro­
ceed as follows:
> Pull the mechanical key out of the master
key
c:> page 30 .
.. Press the release button @ on the battery
holder and at the same time pull the battery
holder out of the master key in the direction
of the arrow .
.. Install the new battery CR 2032 with the
"+" sign facing down.
> Push the battery holder carefully into the
maste r key .
> Insta ll the mechanical key.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
D ispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to pollute the environment.
(D Tips
The replacement battery must be the
same specification as the original.
Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer helps to prevent unauthor­
ized use of your vehicle .
A computer chip ins ide your key automatically
deactivates the electronic immobilizer when
the key is inside the vehicle . When you remove
the key from the vehicle, the electron ic immo­
bilizer is automatically ac tivated once aga in .
.&, WARNING
-
A lways take the key with you when you
l eave the vehicle . T he key can disarm the
e lectronic engine immobilize r and permi t
an unauthorized person to start the engine
and enable operation of the vehicle sys ­
tems such as power window or power sun- roof leading to serious personal injury.
~

Manual mode
-Manua l dep loyment: Tapping b riefly on the
switch
¢ fig. 162 dep loys the rear spoiler.
- Manua l retraction: A t speeds up to abo ut
10 mph (20 km/h), ret ract the rear spoiler
by pressing and holding the switch
¢ fig. 162 . At speeds between 10 mph (20
km/h) and 80 mph (130 km/h), retract the
rear spoiler by tapping on the switch
¢ fig. 162.
Ind icat or light s
1,1 /. Rea r spo ile r: sys tem malfunct ion!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to
a ma lf u nction. This could change the vehicle 's
driving characteristics at high speeds . Do not
exceed 85 mph (140 km/h). Drive to your au­
thorized Audi dealer immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected. The co lor of the indica­
tor light depends on the ve hicle speed.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impair handling char ­
acteristics, making the veh icle harde r to
cont ro l.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de­
ployed when driving at speeds over
85 mph (1 40 km/h). If the rear spoiler
warning/ind icator light in the i nstr u­
ment cluster comes on, the rear spoiler
may not have dep loyed .
- Never drive at speeds higher than
85 mph (140 km/h) if the spoiler is not
deployed. Have the spoi ler inspected as
soon as possib le by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualif ied workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and other traf­
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, espec ially
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
Int ellig ent technolog y 187
@ Note
-Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- Only operate the rear spoiler manua lly
w hen the rear lid is closed . Otherwise,
damage cou ld occur.
(D Tips
C lean the spoiler compa rtment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
a lways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Ope rating condition s and dri ving h abit s
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On ve­
hicles that are either dr iven mostly in stop­
and-go c ity traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often th an specified in
the
Warran ty & Maintenan ce boo klet. Failure
to have yo ur brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking
effect o f the engine . This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on the b rake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuous ly. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Mo istur e or road salt
U nder certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few carefu l brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered
Ill-
•
•

194 Driving and en vironm ent
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
@) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
t ion will give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con ­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 197
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢&. in Driving instru ctions on page 198.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
•
•

198 Trailer towing
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to tra iler and t ire manufac ­
turers' specif ications.
Lights
Check to ma ke s ure bot h ve hicle and trailer
lights are working proper ly.
Safet y chains
Be sure tra ile r safety cha ins are prope rly con­
nected from the trailer to the hi tch on the ve­
h icle. Leave enough s lack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case o f
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p lease no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra ile r when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly ca reful whe n passing other
ve­
hicles.
.. Observe speed limits .
.. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
W eight distribution
Towing a loaded trai le r with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at
very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent poss ible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
b le under the circumstances . Whenever possi- ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tong ue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the mo re d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re ­
duce your speed
even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill .
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early . When driving
down hill , shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperatur e
The coo lant temperat ure gauge ¢ page 10
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at h igh engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the d isp lay turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
referto .¢page
15 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
i ng vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roperly wea ring the rest raints
p rov ided by A udi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and ..,.

216 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 167 Driver foo twell: release lever
Fig. 168 Rocker switch un der the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged.
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow
~ fig. 167.
.,. Raise the hood slightly~.&_ .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 168. This releases the catch.
... Open the hood.
&_ WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
' Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
~ ,&. .
/n.. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.

218 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 169 Typ ical layout for contai ners and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw .... ............. 229, 264
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ............... .... . 229,264
®
©
®
®
Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . 225
Engine oil filler cap ( Coolant expansion tank
(-L) ...
Windshield/headlight washer
223
t . (.'R) con ainer ,,.., ............ . . 230
The engine oil filler neck (item @) may be lo­
cated in a different area depending on the ver­
sion of the engine.
~ WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the t ime and mileage
intervals printed in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. ..,.

220 Checking and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfun ctions due to lack of
maintenance
It
is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 192) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent checking of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If
the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possible
¢
page 221. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 221.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine.
(D Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­
erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have th e impression your engine
consumes excessive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Audi
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of oil con­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dealer has in­
structions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
-