2014 AUDI A7 engine

current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hanging the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilomete rs) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­
ized Audi Service Advisor .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent addit ives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine). Your
Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or malfunctions due to failure to fol­
low recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­
age unless you present to the dealer proof in
Checking and filling 231
the form of Service or Repair Orders that all
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see ¢
page 204) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil , the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary .
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil lev­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
should check the oil level as soon as possible
¢
page 232. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
9 page 232.
.&, WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
comportment on page 22
7.
-
•
•

232 Checking and filling
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use seve re damage to the eng ine.
@ Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. i s
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
r ely on it. Instead , check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref ­
erably each t ime you refuel, and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amo unts of oi l, we
recommend that yo u consult your Audi
dealer to have the ca use of you r co nce rn
prope rly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
t h e accurate measure men t of oil con­
s u mp tion requires gre at ca re and may
ta ke some time. Your Audi dealer h as in ­
str uctions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurate ly .
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 194 Di splay: o il leve l in dicato r
... Pa rk your vehi cle on a leve l surfac e.
... Shu t the engine off when i t is wa rm.
... Swi tch on ly th e igni tion ba ck on.
... Wa it approxima tely two mi nutes .
... Se lect : ICAR !funct io n button>
(Car)* sy s­
tems
control button > Se rvicing & checks >
O il level.
... Check the oil leve l in t he display¢ fig. 194 .
Add engi ne oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is n ear "m in"
¢ page 232.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
a nd the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion can be u
p to 1/2 quart pe r 60 0 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,000 km) . Con sumption may be hig he r
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
(D Tips
The oil level indicator in t he MM I Disp lay is
o nl y an information display . If t he oil level
i s lo w, a min imum oil warn ing appears in
the instr ument cluster. Add oil
¢
page 232 . If the hood has been opened ,
the cur ren t oil leve l is s hown in the instru ­
m ent cluste r th e next t ime the ignit ion is
sw itc hed on.
Adding engine oil 'l:::7:
Fi g. 195 Eng in e compa rtm en t: cove r on t he e ng in e o il
fille r neck
B efo re y ou chec k anyt hing in the engine com­
par tmen t,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine com part ­
ment on page 22
7 .
... Shu t the eng ine off .
... Uns crew the cap
"I".:::?-to the eng ine o il filling
hole
¢ fig . 195, ¢page 229, fig . 193 .
... Carefully top off with 0 . 5 quarts (0 .5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil
¢ page 229 .
... Check the oi l level again after two min utes
¢ page 232, Checking the engine oil level.
... Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
... Screw the cap back on the fi lling hol e .
.&_ WARNING
=
- W hile toppi ng off, t he o il mu st not come
i n cont act wit h hot engi ne part s - fire
h aza rd !

-The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running - fire hazard!
-If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
@ Note
-Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please reduce oil level appears,
contact your authorized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop to have excess
oil extracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
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 22
7.
T he engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera-
Checking and filling 233
tu res remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise requir ed, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself,
please note the following important informa­
tion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
•
•

234 Check ing and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil , first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q uir es little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ia lly conditioned water and the
manufacturer 's glyco l-b ased coo lant add i-
tive G l3 antifreeze with ant icorrosion addi ­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els). This mixture both assures the nec es­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­ ponents in the engine's cooling sys tem from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coolant .
Do not red uce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add itive mu st be at
l e a st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreez e protection and cooling efficien­
cy . If the coolant frost prote ct ion is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle hea ting and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round d riving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for temperatures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada. If
you must add coolant, use a mixture o f wa ­
ter and coolant additive . Mixing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
-
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::, & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 22
7 .
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions . This is especia lly impor­
tan t if you live in a reg io n where the win­
t er is ex treme ly cold. If ne cessa ry, i n­
crease the pr opo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
c oolin g sys tem, remembe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad ­
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 (check the label)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
ava ila ble at autho rized Aud i deale rs.
Other types of antifreeze ca n sig nifi­
ca ntly reduce co rr os io n protection. The
r es ult ing co rrosion c an c ause a los s o f
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
a n t to y our vehicle 's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repai r fl uid may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
-

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 196 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys read and hee d all W ARN­
ING S ¢.&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 22
7 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Switch off the ignit ion.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢
fig. 196, ¢ page 229 ,
fig. 193 .
With a cold engine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" mar kings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration¢
page 229 .
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off.
The expans ion tank in you r 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 17 will
illum inate u ntil you add coolant a nd the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolan t leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 235
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
s ea led system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by follow ing these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing f lu id and steam by cover ing the
cap with a la rge, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plyi ng light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene gly col in engine coo l­
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea L­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant . Add­
i ng radiato r repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fect the funct io n and performa nce o f your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you che ck anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partmen t,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&_ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
227 .
.,. Tur n off the engi ne.
.,. Let the engine cool down.

