2015 AUDI A7 engine coolant

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Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the instrument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .
@ Tachometer (eng ine rev counter)
@ Turn signals ............... .
@ Display with
®
®
-Driver information system .. .
- Wa rning/ind icator lights
Tachometer Fuel gauge
@ Tips
11
12
46
24
12
12
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on
and the vehicle lights are turned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of the
dials likewise dims automatically and wil l
go out completely when the outside light
is very low. This feature is meant to rem ind
you to switch on the headlights when out­
side light conditions become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD¢ page 11, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your eng ine, please note the fol­
l owing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the eng ine has not reached operating
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions.
Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving cond i­
t ions. The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the engine is under heavy load or the exterior
temperature is high. This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the indica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 16.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warn ing in
¢ page 225, before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
o r hear steam or coo lant escaping.
@ Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air when
t h e ve hicle is moving.
If the spoiler is
dam aged, th is co uld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, yo u should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
perm iss ib le engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position D/S (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should on ly br iefly
be in the red zone: you could damage your
engine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on .
If the fuel level d rops below 2 . 6 ga llons (10 liters), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicator light
ll'J turns on r=> page 22. The
bottom LED blinks red when the fuel level is
very low.
T he possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@r=>
page 24, fig . 4 .
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An ir ­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the ex ha ust
system . The catalytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or
malfunctions
r::!> ,& .
Messages may appear with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indicator lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other d isplays . To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
i ng the multifunction steering wheel
r::!> page 24. If t here are several malfunc­
t ions, you can display them one at a time us­
ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- F ailure to heed w arning l igh ts and other
important vehicle in forma tion may res ult
in ser io us personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age .
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
r::!> page 45.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you chec k anything in the engine

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
-If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low .
If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authori zed Aud i dealer o r qualified repa ir
f acili ty and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond with maxim um stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased brak ing distances . The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator light . (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set .
• (U SA models) • (Canada models ) Cau­
tion: Vehicle pa rked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not eno ugh braking power to
keep the vehicle from ro lling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could ro ll away even
on a small incline.
P res s brake pedal to relea se parking brake
To release the parking bra ke, press t he b ra ke
pedal and press the button~ or start d riving
with start ing assist at the same time
c::> pageBO .
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake ma nually, press
the brake pedal and press the button~ at the
same time . T he parking brake on ly re leases
automatically if the dr iver's safety be lt is fas­
tened.
Ill Parking brak e!
If the Ill ind icator light tu rns o n and this
message appears , the re is a parking b rake
malfunction . Drive to your au thorized A udi
dealer or qualif ied workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in th e engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Swit ch off engin e and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the coolant temperature is too
high o r the coolant leve l is too low.
.. Pull
off the road .
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Tu rn
off the engi ne .
.,. Check coolant level
c::> page 231.
.. Add coo lant if necessary c::> page 232 .
.,. Con tinue dr iv ing on ly afte r the engine coo l­
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized A udi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coo lant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the ca use of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Plea se let
engin e run with vehicl e st ationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, let the engine run at id le for a
f ew m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reaso ns, park at a
safe distance from mov ing traffic, turn
off the eng ine and turn on the hazard
warn ing lights
c::> page 45, Emergency
flasher .
-
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coo lant escaping from the en­
g in e compartment -you r isk being scald­
ed. Wait unt il you can no lo nger see or
hear steam o r coolant escap ing .
~

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Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
App lies to vehicles: with three -zone cl imate contro l or
four -zone a uto mat ic climate contro l
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the vehicle interior.
It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof* are closed . If the temperature inside
the parked veh icle becomes very warm, open­
i ng the w indow br iefly will speed up the cool­
ing process.
In all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has reached a certain
temperature.
Condensat ion from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of wate r under the ve­
h icle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak .
Pollutant filt er
The pollutant filter removes pollutants such
as dust and po llen from the air.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi­
tioner can properly work .
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high
a ir pollution, the filter may need to be
changed more frequently than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Ma intenance booklet. If
i n doubt, ask your authori zed Audi Service Ad­
visor for adv ice.
K ey coded settings
Three-zone climate control: T he b lower set­
ting and air d istribution are stored automati­
cally and ass igned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Four-zone automatic climate control: The cli­
mate contro l settings are automatica lly stor­
ed and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Warm and c old 69
A WARNING
-
Reduced visibi lity is dangerous and can
cause acc idents .
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densat ion.
- Comp letely fam il iarize yourse lf with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
a nd ventilation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer system in freez ing weathe r unt il you
have wa rmed the windshie ld first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer sol ution may freeze on the wind­
shie ld and red uce visibi lity.
CJ) Note
- If you s uspect that the air conditioner
has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
inspected by a qualified dea lership .
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire specia l technical know ledge and
special tools. Contact an authorized Audi
dealer fo r ass istance.
@ For the sake of the envi ronment
By reducing the amount of f uel you use,
you also red uce the amount of pollutants
emitted into the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lo ts ( in front of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de­
bris in order to maintain the proper func­
tion of the climate control system.
- The energy ma nagement system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window defroster off temporar ily. These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored .
- Air escapes through vents under the rear window. When plac ing items of cloth ing
on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.

