2014 AUDI A7 coolant level

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer (eng ine rev counter)
@ Turn signals ............... .
@ Display with
®
®
-Driver information system .. .
- Wa rning/ind icator lights
Tachometer Fuel gauge
@ Tips
11
12
46
24
12
12
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on
and the vehicle lights are turned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of the
dials likewise dims automatically and wil l
go out completely when the outside light
is very low. This feature is meant to rem ind
you to switch on the headlights when out­
side light conditions become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD¢ page 11, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your eng ine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the eng ine has not reached operating
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions.
Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving cond i­
t ions. The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the engine is under heavy load or the exterior
temperature is high. This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate. If the LEDs
in the upper area of the disp lay and the indica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 17.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢ page 22 7, before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
Em turns on
¢ page 22. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@<=>
page 24, fig . 4 .
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex ha ust
system . The catalytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunctions <=>,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
Q page 24. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher<=>
page 45.
-The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, the coo lant temperature is too
high or the coo lant level is too low.
.. Pull
off the road.
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn
off the engine.
.. Check coolant level
c> page 235.
.,. Add coolant if necessary c> page 235 .
.. Continue driving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warn ing/ indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at idle for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 45, Emergency
flasher.
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping .
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 227.
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
ill uminates . There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
D Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system .
The .warn ing/ indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started .
• Alternato r fault : Battery is not being
charged
If t he indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle electrical system .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immed iate ly. Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec ­
essary e lectrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•) Low battery: battery will be charged
while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability .
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn
off, have your
authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
4t Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warn ing/ indicator light illum inates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenge r to put on ..,.

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.

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 .
.

