2013 AUDI A7 ignition

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer (eng ine rev counter)
@ Turn signals ............... .
11
12
45
@ Display with
®
®
-Driver information system .. .
- Wa rning/ind icator lights
Tachometer Fuel gauge
@ Tips
23
12
12
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on
and the vehicle lights are turned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of the
dials likewise dims automatically and wil l
go out completely when the outside light
is very low. This feature is meant to rem ind
you to switch on the headlights when out­
side light conditions become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD¢ fig. 3 only
works when the ignition is on . To prevent
damage to your eng ine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the eng ine has not reached operating
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions.
Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving cond i­
t ions. The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the engine is under heavy load or the exterior
temperature is high. This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate. If the LEDs
in the upper area of the disp lay and the indica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 16.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢ page 224, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting 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 iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
Em turns on
¢ page 22. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@<=>
fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex haust
system . The catalytic 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
malfunc tions <=>,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. 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
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
Q page 23. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can tu rn
o n in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher<=>
page 44.
-The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
<=> page 224, Engine compartment
@ Tips
Ma lf u nctions or faults wi ll be identified ei­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (pr iority
2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are ma rked
with a ,/ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbols indicate a prio rity malfunction -
D anger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
-Turn off the engine.
- Check the ma lf u nctioning system . Contact
your authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
USA mode ls:
Brake ma lf u nction,/
c::>page 15
Canada models:
Brake malfunction,/
c::>page 15
USA models:
- Electromechanical parking brake
____ ,
D
<=> page 16
Canada models:
Electromechanical parking brake
<=>page 16
Engine cooling system
c::> page 16
Engine oil pressure
c::> page 18
Engine oil level
Q page 18
Battery
<=>page 17
Safety belt
<=>page 17
Electromechanical steering ,/
<=> page 201
Electronic steering column lock
<=>page 18
Engine start system
<=>page 18
Speed warning system
<=>page 83
Adaptive cruise control*,/
<=>page88
Air suspe nsion*
Qpage 19
Pedestrian warning*
Qpage 105
Rear spoiler
c::>page 198
Yellow indicator lights
Yellow symbo ls indicate a prior ity 2 malfunc­
tion - Wa rning!
m
l:ml
El
fl
USA models: Safety systems
<=> page 19
Canada models: Safety systems
c::> page 19
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ,/
<=>page 19
Electronic Stabilization Control
( E SC) ,/
c::> page 19

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
Other indicator lights
II
II
Turn signals
¢page23
r.r;TJm USA models: Cruise control*
~¢page83
•
ra
Canada models: Cruise control*
¢page83
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page BB
_,. .... _
Pl
I
--
•
[I]
Adaptive c ruise control*
¢page BB
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page BB
Audi active lane assist*
¢page 96
Start-Stop-System*
¢page BO
Start-Stop-System*
¢page BO
High beam
¢poge45
BRAKE /((f) ) Brake system
The light i lluminates when the ignition is
switched on.
It goes out after the engine has
been started. This indicates that the brake
warning light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking , there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the brake system warning/indicator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction .
1111 (USA models)ta (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as follows: ""
Pull off the road .
... Stop the vehicle.
... Turn off the engine .
"" Check the brake fluid level¢
page 239.
"" Contact your nearest authorized repair fa-
cility if necessary .
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light Ii] (USA mode ls)/
¢0) G1 and the brake system indicator light
1111 (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking distr ibut ion are not working¢.&, .
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct ion correct­
ed ¢.&, .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
check if you can release the
parking brake. After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your authorized
Audi dealer immediately to have the mal ­
function corrected . If you cannot release the
park ing brake , see k professiona l assistance.
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
while driving , the emergency braking
function may not be available . It may not be
possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Seek profess ional as­
sis tan ce.
(USA models): If the warn ing light
1111 and
the warn ing light
IJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected ¢
page 21.
When the light comes on , an aud ible warn ing
s ignal is also g iven . ...,

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears , the coo lant temperature is too
high or the coo lant level is too low.
.,. Pull
off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn
off the engine.
.,. Check coo lant level
¢ page 23 7.
.,. Add coolant if necessary¢
page 238 .
.,. Continue driving only after the engine cool­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.,. Contact your authorized Aud i dealer for as-
s istance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc ­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at idle for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights ¢
page 44, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the en­
gine compartment - you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longe r see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping .
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the engine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 224,
Engine compartment.
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a ma lfunct ion in the
eng ine cooling system -you cou ld damage
your eng ine .
0 Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system .
The .warning/ indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the generator or veh icle electrical system.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediate ly . Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharg ing, turn
off all unnec ­
essary electrical equipment such as the rad io.
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
t•i low battery: battery will be charged
while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns
off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
a uthor ized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
~-Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warn ing/ indicato r light illum inates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety be lt. Additiona lly, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound.
For more Info rmation ¢
page 140, ~ Safety
belt warning light.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears , there is a ma lfunction in the en­
g ine start system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have the mal function cor rected .
0 Air suspension
Appl ies to vehicles: with a ir suspe nsio n
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with ma x. 35 mph .
There is a malfunction that can resu lt in re­
stricted driving stability .
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph
(60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Aud i dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
l!I Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restr icted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
l!I Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys ­
tem malf unct io n. Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal gro und clear­
ance . Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
~/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) !fll (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e .g.
a ir bags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on . If the
fl (USA models)
Jfll (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
mea ns there is a malfunct io n.
A WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
f!;.J fj Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stabilization Control .
When you switch the ignition on, the indicato r
light
G1 turns on briefly to check the function.
If the
G1 indicator lamp blinks while dr iv ing,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Reg ulation) is active­
ly reg ulat ing.
If the
Ji1 indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESC
off.
If the indicator light II turns on, the ESC was
switched to ESC sport mode with the button
[!]~page 196. If this is case , you can reacti­
vate the ESC by switching the ignition
off and
then on again. The warning/ indicator light
sho uld go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the indicato r light GI and the ABS indicator
li ght
B (USA models) ,1iJ (Canada mod­
els) tu rn on and the message appears, there is
a malfunction in the ABS system or electron ic
differential lock. This also inte rr upt s the ESC.
The brakes still function with their norma l
power, but ABS is not active .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi-
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected. .,..