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,...., ..,., ,....,
Starting th e engin e
"'Pre ss the brake peda l c::> _&..
"'Press the !START ENGINE STOP I button
c::> fig. 81. The engi ne will start .
"' It is possible that the re wi ll be a slight de lay
when starting the engine for diesel vehicles
in colder temperatures. Therefore, you must
hold the brake pedal down until the eng ine
starts. The indicator lamp
Ii illuminates
when the eng ine is preheated.
If the engine should not start immediately,
the starting process is automatically stopped
after a short time . Repeat starting procedure .
Start-Stop-Sy stem *:
Note the information on c::> page 81, Start­
Stop-Sys tem.
A WARNING
- Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiation .
- Never turn off the eng ine unti l the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and power steer ing
only work when the engine is running .
If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot stee r and brake as you usua l­
ly wou ld, this could lead to crashes and
ser ious injur ies.
- Avoid high engine rpm, fu ll throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperat ure - ot her­
wise yo u risk eng ine dam age.
- The eng ine ca nnot be started by pushing
or tow ing the veh icle.
(D Tips
- After a cold engine is sta rted, there may
be a brief period of increased noise be ­
ca use oil p ress ure mus t fi rs t bu ild up in
the hyd raulic valve adjus ters. This is nor ­
mal and not a ca use for concern .
-If yo u leave the vehicle with t he ignit ion
switched on, the ignition will switch off
On th e ro ad 77
after a cer tain per iod of t ime. Please
note that electrical eq uipment such as
exterior lights will sw itch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
"' Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
"' Move the selector lever to the P or N posi ­
tion .
"' Press the
I STA RT E NGINE ST OP I button
c::> page 76, fig. 81.
Steering lock
The steer ing locks when you tur n the engine
off using the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OP I button
and open the d river's door . The locked steer­
ing helps prevent vehicle theft.
Eme rgency off
If necessa ry, the engine can be switched off
with the selector lever in the R or D/S posi ­
t ion . The engine stops if you press the
I S TART ENG INE STOPI button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/h) .
A WARNING
-Never tur n off the engine unti l the vehi ­
cle has come to a complete stop .
- T he b rake booster and powe r stee ring
only work w he n the eng ine is r unning. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usual­
ly would, th is co uld lead to crashes and
serio us injuries.
- For safety reasons, you sho uld a lways
park your vehicle w ith the selector lever
in P. Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away .
- After the eng ine has been switched off,
the radiator fa n can cont inue to run for
up to 10 minutes - even with the ignition
sw itche d off .
It can also sw itch on again
after some t ime if the coolant tempera­
ture r ises as the resu lt of a hea t buildup
.
or if the engine is hot and the engine .,..

210 Trailer towing
A lways apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Air su spen sion *
When driving with a trai ler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air
suspension trailer mode on when you are tow­
ing a trailer. This will limit the regulation by
the air suspens ion while driving. Select in the
MMI:
! CARI function button> (C ar)* sys te m s
control button > Vehicl e se tting s> Air s usp .:
t o wing > On .
Coolant t emperatur e
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the LEDs in
the top pa rt of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢ page 16 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not prope rly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight dist ribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefu lly you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp letely familiar with the way your vehicle
-trailer combination behaves and
responds .
Backi ng up is diffic ult and requi res p ractice.
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintai n a greater d ista nce between yo ur ve­
hicle and the one in fron t of yo u. You w ill need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­ ce le rate as fast as you norma lly would be­
ca use of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp tu rns o r rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 294.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someone place choc ks unde r both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unt il the whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re sta rting after p ark in g :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the engine.

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Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 191 Dr iver footwell: release leve r
Fig. 192 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.
.. With the driver's door open , pull the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
c::> fig. 191.
.. Raise the hood slightly c::> .&. .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c::> fig. 192. This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk 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 225
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Wh ene ve r 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 fluids, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr eve nt per­
so nal injury alwa ys observ e the foll owing
WARNING S. The engin e compartm ent of any
v e hicle i s a h az a rdou s area
c::> ,& .
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 parki ng 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 sw itch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
a nt 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:
II>-

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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