2014 AUDI A7 check engine light

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.
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•

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 .
.

cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip ­
ment .
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the acid.
0 Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine . This will seriously dam ­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
q page 202. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electrical en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu ­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
authorized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor­ rectly after replacing the battery.
Checking and filling 241
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, construction and plug sealing.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig ­
nition and all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery acid can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM
battery. Installing a different type of
battery can cause problems in the vehi­
cle electrical system. When replacing the
vehicle battery, always install one with
the same specifications as the original
battery.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fig. 199 E ng in e compar tment: cov er on th e w in ds hield
and headl ig ht* washer fluid reservoir
II-
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266 What do I do now?
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
... After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop o ,&.
... All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
o A-
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
o ,&.
... Move selector lever to position Po ,& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle .
... Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
o page 264,
o page265.
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire,
move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm.
If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
-
-Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
opage 136.
@ Tips
Before changing the whee l, you must acti­
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto­
matic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus­
pension* do not make it more difficult to
lift the vehicle with the jack
o page 268 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
opage 268 .
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also
o page 267, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or o page 267,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts o page 268.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
opage 268.
5. Raise the car with the jack o page 268.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare opage 270.
7. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly .
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9 . Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts o page 268.
10. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode * in the
MMI:
I CARI function button > (Ca r)* sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks
> Air susp.: jack mode > Off.
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automati­
ca lly at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h) .
A WARNING ,-
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
in format ion
o .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page 269
and opage 271.

2 76 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
page 22 7.
(D Note
- App lying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, radio, etc .
- Th ere must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current cou ld already start to f low as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. .,.

_______________________________ I~ n~ d:::: e~x 291
AUTO
automatic climate control ... ... .. .. ..
73
Automatic headlights ............... 44
climate control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Auto Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Automatic belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Automatic climate control
Air vents ... ............. .... .. ....
73
Automatic recirculation ...... .. .. .. .. 74
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setup . .. ... ...... ............. ... 74
synchron izing ......... ...... .... ... 73
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .. .. .. .. .. . 110
Automatic transmission ....... .. .. .. . 109
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) .......... 110
Driving .... ................ ... ... 111
Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Emergency release ........ .. .. .. .. . 115
Kick-down .. ............. .... .. ... 113
Manual shift program ....... .. .. .. . 113
Selector lever ............... ... ... 109
Automatic wipers .................... 48
Auto Safety Hotline .......... .. .. .. . 138
Average consumption ....... .. .. .. .. .. 25
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .. .. .. .. . 206
B
Bag hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Battery ..... .. ................ .... 238
Charging ... ................ ... ... 240
Important warnings ...... .. .. .. .. . 238
Jump starting ............ .... .. ... 276
Location . .. ............. .... .. ... 238
low ..... ... ...... ............. .. 202
Replacing the battery ....... .. .. .. . 241
State of charge ........... .... .. .. . 202
w· t · 1n er operation ......... .. .. .. .. .
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. .
Before driving .............. ... ... . .
Blended gasoline 238
238
130
218
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 73
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Booster seats ................ ... ... 184
Brake fluid
Changing the brake fluid ............
237
Checking the brake fluid level ........ 237
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 237
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? . .............. .
237
Brake system
Anti- lock braking system .............
20
Brake assist system .............. .. 196
Brake booster .. .. ................. 200
Brake fluid ...... .. ..... .......... 237
Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement ...... .. ...............
237
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Brake pads .. .. .. .... ........... .. 204
Electromechanical parking brake ..... . 79
Fluid reservoir ..... ............... 237
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? . .. .. .. .. .. ...............
200
Warning/indicator lights ........ .. .. . 15
Worn brake pads symbol ............ . 21
braking guard
Settings ... ..... .. ................
93
Braking guard ... .. .... ........... .. . 86
Messages . .. .. .. .. ............... . 93
Break-in period .. .. ... ... ...... ..... 204
Brake pads ...... .. ............... 204
Tires
Bu lbs
C
...... .. .. .. .................
204
275
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 228
Battery specific .. .. .............. . 239
Capacities .... .. .. .... ............. 283
Engine oil ... .. .. ................. 229
Carbon parts
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
215,216
Car carrier
Transporting your vehicle ......... ..
280
Care ....... .. .. .. ... ............ .. 213
Cargo area ........ .. ............... 136
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Catalytic converter . ............. .. .. 205
Center armrest
Cockpit ... .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ .
56
Central locking . ..... ................ 34
Emergency locking .... ......... .. .. . 38
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