2014 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK warning

Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating condit ions and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today's automobi les are sti ll
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing conditions and dr iving habits
c:> A . 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
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warr ant y & Maint enan ce bookle t. Failure
to have your b rake pads inspected can res ult
i n red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, you p revent un­
necessa ry wea r on the brake system.
If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at in ter ­
va ls.
Moistu re or road salt
Unde r ce rtain conditions, for example, when
driving through wate r or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced d ue to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads . A
few careful brake app lications 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 w ill 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 b rake discs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake
c:> ,&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
Int ellig ent technolog y 193
the d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes a re not used frequently, o r if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c:> ,&. .
Fault s in the brak e syste m
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
circuits may have fai led ¢
A.
Low brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the bra ke system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored elec tronica lly.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
su re which is created only whe n the engine is
runn ing ¢,&. .
Brake lining we ar s tatus
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the w heel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed fo r thi s in­
spe ction ¢
page 2 54, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING
-You should 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 ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not " ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
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194 Intelligent technology
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice ca n
accumulate on the brake pads, linings ,
discs and d rums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . B rakes wi ll dry a nd ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few c are­
f ul brake app lications .
- Driv ing fo r an ex tende d pe riod of time on
salt-covere d roads w ithout us ing yo ur
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 res ulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near­
est Au di dea le r o r q ualified w ork sh o p.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
the e ngine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
bra ke pedal must be p ressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the la ck of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on
and t his message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
D o
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your author ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
'I-lj Steering: Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the stee ring may be more diffi­
cul t to move o r more sens itive th an usua l. The
stee ring wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driving straight .
D rive slowly to you r authorized Aud i dea le r or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corre cted.
(:rij Dynamic st eering: Initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynam ic steer ing* is being rei nitia lized . Afte r
sta rting the engine, the stee ring wheel will
move s ligh tly. Re- ini tiali zation mig ht be ne c­
essa ry if the stee ring wheel w as moved h ard
to the left and r ight wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . The display goes out as soon as initi ­
alization is complete.
D rive slowly to you r authorized Audi de aler or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corrected.
_& WARNING
Have t he dynamic stee ring * system mal ­
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or qua lified wor k­
shop - risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
If the . or (:rij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short time, yo u may continue driv­
i ng.
- The dynamic steering * stab ility systems
are not avai lab le in the event of a system
ma lf u nction.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to
c> page 96.

Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en .
General information
With all-wheel 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
t::;> page 189.
A center differential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear axle. It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving through
curves
t::;> page 190 . With the sport d ifferen­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
va riable and can be adjusted with drive select
¢page 96.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
hi gh engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iv ing charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and
ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions
t::;> .& .
Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your ve hicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels. See also ¢ page 243, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive¢
page 244, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
t::;> page 239, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Intelligent technology 195
Off•Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough g round clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
¢page 199.
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­ fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited 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 conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of tim e, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in there being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectrica l ene r­
gy. Starting ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
ll>
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196 Intelligent technology
Basically, energy management consists o f
battery diagnosis, idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy man agement.
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously dete rm ines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
I dling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy s upply to the various e lectrica l compo­
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
D epending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excess ive discharge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being dr iven, dynamic en­
ergy management distributes the energy gen­
erated according to the needs of the individu­
a l components. It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­ mal state of charge for the battery.
(D) Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abu ndant electrical energy is re- quired, but on
ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engine is not running and electri­
ca l components are turned on. In this in­
stance energy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precise ly these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat­
ing the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectrica l compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior l ights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
funct ions will be available again when you
switch on the ignition and start the eng ine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine turned off or use other MMI func­
tions, the battery is be ing discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption, the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
The warning indicates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although e lectrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged. This happens mostly when
little energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
To bring the energy ba lance back into equili ­
brium, consumers which requ ire espec ially
large amounts of energy are temporar ily cut
back or sw itched off. Heating systems in .,.

