2014 AUDI A7 brake

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 21
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired immed i­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
(0) Worn brake pads
IJ Brak e pads!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your author ized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all bra ke pads inspect­
ed. O n USA models the wa rning light
IJ
comes on togethe r wi th the warn ing light
1111 . Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the wa rning light IJ and the warning
light
11111 ) with the message B rake
pads ! comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Aud i deale r or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic powe r control
App lies to vehicles: with gaso line engine
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The Ga warning/ indicator light (Electron ic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check .
@ Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are dr iving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine electron ics. Have
the malfu nction corrected as soon as pos-
l ) - : USA models only
-
'
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repair facility .
W Glow plug system
Applies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine
The control light illuminates when the glow
plug system is active.
If the II i ndicato r light illum inates, the g low
pl ug system is a ct ive. You sho uld start the en­
gine immediately after the ind icator light
switches off. The indicator light only illum i­
nates for approximate ly 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outs ide temperature is
above 46 QF (8 Q().
(l) Tips
-If the glow plug indicator light illum i­
nates while dr iving, there is an eng ine
control malfunction. The engine should
be checked immed iate ly.
- If the ind icator light does not illuminate
at all when switch ing the ign it ion on,
there may be a malfunction in the glow
plug system. The engine sho uld be
ch ecked.
0 Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
T he Ma lf u nction Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
T he symbo l
¢.j lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed. This indicates that the MIL is work ing
properly.
The warning lig ht ill uminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electron ic system.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may a lso
ca use the MIL light to illuminate
c> page 221.
For more information c> page 30 .

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 149.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child seat on the front pas­
senger's seat. Always fo llow the information
regarding chi ld safety provided in
¢ page 175, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never put your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the window or on top of the seat cush­
ion. This applies especially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect, this could result in persona l
injury or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 53
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you maximum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle cont rol and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees s lightly bent
i:::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 53.
.,. Adjust the backrest so that when you sit
w ith your back against the backrest, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
the head res traint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le
i:::> page 56. Move
the head restraint so that it is as close to the
back of the head as possible .
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate.

62 Seats and storage
-Compartments* on the back of the front
seat backrests
- Garment hooks on the sides of the pillars in
the rear of the vehicle and in the rear grab
handles
- Compartment in the rear center armrest
- Storage in the trim panels in the luggage
compartment
~ WARNING
-
- Always remove objects from the instru­
ment panel. Any items not stored could
slide around inside the vehicle while driv­
ing or when accelerating or when apply­
ing the brakes or when driving around a
corner.
- When you are driving make sure that
anything you may have placed in the cen­
ter console or other storage locations
cannot fall out into the footwells. In case
of sudden braking you would not be able
to brake or accelerate.
-Always keep the lid of the compartment
for (sun)glasses* closed while driving to
reduce the risk of injury during a sudden
braking maneuver or in the event of an
accident.
- Any articles of clothing that you have
hung up must not interfere with the driv­
er's view. The coat hooks are designed
only for lightweight clothing. Never hang
any clothing with hard, pointed or heavy
objects in the pockets on the coat hooks.
During sudden braking or in an accident -
especially
If the airbag is deployed -
these objects could injure any passen­
gers inside the vehicle.
- To reduce the risk of personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
glove compartment closed while driving.
- Read and follow all WARNINGS
~ page 171, Important safety instruc­
tions on the side airbag system.
-Hang clothes in such a way that they do
not impair the driver's vision.
- The coat hooks must only be used for
lightweight clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp edged objects in the pock- ets which may interfere with the side cur­
tain airbag deployment and can cause
personal
injury in a crash.
- Do not use coat hangers for hanging
clothing on the coat hooks as this can in­
terfere with proper deployment of the side curtain airbags in an accident.
- Do not hang heavy objects on the coat
hooks, as they could cause personal in­
jury in a sudden stop.
(D Note
Objects located on the rear shelf that rub
against the rear window could damage the heating wires for the rear window defog-
ger .
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof
luggage rack.
Fig. 61 Roof rack attachment po ints
... Always read and follow the instructions pro­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when installing the roof rack system.
If luggage or cargo is to be carried on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- Only use roof racks approved for your vehi­
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program . .,..

