2016 AUDI A7 coolant level

Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster overview
The instrument cluster is the central information center for the driver.
F ig. 3 In str ument cluster ove rview
CD Eng ine coolant temperature gauge 10
@ Ta chome ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
- with status indicator
OFF . . . . . 75
- with status indicator
READY . . . 80
@ Turn signa ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
© Disp lay with
- Drive r informat io n system . . . . . 23
- Indicator lig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
® Tachometer
@ Fue l level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
a) Tips
The instr ument ill umination for the needles
and dia ls t urns on when the ignition is turned
on and t he lights are turne d off. T he ill umina­
t ion fo r the d ia ls reduces autom atic ally and
eventually tu rns off as brig htn ess outs ide in ­
creases. Th is function remi nds the driver to
t u rn the headlig hts on at the appropriate
time.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coo lant gauge CD i=;, page 10, fig. 3
only works when the ign ition is on. To prevent
10
damage to your engine, please note the follow­
i ng important poi nts :
Engin e cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge t urn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, heavy en­
gine loads and heavy thrott le app lications.
No rmal temperatu re
The eng ine has reac hed its operating tempera­
ture once the LEDs up to the center of the ga uge
turn on under normal driving conditions. The
LEDs higher up may turn on when the eng ine is
under heavy load or the exterior temperature is
high . This is no need to worry as long as the.
warning light in the instrument clus ter does not
ill uminat e. If the L EDs in the uppe r area of the
display and the in dicator light . in the inst ru ­
men t cluster d isp lay tur n on, the coo lant tempe r­
atu re is too hig h
i=;,page 15.
A WARNING
- Always observe t he warn ing in ~ page 218,
befo re open ing t he hood and checking the
engine coolant level.

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
N \!) ,....,
-Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off
first until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant escap ing .
Q) Note
-Mounting additional lights or accessories in
front of the air inlets reduces the cooling ef­
fect of the radiator. At h igh outside temper­
atures or high engine load, the eng ine could
overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the veh i­
cle is moving. If the spoiler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
ized Audi dealer for assistance.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM).
You shou ld shift to the next lowest gear when the
speed is below 1500 RPM . The beginn ing of the
red zone in the tachometer indicates the maxi­
mum permissible engine speed for all gears once
the engine has been broken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature. Before reaching the red zone, you should shift into the
next h igher gear, choose the Dor S selector lever
position, or remove your foot from the accelera­
tor pedal.
CD Note
The tachometer needle© c::> page 10, fig. 3
should only be in the red zone briefly: other­
w ise, this increases the risk of engine dam-
age. The location where the red zone beg ins
varies depend ing on the eng ine.
@, For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early helps you to save fuel and re­
duce operating noise.
In strum ent s a nd indicato r li ghts
Fuel level
The fue l gauge only works when the ignition is
on. If the fue l level drops below 2.6 gallons (10
liters), the bottom LED turns red and the indica­
tor light
t]J turns on c::> page 21. The bottom
LED blinks red when the fuel leve l is very low .
T he possible range based on the current f uel lev­
el is shown in tab@c::>
page 23, fig . 4 .
For the tank capacity in your veh icle, refer to the
T echnical Data c::>
page 2 72.
CD Note
Never drive until the tank is completely emp­
ty. The irregular supply of fue l that resu lts
from t hat can cause the eng ine to misfire. Un­
combusted fuel w il l then enter the exhaust
system . This can cause overheat ing and dam­
age to the catalytic converter.
Indicator lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate funct ions or ma l­
funct ions c::>
.&,.
Messages may appear with some indicator lights .
A warn ing s ignal will sound at the same time.
T he ind icator lights and messages in the cente r
of the displays may be replaced by other d isplays .
T o show them again, se lect the tab for ind icator
lights and messages using the m ultifunction
steering wheel c::>
page 23. If there are several
malfunctions, you can display them one at a time
using the thumbwheel.
Some indicators lights in the display can turn on
in several colors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other im­
portant veh icle information may result in
serious personal injury or veh icle damage.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the emer-
gency flasher c::>
page 46. .,,.
11

