2015 AUDI A7 oil change

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction , the indica­
tor light ~ also t urns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed .
Drive to your authori zed Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have t he malfunction corrected .
II Oil level! Sen sor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer a nd have the o il sensor
i n spected . Until you have t his done , ch eck the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side
c::> page 2 29 .
Bil Fuel level indicator
ID'J Plea se refuel
If the indicator light turns on fo r the fi rs t
time and the message app ears, ther e ar e
about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of f ue l left in the
t an k. T ime to refue l
c::>page 219.
Ill Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the i ndicator light tu rns on and t his mes­
sage appears, t here is a ma lfunction in the
tank system .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have t he malfunction corrected.
~ Windshield washer fluid level
~ Please refill washer fluid
If the symbo l illuminates, add windshield
washer f luid to the washer system/headlight
washer system*
c::> page 238.
~• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunct io n with the w indshield
wipers.
D rive to yo ur autho rize d Au di dea ler immedi ­
ate ly to have t he malfunction cor rected .
~/0$ Defective light bulb warning
S:j -If t he in dicato r light tu rn s on, a bu lb h as
f ailed. The message in dicates t he loca tio n of
t h e b ulb .
II-if a rea r fog lamp has fa iled , the ind icator
li gh t tur ns on to ind icate the loca tion on the
vehicle.
Vehicle lights : malfunction
If the message appears, there is a malfu nc­
t ion in the headlights o r light sw itch.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
.&_ WARNING
- Light bulbs a re pr ess urized and could ex­
p lode w hile they are being changed ca us­
i n g s erio us pe rsonal injury .
- Wo rk with due care when han dling the
h igh-vo ltage sect io n o f gas disc harge
(xe non) ligh ts. Failur e to do so could re­
s ult in death or ser ious injury .
(D Tips
Have t he b ulb replaced or the co nnect ion
r epaired by y our auth orized A udi Se rvice
d epartment .
~{i) Headlight range control
II Headlight range control : defective!
If the symbol illuminates, the headlig ht range
control is no lo nger wor king properly . Have
t h e sys tem checked and repaired at yo ur Audi
d eal er.
:sO Adaptive Light
App lies to veh icles : w ith Adapt ive lig ht
r!J Audi adaptive light: sy stem fault
If the indicato r light turns on and this m es­
sage appears, there is a malf unct io n in th e
adaptive ligh t syste m. The head lig ht s s till
funct ion.

28 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
The schedule fo r the next oil change o r inspec ­
t ion is calculated automatically and d isplayed
according ly . T he display works in two stages :
Service reminder
30 days befo re the ne xt service is due, a serv­
i ce rem inder appears in the di splay when yo u
switch the ignit ion on
¢ fig . 13.
Afte r abo ut 5 seconds the display sw itches
b ack to normal. The di sta nce and time re­
maining a re update d eac h time the ignition is
switched on unt il the date due for service is
reac hed .
Service due
When the due date for service is reached , the
message
Service due! appears in the instr u­
men t clus ter immedia tely after you switch the
i gnition on. Additionally, a war ning tone
sounds . After about 5 seconds the display
switches back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If o r whe n an oil change o r inspect ion is due,
can be shown in the MM I disp lay by select ing
the service interva l disp lay in the car menu .
Select the
! CAR ! function b utton> (Ca r)* s ys­
tems
contro l button > Servicing & chec ks >
Service interval displays.
Resetting the service interval display
Your author ized A udi dealer w ill reset the cor ­
responding service sched ule after perform ing
the app rop riate serv ice on yo ur vehicle. Yo u
a ls o have the possibility to reset the oi l
change schedule after having performed an
oil change according to Audi specifications.
Selec t the
I CAR ! function button > (Car) * sys­
tems
cont ro l button > Servicing & checks >
Service Intervals > Re set oil change interval.
(D Note
- Only reset the o il change d isp lay when
you hav e compl eted an o il change .
- If you d isconnect t he battery te rm inals,
no calc ulations can be made for the serv­
i ce interv al display during this t ime and
n o servi ce re mi nder w ill appear . Reme m- ber th
at o bse rv ing the p roper service in ­
tervals is vita lly im po rtant to extend ing
the life of your vehicle, part icularly the
eng ine , and maintain ing its value. Eve n if
the mileage driven is low, the maxim um
p er iod of one year fro m one service to
t he next mus t not be e xceed ed .
@ Tips
The information in the Service Reminder
r ema ins sto red even when the vehicle bat ­
tery is disconnected.
Head -up Display
Applies to veh icles: w ith Head-up D isp lay
Fig. 14 Exa mple: in dic ato rs in th e Head -up D isplay
Fi g. 1 5 Ins trume nt panel: k nob for t he Head -u p D is ­
play
The Head -up D isplay projects cer tain warnings
o r se lected info rmation from the ass istance
syste ms* or na vigatio n* on t he windsh ie ld .
T he disp lay appe ars wi thin the drive r's field o f
vision .
Switching on/off
.,. Press the knob 1rl to switch t he Head-up
Display o n/off ¢
fig. 15.