76 On the road
column will continue moving as long as you
are pressing the switch.
There must be at least 10 inc hes (25 cm) be­
tween you r chest and the center of the steer ­
ing whee l.
If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adapt ive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<::> page 54 .
In vehicles with the memory f unction* , the
steering column settings are stored together
with the seat position.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause se rious personal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l column on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle cont rol.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that the re is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel ¢
page 1311 fig. 148. If
you can not maintain this min imum dis­
tan ce, the airbag system cannot protect
yo u properly.
- If p hys ica l limi tations prevent y ou from
sitting 10 in ches (25 cm) o r more from
the steering wheel, check with yo ur au­
tho rized Aud i dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is availab le .
- If the steerin g wheel is aligned wi th you r
face, the supp lemental drive r's airbag
cannot prov ide as much protect ion in an
acc ident. A lways make sure that the
steering wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
t ions to reduce the risk of pe rsonal injury
if the d river 's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steer ing whee l at the 12
o'clock posit ion or w it h your hands i nside the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Hold
ing the steer ing wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er 's airbag deploys.
Easy entry feature
Applies to vehicles: with electrically adjustable steering
wheel
The easy entry feature makes it easier to en­
ter and exit the vehicle by automatically ad­
justing the steering wheel.
.. Select in the MM I: ICAR I fu nction button>
(Car )* sys tem s control b utton > V ehicle set­
ting s
> Seat s > Driver 's seat > Easy entry >
On .
When the easy ent ry feature is turned on, the
steering wheel moves up to the park position
when you switch
off the ignition. After you en­
ter the veh icle, the steering wheel moves to
the stored position as soon as you sw itch on
the ignit ion.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine.
Fig . 79 Center console: S TART ENGINE S TOP b utto n
Switching the ign ition on /off
• To switch the ign ition on/off, press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OPI button . Do not p ress
the brake pedal while doing this . Diesel
veh icles are preheated while the ignit ion is
sw itched on . ..,.

Starting th e engin e
"'Press the brake peda l c::> _&..
"'Press the !START ENGINE STOP I button
c::>fig. 79. The engine will start .
"' It is possible that the re wi ll be a slight de lay
when starting the engine for diesel vehicles
in colder temperatures. Therefore, you must
hold the brake pedal down until the eng ine
starts. The indicator lamp
&I illum inates
when the eng ine is preheated .
If the engine should not start immediately,
the starting process is automatically stopped
after a short time . Repeat starting procedure .
Start-Stop-Sy stem *:
Note the information on c::> page 81, Start­
S top-Sys tem.
A WARNING
- Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiation .
- Never turn off the eng ine unti l the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and power steer ing
only work when the engine is running . If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot stee r and brake as you usua l­
ly wou ld, this could lead to crashes and
serious injur ies.
- Avoid high engine rpm, fu ll throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperature - ot her­
wise yo u risk eng ine dam age.
- The eng ine cannot be started by pushing
or tow ing the veh icle.
(D Tips
- After a cold engine is started, there may
be a brief period of increased noise be ­
cause oil press ure must fi rst bu ild up in
the hydraulic valve adjusters. This is nor ­
mal and not a ca use for concern .
-If yo u leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
switched on, the ignition will switch off
On th e ro ad 77
after a certain period of time. Please
note that electrical equipment such as
exterior lights will sw itch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
"' Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
"' Move the selector lever to the P or N posi ­
tion .
"' Press the
I STA RT E NGINE ST OP I button
c::> page 76, fig. 79.
When you stop and the Start-Stop-System*
turns off the engine, the ignition remains on .
Press the
! S TAR T ENGIN E ST OPI button to
switch the ign ition off du ring a stop phase.
Steerin g lock
The steering locks when you tur n the engine
off using the
I START ENGINE STOP I button
and open the driver's door. The locked steer­
i ng helps prevent vehicle theft.
Eme rgency off
If necessary, the engine can be switched off
with the selector lever in the R or D/S posi ­
tion. The engine stops if you press the
I S TART ENGINE STOP I button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/h) .
A WARNING
-Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake boos ter and power steering
only work when the engine is r unning . If
the engine is off, yo u have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usual­
ly would, th is cou ld lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
- For safety reasons, you sho uld a lways
park your vehicle w ith the selector lever
in P . Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away.
- After the eng ine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can cont inue to run for
up to 10 minutes - even with the ignition .,..

