2013 AUDI A7 check oil

238 Checking and filling
the level may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 232.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 16 will
illuminate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor , we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
_& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps. -
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 230.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
fig. 192 and carefully twist the cap
counter-clockwise ¢,&. .
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 23 7, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G13 or in an emergency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
_& WARNING
-= -- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,_

24 6 T ire s and whee ls
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that all -important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and overall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separation and blowouts.
A vo idin g dama ge
I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
ble at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem icals including grease, oil,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the tires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or bl isters, etc.). Remove any foreign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
St orin g tire s
Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
install them.
When removed, the wheels or tires should be
stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims. N
ew tir es
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type and make of t ire and the tread
pattern .
Hidden damag e
Damage to tires and r ims is often not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual vibrat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
t ir es must be checked immed iate ly by an au­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified wor kshop.
Unidirecti onal t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewall, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must
fol low the specified direction of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 274.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a collision and ser ious personal
injuries, drive w ith special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, c rashes and serious personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged tires re­
p laced immediate ly .
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.

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 .,.
•

@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are f itted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
<=> page 291.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can becom e loose caus ing loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
w heel bolts can t urn easily and be prop ­
erly t ightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use whee l bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
Tire s an d wheel s 263
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
You r Aud i is facto ry-equ ipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho ro ughly
tested and been se lec ted spe cifically for you r
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi­
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ra tio tire s is
particularly sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio t ires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressur e is
regularly che cked and maintain ed. Tire pre s­
s ures should be checked at least on ce a
m onth and alwa ys before a long trip
¢ page 2 52, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damage d mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, g ull ies
or ridges on t he road, partic ularly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
Ill>-
•
•

284 Emergency situations
heavy components such as the engine
b lock or transmiss io n are removed.
- W he n removing heavy components like
these, ancho r vehicle to ho ist o r add cor­
responding weig hts to ma inta in the cen ­
ter of g ravity . Othe rwise, the vehicle
might tilt or s lip off t he hoist, causing
ser ious p erson al injury.
(D Note
-Be awa re of the follow ing points befo re
li fting the vehicle:
- The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil pan, the transmission housing, the
front or rear axle or the body side
membe rs. This could lead to ser ious
damage.
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame , a rubber pad must be
i nserted between the floor jack and
the l ift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the veh icle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist .
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear­
ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle.

-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