20 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the battery te rm inals were disconnected
and re-connected, the vehicle was j ump sta rt­
ed or the batte ry is very weak, the ESC sensor
system goes through a learning process for
the first few yards. The warning/ind icator
light illuminates . The war ning/ indicato r light
goes out as soon as the learning proc ess is
comp lete .
For more informat io n about t he ESC
¢ page 196.
ABS/( @) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differ ential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light E (USA mod­
e ls)
;£1 (Canada mode ls) will come on fo r a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
The light will go out after an a utomat ic chec k
se quence is completed .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when :
-The warning/ indicator lig ht d oes not ill umi ­
nate whe n you switch the ign ition on.
- The wa rning/i ndicator lig ht does not go out
after a few seconds .
- The warning/indicator lig ht illumi nates
wh ile driving.
T he ESC ind ic a tor light a lso ill umin ates if
the re is a mal func tion in the A BS. T he mes ­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS ): Fault!
See owner's manual
a lso appears in the in ­
strument cluster disp lay and a warning tone
s o unds .
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system .
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as possible to restore full braking performance.
For more informat io n regarding the ABS
¢ page 196.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake wa rn ing light ¢ page 15 and the
ABS warning ill uminate
together there may be
a ma lfunction in the ABS, and there may also
be a ma lf u nct ion in the brake system itself
c::> /1. . The ABS will not work and you will no- tice a change in braking respon
se and per­
formance .
In the even t of a malfunction in the brake
system
t he warning/ind ic at or ligh t 11111
(U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) in the in ­
str ument cl uster flas hes
c::> page 15 .
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The E DL works toge ther w it h the AB S. T he
ABS wa rnin g light wi ll come on if there is a
malfu nction in t he EDL system
c::> page 196.
See your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ib le .
A WARNING
-- If the E (USA mode ls)/ rl] (Canada
mo dels) warning light does not go ou t,
or if i t com es on whi le driving, t he ABS
s y st em is not wor king pr ope rly. The vehi ­
cle can the n be st opped only wit h the
s ta nda rd b ra kes (withou t A BS) . Yo u w ill
not have the protect ion A BS provides .
Contact your Audi dea le r as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If t he 11111 warning light,
the
J_j) wa rnin g light and t he E warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up f irst under hard
b rak ing. Rear wheel lock-up can ca use
loss of vehicl e co ntrol and an accident.
Hav e your ve hicle repair ed imm ediat ely
by y our authori zed A udi deale r or a quali­
fi ed work sh op. Dr ive slo wly and avoid
sud de n, hard bra ke applicat ions.
-Canada models: If the br ake w arn ing
ligh t. , the
G1 wa rning light a nd th e
A BS warning ligh t
SJ come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
ha rd br aking. Rea r whee l loc k-u p can
cause loss of vehicle con tro l an d an acci­
dent. Have your veh icle repa ired immedi ­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified works hop. Drive s lowly a nd
avoid sudde n, hard b ra ke app lications.
-

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 21
(0 ) Worn brake pads
rl] Brak e pad s!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed. On USA models the wa rning light
rl]
comes on togethe r with the warn ing light
.. . Both sets of b rake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
~ WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a coll i­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light rl] and the wa rning
light ..
1> with the message Bra ke
pads !
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Aud i dea ler or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary .
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The Im warning/ indicator light (Electron ic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check .
(!) Tips
If this wa rning/indicator light ill uminates
while you are dr iving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine electron ics . Have
the malfunction co rrected as soon as pos­
sible by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r or
qua lified repair fa cility.
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunc tion Ind icator Lamp (M IL) is par t
of the On -Boa rd Diagnostic (OB D II) system.
The symbol ¢• tights up when the ignition is
switched on and w ill tur n off after the engine
has started and has sett led at a constant id le
1 ) - : USA mod els on ly
-
speed. This indicates that the M IL is work ing
properly .
T he wa rni ng lig ht ill uminates w hen the re is a
malfu nction in t he engine electron ic system .
Contact your a uth orized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected .
An imprope rly closed fuel fille r cap may a lso
ca use the M IL light to illuminate~
page 2 2 7 .
Fo r more information ~ page 29.
!?) Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles: wit h eng ine speed limitat ion
(I! Engine sp ee d maximum XXXX RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to
the speed d isplayed in the driver information
system. Th is protects the engine from over­
heating.
The eng ine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
tu re range and you have re leased the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light
Im a lso tu rns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed disp layed.
Drive to your authori zed A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
~. Engine oil level
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
dri ving
When the symbol II and driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ~
page 235.
~tt• Engine oil sensor
Ill Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illumina tes, contact yo ur au ­
thorized Audi dea ler and have the oil sensor
inspected. Until yo u have this done, check the .,..