2013 AUDI A7 suspension

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 19
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears , there is a ma lfunction in the en­
g ine start system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have the mal function cor rected .
0 Air suspension
Appl ies to vehicles: with a ir suspe nsio n
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with ma x. 35 mph .
There is a malfunction that can resu lt in re­
stricted driving stability .
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph
(60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Aud i dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
l!I Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restr icted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
l!I Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys ­
tem malf unct io n. Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal gro und clear­
ance . Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
~/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) !fll (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e .g.
a ir bags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on . If the
fl (USA models)
Jfll (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
mea ns there is a malfunct io n.
A WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
f!;.J fj Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stabilization Control .
When you switch the ignition on, the indicato r
light
G1 turns on briefly to check the function.
If the
G1 indicator lamp blinks while dr iv ing,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Reg ulation) is active­
ly reg ulat ing.
If the
Ji1 indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESC
off.
If the indicator light II turns on, the ESC was
switched to ESC sport mode with the button
[!]~page 196. If this is case , you can reacti­
vate the ESC by switching the ignition
off and
then on again. The warning/ indicator light
sho uld go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the indicato r light GI and the ABS indicator
li ght
B (USA models) ,1iJ (Canada mod­
els) tu rn on and the message appears, there is
a malfunction in the ABS system or electron ic
differential lock. This also inte rr upt s the ESC.
The brakes still function with their norma l
power, but ABS is not active .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi-
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected. .,..

102 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
ence diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttin gs i n o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
Comfort ,
Auto and Dynamic modes in the M MI to
switch between a sporty and a comforta ble
driving mo de.
You c an a lso a djust the setti ng according to
your p re ferences in the
Individual mode . F o r
examp le, you ca n combine settings such as a
sporty en gine t uning with comfortab le steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the A udi drive select can
cause collisions, ot her acc idents and se ri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icl e's featu res. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, stee ring, reve rsible sa fe ty belt tension­
e rs a nd adap tive air su spension are alw ays in­
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the e ng ine and the
tra nsmission respond quic ker or i n a more bal­
an ced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts. In the sporty dyn ami c mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RP Ms.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspens ion/adaptive air sus­
pension spor t*
(Air suspen sion in the MM I) is
a n e lec tronic ally con trolled air suspension and
da mpi ng sys tem. They are adjus ted depend­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the drive r's
steeri ng, braking an d acceleration input and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in ve hicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*. T
he veh icle clearance varies depending on the
se lected mo de an d the speed .
T he highway setti ng is a ct ivated automatic ally
whe n you dr ive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) fo r
more than
3 0 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
T he s teer ing adap ts in terms of s teer ing effor t
and steering ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfo rt
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steer ing .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l drive system
(quattro ®)
r=:> page 201, th e Sport differen­
t ia l* distributes the driving powe r to the rear
axle depending on the situation. The distr ibu­
t ion of power va ries depe nding on the select­
ed mode, from balanced (comfort) to agile
(dyna mic) . Th e goa l is a high leve l of agility
and ability to acce le rate on cu rves . Th e vehicle
is ve ry re sponsive to st eer ing.
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves .
T he pivo ting act io n and the lighting are also
adapt ed to the mode .
Adaptive cruise control*
The behav ior when accelerating can be adjust­
ed from comfortab le to sporty, depending on
the drive select mode. Adaptive cru ise cont ro l
also responds to th e dr iv ing behavior o f th e
vehicle a head in a mo re co nse rvative o r sporty
man ne r.
Engine sound*
The sound of the eng ine is adapted to the se­
lected mode and ranges from sub tle to sporty . .,.

(D Note
-Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the veh icle when park­
ing. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iving modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When t ransporting the veh icle on a car
carr ier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
l y tie the veh icle down at the runni ng
su rface of the tires, which is the outer
ci rcumference . Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or tow ing eyes is not pe rm itted because
the pressu re in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The vehicle may not be secured sufficiently if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
<=> page 209.
{!) Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynami c modes.
- Selecting the
Dynami c mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear posit ion engages automatically.
- In vehicles with sport differential", the
Dynami c mode is deactivated when tow­
i ng a trailer.
Adjusting the Individual mode
Audi dri ve sele ct 103
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual .
Fig. 10 6 MMI: D rive select
.,.. To se lect the mode, se lect the following in
the
MM I: ICARlf unction button> Comf ort ,
Auto , D ynamic or Individual.
You can change the d riv ing mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving.
If traffic
permi ts, after changing modes, briefly take
yo ur f oot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is a lso activated for
the engine.
Comf ort -prov ides a comfort-oriented veh icle
setup and is s uited for long drives on h igh­
ways .
Auto -provides an overall comfo rtable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
u se.
Dynamic -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a spo rty driving style .
Individual -<=> page 103 .
_.& WARNING
-Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi d rive select to prevent potential risk
of an acc ident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,.. Select : I CARI funct ion button> Set individ ­
ual
control button. You can now adjust the
individual systems . The
Ind
ividu al driving mode wi ll automatical­
ly be activated when you have finished config­
uring the sett ings.

