2014 AUDI A7 trailer

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Homelink 128
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Safety fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Dri ving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 131
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 135
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 40
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 43
Safety bel t pre tens io ners . . . . . . . . . . 147
Airbag system ........... .. .. . .
Impo rtan t th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
Fr ont airbags . ........... .. .. .. . .
M on itoring the Advanced Airbag
System .... .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. . .
K nee airbags . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Side airbags .. ........... .. .. .. . .
Side curta in a irbags ....... .... .. . .
Child Safety ............... .. . .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ... ...... .... .. . .
Install ing a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
L ATC H Lower ancho rages and tethe rs
for ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
P reven tat ive passenger p rotection 149
1
4 9
1 53
16 1
166
169
172
175
175
181
186
189
193
194
194
Vehicle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 196
N ot ice about da ta re cor ded by veh icle
control mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Elec tronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 196
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Table of contents 3
El ectro -mechan ica l powe r ass ist . . . . . 201
Driving with your q uattro . . . . . . . . . . 201
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving and environment . . . . . 20 4
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Diesel pa rticulate f ilter . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 206
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 206
S hu tting down veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Operate yo ur vehicle economi cally and
min imi ze poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
D rivi ng with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
T rai le r tow ing tips .. . .. .. ..... ... . 211
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 13
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 213
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Car was hes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 214
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... .. .. ...... ... .
218
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Diesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Se lective catalytic reduc tion . . . . . . . . 223
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 227
E n gine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
En gine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
E ngine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Br ake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 7
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Windshie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . 261
•
•

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 ..,.

24 Instr uments and warning/indicator lights
¢¢Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left II or the rig ht a
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flashers, both indica­
tor lights flash.
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefully drive to your authorized Audi
dealer immediately to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the trail­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer towing
mode.
@ Tips
For more informat ion on the turn signals,
refer to
c::> page 46.
CRUISE/" (') Cruise control
The warning/indicator light (ij;(l)~i~ (USA mod­
e ls)/ il (Canada mode ls) illuminates when
the cruise contro l is activated
c::> page 84.
Driver information
display
Overview
Fig. 4 Driver information system in the instrument
cluster
Fig. 5 Disp lay: example of the informat ion line
The driver information system contains infor­
mation ® that is disp layed on tabs@
c::> fig. 4. The following content is possible de­
pending on veh icle equipment:
@ ®
Tab Content
1 Vehicle functions :
On-board computer c::> page 26
Efficiency program* c::> page 26
Digital speedometer
Cruise control*
c::> page 84
Adaptive c ruise control and braking
guard*
c::> page 86
Audi active lane assist* c::> page 95
Display darkened
2 Indicator lights and messages
Warning when a door, the hood or
the rea r lid is not closed
Service interval display
c::> page 28
Speed warning system c::> page 84
3 Night vision assistant* c::> page 105
4 Audio/video
s Telephone*
6 Navigation*
The second and third tabs a re only vis ible if at
least one indicator lig ht or message is shown
or if that system is switched on.
T he status line © is located in the bottom
part of the display
c::> fig. 4. It displays the ex­
terior temperature , time, se lector lever posi-
tion, trip odometer and odometer. ..,.

