2014 AUDI A7 engine

196 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS) , brake assist sys ­
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
ferential lock ( EDL) and e lectronic interax le
d ifferential lock* . ESC is swi tched on all the
time. In certain situat ions when you need less
traction , you can switch off ASR by pressing
the button
[ru <::;> page 198, fig . 182 . Be sure
to switch ASR on again when you no longer
n eed less t raction.
Anti-lock br aking s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The veh icle can still be steered
even during hard braking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped ­
a l. A puls ing in the bra ke peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d istance.
It increases braking power when the
driver p resses the brake pedal quic kly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and ho ld the
b rake peda l until the situation is over . In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control* , the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the d rive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
s tart, accelerate and drive up hills.
El ectronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive powe r to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-whee l drive*. This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases , ED L automatica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating.
E DL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Int ellig ent technolog y 197
Electronic intera xle differential l ock */
se le ctive wheel torque cont rol *
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
whee l drive) or the se lective whee l torque
cont rol (all-wheel dr ive) operates when dr iv­
ing through curves . The front wheel on the in­
s ide of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
T his min imizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more p recise d riving through
curves . T he applicable system may no t acti­
vate when driv ing in wet or snowy conditions.
A WARNING
-- ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL and the electronic in­
teraxle diffe rential lock function* cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is es­
pecially important on slippery or wet
roads . If the systems begin acting to sta­
bilize your veh icle, you should immedi­
ately change yo ur speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will increase the r isk o f a loss of vehi ­
cle control, collision and serious personal inju ries.
-Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and weather conditions . The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys­
tem, EDL, ASR and the e lectronic inte r­
axle d iffe ren tial lock function* cannot
preven t coll is ions.
- Always accelerate with spec ial care on
even, smooth surfaces su ch as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve-
hicle control. .,.
•
•

198 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped w ith identi­
ca l tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems described are working.
Switching on and off
- If the indicator light DJ or til] (USA
mode ls)/ [I] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 20 ,
¢page 19.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 18 2 Cent er co nsole, f). O FF bu tton
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following situations are exceptions where
it may be usefu l to switch on sport mode to
allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free i t when i t is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose g round
- Driving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Beha vio r
The ESC a nd ASR stabilization fun ct ions The fu ll stabilization function o f the ESC
are limited¢ .&,.
Op eration Pr ess the 1.$ O FFI button .
Indicato r I) turns o n.
lights
Driv er mes- Stabiliza tion control (ESC ): Sport.
sage s Warning! R educed stability
,8. WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if
your driving abilities and road cond itions
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on. The
dr iv ing whee ls could spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces .
{D) Tips
-Sport mode cannot be switched on when
adaptive cruise control* is switched on.
-
and ASR is availab le again .
Press the
1 .$ O FF I button again.
fl tu rns off.
Stabilization c ontrol (ESC ): On
- If the rear spo iler system malf unct ions,
s port mode may no t switch on o r it may
sw it c h off ag ain autom atically.

200 Intelligent technology
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobi les are sti ll
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing conditions and driving habits
c:> ,&. On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenan ce booklet . Failure
to have your b rake pads inspected can result
in red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at inter­
va ls.
Moisture or road salt
Unde r certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be red uced due to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will
briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter­
vals so as to improve reaction t ime when brak­
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver will not no­
tice anything .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean off accumulated salt coat ing
from brake discs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake
c:> ,& .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on the
discs if the car is not driven regu larly or
o n Ly for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
r osion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed
c:> .&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circuits may have fai led
c::> .&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occu r in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
l evel is monitored electronically.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
su re which is created only when the eng ine is
running
c::> ,& .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
t hr ough the open ings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spect ion
c:> page 266, Changing a wheel.
.8_ WARNING
-You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to

overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­ ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re­
f ul brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
c reased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est Aud i dea ler o r q ualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Powe r steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and message s
• Steerin g defective! Stop th e vehicle
Int ellig ent technolog y 201
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on
and t his message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your au thor ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
'I-Y Steering: System malfun ction! You may
c ontinue dri ving
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the stee ring may be more diffi­
c ult to move o r more sens itive than usual.
Drive slowly to your authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop to have the ma lfunction
corre cted.
0) Tips
If the . or 1:z;lj indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue dr iv­
i ng.
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to veh icl es: w ith all-w hee l drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
Wi th a ll W heel Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See also
~ page 196.
With the sport different ia l* , power distribu­
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted with Audi dr ive select*
~ page 102.
Always read and follow safety precautions
~ .&. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even wit h
regular tires . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be moun ted o n
all four
wh eel s.
See also~ page 258, Winter tires. ..,.
•
•

