2016 AUDI A7 check engine

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Audi oil quality standard
G as oli ne
VW 502 00 or
engi ne vw 504 00
Diese l vw 507 00
eng in e
Using the proper engine o il is important for the
functiona lity and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-fi lled with a high-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
@ Note
Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
req uirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
standard specified for your veh icle's engine.
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets t he followi ng speci­
fications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity g rade of SAE OW-30,
SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: AC EA C3 or
API CF with a v iscosi ty grade of SA E OW -30
or SA E SW-30.
- For more information abo ut eng ine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither your a uthorized Audi dea ler
or A udi Customer Relations at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.aud icanada.ca.
Checking and Fillin g
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool oil of
its moving ports.
In order to provide effective lubricat ion and cool­
i ng of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion eng ines consume a certain amount
of oil. Oil consumpt io n varies from eng ine to en­
gine and may change sign ificantly over the life of
the engine. Typi cally, engines wi th a specified
break -in period (see
¢ page 196) consume more
o il during the b reak-in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized .
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity of
the oil, the RPM (revolutions per min ute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­
perature and road conditions. Further factors are
the amount of oil dilution from water condensa­
t ion or fuel residue and the ox idation level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
t ime unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be estab­
lished or spec ified . There is no alte rnative to reg­
u la r and freq uent checking of the oil level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning symbo l in
the instrument cluster
Ill li ghts up, you should
che ck the o il level as soon as possible
¢ page 222. Top off the oil at your earliest con­
venience
¢ page 222.
A WARNING
--=-
Before you check anythi ng i n the engine com-
partment, always read and heed a ll WARN­
INGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 218.
(D Note
Driving wit h an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the engine.
IJJ,,
221

Checking and Fill in g
@ Tips
-The oil pre ssure warning displ ay. is not
a n ind icato r of the oil le vel. Do no t rel y on
i t. In stead , che ck the oil level i n your en ­
gine at regular inte rvals, preferab ly each
tim e you r efu el, and alway s befor e going
on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine con­
sumes excess ive amounts of o il, we recom­
mend that you cons ult your Audi dealer to
have the cause of your concern prope rly di­
agnosed. Keep in mind that t he accurate
measurement of oil consumpt ion req uires
great care and may take some time . Your
A udi dealer has instructions about how to
measure oil consumption accurately.
Checking the eng ine oil level
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
F ig. 189 Infotainment: o il level indicato r
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Shut the engine off when it is warm.
• Switch only the ignit ion back on .
• Wait approximately two minutes .
• Se lect : the
ICAR I function button > (C ar)* Sys ­
tem s
control but ton > S er vic e & con trol > O il
le vel.
• Check the oil leve l in the Info tainment system
display ¢
fig. 189. Add engine oil if the bar of
the oil level indicator is near "min"
r::!;>page222.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and
the operating conditions, oil consumption can be
up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0.5 liter per
222
1,000 km). Consumption may be h igher within
the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
Because of t his, the engine oil Leve l must be
chec ked regu larly . It wo uld be best to check each
time you refuel your vehicle and before long
drives .
{!) Tips
The oil level indicator in the instr ument clus­
ter d isplay is only an informational display. If
the oil leve l is too low, a m inimum oil warning
appears in the instrument cluster. Add oil. If
the hood was opened, the current oi l Level is
shown in the instrument cluster the next ti me
the ignition is switched on.
Adding engine oil 'l:::1:
Fig. 190 Engine compart ment: cover on the engine oil fill­
er neck
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
alwa ys read and h eed all WARN ING S
r::!;> .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page 218.
• Shu t the eng ine off .
• Unscrew the cap~ to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
r::!;> fig. 190, r::!;> page 220, fig. 188.
• Carefully top off with 0 .5 quarts (0.S liters) of
the appropriate oil
r::!;> page 220.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
r::!;> page 222, Checking the engine oil level.
• Top off the oil aga in, if necessary.
• Screw the cap back on the filling hole.
_&. WARNING
-Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come in
con tact with hot engine parts -fire hazard!

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-The oil fi ller ca p m ust be prope rly secure d to
preve nt oil from being sprayed on t he hot
eng ine and exhaust system when t he engine
is runn ing -fire haza rd!
- If your skin has come i n contact w ith the en ­
gine oil, you m ust subsequently clea nse it
th oroughly.
@ Note
-Check the oil level using the MMI. If the
message
Please red uce oil le vel a p pears,
contact your author ized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop to have excess o il ex­
tracted if necessary .
-Audi do es not recommend th e use of o il
additiv es. They ma y damage th e engin e
and ad ve rs e ly affect your New Vehicle War­
rant y.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the o il come in
contact with the sewage network o r the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations whe n
dispos ing of empty oil conta iners.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta ­
tion.
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
alw ay s re ad and heed all WARNINGS c> .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 218 .
The engine oil must be changed according to the
interva ls specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
n ance booklet . This is ve ry important because the
lub ricat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradually
du ring normal vehi cle use.
Unde r some circumstances the engine o il should
be changed more frequently. Change oil more of­
ten if you d rive mostly short distances, ope rate
the vehicle in dusty areas or unde r predom inantly
s top-a nd-go tr aff ic condit io ns, o r have you r vehi ­
cle whe re temperatures rema in below freezing
for extended periods .
Checking and Fillin g
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
l ook dark after the engine has been running for a
sho rt time. Th is is norma l and is not a reason to
change the oi l more often than recommended.
Beca use of the p roblem of p roper disposal, along
with t he specia l too ls and necessary expertise re ­
quired, we strongly recommend that yo u have
yo ur o il changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or
a qua lified service station.
If y ou choo se to change your oil yourself , please
note the following important informat ion:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of personal in jury if you
must change the eng ine oi l in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
-
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot eng ine
oil, let the engine coo l down to the touch.
- W hen removing the o il dra in p lug with your
f ingers, stay as far away as possib le. Always
keep yo ur forearm parallel to the ground to
he lp prevent hot o il from running down your
arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one la rge enough to hold at
least the tota l amou nt of oil in yo ur engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it we ll out of
the reach of ch ild ren .
- Continuous contact wit h used eng ine o il is
harmful to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoro ughly wi th soap
a nd water .
«I) Note
Never mix oil additives with yo ur engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affect your Aud i Limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose of
the used oi l.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l properly.
Do not dump it o n ga rden soi l, wooded
223

