2017 AUDI A7 Owner´s Manual

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\.J - Rearview camera* /peripheral cameras*
There is no distance warning fo r the rear. The
fron t sensors remain activa ted . The visual display
switches to trai ler mode. The rearview camera
image will not show the orientation lines and the
b lue surfaces.
Trailer hitches that are not installed at the
factory may cause the parking system to ma l­
function or they may restrict its function.
Parking systems
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Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) suppo rts
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves dr iving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as the veh icle oversteering and un­
dersteering or the wheels are sp inning. The vehi­
cle is stabilized by app lying the brakes or reduc ­
ing engine torque. As soon as the ESC is active ly
regulat ing, the
D.1 indicato r light blin ks in the in­
s trumen t clus ter.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC :
Ant i-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS p revents the whee ls from locking whe n brak­
ing. The vehicle can sti ll be steered even during
hard brak ing. Apply steady press ure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in t he
b rake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
s tabilize the vehicle .
Br ake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis­
tance . It increases brak ing power when the driver
presses the brake pedal q uick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold t he b rake pedal
until the dangerous sit uat io n is over . In veh icles
with adapt ive c ruise control*, the bra ke as sist
sy stem is more sensitive if t he di sta nce detec ted
t o the vehicle dr iv ing ahead is too small. On
ve hicl es with act ivated and f unct io ni ng night vi ­
sion assist*, the brake assist system can respond mo re sensit ively if there is a warning .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive w heels
be gin sp inning an d adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easie r to sta rt, acceler ­
ate and dr ive up h ills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
E DL a ppl ies the bra kes to a wheel tha t st art s
sp inning and tra nsfe rs t he dr ive powe r to t he
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other driving whee ls. This func tion is no t ava ila ­
ble at hig her speeds.
I n extreme cases , EDL automat ic al ly swi tches off
to keep t he b rake o n the br aked wheel from ove r­
heating. The ve hicle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switc h on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC he lps to s tabili ze th e vehicle by ch ang ing
t h e s teer ing torque.
I n veh icles with dynamic s teer ing*, ESC a lso
helps to stab ilize the s teeri ng in cr it ic al situ a­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Se lective wheel to rque control is used when d riv­
i ng on curves . The front whee l on the ins ide of
t h e curve or both whe els on the i nside of th e
cu rve are braked se lectively as needed. This al­
l ows mo re pre cise driving in curves .
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "a utomat ic post -coll is io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sl iding and of addi­
tiona l co llisions after an acc iden t. If the a irbag
c on tro l modu le dete cts a collision above a cer tain
vehicle speed, the veh icle is braked by t he ESC.
The veh icle does not brake automatically if:
- the drive r presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the bra king force generate d by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the b raking force
that would be in itiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the bra ke system or the vehicle elect ri­
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integ rated systems can not
overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
p hys ica l laws. Th is is es pec ially i mpo rtan t
on s lippery or we t roads. If the system s be­
g in a cting to s tabili ze yo ur vehicle, you
should immedi ately alte r your speed to
match the road and tra ffi c conditions. Do
not let the inc reased safety provided tempt

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you into taking risks. This could increase
your risk of a collision.
- Please note the risk of a co llision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions -there is still a r isk of acci­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
Switching on /off
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even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only function correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc­
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 140 Center console: OFF ~ button
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
ESC levels
Sport mode on
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
-Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
Applies to: RS models: the ESC is designed to
function in levels. Depending on the level that is
selected, the stabil izat ion function of the ESC is
limited or switched off. The amount of stabiliza­
tion control will differ depending on the level.
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The
full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited
c::> & . and ASR is available again.
Operation Press the I~ OFF I button . Press the 1.$ OF FI button again .
Indicator Ill turns on. II turns off.
lights
Messa ges Stabilization control (ESC ): Sport Warn- Stabilization control (ESC): On
ing! Reduced stability
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ESC levels
Ap plies to : RS models
Sport mode on ESC/ASRoff Sport mode off or
ESC /ASRon
Beha vior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza-
The stabilization function is The fu
ll stabilization func-
tion funct ions are limited not available
¢ ,& . ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ .&. . ASR are switched off. availab le aga in.
Op eration Press the I.$ OFF I button P ress and hold the j.$ OF FI Press the I.$ OFF I button
briefly. b
utton longer than 3 sec- aga in .
onds .
