2017 AUDI A7 warning

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\.J ' Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and s ervice life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high -quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
yea r.
Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions d ue to failure
to follow rec ommended maintenance and use
requireme nts as s et forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty & Maintenance booklet .
- Use only a high quality engine oi l that ex-
pressly complies with the Au di oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine.
Using any o ther oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
@ Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requ ires, you may add a total of
no more than 0 .5 qt (0.5 l) of a h igh-quali ty
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci ­
fications.
- Applies to: gaso line engine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- Applies to: diesel engine: ACEA C3 or API CF
with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30 o r
SAE 5W-30 .
- For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither your authori zed Audi dea ler
or Audi Customer Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www .audiusa .com or www .aud ica nada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lub rication and cool­
ing of in ternal engine componen ts, all internal
Ch eck ing and Filling
combustion engines consume a certain amo unt
of oil. Oil consumption vari es from engin e to en­
gine and may change s ignificantly over the life of
the engine . Typ ically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see¢
page 65) consume mo re
o il during the break -in per iod than they consume
after o il consumption has stab il ized .
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con ­
sump tion depends on the qu ality and viscos ity of
the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
wh ich the engine is operated, the amb ient tem­
perature and road co ndit ions. Further facto rs a re
the amount of oi l di lution from wate r condensa ­
tion or fuel resid ue and the oxidat ion level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
time unti l replac ement of worn components may
become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be estab ­
li sh ed or sp ecified . There is no alternative to reg­
u lar and frequent checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l in
the instr ument cluster
Ill lights up, yo u should
check the oi l level as soon as possible
¢
page 204. Top off the o il at your earliest con­
venience ¢
page 204 .
A WARNING
-Before you check anyt hing in the engine com -
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 199.
{(D Note
Driving w it h an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressure wa rn ing display. is not
an indicator of the o il leve l. Do not rely on
i t . Instead, check th e oil level in your en­
gine at regular interval s, preferably each
time you refuel, and alway s before going
on a long trip .
203

Check ing and F illing
- If you have the impression your engine con ­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom­ mend that you consu lt your Audi dealer to
have the cause of your concern properly di­
agnosed . Keep in mind that the accurate
measurement of oil consumption requi res
great care and may take some time . Your
Audi dealer has inst ructions about how to
measure oil consump tion accurate ly.
Checking the engine oil level and adding
engine oil
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
F ig. 18 5 Eng ine co mpar tment : en gin e o il fille r open ing
cove r
Obse rve the sa fe ty precau tions ¢&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 199 .
Checking the engine oil level
.,. Park the vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Sh ut the engine off w hen it is warm . Wait ap­
prox imately two m inutes so tha t the engine oil
can flow back in to the o il pa n .
.,. Switc h only the ignit ion back on.
.,. Se lect: the
ICARI function button > ( Car )* Sy s­
tems
control b utton > Service & checks > Oil
level.
.,. Read the oil level in the Infota inment system.
Add engine oil if the bar in the oil leve l indica­
tor is just before "min".
Adding engine oil
.,. Turn the eng ine off .
.,. Unscrew the engine oil filler opening cap~
¢ fig.185, ¢page 202, fig.184 .
.,. Carefully add 0 .5 quart (0 .5 liter) of the correct
o il ¢ page 202.
204
.,. Close the eng ine oi l filler opening ca p~ -
.,. Close the hood, restart the ignition after two
m inutes and read t he current o il level in the In­
fotainment system.
A WARNING
- When adding oil, do not let oil dr ip onto hot
engine components . This inc reases the risk
of afire.
- You must sea l the cap on the oi l filler open­
ing correct ly so that oi l does not leak out
on to the hot e ngine and exha ust system
w hen t he e ngine is runni ng, bec ause this is
a fire ha zar d.
- Always clean s kin thoroughly if it comes into
con tact with eng ine oil.
0 Note
- The engine o il level must not be under the
" min " mark ing, beca use this increases the
r isk of engine damage.
- If the message
Oil level is too full. Please
reduce oil level.
appea rs, there is too m uch
o il i n t he engi ne a nd there is a risk of cata ­
lyt ic converter and engine damage . D o no t
sta rt the eng ine. Co nta ct an a uth o rize d Aud i
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility to
have excess engine oil extracted if necessa­
ry.
- Do not mix any ad ditiona l lubr icants into
the engine oil. Damage caused by such add i­
t ives is not covered by the wa rranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil sho uld never enter the sewer system or
come into contact with the ground .
- Pay attention to lega l req uiremen ts when
disposing of empty o il containers .
(D Tips
-Th e oil leve l in dica tor in the inst rument
cl uster d is p lay is only an i nformationa l dis ­
play. If the o il level is too low, a minim um
oil warn ing appears in the instrument clus­
ter . Add o il and close the hood. The c urrent
oil leve l is d isplayed in the Infotainment

