2016 AUDI A7 service

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~ Push the loop-aro und fittings up ¢ fig. 156 @,
or
~ squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn@ .
~ Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important information
¢ page 137.
With the front seats, the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries .
Wearing safety be lts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can on ly work
when they are correct ly posit ioned on the body .
Imp roper seat ing posit ions reduce the effective­
n ess of safety belts and will even inc rease the risk
of inju ry and death by moving the sa fety be lt to
cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seat ing posi­
tions also increase the risk of ser ious injury and
deat h when an airbag deploys and stri kes an oc­
cupant who is not in t he cor rect seating posit ion .
A driver is responsible for the safety of all veh icle
occupants and espec ially for children. Therefore :
~ Never permit anyone to ass ume an inco rrect sit-
t ing position in the vehicle while trave ling
¢ ,& .
A WARNING
Imprope rly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whe never
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always make sure that al l vehicle occupants
are co rrectly restrained and stay in a cor rect
sea ting pos it ion whenever the veh icle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
ot her important i nfo rmat ion
¢page 137 .
Safety bel ts
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically.
Reversible safety belt tensioners
The safety belts on the front seats are eq uipped
with power reversib le tensioners. The fo llow ing
funct ions are availab le when the driver's/front
passenge r's safety belts are fastened:
- Automatic tens ioners : at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automat ica lly adjust to the
passenger after a certain time per iod or vehicle
speed. To sw itch the automat ic tensioners off,
s e lect the following in the MMI:
!CA RI fu nction
button
> (Car )* systems > Vehicle s etting s >
Seats > Driver's seat or Pass enger' s seat > Au­
tomatic belt ten sioner
> Off .
- In ce rtai n dr iv ing s ituations, the safety belts
may tighten w ith a revers ible tens ion ing f unc­
t ion
¢ page 185.
-The s afety be lt s may also t igh ten wi th th is re-
versible tens ion ing funct ion in m inor collisions.
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equ ipped with safe ty belt
pretensioners . The system is act ivated by se nsors
i n front, side and rea r-e nd coll is ions of great se­
ver ity and in a ro llover. This tig htens the belt and
ta kes up belt slack¢ .&.
in Service and disposal of
safety belt pre tensioner on page 14 2.
Taking up
t h e slack he lps to reduce forward occupa nt
movement during a collision.
A WARNING
- It is poss ible for the pretens ioners to deploy
incorrectly.
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide protection for one coll is ion. If the pyrotech­
n ic pretensioners deploy, the pretens ion ing
sys tem must be replaced .
(1) Tips
The pyrotechnic safety be lt pretensioners can
o nl y dep loy once . .,.
141

Safe ty belt s
- The safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal and side collisions, in rear­
end collisions, in rollovers and in collis ions
invo lv ing very little impact force.
- A fine dust is released when the pyrotechnic
safety be lt pretensioners dep loy. This is nor­
mal and is not caused by a fire in the vehi­
cle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped . A qualified
dealersh ip is familiar with these regulations
and will be p leased to pass on the informa­
tion to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and othe r regulations if the vehicle or indi­
v idual parts of the system, particularly the
safety be lt or a irbag, are to be disposed. We
r ecommend you have your autho rized Aud i
dealer perform this service for you .
Service and disposal of safety belt preten­
sioner
The safety be lt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi . Installing, removing ,
servicing or repa iring of belt pretens ioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from working correctly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effect iveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that d isca rded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
env ironment.
_& WARNING
-
Imprope r care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing a safety belt preten­
sioner from activating w hen needed or acti­
vating it unexpectedly :
- The be lt pretensioner system can be activat­
ed only once .
If belt pretensioners have
been act ivated, the system must be re­
placed .
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts of
the safety be lt system .
142
-Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretens ioners cannot be repa ired. Spec ial
procedures are required for remova l, instal­
lation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual, train ing and spec ial equ ipment necessary .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
e rs might be classified as Perchlorate Material
-special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
r ate. When the vehicle or pa rts of the re­
straint system incl uding airbag modules safe­
ty belts w ith pretens ioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulations must be ob­
served . Your a uthorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this serv ice
for you.

