2012 AUDI A7 oil level

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional pet role­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life o f your Audi .
W hether you use synthetic or petroleum­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
c o nform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your veh icle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"s ludge," that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs .
At the time of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So a lways
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all tem ­
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade SAE
5W40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 219
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW S02 00 specification , in case you have to
top
off the o il while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE 5W-40, SA E 5W-30, o r SAE
OW-40 . However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween o il cha nge inte rva ls, never top
off with
more than a tota l of 0. 5 q t/liter engine o il
that does not con form to A udi oil specification
VW S02 00.
Fo r more information about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur a utho rized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your vehicle's War ­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important beca use the lubricat­
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you a re not sure when
you have your o il cha nged, ask your author­
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the veh icle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and-go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•

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.
-

Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 170 D is p la y : o il level indi ca tor
• Park your vehicle on a lev el surfac e.
• Shut the engine off when it is warm.
• Switch only the ignition b ack on.
• W ait approxima tely two minutes .
• Se lect :
ICARI function button > Car s ystem s
control button > Servicing & ch eck s > Oil
level.
• Check the o il leve l in the display ¢ fig. 170.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is near "min "
¢page 221.
Depending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to 1/2 q uart per 600 m iles (0.5 li ter
pe r 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the f irst 3 ,000 miles (5,000 km).
(D Tips
The oi l level indicator in the MMI Dis play is
only an in format ion disp lay . If the oil leve l
is low, a minimum oi l warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oi l
¢page 221. If the hood has been opened,
the curre nt oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluste r the next time the ign ition is
sw itched on .
Checkin g and fillin g 221
Adding engine oil 'i=:1:
Fig. 171 Engin e compa rtm en t: co ve r on the engine o il
filler n eck
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment ,
alw ay s re ad and he ed all WARN­
INGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 216.
• Uns crew the cap~ to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
¢ fig . 171.
• Caref ully top off with the appropr iate oil in
0.5 liter doses .
• Check t he oil level aga in after two minutes
¢ page 221 .
• Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
A WARNING
-Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come
i n contact w ith hot engine parts -fi re
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be p roperly se­
cured to prevent oil from bei ng sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing -fire ha zard!
- I f your ski n has come in contact with the
engine o il, you mus t subse quently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appe ars,
c ontact yo ur a uth ori zed Aud i dea ler o r
ot her qualified workshop to have excess
oil ext racted if necessary.
- Audi d oes not re commend the u se of oil
additiv es. They m ay damage the engine
1111-

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive G12++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 °F ( -3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant additive with
other additives (G12+ or G12). Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checking and filling 223
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle. This coolant additive is availa­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of antifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection. The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool­
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
M AX f
MINf
Fig. 172 Engine compar tment: markings on the coo l­
an t expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&, in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 216 .
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Switch off the ignition.
"' Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank~
fig. 172. With a

224 Check ing and filling
cold engine, the coo lant level should be be ­
tween the "min" and "max" markings. When
the engine is warm, the level may be s light ly
above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
c:> page 218.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System
c:> page 15 will
i l lum ina te unti l you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level senso r, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time.
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool ­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
sea led system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avoid be ing burned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
'
or hot engine parts. Under certain cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
ant can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­ i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Veh icle L imited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all W ARN­
INGS c:> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 216 .
.. Turn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c:> page 223, fig . 172 and carefully
twist the cap co unte r-clockwise c:> .&, .
.,. Add coolant .
.,. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
c:> page 223, Coolant.
E ven in a n emerge ncy, if coolant add i-
t ive G12 ++, G 12+ or G12 is not available, do
not use a d iffe rent addit ive. Use plain water
instead unti l you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This shou ld
be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerab le amount o f
coolant, then you sho uld add cold antifreeze
and co ld water on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo la nt whe n refilling.
Do not fill coola nt above the "MAX" mark . Ex­
cess coola nt will be fo rced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap w hen the e n-
gine becomes hot. .,.

