2012 AUDI A7 weight

166 Child Saf ety
always correctly signaled by the PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light .
M any types and models of ch ild restra ints
have been ava ilable over the years, new mod­
e ls are introduced regularly incorporating new
and improved designs and older models are
taken out of production. Child restraints are not standardized. Ch ild restra ints of the same
type typically have different weights and s izes
and d ifferent "footprints", the size and shape
of the bottom of the child restraint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a veh i­
cle sea t. These differences ma ke it vi rtually
i mposs ible to ce rtify comp lia nce w it h the re ­
q ui rements for advanced a irbags w ith each
and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course
of the useful life of your vehicle.
F or this reason, the United States Nat ional
Highway Traffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify compliance of the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle with the suppress ion
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208 . These child rest raints are :
Subpart A -Car bed child rest ra int s
Model
Ange l Guard Ange l
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit December 1, 1999
4543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-0 13PAW and base
l 22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad-December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
1 20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
-Model
Graco Snug ride
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
P eg Perego Primo Vi- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMU NOOUS
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 2S, 2007 H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007 Booster 22-209
E venf lo Tribute V September 25, 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December
1, 1999
254
E venflo Generations Se ptember 25, 20 07
3S2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 2S, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo Septembe r 25, 2007
.&_ WARNING ~
To reduce the risk of serious inju ry, ma ke
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
chi ld restraint is insta lled on the front pas ­
senger seat and the ignit ion is switched
on.
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not s tay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate­
ly .

@ Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially chil­
dren:
~ Always use the right child safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
9page 169.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
r::!) page 174.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er, should always ride in the back seat proper­
ly restrained for their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child can be injured or killed by be­
ing thrown against the inside of the ve-
Child Safety 167
hide or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames. They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided
by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident. •
•

standard safety belt on the rear seat may
play with unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled resulting in serious per­
sonal injury and even death .
- Always buck le unused rear seat safety
belts out of reach of chi ldren in ch ild
seats a nd properly act ivate the converti­
ble locking retractor so that the child
cannot unreel the safety belt from the
retra cto r.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs . or 9 kg need special rearward-fac ­
ing child restraints that support the back ,
neck and head in a crash.
F ig. 151 Schemat ic overv iew : rea rwa rd -fa cing infa nt
s ea t, p rope rly in stalled o n the re ar sea t
... <'< ...
-.:, ... m
.,. When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the c hild safety seat
from moving
c:> page 174 or install the sea t
us ing the LATCH attachments .
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight
so tha t the sea t ca nnot move forward or
s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
I nfants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
a re best pro tected i n specia l infa nt carriers
and chi ld safety seats des igned for their age
g roup . Many experts believe that infants and
sma ll children should ride only in spec ial re­
straints in which the chi ld faces the back of
Child S afety 169
the vehicle . These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head i n a c rash
c:> fig. 151 .
The airbag on the p assenger side makes the
fron t seat a potentia lly dangero us place for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward -facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous place for an in fant or a
larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
Secure unused saf ety belts on the rear
s eat!
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal anchorages,
the unu sed safety belt s must be secured so
that the c hild in the child restra int cannot
reach them .
A WARNING
--
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the
wrong c hild safety seat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious persona l injury and death in a
crash .
- Never install rear- fa cing child safety
seats or in fant ca rrie rs on the front pas ­
senger seat - even with an Advanced Air­ bag System. A chi ld will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the inflat­ ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier wit h great force and smashes
the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, doo r o r
roof
c:> page 139, Child restraints o n the
front seat -
some important thing s to
know.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
se ats or inf ant c arrie rs on the rear sea t.
- Never install a rea r-fac ing chi ld restrai nt
in the forward-fac ing direct io n. Su ch re­
s traints a re designe d for the special
needs of infants and very small chi ld ren
a nd cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward- facing.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF

~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
s ideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm)
<=> page 174.
~ If the c hild safety seat is equ ipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether a nchors
<=> page 180.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restra int if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
Todd lers and c hildren who are older than one
year up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restra ined in a ch ild safety
seat ce rtified fo r the ir size and weight
<=> fig. 152 and <=>fig . 153.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fro nt seat a potentially dangerous place for a
ch ild to r ide . T he fro nt seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forwa rd -fac ing child safe­
ty seat. It is a very dangero us place for an in ­
fant or a larger child in a rearward -fac ing seat .
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat!
If a child s afety sea t is used o n the rear ben ch ,
espec ia lly w ith LA TCH universal anchorages,
the unused safety belts must be secured so
that the child in the chi ld restraint cannot
reach them.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the
w rong chi ld safety seat or improper ly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
c o llision or othe r eme rgency s ituation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
o usly injured or eve n killed when an a ir­
b ag in flates. A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be killed if the front ai rbag in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
Child Sa fet y 1 71
-The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the back rest, center
arm res t, door or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
c e s and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n and stay on, im­
medi ately ins ta ll t he rear-fa cing ch ild
safety sea t in a re ar se ating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea ler.
- Always rea d an d heed al l WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child restraine d in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 128, Safety
belts, ¢ page 137, Airbag system
and
¢ page 163, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circ umstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r's seat, the child's safe­
ty and we ll- being req uire that the follow­
ing spec ial precautions be ta ken:
- Ma ke sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed a nd c ert ified by its man u­
facturer fo r use on a fro nt seat wi th a
passe nger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
st ructions p rov ided with the ch ild safety
se at o r infa nt c arr ier .
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmos t position of the p assen­
ger seat's fo re and aft adjustment range,
an d as far away from the airbag as possi ­
ble before installing the ch ild restraint.
- Always ma ke s ure that nothing prevents
the front passenger 's seat from being
moved to the rea rmost position in its
fore and aft ad justment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright pos ition. •
•
-

~ Always make sure that the shoulder portion
of the safety belt never rests against or across the child's neck.
~ Always make sure that the child can proper­
ly wear the lap portion of the belt low across
the thighs or pelvis and
never over the
stomach or abdomen .
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight . Ex ­
perts say that the skeletal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle 's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard­
less of how big the child is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the proper function of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In order
to do its job , the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­ bag.
Child Safety 173
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
jury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especial ­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situation. To help re·
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
-Always make sure to position the should­
er portion of the three-point belt over
the middle of child's shoulder.
- Never let the shoulder portion of the belt
rest against or across the neck, face,
chin, or throat of the child.
- Always make sure the lap belt portion of
the three-point belt is worn snug and
passes as low as possible across the
child's pelvis. Never let the belt pass over
the soft abdomen.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation <=>
page 128.
-The rear side of the booster seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is
difficult to install the child seat with the head restraint in place
<=>page 52 . Install Ill-
•
•

176 Child Safety
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re- straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path
¢ A -
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight .
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated .
.,. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re- tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
-

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 ..,.