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in P (Park position) and the park brake is
applied.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d isposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -specia l hand ling may ap­
ply, see www.dts c.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac ­
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­ proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason,
if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories:
Con sumer In formation 287
Approved Audi accesso ries and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genu ine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle .
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage holders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 22 7.
(D Note
- If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to spe cified meth­
ods, this can result in severe damage to
yo ur vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
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29 4 Index
Start -Stop -System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
starting .... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... .. 76
Starting with jumper cab les .. .. .. .. . 276
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
E ng ine compartmen t ... .... .. .. .... . 229
C losing the hood . ..... ... .. .. .... . 228
Opening the hood ..... ... .. .. .... . 227
Safety instructions ..... ... .. .. .... . 227
Working in the engine compartment . . 227
E ng ine coolan t ... .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . 234
Adding coolant . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 235
Checking the engine coolant leve l .. .. . 235
Expansion tank . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 235
M alfunct ion symbo l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Radi ator f an .... ... .. ...... .. .. .. . 236
T emperature gauge ........ .... ..... 11
Eng ine oil ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 229
Adding .... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 232
Addit ives . .... .... .... ....... .. .. . 232
Ch ang ing .. .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... 233
Check ing the eng ine o il level .. .. .... . 232
Ind ications and cond it ions req uiring ex -
tra checking .................. .... 232
I nd icator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
O il cons umption . .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . 23 1
O il grades .... .... .... ... .... .. .. . 229
P ressu re mal function . ... .. .. ... ... .. 18
Recomm ended oil check int ervals . ... . 232
Sensor def ective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Specification and viscos ity .. .. .. .... . 229
E ng ine sound ...... ....... .. .. .. .. . 102
Eng ine speed limitat ion ...... ... .. .... 22
Engin e start-stop mode
refer to Start-Stop-System . .. .. .. .. . . 83
E ng ine start sys tem (ind icator lights) .. . . 18
E nv ironment
Break- in period .............. ... ... 204
Cata lytic conve rter ........... ... ... 205
Di ese l pa rticul ate fi lter .. .. .. .. .. .. . 205
Di sp osing of yo ur vehicle batte ry .. ... 24 1
D riving a t high speeds ... .. .. .. .... . 20 7
D riving to minimize pollu tion and noise 206
Fu el . .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 221
Fue l economy ... .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . 206
Leaks unde r your veh icle ..... .. .... . 227
Le tting the ve hicle stand and warm up . 207
Prope r disposal of dra ined brake flu id . 23 7 Proper disposal of d
rained eng ine cool -
ant . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 235
Proper d isposal of d rained eng ine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232, 233
Recycling used engine oil . ....... .... 232
U nleaded fuel .. .. ................ . 218
What s hould I do with an old battery? . 241
Event Data Recorde r (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
E xhaus t tai l pipes
C leaning .. .. .. . .......... ... ... .. 214
Expansion tank .. .. .......... ...... . 235
Exterior lighting ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 44
E xte rior mi rrors
Adjus ting . .. .. .. .. .... .... ....... . SO
D imming . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 51
Heating ... .... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. . SO
E xterior tempera ture display ........... 24
F
Fastening
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Co nvertib le child safety seats ........ 182
I n fan t seats . .. .. ....... ...... .... 181
Floor mats .. .. .. .. ...... ....... .... 135
F oot peda ls ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 135
Fo r the sake of the environment
Gasoli ne fumes and the env ironme nt .. 221
Red ucing engine noise by early upshift-
i ng ....... .. .. .. .. ............... . 11
Ref ueling ..... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. 221
Saving f uel by early ups hifting ... .. .. . 11
Fo ur-zone automatic climate control . .. . 72
Front a irbags
Descrip tion .. .. . .. ........ ... ..... 153
How they work . .. .......... ...... . 159
Frontal col lisions and the laws of p hysics 141
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Adjus ting . .. .. .. ........... .. .. .. 132
C hild rest rain ts in the front seat . ... .. 151
Fuel Additives ...... .. ..... ........... . 218
B lended gaso line ........ .... ...... 218
Cur rent co nsumption .... ....... .... . 25
E conomy messages (e fficiency p rogram) 2 7
Fuel fi lle r flap emergency release ... .. 223
Fuel fi ller neck ... .. .... .... ... .. .. 220
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Gasoline ... ... ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 218
Gasoline additives ..... ... ... ... .. . 219
L ow fuel level symbol .... ... .. .. .. .. 22
Octane rating ..................... 218
Recommendation .................. 218
Refue lling .. ................ ...... 221
Reserve .. .. ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. 12
Tank capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 283
Fuses Assignment ............. .... .. ... 272
Replacing ............ ........... . 272
G
Garage door opener (Homel ink) .. .. .. . 128
Garment hoo ks ............ .. .. .. .. .. 6 1
Gas discharge lamps .............. .. . 275
Gauges Engine coolant temperature .... .. .... 11
Fuel gauge . .. .. ......... .. .. .. .... 12
Speedometer ... .......... ... .. .. .. 27
Tac hometer ....................... 12
Trip odometer ............ ...... ... 27
General illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Gene rato r (warn ing/indicator lights) .... 1 7
Glossary of t ire and load ing termino logy 244
Glove compartment (cooled) ... .. .. .. .. 61
Glow plug system Indicator ligh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating (GVWR) .. . 282
H
Head -up Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
H eadlights
Cleaning ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 214
C leaning system ... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 48
Defective . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 23
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . 23, 44
Washer reservoir .................. 241
H ead restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S6, 134
Ad justing .. .. .. ... . .. ... .. .. .. ... 134
F ront seats .... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .... 56
Rear seats .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. .... 57
Removing .. ............. .... .. .. .. 57
H ea ted
exterior mirrors ... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. SO
rear window (automatic climate cont ro l) 73
Inde x 295
rear window (climate cont rol) . ... .. .. . 71
seats (automatic climate control) ... .. . 73
seats (climate cont ro l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
windshield washer spray noz zles ..... .
48
Heating ............................ 69
Heavy clothi ng a nd safety be lts ... .... . 143
Hig h beam . ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 46
Hig h voltage warn ing label ........... 282
Hill descent contro l ................. 112
Homelink unive rsal remote control . ... 128
Hood (re lease lever) .. .............. . 22 7
Hooks ......... .................... 67
Hor n ............................... 8
How are child restraint system anchors re-
lated to child safety .. . .. .... ...... .. 189
How many a irbags does my vehicle have? 157
How often should I che ck my tire pres-
s ur es? ... .. .... .. .. . .............. 250
How safety belt pretens ioners work .... 147
Hydrop la ni ng ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 254
I
Immobilize r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Impo rtant t hings to do before d riving .. 130
Improperly worn safety belts .......... 146
Ind icator lights
refer to Warn ing/ indi ca to r li ghts ...... 12
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Installing child safety seats Safety be lts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Installing the upper te ther s trap on the
anchorage . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 192
Instruments Adjust ing the light ing ............... 47
Instr uments and controls
General illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
Interio r lighting
Amb ience lighting . ... .. .. .... ... .. . 47
Front and rear . .................... 47
In ter mitten t (w indshie ld w ipers) ....... 48
J
Jack .............................. 264
Jump-starting ... ................... 276
•
•