Indicator II turns on . II and Ill turn on. II turns off or II and Ill
light s turn off .
Me ssage s Stabilization control (ESC ): S tabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control
Sport Warn ing ! Reduced Off . Warning! Reduced sta - (ESC): On
stab ility bility
A WARNING
-Yo u should only sw itch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ ASR off if your dr iving abili ties
and road condi tions permit.
- T he stabilization func tion is limited w hen
spo rt m ode is sw itche d on. The driving
wheels co uld spi n and the vehicle could
swerve, espec ially on s lick or slippery road
s u rfaces.
- T here is no vehicle sta bilizat ion when E SC/
ASR a re swi tched off.
(D Tips
- ES C/ASR can not be switc hed off or sport
mode cannot be switche d on if the cr uise
contro l system * or the adap tive c ruise con­
tro l* is switched on.
- If the re a r spoiler sys tem m alf unct ions,
sport mo de may not switch on or it may
switc h off aga in automatically.
Braking
New brake pads
New b rake pads do not ac hieve the ir full b raking
effe ct during the firs t 2S 0 mi (400 km). They
m ust be "broken in" fi rst .
The b rea k-in period ca n be considerably longe r
for ve hicles w it h cer amic b rake rotors*. However,
you can compensa te fo r the slightly reduced
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braking force by pressing firmly on the brake
pedal. Avo id heavy braking during the break-in
per iod.
Wear
Brake pad
wear depends large ly on the way the
vehicle is driven and on ope rating conditions .
This is espec ia ll y true if you a re driv ing frequent ly
i n the city and on curves or with a sporty driving
sty le .
Ope rating noi se
Noises may occur when braking depending on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such
as temperature and humid ity.
Noises may become mo re apparent at lower
speeds due to the nature of the materials in the
ceram ic brake rotors* .
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situa tions, for e xamp le after d riving
thro ugh water, in heavy rain, a fter over nigh t con­
densation or after washing your car, the brak ing
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the bra ke rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
"dried" f irst with a few ca refu l brake app lica­
tions.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake rotors for a short amount of time. This action,
wh ich is not felt by the dr iver, happens at regu lar .,..

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\.J ' intervals and ensures a better reaction time fo r
the brakes in wet weather.
The braki ng effect can also be red uced if you are
driving on salted roads and you do not apply the b rakes for long periods of time . The layer of salt
on the brake rotors and pads must be worn off
f irst when the brakes are app lied.
Due to its surface, the ceramic bra ke rotor* ab­
sorbs moisture in certa in situations. There fore,
there will temporarily be less braking force than
when the brakes are dry . You can compensate for
this by pressing the brake pedal harder.
Cor rosion
L eaving the vehicle parked fo r long periods of
time, low mi leage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corrosion on the brake rotors
and to dirty brake pads.
I f you usually avo id heavy braking or if there is
corrosion present , occasional heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads
q ,& .
Brak e system malfunct ion
if you notice that the brake pedal travel has sud­
denly increased, then a brake c ircui t in the dual­
circuit brake system may have malfunctioned. Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or a uthorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
problem corrected. On the way there, drive with
reduced speed and keep in mind that you w ill
need a longer distance to stop and you w ill need
to p ress the b rake pedal harde r.
L ow brake fluid level
When the brake fl uid level is low, malfunct ions in
the brake system may occur . The brake f lu id level
is electronically monitored.
Br ak e boost er
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you ap­
p ly to the brake peda l. It only works when the en­
g ine is running.
A WARNING
- Only apply the brakes for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system whe n road and
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traffic conditions permit. You must not en­
danger other road users. This increases the
risk of an accident.
- Never let the vehicle roll while the engine is
stopped because this increases the risk of an
accident.
- New brake pads do not ach ieve the ir full
braking effect during the first 250 m i
(400 km). They m ust be "broken in" first.
The break-in per iod ca n be cons iderably lon­
ge r fo r vehicles with ceram ic brake rotors* .
H owever, you can compensate fo r the
slightly reduced braking force by pressi ng
fi rm ly on the brake pedal. Avo id heavy b rak­
ing du ring the break -in pe riod.
