2014 AUDI A7 oil level

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
Em turns on
¢ page 22. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@<=>
page 24, fig . 4 .
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex ha ust
system . The catalytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunctions <=>,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
Q page 24. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher<=>
page 45.
-The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
I
• •
USA models : Safety systems
¢page 19
Canada mod els: Safety systems
¢page 19
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ./
¢page 19
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ./
¢page 19
USA models :
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
¢page20
Canada models:
Anti-loc k braking system (ABS)
defective ./
¢page20
Worn brake pads
¢page 21
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 79
Tire pressure monitoring system
./
¢page261
mffl Tire pressure monitoring system
~ ¢page261
•
•
II
•
Electronic power control./ (alter­
native
to mJ )
¢page21
Glow plug system
(alternative to
[3i )
¢page 21
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
./
¢page21
Diesel particu late fi lter* clogged
¢ page22
Engine speed limitation
¢page22
Engine oil level
¢page 18
•
•
•
l:J
m
•
•
Engine oil sensor
¢ page 22
Battery
¢page 17
Tank system
¢page 22
Windshie ld washer fluid level
¢page 22
Windshield wipers
¢page 22
Remote control key
¢ page 76
Remote control key
¢page 78
Battery in remote control key
¢page 33
Defective light bulb warni ng
¢page 23
Rear fog light(s)
¢ page 23
Headlight range control
¢page 23
adaptive light*
¢page 23
Light-/rain sensor faulty
¢page 23
Audi active lane assist*
¢page 96
Transmission (tiptronic)
¢page 114
Transmission
- 5 tronic
¢ page 114
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 18
Engine start system
¢page 18

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
a
Ad Blue ,o
Centra l ind icator light
¢page 19
Elect romechan ica l steering ./
¢page 20 1
Air suspension*
c::;, page 19
Sport different ial*
c:;,page23
Rear spoiler
.:;,page 199
Refill Ad B lue*
c:;,page223
r4l'il.nH.dBl ue malfu ncti on*
c::;, page 2 2 3
Other indicator lights
11
II
•
I
•
•
•
T u rn signa ls
c:;, page24
Canada models: Cruise control*
c:;,page84
A dapt ive cr uise c ontrol *
.:;,page BB
Adaptive cr uise control *
.:;,page BB
Adaptive cr uise control *
c:;,pageBB
Au di active lane ass ist*
c:;, page96
Start -Stop-System *
¢pa ge 81
Start -Stop -System *
c:;,pageBl
Hi gh beam
¢page 46
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
The light illuminates when the ignition is
swi tched on.
It goes o ut after the e ngine has
b een st arte d. T his indi ca tes that t he br ake
warning ligh t is functioni ng pro perly.
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 t he brake sys tem wa rn in g/ indi ca to r l ight
t u rns o n, there i s a br ake sys te m malfu nction .
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models )
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as fo llows:
.,. Pull
off th e road .
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Tur n
off the engi ne.
.,. Chec k th e b rake fluid level
c::;, page 23 7 .
.,. Con tact your nea rest au tho rized repair fa-
cility if necessary .
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light~ (USA models)/
(I] (Canada mode ls), the ESC ind icator light
Jj] and t he b rake system indicator light
1111 ( U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) tur n
o n and the message a ppears, the A BS, ESC
and braki ng d istr ib utio n are no t wo rki ng
c::;, ,&. .
Carefully drive to your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediat ely to have the ma lf u nct ion correct­
ed ¢,&. .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the ind icator light and the message ap -
pea r
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
ch eck if yo u can release the
pa rk ing brake . Afte r releasing the parking
bra ke, ca refully d rive to your au thor ized
Au di dealer i m media tely to have the mal­
fu nction cor rected. If y ou can not rele ase th e
p arki ng br ake, see k profession al assi stance . .,..