78 On the road
switched off. It can a lso switch on again
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat buildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is addit ionally heated by
the sun's rays.
(D Note
D o not stop the engine immediate ly afte r
hard or extended driving . Keep the engine
running for approximately two minutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up.
Driver message in the instrument
cluster display
Turn off ignition b efo re leaving car
This message appears and a war ning tone
sounds if yo u open the dr ive r's door when the
ignition is switched on.
Pres s brake pedal to start en gine
This message appears if you press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button to start the en­
g ine and do not depress the brake pedal. The
engine can on ly be started if the brake pedal
i s depressed.
!I ls k ey in the vehicle ?
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the remote control key was re­
moved from the vehicle while the engine was
running . If the ignit ion key is not in the vehi ­
cle you w ill not be ab le to switch on the ig ni­
tion o r restart the eng ine after it has been
switched off. Yo u wi ll also not be able to lock
the vehicle from the outside.
Shift to P , otherwise vehicle can roll away .
Doors do not lo ck if le ver i s not in P .
This message appears for safety reasons
along w ith an audib le warn ing tone if the P
selecto r lever posit io n is not engaged when
stopping the eng ine with the
I START ENGINE STOP! button. Select the P se­
lector lever posit io n. Otherw ise the veh icle
could roll and it cannot be locked.
mJ Ke y is not re cogni zed . H old back of ke y
a ga in st marked are a. See owner' s manual.
If the indicator ligh t turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malf unct ion
r::!;> page 78.
Turn off ignition before l ea v ing car. B attery
i s d isc harging
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on. Al­
ways switch off the igni tion if you are leaving
the vehi cle. See also
r::¢,page 83.
Shift to P and turn off ignition before l eav ­
ing car, oth erwi se v ehicl e can roll away
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on and
t h e selecto r lever is not in the P posi tion. Shift
the selecto r lever into the P pos ition and
switch off the ignit ion when you exit the vehi­
cl e. Otherw ise the vehicle cou ld roll. See also
r::¢,page 83.
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances, for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter­
ference has affected the key or if there is a
system malfunction.
F ig . 80 Ce nter console/master key: starting the eng ine
i f there is a malfunct ion
Requirement: The message Key not recog­
nized . Hold back of ke y against marked are a.
See o wne r's manual.
must appear and the in-
dicator light
ml must switch on. .,..

