2013 AUDI A7 brake fluid

-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch :
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical ha zards c:::> & .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition ,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
Checking and filling 231
-Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
(® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.,. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
.,. Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c:::> ,A .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while driv ­
ing .
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­ ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driving that the hood
is not secured properly , stop at once and
close it. •
•

232 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 189 Typ ical layout for contai ners and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Jump start point(-) with hex
head screw .... .............
243, 279
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ............... .... .
243,279
®
©
®
®
Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) . . . . . 239
Engine oil filler cap ( Coolant expansion tank
(-L) ...
Windshield/headlight washer
237
t . (.'R) con ainer ,,.., ............ . . 244
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 230.
-
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 time 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 wi ll
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera-
tion. ..,.

scalding from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engi ne and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escapi ng fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise dir ect ion while
a pply ing lig ht, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifree ze o r coolan t on t he exh aust sys­
tem or ho t engine parts . Un der certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifree ze is poisono us. Always store an­
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con ­
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could ca use a n engine fire . Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres ­
sure re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 237 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be re used . Al­
ways dispose of used c oolant while observ­
ing all envir onmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automa tically by
itself
An auxiliary e lectric radiator fa n switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other ve hicle operating conditions.
Checkin g and fillin g 239
After you switch the engine off, the auxi liary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even w ith the ign ition off. It can even switch
o n again later by itself¢.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build- up from the engine in
the engi ne compartment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
&_ WARNING
--To reduce the risk of persona l in ju ry nev-
er touch the radiator fan .
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certai n temperature and will
cont inue to ru n until the coo lant temper­
atur e drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
N
N
N
.,; 0:, a,
Fig. 193 Engin e co mpa rt m ent: cove r on t he bra ke fluid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment,
alw ays r ead and heed all WARN­
INGS c:> A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 230 .
.. Read t he brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:> fig. 193, c:> fig. 189. The
brake fluid level must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings. .,..

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
The location of the brake fluid reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢ page 232.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/ind i­
cator light
1111 (U .S . models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on¢
page 15. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an au thorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate . Contact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh , corros ion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
ev ery two year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which conforms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS
116 DO T 4".
The brake flu id reservoir can be difficult to
r each, therefo re , we recommend that you
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur author­
ized
Audi d ealer. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor ­
ed only in the closed orig inal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
caut ions: -
Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard
116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid . The correct type of
brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id reservoir.
- T he brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the bra kes ca n cause a vapo r lock if
the b rake fluid is left in the system too
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi ­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the paint of you r
vehicle .
(® For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of b ra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
re commend that you have the brake fluid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
Battery
General information
U nder normal ope rat ing cond itions , the bat­
tery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high o utside tempe ra tu res or
l ong daily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level checked by a service fa­
cility. The electrolyte leve l should a lso be
checked each t ime the battery is charged
<=> page 243.
Have th e battery checked when yo u take your
veh icle in for service. You are well advised to
replace a battery that is o lder than S years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the veh icle elec­
trical system for safety reasons<=>.&
in Re­
pair , care and dispo sal of the airbags on
page
165.

Unbalanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed .
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety o f the vehi­
cle. If tires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
All-wheel d rive
Vehicles w ith quattro ® must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
F or detai ls see
r=!:> page 201 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil , gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age eve n if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with spe cial care a nd at lower
s peeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u a re not s ure of their "prev ious histo­
ry." Old used ti res may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control. Tires and wheels 25
7
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 20 0 Tir e spec ificat io n codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. De sc ription
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nomina l w idth of t ire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Aud i Origina l tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ T ire ply composition and mater ials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperat ure
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts o f the
vehicle's design . The ti res and rims app roved
by Audi a re spec ia lly matched to the charac­
teris tic s of the ve hicl e and can m ake a major .,.
•