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\.J - system the next time the ignition is
switched on .
- The engine oi l consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 miles (0.5 liter/1,000 km),
depending on driving style and operating
conditions. In RS models, the oil consump­
tion may be up to 1 qt/600 mi (0.8 L/ 1,000 km). Consumption may be higher
during the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km). Be­
cause of this, the engine oil level must be
checked regular ly.
It would be best to check
each time you ref uel your veh icle and befo re
l ong d rives.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­
tion .
Before you check a nyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
alway s re ad and heed all WARNING S 9 &.
in Working in the engine comportment on
page 199.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
intervals specified in you r Warranty
& Mainte­
n ance booklet. This is very impo rtant because the
l ub ricating properties of oil diminish gradually
during normal vehicle use.
Unde r some ci rcumstances the e ngine o il should
be cha nged more frequently . Change oil mo re of­
ten if yo u drive mostly short distances, operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominant ly
stop-and-go traffic conditions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
l ook dark after the engine has been running for a
short time. Th is is normal and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposa l, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
q ui red, we strongly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an authorized
A ud i dealer or
a qualified service station.
If you choose to chang e your o il your self, please
note the following important information:
Ch eck ing and Filling
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of persona l injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in you r vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
-
- To reduce the r isk of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch.
- When remov ing the oil drain plug w ith your
f ingers, stay as far away as possible. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
help prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one la rge enough to hold at
least the tota l amount of oi l in you r engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out of
the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmf ul to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and wate r.
Q) Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affect you r Audi limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing your oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly d ispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used e ngine o il properly .
Do not dump it on ga rden soil, wooded
areas, into open streams o r down sewage
dra ins.
- Recycle used e ngine o il by ta king it to a used
eng ine oil collection fac ility in yo ur area, or
c ont act a se rvice station.
Cooling system
Coolant
The eng ine cooling system is fi lled w ith a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac-
tory. This coolant m ust not be not changed . .,._
205

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_& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure. Do
not open the coolant expansion tank cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the
risk of burns .
- The coolant add itive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health. For this reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
and away from children. There is a risk of
poisoning.
- When working in the engine compartment ,
remember that the radiator fan can sw itch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury.
CD Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty. Air could enter the cooling system and
damage the engine. If this is the case, do not
continue driv ing. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance .
Brake fluid
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Fig. 187 Engine co mp artment : cap on brake fl uid re se rv oir
Observe the safety precautions c:> &. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 199.
Checking the brake fluid level
" Read the brake fluid level on the brake fluid
reservoir i=>page 202, fig . 184. The brake fluid
level must be between the MIN and MAX mark­
ings
c:> &_ .
~ The brake fluid level is mon itored automatically .
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<..:l 'SI"
Checking and Filling
Changing the brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au­
thorized Audi deal er or authorized Audi Service
Facility.
A WARNING
-
- If the brake fluid level is below the MIN
marking, it can impair the braking effect
and driving safety, which increase the risk of
an accident . Do not continue dr iving . See an
author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake fluid is old, bubbles may form
in the brake system dur ing heavy braking .
This would impair braking performance and
driving safety, which increases the r isk of an
accident.
- To ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comply
with VW standard 50114 or FM VSS -116 DOT 4.
CD Note
-If the brake f luid level is above the MAX
marking, brake f luid may leak out over the
edge of the reservoir and result in damage
to the vehicle.
- Do not get any brake fluid on the vehicle
paint, because it wi ll corrode the paint.
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the complex power supply, all wo rk
on batter ies such as disconnecting, replac ing,
etc. should
only be performed by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity
c:> & .
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your vehicle.
Detailed warnings for the vehicle battery:
® Wear eye protection.
I.)._ Bat~ery acid is highly corrosiv~. We ar p ro -
~ tect1ve gloves and eye protection. Ill-
207

