2012 AUDI A7 engine overheat

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant.
Q) Note
- Mount ing additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
proper ly distrib ute the cooling air wh en
t h e veh icle i s moving.
If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over ­
heat . Ask yo ur authorized Audi dea ler fo r
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine R PM drops be low 1 ,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gea r. T he red area
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
pe rmissib le engine RPM after the break- in pe­
riod. Before reach ing this area, move these­
lector lever to position "D/S (Drive)" or ease
your foot off the accelerator peda l.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should only br iefly
be in the red zone: you cou ld damage your
eng ine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the e ng ine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early saves fuel and reduces en­
g ine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only wo rks when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level drops below 2.6 gallons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator
light~ turns on ¢
page 20. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fue l level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current f uel
level is shown in tab@¢
page 22, fig . 4 .
(D Note
Neve r run the tan k comp letely dry. An ir­
r egular supp ly o f fu el can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the exha ust
system . The cata lytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunctions
q ,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same time. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
ing the multifunction steering whee l
¢
page 22. I f there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicators lights in the d isplay can tu rn
o n in seve ra l c olors.
&_ WARNING
- F ailure to heed warning l igh ts an d other
important vehicle in formation may resu lt
in serious personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stoppe d for repair,
move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
q page 42.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system i n­
spected .
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, you will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle . Do not re ly on stra ined brakes to
re spond w ith maxim um stopp ing power
in cri tic al situa tions. You mus t all ow for
increased bra king distances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident.
PARK /(®) Electromechanical parking
brake
Th e warning/indicator light monitors th e
electrome chanical parking broke.
If the indicator light- (USA models) ti
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake
was set . If the parking brake is set when the
ignit ion is off, th@ indicator light turns off af­
t er abou t 20 seconds.
The warning/indicator light will go out when
the park ing brake is released.
- (USA model s) /. (Canada model s)
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indi cator lig ht blinks and the message
appears, t here is no t eno ugh braking powe r to
keep the vehi cle from ro lling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline .
Pres s brake p ed al to r elea se parkin g brake
To release the parking brake, press the b rake
pedal and p ress the button~ or start driving
with start ing ass ist a t the same time
r=.> page 75.
Pleas e release parking brake
To release the parking brake man ua lly, pre ss
t he brake pedal and press the button ~ at the
same time . The parking brake on ly release au ­
tomatically if the dr iver 's safety belt is fas­
tened.
ll'J Parking brake!
If the ll'J indicato r light turns on and this
mess age appears , the re is a parki ng b ra ke
malfu nction . Drive to your au thori zed A udi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
hav e the malfunctio n corrected .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and che ck coolant level
If the indica tor l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too high or the coolant leve l is too low.
.,. Pull off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Tu rn off th e engine.
.,. Check coolant level¢
page 223 .
.,. Add coo lant if necessary r=.> page 224.
.,. Con tinue driv ing on ly afte r the engine cool­
ant warning/indicator ligh t goes out .
.,. Contact yo ur authorize d Au di d ealer for as-
s istance if necessary.
I f the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Pl ease let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs in trailer mode*, let the eng ine
run a t idl e for a few minutes to cool down .
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should brea k down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, tu rn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
r=.> page 42, Emergency
flasher .
-
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coola nt escaping from the en­
g ine compartment -you r isk be ing scald­
ed . Wait unt il you ca n no longer see o r
hea r steam o r coolant escap ing . ..,.

Cruise control
Switching on
Applies to vehicles: with cr uise contro l
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph
(30 km/h).
0
•
~
0
Fig . 79 Contro l lever with set button
Fig. 80 Display: Selected speed
• Pull the lever to position (D ¢ fig. 79 to
switch the system on.
• Drive at the speed you wish to set.
• Press button @to set that speed.
The stored speed and the indicator light
lff;(1)~1~ (US models) 111 (Canad ian models) ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display
¢ fig. 80. The display may vary, depending on
the type of display in your vehicle . The indica­
tor
light ll in the instrument cluster also illu­
minates.
This information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up Display*.
The speed is kept constant via an engine out­
put adjustment or active brake intervention .
On the road 77
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on. You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between your veh icle and
other veh icles .
- For safety reasons, the cruise contro l
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of accident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily
when entering turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones .
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cruise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched off. The other cruise control functions re­
ma in active as long as the indicato r light
mmlm (US models) !Iii (Canadian mod­
e ls) is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the
brakes decelerate automatically.
Changing speed
Applies to vehicles: wi th cruise co ntrol
• Press lever in the 0 or 0 direction
¢ page 77, fig. 79 to increase or decrease
your speed .
• Release the lever to
save that speed.
Change speed in in crements of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by lightly pressing the lever. If you keep the
lever pressed down, you will a lter your speed
in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g . if you want to
II>

