2017 AUDI A7 service

Safety belt s
"'Push the loop -around fittings up c> fig . 154 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings
down @.
"'Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er impo rtant informat ion
c>page 14 2.
(D Tips
With the front seats , the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safe ty belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts imprope rly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they a re correctly pos itioned on the body.
Imp roper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety be lts and will even inc rease the
ris k of injury a nd deat h by mov ing the safety bel t
to cr it ica l areas of the bo dy. Imp roper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of serio us inj ury
and deat h when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occ upant who is not in the co rrect seat ing pos i­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
ve hicle occupants and especia lly for children.
Therefore:
"' Never permit anyone to assume an inco rrect
s itting position in the vehicle wh ile trave ling
c> ,&. .
A WARNING
Impro perly wor n safety belts increase t he risk
of se rious personal injury a nd death wheneve r
a vehicle is bei ng use d.
- Always make sure tha t all veh icle occupa nts
are co rrectly restra ined and stay in a co rrect
seat ing pos ition w heneve r the veh icle is be­
ing used.
146
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS and
o ther impo rtant in format ion
c>page 142.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
Reversible safety belt tensioner s
The safety belts on the front seats are equipped
with power revers ible tensioners. The following
funct io ns are available when the dr iver's/front
passenger 's safety belts are faste ned:
- Automatic tensione rs: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automat ica lly adjust to the
passenger after a certain time period or ve hicle
spee d. To switch the a utomat ic tens ioners off,
select the following in t he M MI :
!CARI function
button
> ( Car )* systems > Vehicle settings >
Seat s > Driver's seat or Pas senger's seat > Au ·
tomatic belt tensioner > Off .
-In certain drivi ng s ituations, the s afe ty bel ts
m ay tighten w ith a reversib le tensioning func ­
tion
c> page 138 .
- The s afety be lts may also tigh ten with this re-
vers ible tension ing f unct io n in m ino r collisions .
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are eq uipped w it h safety bel t
pretensione rs. The system is activa ted by se nsors
i n front, s ide a nd r ear-end collisions of grea t se ­
verity and in a ro llover. This tig htens the bel t and
takes up belt slack
c> &. in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 147.
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
A WARNING
-It is poss ible for the pretensioners to dep loy
incorrectly .
- The pyrotechnic system can only p rovide
protection for one collision. If the py rotech­
nic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
sys tem must be rep laced.

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\.J ' @ Tips
The pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners can
only deploy once.
- The safety belt pretensioners do not dep loy
in minor fronta l, side and rear-end co lli­
sions.
- A fine dust is released when the pyrotechnic
safety be lt pretensioners deploy . This is nor­
mal and is not caused by a fire in the vehi­
cle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the veh icle or components
of the system are scrapped. A qualified
dealersh ip is familiar with these regulations
and will be p leased to pass on the informa­
tion to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the veh icle or indi­
v idual parts of the system, particularly the
safety be lt o r airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend yo u have your author ized Audi
dealer perform this serv ice for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten­
sioner
The safety belt pretens ioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Installing, removing,
servicing or repa iring of belt pretensioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from wor king cor rectly in a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing a safety be lt preten­
sioner from activating when needed or acti­
vating it unexpectedly :
- The be lt pretensioner system can be act ivat­
ed only once. If belt pretensioners have
been activated, the system must be re­
placed.
S afet y be lts
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the safety belt system .
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Special
procedures are required for removal, instal­
lation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system, we
strong ly recommend that you see your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified techn ician
who has an Audi approved repa ir manual,
tra ining and special equipment necessary .
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca . gov /haza rdouswaste/ perch [o­
r ate. When the vehicle or pa rts of the re­
straint system including ai rbag modu les safe­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regu lations must be ob ­
served . Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
147

