2014 AUDI A7 suspension

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
c> page227.
@ Tips
Ma lf u nctions or faults wi ll be identified ei­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (pr iority 2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are ma rked
with a ,/ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there is a malfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbols indicate a prio rity malfunction -
D anger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
-Turn off the engine.
- Check the ma lf u nctioning system . Contact
your authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
USA models :
Bra ke malfunction,/
c> page 15
Canada models:
Brake malfunction,/
c>page 15
USA model s:
Electromechan ica l park ing brake
c> page 16
Canada models :
Electromechanica l park ing brake
c> page 16
Engine cooling system
c> page 17
Engine oi l pressure
c> page 18
Engine o il leve l
c>page 18
Battery
c>page 17
Safety be lt
c> page 17
Electromec hanical steering ,/
c>page 201
Electronic steering co lumn lock
c> page 18
Engine start system
c> page 18
Central indicato r light
c>page 19
USA model s: Speed warning sys­
tem
c> page 84
Canada model s: Speed warning
system
c> page 84
Adaptive cruise contro l* ,/
c> page 88
Air suspension*
c>page 19
Pedestrian warning *
c>page 105
Rear spo iler
c> page 199
Refill Ad Blue*
c> page 223
AdBlue malfunction*
c>page 223
Yellow indicator lights
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 mal func ­
tion -Wa rning!

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
a
Ad Blue ,o
Centra l ind icator light
¢page 19
Elect romechan ica l steering ./
¢page 20 1
Air suspension*
c::;, page 19
Sport different ial*
c:;,page23
Rear spoiler
.:;,page 199
Refill Ad B lue*
c:;,page223
r4l'il.nH.dBl ue malfu ncti on*
c::;, page 2 2 3
Other indicator lights
11
II
•
I
•
•
•
T u rn signa ls
c:;, page24
Canada models: Cruise control*
c:;,page84
A dapt ive cr uise c ontrol *
.:;,page BB
Adaptive cr uise control *
.:;,page BB
Adaptive cr uise control *
c:;,pageBB
Au di active lane ass ist*
c:;, page96
Start -Stop-System *
¢pa ge 81
Start -Stop -System *
c:;,pageBl
Hi gh beam
¢page 46
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
The light illuminates when the ignition is
swi tched on.
It goes o ut after the e ngine has
b een st arte d. T his indi ca tes that t he br ake
warning ligh t is functioni ng pro perly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking, there may be a malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case, contact your Audi dealer.
If t he brake sys tem wa rn in g/ indi ca to r l ight
t u rns o n, there i s a br ake sys te m malfu nction .
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models )
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as fo llows:
.,. Pull
off th e road .
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Tur n
off the engi ne.
.,. Chec k th e b rake fluid level
c::;, page 23 7 .
.,. Con tact your nea rest au tho rized repair fa-
cility if necessary .
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light~ (USA models)/
(I] (Canada mode ls), the ESC ind icator light
Jj] and t he b rake system indicator light
1111 ( U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) tur n
o n and the message a ppears, the A BS, ESC
and braki ng d istr ib utio n are no t wo rki ng
c::;, ,&. .
Carefully drive to your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediat ely to have the ma lf u nct ion correct­
ed ¢,&. .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the ind icator light and the message ap -
pea r
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
ch eck if yo u can release the
pa rk ing brake . Afte r releasing the parking
bra ke, ca refully d rive to your au thor ized
Au di dealer i m media tely to have the mal­
fu nction cor rected. If y ou can not rele ase th e
p arki ng br ake, see k profession al assi stance . .,..

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
II! Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea le r immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~ Air suspension
Appl ies to vehicles: with air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph .
There is a malfunct ion that can result in re­
stricted dr iv ing stab ility.
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
cor rected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated .
II Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Dr ive to your a uthorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunct ion . Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance. Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
G:;/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) ;EI (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e.g .
airbags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a few
seconds each time you switch the ignition
on .
If the fl (USA models);EI (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illum inate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
& Central indicator light
If the indicator light. or n turns on, check
the message in the instrument cluster .
nlft Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the JjJ indicator light blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating.
If the
$.J indicator light turns on, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, you can
switch the ign ition off and then on to switch
the ESC on aga in. The indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fu lly.
If the
1B indicator light turns on, ESC was re­
stricted using the
1 .$ OFF I button c> page 196.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the G) indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
fJ] (USA mode ls) ;flJ (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, the ABS or electronic differential lock is malfunctioning.
This also causes the ESC to malfunction . The
brakes still function with their normal power,
but ABS is not active .
liJI,