236 Check ing and filling
• Place a thick rag ov er the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 235, fig . 196 and care fully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢ &_.
• Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 234, Coolant.
• Twist the cap on again tightly .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 234, Coolant .
We recommend using on ly coo lant addi-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do
not use a different additive. In an emergency
use plain water unt il you can get the correct
addit ive 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 antifree ze
and cold water only when the eng ine is co ld.
A lways use
new engine coolant when refi lling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out t hrough the
press ure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gin e becom es hot.
A WARNING
- The coo ling system is under p ress ure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Tu rn o ff the eng ine a nd a llow i t to cool
down.
- Pr otect your f ace, hands and arms from
escaping f luid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very ca re fully
in a counte r-clockwise direct ion while
applying light, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an ­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
g ine coolant can catch f ire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children. -
If you drain the coo lant, it m ust be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coo lant poll utes the environment and
cou ld cause an engine fire . Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 234 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
® For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ ­
i ng all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolan t temperature
and othe r vehicle operat ing condit ions.
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even w it h the ignition off. It can even switc h
o n aga in later by itself¢
A, if
- the temper ature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch t he rad iator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning .
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo la nt
reaches a certai n temperature and wi ll ..,.

continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 197 E ngine co mpartment : cove r on the b rake fluid
r ese rvoir
Before you check anything i n the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays read and heed all W ARN ­
ING S 9 A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page
22 7.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
9 fig . 197, 9 page 229,
fig. 193.
The brake fluid level must be be ­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
9 page229.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adj ustment of the
b rake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN " mark, the brake wa rning/indi­
cator ligh t
1111 (U.S. models)/ . (Canadia n
models) will come on~
page 15 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
f ied fac ility and the cau se corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate . Contact an au ­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediat ely .
Checkin g and fillin g 237
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mois ture from the air. If
the wa ter content in the brake fluid is too
high , corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also dec rease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
ev ery two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4 ".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
i zed
Audi dealer . Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
-
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f luid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spec ificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi ­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
.

24 0 Ch ecking and filling
(D Note
-Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will dam ­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect t he battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced .
- When opening the doors, the w indows
lower approx imately 10 mm automati­
ca lly. This function is not available when
the battery is disconnected, wh ich
means there is a ris k tha t the door seal
or the w indow cou ld be damaged.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
Fig. 198 E n gine co mpartment : co nnector s for a charg­
e r and j ump sta rt cable s
Alwa ys read and h eed all WARNING S below
c::> .&. and c::> .&. in Working on the battery on
page 239.
,.. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers .
,.. Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the battery.
,.. Open the engine hood
c::> page 22 7 .
,.. Open the red cover o n the posit ive pole
c::> fig . 198.
,.. Connect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
jump st a rt bol ts .
(Bolts under the red cover = "positive", Bolts
with hex head = "negative "). ,..
On ly now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipment into the wa ll outlet and turn
it on
c::> ,&. .
,.. M ake sur e the cha rg in g rate is not over
30 amps /14.8 Volt .
,.. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wall out let .
,.. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equ ipment.
,.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
,.. Close the hood
c::> page 228 .
A discharged battery can freez e at tempera­
tu res of only 32 F
0 (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat­
te ry to thaw completely before attempting to
c h arge it
c::> & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Batt ery cha rging (Ma ximum charging rat e
of
30 amp s/14.8 Volt )
When charg ing at low vo ltages (e .g. with a
trickl e cha rge r), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. The battery
caps should
not be opened when charg ing a
batte ry.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not
necessary to d isconnect the cables .
Fast ch arging the battery (ch arging rate
ab ove 14 .8 V olt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery .
_&. WARNING -
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
p rovided by the battery cha rger manu­
facturer when charg ing your battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex­
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice.
A llow a fro zen ba ttery to thaw ou t firs t.
- D o not reuse batteries wh ich wer e fro-
z en. The ba ttery housing may have .,..