18 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
the safety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) will a lso sound.
For more Information
~ page 140, ~ Safety
belt warning light.
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a low-oil-pr essur e indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
• Swit ch off engine and ch ec k oil l evel
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low .
., Pull off the road.
., Stop the vehicle.
., Turn off the engine .
., Check the engin e oil level ¢ page 232 .
., If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
oil ¢
page 232 . Make sure that the oil p res­
s u re warning symbol. appears no longe r
in the disp lay before you start dr iving again.
• If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cato r light sti ll turns on, turn the engine off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressu re symbol. is
not an indicator for a low eng ine oil lev ­
el. Do not rel y on it. Inst ead , che ck the
oil l evel in your engin e at regular int er­
val s, pref erably each tim e you refu el,
and alwa ys bef ore going on a long trip .
- The yell ow oil le vel warning indication
I'll requires oil refill or wo rkshop serv ·
ic e without del ay . Do n ot wait unti l the
red oil p re ss ur e w arning. start s to
fla sh before you re spond t o the low oil
le vel warning
II. By then, your engine
may al ready have suffered serious dam­
age .
~ .. Engine oil level
• WARNING: P lease add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the driver message
appear, add engine oi l immediate ly
¢ page 229 .
II Add oil, m ax. x q t (l). Yo u m ay contin ue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the nex t oppor tunity ~
page 229.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not dr ive veh icle : Stee ring defecti ve
If the indicator l igh t turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic stee ring
column lock malfunction . You cannot switch
the ignition on .
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered . See k professiona l assistance .
1;11 Steering lo ck : s ystem fault . Plea se con­
tact de ale r
If the indica tor light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunct io n.
Drive to your authori zed Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the mal function corrected .
A WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering co lumn lock because it cannot be
steered due to the loc ked steering. If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk o f an accident .
©-Engine start system
• Engine st art syste m fault. Plea se con­
tact deale r
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
n ot switch the ignition off
because you may not be ab le to switch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immed i-
a tely to have the ma lfunction corrected. ..,.

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
®'-Diesel particulate filter clogged
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine and diesel particu­
late filter
II Particulate filter: System fault See own­
er's manua l
When the. symbol ill uminates, you can a l­
ter your driving style to assist the fi lter self­
clean ing p rocess . D rive for approx imately 15
minu tes wi th the sel ector leve r in the S pos i­
tion at a m inimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/
h ) a nd an engine speed of app rox imately
2, 000 R PM. The tempe ratu re i ncrease th at
will resu lt fro m t his can bur n off t he soo t in
the fil ter. The symbol wi ll switch off when the
clean ing is successf ul. Afte r a successful
cleaning, there is no need to br ing the car to
an author ized dealer or qualif ied worksh op
beca use this is part of normal vehicle opera­
ti on .
I f the symbo l
Ill does not switch off, see
your author ized dealer or other qualified
workshop to have the prob lem cor rected.
For more in format io n on the diesel pa rticu ­
late filte r, refer to¢ page 205.
A WARNING
Always adapt yo ur s peed to the cu rrent
weat her, road and traffic conditions. Y ou
sh ould never disobey t raffic laws in order
t o follow driv ing recomm endations .
!'7i Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitat ion
Ill Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
-
The engine speed is automatically lim ited to
the speed disp layed in the dr ive r information
system. This protects t he e ng ine from over ­
h eat ing.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the eng ine is no longer in the crit ica l tempera­
ture range and you have released the acce lera ­
tor peda l once.
If t he engine speed limitation was act ivated
by an eng ine control malfunction, the ind ica- tor
light ~ also tu rns on . Ma ke s ure that the
s p eed does not go a bove the s peed disp layed .
Drive to y our authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
~"" Engine oil sensor
l!I Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact yo ur au­
t h orized Audi dea ler and have the oil sensor
i nspected . U ntil yo u have this done, check t he
o il level each time you refue l just to be on the
saf e side
c> page 232.
EltJ Fuel level indicator
Ii] Please refuel
If the indicato r light turns on f or the first
t ime and the message appea rs, there are
abo ut 2.6 ga llons (10 lite rs) o f fuel left in the
tan k. Time to refuel <=>
page 220 .
llD Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage a ppears, there is a malf unct ion in the
tank system.
D rive to your au thori zed A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfu nction corrected.
Co Windshield washer fluid level
• Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illum ina tes, ad d windshie ld
washe r fl ui d to t he washer system/headlight
washe r system * ¢
page 241 .
4J:> Windshield wipers
£~$ Windshield wiper defective
T he re is a malfunction with t he windshie ld
wipe rs .
Dr ive to your au th o riz ed A udi de aler i mme di­
ately to have the m alfunction correc ted.

Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
... Always use lead-free gasoline c::> page 218,
Fuel supply .
... Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty .
... Never put too much motor oil in your engine
c::> page 232, Adding engine oil .,. Never try to push-or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is cr it ically
i mportant for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
& WARNING ,~
T he temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing with
leaded fuel will already seriously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 205
-Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c::>page 232.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty. The engine cou ld mis­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is mov ing .
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result i n overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have you r vehicle main tained properly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendations in your Warranty & Maintenance book let.
- Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as
improper use of t he vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the emission cont ro l
system and could lead to damage.
@) For the sake of the env ironment
Even when the Emission Control System is
ope rat ing properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operat ing states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free s uper
g rade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
App lies to vehicles: wit h diese l eng ine
The diesel part iculate filter filters nearly all of
the soot pa rticles out of the exhaust . T he fil­
te r clea ns itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l
driv ing cond itions. If the filter cannot clean it ­
self (for example, because you are on ly driving
sho rt distances), the filter becomes clogged
with soot and the
Ill symbo l for the diesel
particulate filter i lluminates
c::> page 22. ..,_
•
•

206 Driving and en vir onm ent
8_ WARNING
- Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel par­
t icu late filter could start a fire .
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in
the exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especia lly true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes f irst by brak ing carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical
system can be severely damaged by driv­
ing through water.
- Always switch off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water~
page 81.
-
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before d riv­
ing through it .
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because
it can cause corrosion.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer period of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro ­
sion prevention, maintenance and storage .
Pay attention to additional information con­
cern ing the battery. Refer to
~ page 238.
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, env ironmental impact, and
wear on your eng ine , brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent . This sec­
tion will give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook.

230 Check ing and filling
Mo dern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based oils, 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 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diesel engine) to
he lp keep your vehicle's eng ine running
smoothly and help prevent the fo rmation of
harmf ul depos its , somet imes ca lled "sludge,"
that over t ime can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing , engine oils availab le in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifi cations of A udi oi l st andard VW 502 00
(vehicles wi th gasoline engine) or VW 507 00
(vehicles with diesel engine) are synthetic en­
gine oils . This does not mean, however, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet Aud i oil
standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gaso line
engine ) or VW 507 00 (veh icles w it h diese l
engine). So always be sure that you use an ap ­
proved oil.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posi ts use only oi l with the fo llow ing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil containe r:
- Aud i oil standard VW 50 2 00 (ga soline en ­
gine )
- Audi oil sta nd ard VW 50 7 00 (diesel en -
gine )
Oil container labe ls may carry the specif ica ­
tion s ingly or i n comb ination with other desig­
nations and oil q ua lity standards.
Visco sity
Eng ine oi ls are graded according to thei r vis­
cosity. The prope r viscosity grade oil for your
engine depends on climac tic or seasonal con­
d itions whe re you drive. You can use oi l w ith a
viscosity g rade of SAE 5W40 across all tem ­
perat ure ranges for normal driving conditions .
H oweve r, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade
SAE 5W40 is not av ailable, you can a lso use viscosity grade SAE 5W-30 or SA
E OW-40 as
l ong as it meets Audi oil quality standard
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iesel eng ine) spec­
ifications.
Beca use engine oi l that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry with you an ex tra qua rt
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles w ith d iese l eng ine) spec­
ifica tion , in case you have to top off the oil
wh ile on t he road.
Applies to vehicle s with gasoline engine on­
l y:
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
min imum ma rk on the o il dipstick - and no oi l
t h at expressly conforms to A udi o il standard
VW 502 00 spec ificat ions is available -may
yo u top off with a high quality engine oi l, pre f­
erab ly synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or AP I SM spec ificat ions, but even then, only
in v iscosity grades SAE 5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or
SAE OW-40. However, during the ent ire time
betwee n oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 0 .5 qt/liter engine
o il that does not conform to Audi o il specifica­
t ion VW 502 00.
Applies to vehicle s with die sel engin e only:
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
min imum ma rk on the o il dipstick - and no o il
t h at expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 507 00 spec ificat ions is available -may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, that meets ACEA C3 or API CF specifications, but
even then , on ly in viscosity grades SAE
5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or SA E OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between o il change in­
terva ls, never top off wi th more than a total
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con -
fo rm to Aud i oil spec ification VW 50 7 00 .
For more info rmation about eng ine oi l that
has been approved for your veh icle, please
contact e ither your authorized Aud i dealer o r
Audi C ustome r Re lations at 1 (800) 822-2834
o r vis it our web site at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada .ca. He re you w ill also find a .,.