2016 AUDI A7 battery

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back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
periods of time . Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust­ ment, may not be available under certa in circum­
stances . These convenience functions will be
available aga in once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
With the engine switched off
The battery will drain if you use functions such as
listening to the rad io while the engine is switched
off.
The vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message w ill appear in the In­
fotainment system d isp lay.
The message indicates that the system will
switch off automatically soon. If you would like
to continue using the funct ions, you must start
the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated whi le
driving, the battery can drain. This can happen
when little energy is generated, and much is used
and the charge level of the battery is not optimal.
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­
rarily sca led back or switched off . Heating sys­
tems in particu lar require a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear window defroster is not working, then it
has been tempo rar ily reduced or sw itched off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
ene rgy balance has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
h as slightly increased . That is normal and no
cause for concern. Due to the increased idling
speed , the additional required energy w ill be gen ­
e rat ed and the battery will be charged.
Intelligent Technology
195

Driving and th e environment
content of the fuel be ing used. Using a differ­
ent brand of fuel may help, or filling the tank
w ith lead-free super grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith d iesel e ng in e
The diesel particulate filter filters nearly a ll of
the soot particles out of the exhaust . The filter
cleans itse lf automatically under normal driving
conditions. If the f ilter cannot clean itself (for ex­
ample, because you are only driving short distan­
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbo l for the diesel particulate filter il­
lum inates ¢
page 20.
_& WARNING
-Do no t park your vehicle ove r flammable
materials such as g rass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu ­
late fi lter co uld start a fire.
-
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exha ust system a rea o r a fire could start.
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you wou ld like to take your veh icle out of serv­
ice for a longer t ime, contact your authorized
Aud i dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facility.
They will advise you of important measures, such
as corrosion protection, maintenance and storage p rocedures . Also follow the informat ion about
the battery ¢
page 228.
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and wear
on your engine, brakes and t ires largely depend
on three factors:
-your personal dr iv ing style
- operating conditions
198
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive econom ic a lly, you can easily cut yo ur fu el
consump tion by 10-15 percent. This section will
give you some tips on how you can he lp the envi­
ronment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
'
The cons ump tion es tima tes as published by
EN VIRON MENTAL PRO TEC TION AGENCY ( EPA)
and T ransport Canada may not correspond to
your actual consumption on the road, which
will vary depending upon vehicle load and
speed, road and weather conditions, tr ip
l ength, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
.. Avo id unnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the mos t fue l when they a re acceler ­
ating. I f yo u anticipate what is going to happen
next, you w ill need to b rake less and, thus, accel­
erate less. Let the veh icle coast whenever possi­
ble -for example when you see that the next traf­
fic light is red .
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently red uces fue l cons umption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­
ment .
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emiss ions and engine
noise increase d isproportionately at high speeds .
If you drive at approximate ly three quarte rs of
top speed, fue l consumption will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed l imit and weather cond itions permit.

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-Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary :
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames . Fluids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme­
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
-If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other moving parts, or from contacting hot
parts. Tie back hair before starting, and do
not wear clothing that will hang or droop
into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi­
cal hazards ¢.&. .
..&, WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
Checking and Filling
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling .
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur .
® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer .
Closing the engine hood
.,.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from the
struts is reduced.
.,.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in place. Do
not try to push it shut;
it may fail to engage
¢ ,& .
..&, WARNING
--A hood that is not completely latched could
fly up and block your view while driving .
- When you close the engine hood, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly en ­
gaged . The hood should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driving that the hood is
not secured properly, stop at once and close
it .
-
219

Checking and F ill in g
Battery
General information
Under no rmal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any ma intenance.
W ith
high outside temperatu res or long daily
d rives we recommend that you have the electro­
lyte level checked by a service facility . The elec­
trolyte level should a lso be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 230.
Have the bat tery checked when you take yo ur ve­
hicle in for service . You are we ll advised to re­
p lace a battery that is o lder than 5 years .
W ith certa in types of airbag deploymen t, the bat­
tery is disconnected from the vehicle electrica l
system for safety reasons ¢
.&. in Repair, core
and disposal of the airbags on page 158.
Disconn ecting the battery t erminal s
Some veh icle funct ions (power window regula­
tors, for examp le) are lost if the battery termi ­
na ls are disconnected. These functions have to be
re learned after the battery terminals are con­
nected aga in. To prevent this, the battery shou ld
only be disconnected from the vehicle electrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicl es not driven fo r long period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrica l components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca­ pability over a longer period¢
page 194. Some
of the convenience funct ions may not operate,
such as the inter ior lights or power seat adjust­
ment. The convenience functions will be ava ilab le
again whe n you swit ch on the igni tion and sta rt
the engine.
Winte r operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop . This is because
mo re power is also consumed w hile starting, and
the head lights, rear w indow defogger, etc ., are
used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, part icu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
228
distances. Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter
sets in
¢ page 230 . A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze . This will prevent it
from being damaged and having to be re­
placed.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor . Before you check anything
i n the luggage compartment,
re ad and he ed all
WARNINGS ¢&, .
Always heed the safety warning s, when working
o n the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lectr ical
system to prevent injury .
The following WARNING S are very important
when working on the battery :
Alw ay s heed the following WARNING SYM ·
BOL S and safety p recaut ions when wo rking on
the batter y.
®
Alw ay s w ear e ye protection .
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al -
way s wear gloves and ey e protection .
@
No
· spark s
· flames
· sm oking.
~
When a battery is charged , it p roduce s
h yd rogen gas which is e xplosi ve and
'
could cause per sonal injury .
®
Always keep the battery well out of
r ea ch of ch ild ren.
...

