2013 AUDI A7 brake fluid

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Homelink ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 8
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Safety fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 131
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 135
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 40
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 43
Safety bel t pre tens io ners . . . . . . . . . . 147
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 9
I mpo rtan t th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 1 49
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 53
M on itoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
K nee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
C hi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Install ing a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 186
L ATC H Lower ancho rages and tethe rs
for ch ild ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Addit ional Information 193
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
P reven tat ive passenger p rotection 194
Vehicle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 196
N ot ice about da ta re cor ded by veh icle
control mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Elec tronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 196
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Table of contents 3
El ectro -mechan ica l powe r ass ist . . . . . 201
Driving with your q uattro ® . . . . . . . . . 201
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving and environment . . . . . 20 4
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 205
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 206
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
D rivi ng wit h a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
T rai le r tow ing tips .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 211
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 213
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Care of ex terior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Care of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
225
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Fuel tan k. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
E n gine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
co nta iner . .. .. .. .. .. ........... . 244
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
T ire pressu re mo nitor ing system 264
Do -it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 26 7
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
E mergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 267
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
•
•

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
tm
USA models:
!!
Battery in remote control key
Ant i- lock b raking system (ABS)
¢ page 3 3
defective ,/
¢ page20
l:i
Defective light b ulb warn ing
¢page 22
I [I]
Canada model s:
Anti-lock b raking system (ABS)
II
Rear fog light(s)
defective ,/
¢page22
I ¢page20
•
Worn brake pads
II
Headlight range control
¢page22
¢ page 21
- -
:rm
Electromechanical parking brake
rll
adaptive light *
¢page22
¢page 78
g
Tire pressure monitoring system
m
Light-/rain sensor faulty
¢page 22
,I
¢page264
•
Audi active lane assist*
lliii~1 Tire pressure monitoring system ¢page96
¢page264 Transmission (tiptronic ®)
Electronic power contro l ,/
rm
Im
¢page 114
¢ page 21
R1
Transmission
I.
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
- S tronic® ¢page 114
,I
¢page21
•
Electronic steering column lock
.,
Engine speed limitation ¢page
18
¢ page 21
.,
Engine start system
•
Engine oil level ¢page
18
¢page 18
£1,ij
Electromechanical steering ./
•
Engine oil sensor ¢
page 201
¢ page 21
•
Air suspension*
-1
Battery ¢page
19
¢page 17
•
Sport differentia l*
Ill
Tank system ¢page
23
¢page22
11
Rear spoiler
•
Windshield washer fluid level ¢page
198
¢page22
m
Windshie ld wipers
¢ page22
!I
Remote control key
¢page 75
m
Remote contro l key
¢ page 78

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
Other indicator lights
II
II
Turn signals
¢page23
r.r;TJm USA models: Cruise control*
~¢page83
•
ra
Canada models: Cruise control*
¢page83
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page BB
_,. .... _
Pl
I
--
•
[I]
Adaptive c ruise control*
¢page BB
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page BB
Audi active lane assist*
¢page 96
Start-Stop-System*
¢page BO
Start-Stop-System*
¢page BO
High beam
¢poge45
BRAKE /((f) ) Brake system
The light i lluminates when the ignition is
switched on.
It goes out after the engine has
been started. This indicates that the brake
warning light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking , there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the brake system warning/indicator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction .
1111 (USA models)ta (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as follows: ""
Pull off the road .
... Stop the vehicle.
... Turn off the engine .
"" Check the brake fluid level¢
page 239.
"" Contact your nearest authorized repair fa-
cility if necessary .
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light Ii] (USA mode ls)/
¢0) G1 and the brake system indicator light
1111 (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking distr ibut ion are not working¢.&, .
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct ion correct­
ed ¢.&, .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
check if you can release the
parking brake. After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your authorized
Audi dealer immediately to have the mal ­
function corrected . If you cannot release the
park ing brake , see k professiona l assistance.
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
while driving , the emergency braking
function may not be available . It may not be
possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Seek profess ional as­
sis tan ce.
(USA models): If the warn ing light
1111 and
the warn ing light
IJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected ¢
page 21.
When the light comes on , an aud ible warn ing
s ignal is also g iven . ...,

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
&_ WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
i=> page 224, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake flu id.
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- USA models: If the 1111 warn ing light,
the
G1 warning light and the m:11 warn­
ing light come on together, the rea r
wheels co uld lock up first unde r hard
braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Aud i dea ler or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
DJ warn ing light and the
ABS warning light
ii] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first unde r
hard bra king. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle co ntrol and an acci­
dent. Have yo ur vehicle repaired immed i­
a tely by your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop . Dr ive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
- If the brake warning/indicator ligh t does
not go out afte r a few secon ds an d the
parking brake is released, or lights up
whi le you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer o r qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­
s pected.
- Always kee p in m ind that afte r several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need g reater
pressure on the b rake peda l to s top your
vehicle. Do no t re ly on stra ined brakes to
respond with maxim um stopping power
in critical situations . You must allow for
increased brak ing distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicato r light - (USA models)/ .
(Canada mode ls) turns on, the pa rking brake
was set. If the pa rking brake is set when the
igni tion is off, the indicator light turns off a f­
te r abo ut 20 seconds .
The wa rning/i nd icator lig ht wi ll go out when
the pa rking bra ke is re leased.
- (USA models ) /. (Canada mod els)
Caution: Vehicle park ed too steep
If the indicator light b links and the message
appea rs, there is not enough braki ng power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing . The brakes have
overheated . The veh icle cou ld roll away eve n
on a sma ll incline .
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To release the parking b rake, press the brake
peda l and press the button~ or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
i=> page 79.
Plea se relea se parking brake
T o re lease the p arki ng brake manually, p re ss
t h e brake peda l and press the button ~ at the
same time. The parki ng b rake only releases
automatica lly if the driver's safety belt is fas ­
tened .
Iii Parking brake!
If the Iii indicator lig ht tur ns on and th is
message appears, the re is a parki ng b rake
m alfunction . D rive to your au thori zed A udi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have t he malfunction corrected .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engin e and check coolant level ..,.

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.

210 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
fluid .
Tire p res sure
When tow ing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehi cle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to trai ler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Chec k to make s ure both veh icle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
h icle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per ­
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
cha ins, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be­
for e
hitching up the tra ile r and b efor e adjust­
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort dr iving mode and no t raised
qpage 102, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f u nction button> Low­
e r
control b utton .
I f you m ust dr ive under poor road co ndit ions,
you can raise the veh icle
aft er coup ling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tong ue weig ht
q page 104.
-Changes in tempe ratu re or load can af­
fect the heig ht of the veh icle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load spec ified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially carefu l when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed lim its .
.,. Do not dr ive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperatu re ga uge.
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
su lts in a highly unstab le distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid t he risk of losing
steering con trol.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to operate and con­
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the exten t possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances . Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be ­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swa ying b y accelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing trai lers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.

Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
purchase . Regu lar and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
F u rth ermor e, good c are may be a conditi on
for subs tantiati ng a w arrant y cla im sho uld
c orrosion d amag e or paint d efects oc cur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedic ated veh icle-car e products and can ad ­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ign it ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. w ithout pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
Cleaning and protec tion 213
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 199, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean­
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often t his is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle
body, the more lasting their destructive ef­
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex­
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro­
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
Vehicles with matte finish paint¢
page 215 .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 213.
•
•

230 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 187 Driver foo twell: release lever
Fig. 188 Rocker switch un der the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged .
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow
~ fig. 187.
.,. Raise the hood slightly~,&. .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 188. This releases th e catch.
... Open the hood.
&_ WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
'Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
~ ,&. .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary: