2012 AUDI S7 fuel

58 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program.
- T he support feet of the roof rack must al­
ways be insta lled in the holes in the roof
frame ~
fig. 58 . The holes are only visible
when the doors are open . In the case of roof
racks with pins, the pins must be secured in
the holes during assembly.
- We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
vehicle.
Wh en sh ould the roo f ra ck be re mo ved ?
-Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice).
- When not in use, to reduce fuel consump­
tion, wind no ise and to guard against theft.
A WARNING
-Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor­
rect mount ing of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack o r the items at­
tached to it to fa ll off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects fall ing from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and persona l injury.
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig­
nated locations o n the roof ~
fig. 58.
-The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro­
vided.
- When driving w ith a roof rack system,
changes to the center of g ravity and wind
resistance ca n cha nge the veh icle han­
dling and lead to a collision. A lways
adapt yo ur driv ing and you r speed to the
c u rrent conditions.
(D Note
- Your vehi cle warranty does not cover any
damages to the veh icle caused by using
r oof racks or mo unt ing structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle. The
same applies to damage resulting from
i ncorrect roof rack installation. - Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur­
ing a trip to make s ure everyth ing is se ­
curely tightened.
If necessary, ret ighten
the mountings and check the entire sys­
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof
of your vehicle, the height of the veh icle
is naturally increased. Be careful when
dr iving unde r low bridges or in parking
garages for example. This cou ld cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself .
- Ma ke sure the open rear lid and the sun­
roo f* do not come into contact with the
roo f rack .
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down .
.,. Always distrib ute the loads on the roof rack
even ly .
.,. Always attach items to the roof rack secure-
ly before you drive off.
T he maxim um permissible roof weight is
220
lb (100 kg ).
The roof weig ht is the tota l of
the weight of the roof rack, the attachments
and the cargo you are carrying. You must a lso
not exceed the maximum load weight for the
roof rack you are using.
When using a roof rack system which has a
l ower load carrying capacity, you must not use
up the total maxim um permissible load carry­
ing capacity specif ied above. Instead, you
shou ld load the roof rack system only to the
maximum capacity specified by the manufac­
tu rer of the roof rack system .
A WARNING
Weak, damaged o r improper straps used
to secure items to the roof ra ck can fail
d uring h ard braking or in a coll is ion and
cause serious personal inju ry .
.

-Make sure the roof rack is instal led exact­
ly as specified above
c::> page 57.
- Always use suitable mounting straps for
securing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- Items on the roof rack must always be securely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negative ly af­
fect the way a vehicle handles. Cargo
that is large, heavy, bulky, long or flat
will have a greater negative influence on
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overall handling. Always dr ive slowly, avo id sudden braking and
maneuvers when transpo rting cargo on
the roof o f your vehicle .
- Never exceed the maximum perm iss ible
load carry ing capacity of t he roof of your
vehicle, the perm issib le axle weights and
the permissible total weight of your vehi­ cle
c::> page 270 , Weights.
- Always drive slowly, avoid sudden brak­
ing and maneuvers when transporting
cargo on the roof of your vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Sometimes it may be easier to leave a roof
rack insta lled even though you are not us ­
ing it. Due to the increased air resistance
your vehicle will unnecessari ly use more
fuel. Remove the roof rack if you are not going to use it.
Sea ts a nd s to rage 59
Luggage compartment
Loading luggage compartment
Items of luggage must be stowed securely.
Fig. 59 Place heavy objects as far forward as possible.
Note the following to preserve the vehicle's
good handling charac teristics.
.., Distribute the load as evenly as possible .
.., Place heavy objects as far forward as poss i­
ble
c::> fig. 59.
.., Secure the items of luggage w ith the cargo
net* or w ith non -elastic retaining straps to
the tie-down rings *
c::> page 61.
A WARNING
-Loose objects in the l uggage compart­
ment can slide about suddenly and a lter
the vehicle's handling characteristics.
- Loose objects in the passenger compart­
ment can fly forward during abr upt ma­
neuvers or accidents and injure occu­
pants .
- Always store objects in the luggage com­
partment and use suitable straps, partic­
ularly with heavy objects.
-
- When you transport heavy objects, al­
ways remember that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity may result in a change in
the vehicle's handling characteristics.
- Follow all warnings
c::> page 118, Driving
Safely.
(D Tips
The t ire pressure must be ad justed to the
load -see the t ire pressure sticker located
on the dr iver's side B-pillar .

