2013 AUDI A7 ECU

proper installation of the c hild restra int
and proper use of t he lo wer anchora ges
or safety belts in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
ot her items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in­ formation about child restraints in this chapter and WARNINGS ¢
page 175,
Child Safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
F ig. 178 Lower anchorages: p roper mo unt ing
Mounting
.. Make sure the sea tback of the rear sea t
bench is in the upr ight position and sec urely
latched i n place.
.. Attach both hook -on connectors with the
spring catch release on the ch ild safety seat
onto the LATC H lower anchorage so that the
connectors lock into p lace¢
fig . 178.
.. Pu ll on the connecto r attachments to make
s u re they a re properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the ch ild re­
stra int manu facturer's inst ruct ions.
Releasing
.. Loosen t he tension on the straps follow ing
t h e ch ild restrai nt manufactu rer's instruc­
tio ns.
Child S afety 191
.. Depress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag­
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restra int firm ly in place .
& WARNING ~
Improper use of the LATCH system can in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in an accident.
- These anchors were deve loped only for
child safety seats using the "LATCH" sys­
tem.
- Never attach other chi ld safety seats,
be lts or other objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click
when latch ing the seat in place. If you do
not hear a click the seat is not secure and
could fly forwa rd and hit the interior of
the vehicle, o r be e jected from the veh i­
cle .
& WARNING
Imp roper installat io n of ch ild restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury in an acci­
d ent.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufac turer' s inst ruc tion s for prope r
installa tion of the c hild restr aint system
a nd p roper use of te ther s traps as well as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your veh icle .
-Always rea d and heed the important in ­
formation and WARNINGS about c hild
safety and the insta llation of ch ild re­
straint systems¢
page 175, Child Safe­
ty.
-

192 Child Safe ty
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 179 Tethe r ancho rs: attachment hook locatio ns
behind the rea r sea tbacks
The tether anchors for the two/three* rear
seating positions are located o n the backside
of the rear seatbacks ¢
fig. 179. Vehicles with
two rear seating positions are equipped with
two tether anchors.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that attaches the top part o f a child restraint to
specia l anchorage points in the veh icle.
The purpose of t he tether is to reduce the for­
ward movemen t of the ch ild restra int in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the ve ­
hicle interior.
F orward facing child rest ra ints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child head movement performance requirements .
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats.
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re­
st rain t you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of ch ild restra int anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a co llision. The anchors are de­
signed to w ithstand on ly those loads im ­
posed by corre ctly fitted ch ild restraints. -
Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage .
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compa rtment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho ­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds o f occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and t he
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n and stay on, im ­
mediately install the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system i nspe cted by your
Aud i deale r.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 180 Tet her st rap : proper rout ing and mou nting
Installing the tether st rap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re­
s traint manufacture r's instructions.
• Guide the upper te ther s trap
und er th e rear
head restraint ¢
fig. 180 (raise the head re ­
straint if necessary) .
• Attach the tethe r strap anchorage hook into
the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages.

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
ac tivate the trailer operation mode
c::> page 209, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weig ht-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on t he ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trail er
hi tch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check wi th t he tra ile r hi tch man ufa ctur er to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
h itch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch m ust be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumper syst em. No mod ificat ions should
b e made to the vehi cle e xhaus t and br ake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check th at a ll hitc h
mo unt ing bo lts rem ain securely fas tened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra ile r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind~ .&.
Trailer towin g 209
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a bra king sys­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
regulations .
T he trailer hyd ra u lic bra ke sys tem mus t not be
d irec tly connec ted to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all reg ulations. Be
su re to c heck with your Audi dea ler for correct
wir ing, switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mir rors. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
_&. WARNING
-
Afte r removi ng the trailer hitch , do no t
s tor e i t in yo ur v ehicl e. In case of sudden
b raki ng, the hi tch co uld fly forwar d and in­
j ur e you o r yo ur pass enge rs.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehi cle is l imited to a typi cal
cla ss 1 o r class 2 tr ailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the tra ile r is held secure ly
in place to p revent it from shift ing fo rward,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c::> .& in Driving instructions on page 211 .
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a t railer ma kes the engine wor k hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
•
•