r::> & in General information on page 118,
r::> (Din General information on page 119 .
The blue area represents an extension of the
vehicle's outline by approximately 16 ft
(5 m) to the rear . The long side of the blue
area should be on the curb . The entire blue
area must fit into the parking space.
• With the vehicle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the right as far as it will go.
• Back into the parking space until the blue
curve
r::> fig. 131 touches the curb r::> & in
General information on page 118,
r::> (D in
General information on page 119.
Stop the
vehicle.
• With the vehicle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the left as far as it will go .
• Continue to back into the parking space un ­
t il the vehicle is parked parallel to the curb
r::> & in General information on page 118,
r::> (D in General information on page 119.
@ marks the rear bumper. Stop the vehicle,
at the latest, when the red orientation line
@ borders an object. Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle while do ing th is .
Parking next to obstacles
If there is an obstacle (such as a wall) next to
the parking space, position the vehicle so
there is more space on that side. Position the
long side of the blue surface so that there is
sufficient space from the obstacle. The sur­
face must not be touching . You will also need
to star t turning the steering wheel much ear­
lier . The blue curve
r::>fig .131 must not touch
the obstacle and should have sufficient room.
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and sur­
faces will be displayed, depending on the
turn signal being used .
Peripheral cameras
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with parki ng system plus w ith periph­
eral cameras
In addition to parking system plus
r::> page 117, this pa rking system contains pe-
Parking systems 121
ripheral cameras. Depending on the vehicle
equ ipment, you are assisted by various views
such as peripheral view, corner views at the
front and rear of the vehicle, and views direct­
ly in front of or behind the vehicle.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
Fig. 132 Locat io n of per ipheral cameras
Depending on the vehicle equipment , the pe­
ripheral cameras are found in the radiator
grille, in the luggage compartment lid and on
both exterior mirrors*
r::> fig. 132. Make sure
that the lenses are not covered by deposits or
any other obstructions as it may impair the
system. For information on cleaning, refer to
qpage 216.
In the peripheral mode, black corners are
shown in the vehicle silhouette. Objects in
these areas are outside of the camera's field
of view and are not detected .
The accuracy of the orientation lines and the
blue surfaces is reduced if the adaptive air
suspension* is faulty, if the vehicle is lifted or
if the
Dynamic mode is activated 9 page 102.
A WARNING
-Always read and follow the applicable
warnings
r::> .&. in General information on
page 116 .
-If the position or the installation angle
of a camera was changed, after a colli­
sion for example, do not continue to use
the system for safety reasons. Have it checked by your author ized Audi dealer-
-
ship . ~

166 Airbag system
experience, informat ion and specia l
too ls necessary to perform the work
safely.
- If the vehicle or the c ircuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed a irbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdo uswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety bel ts w it h pretens ioners are
s crapped, a ll applicable laws and regula­
tions mus t be observed. Your au thori zed
Aud i dea le r i s familiar with these requ ire­
ments an d we recommend that you have
your dea ler perfo rm this se rv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combina tions not app roved by Aud i,
lowe ring the vehicle, ch anging the stiffness o f
the suspension, incl uding the springs, s uspen ­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors a nd make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
ch an ges may reduce the force levels meas ­
u re d by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
The senso rs in the safety belt buckle fo r th e
d river a nd front p asse nger sea t tell the elec ­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l atched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will dep loy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par- t
icu lar collisio n, it is possible that an airbag
will not dep loy at a seat ing position where the
safety belt is be ing used b ut w ill inflate at the
pos ition where the safety belt is not be ing
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with t he safety be lt buckles so that the sen ­
sors can send the correct info rmation about
safety belt use to the electronic control un it .
_&. WARNING
Changi ng the vehicle's suspension includ ­
i ng use of unapp roved tire-rim combin a­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance an d increase the risk of serious
pe rsonal injury in a crash .
- Never install s uspension components
that do not have the same pe rformance
characteristics as the components o rigi­
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
App lies to vehicles : wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 64 Driver 's knee a irbag
T he dr iver knee airbag is in the ins trument
pane l underneath the steering wheel
~ fig. 164, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan-
el underneat h the glove compartment. .,.

206 Driving and en vir onm ent
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving thro ugh water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The wate r must not be any higher than the
bottom of t he vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through wate r, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
@) Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or electr ical
system can be severely damaged by driv­ i ng th rough water.
- Always switc h off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water~
page 80 .
(1) Tips
-Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng th rough it.
- Do not stop the ve hicle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off whe n driving
t hr ough water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cl e to drive th rough safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- oper ating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economica lly, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRON MEN TAL PROTEC TION AG ENCY
( EP A) and Transpo rt Canada may no t corre­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
r oad, which will va ry depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con ­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the mos t fu el when they are ac­
ce le rat ing. If yo u ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
t hu s, acce le rate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
t h at the next traff ic light is red.

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 .,.
•