2016 AUDI A7 maintenance

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
In addition to t his Owner's Man ual , your A udi
comes w ith the
- MM I Operating In str uction s
- W arranty
& Maintenanc e boo klet.
If you are m iss ing one of these p ublicat io ns, or if
you beli eve that the information is not complete,
contact your author ized A udi dealer for assis­
tanc e.
MMI Operating Instructions
contain detailed description of the Aud i M ulti
Media I nterface (MMI) including t he nav igation
system , the sou nd system and the hand held
pho ne.
The Warranty & Maintenance booklet
ex plains how yo u can keep your A udi i n top driv­
i n g cond ition by having it serviced regu larly and
contains detailed inf ormation about the war ran­
ties cove ring your Audi. Always have the booklet
w ith you w hen you ta ke your v ehicl e to an aut hor­
iz ed A udi dealer for service. Yo ur Audi Se rv ice Ad ­
v isor w ill record ea ch sc he du led se rv ic e an d ca n
a nswer any ques tions yo u m ay h ave reg arding
h ow to maintain your vehicle.
In Canada,
the v eh icl e li teratu re is also availab le in Fren ch.
To ob ta in a copy, co nt ac t yo ur deale r or write to:
Au Canada, on peut se procure r un exemp la ire e n
fran~ais de ce doc ume nt aupres du concession­
n a ir e ou de:
Aud i Canada
Clie nt Assistance
Assistanc e a la Cli entel e
777 Bayly S tre et, West,
A jax, On tario L lS 7G 7
If you sell your Audi
all literature should be left in the ve hicle to make
the War ranty terms as well as all operating, safe ­
ty and mai nte nance informa tion ava ilab le to the
next owner .
Owner's Literature
If you change your address or if you bought
this Aud i used
b e s ure to send in a "Notice of Address C hange"/
"Not ice of Used Car P urchase" post card . T hi s
ca rd ca n be found in the Warranty
& Maintena nce
booklet or obtai ned from you r authorized Aud i
dealer .
It is in your own interest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise .
5

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
-Inspection or oil change reminder: After a cer­
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the igni­
tion is switched on or off
c> fig. 13. The remain­
ing distance or time is displayed briefly .
-Inspection or oil change due : If your vehicle is
due for an inspection or oil change or both, a
message appears br iefly in the instrument clus­
ter display when switching the ignition on or
off:
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due! .
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un­
til the next oil change or next inspection n the
Car menu. To do th is, select: the ICAR !function
button
> (Car) * Systems control button > Service
& control
> Servi ce intervals .
Resetting the indicator
Your authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility will reset the service interval dis­
play after performing service .
If you have changed the oil yourself, you must re­
set the oil change interval.
To reset the indicator, select: the ICARI fu nct ion
button
> (Car)* System control button > Service
& control > Service intervals. Turn the control
knob downward to
Reset oil change interval and
press the control knob.
(D Note
- Only reset the oil change indicator if the o il
was changed.
- Fo llowing the service intervals is critical to
maintain ing the service life and value of
your vehicle, especially the engine. Even if
the mileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
- Calculating the time to the next oil change
i s interrupted when the vehicle battery is
disconnected. If the vehicle is not driven for
a long period of time, check the mainte­
nance schedule so that you can follow the
maintenance interva ls.
Instruments and indicator lights
Head-up display
Applies to vehicles: wit h Head-up disp lay
Fig. 14 Examp le : Indicato rs i n th e Head -up dis play
Fig . 15 Instrument panel: head-up display knob
The Head-up display projects certain warnings or
selected information from the assistance sys ­
tems* or navigation* on the windsh ield . T he dis­
play appears w ith in the dr iver's field of vision.
Switching on/off
... To switch the head-up d isplay on or off, press
the knob~
c> fig. 15.
Adjusting the height
The height of the display can be adjusted to the
individual driver.
... Make sur e you are seated correctly
r=!)page 127 .
... Tur n the knob~ to adjust the disp lay .
Settings in the Infotainment system
... Sele ct: the I CARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tem
control button > Driver assistance > Head­
up display > Head-up display contents or Dis-
play brightness. ..,
27

Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate control system
Description
Applies to veh icles: w ith three -zone cl imate cont ro l or fo ur­
zo ne automat ic climate co ntrol
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the a ir in the veh icle interior . It
is the most effect ive when the windows a nd sun­
roof* are closed . If the temperature inside the
pa rked vehicle becomes ve ry wa rm, opening the
w indow briefly will speed up the coo lin g p rocess.
In all heating mode functions except
defrost, the
b lowe r only sw itches to a highe r speed once the
engine coolant has reached a cer tain tempera­
t ure.
Condensation from the cooling system can dr ip
and form a puddl e of water unde r the veh icle .
T his is normal and does no t mean there is a leak .
Pollutant filter
The pollutant filter removes pollutants s uc h as
dust and pol len from the a ir .
The air pollutants filter must be changed at the
interva ls specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet, so that the a ir cond it io ne r can
p roperly work.
I f you drive your vehicle in an area with h igh air
pollut ion, the filter may need to be changed
more frequently than spec ified in you r Audi War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . If i n doubt , ask
your author ized Audi Se rv ice Advisor for advice .
Key coded setting s
Three-zone climate control: T he b lowe r setting
a nd a ir dist ribution are stored automatically and
assigned to the remote contro l key that is i n use.
Four -zone automatic climate con trol: Th e cli­
ma te con tro l sett ings a re a utomat ic all y stored
and assigned to the remote con trol key that is in
use.
68
A WARNING
-
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can cause
accide nts .
- For safe driving it is very important that a ll
w indows be free o f ice, snow and condensa­
tion .
- Comp letely fam iliarize yourse lf wit h the
prope r use and f unction of the heat ing and
ve ntilation system and espec ially how to de­
fog and defrost t he windows .
- Never use the winds hield wiper/washer sys­
tem in free zing weathe r until you have
wa rmed t he w indshie ld fi rst, using the heat­
ing a nd venti lation system. The washer sol u­
tio n m ay free ze on t he windsh ie ld and re­
duce visibility.
W Note
- I f you s uspect that the air conditioner has
bee n damage d, sw itch the syste m off to
a void furthe r dam age and have it inspec ted
by a q ualified dea lership .
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re quire
speci al techn ic al know ledge and spec ia l
tools . Con ta ct an au thori zed A udi dea ler for
assistance .
@ For the sake of the environment
By reducing the amou nt of f uel you use, you
a lso reduce the amo unt of poll utants emitted
i nto the a ir.
@ Tips
- Keep the air i nta ke s lo ts (i n front o f the
windshield) free from ice, snow and debris
in o rder to maintain the proper function of
the climate contro l system.
- Th e energy manageme nt system may switch
t h e seat heating * or r ear w indow defroster
off temporarily. These systems are availab le
again as soon as t he energy balance has
been restored.
- Air escapes t hrough vents under the rear
w indow. When plac ing items of cloth ing on
t h e luggage compartment cove r, ensure
t h at the openi ngs are not covered.

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1
N \!) ,....,
CD Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine ,
transmission, suspension or e lectr ical sys­
tem can be severe ly damaged by driving
through water .
- Always switch the Start-Stop -System* off
when driving through water
c> page 80.
@ T ips
- Determine the depth before driving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the eng ine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through sa lt water (corrosion).
Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
It is very impor tan t tha t your emission control
system (catalyti c converter) is functioning prop­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
... Always use lead-free gasoline c> page 210,
F uel supply .
... Never run the tank down all the way to empty .
.,. Never put too much motor oil in your engine
c> page 222, Adding engine oil~-
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean-up"
dev ice bu ilt into the exhaust system of the vehi­
cle . T he catalytic converter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
l eased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is cr itically im ­
portant for the life of the catalyt ic converte r and
proper functioning o f the eng ine .
A WARNING
The temperature o f the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
Driving and th e en vir onm ent
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot. Th is could resu lt in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in contact w ith dry grass, brush, fuel spill or
other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or heat shields . During dr iving, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a fire .
CD Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with lead­
ed
fuel w ill already ser iously degrade the
performance of the catalyt ic converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢ page 222.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine cou ld misfire .
Unburned fuel could also get into the ex­
haust system and this cou ld cause the cata­
lyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignit io n while the veh i­
cle is movi ng.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle un­
der these conditions, as othe rwise f uel can
reach the catalytic converter . This could re­
sult in overheating of the co nve rter , requ ir­
ing its replacement .
- T o assu re eff icient operation of the Emission
Contro l System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance w ith the serv ice recommen­
dat ions in your Warranty
& Maintena nce
booklet .
- Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as im­
p roper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
su lfu r-like exhaus t gas sme ll unde r some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the s ulf ur
197

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.

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

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving. Select in the MMI:
ICARI function button > (Car)* systems control
button>
Vehicle settings> Air susp.: towing>
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c::> page 10 must
be observed carefully. The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds . Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on .
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
c::> page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
-
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a trailer because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice. Back­
ing up with a trailer generally requires steering
Trailer mode
action opposite to that when backing up your ve­
hicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
c::> page 2 7 4.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
" Apply the foot brake.
" Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
"With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
"Turn the wheels towards the curb.
... Apply the parking brake.
"Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
"Apply the foot brake.
"Start the engine.
"Select the D/S selector lever position.
"Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
"Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks .
203

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