102 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
ence diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttin gs i n o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
Comfort ,
Auto and Dynamic modes in the M MI to
switch between a sporty and a comforta ble
driving mo de.
You c an a lso a djust the setti ng according to
your p re ferences in the
Individual mode . F o r
examp le, you ca n combine settings such as a
sporty en gine t uning with comfortab le steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the A udi drive select can
cause collisions, ot her acc idents and se ri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icl e's featu res. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, stee ring, reve rsible sa fe ty belt tension­
e rs a nd adap tive air su spension are alw ays in­
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the e ng ine and the
tra nsmission respond quic ker or i n a more bal­
an ced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts. In the sporty dyn ami c mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RP Ms.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspens ion/adaptive air sus­
pension spor t*
(Air suspen sion in the MM I) is
a n e lec tronic ally con trolled air suspension and
da mpi ng sys tem. They are adjus ted depend­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the drive r's
steeri ng, braking an d acceleration input and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in ve hicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*. T
he veh icle clearance varies depending on the
se lected mo de an d the speed .
T he highway setti ng is a ct ivated automatic ally
whe n you dr ive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) fo r
more than
3 0 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
T he s teer ing adap ts in terms of s teer ing effor t
and steering ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfo rt
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steer ing .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l drive system
(quattro)
¢ page 201, the Sport differential *
dist ributes the driving power to the rear ax le
depending on the sit uat ion. The distrib ution
of power var ies depend ing on the selected
mode, from balanced (comfort) to agile (dy­
nam ic) . Th e goal is a h igh level of ag ility and
ability to acce lerate on cu rves . Th e ve hicl e is
very res ponsive to stee ring.
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves .
T he pivo ting act io n and the lighting are also
adapt ed to the mode .
Adaptive cruise control*
The behav ior when accelerating can be adjust­
ed from comfortab le to sporty, depending on
the drive select mode. Adaptive cru ise cont ro l
also responds to th e dr iv ing behavior o f th e
vehicle a head in a mo re co nse rvative o r sporty
man ne r.
Engine sound*
The sound of the eng ine is adapted to the se­
lected mode and ranges from sub tle to sporty . .,.

(D Note
-Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the veh icle when park­
ing. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iving modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When t ransporting the veh icle on a car
carr ier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
l y tie the veh icle down at the runni ng
su rface of the tires, which is the outer
ci rcumference . Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or tow ing eyes is not pe rm itted because
the pressu re in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The vehicle may not be secured sufficiently if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
<=> page 209.
{!) Tips
-In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynami c modes.
- Selecting the
Dynami c mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear posit ion engages automatically.
- In vehicles with sport differential", the
Dynami c mode is deactivated when tow­
i ng a trailer.
Adjusting the Individual mode
Audi dri ve sele ct 103
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual .
Fig. 107 MMI: D rive select
.,.. To select the mode, se lect the following in
the
MM I: ICARlf unction button> Comf ort ,
Auto , D ynamic
or Individual.
You can change the d riv ing mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving.
If traffic
permi ts, after changing modes, briefly take
yo ur f oot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is a lso activated for
the engine.
Comf ort -prov ides a comfort-oriented veh icle
setup and is s uited for long drives on h igh­
ways .
Auto -provides an overall comfo rtable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
u se.
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a spo rty driving style .
Individual -<=> page 103.
_.& WARNING
-Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi d rive select to prevent potential risk
of an acc ident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,.. Se lect : I CARI function button> S et indiv idu­
al
control button. You can now adjust the in­
dividua l systems. The
Ind
ividua l driving mode wi ll automatical­
ly be activated when you have finished config-
uring the sett ings. ..,_

104 Audi drive select
The equipment in your vehicle w ill determine
which settings you ca n adj ust. The fo llowing
Systems Comfort
Engine /Tran smission
balanced
Air suspension * comfortable
Steering comforta ble
Sport d iff erent ial * balanced
Curve light* comfortab le
Belt tensioner * Standard
Adaptive cruise control * comfortable
Engine sound* subtle table p
rov ides a n overview of the characteris ­
tics of eac h driving mode .
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
ba lanced sporty
ba lanced spo
rty
ag ile sporty
ba lanced spo
rty
Standard Deployment time
adapted
ba lanced sporty
subtle/spo rtyal
sporty
al Subtle in the driving pos itio n D and sporty in th e d riving pos itio n S.
{DJ Tips
Your Individual mode se ttings are a uto­
mat ica lly store d an d assig ned to t he re­
mote co ntro l key being use d.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Raising the vehicle
You can ra ise your veh icle tempora rily, for ex­
ample to dr ive over a tall curb.
., Se lect the following in the
MMI: ICAR !f u nc ­
tion button >
Raise contro l button .
., Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its fina l po­
s it ion.
Lowering the vehicle
., To lower t he veh icle, select the fo llowing in
the
M MI: ICARlfunction button> Lowe r con­
t ro l button .
., Wait for the a rrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to lower complete­
l y.
{(D Note
- Remember that your veh icle is not s uita­
ble for driving offroad even when it is
r aised. There is not enough ground clear­
ance. -
If the vehicle is ra ised, it will lower auto­
m at ically whe n driving 6 2 mph (1 00 km/
h) or faster .
Driver messages
Air suspen sion : vehicle currently too low .
Level control running
Air su spension : vehicle curr ently too high .
L e vel control running
The driver message switc hes off when the lev­
el cont rol process is comp lete .

