2012 AUDI A7 service

28 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
In order to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the hood release¢
fig. 15.
Your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
service station can interpret the code and per­
form the necessary repair.
Electronic speed limiter
Your vehicle may be factory equipped with tires that are rated for a maximum speed of 130 mph (210 km/h) . This is less than the
maximum speed of your vehicle . To reduce the
risk of sudden tire failure and loss of control if
the vehicle is operated at excessive speeds,
your vehicle also has an electronic speed limit­
er. The electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from going faster than the tire speed rating. For more information
c::> page 242.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehi­
cle road speed signals, the Malfunction Indi­
cator Lamp (MIL)
II will illuminate. If this
occurs, contact the nearest authori zed Audi
dealer for assistance.
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing
road, traffic and weather conditions. Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi­
mum speed rating of the tires installed.

Valet parking
The valet parking feature protects the lug­
gage comportment from unauthorized ac­
cess.
Fig. 30 Luggage compartment: valet parking button
With "valet parking" activated, the rear lid
cannot be opened.
~ Remove the mechanical key¢ page 30 .
~ Open the glove compartment and activate
¢
fig. 30 the "valet parking" feature by
pressing the
I VALET I button. The indicator
light in the switch illuminates.
~ Close the glove compartment and lock it
with the mechanical key.
~ Leave the master key with the service per­
sonnel for parking and keep the mechanical
key with you .
When the "valet parking" feature is activated:
- the un locking button for the rear lid
c:s in
the driver's door is inactive
- the button
c:s on the master key is inact ive
- the opening hand le in the rear lid is inactive .
The vehicle can be driven and locked and un­ locked with the master key. Access to the lug­
gage compartment is blocked.
When the valet parking function is switched
on, the message Valet parking activated ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display when
you switch the ignition on .
Opening and closing 39
Sliding/tilting sunroof
Operation
@
Fig. 31 Section of the headliner: Sliding/ti lting sunroof
button
@ Tilting and sliding
~ To tilt the sunroof completely, press the
sw itch br iefly to the second level¢
fig. 31
briefly .
~ To close the sunroof completely, pull the
switch br iefly to the second level¢.&_ .
~ To select an intermediate position, press/
pull the switch to the first level until the de­
sired position is reached.
@ Opening and closing
~ To open the sunroof completely, slide the
button back briefly to the second level.
~ To close the sunroof completely, slide the
button forward briefly to the second level
¢ .&_ .
~ To select a partially open position, slide the
button forward/back to the first level until
the roof reaches the desired position .
A wind deflector integrated into the sliding/
tilting sunroof adapts automatically to the
speed and sunroof pos ition . This reduces wind
noise to a minimum in all sunroof positions.
You can still close or open the sunroof for up
to ten minutes after you have switched the ig­
nition
off . The switch is deactivated once the
driver's or front passenger's door is opened .
Solar protection
The solar protection opens automatically
when the sunroof opens.

46 Clear vis ion
vision system camera* are cleaned a utomati­
cally the first time the lever is press in posi ­
tion ® and every 8 times it is pressed after
that . They are also cleaned every time you
hold the lever in pos ition ® for longer than 8
seconds .
A WARNING
- The ra in sensor is only des igned to assist
and support the drive r. It remains entire­
ly the dr iver's respons ibility to monito r
o ut side weather conditions and to man­
ually activa te the wipers as soon as rain
or drizzle reduces visibility through the
windshield.
- The windshie ld m ust not be treated with
water -repe llent materials. They can in ­
c rease glare under poor visibi lity condi­
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi­
t ion, they can cause the windshield wip­
ers to chatter .
- Proper ly functioning w indshie ld w iper
blades are required for a clear view and
safe dr iv ing
Q page 46, Replacing
windshield wiper blades .
([) Note
- In the case of frost, check whether the
winds hield wiper b lades are frozen to
the windshie ld. Switching on the wind­
shield wipers can damage the wiper
blades!
- Prior to using a car wash, the wi ndsh ield
wipe r system must be switched off (lever
i n position 0). This helps to preve nt unin­
tention al swi tching on and damage to
the windshie ld w iper system.
- Do no t use the wipe rs to cle ar a fros ted
window. Using the w ipers as a conven­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
b lades .
(D Tips
- The w indshield wi pers are swi tched off
when the ignition is off . Activate the
windsh ield wipers after the ignition is
'
switched back on by moving the w ind ­
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or d irty windshield wipe r blades
result in st reaking. This can affect the
rain sensor function . Check your wind­
shield wiper blades regularly.
- The washer fluid nozz les of the wind ­
shield washer system a re heated at low
tempe rat ures when the ignition is on .
- When stopping temporarily, e.g . at
a
traffic light, the set speed of the wind ­
shield wipers is automatically reduced by
one speed.
Replacing windshield wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshield clear .
Fig. 41 Re mov ing w in d sh iel d wipe r bl ades
Service position
... Switch the windshie ld w ipers off (position
@ Q page 45, fig . 40) .
.,. Switch t he ignit ion off and move t he wind ­
shie ld w iper lever to position@Q
page 45,
fig. 40.
Or
.,. Sele ct in the MMI: ICAR lfunction button>
Car sy stem s control button > Servicing
&
checks > Wiper service po sition > On . The
windsh ie ld wipers move in to the service po­
sition.
Removing the wiper blade
.,. Fold t he windsh ie ld w iper arm away from
t he wi ndshield .
.,. Press the locking knob
(D Q fig. 41 on the
wiper blade . Ho ld the wiper blade firmly . ..,.

Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In fron t, side and rear-end collisions above a
parti cular severi ty and in a rollover, safety
belts are tensioned automatically .
Reversible safety belt tensioners
The safety belts on the front seats are equip­
ped wit h power reve rsible tensioners. The fo l­
l ow ing f un ct ions are available w hen the dr iv­
e r' s/fron t passenger 's sa fety bel ts are fas­
tened :
- Automatic tensioners: at the start of a d rive,
the safety be lts automatically adjust to the
passenge r aft er a certai n time period o r ve­
hicle speed. To switch the automa tic ten­
s ioners off, select the fo llow ing in the M MI:
I CAR I funct ion button > Car sy stems > Vehi ­
cle settings
> Seats > Dr ive r's seat or Pas­
senger's seat
> Automatic belt tensione r >
Off.
-In certa in driving situations, the safety belts
may t ighten with a reversib le tensioning
function
¢ page 182.
-The safety belts may also tighten w ith this
r evers ible tension ing funct ion in mino r colli­
s ions .
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety be lts are equipped with safety be lt
pretensioners. The system is activated by sen­
s o rs in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity and in a rollover. Th is tightens
the bel t and takes up be lt slack ¢&.
in Service
and disposal of safety belt pre tensioner on
page 136.
T aking up the s lack helps to redu ce
forward occup ant movemen t during a colli ­
sion.
A WARNING
- It is possib le for the pre tensioners to de­
ploy i ncor rect ly .
- T he pyrotechnic sys tem can only provide
protection for one co llision. If the pyro -
Safety belts 13 5
technic pretensioners deploy, the preten­
sioning system must be replaced.
(D Tips
T he pyro technic safety be lt pretensioners
ca n only deploy once .
- T he safety bel t pretensioners do not de­
ploy in minor frontal and s ide collisions,
in rear-end co llisions, i n rollovers and in
co llisions involving very little impact
f o rce.
- A fine dust is released w hen the py ro­
technic safety be lt pretensioners dep loy.
Th is is normal and is not caused by a fire
in the vehicle.
- The re levant safety requi rements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped . A
qualified dealership is fam iliar with
these regulations and will be please d to
pa ss o n the information to yo u.
- Be sure to observe all safety, env iron­
ment al and ot her regu la tio ns if t he ve hi­
cle or ind ividu al p ar ts of t he system, par­
t ic ular ly the s afe ty belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized A udi dealer perform this
service fo r you .
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretens ione rs are parts of the
saf ety be lts on your Aud i. Insta lling, remov­
i ng, se rv ici ng o r repair ing of be lt pre tension­
ers can dam age the safe ty belt sy stem and
prevent it from working correctly in a co lli­
sio n.
T he re a re some impo rtan t thi ngs you have to
kn ow to m ake su re th at the effectiveness o f
t h e sys tem w ill not be impaired and tha t dis­
ca rded components do not cause injury o r pol -
lu te the environment . ..,_ •
•

136 Safety belts
,8. WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretens ioner from act ivat ing when needed
or act ivat ing it unexpectedly:
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti­
vated only once. If belt pretens ioners
have been act ivated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety belt system.
- Safety belt systems includ ing safety be lt
pretensione rs cannot be repaired. Spe­
ci al procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­
pair manual, training and specia l equip­
ment necessary.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten ­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdou swaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts w ith pretens ioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Aud i
deale r is familiar with these requ irements
and we recommend that you have your
dea ler perform this service for you.

adult is properly seated and restrained at
one of the rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection sys ­
tem determines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the frontal airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
P ASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light will stay
on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servic ing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part o f an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effect iveness of
the system will not be impaired and tha t dis ­
carded components do not cause injury or po l­
l ute the env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag
from deploy ing when needed o r deploying
an airbag unexpected ly:
- Never cover, obstruct, o r change the
steering wheel ho rn pad or airbag cover
o r th e instrument pane l or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or instrumen t
pane l, use only a soft, d ry cloth or one
mois tened w ith plain wate r. Solven ts or
cleaners co uld damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness o r strength of the
A irbag sys tem 153
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the a irbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or e lectr ica l sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equ ipment, cellu lar telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technic ian who has the training
and specia l equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend that yo u see your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or pa rts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the s ide a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence:
- Never in.stall seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags
i nflate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to the seam in the area of the side a ir­
bag module must a lways be repaired
i mmediately by an author ized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy on ly once.
After an a irbag has been deployed, it
m ust be replaced with new replacement
pa rts des igned and app roved espec ially
for your Aud i mo del ve rsion. Replace­
men t of comple te airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE­
CORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated from the veh icle battery with a pyrotech-
nic circuit inte rrupte r. .,.. •
•

Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"" Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
mum speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­ tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
g ine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"" Shut the engine off when you are not driv­
ing the vehicle.
"" Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
bu rned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also produces heat, which cou ld result in over-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 195
'
heating o r othe r damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"" Have your veh icle serviced at reg ular i nter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regu larly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
hold its value, it a lso affects
fuel c onsump ­
tion .
Ch eck you r o il e ach time you fill your tank .
The amount of o il used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven .
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(U) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion cont ro l system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, swit ches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to p rotect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
•
•

212 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driv ing.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
(CT) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If yo u are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel sup plier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades differ from one
manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to co llect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and fuel
systems clean, they a re not equally effec­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
f uels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
'
Damage or malf u nct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually- for detailed
instructions see
¢page 214.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 272.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your veh icle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
¢ page 211.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­ li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly wh ile protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
.8, WARNING
Under normal operating cond itions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must