2016 AUDI A7 ESP

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braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving. Select in the MMI:
ICARI function button > (Car)* systems control
button>
Vehicle settings> Air susp.: towing>
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c::> page 10 must
be observed carefully. The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds . Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on .
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
c::> page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
-
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a trailer because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice. Back­
ing up with a trailer generally requires steering
Trailer mode
action opposite to that when backing up your ve­
hicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will 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 accel­
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
c::> page 2 7 4.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
" Apply the foot brake.
" Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
"With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
"Turn the wheels towards the curb.
... Apply the parking brake.
"Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
"Apply the foot brake.
"Start the engine.
"Select the D/S selector lever position.
"Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
"Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks .
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Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi ­
cle's value.
It can a lso be a req uirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your a uthorized Audi dea ler . Read and fol ­
l ow the instructions for use on the packaging .
A WARNING
- Using clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
- Always store cleaning and care products out of reach of children to reduce the r isk of po i­
soning .
@) For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when b uying cleaning agents.
- Do not dispose of leftover cleaning and care
products with h ousehold tras h.
Car washes
The longer that deposits remain on the vehicle ,
the more the s urface may be damaged . H igh
temperatures s uch as those caused by s unlight
increase the damaging effect.
Before washing, rinse off heavy deposits with
p lenty of water.
S tu bbor n depos its s uch a s bird dropp ings o r tree
sap are best removed w ith plenty of wa ter and a
microfiber cloth .
A lso, was h the unde rs ide of your vehi cle once
ro ad salt s tops be ing use d fo r t he season .
Pressure washers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instructions
p rov ided with t he p ress ure washer. This is espe­
ci ally importan t in reg ard to the p ress ure and
sp ray ing dist ance. Do not aim the spray direc tly
at seals on side windows, doors, the hood, the
rear lid or the sunroof * or at tires, rubber hoses,
Care and cleaning
insulat ing mater ia l, sensors * or camera lenses *.
Keep a distance of at least 16 inches (40 cm) .
D o no t remove snow and ice with a pressu re
washe r.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
z les.
The water temperature must not be above 140 °F
(60 °() .
Automat ic car washes
Sp ray off the ve hicle before washing .
Make sure tha t the w indows and roo f* are close d
and the windshield wipers are off . Follow inst ruc ­
tions from the car wash operator, especially if
there are accessor ies attached to your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes th at do not h ave
brushes.
Washing
by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from the top and work­
i ng down using a soft sponge or cleani ng b rush .
U se solven t-free cle ani ng p rod ucts.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by
hand
T o avoid damaging the pain t whe n washing, first
remove dus t and large particles from yo ur vehi ­
cle . Inse cts , grease s pots and fingerprin ts a re
best removed with a specia l cleaner for matte
finish pai nt.
Apply t he p rod uct using a mi crofiber cloth. To
avo id damaging the paint surfa ce, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly with water. Then
cl ea n usi ng a neutr al sham poo and a so ft mi cro ­
fiber clo th .
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly again and let it air
dry. Remove a ny wate r residue using a s ham my.
A WARNING
- Onl y wa sh the vehicle w hen the ign ition is
off and fo llow the ins truc tions from the car
wash ope rator to reduce the risk of a cci­
dents.
-
205

Care and cleaning
Component S ituation Solution
Te xtiles
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
arti ficial leath er, the surface
Alca ntara Wate r-based depos its Absorben
t cloth and mild soap solutional
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Apply am ild soap solutional, blot away the disso lved oil or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterwa rd with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such Special stain remover, blot w ith absorbent materia l, treat
as ink, na il polish, la- afterward with mild soap so lution, if necessaryal
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Natural leather Fres h stains Wool cloth with a mild soap solut ional
Wate r-based depos its fresh stains: absorbent clot h
such as coffee, tea, d ried stains: stain remover suitable for leathe r
blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitab le
such as oil, make- up, for leather
etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special deposits such Spot remover sui table for leather
as ink, nai l polish, la -
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Care Regularly app ly condi tioning cream that protects from
lig ht and penet rates in to the mate rial. Use specially -col -
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap sol ution: maxim um two tablespoons of neutral soap in 1 quar t (1 liter ) of water
_& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be tre ate d wit h wa­
t er- repelling win dsh ield co ating agents. Un­
favorab le conditions such as wetness, dark­
ness, or low s un can resu lt in increased glare.
