2017 AUDI A7 check engine

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

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
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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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_& 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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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

Check ing and F illing
instrument cluster display each time the ign i­
tion is switched on or off . The remaining dis­
tance or time is displayed br iefly.
- Inspection or oil change due: if yo ur vehicle
has reached an inspection o r oi l change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter switch ing the ignit ion on/off .
Checking service intervals
You can check the rema ining distance o r time un­
til the next oil change o r next inspection in the
Car menu. To do this, select : the
IC ARI function
button
> (Car) * Systems control button > Service
& checks > Service interv als .
Resetting the indicator
Your author ized Audi dealer or authoriz ed A udi
Serv ice Facility will reset the serv ice interval d is­
p lay after performing serv ice.
If you have changed the oil yourself, you must re ­
set the oil change interva l.
fo reset the indica to r, se lec t: the
ICAR I fu nction
but ton
> (Car) * Systems con trol b utton > Service
& checks > Service intervals. Tu rn the control
knob downward to
Reset oil change interval and
press the cont rol knob.
(D Note
- Only reset the oil change indicato r if the oil
was changed .
- Fo llow ing the service i nte rva ls is critical to
maintai ning the service life an d va lue of
your ve hicle, especia lly the engine. Even if
the m ileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
- Ca lculating the t ime to the next oi l change
i s interrupted when the ve hicle battery is
d iscon nected¢
page 239 .
210

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.. 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

Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automat ic transmission can­
not be started by pushi ng or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine con be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis ­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of suffic iently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use on ly jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are distinct ly marked :
plus(+ ) cable in most cases co lored red
minus (-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe hand Ling of your veh icle's batte ry .
- Always shield your eyes and avo id leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
- A dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C). If the vehicle battery is
frozen, you must thaw it before connecting
the jump start cables.
If you do not, this in-
254
creases the risk of an explosion and chemi­
cal burns. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Fac ility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immed iately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
veh icle may cause an explosion .
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batter ies .
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-volt rat ing. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an exp lo­
sion and persona l injury.
- Never cha rge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never cha rge o r use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak­
ened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or sub­
stantially diff erent capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury . The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
r=:> poge 199.
([) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- Th ere must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected .

Emergency situations
-Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c> page 199.
(D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ruin
the generator.
-Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSITIVE
(+), and NEGATIVE(-) to NEGATIVE(-)
ground post of the battery manager control
unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly. If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on negative
battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for connect­
ing a jumper cable as described above ap­
plies specifically to the case of your vehicle
being jump started . When you are giving a
jump start to another vehicle, do
not con­
nect the negative (-) cable to the negative
(-) terminal on the discharged battery @
c> fig. 215. Instead, securely connect the
negative(-) cable to either a solid metal
component that is firmly bolted to the en­
gine block or to the engine block itself. If
the battery that is being charged does not
vent to the outside, escaping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for towing.
The following information is to be used by com­
mercial tow truck operators who know how to op­
erate their equipment safely.
- Never tow your Audi. Towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission.
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
around the brake lines.
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use the
towing loop found in the vehicle tools and at-
256
tach to the front or rear anchorage
c>page 256 and ¢page 257.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for passen­
gers . Never allow anyone to ride in a vehicle
being towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Fig. 216 Front bumper: cover
Fig. 217 Front bumpe r: install ing the tow ing loop
The threaded opening for the towing loop is lo­
cated behind a cover on the right side of the front
bumper .
.. Remove the towing loop from the vehicle tool
kit
c> page 240.
.. Press the cap inward with brief, forceful pres­
sure
¢fig. 216. The cap will loosen from the
bumper.
.. Tighten the towing loop in the threaded open­
ing until it stops
¢ fig. 217 and then tighten it
with a wheel wrench .
.. After using, place the towing loop back in the
vehicle tool kit.
IJli>