-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. •
•

254 Tire s and wheel s
-The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead t o acci dents or other damage .
T herefore it is essential that t he driv er
o bserve the specified tire pressure values
for the ti res and the correct pressu res for
the f unct ion of the tire pressure mon itor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and co rrect tire pressure befo re d riving
off.
- Driv ing with under inflated ti res bend
more, lett ing them get too hot resu lting
in t read separation, sudden t ire fa il u re
and loss o f control.
- E xcess ive speed and/ove rloading can
c ause heat bui ld-up, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss o f control.
- If the t ire p ress ure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematu rely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t ire is no t flat and you do no t have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check t he tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving w ithou t va lve s tem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l cons umption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire ca n car ry .
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop . Over load ing
can no t on ly lead to loss of veh icle contro l,
b ut can also damage impor tan t par ts of the
vehi cle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in ­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash. Your safety and that of your passengers also
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes t he weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The max imum load incl udes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i ntended to car ry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we igh t of 150 lbs (68 kg) for e ach
passenge r at a designated seating posi tion
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve ­
hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
trai ler hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gros s Axle Weight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
Gross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar . Your Audi has 4 seat ing
pos itions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 4 . In some vehicles
the re a re 5 seating pos it ions, 2 in the front
and 3 in the rear for tota l seating capacity of
5. Each seat ing position has a safety belt
¢ page 140, Safety belts .
T he fact that there is a n upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
t h at the total weig ht of whatever is bei ng car­
ried in the vehicle ( in cl udi ng the weight of a
trai ler hi tch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded trai le r) is limited . The more passen ­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that .,..

@ 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>-
•
•

What do I do now? Emergency warning
triangle
App lies to vehicles: with emerge ncy warning triangle
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid .
"' M ~
D -~ .. m
!I l
Fig. 203 Trun k lid: Warn ing triang le
.,. To open the cover, turn the locking mecha­
nism and pull the cover downward .
.,. Remove the warning triangle from its hold­
er.
The rear lid is only designed to ho ld the warn­
ing triangle offered by the original accessories
program. If you would like to retrofit your ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, p lease contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover.
F ig . 204 Luggage compa rtment: cargo floo r cover
folded upward/spa re tire
What do I d o now ? 267
Fig. 20 5 Trunk lid: Veh icle too l kit
.,. Fold the floor to the seatback with the help
of the handle .
.,. Turn the handwheel counter- clockwise
q fig. 204 and remove the spare t ire to
reach the vehicle tool kit.
T he onboard tool k it includes:
- Hooks to remove the whee l covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
-Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversib le blade
- Tow ing loop
-Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten w heel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an ac cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for yo ur vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances sho uld it be used to lift
heavy ve hicles o r other loads; yo u risk in­
juring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich co uld cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle secu rely with appro­
pria te stands if wor k is to be per formed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.

272 What do I do n ow ?
flat on the ground. The base @ must be ve r­
tical under the lifting point @.
• Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes
off the ground <=>,& .
Position the vehicle jack
onl y under the desig­
nated lifting points on the sill~
fig. 209.
There is exactly one location for each wheel.
The jack must not be positioned at any other
locat ion <=> .&. <=>CD.
An
u ns table su rf ac e under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground. If nec­
essary place a sturdy board or s imilar support
under the jack. On
h ard , s lipp ery su rf ac es
(such as tiles) use a r ubber mat or sim ilar to
prevent the jack from slipping ~,&. .
.&, WARNING
-You or your passengers could be injured
wh ile chang ing a whee l if yo u do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- Position the vehicle jack only at the
des ignated lifting points and align the
jack . Otherwise, the vehicle jack could
slip and cause an injury if it does not
have sufficient ho ld on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jack may ca use the vehicle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a fi rm base for
t he jack on the ground. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or s imilar to prevent
the jack from slipping.
- T o help p revent injury to yourself and
your passenge rs:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not rema in in the ve­
h icle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe p lace away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad­ just as necessary and then continue to ra ise the jack. -
Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the he ight of the vehicle .
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift­ ing po ints on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi­
cle will be damaged .
(D Tips
The vehicle jack mode* switches off auto­
matically at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/
h).
Removing and installing the s ill cover
Applies to vehicles: wit h sill
Fig . 2 1 1 S ill: r emoving the cov er
,.. Pull the cover down to remove it ~fig. 211.
• To insta ll the cover again, insert it into the
retainers and t hen swing it upward until it
clicks into p lace. The cover must be flush
w ith the sill.
@ Tips
Some models may also have a cover for the
rear vehicle lift po int.