2016 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 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.
Fig. 3 Instrument cluster overv iew
(D
@
®
©
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Tachometer
Turn signa ls
Display with
- Driver informat ion system .... .
- Indicator lights . .. ..... .... .
® Tachometer
® Fuel level
{!) Tips
10
11
44
22
11
11
The instrument illumination for the needles
and dials turns on when the ignition is turned
on and the lights are turned off. The illumina ­
tion for the dial s reduces automatically and
eventually turns off as brightness outside in­
creases. This function reminds the driver to
turn the headlights on at the appropriate
time.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coo lant gauge (D ¢ page 10, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the follow­
ing important points:
10
Engine cold
0 co 0
0 ... ID
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, heavy en­
gine loads and heavy throttle applications .
Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the L EDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on under normal driving conditions . The
LEDs higher up may turn on when the engine 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 cluster does not
ill uminate.
If the LE Ds in the upper area of the
display and the indicator light. in the instru­
ment cluster display turn on, the coolant temper­
ature is too high
¢ page 15.
&_ WARNING
-Always observe the warning in¢ page 203,
before opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- 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 escaping .
0 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 engine could
overheat .
- The front spoiler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the veh i­
cle is moving . If the spoiler is damaged, this
could red uce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
iz ed Audi dealer for assistance.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM).
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1500 RPM . The beginning of
the red zone in the tachometer indicates the
maximum permissib le engine speed for all gea rs
once the engine has been broke n in. Before
reaching the red zone, you should shift into the
next higher gear, choose the Dor 5 selector lever
position , or remove your foot from the accelera­
tor pedal.
(D Note
The needle in the tachometer@Q
page 10,
fig. 3
may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or there is a risk of engine
damage. The beginning of the red range in
the gauge depends on the engine operating
tern perature.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early helps you to save fuel and re­
duce operating noise.
{!) Tips
The engine speed is limited when the engine
is cold - the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper-
Instruments and indicator lights
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a higher RPM range.
Fuel level
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on. If the fuel level drops below 2.6 gallons (10
liters), the bottom LED turns red and the indica­
tor light
tD turns on Q page 20. The bottom
LED blinks red when the fuel level is very low .
The possible range based on the current fuel lev­
el is shown in tab@¢
page 22, fig. 4.
For the tank capacity in your vehicle, refer to the
Technical Data¢
page 260.
(D Note
Never drive until the tank is comp letely emp­
ty. The irregu lar supply of fuel that resu lts
from that can cause the engine to misfire. Un­
combusted fuel w ill then enter the exhaust
system. This can cause overheating and dam­
age to the catalytic converter .
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instr ument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
funct ions ¢& .
Messages may appear with some indicator lights .
A warning signal will sound at the same time.
The indicator lights and messages in the center of the displays may be replaced by other disp lays.
To show them again, select the tab for indicator
lights and messages using the multifunction
stee ring wheel ¢
page 22. If there are several
malfunctions, you can display them one at a time
using the thumbwheel.
Some indicato rs lights in the d isplay can turn on
in several colors .
_&. WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other im­
portant vehicle information may result in
serious personal injury or vehicle damage.
11

....
-(USA models ) JIii (Canada models ) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
I f the indi cator lig ht blinks and t he me ssage ap­
pears, t here is not enough br aking power to kee p
the vehicle from ro lling . The b rakes have over­
heated . The vehicle could roll away even o n a
sma ll incline.
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To re lease the park ing bra ke, press the bra ke
pedal and p ress t he button ~ or sta rt d riving
wit h sta rti ng assist at the same time
¢ page 75.
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake manually, press the
brake pedal and press the button~ at the same
time . The parking brake o nly releases automati­
cally if the driver's safety be lt is faste ned .
Ill Parking brake!
If the Ill indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage app ears, th ere is a parking brak e malfunc ­
tion . D rive to your authorized A udi dealer or
qua lified workshop immediately to have the mal­
function corrected .
-l Cooling system
• Turn off engine and check coolant level
The coolant leve l is too low.
D o not continue driving and switc h the engine
off . Check t he coolant level¢
page 209 .
-If the coolan t level is too low, add coo lan t
¢page 210. Onl y con tinue driv ing once the in­
dicato r light turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! P lease let en­
gine run with vehicle sta tionary
Le t the eng ine run a t idle for a few minu tes to
cool off, until the ind icator light tu rns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle . See an author ized
N Audi dealer or au thorized A udi Service Fac il ity er:
~ fo r assistance . .... N Instruments and ind icator lights
A WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coo la nt escaping from the eng ine
compa rtme nt. Th is increases the r isk of
bu rns . Wait until yo u no lo nger se e or h ear
st eam or coo la nt es caping.
- The engin e compa rtment in any v ehicle ca n
be a dange rous a rea. Stop t he engine and
all ow i t to cool bef ore wor king in the eng ine
comp artmen t. Always follow the inf orma­
tion fo u nd in ¢
page 203 .
(!;) Note
Do not con tinue dr iv in g if the . indica to r
l ight t urns o n -thi s i ncr eases t he risk of en ­
gi ne dam age.
D Battery
This warning/indi cator Light detects a malfunc­
tion in the generator or in the vehicle's ele ctrical
system.
T he . warni ng/ indic ator li gh t illu minates when
yo u sw itch on the ig nition a nd mu st go out after
t h e engine h as s tart ed .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being charg­
ed
If the indicato r light turns on and the message
appea rs, there is a ma lf un ction in the generator
o r vehicle e lectr ica l system .
Drive to your author iz ed A udi dealer or qualified
workshop immediate ly . Beca use the vehicle bat­
te ry is d ischa rging, tur n off all u nnecessary elec ­
trical eq uipment such as the rad io . Seek profes­
s io nal assistance if the battery charge level i s too
l o w .
(•] Low battery: battery will be charg ed while
driving
If the indicato r light turns on and the message
appea rs, there may be limited sta rt ing ability .
If this message t urns off after a little while, the
batte ry charged eno ugh while dr iv ing .
1111>
15