202 Intellig ent technol ogy
Tire chain s
Where t ire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll- wheel drive
c::> page 259, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /t ir es
Vehicles with all-whee l drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c::> page 2 54, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off -Ro ad dri ving?
Your Aud i does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off -road veh icle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
c::> page206.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra r isks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is limited by t ire traction . You
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to s lide on top of the w ater
(aquaplaning) .
If this should occ ur, you
wi ll have no warning from a sudden in ­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers (e .g. immobilize r). In certa in circumstances it
can resu lt in the re be ing insufficient energy
available to start the engine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e ha ndles the distribution of e lectr ica l ene r­
gy . Start ing ability is ma rkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
b att ery diagn osis, idlin g current manage ­
m ent
and dynamic en erg y manag em ent .
Battery di agnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery cu rrent and battery
tempe rature. This determines the current
state o f charge and the power of t he battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing .
With the ig nition sw itched
off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electri ca l compo ­
nents. Da ta from ba ttery diagnos is is cons id ­
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
individual cons ume rs a re g radually turned
off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy manag ement
While the vehicle is being d riven, dynamic en­
ergy ma nagement distr ibutes the energy gen­
era ted a ccord ing to t he needs of the individ u-
al components .
It regula tes consumption, so
t h at more electrical energy is not being used ..,.

than is being generated and ensures an opti­mal state of charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits o f physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) appears ¢
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-dis tance
driving, in city traffic and d uring the co ld time
of year . Abu ndant e lectrica l energy is re­
q uired, but only a litt le is generated . It is also
cr itical if the engine is not runn ing and electri­
cal components are turned on. In th is in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat­
i n g the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stand s for an e xte nded period
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are grad ually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main­ tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights o r the
power seat adjustment. The conven ience
f u nctions will be ava ilable again whe n you
switch on the igni tion and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you lis ten to t he radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off or use othe r MM I fu nc­
tions, the bat te ry is being discha rged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en ­
e rgy consumpt ion, the follow ing warning ap­
pears in the MMI disp lay :
Int ellig ent technolog y 203
Plea se start the engine soon or the sy stem
will be turned off .
The wa rni ng ind ic ates th at the sys tem w ill be
t u rned o ff autom atically a fter 3 minu tes. If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trical energy is generated when
t h e ve hicl e is being driven, t he battery can be­
come d isc harged. This happe ns mostly when
little energy is being generated and a g reat
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
T o b ring the energy ba lance back in to equili ­
brium, consumers which req uir e especially
l a rge amounts of energy a re temporari ly cut
back or sw itched off. Heat ing systems in par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be availabl e again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is no rmal and not
a cause for concern. By inc reas ing engi ne id le
speed the additional e nergy requi red is gene r­
ated and the b attery is charged.
•
•

204 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
... Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 mile s (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
... Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.,. Do not rev the eng ine up to high speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transm ission is in N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break-in period
... Do not exceed maximum engine speed un­
der any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale
c:> page 11.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's interna l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break- in process is do ne de­
pends to a conside rable extent on th e way the
ve hicl e is driven during the first 1,0 00 miles
(1, 500 k ilome ters).
0 Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduced. However, these rpm
lim its are progr amme d for an engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine .
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ­
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
part icularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
A WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be s ure to remember
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les ( 500 kilo ­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking .
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full bra king effect dur ing the fi rst 250 m iles
(400 kilomete rs) afte r they a re insta lled.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
fo re t hey have optima l grab
c:> A .
During the break- in period, you should avoid
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include, for example, sudden hard brak­
i ng, in particular at very high speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
A WARNING
New b rake pa ds don't have t he bes t stop­
pi ng power and mus t be "broke n-in " dur­
i ng the in iti al 1 00 to 150 mi les (150 to
20 0 k ilometers) of no rma l city driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the
br ake peda l mo re f irm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.