2012 AUDI A7 battery

-Never smoke or work near heate rs or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid electrical shock and persona l in­
jury while the engine is running or be ing
started, never touch:
- I gnition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must pe rform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- F irst, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hai r from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. T ie back hair before
starting, and do not wear cloth ing that
will hang or droop into the eng ine.
- Min imize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards
c:> &,.
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certai n veh icle components co nta in
or em it chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer a nd b irth d e­
fects a nd rep roduct ive ha rm. In addi tion,
c e rta in fluids cont ained in vehicle s and
certain p rod ucts of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of Ca lifo rnia to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and re lated ac ­
cessories contain lead and lead com-
Checkin g and fillin g 217
pounds, c hemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make su re that
they are poured into the p roper conta iner
or fi ller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect lea ks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regular ly. If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu­
i ds, have you r vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
t he st ruts is reduced.
.. Let the hoo d
drop down and latc h in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage 9 A_ .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to make sure t he safety catch has prope r­
ly engaged. The hood shou ld be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it. •
•

226 Check ing and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always r ea d and heed all W ARN­
INGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 216.
• Read the brake fluid leve l from the brake
fluid reservoir
¢ fig. 173. The brake fluid
l evel must be between the
"MIN" and
"MAX" markings .
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
co page 218.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
I f the b rake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi ­
cator light- (U.S.
models) ;II (Canadian
models) will come on
¢ page 14. Do not con ­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied fac il ity and the cause corrected. If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
i ndicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moistu re from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease braking per formance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
ev ery tw o y ear s. Always use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r can be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we re commend that yo u
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur a utho r­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct tools, the
right brake flu id and t he know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
-- Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor-
ed only in the closed or igina l container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
spe cifi cation
J 17 03 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 1 16 .
Always chec k with your authorized A udi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The cor rect type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake f lu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left i n the system too
long . This can se riously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety . T h is i:ou ld result in an ai;i;ident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the pai nt of you r
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
r ecommend that yo u have the brake flu id
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
Under normal operat ing cond itions, the bat­
te ry in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte leve l che cked by a se rv ice fa­
c il ity. The electroly te leve l should also be
chec ked each time the battery is cha rged
¢ page 22 9.

Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. Yo u are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnec ted from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons
c::> &. in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 153.
Di sconn ecting the battery t erminal s
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connec ted again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicl es not driven for long p eriod s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cu t back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capability over a longer per iod
c::> page 190. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights o r power seat adjus tme nt. The conven­
ience functions will be ava ilable again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en­ gine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, ba ttery capaci ty
t ends to decrease as tempe rat ures d rop . This
is because more powe r is also consumed while
starting , and the headlights, rear window de ­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power cons umption, par­
ticularly in c ity t ra ff ic or when t raveling on ly
short distances. Let your a uthorized Audi
dealer check the capac ity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in
c> page 229. A well
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
problems whe n the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery shou ld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the l uggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check any­
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
h eed all WARNINGS
c> &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec­
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Al way s heed the follo wing WARNING SYM­
BOLS and safety precautions when working on the battery.
@
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid.
Always w ear glove s and eye prot ec­
tion .
No
- sparks
-flames
- smoking .
When a battery i s charged, it produ­
ce s hydrogen gas wh ich i s ex plosive
and could cause per sonal injury .
Always keep the battery well out of ]
reach of children .
_& WARNING ~
Whenever working on the battery o r on
the electrical system, there is the risk of injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
•
•

228 Check ing and filling
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfur ic acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not t ilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the venti lation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the posi tive and neg -
ative cab les.
= When wo rking on the battery , be sure
not to short -circuit the termina ls with
tools or other metal objects . This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is explosive and
cou ld cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of chi ldren .
- Before work is done on the e lectrica l sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble .
- Before perform ing any work on the elec­
trical system, sw itch
off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment . The negative cable on the batte ry
must be disconnected . If you are just go­
ing to rep lace a light bu lb, then it is
enough to sw itch
off the ligh ts.
- Before disconnect ing the battery, switc h
off the anti-theft alarm sys tem! Othe r­
wise you will set off the alarm. -
When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all e lectr ical consumers are sw itch­
ed off. Reconnect the pos it ive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter ­
cha nge the cables - this could start a fi re!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery .
It could explode! If a battery has
frozen , then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged batte ry can free ze over at 32 °F
(0 °C) .
-Make sure the vent hose is a lways attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the ba t­
tery .
- Never use batteries which a re damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways rep lace a damaged b attery.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposi tion 6S Warning:
- Battery posts, te rminals and related ac­
cesso ries cont ain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemica ls known to the Sta te of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignit ion is on or when the en­
gine is run ning, otherwise , you will dam­
age electronic components in the electr i­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without be ing driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erw ise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced .
- When open ing the doors, the windows
lower approximately 10 mm automati ­
cally. This function is not ava ilable when
the battery is disconnected, which
means there is a risk that the door sea l
o r the window could be damaged.

Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery .
Fig. 174 Eng ine compartment : connectors for a charg ­
er and jump sta rt cab les
A lwa ys re ad and heed all WARNING S below
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working on the battery on
page 227 .
.. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers .
.. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery .
.. Open the engine hood
c:>page 216.
.. Open the red cove r on the posit ive pole
c:>fig. 174.
.. Connect the charger connectors accord ing
to the instructions to the
jump start b olts .
(Bolts under the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head= "negative").
.. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipmen t into the wall outlet and turn
it on
c:> 8_ .
.. Ma ke sur e t he charging rat e is not over
30 amp s/14 .8 Vol t.
.. When the batte ry is fully charged: Turn the
charging eq uipment off a nd remove the
ma ins lead from the wall outlet .
.. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
.. Close the hood
c:> page 217.
A discharged battery can free ze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it
c:> .&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat-
Checkin g and fillin g 229
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle cha rger ), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected f irst . The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not
necessary to disconnect the cables.
Fast ch arging the batte ry (charging rat e
a bove 14.8 Volt s)
For technica l reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dange rous .
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Cha rge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spar k. Do not smo ke. Hyd rogen gas
generated by the bat tery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger i s ope rat ing.
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dange rous and
should only be at tempted by a compe­
tent techn ician wi th the prope r equip­
ment .
- Ba ttery acid that may spi ll dur ing charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
tralize the ac id.

230 Checking and filling
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
~ page 190. The intell igent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electrica l en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management funct ions cor­
rectly after replacing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), amperage, construct ion
and plug sealing.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig­
nition and all electr ical consumers are switch ­
ed off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you . Batteries contain su lfuric acid and l
ead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment.
Windshield/head Light
washer container
Fig. 175 En g in e compart men t: w inds hield and head ­
lighr washer fluid reservoir
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol~ on its cap.
"' Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
"' Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu ­
id. You can fill the container to the top.
"' Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
fi lling the container.
You can find the reservoir
capacity in the table
in
~ page 272.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
@ Note
Do not mix engine coolan t ant ifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir .

Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressu re."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 k ilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter means the overall diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated para llel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Tires and wheels 233
Recommended inflation pressure
see~
page 232, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL" , "x l", " EXTRA LOAD",
o r "R F" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim fla nges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 243 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the max imum pe rm issib le road speeds
~ .&. in Winter tires on page 247 .
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.
•
•

262 Fuses and bulb s
Fuse panel @ (black )
No . Equ ipment Amps
=
8
Headlight range adjustment/
5/7,5
adaptive lighting system
10 Left headlight (headlight with
7,5
adaptive light)
Fuse panel
@ ( brown )
No .II Equ ipm ent
II Amp s
1 Climate control 10
2 Climate control system blower 40
3 Diagnostic connector 10
4 Electrical ignition lock 5
5 Power steering column adjust-
ment
5
Steering column switch module 10
7 Power steer
ing column adjust-
ment 25
8 Light switch
Luggage compartment fuse assignment
Fig. 196 Luggage compartment: fuse panel with plas·
tic bracket
Fuse panel @ (bl ack )
No. II Equipment
I[ Amp s
4 E lectromechanical parking brake 30
5 Electromechanical parking brake 30
6 Front door (front passenger's
35
side)
7 Rear exterior lighting Rear sun shade, closing aid, lug­
s gage compartment lock, con ­
venience key, START ENGINE
STOP, fuel filler door 30
20
-Fuse pane
l@ (blac k) I
No. Equipm ent Amps
=· 9 Power seat adjustment 15
10 Parking system
s
30
Fus e pane l
B (red)
No . Equipment Amps
1 Left belt tensioner
25
Right belt tensioner 25
3 Socket 20
20
Electromechanical parking brake
5
adaptive air suspension 15
7 Rear door (front passenger's
35
side)
Rear exterior lighting 30
9
Luggage compartment lid con-
30
t rol module
10 Telephone 5
11 Sound amp lifier 30
12 Rear spoiler 20
Fuse pane l c (b rown )
No. Equipment Amps
1 Rad
io receiver, Sound amplif ier/
30/20
MMI unit/dr ives
2 Tank leak detection system 5
AEM control module/battery 15/
4
module 7,5
6 Battery fan 35
Rad io receiver
7,5
7,5
9
Automatic dimming interior
5/15
rearview mirror/battery module
Parking system 5
Fu se panel o (gre en)
No. Equipment Amps
1 Audi pre sense 5
2 Electromechanical parking brake 5
3 adaptive a
ir suspension
5
Automatic transmission 7,5
...