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@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mater ial
- special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretens ioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for yo u.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the su spension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should.
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 161 D river 's knee a irbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel
¢fig.161, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 152 , More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should a l­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requires you to do so¢
page 135, General in-
formation .
IJI>
159

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Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect veh icle oc­
cupa nts in certain dangerous situations. The
functions descr ibed a re ava ilable depending on
ve hicle equ ipme nt:
Pre sense ba sic*
The fo llow ing funct ions can be triggered in cer­
tain driving situations:
- Tensioning of the safety be lts (for example,
during heavy b raking) : The front safety belts
have revers ib le be lt pretensioners. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen sli ght ly
and are ready to trigger aga in.
- Clos ing the windows and the sunroof* (for ex­
amp le, when over- or understeering): The door
windows and the sunroof* are closed almost
completely until o nly a sma ll gap is open .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be triggered at
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Drive se lect: The deployment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode .
Pre sense front (vehicles with adaptive cruise
control* }
Pre sense front contains the functions of pre
sense basic . In add ition, the likelihood of a rear­
end collis ion with the vehicle ahead is also calcu­
lated, within the limits of the system. If the risk
of a collision is detected, the following functions
can trigger:
- Brak ing guard
¢ page 91
-Tensioning of the safety be lts
- Closing the w indows and the sun roof*
Pre sense rear (v ehicles with side assist* }
Pre sense rea r contains the funct ions of pre sense
bas ic. I n addit io n, the li kelihood of a rea r-end
coll is ion from the veh icle behi nd is also calc ulat­
ed, w it hi n the lim its of the system. If the risk of a
collision is de tected, the following functions can
trigger :
Audi pre sense
-Tens ion ing of the sa fe ty belts
- Clos ing the windows an d the s unroo f*
Pre sense plus*
P re sense p lus conta ins the functions of pre
sense front and p re se nse rea r.
Error mes sage
Aud i pre sense: Unavailable
Preventative passenge r protection is not availa ­
ble. Drive to yo ur autho rized Audi deale r immedi­
ately to have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-
Pre sense cannot overcome natural physical
l aws. It is a system designed to assist and it
ca nnot prevent a collision. Do not let the in­
creased safety prov ided temp t you into taking
risks . This could incr eas e yo ur risk of a co lli­
s ion.
- The system can deploy incorrectly .
- Please note that t he sensors do not always
detect a ll objects . This inc reases the r isk of a
coll is io n.
- Pre sense does not react to people or a ni­
mals or objec ts that are crossi ng the vehi­
cle 's path o r are difficult to det ect
¢ page 85.
-Reflec tive ob jects s uch as guard rai ls o r the
entrance to a tunne l, heavy rai n and ice can
a ffec t the fu nction of the rada r senso rs and
t he system's ability to de te ct a co llision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
d amage to the bumper, w heel housing a nd
u nder body. Pre se nse can be impa ired by th is .
H ave an a utho riz e d Aud i de aler o r au th orized
A udi Service Facility check the ir func tion .
(D Tips
-Certa in p re sense fro nt functions swi tch off
w he n sp o rt mode is sw itche d off or w hen
dr iving in reverse .
- T he p re sense fun ctions m ay not be av aila ­
b le i f th ere is a m alfu nction in t he ES C sys­
tem or t he a irbag con tro l mod ule.
185

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Intelligent Technology Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re­
corder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa­
tions, such as an a irbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle dy­
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
ating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp provide a better understand­
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in­
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g.,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re­
corded. However, other parties, such as law en­
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac­
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip­
ment is requ ired, and access to the vehicle or the
E DR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu­
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment , can read the in­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
l oading of data stored by EDRs installed in a vehi­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af-
Intelligent Technology
ter an accident or crash event without the own­
er's consent.
A udi will not access the EDR and/or similar data
o r give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehi­
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial
discovery process .
- Audi may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
provide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identifying the specific vehi­
cle or information about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electron ic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as eng ine management, emission
control, airbags, and safety belts.
These electronic control modules record data during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capabil ity of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is reco rded).
Only a small amount of data is actua lly recorded
over a very limited period of time, or stored when
a system fau lt is detected by a contro l module.
Some of the data stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, or braking, as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash . Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded w ith specia l equipment that is di­
rectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con­
nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea­
tures requires wireless services that are pro­
v id ed by a third party wire less telecommuni­
cations provider . For detai ls regard ing how in­
formation obtained through Audi connect is
collected, processed, transmitted, used, and ..,.
187