198 Intelligent technology
-Automatic retraction : When speed drops be­
l ow about SO mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil­
er retracts automatically.
Manual mode
- Manual deployment: Tappi ng briefly on the
switch
¢ fig. 183 dep loys the rear spoiler.
- Manua l retraction: At speeds up to about
10 mph (20 km/h), ret ract the rear spoiler
by pressing and holding the switch
¢fig. 183 . At speeds between 10 mph (20
km/h) and 80 mph (130 km/h), retract the
rear spoiler by tapping on the switch
¢fig . 183.
Indicator lights
1,1 /. Rear spoiler: system malfunction!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to
a malfunction. This could change the vehicle's
driving characteristics at high speeds. Do not
exceed 85 mph (140 km/h). Drive to your au­
thorized Audi dealer immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected . The co lor of the indica­
tor light depend s on the veh icle speed.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler deployed can impair handling char­
acteristics, making the veh icle harder to
control.
-Always make sure that the spoiler is de­
ployed when driving at speeds over
85 mph (140 km/h). If th e rear spoiler
wa rning/ind icator light in the instru­
ment cluster comes on, the rear spoiler
may not have deployed.
- Never drive at speeds higher than
85 mph (140 km/h) if the spoiler is not
dep loyed. Have the spoiler inspected as
soon as possible by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and other traf­
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries. -
Always make sure that nobody, especially
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
(D Note
- Never push the vehicle or apply force to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean or place anything on it .
- Only operate the rear spoiler man ually
when the rear lid is closed and the rear
spoiler moving parts are not blocked.
Otherw ise, damage co uld occur.
(D Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing condit ions and driving hab its
r:::;, ,& . On
vehicles that are either dr iven mostly in stop­
and-go city traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes , you sho uld use the braking
effect o f the engine . This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system . If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuous ly. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Moisture or road salt
Under certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking .,..

218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-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 driv ing.
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.
(CT) 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 fuels that fai l to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If yo u are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel sup plier.
- 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 respons ibility 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.
A lthough gasoline grades differ from one
manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to co llect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and fuel
systems clean, they a re not equally effec­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
f uels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
Damage or malf u nct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Su lfu r Diesel)
No. 2. The U LSD No. 2 meets the ASTM D975.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiese l
higher than 5 % s uch as Bl 1, B2O or BlOO are
strictly prohib ited.
Serv ice stat ion fuel pumps are labeled with
the correct fuel information for easy recogn i­
t io n by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fue l is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav­
eling to other countries.
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold
temperatu res, and this can impair the en­
gine's start ing and running. Depending on the
season, gas stat ions provide ULSD No. 2 that
flows better in cold temperatures so that you
can continue operating your vehicle as usua l.
CD Note
-Yo ur vehicle's diesel engine was de­
signed soley for use with ULSD No. 2.
Therefore, never use gasoline, heating
oil, other fuels or flow improvers. These
conta in substances that will severely
damage the fuel system and the engine.
II>

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Checking and fillin g 22 7
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 193 Typical l ayout for conta iners and engine o il filler cap
@ Jump start poin t(-) with hex
head screw .. .. ..... ... .. .. . 237, 285
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
er .. .. ... ..... ...... ...... 237,285
@ Brake fl uid reservo ir ((0)) .... .
© Engine oil filler cap ("1:::r.) .... .
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
© Windshield/headlight washer
t .
(;;:;) con ainer ,..,, .. .... .. .. . .. . 234
229
23 1
238
The engine oil fille r neck (item @) may be lo­
cated in a d ifferent a rea depend ing o n the
ver­
sion of the eng ine.
WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 225.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications.
T he service interva l d isp lay in the instrument
cluster of yo ur vehicle will inform you when it
is time for an oil change. We recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi Serv ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the oi l between oi l
changes, use the Audi o il quality standard
spec ified in the table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
eng ine

228 Check ing and filling
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine. Your engine was factory-filled with a
h igh-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the entire year.
0 Note
Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfunctions due to
fai lure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex­
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
standard spec ified for your veh icle's en­
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri­
ous eng ine damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r othe r addi­
tives into the eng ine o il. Doing so can
ca use engine damage.
If you need to add oi l and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi oil qua lity
s tandard your engine requires, yo u may
add a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3
or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 or
API CF with a v iscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30 or SAE SW-30.
- For more information abo ut eng ine oil
that has been approved for your vehicle, please contact either your a uthorized
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubricat ion and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in­
ternal combust ion e ngines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va ries from
engi ne to engine and may change sig nifican tly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in period (see
c> page 203) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they cons ume after oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con ­
s u mption depends on the q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensation or fue l residue a nd the oxida­
t ion level of the oil. As any eng ine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, t he oil co nsump ­
t ion may increase over time until replacemen t
of worn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es­
tabl ished o r spe cified . There i s no alte rnative
to regu lar and frequent che ck ing of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l wa rning symbo l
i n t he i nstr ument cluster
Ill lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
i=> page 229 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
i=> page 229.
A WARNING
--
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> & in Working in the engine
comportment on page 225.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient o il level is like-
l y to cause severe damage to the engine. .,.

230 Check ing and filling
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly.
- Check the oil leve l using the MMI. If the
message
Ple ase red uce oil le vel appears,
contact your author ized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop to have excess
oil extracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend t he use o f oil
add it ive s. They ma y damage the e ngine
and adve rsely aff ect your New Vehicl e
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend tha t have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv ­
ice station .
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 225 .
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly dur ing no rmal veh icle use .
Under some circumstances the engine o il
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances , ope rate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or have your veh icle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing fo r ex tended pe ­
riods .
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill ma ke fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run- ning for a sho
rt time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the specia l tools and necessary ex­
pertise req uired, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an a uthorized
Aud i deale r or a qualified service station.
If yo u choo se to chan ge your oil yours elf ,
please note the fo llowing important informa ­
t ion:
A WARNING
=
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
g ine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of o il in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it wel l out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in . Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
wit h soap and wate r.
(D Note
Neve r mix oil additives with you r engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
e d New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil. ..,.

M N
"' rl
"' rl
-Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
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 anticorrosion 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 also raises the boil­
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien ­
cy .
If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year -round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distill ed water is recommended .
Checking and filling 231
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 225.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ or G13 (check the label)
for your vehicle. This coolant additive is
available at authorized Audi dealers.
Other types of antifreeze can signifi­
cantly reduce corrosion protection. The
resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 196 Engine compa rtment: cove r on t he coola nt
expansion tank