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss io n) is
in P (Park position) and the park bra ke is
applied.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Changing t he eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d isposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
r ate Mate rial -spec ia l hand ling may ap­
ply, see www.dts c.ca .gov/haza rdous­
was te/perch lorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the res traint system in cl ud ing
a irbag modules safety be lts wit h preten ­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this
se rv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing acce ssories.
Your veh icle inco rporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res e nsu ring a high standard of ac­
tive and passive safe ty .
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
p roved changes to the ve hicle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced, please observe
t he following points when ins tall ing addition­
a l accessories:
Con sumer In formation 29 1
Approved Audi accesso ries and genuine Aud i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal­
ers.
T hese de alers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and tra ined spec ialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly .
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare pa rts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and ge nuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on yo ur ve­
hicle.
- Never install accessor ies such as tele­
phone crad les or beverage ho lders o n air­
bag covers or withi n the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase t he
ris k of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accide nt!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always r ead and heed a ll
W ARNINGS ~
page 224.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine A udi spare
par ts, add-on equipmen t and accessory
items are used o r if repair wo rk is not
performed a ccord ing to spe cified met h­
ods, this ca n resu lt in s evere damage to
yo ur vehicle's engine and body (s uch as
co rrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs mus t be performed
elsewhere, have the veh icle examined by
an authorized Aud i dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.
•
•

Index 295 ____________________________ ...:.:..:.=.:::.::.:
Automatic climate control
Air vents ... ................ ... .... 72
Automatic recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Operation ................... .. ....
71
Setup ... ..................... .... 73
synchronizing . ........ ... ... ... ... . 72
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) ... ... .. .. .
110
A t t· t . .
u oma 1c ransm1ss1on ....... .. .. .. . 109
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . .. .. .. .. . 110
Driving .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 111
Emergency mode ............ ... .. . 114
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Kick-down . ................. ... ... 113
Manual shift program ..... .. .. .. .. . 113
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Automatic wipers ................ .... 47
Auto Safety Hotline ......... ... ... ..
138
Average consumption ....... .. .. .. .. .. 25
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Avoid damaging the vehicle ...... ... .. 205
B
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Brake system
Anti-lock braking system .............
20
Brake assist system ................ 196
Brake booster .. .. ................. 200
Brake fluid .. .. .. .... ............. 239
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re ­
placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
240
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Brake pads .... .. .. . ..............
204
Electromechanical parking brake ... .. . 78
Fluid reservoir ... .. ...............
239
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? ....... .... ...............
199
Warning/indicator lights ........ .... . 15
Worn brake pads symbol ............ . 21
braking guard
Settings ... ... .... ................
93
Braking guard ..... .. ................ 86
Messages . .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 93
Break-in period .. .. .. ............... 204
Brake pads .. .. .. .... ... .... .... .. 204
Tires
Bulbs
....... ..... .. ...............
204
278
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
240 C
Charging ... ................ ... ... 243
Important warnings ......... ... .. . 241
Jump starting ..................... 279
Location . .. ............. .... .. ...
241
low . .. ... . .... ............. .. .. . 202
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
State of charge .............. .... .. 202
Winter operation ............ .... .. 240
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 241
Before driving .. ........... .. .. .. ... 130
Blended gasoline ................... 225
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 72
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
69
Body cavity sealing ......... .. .. .. .. . 219
Booster seats ..... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 184
Brake fluid
Changing the brake fluid ........... .
240
Checking the brake fluid level . .. .. .. . 239
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 239
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? .......... .. ....
239
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 231
Battery specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Engine oil ... .. .. .................
232
Car care .... .. .. .. ................. 213
Exterior ......... .. ..... .......... 213
Interior ... .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ 219
Car carrier
Transporting your vehicle ....... .. .. 283
Cargo area ... ..... .. ...............
136
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Catalytic converter ... .............. . 205
Center armrest
Cockpit ... .. .. .. ................. .
54
Central locking .. .... ... ....... ...... 34
Emergency locking .. ... ....... .... .. 38
Certification .. .. .. .................
292
Changi ng a wheel .. .... ......... .... 269
Changing engine oil .. ... ....... .... .
236
Chassis (undercoating) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
•
•