r::> & in General information on page 118,
r::> (Din General information on page 119 .
The blue area represents an extens ion of the
vehicle's outline by approximately 16 ft
(5 m) to the rear . The long side of the blue
area should be on the curb . The entire blue
area must fit into the pa rking space.
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the right as far as it w ill go.
• Back in to the park ing space u ntil the b lue
curve
r::> fig . 132 touches the curb r::> & in
General information on page 118,
r::> (D in
General information on page 119 .
Stop the
vehicle.
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
whee l to the left as far as it will go .
• Continue to back into the parking space un ­
t il the vehicle is parked pa rallel to the cu rb
r::> & in General information on page 118,
r::> (D in General information on page 119.
@ marks the rear bumper . Stop the veh icle,
at the latest, when the red orientation line
@ borders an object. Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle whi le doing this .
Parking next to obstacles
If there is an obstacle (s uc h a s a wall) next to
the par king space, position the veh icle so
there is more space o n that s ide. Position the
l ong side of the blue s urface so that there is
sufficient space from the obstacle . The sur­
face must not be to uch ing . You will also need
to start turn ing the steer ing wheel much ear­
lier . The blue curve
r::> fig . 132 must not touch
the obstacle and should have sufficient room.
(D Note
Remember to maintain sufficient clear­
ance from the curb to avoid damag ing the
wheel rims .
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and sur­
faces will be displayed, depend ing on the
turn sig na l being used.
P arking systems 121
Peripheral cameras
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
In add ition to parking system plus
c:> page 117, this parking system conta ins pe ­
ripheral cameras . Depending on the vehicle
equipment, you are ass isted by vario us views
su ch a s p eriphera l view, corne r views a t the
fron t and rear of the veh icle, and views di re ct­
ly in front of or behind t he vehicle .
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
Fi g. 1 33 Locat io n of per ip hera l came ras
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the pe­
ripheral cameras are found in the radiator
grille, in the luggage compartment lid and on
both exterior m irrors*
c:> fig. 133 . Make su re
that the lenses a re not covered by depos its o r
any other obstr uctions as it may impa ir t he
system. For info rmat io n on clean ing, refe r to
¢ page 213.
In the peripheral mode, b lack corners are
shown in the ve hicle silhouette . Objects in
these a reas a re outside of the came ra's field
of view and are not detec ted .
The accuracy of the orientation lines and the bl ue surfaces is reduced if the adaptive a ir
suspension* is faulty, if the vehicle is l ifted or
if the
D ynamic mode is activa ted ¢ page 102 . ...,

166 Airbag system
experience, informat ion and specia l
too ls necessary to perform the work
safely.
- If the vehicle or the c ircuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed a irbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdo uswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety bel ts w it h pretens ioners are
s crapped, a ll applicable laws and regula­
tions mus t be observed. Your au thori zed
Aud i dea le r i s familiar with these requ ire­
ments an d we recommend that you have
your dea ler perfo rm this se rv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combina tions not app roved by Aud i,
lowe ring the vehicle, ch anging the stiffness o f
the suspension, incl uding the springs, s uspen ­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors a nd make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
ch an ges may reduce the force levels meas ­
u re d by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
The senso rs in the safety belt buckle fo r th e
d river a nd front p asse nger sea t tell the elec ­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l atched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will dep loy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par- t
icu lar collisio n, it is possible that an airbag
will not dep loy at a seat ing position where the
safety belt is be ing used b ut w ill inflate at the
pos ition where the safety belt is not be ing
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with t he safety be lt buckles so that the sen ­
sors can send the correct info rmation about
safety belt use to the electronic control un it .
_&. WARNING
Changi ng the vehicle's suspension includ ­
i ng use of unapp roved tire-rim combin a­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance an d increase the risk of serious
pe rsonal injury in a crash .
- Never install s uspension components
that do not have the same pe rformance
characteristics as the components o rigi­
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
App lies to vehicles : wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 65 Driver 's knee a irbag
T he dr iver knee airbag is in the ins trument
pane l underneath the steering wheel
~ fig. 165, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan-
el underneat h the glove compartment. .,.