2013 AUDI A7 maintenance

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 petrole­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­ based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle'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 t ime 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 always
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help preve nt 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 SW40 across all tem ­
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade
SAE SW40 is not ava ilable, you can a lso use
viscosity grade SAE SW-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 233
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specificatio n, 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
spec ifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30, or
SA E OW-40 . However, during the ent ire time
betwee n oil change in tervals, never top
off
wi th more than a total of 0.5 q t/ li ter engine
o il t hat does no t conform to A udi o il specifica­
tion VW 502 00.
Fo r more information abo ut eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t eit h er yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .a u diusa.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 ve hicle'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
yo u have your o il cha nged, ask your author­
i zed 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 ve hicle 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 .,..
•
•

234 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 204) 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
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possible
c:> page 235. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
c:> page 235.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 230.
(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 amounts 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.
-

236 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 230.
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 y ou 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.

2 78 Fuses and bulb s
Fuse panel @ (green)
Equipment
9 Gateway,
Vehicle electrical sys­
tem control module 1
10 Sport differential
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs Amps
5
5
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned out bulbs for you.
It is becoming increas ingly more and more
d iff icu lt to replace vehicle light bulbs s ince in
many cases, other parts of the car must first
be
removed before you are able to get to the
bu lb. This applies especially to the light bulbs
in the front of your car which you can on ly
reach throug h the engine compartment.
Sheet metal and bulb ho lders can have sharp
edges that can cause serious cuts, and parts must be correctly taken apart and then prop ­
erly put back together to help prevent break­
age of parts and long term damage from wa­
ter that can enter housings that have not been
properly resealed.
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace any bulbs for you, since your dealer has the proper tools,
the correct bulbs and the expertise .
Gas discharge lamps (Xenon lights):
Due to the high electrical vo ltage, have the
bu lbs rep laced by a qualified technician.
Headlights with Xenon light can be identified
by the high voltage sticker.
LED headlights* require no maintenance.
Please contact your authorized Audi dealer if a
bu lb needs to be replaced.
A WARNING
Contact with high-voltage components of
the electrical system and improper re­
placement of gas discharge (Xenon) head- light bulbs can cause serious personal in­
jury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressurized and can ex­
plode when being changed.
- Changing Xenon lamps requires the spe­
cial training, instructions and equip­
ment.
- Only an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop should change the
bulbs in gas discharge lamps.
A WARNING
There are parts with sharp edges on the
openings and on the bulb holders that can
cause serious cuts.
- If you are uncertain about what to do,
have the work performed by an author­
ized Audi dealer or other qualified work­
shop. Serious personal injury may result
from imprope rly performed work.
(D Tips
- If you must replace the light bulbs your­
self, always remember that the eng ine
compartment of any vehicle is a hazard­
ous area to work in. A lways read and
heed all WARNINGS ~
page 224, Engine
compartment~ &..
-It is best to ask your authorized Audi
dealer whenever yo u need to change a
bulb .
-

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties :
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Con trol Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
Consumer Information 289
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erat ure are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions , for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures ,
in very dusty regions, when towing a tra iler
very frequently, etc., some serv ice work
shou ld be pe rformed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imizi ng adverse
effects on the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics , sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technica l ..,_
•
•

29 0 Con sum er Inf ormation
comp lexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, s afety an d e nvir onm ent al con­
cerns place very strict limits on the nature of repairs and adjustments to engine and trans ­
miss ion pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth­
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re ­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­ ranty. Therefo re , proof of servici ng in accord­
ance w it h the ma intenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warran ty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adve rsely
affected, creating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any serv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give your authorized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perform all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, or iginal parts
and tra ined spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing lim it e d m aint en anc e y ourself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited num­
ber of procedures which can be performed on
you r vehicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and ca refully follow the instruc­
tions given. Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS p rovided .
Before you ch eck anything in th e engin e
compartme nt, alway s read an d heed all WARNINGS
¢ & a
nd ¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 230 .
A WARNING
--Serious personal in jury may occur as a re-
sult of improperly performed mainte­ nance, adjustments or repa irs.
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle. Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r isk personal
in jur y.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re­ spect to the vehi cle, or are uncerta in how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work withou t the proper
too ls and equipment . Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal ­
er or anothe r properly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- The engine compar tment o f any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area. Never reach into the area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
control led and can sw itch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off . The radiator
fan switches on automatically when the
coo lant reaches a certain temperature
and will cont inue to run until the coo lant
tempera ture drops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before any­
one gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The j ack s upp lied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur­
pose and cou ld co llapse causing serio us
pe rsonal injury .
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are a lways secure ly
blocked and that the engine cannot be
started .

300 Index
K
Key ... . ... ....... ......... ... .... .. 32
Battery replacement master key ... .. .. 33
Emergency key .............. ..... .. 32
Key not recognized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Key replacement ......... .... .... .. 32
Master key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Mechanical key .............. ... ... . 33
Valet key . .. .. ........ .... ... .. .. .. 32
Kick-down tiptronic
113
Knee airbags ................. ..... . 166
Description ................. ..... . 166
How they work .............. ..... . 168
Important safety instructions . . . . . . . . 168
L
Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Lane Change Assistant
refer to side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
LATCH .. .. .. ............. .... .. ... 189
Descript ion .... .... ...... .. .. .. .. .
Installing a child restraint ...... .. .. .
Location .. .... ............. ... ' . .
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook
. . .. .. ............. .... .. .. .
190
191
190
191
Launch Control Program .... .. .. .. .. . 114
Leather ..................... ..... . 221
L eather (cleaning) .......... .. .. .. .. . 222
Leaving home ............. .. .. .. .. .. 45
Lifting jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 71
Lifting vehicle ................ ... ... 283
Light Ambience lighting .......... .. .... .. 46
Coming/Leaving home ..... .. .. ...... 45
Daytime running lights .. ... ... .. .. .. 43
Emergency flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Exterior lighting .... .. .... .. .. .. .. ..
43
H ead light range control ... .. .. .. .. . . 43
High beam .............. ........ .. 45
L ow beam . ................. ..... ..
43
Rear fog lights .............. ..... .. 43
Side marker lights ......... ... .... ..
43
Turn signals ............. .. .. .. .. .. 45 Light/rain
sensor
Headlights . ..... ................ .. 43
Intermittent (windshield w ipers) ...... 47
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Loading the roof rack ................ . 62
Locking Power locking switch ................ 37
Remote control .... ........... .. .. . 35
Using the key ................. ..... 37
Low beams . .... .. ... .......... .... . 43
Lower universal anchorages (Canada) . . .
189
Luggage compartment
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
carpeting ..... .. ................ .. 66
Cover ......... .. ..................
63
Enlarging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Loading ... ...... ................. .
63
Ski sack ...................... ..... 66
Stowing luggage .............. ....
136
Tie -downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Trunk pass-through ...... ...... .. .. . 67
Lumbar support
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
M
Maintenance .... .. ................ . 289
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) . . 21, 29
Manual shift program ............ .. .. 113
Massage function
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Matte finish paint .. ............. .. .. 215
Mechanical key .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 33
Mirrors Adjusting the exterior mirrors ..... ... .
49
d' . ,mmrng .. .... .. ................ .. so
Vanity mirrors ................ ..... 47
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
161
Multifunction steering wheel .. .. .. .. .. . 25
N
Natural leather .....................
New t ires and wheels
NHTSA 221
257
Contacting .. .. .. ....... ...... .. .. 138