2012 AUDI A7 check oil

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. .,.

248 Tire s and whee ls
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with a ll-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 275.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
er ly t ightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi ­
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires ar e inflat ed to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
r e gularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
m onth and alw ays bef ore a long trip
r=> page 237, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be d amaged more
easily by impact with potholes, curbs, gull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.

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
•
•

Defrosting (windows)
automatic climate control ... ... .. .. .. 68
climate control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Determining correct load limit ... .. .. . 239
Dimensions .... .. .. .... ... .. .... .. . 271
Dimming the rearview mirror . ... .. .. .. 48
Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Door/rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Doors Power child safety lock ....... ... .. .. 37
Driver information system CD/radio display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Door/rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Exterior temperature display ... .. .. .. 22
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Driver seating position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
drive select .. .. ........... .. .. .. .... 96
Adaptive dampers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Cornering light .............. ... ... . 96
Safety belt tensioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Driving safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Driving through water ........ .. .. .. . 194
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Dust filter
refer to Pollutant filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
E
Easy entry feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fuel economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Other equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Electrical accessories (sockets) . . . . . . . . . 55
Electro-mechanical power assist .. . ... . 189
Electromechanical parking brake Emergency braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Operation .. ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. 74
Parking .. ............ ...... .... ... 75
Releasing and closing ........ .... ... 74
Starting assist ........... .... .. .. .. 75
Starting from rest ........ .. .. .. .. .. 75
Starting off with a trai ler ............. 75
Warning/indicator lights ......... .. .. 15
Electronic differential lock (EDL) .. ... .. 184
Warn ing/ indicator lights ..... .. .. .. .. 18
Index 281
Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 30
Electronic power control (EPC) warning/indicator light ............. . 19
Electronic speed limiter .......... .... . 28
E lectronic stabilization program (ESP) .. 184
Warning/indicator lights ............. 18
Emergency actuation Doors ...... .. .. ................. . 35
Power sunroof . .. .... ........... .. . 40
Rear lid ........................... 37
Emergency brak ing ... . .. .. .. .... .... . 76
Emergency flasher ... .............. .. 42
Warning/indicator lights ........ .. .. . 21
Emergency release Selector lever ...... ............... 107
Emergency starting .. .............. . 264
Emergency towing . ................. 266
Emergency warning triangle ...... .. .. 252
Energy management . ............... 190
Engine Compartment . ..... ............... 218
Coolant ... .. .. .. ............... .. 223
Data ..... .. .. .. ................. 272
starting . .. .. .. .... .. .. ...... ...... 71
Starting with jumper cables ........ . 264
Stopping ........ .. ................ 73
Engine compartment ................ 218 Closing the hood . .. ........... .... 217
Opening the hood .... ...... ..... .. 216
Safety instructions .. .............. . 216
Working in the engine compartment .. 216
Engine coolant .. .. ................. 223
Adding coolant . ...... ............. 224
Checking the engine coolant level . .. .. 223
Expansion tank .... ............... . 223
Malfunction symbol ... .. ...... .... .. 15
Radiator fan . .. .. ................. 225
Temperature gauge ............ .... . 10
Engine oil .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 218
Adding ......... .. ............... 221
Additives .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ 221
Changi ng ... .. ...... ........... .. 222
Checking the engine oil level ..... .... 221
Ind ications and conditions requiring ex-
tra checking ..... .. ............... 221
Indicator light ..... .............. .. 17
Oil consumption .. .. .............. . 220
•
•

28 2 Index
Oil grades . ...... ..... ... .. .. .... . 218
Oil level symbol ....... ... .. .. .... .. 20
Pressure malfunction . .... ... .. .... . . 1 6
Recommended oil check intervals ..... 221
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Specification and viscos ity ... ... .. ... 218
Engine speed limitation ... .. .. .. .... . . 20
E ng ine start system (indicator lights) .... 17
Environment Break- in period ........... .. .. .... . 192
Catalytic converter ................. 193
D isposing of your vehicle battery ..... 230
D riving at high speeds ..... .. .. .. .. . 195
D riving to m inim ize pollution and no ise 194
F uel ... ...... ............. ...... . 213
F uel economy .. . ...... ... .. .. .... . 194
L eaks under your veh icle ... .. .. .. .. . 2 16
L etting the vehicle stand and warm up . 195
Proper disposal of dra ined brake fluid . 226
Proper disposal of dra ined engine coo l-
ant . .. .. .... ........ ...... ... .. . 224
Proper disposal of dra ined engine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 1, 222
Recycl ing used engine oil ... .. .. .. .. . 22 1
Un leaded fuel ............ .. .. .. .. . 211
What should I do wi th an old ba ttery? . 230
ESP (Electronic stabilization program) Warn ing/ indicato r lights . ....... ..... 18
Event Data Recorder ( EDR) ..... .. .... . 184
E xha ust tail p ipes .......... .. .. ..... 206
Expansion tank ............. .... .... 223
Exterior lighting . .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 41
E xterio r m irrors
Ad just ing ............... .. .. .. .. .. 47
Di mm ing . ... ............ .. .. .. .. .. 48
H eating ..... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 47
E xte rio r temperatu re d isplay ... .. .. .. . . 22
F
Fastening
Booster seats ............... ... ... 172
Conve rtible c hild safety seats ... .. .. . 170
I nfant seats ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 169
Fastening eyes . ........... .. .. .... .. 62
Fl oor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Foot pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 F
or the sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and the environment . . 213
Red ucing engine noise by early upshift-
ing ... .... .... .. .................. 10
Refueling . ................... .... 213
Sav ing fuel by early ups hifting ...... .. 10
Fo ur-zone automatic climate control ... . 67
Front a irbags
Descrip tion ................... .... 141
How they work ................ .. .. 14 7
Frontal collis ions and the laws of phys ics 129
F ront seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Adjusting . ....................... 120
Child restraints in the front seat .. .... 139
F uel
Additives . ..... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. 211
B lended gaso line ... ... ..... ... .. .. 211
C urrent consumption ............... . 23
Economy messages (effic iency program) 24
Fuel filler flap emergency release . .... 214
Fuel filler neck . .. ................ . 212
Fuel gauge .. .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .. . 11
Gasoli ne .. .. .. .. .. .... .... .... ... 211
Gasoli ne add it ives ............... .. 212
Low fue l level symbol .......... .. .. . 20
Octane rat ing .... .. .... .... ... .. .. 211
Recommendation .... .. ..... .... . .. 211
Ref uel ling ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 213
Reserve ... ...... ................. . 11
Tank capac ity ................. 11,272
F uses
Assignment ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 260
Replacing ..... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. 260
G
Garage door opener (HomeLink ®) . ... .. 115
Garment hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Gas discharge lamps ............. .... 263
Ga uges
E ngine coo lan t temperature . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Speedometer .... .. .... .... ... .. .. . 25
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Tr ip odometer .................. .. . 25
Genera l illustr ation ... .......... .. .. .. 8
Generator (warning/indicator lights) .... 16
G lossary of tire and loading terminology 232