2017 AUDI A7 check engine light

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\.J ' Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
¢page 221. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions .
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 105, ¢0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions , you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight ¢page 107.
0 Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select
auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances . Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driving down ­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
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:
I CAR ! function button > (Car)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On. 1J,,
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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
-
Intellig ent Technology
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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\.J ' Checking and Filling
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: vehicles with gaso line engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel reco mm endati on
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead­
ed pr em ium
grade gasoline. Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini­
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
p lease go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the inside of the fuel filler flap . Th is rating
may be spec ified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead­
ed regular gasoline with a min imum octane rat ­
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON. However, using 87 AKl/91
RON octane fuel will slightly reduce engine pe r­
formance.
U se unlea ded gas oline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European count ries . We recommend that
you do not ta ke your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gasol ine may not be availab le.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
~ page 193.
Octane r ating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re­
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema­
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore , buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
h e lp prevent poss ible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Un ited
States and Canada has the following octane rat­
ings that can usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
Ch eck ing and Filling
- Regu lar Grade: 87 -90 AK I
E xplanation of the abb reviations:
AK I=
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fue l w ith octane ratings low­
er than 8 7 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen­
sive engine damage w ill occur .
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of lead­
ed gasoline will severe ly damage your vehi­
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gas olin e con tainin g alcoh ol or MTBE
( meth yl t ert ia ry but yl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al­
cohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as oxygen ­
ates) if the blended m ixture meets the follow ing
criteria:
Blend of gasolin e methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcoho l)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of g asoline and ethanol (grain alc oh ol or
e th yl alcoh ol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher .
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Bl end of g asoline and MTBE
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AK I or h igher.
- Blend must contain not mo re than 15% MTBE.
Se asonall y adjust ed ga soline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iving . Dur-
ing seasonal change-over, we suggest that you ..,.
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\.J - A WARNING ,~
Ad Blue can irritate the skin, eyes and respira­
tory system. If there is contact with the fluid,
flush immediately with plenty of water . Con­
sult a physician if necessary.
CD Note
- Only use Ad Blue that conforms to the
standard ISO 22241 -1. Do not mix any addi ­
tives w ith the AdBlue and do not d ilute it
with water.
- Do not add Ad Blue to the diesel ta nk or add
diesel fuel to the Ad Blue tank. Do not start
the engine under any circumstances if the
wrong f uel is filled in the tank. There is a
risk of damaging the fuel tank system and
the engine. See an author ized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility for ass is­
tance .
- Ad B lue attacks surfaces such as pa inted ve ­
hicle components, plast ic and carpet . Re­
move the fluid as quickly as poss ible with a
damp cloth and plenty of cold water. If the
Ad Blue has already crysta llized, use warm
water and a sponge . AdBlue residue that is
not removed will crysta llize a nd can damage
the affected surface.
- Do not store refill bottles or canisters per ­
mane ntly in the vehicle . If the container
l ea ks, the escaping AdBl ue could damage
t h e veh icle inter io r.
- Do not allow AdBlue to come into co ntact
with clothing. If there is contact w ith the
f lui d, f lush immed iate ly w ith p lenty of wa­
te r.
(j) Tips
Follow the Ad B lue man ufact urer's instr uc­
t ions fo r use and storage.
Refilling AdBlue using a bottle
Applies to: vehicles with selective catalytic reduction
.. Remove the cap from the refi ll bottle ¢ A in
Filling AdBlue on page 197, ¢(Din Filling
AdBlue on page 197 .
Check ing and Filling
.. Position the bott le on the fi ller tube and turn
the bottle clockwise until it stops turning .
.. Press lightly against the bottom of the bottle
to empty it. Cont inue pressing the bottom of
the bottle until it is empty or until fluid stops
flow ing into the tank .
.,. Remove the bottle and seal the filler neck
¢ page 198, Completing AdBlue refill.
CD Note
Only use refill bottles that are approved for
your vehicle . Using other systems can cause
Ad B lue to leak.
@ Tips
- You can obtain ref ill bottles from an author­
ized Aud i dea le r o r aut horized Aud i Serv ice
Facility.
- A permitted refi ll bottle contains approxi­
mately 0.5 gallon (1.9 liters) of AdBl ue.
Refilling AdBlue using a canister
Applies to: vehicles with selective catalytic reduction
®
+®
Fig. 181 Can iste r w ith attachable hose
.. Remove the cover from the refill canister¢ A
in Filling AdBlue on page 197, ¢(Din Filling
AdBlue on page 197 .
.,. Secure the end of the hose (Don the opening in
t he caniste r@ by turni ng the hose to the right.
.,. Remove the cap @ from the o ther end of the
hose @.
.. Position the end of the hose @ on the filler
neck in the veh icle and turn the hose to the
r ight to tighten it .
.. Lift the canister up and then t ip it. Cont inue
holding the canister in a tipped pos ition until it ..,.
197

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<..:l 'SI"
Opening/closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle.
Fig. 1 82 D rive r footwell: release lever
Fi g. 1 83 Roc ke r sw itc h under the hood
M ake sure the w iper arms a re not raised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the pa int could be
damaged .
Opening the engine compartment lid .. Wi th the driver's doo r open, pu ll the leve r be­
low the instrument panel in the direct ion of the
arrow c>fig.182 .
Checking and Filling
.. Raise the hood slightly c> ,& .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
¢fig. 183. This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
Closing the engin e compartm ent lid
.. Push the hood down until yo u over ride the
force of the strut .
.. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch.
Do not
press it in.
c> ,&.
A WARNING
-
-Never open the hood when there is steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that you could
be burned. Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escaping.
- For safety reasons, the hood m ust always be
closed securely while driv ing . Because of
this, a lways check t he hood afte r closing i t
t o make sure it is latched correct ly . T he
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you no tice that t he hood is not latched
while you are d riving, stop immed iately and
close it, because driving when the hood is
not latched increases the risk of an accident .
201