268 Emergency situations
@ Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook- up
is sec ure before moving the ca r up the flat ­
bed truck ramp.
Lifting vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with
floor jack
T he vehi cle may only be li~ed at the lifting
points illustrated .
Fig. 204 Front lift ing po int
Fi g. 205 Rear lift ing point
• Read and heed WARNING q &_ .
• Locate lifting points qfig. 204 and
qfig. 205.
• Adjust lift ing arms of workshop hoist or
floor jack to match vehicle lifting points.
• Inse rt a r ubber pad betw een the floor jack/
wor kshop hoist and the lifti ng points.
If you must lift your vehicle with a floor jack
to work underneath, be sure the vehicle is
safely supported on stands intended for thi s
purpose .
Front lifting point
The lifting point is located on t he floor pan re­
i n forcement about at the same level as the j
ac k mounting po int
~ fig. 204. Do not lift
the veh icle at the vertical sill reinforcement .
Rear lifting point
The lifti ng po int is located o n the vert ica l rein­
f orcemen t of the lowe r sill for the on- boar d
j a ck
q fig . 205.
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to ¢ page 256 .
A WARNING
-- To reduce the risk of s erio us injury and
ve hicl e damage.
- Always lift the vehicle only at the spe­
c ia l workshop hoist and floor jack lift
po ints illustrated
¢ fig. 204 and
q fig. 205.
-Fail ure to lift the ve hicle at these
po ints could cause the vehicle to tilt or
fall from a lift if there is a change i n ve­
h icle weight distribution and balanc e.
T his mig ht happen, fo r example, whe n
h eavy com ponen ts such as the eng ine
b lo ck o r trans mission a re remove d.
- W hen removi ng heavy compone nts like
t hese, anch or vehicle to h oist or ad d cor ­
resp onding we ig hts t o main tain t he cen­
t er of gravity. Oth erwise, t he ve hicle
might tilt or slip off the ho ist , ca using
serio us personal injury.
(D Note
- B e aw are o f the followin g poin ts before
li ft ing t he vehicle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil pan, the transmission housing, the
front or rear axle or the body side
members. This could lead to serious
damage .
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chas sis frame, a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
-
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight doe s not .,..

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) and the park brake
is firm ly app lied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d isposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -specia l hand ling may ap­
ply, see www.dts c.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac ­
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­ proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason,
if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories:
Con sumer In formation 275
Approved Audi accesso ries and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genu ine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle .
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage holders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
r:::;. page 210.
(D Note
-If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to spe cified meth­
ods, this can result in severe damage to
yo ur vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

Manual shift program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Selector lever .................. ... 103
Shift buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Steering wheel with tiptronic . .. .. .. . 106
Automatic wipers .......... .. .. .. .... 45
Auto Safety Hotline ............ ... .. 126
Average consumption .......... ... .. .. 23
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .. .. .. .. . 193
B
Battery ... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 226
Charging . .. ............. .... .. ... 229
Important warnings ...... .. .. .. .. . 227
Jump starting ............... ... ... 264
Location ... ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 227
l ow . .. .. .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 190
Replacing the battery ..... .. .. .. .. . 230
State of charge ........... .... .. ... 190
Winter operation ............ ... .. . 226
Working on the battery ....... ... .. . 227
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Blended gasoline .......... .... .. .. . 211
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 68
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Body cavity sealing ............ ... .. . 205
Booster seats ............. .. .. .. .. . 172
Brake fluid Changing the brake fluid ....... ... .. 226
Checking the brake fluid level ... ... .. 225
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 225
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? ....... .. .. .. .. . 225
Brake system Anti-lock braking system . ......... ... 18
Brake assist system .......... .... .. 184
Brake booster ............ .... .. .. . 188
Brake fluid .............. .... .. .. . 225
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement ................. ... ... 226
Brake light defective ......... ... .. .. 20
Brake pads . ............. .... .. ... 192
Electromechanical parking brake .. .. .. 74
Fluid reservoir ........... .... .. .. . 225
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? .. ............ ...... .... .. 187
Index 279
Warning/indicator lights ............. 14
Worn brake pads symbol ............. 19
braking guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Messages . .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 86
Settings .. .. .. .. ................. . 86
Break-in period .. .... .. .. ...... ..... 192
Brake pads ...... .. ............... 192
T ires ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .......... .. 192
Bulbs .... .. .. .. .. .. ............... 263
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 217
Battery specific .. .... ............. 228
Capacities .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. 272
Engine oil ........................ 218
Car care .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ 200
Exterior ... .. .. .... ... .. ..... ..... 200
Interior . .. .... .. .. . .............. 206
Cargo area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Catalytic converter ................. . 193
Center armrest Cockpi t ..... .. ................... .
Sl
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Emergency locking . ............... .. 35
Certification ...... .. ............... 276
Changing a wheel .. ............. .. .. 254
Changi ng engine oil .... ............. 222
Chassis (undercoating) ............... 205
Checking Engine coolant level ............ .... 223
Tire pressure . .. .. ................. 237
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat ........................ 139
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? .. 181
Child restraint system anchors ....... . 177
Child safety ....... .. ..... .......... 163
Convertib le locking retractor ......... 17 4
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats . .. ........... .... 167
Important things to know when driving
with children .. .... ............... 163
Tether anchors ..... .............. . 180
Tether straps .. .. ................. 180
•
•