198 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 10.
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 ra ke pa ds don't have t he bes t stop­
pi ng power and m us t be "broke n-in " dur­
i ng the in itial 1 00 to 150 mi les (15 0 to
2 00 k ilometers) of no rma l city driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing th e
br ake peda l mo re f irm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.

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.
T his is especially true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis) * and fully load­
ed veh icles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any h igher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
..&, WARNING
After driving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical
system can be severely damaged by driv­ ing through water.
- Check the depth o f the water before driv ­
ing through it.
- Do not s top the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switc h 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 thro ugh sa lt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 199
Warming up and
cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your vehicle, you can help ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessar ily during sporty dr iv­
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is dr iven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine o il temperature to a mini­
mum of 140
°F (60 °() . The t ires a lso on ly
reach the ir full road holdi ng capabi lity once
they have warmed up.
The cooli ng fan can cont inue to run in your ve­
hicle after the engine is switched off . Howev­
er, driving the veh icle to coo l it down is pa rti c­
ul arly important. Dur ing spo rty driving , the
engine and b rakes, the exhaust system, and
the transmission a ll become extremely hot.
Before you park the vehicle, you should drive
it for a few miles/kilometers at light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down .
Catalytic converter
App lies to vehicles: wi th gaso line e ngi ne
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 208,
Fuel supply .
"' Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
"' Never put too much mo to r o il in yo ur eng ine
c:> page 218, Adding engine oil "t:::r..
"' Never try to push -or tow -start you r vehicle .
T he catalytic co nve rter is an efficient "clean ­
u p" dev ice bui lt into t he exhaus t system of
the ve hicle . The cata lytic converter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be ­
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is c ritical ly
i mportant for the life of the catalyt ic convert -
er and proper functioning of the engine .
Iii>
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200 Driving and en vir onm ent
_& WARNING
The temperature o f 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 veh icle 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
man ifold , exhaust p ipes, catalytic con ­
verter or heat shie lds. D uri ng d riving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
over heat and cause a fire .
(I) Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
l eaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the perfo rmance of the cata lytic
conve rter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 218.
- Do not d rive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso ge t in to
t h e exhaus t sys tem and this could cause
the ca talyt ic converte r to ove rheat.
- Do no t switch off the ign ition wh ile the
vehicle is moving.
- Do no t continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these condi tions, as otherw ise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the co n­
verter, req uiring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System :
- Have your veh icle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir the function of the em
ission cont ro l
system and could lead to damage .
~ For the sake of the env ironment
Even when the Emiss ion Con trol Sys tem is
operat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas can
have a sulfur-li ke ex haust gas smell under
some operat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead -free super
grade gasoline .
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like you r vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer per iod of t ime, contact an
Audi o r other spec ia lized dealer. They can ad­
v ise you on ne cessa ry precautions e .g. co rro­
s io n preven tion , maintena nce and s to rage.
Pay a ttent ion to addi tional in fo rmat ion con­
cerning the battery. Refer to ¢
page 223 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your p ersonal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex ­
haust and nois e le ve ls .
Fu el economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine , brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you an tic ip ate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt io n by 10 -15 percent . This sec ­
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the e nvir onment 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 ich 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 disturb 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 201
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the
engine run at id le .
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffi c
jams, when wa it ing fo r tra ins to pass at rail ­
road crossings, or at traffic lig hts that have
long waits on red. T urning the engine off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is burned start ing the e ngine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is runn ing at id le. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especia lly high
when the engine is warm ing up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avo id running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engi ne idling unattended a f­
ter start ing . If warning lights sho uld come
on to i ndicate improper operat ion, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling a lso
p rodu ces hea t, w hich could re sul t in ove r­
hea ting or othe r dam age to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
~ Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ula r i nter-
vals.
By having your veh icle regula rly serviced by an
Audi deal er he lps to ensure that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affec ts its sa fe ty and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amou nt of oi l used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed.
It is normal fo r th e oil consumption of a new
engine to reac h its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven .
IIJ,,
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