2014 AUDI A7 maintenance

Foreword
Thank you f or choosing an Audi -we value your trust in us.
Your new Audi will a llow you to experience the best in groundbreaking technolo­
gy and p rem ium quality equ ipment a vehicle has to offer. We recommend that
you read your Owner's Manua l tho roughly so that you qu ic k ly become acquaint­
ed wi th you r A udi and make use of a ll of its features.
In addition to explaining how the different features work, we provide many use­
f u l tips and informa tion concerning your safety, how to ca re fo r yo ur vehicle and
how to ma inta in your veh icle's va lue. We also give you useful tips and informa­
tion on how to dr ive your ve hicle more efficiently and in an environ menta lly
frie ndly manne r.
In the Owne r's Man ual packe t, you will a lso find a quick reference guide , an
Owne r's Man ual for your Infotainment system and the vehicle maintenance
schedule.
We hope you en joy driving yo ur Audi and we w ish you sa fe and pleasant mo to r­
ing.
AUDIAG
lll ll ~ lll 111~ 1111 11111111 11 1 ~ I Ill
1415614GA23

In addition to t his Owner's Ma nual, your A udi
comes w ith t he
- MMI Oper ating In st ru cti ons
- Warranty
& Ma intenance boo klet.
If you are m iss ing one of these publicat ions,
or if you believ e that the information is not
comp lete, contact you r auth orized Audi dea le r
for assistanc e.
MMI Operating Instructions
contain detailed desc ription of the Aud i M ulti
Media Interface (MMI) including t he nav iga­
tion system, the so und system and the ha nd­
h e ld pho ne.
The Warranty & Maintenance booklet
explains how yo u can keep your A udi in top
driving condition by hav ing it serviced regular­
l y and conta ins detai led info rmat ion about
the wa rra nties covering your Aud i. Always
h ave the boo klet with yo u when yo u take your
ve hicl e to a n author ized Audi dealer for serv ­
i ce. Y our Audi Servi ce A dvis or will re cord each
sche duled service and can an swe r any ques­
tions you may have rega rding how to ma in tain
your ve hicle.
In Canada,
the veh icle lite rat ure is also avai lab le in
Fr ench . T o ob tain a cop y, contact your dea le r
or wri te to:
Au Canada, on peut se p rocure r un exemp la ire
e n fr an<;ais de ce do cument aupres du conces ­
sio nnair e ou de:
Volkswagen Canada Inc.
C lient Assistance
Assis tance a la Clientele
7 77 Bayly S tree t, Wes t,
A jax, On tario LlS 7G 7
If you sell your Audi
all lite ratu re should be left in the ve hicle to
make th e Warranty terms as we ll as a ll oper­
ating, safety and m aintenan ce inform ation
a vaila ble to the nex t owne r.
Vehicle literature 5
If you change your address or if you
bought this Audi used
be s ure to send in a "Notice of Add ress
Change"/ " Notice of Used Car Purchase" post
card. T his card can be fo und in the Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet or obtained from your
autho rized Aud i dea ler .
It is in your own interest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise .
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Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
App lies to vehicles: with three -zone cl imate contro l or
four -zone a uto mat ic climate contro l
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the vehicle interior .
It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof* are closed . If the temperature inside
the parked veh icle becomes very warm, open­
i ng the w indow br iefly will speed up the cool­
ing process.
In all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has reached a certain
temperature.
Condensat ion from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of wate r under the ve­
h icle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak .
Pollutant filt er
The pollutant filter removes pollutants such
as dust and po llen from the air.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi­
tioner can properly work .
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high
a ir pollution, the filter may need to be
changed more frequently than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Ma intenance booklet. If
i n doubt, ask your authori zed Audi Service Ad­
visor for adv ice.
K ey coded settings
Three-zone climate control: T he b lower set­
ting and air d istribution are stored automati­
cally and ass igned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Four-zone automatic climate control: The cli­
mate contro l settings are automatica lly stor­
ed and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Warm and c old 69
A WARNING
-
Reduced visibi lity is dangerous and can
cause acc idents .
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densat ion.
- Comp letely fam il iarize yourse lf with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
a nd ventilation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer system in freez ing weathe r unt il you
have wa rmed the windshie ld first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer sol ution may freeze on the wind­
shie ld and red uce visibi lity.
CJ) Note
- If you s uspect that the air conditioner
has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
inspected by a qualified dea lership .
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire specia l technical know ledge and
special tools. Contact an authorized Audi
dealer fo r ass istance.
@ For the sake of the envi ronment
By reducing the amount of f uel you use,
you also red uce the amount of pollutants
emitted into the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lo ts ( in front of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de­
bris in order to maintain the proper func­
tion of the climate control system.
- The energy ma nagement system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window defroster off temporar ily. These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored .
- Air escapes through vents under the rear window. When plac ing items of cloth ing
on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.