Wiper blade chatter is also possible.
(D Note
- Headlights/tail light s
-Never clean headlights or ta il lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning prod uct that con­
tains alcohol, because they could cause cracks to form.
- Wheels
208
-
- Never use any paint polish or other abra­
sive mate rials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as sto ne chips or sc ratches must
be repaired immediately.
- Sensors /camera lenses
- N eve r use warm or ho t w at er to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could ca use the lens to crack.
- N eve r use abras ive cle an ing m ateria ls or
a lcohol to clea n the camera lens. This
could ca use scratches and cracks .
-Doo r windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terio r mirro rs with a p lastic scraper. To

fill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal
adjustment is more likely to be made in time.
(D Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the speci­
fied criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
fications, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
l ems resulting from the use of fuels differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
s 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 problems due
to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unb lended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A ma jor concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use.
Although gasol ine grades differ from one manu­
facture r to another, they have certa in things in
common. All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine
parts, such as fuel injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas ­
oline. For more information on TOP TIER Deter-
M gent Gasoline, please go to the official website N
j (www .toptiergas.com).
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Fuel and Refueling
After an extended period o f using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your en­
gine of peak performance .
(D Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel qual­
ity is not covered by the Audi New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Su lfur Diesel) No. 2.
The ULSD No. 2 meets the ASTM 0975.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiese l high­
er than 5
% such as Bl 1, B20 or 8100 are strictly
prohibited.
Service station fue l pumps are labeled with the
correct fue l information for easy recognit ion by
the user .
If the d iese l fue l pump is not labe led
ask the station operator what fuel is being dis­
pensed before fi lling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the USA
and Canada . Be sure to check before traveling to
other countries.
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold tem­
peratures, and this can impair the engine's start­
ing and running. Depending on the season, gas
stations provide ULSD No. 2 that flows better in
cold temperatures so that you can continue oper­
ating your vehicle as usual.
@ Note
- Your vehicle's diesel engine was designed
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 . Such damage will not be
covered by your New Vehicle Limited War­
ranty.
- If you put any amount of incorrect fuel in
the fuel tank, do not start the engine under
any circumstances. Immediately contact the
nearest authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
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To avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the fuel
tank always close fuel filler cap properly and
completely. An improperly closed fuel filler cap
may also cau se the MIL lamp¢
page 28 to come
on.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns .
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause se­
vere burns and other injuries .
- Failure to shut the engine off while refuel­
ing and/or to insert the pump nozzle fully
into the fuel filler neck could cause fuel to
spray out of filler neck or to overflow . Fuel
spray and overflowing fuel can cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while refuel­
ing. The electromagnetic radiation can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors and
cause a fire.
-
-Never get back into your vehicle while refu­
eling.
If in exceptional circumstances you
must get back in your vehicle while refuel­
ing, make certain that you close the door
and touch metal to discharge static electric­
ity before touching the filler nozzle again.
Static electricity can cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­ where in or near your vehicle when refueling
or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend that you do not travel with a portable fuel container in your vehicle . The container, full
or empty may leak and could cause a fire,
especially in a crash .
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it
is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for exam­
ple, in the luggage compartment, or on
the trunk). Static electricity can build up while filling and can ignite fuel vapors
causing a fire.
- Always place a portable fuel container on
the ground before filling.
Fuel and Refueling
- Always keep the filler nozzle completely
inside the portable container before and
during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler noz zle must always be in
contact with the container. This will help prevent static electricity from discharging
and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or lug­
gage compartment . Fuel vapors are highly
flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provincial laws regarding the use, storage and trans­
portation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel container meets in ­
dustry standards (ANSI/ ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it should
be removed immediately to prevent damage
to the paint.