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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
The coolant leve l is monitored through the. in­
dicator light ¢
page 14. However, we do recom­
mend occasionally check ing the coo lant level
manually.
I f you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended.
Coolant additiv e
The coolant addi tive is made of anti-freezi ng and
corros ion protection agents. Only use the fo llow­
ing coolant additives . These additives may be
mixed with each other.
Coolant additive Specification
Gl3 TL 774)
Gl2++
TL 774 G
The amount of coolant add itive that needs to be
mixed w ith water depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated. If the coolant addi­
tive percentage is too low, the coolant can freeze
a nd damage the engine.
Coolant
Freeze protec·
additive tion
Warm reg ions min. 40% m in. -13 ° F
max. 45% (-25 °C)
Cold regions min. 50% max . -40 °F
max . 55% (-40 °C)
([)
Note
-Before the start of winter, have your author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice
Fac ility check if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle matches the percentage approp riate
fo r the clim ate. Thi s is especially important
when driving in co lder climates .
- If the approp riate coolant additive is not
available in an emergen cy, do no t add any
other additive. You cou ld damage the en ­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­ store the correct mixture ratio with the
spec ified coolant additive as soon as possi­
ble.
- Only refill with new coo lant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed w ith
the coo lant .
206
· Adding coolant
F ig. 186 En gin e compartment : coolant exp ansion tank
cover
-N
-~
~
Observe the safety precautions ~ .&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 199.
Check ing the engin e coolant level
Park the vehicle on a leve l surface.
.,. Switch the ignit ion off.
.,. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 202, fig . 184. The coolant level
must be betwee n the MIN and MAX mark ings
when the e ngine in co ld. When the engine is
wa rm it c an be slightly above the MAX marking.
Adding coolant
Requirement: there must be a residual amount of
coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
.,. Let the engine cool down .
.,. Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockw ise
¢ .8_ .
.,. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢ page 205 up to t he MAX mar king.
.,. Make sure that the f luid level remains stab le.
Add mo re coolant if necessary.
.,. Close the cap securely .
Coolant loss usually ind icates there is a lea k. Im­
med iate ly dr ive your vehi cle to a n author ized
Audi dealer or author ized A udi Service Fac ility
and have the cooling system inspected . If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheating
and being pushed out of the cooling system.

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<.,;) 'SI"
.. Se lect: the I CAR I function button > Car syst ems
> Se rvice & checks > Tire pres sure monitor >
Di splay ti re pres sure s.
The cu rrent tire press ures are shown in green and
ye llow numbers in the Infotainment system:
- Green : the cur ren t tire pressure and the speci­
fied tire press ure are app roxima tely the same.
- Yellow : the cu rrent tire pressu re is too low
comp ared to the specified ti re pressure.
The spec ified tire pressure is the last tire pres­
sure that was stored
c> page 233 .
Note that the tire pressure also depends on the
temperature of the t ire . The tire press ure in­
creases as the engine becomes warmer wh ile
d riving.
..&, WARNING
Read and follow the important inform ation
an d no tes
c> page 232.
@ Tips
The tire pressure or temperature a re not dis­
played in adaptation mode. Dashes --.-- are
show n in place of the press ure and tempe ra ­
ture.
CD Tire pressure loss
A pp lies to: ve hicles with tire p ressu re m oni toring sys tem
F ig . 19 5 Display : indicato r lig ht wit h a me ssage
If t he RI) indicato r light turns on, t he p ressure in
at least one t ire is too low o r new sensors were
n o t adapted :
Wheels
II] indicator light s turns on after turning the
ignition on
T he tire press ure is too low compared to the
specified press ure .
.. Check and store the tire pressure(s) the next
time it is possible
<:!> page 233 .
HE indicator light turns on while driving
Wheels with new sensors we re not adapted or
t h e tire p ressure h as reac hed a cr itica l level com­
pared to the specified p ressure.
.,. Avoid unnecessary steer ing and brak ing mane u-
vers.
.. Adapt your dr iving sty le to the sit uation.
.. Stop as soon as poss ible and check the tire(s).
.. If i t is possib le to continue dr iving , see an au-
thorized A udi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility immediately and have your tire(s) re­
paired or rep laced.
..&, WARNING
--
Read and follow the important info rmation
and notes
r=> page232 .
Storing new tire pressures
Applies to: vehicles wit h tire pressure monito rin g system
Correctly stored t ire pressure specifications are
necessary for reliable tire pressure monitoring.
.. Check the tire pressures in all whee ls .
.. Correct the t ire pressure if necessary . Refer to
the ti re pressure label for the recommended
tire pressure for your vehicle
c> page 221,
fig . 193.
On ly co rrect the pressure i n tires
whose temperature is app roximately the same
as the a mbient tempe ra tu re.
If the tempe ra­
t ure of t he tire is higher than t he ambien t air
t em pe rature, the t ire press ure must be in­
creased approximately 3 PSI (0, 2 bar) above
the value on the sticker .
.. Switch t he ignit ion on.
.. Select:
!CAR I function button> Car systems >
T ire pressure monitoring > Store tire pressu re.
After stori ng, the t ire pressure monitori ng sys­
tem meas ures t he curre nt t ire pressures and
sto res them as the new specified pressures .
233