2013 AUDI A7 brakes

92 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
Audi braking guard
Descript ion
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adap tive cruise control
Fig. 96 Instrument cluster: approach warn ing
Braking guard uses radar sensors and a video
camera . It also functions within the limits of
the system when adapt ive cruise control is
switched off .
What can braking guard do?
When detected in time, the system can assess
situations when a vehicle ahead brakes sud­
denly or if your own vehicle is traveling at a
high speed and approaching a vehicle up
ahead that is moving more slowly . Brak ing
guard does not react if it cannot detect the
situation .
The system advises you of various situations:
- The
distance warning is given if you are too
close to the vehicle ahead for a long time. If
the vehicle ahead brakes sharply, you will not be able to avoid a collision . The indicator
light
I in the display comes on .
- The
approach warning is given when a de­
tected veh icle up ahead in your lane is mov ­
i ng much more slowly than you are or if it
brakes sharply . When this warning is given,
it may only be possible to avoid a collision
by swerving or braking sharply. Th e indicator
light
I and indicato r in the display will warn
you about the danger¢
fig. 96. You will a lso
hear an acoustic signal.
If you do not react fast enough or do not react
at all to the situation, braking guard will inter-
ll This is not ava ilable in some co un tri es .
vene by braking and the message braking
guard intervention
wi ll appear.
- If a coll is ion is imm inent, the system wi ll
fi rst prov ide an
acute warning by briefly and
sharply applying the brakes.
- If you do not react to the acute warning,
braking guard can brake with increas ing
force within the limits of the system . This
reduces the vehicle speed in the event of a
collision.
- The system can initiate maximum braking
short ly before a co llision
1l . Full deceleration
at high speeds occurs only in vehicles with
adaptive cruise control and side assist (pre
sense plus) .
- If the braking guard senses that you are not
braking hard enough when a collision is im­
m inent, it can increase the braking force .
- The pre sense functions also engage when a
collision is imminent¢
page 194.
Which function s can be controlled?
You can switch braking guard and the dis­
tance/approach warning on or off in the MMI
i=> page 93, Settings in the MMI.
A WARNING
-
Lack of attention can cause collisions, oth-
er accidents and serious personal injuries.
The braking guard is an assist system and
cannot prevent a collision by itself . The
driver must always intervene. The dr iver is
a lways respons ible for braking at the cor­
rect time.
- Always pay close attention to traffic,
even when the braking guard is switched
on. Be ready to intervene and be ready to
take complete control whenever necessa­
ry. Always keep the safe and legal dis­
tance between your veh icle and vehicles
up ahead.
- Braking guard works within limits and
will not respond outside the system lim­
its, for example when approaching a
stopped vehicle or stationary obstacle ..,.

110 Automatic Transmission
brakes applied ¢ & in Driving the automatic
transmission on page
112.
When the veh icle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the footbrake before and while moving the
lever out of N.
D/S -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmiss io n can be
operated e ither in the normal mode Dor in
the sport mode S. To select the sport mode S,
pull the se lector lever back briefly . Pulling the
lever back again will select the normal mode
D. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style.
Select the
spo rt mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's
power. Shifting may become noticeable when
accelerating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while moving the lever to D/S out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢ & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page
112.
d) Note
-
Coasting downhill with the transmission in
N and the engine not running w ill result in
damage to the automatic transmission
and possibly the catalytic converter.
@ Tips
- Audi drive select: you can adjust the
sporty sh ift characteristics in the
Dy­
namic driving mode.Swill appear in the
i nst rument cluste r d isplay instead of D.
-If you accidentally select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal immediately and wait
for the engine to
slow down to idle before selecting D/S.
-If there is a power failure, the selector
lever will not move out of the P position.
The emergency release can be used if
this happens
¢page 115.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Applies to vehicles : wit h S t ronic/tipt ro ni c
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or
the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
( )
Fig. 116 Shi ft gate: selector leve r loc k pos it ions and
r e lease button highlighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
.,. Tu rn the ignition on.
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the
side of the gear selector knob
¢ fig. 116
with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
s itions when the ignit ion is tu rned on. You
must press the brake pedal and the re lease
button to select another position . As a re­
minder to the driver, the following warning
appears in the instrument cluster display
when the selector is in P and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while se­
lecting gear
T he Automatic Shift Lock only functions when
the vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h).