80 On the road
-You can apply the parking bra ke at any
time -even w ith the ignition swi tched
off . The ignit ion must be on and the
brake pedal must be pressed in order to
release the parking brake .
- Occas iona l noises when the parking
brake is applied and released are norma l
and are not a cause for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a se lf-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any assoc iated no ises
a re no rma l.
Parking
• Press the b ra ke peda l to stop the vehicle .
• Pull the swit ch(®) to set t he parking br ake.
• Move the se lecto r lever to P.
• Turn the eng ine off ~&, .
"' When on incl in es or declines, turn the steer­
ing wheel so that yo ur vehicle will roll into
the curb if it begins to move.
A WARNING
- When you leave your veh icle -even if on ­
ly b riefly -always take the ignition key
with you. This applies partic ularly when
c hildren remain in the ve hicle. Otherw ise
t h e c hild ren could start t he engine, re­
lease the pa rking brake or ope rate e lec ­
t rical equipment (e .g. power windows).
The re is the risk of an accident .
- When the vehicle is loc ked, no one -par ­
t icu larly not c hildren sho uld remain in
the vehicle . Loc ked doors make it more
difficult for emergency workers to get in­
to the vehicle -putt ing lives at risk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon
star ting.
Stopping and applying park ing brake
"' Pull the switch(®) to apply the pa rk ing
brake.
Starting and automatically releasing the parking brake
"' When you start to drive as usual , the park ­
ing brake is a utomat ically released and your
veh icle beg ins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in city t raffic, the par king b rake can be ap­
plied . The vehicle does not have to be he ld
with the footbra ke . The p arking brake elimi­
nates the tende ncy to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged . As soo n as yo u drive off as us ual ,
the pa rking brake is re leased automatically
and the vehicle s tarts to move.
Sta rting on slopes
When starting on inclines , the star ting assist
prevents the vehicle from u nintent ionally roll ­
ing back . The brak ing force of the parki ng
brake is not re leased unti l suff ic ient d riving
fo rce has been built up at the w heels.
(D Tips
Fo r safe ty reaso ns, the pa rking brak e is re­
l eased automatically on ly when t he d riv­
er's safety bel t is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
"' Keep the sw itch(®) pulled and depress the
accelerator . The pa rking brake stays applied
and prevents the v ehicl e from roll ing bac k­
wa rd .
"' Yo u can rele a se the swit ch(®) once yo u are
sure t hat you are developing enoug h for ­
ward momentum at the whee ls as you de­
press the acce lerator .
Depend ing on the we igh t of the rig (vehi cle
and t railer) and the severity of the incline, yo u
may ro ll backwards as yo u start . You can p re ­
vent rolling backwa rds by holding the park ing
brake switch (®) pulled o ut and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with a conventiona l hand brake .

98 Audi side assist
Audi side assist
Lane Change Assistant
Description
App lies to vehicles: wit h side ass ist
Fig . 102 Sensor detectio n ran ge
Fig. 103 Display on the exterio r mirror
Side assist helps you monitor your blind spot
and traffic behind your vehicle. Within the
limits of the system, it warns you about
vehicles that are coming closer or that are
traveling with you within sensor range
(D
c:> fig . 102: if a lane change is class ified as crit­
ical, the display @ in the exterior mirror
¢fig. 103 turns on.
The display in the left exterior mirror provides
assistance when mak ing a lane change to the
left, while the display in the right exterior mir·
ror provides assistance when making a lane
change to the right.
Information stage
As long as you do not activate the turn signal,
side assist
informs you about vehicles that are
detected and class ified as critical. The display
in the respective mirror turns on, but is dim. The
display remains dim intentionally in the
information stage so that your view toward
the front is not disturbed.
Warning stage
If you activate the turn signal, side assist
warns you about vehicles that are detected
and class ified as critical. The display in the re­
spective mirror blinks brightly. If this hap­
pens, check traffic by glancing in the rearview
mirror and over your shoulder c:>
.&. in General
information on page 99.
(D Tips
- You can adjust the brightness of the dis­
play @c:>
page 100.
-Please refer to the instructions for tow·
ing a trailer located in
¢ page 99.

General information
Applies to vehicles: with side ass ist
®
©
Fig . 104 Dr iving situations
Fig. 105 Rear of t he ve hicle: positio n of t he se nsors
"' a, 0 0 " a,
Side assist functions at speeds above approx i­
mately 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicl es th at ar e approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change even if it is still
somewhat far away. The faster a vehicle ap­
p roaches, the sooner the display in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr itical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assist are indicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
Audi side assist 99
@ Veh icle s left behind
If you s low ly pass a vehi cle that s ide assist has
detected (the difference in speed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/h), the display in the exterior mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The disp lay will not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that side assist has detected (the dif­
ference in speed between the vehicle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functi onal limitation s
The radar sensors are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
lanes are the normal width. In certain situa­
tions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no veh icle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical for a lane change.
For example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are dr iving
on the edge of your lane.
If this is the case,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another lane that is
not adjacent to your
current lane .
- if you a re driving through a curve. Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane ove r
from the adjacent lane.
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced guard rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
functions are l imited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c> fig. 105 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this will affect the funct ion. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer. For
i nformation on cleaning, refer to
c> page 213 .
_&. WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic and to t he
area around your ve hicl e. S ide assist can­
not replace a driver's attention. The driv­
er a lone is always responsible for lane
changes and similar driving mane uvers.

@ Tips
-Side assist is not active while you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the sensors with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c> page 99, fig . 105.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de ­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The sensors have been displaced or are faulty.
Have the system checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing.
Side assist switches off automatically when a
factory-installed trailer hitch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guarantee the system will switch off when
using a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use
side assist when towing a trailer.
Audi side assist 101

(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. ..,_