2015 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK warning

216 Check ing and filling
other qualified workshop to have excess
oi l extracted if necessary.
-Audi do es not re commend th e us e of oil
additi ve s. The y ma y damage the e ngine
and ad ve rs ely a ffect yo ur New Vehicle
Wa rrant y.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact wit h 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 that hove your oil changed by
on authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays r ead and heed all WARN­
ING S
~.&. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 211.
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 gradually dur ing normal vehicle use .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances, operate 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 for extended pe­ riods.
Detergent additives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil mo re often tha n
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex­
pe rtise required, we strong ly recommend that
you have yo ur o il changed by an authori zed
Audi de ale 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 engine 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 run­ n ing down your 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
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open st reams o r down
sewage drains.
- Re cycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used eng ine oil collect io n fac ility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

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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
qu ires 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 anticorros 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 also raises the boil ­
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
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 antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
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 mixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~.&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 211.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checkin g and fillin g 217
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli ­
mate conditions. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely co ld. 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
avai lable 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 Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 191 En gin e compar tment: cover on the coo lant
expansio n tan k
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS¢.&, in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 211 .
"'Park your vehicle on a level surface .
"' Sw itch off the ignition.
"' Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank ¢
fig. 191, ¢ page 213, Ill>-

218 Check ing and filling
fig . 188. With a cold engine, the coo lant
l evel should be between the "min" and
"max" markings . When the engine is warm ,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
mark ing .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
9 page 213.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off .
The expans ion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning l ight in the Auto-Check System
9 page 15 w ill
illum inate unti l you 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 le ak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool ­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
s ealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by followi ng these
steps .
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
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 carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction w hile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap . -
To avoid being burned, do not spi ll anti­
freeze or coolant on the exha ust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant. Add­
i ng radiator repair fluid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and pe rformance of you r
cooling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Veh icle Limited
War ran ty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and he ed all WARN­
INGS ¢ ..&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
211.
" Requirement: There must be a residua l
amo unt of coolant in the expansion ta nk
¢ (D .
"Tu rn off the engi ne.
" Le t the eng ine cool down.
" Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
t ank
9 page 217, fig. 191 and ca refully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢&,, .
" Add coolant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢
page 217, Coolant up to the MAX mark­
ing.
" Make sure that the flu id leve l remains sta -
ble . Add more coo la nt if necessary .
" Twist the cap o n again
tightly .
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 217, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add i-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do
not use a d ifferent addit ive . In an emergency
use p la in water until you can get the correct
additive and can resto re the co rrect rat io . This
shou ld be done as soon as possib le. .,..

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If you have lost a consi derable amount of
coolant, then you should add co ld antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is co ld .
Always use
new engine coolant when refi lling.
D o not fi ll coolant above the "MAX " mark . Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out th rough the
p ress ure rel ief valve in the cap when the en­
g ine becomes hot .
A WARNING ,_________
-The cooling system is under press ure and
can get very hot . Reduce the risk of
sca ld ing from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Tur n
off the eng ine and a llow itto cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing f lu id a nd steam by cover ing
the cap wi th a la rge, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slow ly and very ca refully
in a cou nte r-clockw ise d irect ion while
a pply ing ligh t, downw ard p ress ure on
the to p of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifreeze or coolan t on t he exhaust sys­
tem or ho t engine parts . U nder certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catc h fire .
- Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store an ­
tifreeze in its original container and we ll
o ut o f the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
@ Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
i s empty . Ai r could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the engine. If this is
the case, do not continue driving. Seek professional assistance.
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could cause a n engine fire. Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres­
sure re lief valve in the cap when the en ­
gine becomes hot.
Checkin g and fillin g 219
-If, in an emergency, on ly wate r can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 217 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant sho uld not be reused. A l­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ­
i ng a ll environmental regulations.
, Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
An auxiliary electric radiato r fan switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ing cond it ions.
After yo u switch the eng ine o ff, the aux iliary
f an can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on aga in later by itself¢ .&. , if
- the temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises
du e to the h eat build -up from th e engin e in
the engine compa rtment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
A WARNING ~
- To reduce the risk of persona l inju ry nev-
er touch the radiator fan .
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certai n temperature and will
continue to ru n until the coo lant temper­
ature drops. •
•

220 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 192 Engine compar tment: cove r on the brake fl uid
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 211.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
fig . 192, ¢ page 213,
fig. 188 .
The brake fluid 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 213.
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 14. 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/
indic ator 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
t he 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 .

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@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 223.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 155.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢
page 193. Some of the co nvenience func­
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights or power seat adjustme nt. The conven-
Checkin g and fillin g 221
ience funct ions w ill be available again when
yo u sw itch on the ign ition and start the en­
gine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery ca pa city
tends to decrease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used mo re often.
Avoid unnecess ary powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticu lar ly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in¢
page 223 . A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freez e. This will
p reve nt it from be ing dam aged and having
to be repl aced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any­
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec­
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•

222 Check ing and filling
&
Batt ery aci d c ont ain s s ulfuric acid .
A lw ay s w ear gloves and 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 rsonal 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
e nough 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.
~

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(D Note
- Do not disconnect the ve hicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
ca l system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
l ong period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth ­
erwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced .
- When opening the doors, the windows
l ower app rox imately 10 mm automati­
cally. This f unction is not available when
t h e battery is disconnec ted, wh ic h
means there is a ris k t hat the door se al
or the w indow co uld be damaged .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat tery.
F ig. 1 93 En gine co mpartme nt: c onnectors for a charg­
er a nd jum p sta rt cable s
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
¢ .&. and
¢.&. in Working an the battery on
page 2 22.
"'Switch off the ignit ion and all electrica l con­
s u mers .
"' Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the battery.
"' Open the engine hood
c::> page 211 .
"'Open the red cover o n the posit ive pole
<=> fig . 193.
"' Connect the charger connectors accord ing to
the instruc tions to the
jump start bolts .
(Bolts under the red cover = "positive", Bolts
with hex head = "nega tiv e").
Checkin g and fillin g 223
"'On ly now plug the mains lead for the cha rg ­
i ng eq uipment into the wa ll outlet and turn
it on
c::> ,&. .
"'Make sure the charging rate is not o ver
30 amps /14.8 Volt .
"'When the battery is fully c harged : Turn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wa ll out let .
"' Now remove the clamps fo r the cha rg ing
equ ipme nt.
"' Close the red cover on the positive pole .
"' Close the hood ¢
page 212 .
A d ischa rged batte ry can freeze at tempe ra­
tures of only 3 2 F
0 (0 °C). Allow a fro zen bat­
te ry to thaw completely before attemp ting to
c h arge it
c::> & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery ac id.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When cha rging at
low vo ltages (e .g. with a
trickle charger), the batte ry cables do not
have to be disconnected f irst . The battery
caps should
not be ope ned when charg ing a
batte ry .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is a lso not
necessary to d iscon nect the cab les .
Fa st charging the battery (cha rging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
Fo r technical reasons do not use a battery
c h a rger that uses voltage g reater than 14 .8
Volts to charge yo ur vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
C harging a battery can be dangero us.
- Always follow t he ope rati ng inst ructions
provi ded by the battery cha rg er ma nu­
f ac turer when chargi ng you r battery.
- N ever cha rge a fro zen batte ry.
It may ex­
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice .
A llow a froz en ba tte ry to thaw out first.
- D o not r euse ba tte ries wh ich were fro­
z en. The bat tery housi ng may
h ave