2014 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK ESP

Vehicle care and clean ing
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain yo ur
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting wa rranty claims for corro ­
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or a qualified workshop . Read and follow the
i nstructions for use o n the packaging.
A WARNING
-Us ing clea ning and care p rodu cts incor­
rect ly can be dange rous to y our hea lth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of r each of childre n to redu ce the r is k
of po isoni ng.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
produ cts when b uying cleaning agents .
- Do not dis p ose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that deposits such as insects, bird
d rop pings , tree sap o r road sa lt rema in on the
ve hicl e, the more t he surface can be dam­
aged. High tempe rat ures such as those
caused by s unlight in cr ease t he corrosive ef­
fect.
B efore washing, wet heavy deposits w ith ple n­
t y of wate r.
A lso, was h the underside of your ve hicle once
road salt sto ps be ing used fo r the season.
Pressure wa shers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. Th is
i s especially important in rega rd to t he pres ­
sure and sprayi ng di sta nce. Do not aim the
sp ray d irectly at seals on side w indows, doors,
Vehicle care and cleaning 203
t h e hood, the rear lid o r the sunroof * or at
ti res , rubber hoses, insulating material, sen­
sors * or camera lenses *. Keep a d istance o f at
l east 16 inches (40 cm).
Do no t remove snow and ice wi th a pressu re
washe r.
Neve r use ro tary no zzles or high pressure no z­
z les.
T he wate r temperature must not be above
1 4 0 ° F (60 °C) .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the ve hicle before washing.
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are
off . Fol ­
low instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
you r vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Only use car washes where the vehicle re ­
mai ns stat io na ry an d the was hing equipmen t
moves around the ve hicle when washing and
drying. Car washes that m ove t he vehicle
thro ugh the car wash using a chain are not
recommended.
Wa shing by hand
Clean t he ve hic le starting from the top and
wor king down us ing a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free clean ing products .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
you r vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger­
pri nts are best removed w ith a spec ial cleane r
fo r matte finish paint .
Apply the prod uct using a microfiber cloth. To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thoro ughly with water. Then
clean using a neutra l shampoo and a soft mi-
crofiber cloth. ..,.
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Vehicle care and cleaning 205
Component Situation Solution
E x haust ta il
Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut
ion suitable for sta inless steel, i f
pipes necessary
Decorative D ir ty Mild soap solutional, a clean ing solu tion suitab le for
parts / stainless s teel, if ne cessa ry
trim
Pa int
Paint damage Refer to the paint numbe r on the veh icle da ta label, re-
pair with touch up pa int
c::> page 270
Spilled fuel Rinse with water
immediately
Rust fi lm Rust film1 remover, t hen p rotect with hard wax; for ques-
ti ons, refe r to an a uth o riz ed Audi dea le r o r a qualified
wor kshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an authorized Aud i dealer o r a qua li-
fied workshop
Wate r no longe r Protect with hard wax (at
least twice per year)
beads on the su rface
of clean paint
N o sh ine even Treat w it h suitable po lis h ; then app ly pai nt pro te cta nt if
t hough p aint h as the polish t hat was use d do es not co ntain any prote c-
been p rotec ted/ tant
pa int looks poo r
Carbon part s Dirty Clean the same way as pa inted parts c::> page 203, Car
washes
al M ild soap sol utio n: max imum two tablespoons neutral soap in a liter of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
D irty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative Dirty Mild soap solutional
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
H eavily soiled Mi ld soap solutional, solvent-free plast ic cleaning sol u-
t io n, if necessary
Displays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dir ty Soft
brus.h, then a so ft cloth with a mild so ap sol utio nal
Safety belts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
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-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 209
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see
c::;, page 211 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
c::;,page271.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c::;, page 208.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on board refuel­
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
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fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the lugga ge compart­
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electrici­
ty can bui ld up while fi lling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
h ighly flammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852 -86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
~ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
sw itches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fue l because fuel may spill out . In
add it ion, the expans ion space in the fuel
tank will be fi lled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
@ Tips
-Running your engine while refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spill out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuell ing .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside.
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 184 Lug gage compart ment: ope ning th e side trim
N
"' 0
~
Fig . 185 Right s ide tri m pane l in t he luggage com part ·
ment : eme rge ncy re lease mechanis m
Opening the side trim
.. To remove the right side trim, first remove
the retainer from the mounts¢
fig. 184.
.. Turn both locking mechanisms 90° to the
left using a coin or a s imilar object and re-
move the locking mechanisms .
11J,,

