2012 AUDI A7 recommended oil

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional pet role­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life o f your Audi .
W hether you use synthetic or petroleum­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
c o nform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your veh icle's engine
running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"s ludge," that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs .
At the time of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So a lways
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all tem ­
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade SAE
5W40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 219
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW S02 00 specification , in case you have to
top
off the o il while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE 5W-40, SA E 5W-30, o r SAE
OW-40 . However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween o il cha nge inte rva ls, never top
off with
more than a tota l of 0. 5 q t/liter engine o il
that does not con form to A udi oil specification
VW S02 00.
Fo r more information about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur a utho rized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your vehicle's War ­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important beca use the lubricat­
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you a re not sure when
you have your o il cha nged, ask your author­
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the veh icle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and-go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•

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.
-

222 Check ing and filling
and ad versely a ffect yo ur New Vehicl e
W arr ant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network o r
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays rea d an d h eed all WARN­
INGS c::> .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 216.
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during normal vehicle use .
Under some ci rcumstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe ­
riods .
Detergent addit ives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ n ing for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along w ith the special tools and necessary ex ­
pertise required , we strongly recommend that
you have your o il changed by an authorized
Audi de ale r or a qual ified servi ce station.
If you choo se to c hang e y our oi l y our self,
please note the followi ng important informa­
tion :
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmfu l to your sk in. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
with soap and wate r.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
g ine and adversely affect you r A ud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

272 Data
Data
310 hp, 3.0 liter 6-cylinder engine
Applies to vehicles: with 3 .0 liter 6-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive
Engine data
Ma ximum output SAE ne t
M aximum torque SAE net
No . of cylinders
Displacement
Stroke
Bo re
C ompress ion ratio
Fuel
Dimensions (approx .)
Leng th (w it h li cense pl ate bracket)
Width (across mirrors) He igh t (unloaded) hp@rp
m
lb-ft@ rpm
CID (cm
3 )
in (mm)
in (mm)
__ _, ,
310@ 5500 -6500
325 @ 2900- 4500
6
182 (2995)
3.50 (89 .0)
3 .33 (84.5)
10 .3: 1
Premium unleaded (91 AKI) Recommended for maxi­
mum engine performance. Further details¢
page 211,
Gasoline
in (mm) 1 95 .6 (4 969)
in (mm) 84.2 (2139)
in (mm) 55.9 (1 420)
Turning circle diameter (curb to curb) ft. (m) 39.0 (11.9)
Capacities (appro x.)
Fuel tank
- Total capacity
- Reserve (o f to tal capacity)
Windshield fluid container
Windshield and headlight wa sher
fluid container *
Engine oil with filter c hange gal (li
ters)
19 .8 (75 .0)
ga l (li ters) 2.6 (1 0 .0 )
quarts (liters) 3.7 (3 .5)
qu arts ( li1ters) 5 .2 (4 .9)
quarts (li ters) 7 .2 (6 .8)

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