@) For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automatically for the first time,
the tank is full. Do not try to add more fuel
because fuel may spill out . In addition, the
expansion space in the fuel tank will be filled -
causing the fuel to overflow when it becomes
warm and pollute the environment.
(D Tips
- Running your engine while refuelling may
cause vapors to escape or even cause fuel to
spill out of the tank. This would then shut
off the fuel nozzle before the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the ignition
switched on. The fuel gauge may otherwise
not indicate the correct fuel level after refu­
elling.
- Diesel vehicles* are equipped with a diesel
misfueling protector. It allows the vehicle to
be fueled only with a diesel fuel pump noz­
zle . A worn or damaged nozzle or a nozzle
that is too small may not be able to open
the diesel misfueling protector. If this is the .,..
213

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Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with selective catalyt ic reductio n
The display indicates if the Ad Blue level is low or
if there is a system malfunction .
AdBlue level low
You will be informed if the Ad Blue in the tank
drops be low a certain level.
Please refill Ad Blue. Range 1500 mi (2400 km )
This message appea rs whe n there is o nly enoug h
Ad B lue left to dr ive the d ist ance ind icated in the
d river i nfo rmation sys tem . Fill the AdBl ue.
Ad Blue ,0 Refill AdBlue! No restart in 600 mi
( 1000 km)! See owner 's manual
This message appea rs when there is o nly enoug h
Ad Blue left to dr ive the distance indicated in the
d river info rmation system . Fill the Ad Blue . Othe r­
wise the eng ine will not sta rt again if you s top it
once the di stan ce in dicated ha s been driven. You
can also check t he rem ain ing distance in the on­
board comp ute r*.
Refill Ad Blu e! No restart! See own -
er' s manual
This message appea rs whe n the AdBlue tank is
empty . Fill t he AdBl ue. Othe rw ise you w ill not be
ab le to start the engine aga in once yo u stop it.
T he AdBlue must be refi lled when t he amo unt in
the tank has reac hed the m inimum leve l
q page 215, Filling Ad Blue .
Incorrect filling/system malfunction
A message appears if the AdBl ue tank was filled
with a fluid other than AdBlue and the system has detected t hat the ta nk was f illed incor rectly,
or if there is a sys tem ma lf u nction .
Ad Blue -I' Ad Blue: System fault! No restart in
600 mi (1000 km). See owner's manual.
This message appea rs when it is only poss ible to
drive the d istance ind icated in the dr iver informa­
tion system. Drive to the nearest authori zed Audi
dealer or authorized Aud i Service Fac ility to have
the ma lfunction corrected . Otherwise the engine
w ill not start aga in if you stop it once the dis­
tance ind icated has been driven .
Fuel and Refueling
AdBlue: System fault No restart!
See owner's manual
T his mes sage ap pea rs if t he system h as detec ted
t h at the t ank was fi lled incor rectly o r tha t there
is a ma lf u nction . Drive immed iate ly to the near ­
est authorized A udi dealer or autho rized A udi
Se rv ice Facility to have the ma lf u nction co rrect ­
ed. Otherwise yo u will not be ab le to start the en­
gine aga in once you stop it .
Filling AdBlue
Applies to vehicles: with selective catalytic reduction
Fig. 184 Rig ht rea r ve hicle s ide: re m oving t he AdB lu e cap
The Ad Blue filler t ube is located near the diesel
filler t ube . Add at least 1.5 ga llons (5.7 liters) of
AdBl ue. This is the m inimum amount required to
ensure the system detects the refi lling a nd to
start the eng ine . Yo u can add a max imum of ap­
proximate ly 4.5 gallons (17 liters) .
Req uirement: The request to add Ad Blue must
appear in the instrument cluster display .
.. Switch t he ignit ion off .
.. Open the tank door
q page 212.
.,. Turn the tank cap counterclockwise w it h the lug
w rench from the vehicle too l kit to remove it
q fig . 184 .
.,. Fill the Ad Blue with th e bottl e ~ page 216 or
the caniste r<=>
page 216.