workshop and have the malfunction correct­ed.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the park­
ing brake is released, or lights up while you
are driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid
reservoir is too low. If you believe that it is
safe to do so, proceed immediately at low
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualified repair facility and have the
brake system inspected.
- Always keep in mind that after several brake
applications, you will need greater pressure
on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle. Do
not rely on strained brakes to respond with
maximum stopping power in critical situa­
tions. You must allow for increased braking
distances. The extra distance used up by
fading brakes could lead to an accident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the elec­
tromechanical parking broke.
If the indicator light- (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake was
set .
- (USA models) • (Canada models) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, there is not enough braking power to keep
the vehicle from rolling. The brakes have over­
heated. The vehicle could roll away even on a
small incline.
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake ped­
al and press the button~ or start driving with
starting assist at the same time ¢
page 79.
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake manually, press the
brake pedal and press the button
(2) at the same
~ time. The parking brake only releases automati-
j cally if the driver's safety belt is fastened. 'SI:
; Ill Parking brake!
N
ID
......
Instruments and indicator lights
If the Ill indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a parking brake malfunc­
tion. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must
be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the coolant temperature is too high or
the coolant level is too low.
"' Pull
off the road.
"'Stop the vehicle.
"'Turn off the engine.
"'Check coolant level¢
page 224.
"'Add coolant if necessary ¢ page 225.
"'Continue driving only after the engine coolant
warning/indicator light goes out.
"' Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assis-
tance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the ra­
diator fan may be the cause of the malfunction.
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let en­
gine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, let the engine run at idle for a few mi­
nutes to cool down.
&_ WARNING
= -
-If your vehicle should break down for me­
chanical or other reasons, park at a safe dis­
tance from moving traffic, turn
off the en­
gine and turn on the hazard warning lights
¢ page 46, Emergency flasher.
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment - you risk being scalded. Wait
until you can no longer see or hear steam or
coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment of any vehicle is a
dangerous area. Before you perform any
work in the engine compartment, turn of
15

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. ..,.

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
~ 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

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners .
Also , s afety a nd
en viro nm enta l
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repa irs and adjustments to en­
g ine and transmission parts which an owner can
perform.
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly re­
qu ire spec ial tools, testing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work­
shop perso nnel in order to assure proper per­
formance, reliab ility and safety of the vehicle and
its many systems.
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your vehicle warranty .
Therefore, proof of se rv icing in accordance with
the m aintenance schedule may be a condi tion for
upho ld ing a possib le warranty cla im made w ith in
the warranty period .
Above all, operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessary r isks fo r you and
your passengers.
I f in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other prope rly
equ ipped and qua lified workshop. We st rongly
urge you to give your authorized Audi dealer the
opport unity to perform all sched uled mainte­
nance and necessary repairs . Your dealer has the
fac ilities, origina l parts and trained specia lists to
keep yo ur vehicle runn ing properly.
P e rforming lim it e d ma inten anc e y ours elf
The fo llowing pages describe a limited number of
proced ures which can be performed on yo ur vehi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personne l be unavailable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
oughly read all of the applicable text and careful­
ly follow the instructions g iven . Always rigorously
observe the
W ARNINGS prov ided .
Befo re you check an ything in the engine com ­
partm ent, always r ead and h eed all WARNING S
c:> .&. and c:> .&. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 218.
C o nsum er information
A WARNING
- Ser ious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs.
- Always be extremely careful when work ing
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never ris k personal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the following
pages if you are not fully familia r wi th these
or other procedures w ith respect to the vehi­
cle, or a re unce rtain how to proceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper tools
a nd eq uipment. Have the necessary work
done by your authorized Audi dealer or an­
other properly equipped and qualified work­
shop .
- The engine compar tment o f any motor vehi ­
cle is a potentially hazardous area. Never reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan. It is temperature contro lled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
g ine is off. The radiator fan sw itches on au­
tomatically when the coolant reaches a cer­
tain tempe ratu re and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supplied w ith the vehi­
cle is not adequate for this purpose and
could collapse caus ing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you m ust wor k underneath t he vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels are a lways secure ly blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic transmiss ion) is in P (Park
position) and the park brake is applied.
Ill>
275

Index
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Starting with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Closing the hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Opening the hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Working in the engine compartment . . . . 218 Event Data Recorder (EDR)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Expansion tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Exterior mirrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Dimming ..... ..... .. ................ 48
Heating...... ..... .. ................ 47
Exterior temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Adding coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
F
Checking the engine coolant leve l. . . . . . . 224
Expansion tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Malfunction symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Adding . ..... .. ................ .... 222
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Checking oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Consumpt ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
O il consumption. .............. ... .. . 221
Pressure malfunct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscos ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Engine speed limitation (indicator light) 21
E ngine Start-Stop mode
refer to Start-Stop-System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Engine warm -up request
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Environment Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Disposing of your vehicle battery . . . . . . . 231
Driving at high speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Fuel ...... ... .. ... ............. ... . 212
L eaks under your veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
L ett ing the veh icle stand and warm up . . . 199
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . . . 227
Proper disposal of drained engine coo lant 225
Proper disposal of drained engine oil 222, 223
Recycling used engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Unleaded fuel .................. .. ... 210
What should I do with an old battery? . . . 231
ESC Automatic post-collision braking system 189
282
Fastening
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Convertib le child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Floor mats ...... ... ... ........ ...... . 131
Foot pedals .......................... 131
For the sake of the environment Environmentally-friendly driving . . . . . . . 198
Gasoline fumes and the env ironment . . . . 212
Reducing engine noise by early upshifting . 10
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Saving fuel by early upshifting . . . . . . . . . . 10
Warming up the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Four-zone automatic climate control Air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Auxiliary heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Basic settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Recirculation mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Residual heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Front airbags Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Frontal collisions and the laws of physics . . 136
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Child restraints in the front seat . . . . . . . . 144
Fuel Additives .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Blended gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Current consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fuel filler neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 , 11
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Gasoline additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21