2015 AUDI A7 engine

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. .,.

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
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@ Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. i s
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely on it. Instead , check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­
erably each time you refuel , and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we r ecommend that you consult your Audi
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate measurement of oil con­
sumption requires great care and may
take some time. Your Audi dealer has in ­
structions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
Checking the engin e oil lev el
Fig . 194 D isp lay : o il lev el indicato r
"' Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Sh ut the engine off when it is warm.
.. Switch only the ignition back on.
.. Wait approximately two min utes .
.. Select:
ICARI funct ion button> ( Car)* sys­
tems
contro l button > Se rvicing & checks >
Oil level.
.. Check the oil level in the display¢ fig. 194 .
Add engine oil if the bar of the oil level indi­
cator is near "min" ¢
page 229 .
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven
and the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to 1/2 quart per 600 m iles (0 .5 liter
per 1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
Checking and filling 229
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI Display is
on ly an information display. If the oil level
i s low, a minimum oil warn ing appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil
c» page 229. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluster the next time the ignition is
switched on.
Adding engine oil '1:::1:
Fig . 195 En gin e compart ment: cove r on the eng ine oil
filler neck
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN·
INGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 225 .
.. Shu t the engine off .
"'U nscrew the cap
hole
¢ fig. 195, ¢page 227 , fig. 193 .
.. Carefully top off with 0 .5 quarts (0 .5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil
¢ page 227.
.. Check the oil level again after two minutes
¢ page 229, Checking the engine oil level .
"'Top off the o il aga in, if necessary .
.. Screw the cap back on the fi lling hole .
_&. WARNING
-While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be prop erly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard! .,.

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
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-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

232 Check ing and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lways r ea d and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 225.
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Switch
off the ignition .
• Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the cool­
ant expansion tank
c> fig. 196, c> page 22 7,
fig. 193. With a cold eng ine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
ma rk ing.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢
page 22 7.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be sw itched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System ¢ page l 6 will
i l luminate unti l yo u add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level senso r, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a lea k in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your author ized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
T he cooling system is unde r pr essure and
c an get ve ry hot. Reduce t he risk of s cald­
ing from hot coolant by followi ng these
steps .
- T urn
off the engine and allow it to cool
dow n. -
Protect your face, han ds and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by cover ing the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very care fully in
a counte r-clockwise direct ion while ap­
plying lig ht, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine par ts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, th e ethylen e glyco l in engine coo l­
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add a ny type o f radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant. Add­
i ng radiator r epa ir fluid may adv erse ly af­
fe ct the funct io n and perfo rma nce of you r
co oling syste m and could result in damage
not covered by your New Veh icle Limi ted
War ran ty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
alway s read and heed all WARN·
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 225.
• Requirement: The re must be a r esidua l
amount of coolant in the e xpansion ta nk
¢(D.
•Tur no ff the engine.
• Le t the engine cool down.
• Place a thick rag ove r th e coo lant expansion
tank
¢ page 231, fig. 196 and carefully
twist the cap co unte r-clockwise c> &_ .
• Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢ page 231, Coolant up to the MAX mark­
ing.
• Make s ure that the fl uid leve l remains sta-
b le. Add more coo la nt if necessary.
• Twis t the cap o n again
tightly.
Replacement engine coo la nt must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions
¢ page 2 31, Coolant. .,.

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'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
We recommend using only coolant addi-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do
not use a different additive. In an emergency
use plain water until you can get the correct
additive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add cold antifree ze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
-Turn off the engine and allow itto cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an ­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
is empty. Air could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the engine. If this is
Checking and filling 233
the case, do not continue driving. Seek
professional assistance .
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c> page 231 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­ ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off.
It can even switch
on again later by itself
c> .&, if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
•
•

234 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 197 Engine compartment: cove r on the brake fluid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 225.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
fig . 197, ¢ page 22 7,
fig. 193.
The brake flu id level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake flu id reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illust rat ion
¢ page 227.
The fluid level may drop
slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on¢
page 15. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long. This can seriously affect the effi­
c ie ncy of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

236 Check ing and filling
&
Batt ery aci d c ont ain s s ulfuric acid .
A lw ay s w ear gloves a nd eye protec-
ti on.
@
No
- spark s
- flame s
· sm okin g.
A
When a b atte ry is ch arged , it p rodu -
ce s hydr oge n ga s wh ich i s ex plosi ve
.
and co uld cause pe rso nal injur y.
®
Alway s keep the batt ery well out of
re ach of children.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r isk of
injury, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead part icles get on
your sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contai ns sulfur ic acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could leak out of the vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your sk in, immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury. -
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negat ive ground ca­
ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
trica l system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected .
If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to swi tc h off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, f irst
d isconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive c ab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off. Re connect the pos it ive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32
°F
(0 oc).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the bat­
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways rep lace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han-
dling.
~