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A WARNING
-=
Whenever working on the battery or on the
electrical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire. Read and heed the fol­
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let bat­
tery acid or any lead particles get on your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tention .
- 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 nega-
tive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects. This would cause the bat­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen 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 negative ground cable.
- Before performing any work on the electri­ cal system, switch off the engine and igni­
tion as well as any electrical equipment . The
negative cable on the battery must be dis­
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights .
-
Checking and Filling
-Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical consumers are switched off. Re­
connect the positive cable first and then the negative cable. Never interchange the ca­
bles - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed -out bat­
tery . It could explode! If a battery has fro­
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged battery can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
-Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is on or when the engine is run­
ning, otherwise, you will damage electronic
components in the electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
- When opening the doors, the windows low­
er approximately 10 mm automatically. This
function is not available when the battery is
disconnected, which means there is a risk
that the door seal or the window could be
damaged .
229

Checking and Fill in g
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery .
Fig. 193 Engine co mpartment : conn ectors for a charger
and jump start cable s
Always read and heed all WARN ING S below
<=:> &. and
<=:>&. in Working on the battery on
page 229 .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Make sure the area is well vent ilated when yo u
charge the battery .
.,. Open the engine hood
¢ page 218.
.,. Open the red cove r on the posit ive po le
¢ fig. 193.
.,. Connect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
j ump sta rt bolts . (Bolts
under the red cover = "positive", Bo lts with hex
head= "negative") .
.,. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg ing
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
¢ &_ .
.,. Ma ke s ure the charging rat e is n ot ov er
3 0 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
.,. When the batte ry is fully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment off and remove the mains
lead from t he wall outlet .
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging equip-
ment .
.,. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
.,. Close the hood
c::> page 219 .
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 F
0 (0 °C) . Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
c:> &. . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the batte ry casing
230
can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a trickle
charge r),
the battery cab les do not have to be
disconnected f irst. The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessa ry to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is a lso not nec­
essary to d isconnect the cab les.
Fast ch arging th e battery (cha rgin g ra te
above 14 .8 V olts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery charg­
er that uses vo ltage greater than 14.8 Vo lts to
charge your vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
er when charging your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice . Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw out f irst .
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were frozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area.
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the batte ry is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les wh ile
the charger is operating.
- Fast cha rging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician w ith the proper eq uipment .
- Batte ry acid that may spill during charging
should b e washed off with a solut ion of
warm wa ter and baking soda to neu tralize
t he acid.

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(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This w ill seriously damage sensi­
tive electron ic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica­
tions and dimensions as the original equipment
battery .
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the electrica l energy
throughout your vehicle
c:> page 194. The intell i­
gent energy management system will keep the
engine battery charged better than vehicles w ith­
out this system . To make sure the additional elec­
tr ical energy is available once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­ facture only (the same as those installed at the
time your veh icle was delivered). Specif ications
are listed on the battery housing. Your author­
ized dealer must code the battery in the energy
management system to enable you to use the en­
e rgy management functions correctly after re­
p lacing the battery.
The new battery must have the same capacity ,
voltage (12-volts), amperage, construction and plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the igni­
tion and all electrical consumers are switched off.
Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide of
the battery is connected, otherwise fumes or
battery acid can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM battery. Installing a different type of bat­
tery can cause problems in the vehicle elec­
trical system. When replacing the vehicle
battery, always install one with the same
specifications as the original battery.
Checking and Filling
{® For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend your authorized
Audi dealer change the battery for you. Bat­
teries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must
always be disposed of properly in compliance
with all environmental regulations. Disposing
of vehicle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the environment.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fig. 194 Engine compa rtment: cover on the winds hie ld
and head lig ht* washer fluid reservoir
The washer fluid container is marked with the
symbol
ip on its cap c:>fig. 194, c:>page 220,
fig. 188.
.. Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 218.
.. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid.
You can fill the container to the top .
.. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after fill-
ing the container .
You can find the reservoir
capacity in the table in
c:>page272.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets. Always add a g lass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter) . ..,.
231

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Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform the se
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission can­
not be started by push ing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine should fail to start because o f a dis­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, us ing a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cros s
section
to carry the starter current safe ly. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases co lored red
minus (-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas .
Any of these can cause very ser ious or fatal in­
jury . Fo llow the instructions be low for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C) . Before con­
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
Emergency situations
frozen battery completely, otherwise it
could explode .
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
veh icle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases .
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must al ­
so have a 12-volt rating. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of batteries of different voltage or substantial­
ly different" Ah" rating may cause an explo­
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery . Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion .
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak­
ened ,
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or sub­
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an exp losion and injury. Th e capacity
(Ah) of the booste r battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
q page 218 .
(D Note
-Applying a h igher voltage booster battery
w ill cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- Th ere must be no ele ct rical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) termina ls are connected.
(D Tips
The discharged battery must be properly con-
nected to the vehicle's e lectrical system. .,..
265