112 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
_& WARNING
-The veh icle can also roll when the engine
is stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gear. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
act ivate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is runn ing and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptron ic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
chang ing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary and the
eng ine is running.
- Never shift into
R or P wh ile driving.
- Before driv ing down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
peda l too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to ove rheat and s ubstant ially re­
duces braking per formance, increases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail ­
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, a lways hold it
in place with the bra ke peda l or parking
brake.
- Never hold the ve hicle on an inc line with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
[O] illu­
mi nates and a dr iver message appears
¢ page 114 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the eng ine must remain running, never
have any driv ing pos ition engaged when
c heck ing under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P w
it h the park ing brake set
¢ page 224, Engine compartment. Oth­
erwise, any increase in engine speed may
set the veh icle in motion, even with the
parking brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incl ine, do not try
to hold t he vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This ca n cause the transmis­
sion to ove rheat and can damage it . Acti­
vate the pa rking brake or press the bra ke
peda l to preven t the vehicle from roll ing.
- Allowing th e vehicle to ro ll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selecto r lever is
in N will d amage the tr ansmission be­
cause it is not l ubricated unde r those cir ­
cumstances .
(D Tips
Fo r saf ety reaso ns, the pa rking br ake is re­
l eased automatically on ly when the d riv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h S t ronic/tiptro nic
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill des cent con trol is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and yo u press the brake
peda l. The transmission automatica lly selects
a gear that is suitable for the incline . Hi ll de ­
scent contro l tries to maintain the speed ach ­
ieved at the time of braking, within phys ica l
and technical lim itations. If may st ill be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes .
Hill descent cont ro l switches off once the de­
cline leve ls out or you press the acce lerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise contro l system*
¢ page 83, hill descent control is also activat-
ed when the speed is set. .,..

_& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to ma intain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the
brakes.
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with 5 tronic/tiptronic
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears .
Fig. 118 Ce nter con sole : s hi fting t he tiptronic ma nua l­
ly using selector lever
Fig. 119 Stee ring wheel: sh ift ing t he tiptron ic manua l­
ly using shi ft buttons•
Gea r selection with selecto r le ver
The t iptron ic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
• Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
S . An M appears in the instrument cluster
display as soon as the transmission has
shifted.
• To upsh ift, p ush the selector leve r fo rward
to the p lus posi tion
0 ~ fig. 118.
• To downshift, push the lever to the minus
position
0 .
Automatic Tra nsmi ssi on 11 3
Gear select ion w ith padd le l evers*
The shift buttons are activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manua l
shift program.
• To upshift, touch the button on the r ight
0
~fig. 119.
• To downshift, touch the button on the left
0 .
The transm iss ion automatically shifts up or
down before cr itical engine speed is reached .
The transm iss ion only allows manual sh ifting
when the engine speed is w ith in the pe rmit­
ted range.
a) Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gea r,
the t ransmission will downshift only
w hen there is no possibility of ove r-rev­
ving the engine .
- Whe n the ki ck-down comes on, the
transm ission wi ll shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- T iptro nic is inoperative when the trans­
mission is in the fai l-safe mode .
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic/t iptronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you depress the accelerator peda l be­
yo nd the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downsh ifts i nto a lower gear, de­
pending on veh icle speed and eng ine speed .
The upshift into the next higher gear takes
place once the maximum specified engine
speed is reached .
A WARNING
--Please note t hat the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used o n a smooth slippery
road -the re is a risk of skidding .

ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS) , brake assist sys ­
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , electronic dif­
ferential lock (E DL) and e lectronic interaxle
d ifferential lock*. ESC 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 ~ fig . 181 . Be sure to switch
ASR on again when you no longer need less
traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered even during hard braking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal 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
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over . In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control* , the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
s tart, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL 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 , EDL automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Intelligent technology 197
Electronic interaxle differential lock*/
selective wheel torque control*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
whee l drive) or the se lective wheel torque
cont rol (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 precise driving through
curves . Th e applicable system may no t acti­
vate when driv ing in wet or snowy conditions.
A WARNING
-
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL and the electronic in­
teraxle differential 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 vehicle, you should immedi­
ately change your speed to match the
road and traffic conditions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to t.;1ke risks. Doing
so will increase the risk o f a loss of vehi­
cle control, collision and serious personal
injuries.
-Always 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 iving too close to vehicles up
ahead . ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys­
tem, EDL, ASR and the elec tronic inter­
axle differential lock function* cannot
prevent collisions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces 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. .,.
•
•

Manual mod e
-Manua l dep loyment: Tapping b riefly on the
switch
¢ fig. 182 dep loys the rear spoiler.
- Manua l retraction: A t speeds up to abo ut
10 mph (20 km/h) , ret ract the rear spoiler
by pressing and holding the switch
¢ fig. 182 . At speeds between 10 mph (20
km/h) and 80 mph (130 km/h), retract the
rear spoiler by tapping on the switch
¢ fig . 182.
In dicat or light s
rJ /. R ea r spoiler: system m alfun ct io n!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to
a ma lf u nction. This could change the vehicle 's
driving characteristics at high speeds . Do not
exceed 85 mph (140 km/h). Drive to your au­
thorized Audi dealer immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected. The co lor of the indica­
tor light depends on the vehicle speed.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impair handling char ­
acteristics, making the veh icle harde r to
cont ro l.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de­
ployed when driving at speeds over
85 mph (140 km/h). If the rear spoiler
warning/ind icator light in the i nstr u­
ment cluster comes on, the rear spoiler
may not have dep loyed .
- Never drive at speeds higher than
85 mph (140 km/h) if the spoiler is not
deployed. Have the spoiler inspected as
soon as possible by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualif ied workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and other traf­
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, especially
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
Int ellig ent technolog y 199
@ Note
-Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- Only operate the rear spoiler manua lly
when the rear lid is closed . Otherwise,
damage cou ld occur.
(D Tips
C lean the spoiler compa rtment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
a lways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris .
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating condition s and dri ving h abit s
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and-go c ity traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often th an specified in
the
Warran ty & Maintenan ce boo kle t. Failure
to have you r brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking
effect o f the engine . This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on the b rake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuous ly. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Mo istur e or road salt
U nder certain conditions , for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain , or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
free zing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few carefu l brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings .
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield w ipers on, the brake pads will
Ill-
•
•

200 Intellig ent technol ogy
briefly touch the brake d iscs in regular inter ­
va ls so as to improve reaction time when brak­
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver wi ll not no­
tice anything.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean off accumu lated salt coating
from brake discs and pads with a few careful
applicat ions of the brake¢,& .
Co rrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bui ld up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven 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 <=>,& .
Fa ul ts in th e brak e sys te m
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢,& .
Low b rak e flu id l evel
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fl uid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronically .
Brake booster
The brake booster wor ks w ith vacuum pres ­
sure which is created only when the engine is running
c> ,& .
Brake lining wear st atu s
Brake lining wea r may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in ­
spection ¢ page 269, Changing a wheel .
_& 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 ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the br akes or ho ld the pedal down too
long o r too often . T his 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 operat ing
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, dr iving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced . In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the bra ke pads, lin ings,
d iscs and drums. Carefully app ly bra kes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coa t­
ings wi ll be cleaned off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt -covered roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accum ulated 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 a ir
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effective ness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est A udi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a s top with
the eng ine shut off.

204 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 11.
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 the 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 kilometers) 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.