2012 AUDI A7 checking oil

Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 123
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Stowing luggage . ..... ... .. .. .. .. 124
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Safety belts ... ..... ... .. .. .. . .
General notes ............ .... .. . .
Why safety belts? ........ .... .. . .
Safety belts ............ .... ... . .
Safety belt pretens ioners ...... .. . . 128
128
129
131
135
Airbag system ................. 137
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 137
F ront airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Mo nitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Child Safety .. .. .... ... .. .. ... .
Important things to know . ... .. .. . .
C hild safety seats . ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Instal ling a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
LATCH Lower anchorages and tethers
for chi ldren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information 163
163
169
174
177
181
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Preventat ive passenger protection 182
Vehicle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 184
Not ice about data recorded by veh icle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
E lect ron ic stabilization program ( ESP) 184
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Braki ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 7
E lect ro-mechanical power assist . . . . . 189
Driving with your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 189
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving and environment . . . . . 19 2
The first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Avoid damaging the vehicle. . . . . . . . . 193
Table of contents 3
Driving through wate r on roads . . . . . 194
Operate yo ur vehicle economically and
min imize poll ution. .. .. ... .... ... . 194
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Driving with a trailer . .. ..... ... .. .
Trai ler tow ing tips
Vehicle care ...... .. .. ..... ... .
Cleaning and protection ..... .
197
198
200
200
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank .............. .........
211
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 212
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 216
En gine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
E ngine compartment........... ... 218
E ngine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
E ngine cooling sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Tire pressure monitoring system 249
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 252
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S2
Emergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 252
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Chang ing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Fuses ........ ... .. .............. 260
Bul bs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 264
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Star ting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . 264
Starting with jumpe r cable s . . . . . . . . 264
U se o f ju mpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
•
•

218 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 169 Typ ical layout for contai ners and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw .... ............. 229, 264
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ............... .... . 229,264
®
©
®
®
Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . 225
Engine oil filler cap ( Coolant expansion tank
(-L) ...
Windshield/headlight washer
223
t . (.'R) con ainer ,,.., ............ . . 230
The engine oil filler neck (item @) may be lo­
cated in a different area depending on the ver­
sion of the engine.
~ WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the t ime and mileage
intervals printed in you r vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. ..,.

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.
-

Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 170 D is p la y : o il level indi ca tor
• Park your vehicle on a lev el surfac e.
• Shut the engine off when it is warm.
• Switch only the ignition b ack on.
• W ait approxima tely two minutes .
• Se lect :
ICARI function button > Car s ystem s
control button > Servicing & ch eck s > Oil
level.
• Check the o il leve l in the display ¢ fig. 170.
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is near "min "
¢page 221.
Depending on the way the veh icle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to 1/2 q uart per 600 m iles (0.5 li ter
pe r 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the f irst 3 ,000 miles (5,000 km).
(D Tips
The oi l level indicator in the MMI Dis play is
only an in format ion disp lay . If the oil leve l
is low, a minimum oi l warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oi l
¢page 221. If the hood has been opened,
the curre nt oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluste r the next time the ign ition is
sw itched on .
Checkin g and fillin g 221
Adding engine oil 'i=:1:
Fig. 171 Engin e compa rtm en t: co ve r on the engine o il
filler n eck
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment ,
alw ay s re ad and he ed all WARN­
INGS ¢&.
in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 216.
• Uns crew the cap~ to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
¢ fig . 171.
• Caref ully top off with the appropr iate oil in
0.5 liter doses .
• Check t he oil level aga in after two minutes
¢ page 221 .
• Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
A WARNING
-Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come
i n contact w ith hot engine parts -fi re
hazard!
- The oi l filler cap must be p roperly se­
cured to prevent oil from bei ng sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is runn ing -fire ha zard!
- I f your ski n has come in contact with the
engine o il, you mus t subse quently
cleanse it thoroughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appe ars,
c ontact yo ur a uth ori zed Aud i dea ler o r
ot her qualified workshop to have excess
oil ext racted if necessary.
- Audi d oes not re commend the u se of oil
additiv es. They m ay damage the engine
1111-

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive G12++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 °F ( -3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant additive with
other additives (G12+ or G12). Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 216.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checking and filling 223
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the label) for your
vehicle. This coolant additive is availa­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of antifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection. The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool­
ant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
M AX f
MINf
Fig. 172 Engine compar tment: markings on the coo l­
an t expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&, in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 216 .
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Switch off the ignition.
"' Read the engine coolant level from the
coolant expansion tank~
fig. 172. With a

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.

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
•
•