-Have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection sys­
tem determines that the front passenger seat is empty, the frontal airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
Airbag system 165
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once .
After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially
for your Audi model version. Replace­ ment of complete airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only. Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE­
CORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ...
L..._ _____________ _j ...
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Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
... Always use lead-free gasoline c::> page 218,
Fuel supply .
... Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty .
... Never put too much motor oil in your engine
c::> page 232, Adding engine oil .,. Never try to push-or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is cr it ically
i mportant for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
& WARNING ,~
T he temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing with
leaded fuel will already seriously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 205
-Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c::>page 232.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty. The engine cou ld mis­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is mov ing .
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result i n overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have you r vehicle main tained properly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendations in your Warranty & Maintenance book let.
- Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as
improper use of t he vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the emission cont ro l
system and could lead to damage.
@) For the sake of the env ironment
Even when the Emission Control System is
ope rat ing properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operat ing states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free s uper
g rade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
App lies to vehicles: wit h diese l eng ine
The diesel part iculate filter filters nearly all of
the soot pa rticles out of the exhaust . T he fil­
te r clea ns itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l
driv ing cond itions. If the filter cannot clean it ­
self (for example, because you are on ly driving
sho rt distances), the filter becomes clogged
with soot and the
Ill symbo l for the diesel
particulate filter i lluminates
c::> page 22. ..,_
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206 Driving and en vir onm ent
8_ WARNING
- Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel par­
t icu late filter could start a fire .
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in
the exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especia lly true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes f irst by brak ing carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical
system can be severely damaged by driv­
ing through water.
- Always switch off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water~
page 81.
-
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before d riv­
ing through it .
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because
it can cause corrosion.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer period of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro ­
sion prevention, maintenance and storage .
Pay attention to additional information con­
cern ing the battery. Refer to
~ page 238.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, env ironmental impact, and
wear on your eng ine , brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent . This sec­
tion will give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook.

@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ic h will vary depend ing upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
~ Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating . If you anticipate what is go ing to
h appen next, you will need to b rake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
wheneve r poss ible -fo r example when you see
that the nex t tr affic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
~ T ry and keep well below your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gent ly reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not dist urb the
environment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
g ine no ise increase d ispropo rtionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approxima tely three
q uarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be red uced by one ha lf. Never dr ive faste r
than the posted speed limit and wea ther con­
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
E ven when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
~ S hu t the engine off when you a re not dr iv ing
t h e vehi cle.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 207
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
engine run at id le .
T he id ling phase is au toma tic ally red uced for
vehicles with the Start/S top system . It is eff i­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles with­
out the Start-Stop-System when stopped at
railroad crossings and long red lights. Turning
the engine off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is burned by start ing the en-
. . gme again .
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is run ning at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly high
when the eng ine is warm ing up. So you should
dr ive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms whi le the engine is
sti ll warming up.
(L} Note
Do not leave eng ine idling unattended af­
ter start ing.
If wa rni ng lights sho uld come
o n t o indi cate improper ope rat ion, t hey
wo uld go unheeded. Extended idlin g also
produces heat, wh ich could res ult in ove r­
heating or other damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
~ Have your ve hicle servi ced at reg ular i nter-
vals .
By havi ng your ve hicle regu la rly se rviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re tha t it ru ns prop­
erly and economically . The condition of your
vehicle not on ly affects its safety and ability to
ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel consump­
tion .
Check your oil each t ime y ou fill your tank.
The amou nt of o il used is re lated to engine
l oad and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reac h its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven. .,..
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Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
c> page 17 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wearing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
Trailer towing 211
trailer, you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(0 Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load¢
page 285.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
"' App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
"' With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine.
.,. Select the D/S selector lever position .
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
111>
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