gear ratio based on vehicle speed and engine RPM. The engin e RPM will be controll ed to
prod uce maximum vehicle acce leration as
l ong as you continue to press the accelerator
pedal beyond this resistance point.
A WARNING
Be careful when using the k ick-down fea­
ture o n slippe ry roads . Rapid accelerat ion
may cause the veh icle to skid .
Dynamic shift program (DSP}
Applies to vehicles: with tiptronic
The au tomatic transmission is electronically
controlled .
-
The transmission is self adapting and will au­
tomat ically
selec t the best shift progr am suit­
ed to the driving condit ions and driving style .
T he transmission will se lect one of the
econo­
m y
programs when you drive at a steady
speed or a gradually changing speed without heavy acceleration . T his achieves optimum
fuel efficiency, with early upshifting and de­ layed downshifting .
The transmission will automat ically select the
s porty shift programs when you drive at high­
e r speeds, or with heavy acceleration and fre­
quent ly chang ing speeds . Upshifts are de layed
to make fu ll use of eng ine power. Downsh ift­
i ng takes p lace a t higher engine speeds than
i n the e conomy programs.
The selection of the most su itab le shift p ro­
g ram is a cont inuous, automatic p rocess. The
d river can al so make the transmission switch
to a sporty program by
quickl y pressing down
the gas pedal.
This causes the transmission to shift down to
a lower gear to achieve rap id acceler ation, e.g.
fo r q ui ckly passing another veh icle. You do not
need to press the gas peda l into the kick -down
range . After the transmission has upshifted,
the original program is se lected according to
your driving style.
Automatic Tra nsmi ssi on 105
An additional sh ift program allows the auto­
matic transmission to select the p roper gear
for uphill and downhi ll grad ients.
T his keeps the transm ission from shift ing up
and down unnecessarily on hills . The t rans­
m iss ion w ill s hift down to a lower gear when
the driver presses the brake pedal on a down­ hill gradient . Th is makes use of the braking ef­
fect of the engine wi thou t the need to sh ift
down manually .
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with tiptron ic
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
,
f
F ig. 112 Cente r console : shi fting th e tiptron ic ma nua l­
l y
Fi g. 1 13 Disp lay : man ual shi ft pro gram , s ele cted gear
hi ghlig hted
Switching to m anual shift program
... Push the selector lever to the right from DI
S. As soon as the transmiss ion has sw itched
over, the se lected gear appears in the dis­
p lay .
To upshift
... Push the se lector lever forward to the plus
position
0 q fig . 112 . Ill>-

106 Autom atic Tran smissi on
To d ownsh ift
.,. Push the lever to the m inus position 0 -
When acce lerat ing, the transm iss ion w ill au­
tomatically sh ift into the next gear befo re the
engine reaches its maxim um RPM.
If you apply a light throttle when accelerat­ ing , tiptronic will automatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gea r to save fuel.
If you apply a heavy
thrott le, the transmission will stay in 1st gear
unti l near maximum RPM is reached, or unt il
the driver shifts into 2nd gear .
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iving down a steep i ncl ine, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and engine RPM. Auto­
matic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the throttle again.
(D Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- tiptronic is inoperative when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Steering wheel with tiptronic
Applies to vehicles: with tiptron ic steer ing wheel
The shift buttons on the steering wheel allow
the driver to shift gears manually .
Fig. 1 14 Stee ring wheel: Sh ift butto ns
.,. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0 -
.,. To upshift, touch the button on the r ight
0 -
The shift buttons are activated when the se­
lector lever is in
D /S or in the manual shift
program (tiptronic).
Of course , you can continue to use the manua l
shift program with the selector lever on the
center console.
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with tiptronic
[O] Transm iss ion : pleas e pre ss the br ake ped­
al and select the pos ition again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then
continue driving.
[O] Tran smi ssio n hot: ple ase m odify dri ving
style
The transm iss io n temperat ure has in cr eased
s ignificantly due to the spor ty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty ma nner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmi ssion malfun ction: You can c on­
tinue driv ing
T he re is a system malfunction i n the t ransm is­
s ion. You m ay cont inue drivi ng. Drive to you r
authorized Aud i dea ler o r qualified repa ir fa­
c il ity soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Transmis sion malfun ction: Limited driv­
ing functionality
There is a system malfunction in the t ransm is­
s ion . The transm ission is switching to emer­
gency mode . This mode o nly shifts into ce r­
ta in gears o r will no longer shift at all. The en­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair faci lity immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmi ssion malfunc tion: St op and shift
~p ~

192 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
... Avoid hig h engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 mile s (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
... Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transm ission is i n N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break-in period
... Do not exceed maximum engine speed un­
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale
c:> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break- in p rocess is do ne de­
pends to a conside rable extent on th e way the
ve hicl e is driven d uring the first 1,0 00 miles
(1, 500 k ilome ters).
0 Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduced. However, these rpm
lim its are progr amme d for an engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine .
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ­
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
part icularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing .
A WARNING
New tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "broken -in" . Be s ure to remember
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les ( 500 kilo ­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full bra king effect dur ing the fi rst 250 m iles
(400 kilomete rs) afte r they a re insta lled .
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
fo re t hey have optima l grab
c:> A .
During the break- in period, you should avoid
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include, for example, sudden hard brak­
i ng, in particular at very high speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
A WARNING
New b rake pa ds don't have t he bes t stop­
pi ng power and mus t be "broke n-in " dur­
i ng the in iti al 1 00 to 150 mi les (150 to
20 0 k ilometers) of no rma l city driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the
br ake peda l mo re f irm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.

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. •
•

194 Driving and en vironm ent
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
@) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
t ion will give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con ­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.

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 .
•
•