.&_ WARNING
Ad Bl ue can irri tate the skin , eye s and respira­
tory sys tem . If the re is con tact with t he flu id,
f lush imme diate ly w ith plenty of water. Co n-
su lt a physicia n if necessary. .,,_
215

Checking and Fill in g
Checking and Filling
Hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehi­
cle.
Fig. 1 86 Driver footwell: release lever
Fig. 187 Rocker sw itch under the hood
Make s ure the wiper arms are not ra ised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.. Wi th the driver's door open, pu ll the lever un­
der the instrument panel in the direction of the arrow
c::> fig. 186.
.. Raise the hood s lightly c::> _A .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
Q fig. 187. 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 yo u see or hear steam or
coolant escap ing from the engine compa rt­
me nt. Wait until no steam or coo lant can be
218
seen or heard before carefully open ing the
hood.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engine compartment.
Whenever you mu st perform any w ork in the
engine comp artment , for example checking and
filling d iff erent fluid s, the re i s a risk of injury ,
burns and accidents. To p revent pe rsonal injur y
alwa ys ob serv e the follow ing WARNING S. The
engi ne compartment o f an y vehicle is a h azard ­
ous are a
i::>_6 .
A WARNING
To help avo id injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition.
- App ly the parking brake.
- Move selector leve r to P (Park).
- Always le t the eng ine cool down. Hot com-
ponents wi ll burn skin on contact .
-
-To reduce the risk of bei ng bur ned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam o r
coo lant escaping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait unt il no steam o r coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully open ing the
hood.
- Keep c hildren away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo ­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature cont ro lled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is sti ll warm. The coolant system
is pressur ized and hot coo lant co uld spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag ove r the cap w hen you open the
coo lant reservoir.

Checking and F ill in g
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine o il by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station.
Cooling system
Coolant
T he engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling sys tem is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
T he cooling system has been filled at the facto ry
with a permanent coo lant wh ich does not need to
be changed . T he coolan t consists of a mixture of
specially condit ioned water and the manufactur ­
er's glycol-based coolant addit ive Gl3 ant ifreeze
with a nticorrosion add itives (50% fo r USA mod­
e ls · 60% for Canadian mode ls). Thi s m ix tu re both
'
assures the ne cessary fros t protection and pro -
t ects meta l components in t he engine's cooling
system from corrosion and scaling. It a lso raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not reduce the concentr ation o f the coo lant in
the summer by addi ng p la in water.
The propor­
tion of coolant additive must be at least 50 %
but not more than 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency .
If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant could
freeze and damage the ve hicle heati ng and en­
g ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for tempera tures down to:
- -3 1 °F (- 35°C)USA
- - 4 0 °F ( - 4 0 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a m ixt ur e of wate r
a nd coolant add it ive. Mixing the coolant additive
w ith d istilled w ate r is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in t he engine com­
par tment, always read and hee d all WA RN -
224
INGS ~ &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 218.
(D Note
- Be fore wi nter sets in, have the coo lant
checke d to see if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­ ditions. This is espec ia lly impo rtant if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme­
ly cold . If necessary, increase the p roportion
of coolan t addit ive to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your cool­
ing system, remember:
- We re commend usin g on ly cool ant addi­
tive Gl2++ o r Gl3 (chec k the label) fo r
your ve hicle. This coo lant additive is avai l­
ab le at aut horized Aud i dea le rs . Othe r
types of ant ifreeze can significant ly re­
d uce co rrosion protection. The resulting
corrosion can cause a loss of coolant a nd
serious e ngine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra ­
diator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly affec t the
func tion and perfo rmance of your cooling
system a nd could result in d amage not cov­
ere d by yo ur N ew Vehi cle Lim ited War ranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 1 91 Eng ine co mpar tmen t: c over on t he coo la nt expa n­
sio n tan k
Befo re you check a nyth ing in the eng ine compart­
men t,
always read and he ed all WARNINGS
~ A in Working in the engine compartmen t on
page 218. ..,.