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Horne Link® universal remote
control
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand -held transmitters
from existing equipment.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can operate equ ipment such as garage
doors, property gates and house lights from ins ide your vehicle.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can replace up to three separate hand ­
held transmitters for equipment on your
property with just one universal remote con­
trol. Most of these transmitters a re used to
ope rate ga rage doo rs and p roperty gates. The
individua l transmitters are programmed at
the front bumper. That is where the control
module is located.
The transmitters must be programmed first in
order to operate systems using the Homelink universal remote control.
A WARNING
-
- Never use the Homelink ® transmitter
with any garage door opener that does have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as required by federal safety stand­
ards . Th is includes any garage door open­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards. Us ing a ga rage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the
Homelink ® 115
Homelink ® remote control is being pro­
grammed.
If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, t his can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components - an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avo id possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certain that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(D Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink ® Universal Transce iver,
Homel ink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories such as the
Homel ink ® Lighting Package, please
contact Homelink at 1 -800 -355-3515 o r
on the Internet at www.homelink.com.
- For Declara tion of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada reg ula­
tions ~
page 2 76.

ESP includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS) , brake assist sys ­
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
ferential lock ( EDL) and e lectronic interax le
d ifferential lock* . ESP is swi tched on all the
time. In certain situat ions when you need less
traction , you can switch off ASR by pressing
the button
[ru <::;> page 186, fig . 161 . Be sure
to switch ASR on again when you no longer
n eed less t raction.
Anti-lock br aking s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The veh icle can still be steered
even during hard braking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped ­
a l. A puls ing in the bra ke peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d istance.
It increases braking power when the
d river p resses the brake pedal quic kly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and ho ld the
b rake peda l until the situation is over. In vehi­
cles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake
assist system is more sensitive if the distance
detected to the vehicle ahead is too small.
Anti -slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-whee l drive* . This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL will switch on again au ­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
Electronic intera xle differ ential l ock */
s el ecti ve w heel torque cont rol *
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
whee l drive) or the se lective whee l torque
control (all-wheel dr ive) operates when dr iv­
ing through curves . The front wheel on the in­
s ide of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
T his min imizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more p recise d riving through
curves . T he applicable system may no t acti­
vate when driv ing in wet or snowy conditions.
A WARNING
-
- ESP , ABS, ASR, EDL and the e lectronic in­
teraxle diffe rential lock function* cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is es­
pecially important on slippery or wet
roads . If the systems begin acting to sta­
bilize your veh icle, you shou ld immedi­
ately change you r speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will increase the risk o f a loss of vehi ­
cle control, collision and serious persona l
inju ries.
-A lways adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions . The risk of los ­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . ESP, ABS, the brake ass ist system,
EDL, ASR and the e lectronic interax le dif­
fe rential lock fu nction* cannot prevent
coll is ions .
- Always accelerate with spec ial care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve -
hicle control. .,.
•
•

188 Intelligent technology
road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coating
from brake discs and pads with a few careful applications of the brake
i:> ,&. .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
i:> .&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circuits may have failed
i:> ,&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running
c> .&. .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection
c> page 254, Changing a wheel.
,8. WARNING
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut
off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .

Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
.. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 211,
Fuel supply.
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to
empty.
.,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine
¢ page 221, Adding engine oil~-
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
importa nt for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
0 Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢ page 221.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire . U nburned fuel could a lso get i nto
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 193
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not switch off the ignit ion while the
vehicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
co uld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave your vehicle maintained prope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendat ions in you r Warranty &
M aintenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehi cle w il l impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is
operat ing properly, the exha ust gas can
have a sul fur -li ke exhaust gas smell under
some operating states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are drivi ng on poo r roads, or over
c ur bs, s teep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low -lying parts s uch as spoilers and exhaust
system pa rts do not bottom o ut and get dam­
aged.
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles w ith low­
s lung chassis (spor ts chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles. •
•

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 ..,.