2014 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

&
Batt ery acid contain s sulfuric acid.
Alw ay s w ea r g lov es and eye protec -
t io n.
@
No
-spa rk s
- flam es
- sm oking .
~
When a b atte ry is ch arged , it p rodu -
ce s hy d roge n ga s wh ich i s exp losi ve
a nd could cause pe rso nal injur y.
®
Alw ay s keep the b atter y well out of
rea ch of children.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r isk of
injury, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
yo ur sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could leak out of the vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your sk in, immed iately r inse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek med ical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-c ircuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal in jury.
Checkin g and fillin g
-When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explos ive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the elect rical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
trical system, switch off the eng ine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If yo u are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switc h off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch ­
ed off . Reconnect the pos it ive cable first
and then the negative cable. Neve r inter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery.
It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32
°F
(0 oc).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! A l­
ways rep lace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han- dling.
~
239
•
•

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 .,..

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-
•
•

242 Checking and filling
The washer f luid containe r is marked with the
symbo l$ on its cap
¢fig . 199, ¢page 229,
fig. 193 .
.,. Before you che ck a nyt hin g in the e ng ine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢ A in Working in the engine
compartment on page
22 7 .
.,. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu­
i d . Yo u can fill the container to the top .
.,. Press the cap back onto the f iller neck after
filling t he containe r.
You can find t he reservoir
capacity in the tab le
i n ¢
page 283 .
Clean water sho uld be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent sca ling on
washer jets. Always add a glass cleane r solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
Do not mi x engine coo lant an tifreeze or
any ot her ad ditives to f ill up the wind ­
shie ld washer reserv oir.

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A voidin g damage
If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 243
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 271.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
(D Note
Please note that summer and winter tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem­
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un­
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.

Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. You
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is no t req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 245
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and spec ial tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see ¢ page 244, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
re sp onding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
•
•

246 Tires and wheels
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ic h a tir e is des igned to
be d riven for extended per io d s of t ime. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ page 255. You may
not find this in format ion on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, w here a pplica­
b le, is molded on the tire s idewa ll and indi­
cates the maxim um permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 259.
Tire pressure monitoring sy stem*
means a system tha t d etects when one or
mo re of a vehicle's t ires are under inflated and
i llum inates a low t ire p ress ure warn ing te ll­
tale.
Tread
means t hat port ion of a tire tha t comes into
con tact w it h t he road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the t read from the t ire
car cass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means t he projections withi n the pr inc ipal
g rooves designed to give a v isua l ind ication of
the deg rees of wea r of the tre ad . See
¢
pag e 253, Tread W ear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat io n on measu ring tire we ar.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire i nfo rmation system developed by the
United States Nat io nal Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (N HTSA) that is designed to
h e lp buye rs make re lative compa risons among
tires. The UT QG i s no t a safety r ating and no t a
g uar antee t hat a t ire will las t fo r a presc ribed
n umber of m iles (kilome ters) or pe rform in a
certain way. It s imply gives ti re bu ye rs addi­
tional information to combine with other con -s
iderations, such as p rice , brand loya lty and
dealer recommendations. Un der UTQ G, tires
are grade d by the t ire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwea r, traction, and temperature
resistance. The UTQG informat ion on the tires,
molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN )
This is the tire's "se ria l numbe r" . It be gins
with the letters "DOT" and ind icates that the
t ire meets all federa l standards . The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it
was ma nufactu red, and the last four numbe rs
r eprese nt the week and year of ma nufact ure.
Fo r exampl e,
DOT ... 2213 ...
means that the tire was produced in t he 22nd
wee k of 2013. The ot her numbers are market­
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
t ire manufacturer. This information is used to
contact consumers i f a tire defect requires a
r ecall .
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pilla r.
Vehicle maximum lo ad on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to eac h axle its
share of the maxim um loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two .
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l t ir e that is
determined by distributing to eac h ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weig ht (d istr ibuted in
accorda nce wit h tab le below ¢
page 247)
and divid ing by two .