Checking and Filling
@
Fire, sparks, open flame and smok ing are
forb idden.
~
A highly explosive mixture of gases can
form when charging batteries.
®
Keep c hildren away from bat tery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrica l system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemical
burns, accidents or burns. Because of this, a ll
work m ust be performed
only by an author­
ized Aud i dea le r o r autho rized Aud i Serv ice
Facili ty.
A WARNING
California Proposit io n 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acces­
so ries contai n lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the Sta te of Californi a
to ca u se ca nce r and rep roduct ive p roblems.
Wash hands after handling.
0 Note
Protect the vehicle ba ttery against freezing if
t he vehicle will be p arked for long per iods of
time so th at it is not destroyed by "free zing"
¢page 208.
@ For the sake of the environment
~ Batteries cont ain poll utin g substances suc h
as s ulfu ric ac id and lead. Contac t an a uthor­
ized Audi dealer or aut horized Audi Service
Facility for more information.
Vehicle battery
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your vehicle.
Not running the vehicle for long periods of
time
If you do not drive your ve hicle for seve ral days or
weeks, e lec trical equipment is gradually scaled
back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the veh icle wi ll be able to start after long
periods of timer=;,
page 126 . Some conven ience
208
funct ions, such as interior lighting o r power seat
adjustment, may not be avai lab le under certain
c ircumstances. These convenience functions will
be available again once you switch the ignition on
and start the eng ine.
Even when electrical equipment is switched off,
the eq uipment can st ill dra in the vehicle batte ry
if the veh icle is not dr iven for long pe riods of
time . Deep drai ning results in a chemica l reaction
that destroys t he ins ide of the vehicle battery .
The vehicle battery must be charged every mon th
to reduce the risk of this happening r=;,
page 208.
Contact an a uth o rized Aud i dea le r or a uth o rized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility for mo re informa tion.
Winter operat ion
Co ld weather places higher demands on the vehi ­
cle battery . T his res ults in reduced starting ab ili­
ty. Have the vehicle batte ry checked by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or authori zed Audi Service
Fac ility befo re t he cold time of year.
Charging the vehicle battery
Fi g. 1 88 En g ine compa rt m ent: con nectors fo r a c ha rge r
and j ump start cab les
Requirement: only use chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 30 amp s/14 .8 Volts .
The
vehicle battery cab les remain connected .
.. Read the warnings r=;,
A in General warnings
about batteries on page 208
and r=;, A.
.. Switch off the ign it ion and all electrica l equ ip­
ment.
.. Open the hood r=;,
page 201.
.. Open the red cover on the pos itive terminal
~ fig . 188.

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start pins according to the instructions. (pin un­
der the red cover = "positive", pin with hexago ­
nal head = "negative").
~ Insert the power cable for the charging device
into the socket and switch the device on .
~ At the end of the charging process, switch the
charger off and pull the power cab le out of the
socket.
~ Remove the c harge r te rmi nal clamps.
~ Close the red cover on the positive term inal.
~ Close the hood ¢ page 201.
A WARNING
- A highly explosive mixtu re of gases can form
when charging batter ies. On ly charge the
vehicle battery in well-vent ilated areas.
- A drained battery can freeze at tempera­
tures around 32 °F (0 °C). A frozen or
thawed vehicle battery must not be charged
and must not be used anymore . The battery
housing can crack and battery acid can leak
out if ice fo rms, wh ich increases the r is k of
an exp losion and chemical burns , Contact an
au thori zed Aud i dealer o r autho riz ed Aud i
Service Facility fo r more information.
- Do not con nect o r disconne ct the c harg ing
c able while charg ing be cause th is increases
the risk of an exp losion.
(j) Tips
- Only cha rge the vehicle bat tery through t he
con nections in the engine compartmen t.
- Read all of the manufacture r's instructions
fo r the charger befo re c harg ing the ve hicl e
batte ry.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Windshield washer
system
Fi g. 1 89 E ngine compar tmen t: washer f luid reservo ir cap
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The windshield washer rese rvoir O contains the
cleaning so lution for the windshield and the
headlight washer system*
q page 202, fig. 184.
The reservoir capacity can be found in
¢page 262.
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amo unts
of calcium. Always add w indow cleaner to the wa­
ter. When the outside temperatures are cold, an
anti-freezing agent shou ld be added to th e water
so that it does not freeze .
(!) Note
-The concentration of ant i-freez ing agent
must be adjusted to the vehicle operat ing
conditions in the respective climate . A con­
centration that is too high can lead to vehi­
cle damage.
- Never add radiator anti-freeze or other addi­
tives to the washer fluid.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint so lvents, because th is could damage
the paint.
Service interval display
The service in terval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
T he serv ice inte rval d isplay wo rks in two stages:
-Inspect ion or oil change rem inder: after a cer-
tain distance driven, a message appears in the ..,.
209

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circumference as the regular
tires .
8,_ WARNING , -
-Only use tire/rim combina-
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident
could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles -in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso­
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
Wheels
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve­ hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 191 Tire profile: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear .
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear .
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear. ..
219

Wheels
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear
more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
The original tires on your vehicle have 1/16 inch (1 .6 mm) high
"wear indicators" ¢fig.
191 run­
ning across the tread. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) indicate
the positions of the tread wear in­
dicators.
The tires have reached the mini ­
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones¢ .&..
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec­
ommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa.
This will allow the tires to have approximately the same length of
service life.
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
220
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 248.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden . Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage . If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
&_ WARNING ~ -
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving .,.