298 Index
------------------------------------
Data .... ....... ......... ... .... . 28 7
Start-Stop-System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
start ing .. .. ................ ..... .. 75
Starting with jumper cables .. .. ..... 279
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Engine compartment ........ .... ... . 232
C losing the hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Opening the hood ................. 230
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .... . 230
Working in the engine compartment .. 230
Engine coolant .................... . 237
Adding coolant ............ ... .... . 238
Checking the engine coolant level . . . . . 23 7
Expansion tank ........... .. .. .. .. . 237
Malfunction symbol ....... .. .. .... .. 16
Radiator fan .............. ... .. .. . 239
Temperature gauge ........ ..... .. .. 11
Engine oil ... ................ ..... . 232
Adding .. .... ........... .... .... . 235
Additives . .. ............. .. .. .. ... 235
Changing .... ... .... .... .. .. .. .. . 236
Check ing the engine oil level .. .. .. .. . 235
I ndications and cond it ions requ iring ex-
tra checking .. ........... .. .. .... . 235
I ndicator light ........... .. .. .. .. .. 18
O il consumption .......... .... .... . 234
Oil grades . ................. ..... . 232
Oil level symbol .................... 21
Pressure malfunction ....... ... .. .. .. 18
Recommended oil check intervals ..... 235
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscosity .. .. .. .. .. . 232
Engine sound .............. ... .... . 102
E ng ine speed limitation ....... .. .. .. . . 21
Engine start-stop mode
refer to Star t-Stop-System ... .. .. .. .. 82
Engine start system (indicator lights) . ... 18
Environment Break-in period ......... .. .. .. .. .. . 204
Cata lytic converter ........ .. .. .. .. . 205
Disposing of your vehicle battery . ... . 244
Driving at high speeds .............. 207
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 206
Fuel . .. .. ............... .. .. .... . 227
Fuel economy ............ .... .... . 206
Leaks under your vehicle ... .. .. .. .. . 230
Lett ing the vehicle stand and warm up . 207
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 240 Proper disposal of d
rained engine cool-
ant ..... ..... .. .. .............. . 238
Proper disposal of drained eng ine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235, 236
Recycling used engine oil ........ .... 23S
Unleaded fuel .. .. ................ . 22S
What should I do with an old battery? . 244
ESC (Electronic Stabilization Control) Warning/indicator lights ........ .. .. . 19
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ........ .. .. 196
Exhaust tail pipes .. .......... ...... . 219
Expansion tank .... ................ . 237
Exterior lighting . ... ............ .. .. . 43
Exterior mirrors Adjusting ..... .. .. ........ ...... .. 49
Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Heating ...... ... .. .............. .. 49
Exterior temperature display ...... .. .. . 23
F
Fastening
Booster seats .. .. ............. .... 184
Convertible child safety seats . . . . . . . . 182
Infant seats ... .. ............. .... 181
Floor mats . ..... .. ................ . 13S
Foot pedals ..... .. ..... ........... . 13S
For the sake of the environment Gasoline fumes and the environment .. 227
Reducing engine noise by early upshift-
ing ...... .... ... .. ................ 11
Refueling ... .. .. ....... ...... .. .. 227
Sav ing fuel by early upsh ifting . .. .. .. . 11
Four- zone automatic climate control . .. . 71
Front airbags
Description .... .. ................ . 1S3
How they work ... ................ . 159
Frontal coll is ions and the laws of phys ics 141
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Adjusting ... .. .. ....... ...... .. .. 132
Child restraints in the front seat ...... 151
Fuel Additives .. .... .. ............. .... 225
Blended gasoline .............. .... 225
Current consumption .............. .. 25
Economy messages (efficiency program) 26
Fuel filler flap emergency release ... .. 228