2012 AUDI A7 warning lights

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 .
•
•

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 ..,.

202 Cleaning and protec tio n
directly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings -they can freeze shut.
- Never use sponges designed to remove insects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products . They can damage
your paint finish.
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water.
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headl ight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel­
i ng your vehicle. Never clean the head­
li ghts w ith a dry cloth or sponge. Use a
wet cloth or sponge.
It is best to use
soapy wa ter.
@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the envi ronment, the ve­
hicle sho uld only be washed i n special
was h bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules.
.. Befo re using the power washer , make sure
yo u have read and understood the WARN­
INGS¢
A in General information on
page 200.
.. Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
.. Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray" .
.. Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls .
When cleaning the veh icle with a power wash­
er
always follow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
op erating
pr essure
a nd the s pray ing di stance . Keep a
d ista nce from soft materials such as rubber
hoses o r insulat ing ma ter ial as well as sensors
and camera lenses . Do not use a jet which sprays water in a
d
ir ect
stream
or one t hat has a rotating jet .
Water temper ature sho uld not ex ceed 140 °F
(60 °().
A WARNING ~ -
Neve r wash tires with a jet that sprays wa­
ter i n a direct stream. This could cause in ­
vis ib le damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a re lative ly
l ong distance and for a short time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal inj ury.
'
([) Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, a lways
make sure that there is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materia ls
like rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound­
deaden ing mater ials as w ell as sensors
and camera lenses. Neve r aim t he sp ray
head at the same point for a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headligh ts
and painted bumpers. Remembe r: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
materia l, the greater the stress on the ma ­
terial.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand br ush and remove
ice with a de- ic ing spray that does not con­
tain so lvents .
- Clea n the sensors (adaptive cruise control*,
pa rk ing system*) w ith a cleaning so lution
that does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth .
- The camera lens or the area in front of the
came ra le ns is no rmally cleaned by the
w indshie ld w ipers o r he adlig ht wipers (night
vision system *).
If the lens or the area is ex­
ceptionally di rty, clean the area wit h glass
cleaner and a soft, dry cloth .
(D Note
-If you was h your veh icle with a pres sure
washer,

220 Checking and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfun ctions due to lack of
maintenance
It
is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 192) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent checking of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If
the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possible
¢
page 221. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience ¢
page 221.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine.
(D Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­
erably each time you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip.
- If you have th e impression your engine
consumes excessive amoun ts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Audi
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of oil con­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dealer has in­
structions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
-

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:
•
•

Fuse panel @ (green )
Equipment Amps
Parking system 5
Rear Seat Entertainment s
8 Audi side ass ist 5
9
Gateway, Vehicle electrical sys-
5 tern control module 1
10 Sport d ifferential 5
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned
out bulbs for you .
It is becoming increasingly more and more
difficult to replace vehicle light bulbs since in
many cases, other parts of the car must first
be removed before you are able to get to the
bu lb. Th is applies especia lly to the light bu lbs
i n the front of your car which you can only
reach through the engine compartment ,
Sheet metal and bulb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause ser ious cuts, and parts
must be correctly taken apart and then prop­
e rly p ut back together to help prevent break­
age of parts and long term damage from wa­
ter that can enter housings that have not been properly resealed.
F or your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace any bu lbs
for you, since your dealer has the proper tools, the correct b ulbs and the expertise.
Gas disc harge la mp s (X enon li ght s):
Due to the high electrical voltage, have the
bu lbs rep laced by a qualified technician.
H eadlights with Xenon l ight can be identified
by the high voltage stic ke r.
LED headlights* requ ire no ma intenance .
Please contact your autho rized Aud i deale r if a
bu lb needs to be replaced.
Fu ses and bulb s
A WARNING
Contact with h igh-vo ltage components of
the electrical system and improper re­
placement of gas discharge (Xenon) head­
light bulbs can cause ser ious personal in­
jury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressur ized and can ex­
plode when being changed.
- Changing Xenon lamps requ ires the spe­
cial tra ining, instructions and equip­
ment.
- On ly an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified wor kshop should change the
bu lbs in gas discharge lamps .
A WARNING
There are parts with sharp edges on the
openings and on the bulb holders tha t can
cause serious c uts.
- If you are uncertain abo ut what to do,
have the work performed by an author­
ized Audi dealer or other qualified work­
shop . Ser ious personal inj ury may result
from improperly performed work.
(D Tips
- If you must replace the light bulbs your­
sel f, a lways remember that the engine
compartment of any vehicle is a hazard­
ous area to work in. A lways read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ page 210, Engine
compartment¢ ,&..
- It is best to ask your authorized Audi
dealer whenever yo u need to change a
bulb.
-
263
•
•