.. Hold the master key vertically in the loca­
tion indicated
y>>) c::> fig . 80 .
.. Press the brake pedal c:;, A in Starting the
engine on page
77.
.. Press the l~S_T_A_R_T_ E_N_ G_ I_ N _ E_ S_T_ O_ P~ I button . The
engine will start .
.. Drive to your author ized Audi dealer imme­
diately to have the malfunction co rrected .
('O Tips
You can view the message again by press­
ing the
! START ENGINE STOP I button.
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking broke replaces
the hand broke.
Fig. 81 Center console: Park ing brake
.. Pull on the switch (®) c::> fig. 81 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator light in the
switch illuminates .
.. Step on the brake pedal or the acce lerator
pedal and press the switch(®) at the same
time to release the parking brake. The indi­
cator light in the switch goes out.
Your vehicle is equipped w ith an electrome­
chanica l park ing brake. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intentionally and rep laces the hand brake.
I n addition to the normal functions of a tradi­
tional hand brake, the electromechanica l
parking brake provides various convenience
and safety functions.
On the road 79
When starting from rest
-The integral start ing assist helps you when
driving by automatically re leasing the park­
ing brake
c::> page 80, Starting from rest .
- When start ing on inclines, the starting as­
sist p revents the vehicle from unintentional­
ly rolling back. The braking force of the
parking brake is not re leased until sufficient
driving force has been built up at the
wheels.
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the vehicle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail
c:;, page Bl, Emergency broking.
Indicator lights
- If the pa rking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched on the indicator lights come
on - (USA
models) ,tl (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch.
- If the parking brake is closed with the igni­
tion
switched off the indicator lights come
on - (USA
models) ,tl (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the sw itch
for about 20 seconds.
A WARNING
Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if the veh icle is stationary but the
engine is running and a gear is selected .
Otherwise the vehicle w ill start to move
imm ediately and could result in a crash.
(D Note
If the symbol . in the display or the indi­
cator light
1111 (USA models)/. (Cana­
da models) in the instrum ent cluster flash­
es, there is a malfunction in the brake sys­
tem. Please refer to the detailed descrip­
tion of the indicator lights
c::>poge lS.
-If the indicato r light - (USA mod-
els) /. (Canada models) or
11',1 turns
on, there may be a malf un ction in the
parking brake
c::>poge 16.

80 On the road
-You can apply the parking bra ke at any
time -even w ith the ignition swi tched
off . The ignit ion must be on and the
brake pedal must be pressed in order to
release the parking brake .
- Occas iona l noises when the parking
brake is applied and released are norma l
and are not a cause for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a se lf-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any assoc iated no ises
a re no rma l.
Parking
• Press the b ra ke peda l to stop the vehicle .
• Pull the swit ch(®) to set t he parking br ake.
• Move the se lecto r lever to P.
• Turn the eng ine off ~&, .
"' When on incl in es or declines, turn the steer­
ing wheel so that yo ur vehicle will roll into
the curb if it begins to move.
A WARNING
- When you leave your veh icle -even if on ­
ly b riefly -always take the ignition key
with you. This applies partic ularly when
c hildren remain in the ve hicle. Otherw ise
t h e c hild ren could start t he engine, re­
lease the pa rking brake or ope rate e lec ­
t rical equipment (e .g. power windows).
The re is the risk of an accident .
- When the vehicle is loc ked, no one -par ­
t icu larly not c hildren sho uld remain in
the vehicle . Loc ked doors make it more
difficult for emergency workers to get in­
to the vehicle -putt ing lives at risk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon
star ting.
Stopping and applying park ing brake
"' Pull the switch(®) to apply the pa rk ing
brake.
Starting and automatically releasing the parking brake
"' When you start to drive as usual , the park ­
ing brake is a utomat ically released and your
veh icle beg ins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in city t raffic, the par king b rake can be ap­
plied . The vehicle does not have to be he ld
with the footbra ke . The p arking brake elimi­
nates the tende ncy to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged . As soo n as yo u drive off as us ual ,
the pa rking brake is re leased automatically
and the vehicle s tarts to move.
Sta rting on slopes
When starting on inclines , the star ting assist
prevents the vehicle from u nintent ionally roll ­
ing back . The brak ing force of the parki ng
brake is not re leased unti l suff ic ient d riving
fo rce has been built up at the w heels.
(D Tips
Fo r safe ty reaso ns, the pa rking brak e is re­
l eased automatically on ly when t he d riv­
er's safety bel t is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
"' Keep the sw itch(®) pulled and depress the
accelerator . The pa rking brake stays applied
and prevents the v ehicl e from roll ing bac k­
wa rd .
"' Yo u can rele a se the swit ch(®) once yo u are
sure t hat you are developing enoug h for ­
ward momentum at the whee ls as you de­
press the acce lerator .
Depend ing on the we igh t of the rig (vehi cle
and t railer) and the severity of the incline, yo u
may ro ll backwards as yo u start . You can p re ­
vent rolling backwa rds by holding the park ing
brake switch (®) pulled o ut and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with a conventiona l hand brake .