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 186 Dr iver footwell: release lever
Fig. 187 Rocker switch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow~
fig. 186.
.. Raise the hood slightly~ &-
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 187. This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 213
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
W hen ev er y ou must p erform an y wor k in the
en gine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluid s, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ents. To pr eve nt p er­
so nal inju ry always observ e the foll owing
W ARNING S. The engin e compartm ent of any
v e hicle i s a haza rdou s area
~ ,& .
h WARNING
To help avoid injury, before yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Sw itch off the ignition.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector leve r to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This inc reases the
ris k of burns.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri ­
cal system is necessary:

220 Check ing and filling
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi­
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian models) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coo lant.
D o not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant add it iv e mu st be at
lea st 50 % but not mo re than 60 %
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31° F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 ° F ( -40 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a m ixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
addit ive wi th dist illed wate r is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 213.
(D Note
- Before winter se ts in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
-
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions . This is especia lly impor ­
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant add itive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system , remember :
- We recommend us ing on ly coolant ad­
d it ive G12 ++ or G1 3 (check the labe l)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
avai lable at autho rized Audi dea lers .
Other types of antifreeze can signifi­
cantly reduce corrosion protection. The
resu lting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repa ir flu id may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Ve hicle
Limited War ran ty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig . 1 91 Engin e compar tmen t: cover o n th e coolant
expans io n tank
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always r ead and he ed all WARN­
INGS
¢ &_ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 213.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Switch off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coo lant level from the coo l­
a nt expansion tank¢
fig . 191, ¢ page 215, ..,.

224 Check ing and filling
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 158.
Disconn ecting the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for l ong period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capab il ity over a longer period
¢
page 195. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights or power seat adjus tment. The conven­
ience f unctions will be available again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en­ gine.
Winter operation
D uring the winter months, ba tte ry capaci ty
tends to decrease as tempe rat ures d rop . This
is because more powe r is also consumed while
starting , and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticular ly in c ity traffic or when t raveling on ly
short distances. Let you r authorized Audi
dea ler check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in
¢ page 226. A we ll
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold , but w ill
also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze . This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check any­
t hi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec­
trical system to prevent inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery :
Al ways heed the follo wing WARNING SYM -
BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye prote cti on.
&
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid.
Always wear glove s and eye protec-
tion.
@
No
- spa rks
- flames
- smoking.
£
When a battery i s charged, it produ-
ce s hydrogen gas which is e xplosi ve
and could cau se personal injury.
@
Alwa ys k eep the battery well out of
rea ch of children .
_&. WARNING ~
Whenever working on t he battery o r on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
i njury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-

CD Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger .
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery .
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is respons ible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::> page 195. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system w ill keep the engine battery
charged bette r than vehicles w ithout t his sys­
tem. To make sure the additional electr ica l en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you
install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery hous ing. Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor­
rectly after replac ing the battery.
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, const ruct ion
and p lug sealing.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig­
n ition and all electr ical consumers are sw itch­
ed off .
CD Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Aud i dealer change the battery for
you . Batteries contain su lfuric ac id and
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
lead and must always be disposed o f prop­
erly in compliance with a ll environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment .
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 194 Engine compart ment: cover on th e windshield
and headl ig ht* washer fluid reservo ir
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol~ on its cap
c::> fig. 194, c::>page 215,
fig. 188.
.,. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 213.
.. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can f ill the container to the top .
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck after
filling the container.
You can find the reservoir
capacity in the table
in
c::> page 271.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets. Always add a g lass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
([) Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir .
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