Intelligent Technology
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements .
Powe r stee ring adapts electroni cally based o n
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr ive v ehicle: steering d efecti ve
If th is ind icator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may have fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locatio n as soon as pos ­
sib le. Do
not continue driving. See an author iz ed
Aud i dealer or authori zed Aud i Service Facility for
assistance.
,Ton Steering: Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, t he steering may be more diffic ult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The steering
wheel may a lso be at an ang le when dr iv ing
straight.
D rive s low ly to your authorized A udi dealer or
qualified wor kshop to have the malfunction cor­
rected.
,Ton Dynamic steering: Initializing
If the indi cator lig ht ls b linki ng and th is message
appears, dynam ic s teeri ng* is being ini tialized.
Once you st art the eng ine a fter this is finished,
the steering wheel will be easy to move . Re -initi ­
alization might be necessary if the steering whee l
was moved hard to the left and right wh ile the
veh icle was not moving . The display turns off if
the initiali zation was successfu l.
(D Tips
-If th e . or ,Ton indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering sta bility systems
r=> page 188 are not ava ila ble in the event of
a system ma lf u nction.
192
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steerin g, refer to
r=> page 101.
All wheel drive (quattro)
App lies to vehicles : with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In all whee l dr ive, the dr iv ing power is divide d be­
tween all four whee ls. Th is happens automat ic al­
l y depending on yo ur driv ing behavior as well as
the cur rent roa d conditions . Refer to r=>
page 188,
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC).
A cente r d iff eren tial distribu tes the d riving power
variably to the fron t and rear ax le . I t works to ­
gether w it h select ive whee l torq ue control, which
activates when driving throug h curves
<=> page 189. With the sport differential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is variable a nd can
be adjusted with drive select<=>
page 101 .
The all whee l drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Yo ur vehicle is exceptionally pow ­
erfu l and has excellent driving characterist ics
bot h under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice . Always read a nd follow safety pre­
ca utions
<=> ,& .
Winter tires
By using all whee l dr ive, your ve hicle has good
forward motion with sta ndard t ires in winter con­
dit ions . However, in winter we recommend usi ng
winter or all seaso n tires on a ll fou r wheels, be­
cause this will improve the braking eff ect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chai ns m ust
also be used o n ve hicles with all wheel drive
r=> page 248 , Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with a ll wheel drive, o nly wheels with
the same rolling circum ference should be used.
Avoid w heels with d ifferent tread dept hs
<=> page 240, New tires or wheels. ..,.

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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Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
~ Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
veh icles with the Start-Stop-System . It is effi­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles without
the Start-Stop-System when stopped at railroad
crossings and long red lights. Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is
burned by starting the engine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high when
the engine is warm ing up. So you shou ld drive
away as soon as you start the engine and avoid
running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling a lso produces
heat, wh ich could resu lt in overheating or oth­
er damage to the vehicle or other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
~ Have your vehicle serviced at regular intervals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Aud i dea ler helps to ensure that it runs properly
and economica lly. The condition of your vehicle
not only affects its safety and ability to hold its
value, it a lso affects fuel consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine load
and speed.
Driving and the environment
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile­
age has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly as ­
sess oil consumption .
T h is also applies to fuel consumption and engine
o ut put .
CD Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let . Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the em ission contro l system and
cou ld lead to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, sw itches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle components .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips .
~ Try to avoid dr iv ing short distances w ith a co ld
eng ine .
The engine and cata lytic converter have to reach
their optimal operating temperature to reduce
fuel consumpt ion and nox ious em issions effec­
t ively.
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size car
only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les per
gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a half a
mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km), the eng ine is
at its proper operating temperature and fuel
economy has reached a norma l level. So you can
see that you should avoid short trips whenever
poss ible. .,.
199