system runs continuously at maximum cooling or
heating power. There is no temperature regula­
tion.
Adjusting the blower~
You can adjust the volume of air generated by the
b lower to your preference. To have the blower
regulated automatica lly, press the
IAUTOI but­
ton.
~ Adjusting air distribution
You can manually select the vents where the air
will flow. To have the air distribution reg ulated
automatically , press the
IAUTO ! button.
~ Adjusting seat heating*/seat ventilation*
Pressing the button switches the seat heating/
seat ventilat ion on at the highest setting (leve l
3). The LEDs indicate the temperature level. To
reduce the temperature, press the button again.
To switch the seat heating/seat ventilation off,
press the button repeated ly until the LED turns
off .
Afte r 10 minutes, the seat heating automatically
switches from level 3 to level 2.
I@ FRONT I Switching the defroster on/off
The windshield and s ide windows are defrosted
or cleared of condensation as qu ickly as possib le.
The maximum amount of air flows mainly from
the vents below the windshield. Recirculation
mode switches off. The temperature shou ld be
set to approximate ly 22
°C.
The IAU TOI button switches the defroster off.
IQiD REARI Switching the rear window defogger
on/off
The rear window heate r o nl y operates when the
engine is running.
It switches off automatical ly
after a few minutes, depending on the outs ide
temperature.
To prevent the rear w indow heater from switch­
in g off automatically , press and hold the
IQiil REAR I
button for more than 2 seconds. This is stored
until the ignition is switched off.
Warm and cold
I SYNC ! Synchronization
When synchronization is switched on, the set­
tings for the driver's s ide are applied to the front
passenger's side (except for seat heating/ventila­
tion *). The settings in the rear are also synchron ­
ized. Synchronization switches off if the settings
are adjusted on the front passenger's side or in
the rear.
You can synchronize the settings in a row by
pressing and holding a control. For example, to
apply the settings for the front passenger's side
to the driver's side, press and hold the control on
the front passenger's s ide. The same applies to
the rear.
Residual heat*
With the ign ition turned off, you can activate the
residual heat function by pressing the~ button
<=> fig. 77. The residual heat from the coolant is
used to heat the veh icle inter ior. The residual
heat function sw itches off automat ica lly after
about 30 minutes.
Air vents
You can open or close the center and rear vents in
the cockpit and the
vents in the rear center con­
sole and door pillars using the ridged thumb­
whee ls. The levers adjust the direction of the air­
flow from the vents.
_&. WARNING
-You should not use the recirculation mode
for an extended period since no fresh air is
drawn in. With the air-conditioning switch­
ed off, the windows can fog up, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
- Individuals with reduced sensitivity to pain
or temperature could develop burns when
using the seat heat ing funct ion. To reduce
the risk of injury, these individuals should
not use seat heating .
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating elements in
the seats, do not kneel on the seats or place
heavy pressure on one point of the seat.
69

Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
q ui res little atte ntion .
The cooling system has been filled at the factory
with a permanent coolant which does not need to
be changed . The coolant consists of a mixture of
specially condit ioned water and the ma nufactur ­
er's glycol-based coolant additive G13 an tifreeze
with ant icor rosion additives
(50% for USA mod­
e ls;
60% fo r Canadia n models). This m ix tu re
bo th ass ures the necessa ry fros t prote ction and
protects metal componen ts in the engi ne's coo l­
ing system from corrosion and scaling .
It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant.
D o not red uce the con cen trat ion of the coolant in
the summer by adding p lain wa ter.
The propor­
tion of coolant additive mu st 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 vehicle heating and en­
g ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to:
- -3 1 °F ( -3 5 °C) USA
- -4 0 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If yo u m ust add coo lant, use a m ixt ure of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the cool ant additive
with d istilled w ater is recommended .
_& WARNING
Before you che ck anythi ng in t he eng ine com­
pa rtment, a lways read and heed a ll WARN­
INGS
~ .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
(D Note
-Before winter se ts in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the c limate con -
Checking and Filling
ditions. This is especia lly important if you
live in a region whe re the winter is extreme­
ly cold. If necessary, increase the propo rtion
of coolant addit ive to
60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your cool­
ing system, remember :
- We recommend us ing o nly coola nt addi­
tive G 12++ or G13 (c hec k the label) for
y o ur vehi cle. Thi s coo lant ad ditive is av ail­
abl e at a uth orized Au di dea le rs. Ot her
types o f ant ifreeze ca n sign ifican tly re ­
d uce corrosion protection. The resu lting
cor ros ion can cause a loss of coolant and
se rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant . Adding ra­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result in damage not cov ­
ered by your New Veh icle Limited War ra nty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance .
Fig. 186 E ngine compar tmen t: cover on t he coo lant expan­
s io n t ank
Befo re you check anything in the engine compart­
me nt,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page 203.
" Park your veh icle on a leve l s u rface.
" Sw itch off the ig nit ion .
.. Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the coo lant
expansion tan k
r=;,fig. 186, r=;,page 205,
fig . 183.
W ith a cold eng ine, the coolant level ..,.
209

Checking and Filling
should be between the "min " and "max" mark­
ings. When the engine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
<::> page 205.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System <::>
page 15 will il­
luminate until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is an
electric coolant level sensor, we still recommend
you check the coolant level from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
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 itto cool down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es­ caping 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 conditions,
the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can
catch fire .
210
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding radia­
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
<::>.& in Working in the engine compartment on
page 203 .
.. Requirement: There must be a residual amount
of coolant in the expansion tank
i:::>Q) .
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down .
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank <::>
page 209, fig. 186 and carefully twist
the cap counter-clockwise
c::> &,.
.. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
<::> page 209, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
.. Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary.
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications <::>
page 209, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G13 or in an emergency G12+ . Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter until you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifreeze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
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.
~

,&_ 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 ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot engine parts. Under certa in 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 eng ine. 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
i n 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 209 must be restored as
soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose of used coolant while observing all
environmental regulat ions.
-
Checking and Filling
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
controlled 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
certa in temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 187 En g in e compar tment: cover on the b rake fluid
rese rvoir
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ & in Working in the engine compartment on
page 203 . .,.
211

scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Also, safet y and
en vir onm enta l
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en ­
g ine and transm ission parts wh ich an owner c an
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re ­
qu ire special tools, test ing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work­
shop perso nnel i n order to assure proper per ­
forma nce, re liability and safety of the ve hicle and
i ts many systems.
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your veh icle warranty.
Therefore, proof of se rvicing in accordance with
the ma intenance sc hedule may be a condition for
upho ld ing a possib le wa rranty claim made wi thin
the warranty pe riod.
Above all , operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessa ry risks fo r you and
your p assengers.
If in doubt about any se rvicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other properly
eq uipped and qua lified workshop. We strongly
urge yo u to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opport unity to perform a ll scheduled ma inte­
nance and necessary repairs . Your dealer has the
facilities, origina l parts and trained specialists to
keep your veh icle running properly .
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The follow ing pages des cribe a lim ited number of
p rocedures w hich can be per formed o n your veh i­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personnel be unavailable . Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
ough ly read a ll of the app licab le text and carefu l­
ly follow the instructions g iven . Always rigorously
observe the
WARNING S provided .
Before you check anything in the engine com ·
partment , always read and heed all WARNINGS
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203.
Con sumer inf ormation
A WARNING
- Ser ious personal in jury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad ­
justments or re pairs .
- Always be extremely careful when work ing
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac ­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mo n sense. Never risk pe rsonal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the mai ntenance,
checks or repairs described on t he following
pages if you are not fu lly familiar wi th these
or other proce dures with respect to the ve­
h icle, o r are uncerta in how to pro ceed.
- Do not do a ny work withou t the prope r tools
a nd eq uipment. H ave the necessary wo rk
done by your au thorized Audi dealer or an­
other proper ly equipped and qualified work ­
shop.
- The engine compa rtment of any motor ve hi­
cle is a potent ially hazardous area . Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan.
It is temperature controlled and
can switch o n suddenly - even when the en­
g ine is off . The radiato r fan switches on au ­
tomatically when the coolan t reaches a cer­
tain tempe ra ture and w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle .
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work underneat h
the vehicle . The jack supp lied with t he veh i­
cle is no t adequ ate for t his pu rpose and
could collapse ca us ing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you m ust wor k unde rne ath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels a re always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic t ransmiss ion) is in P (Park
position) and the pa rk brake is applied .
II>
263