- Ce rtain weathe r and ope rating condi tions
such as driving through water, dr iv ing in
heavy rain o r driv ing after was hing your ve­
hicle can impa ir the effect iveness of the
brakes. In the winter, ice may build up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums . Check
these components by braking carefully. Ap­
p lyi ng the brakes carefully several times
d ries the b rakes and removes ice build-up .
- The efficiency of the brakes can also be im­
pa ired by dr iv ing for long stretches on roads
covered with sa lt without using the bra kes .
You can remove salt deposits from the
b rake rotors and pads by carefully applying
t he brakes several times .
- I f the fron t spoiler is damaged o r yo u install
another spoi ler, make su re the front wheel
b rakes are ven tilated properly . Othe rw ise,
the brake system co uld overheat, which re­
duces their effectiveness .
- Fa ilure of a brake circuit impairs brak ing
pe rformance, which increases b raking dis­
tance. Avo id driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest a uthorized Audi
deale r or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility.
- I f the brake booster is not working, yo u w ill
have to p ress much harder on the brake
pedal to compensate fo r the lack of the
booster.
Q) Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
peda l lightly when braking is not actually
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necessary. This causes the brakes to over ­
heat and increases bra king distance and
causes wear .
- Befo re driving downhi ll a long distance on a
steep hill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes. If
you need to brake additionally, b rake in in­
t e rvals a nd not continuously .
(D Tips
-If the brake booster is not working, you
must press the brake pedal with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrofit you r vehicle with a front spoil­
e r, whee l covers o r similar items , make sure
that the a ir flow to t he fron t wheels is not
i nte rr u pted . Othe rw ise the brake sys tem
ca n become too hot .
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver 's st eering movements.
Power steering adapts elec tronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator light s and mes sage s
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
If thi s in dica tor light t urns o n and st ays o n and
t his mess age appears, t he power s teer ing m ay
have fai led.
St op the veh icle in a safe lo cat io n as soo n as pos­
sib le. Do
not c ontinue dr iving. See an author ized
Aud i dealer o r auth o rize d Aud i Serv ice Facili ty for
assis tance.
(;:r,n Steering : Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator lig ht tur ns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be mo re diff i­
cul t to m ove or mo re sensit ive tha n usua l. The
s teer ing whee l may also be at an angle when
d riving s traight .
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Drive slowly to an a uth orized Audi dea ler or au ­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility to have the mal­
funct ion corrected .
,Ion Dynamic steering: Initializing
If the indica to r li gh t is blinking and this message
appea rs, dy namic stee ring* is be ing initiali zed.
The steer ing whee l will be easy to move afte r
s ta rt ing t he en gine . Re- ini tializ ation mig ht be
necessary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and r ight while the veh icle was not
moving . The d isp lay turns off if the in it ia li zation
was s uccessful.
(D Tips
- If the . or ,Ion indicato r light only stays on
f or a s ho rt time, you may cont inue driving .
- The dynamic stee ring stability systems
¢
page 1 20 are not ava ila bl e in the event of
a system mal function.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering, re fer to
¢ page 105.
All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered.
General information
In all whee l drive, the dr iv ing power is divide d be­
tween all four whee ls. This happens automatical ­
l y depending on yo ur driv ing behavior as we ll as
the cur rent road conditions . Also see
¢ page 120 , Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC).
A center d ifferential distributes the driving powe r
varia bly to the front and rea r ax le. It wor ks to­
gether w ith selective whee l torque contro l, w hich
activates w hen d riving through curves
¢ page 120 . With the sport d ifferent ial*, power
dis tribution to the rear wheels is var iable and can
be adjus ted wi th drive select¢
page 105 .
The all wheel drive concept is designed fo r high
engine power . Yo ur vehicle is except iona lly pow­
erfu l and has excellent driving cha rac teristics
bot h un der normal d riving condi tions and on
snow and i ce. A lways read and follow safe ty pre-
c auti ons ¢
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Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter con­
ditions . However, in winter we recommend using
winter or all season tires on all four wheels, be­
cause this will improve the braking effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
¢ page 227, Snow chains.
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all whee l dr ive, only whee ls w ith
the same rolling circumference should be used .
Avoid using tires with different tread depths
¢ page 218, New tires or wheels.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle -there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficult terrain.
_& WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with a ll wheel drive, adapt
your dr iving style to the current road and
traff ic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking risks,
because this increases the risk of an acci­
dent .