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. ..,.

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~ Park your vehicle on a level surface.
~ Switch off the ignition .
~ Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the coolant
expansion tank
c> fig. 191, c> page 220,
fig. 188.
With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" mark­
i ngs. When the engine is warm, the level may
be s light ly above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
i=>page220.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be sw itched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
c:> page 15 wi ll il­
l uminate unti l you a dd coolant and the level has
been restored to norma l. Even though there is an
e lectric coolant level sensor, we still recommend
you check the coolant level from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may i ndicate a leak in the coo ling
system . In the event of coo lant loss , the cooling
system should be inspected immed iate ly by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheat ing.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can
get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding from
hot coolant by following thes e steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
dow n.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from es­
caping fluid and steam by cove ring the cap
with a la rge, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and ve ry carefu lly in a
counte r-clockw ise direct io n wh ile a pplying
light, downwa rd pr essur e on the top of the
c ap.
Checking and Fillin g
-To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze o r coolant on the exha ust system or
hot engine parts. Under certa in cond itions,
the ethylene glyco l in engi ne coo lant can
ca tch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type o f radiator leak sea lant
to you r vehicle 's engi ne coolant . Add ing radia­
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func­
tion and pe rformance of your coo ling system
and could r esult in damag e not cover ed by
your New Veh icle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check a nyth ing in the eng ine compart­
me nt,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
c> .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page 218.
~ Requirement: T here must be a residua l amount
of coolant in the expansion tank
c:> (D .
~Tu rnoff the engi ne.
~ Le t the eng ine cool down.
~ Place a thick rag ove r the coo lan t expansion
t ank
c:>page 224, fig. 191 and carefully tw ist
t he cap coun ter- clockwise
c:> .&, .
~ Ad d coo lant mixed in the correc t ra tio
c:> page 224, Coolant up to the MAX marking .
~ Make sure that the fl uid leve l remains stab le.
Add more coo lant if necessary.
~ Twist the cap o n again tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must confo rm to ex­
act specifications
c> page 224, Coolant.
We recommend using only coo lant add it ive G1 2+
+ , G 13 or in an emergency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use p lain wa­
ter unt il you can get the correct add itive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possib le.
If you have lost a considerab le amou nt of cool­
ant, then you shou ld add cold antifreeze and co ld
water only whe n the eng ine is co ld.
Always use
new engine coo lant w hen refilling.
225

Checking and Filling
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding
from hot coolant by following these steps .
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction while applying light, downward pressure on the top of
the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire .
-Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original container and well out
of the reach of children .
- If you drain the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper container
clearly marked "poison" .
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is empty. Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the engine. If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek professional
assistance .
- Coolant pollutes the environment and could cause an engine fire. Excess coolant will be
forced out through the pressure relief valve
in the cap when the engine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between water and an­
tifreeze
¢ page 224 must be restored as
soon as possible.
226
-
® For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose of used coolant while observing all
environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on and
off depending on coolant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue running for up to 10 minutes -even
with the ignition off. It can even switch on again later by itself ¢& . if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature con­
trolled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the engine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops. -

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Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 192 Engine compa rtment : cove r on the brake f luid
reservoir
N
N
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~
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ A in Working in the engine comportment on
page 218.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid
reservoir
¢ fig. 192, ¢page 220, fig. 188. The
brake fluid leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake f luid reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢page 220.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads. This is not cause for alarm.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indicator
light
1111 (U .S. models)/ . (Canadian models)
will come on ¢
page 14. Do not cont inue to oper­
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified facility and the cause corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low,
the brake warning/indicator light will illuminate.
Contact an authorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Hove the broke fluid changed by on experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor-
Checking and Filling
rosion in the brake system may result after a peri­
od of time. The boiling point of the brake fluid
will also decrease considerably and decrease braking performance .
T herefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every
two years.
Always use new brake fluid which con­
forms 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 flu id changed by your authorized
Audi
dealer .
Your dea ler has the correct tools, the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you .
_&. WARNING
-.
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stored
only in the closed original conta iner out of
the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inappro­
p riate brake fluid. Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE speci­
fication
J 1703 and conforms to Federa l
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 flu id is also ind i­
cated 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.
T his can seriously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehi­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of prope r disposal of
brake fluid as well as the special tools re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake flu id
changed by your authorized Audi dealer.
227

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.
...