278 Index
A
Accessories ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 275
AC (automatic cl imate control) ... .. .. . . 67
AC (climate contro l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Adapt ive cr uise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
C le a ning sensors/cameras .. .. .. .. .. . 202
M essages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Request for driver intervention . . . . . . . . 83
Stop-and-go traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adapt ive Lig ht (defe ctive) . .. .. .. .. .. . . 21
Adding Eng ine coolant .............. ... ... 224
Eng ine o il .. .......... ...... ... .. . 22 1
W indshie ld washer fluid . .. .. .. .. .. . 230
Addit ives
Eng ine oil .... ........... .... .... . 221
Ad justing
Ai r dist ribution (automatic climate con-
trol) . .. .. .. ............. .. .. .. ... . 68
a ir distribution (climate control) . .. .. . . 65
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Instrumen t illum inat ion .... ... .. .. .. 44
Steer ing column e lectrically .. .. .. .. . . 70
Steer ing column manually . .. .. .. ... . 70
T empe ratu re (a utoma tic climate co ntrol) 68
T empe ratu re (climate con trol) .. .... .. 65
A irbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137, 158
Advanced Airbag System . ...... .. .. . 141
Advanced Airbag System components . 1 45
Ca re . .. .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 153
C hi ldren . .. ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 16 5
Ch ild restra ints . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 165
Components (front airbags) . ... .. ... 145
Danger of fitting a child seat on t he front
passenger seat ........... .. .. .... . 139
Disposal . ............... .. .. .. .. . 153
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141, 143
H ow do the front airbags wo rk? . .. .. . 147
H ow ma ny airbags does my vehicle
h ave? . .. .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 145
H ow t he Advan ced Airbag Sys tem com-
po nents work toge ther .... .. .. .. .. . 147
I mportant safety instructions on the
knee airbag system .. ... .. .. .. .... . 156
Important things to know . ... .. .... . 137
Knee airbags .. ........... .. .. .... . 154
Mo nitor ing .............. .. .. .. .. . 149 PASS
ENG ER A IR BAG OF F light .... . .. 15 0
Repairs ... .... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. 153
Safety instr uctions . .. .. ..... ... .. .. 152
S ide a irbags ... .. ............. .... 157
S ide curtain airbags ............ .... 160
Warning/ind icator lights ........... .. 17
Wa rning/Indicato r lights . .. .. .. .. .. 149
When must the system be inspected? . 149
All-wheel drive .. .. ... .......... .... 189
Winter tires ... ... ................ 246
Alloy w heels .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 2 05
Alterna to r ... ... .. .......... ...... .. 16
Amb ience lighting ................ .. . 44
An ti-free ze
refer to E ng ine coolan t ...... ... .. .. 2 23
An ti-lock b rak ing system . .. ... ..... .. 184
Warning/ind icator lights ........... .. 18
Anti-slip reg ulation .. ........... .. .. 184
An ti- theft systems
El ectronic immob ilizer .. ..... ... .. .. . 30
Asht ray ..... ... .. .. ... ........... .. 54
Audi braking guard
refer to brak ing guard .......... .... . 79
Audi dr ive selec t
refer to drive select .... ..... ... .. .. . 96
Audi Se rv ice Repair Manuals and Litera-
tu re ....... .. .. .. .. ........... .... 273
A UTO
automatic climate control . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Automa tic head lights ....... ...... .. 41
cli mate control . .. .......... ...... .. 65
Auto Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
A uto mat ic be lt retractor ......... .. .. 131
Automat ic car wash .......... ...... . 201
A utomatic climate contro l
Air vents .. .... .. ............. .... . 68
Automat ic recirc ulation ......... .. .. . 69
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Setup ........ .. .. ... ........... .. 69
synchronizi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
A utomat ic transm iss ion ... .... ... .. .. 102
Automat ic Shift Lock (ASL) ...... .... 104
Driving ... .. .. .. ............. .. .. 102
Dynam ic shift program . .. ... ..... .. 105
Emergency mode . ................ . 106
Emergency re le a se .......... ...... . 107
Kic k-down . .. .. .. ... .......... .... 104