- The braking ability of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels . In this way, it
is not different from a two wheel dr ive vehi­
cle. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippery, be­
cause this increases the risk of an accident .
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydroplane" if driving at speeds that
are too high. Unlike front wheel drive
vehicles, the engine does not rev higher sud­
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning .
For this reason, adapt your speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci­
dent.
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Rear spoiler
The extendable rear spoiler increases driving sta­
bility.
Fig. 141 Center console: button for the rear spoiler
T he rear spo iler retracts and extends. Var ious op­
erating modes (automatic o r manua l mode) can
be activated .
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Extends automatically: when the vehicle speed
exceeds approx imately 80 mph (130 km/h) .
- Retracts automat ically: when the vehicle speed
drops below approx imately SO mph (80 km/h).
Manual mode
- Extending manually: briefly tap the button to
fully extend the rear spoiler.
- Retracting manually: when driving at speeds
below approximately 10 mph (20 km/h), press
and hold the button to retract the rear spoiler.
When at speeds between 10 mph (20 km/h)
and 80 mph (130 km/h), the rear spoiler will
completely retract when you tap the button.
Indicator lights
lfa /. Rear spoiler: System fault!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to a
malfunction . This cou ld change the vehicle 's driv­
ing characteristics at high speeds. Do not drive
faster than 85 mph (140 km/h) . Drive to an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility immed iately to have the malfunction cor ­
rected . The color of the indicator light depends
on the vehicle speed .
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& WARNING
When extending and retracting the rear spoil­
er, make sure there are no persons or objects
w ith in the spoiler range to red uce the risk of
injury .
& WARNING
Driv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impa ir hand ling ch arac­
t er istics, mak ing t he vehi cle h arder to con­
t rol.
- Always make sure tha t the spoiler is de­
ployed whe n driving a t speeds ove r 85 mph
(140 km/h) . If the rear spoiler warning/ind i­
cator light in the instrument cluster comes
on, the rear spo iler may not have deployed.
- Never drive at speeds higher than 85 mph (140 km/ h) if the spoile r is not deployed.
Have the spoiler inspected as soon as possi­
ble by an author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
-Always obey speed limits and other tra ffic
laws .
(D Note
-Never push on the vehicle on the rear spoi l­
er . This cou ld cause damage.
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean o r place anything on it.
- Only opera te the rear spoiler man ually when
the luggage compartment lid is close and
the rear spoiler movi ng pa rts a re not
blocked. Otherwise, damage could occur.
(D Tips
Clean the rear spoi ler compartment eve ry 2 to
3 mont hs. To function correctly, the rear
spoiler m ust be free of ice, snow and leaves.
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Energy management
' The starting ability is optimized
T he energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle with a conventional energy sys ­
tem is no t drive n for a long time, the ve hicle bat­
te ry is drained by equ ipment (fo r example, t he
i mmob il iz er). I n cer ta in circ umstan ces, the re
could m ay no t be e nough energy to s tart the en­
gine.
You r vehicle is equipped with an inte lligent e ner­
gy management system fo r dist ributing elec trici­
ty. Thi s sign ifica ntl y improves the start ing ability
and incre ases the vehicle battery life .
The ene rgy ma nagement system Is made up of
battery diagnosi s, idling current management ,
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
T he battery diagnos is determines the vehicle bat ­
tery charge level. The sensors detect the ba tte ry,
the batt ery cur rent, and t he battery temperature .
The curren t cha rge level and the pe rformance of
t h e ve hicle battery are dete rm ined based on th is .
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used while parked . With the engine
switched off , it m anages t he e ne rgy dis trib ution
to the d ifferen t electr ica l components . Data from
t h e b attery d iagnosis is ta ken into a ccou nt for
th is .
De pen ding on the vehicle batte ry c ha rge level,
e le ctri ca l eq uipme nt is switched off one i tem af ­
te r th e o ther to p revent t he vehi cle b attery from
dra ining and to ma intain the s tarting ab ility.
Dynamic energy management
While dr iv ing , dynam ic energy management dis­
t ributes the app ropr iate amo unt of energy to t he
ele ctrica l eq uipm ent. It contro ls t he batte ry
c harge level so tha t the amou nt o f energy is no t
ll>