Airbag syste m
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Aud i Warranty
&
Maintena nce booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
in terrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicab le safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the veh icle o r parts of the re­
stra int system including airbag modules and
safety belts w it h pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regu lations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom ­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For e xamp le, using t ire -r im
comb inations no t approved by Audi, lowering t he
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness o f the suspe nsio n,
i n cluding the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic contro l unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in c rashes in w hich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
164
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it should .
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim comb inations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the r isk of serious personal injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-r im combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to : vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig . 15 9 Driver 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the s teer ing whee l¢
fig. 159, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at about the same
height in the i nstr ument panel underneath the
glove compa rtment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protect ion to
the d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas a nd sup plements the p rotec­
t ion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fron tal coll is ions when t he deployment ..,_

Check ing and F illing
fi ll up at busy gas stations where the seasona l
adjustm ent is more likely to be mad e in time .
0 Note
-Me thanol f uels which do no t meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the spec i­
fied criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether or not a particular fuel blend meets the spec i­
fications, ask your service station or its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fue ls differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
s ibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Veh icle or the Emiss ion Control
System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy or
driveability and performance problems due
to the use of one of these fuel b lends, we
r ecommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A ma jo r concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build- up ca used by the type
of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades d iffer from one manu­
facturer to another, they have cer tain things in
common . All gaso line grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine
parts, such as fue l injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to
keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective .
Audi recommends using TOP TIE R Detergent Gas­
oline. For more information on TOP TIER Deter ­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www.toptiergas .com) .
192
After an extended period o f using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit bui ld-ups can rob your en­
gine of peak performance.
([) Note
Damage or ma lf u nction due to poor fue l qual ­
ity is not covered by the Audi New Vehicle
Limited Warranty .
Diesel fuel
Applies to: vehicles wi th diese l en gin e
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diese l) No. 2 .
The ULSD No. 2 meets the ASTM D97S.
D iesel fuel w ith concentrations of b iod iesel high­
er than 5 % such as B l 1, B20 or BlOO are st rict ly
prohibited .
Se rvice station fuel pumps are labe led wi th the
correc t fu el i nfo rmation for easy recogn ition by
the user . If the diesel fue l pump is not labe led
ask the station operator what fue l is being dis­
pensed before filling up your vehicle .
U LSD No . 2 may no t be ava ilable outside the USA
and Canada . Be s ure to check befo re t raveling to
other countries .
U LSD No . 2 can become th ic k e r i n very co ld tem­
peratures, and this can impa ir the e ng ine's s tart­
i ng and running . Depend ing on the season, gas
stations provide ULSD No . 2 that flows better in
cold temperatures so that you can continue oper­
at ing your vehicle as usual.
(D Note
- Your vehicle's diese l engine was designed
so ley for use with ULSD No . 2 . Therefore,
never use gasoline, heating oil, other fuels
or flow improvers. These contain substances
that will severely damage the fuel system and the engine. Such damage will not be
covered by your New Vehicle Limited War­
ranty.
- If you put any amo unt of incorrect fuel in
the fuel tank, do not start the engine under
any c ircumstances. Immed iate ly contact the
nearest author ized A udi dealer or author-
ized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance .
IJ,-

Checking and Filling
-Ad Blue is required by law to operate this ve­
hicle .
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to: vehicles with selective catalytic reduction
The display indicates if the Ad Blue level is low or
if there is a system malfunction.
AdBlue level low
You will be informed if the Ad Blue in the tank
drops below a certain level.
Please refill AdBlue . Range x mi (km)
This message appears when there is only enough
Ad Blue left to drive the distance indicated in the
driver information system . Fill the AdBlue.
Ad Blue ,0 Refill AdBlue! Cannot start engine
in x mi (x km)! See owner's manual
This message appears when there is only enough
Ad Blue left to drive the distance indicated in the
driver information system. Fill the AdBlue. Other­
wise the engine will not start again if you stop it
once the distance indicated has been driven. You
can also check the remaining distance in the on­
board computer* .
Refill Ad Blue! No restart! See own-
er's manual
This message appears when the Ad Blue tank is
empty . Fill the Ad Blue . Otherwise you will not be
able to start the engine again once you stop it .
The AdB lue must be refilled when the amount in
the tank has reached the minimum level
c::> page 196, Filling AdBlue.
Incorrect filling/system malfunction
A message appears if the Ad Blue tank was filled
with a fluid other than AdBlue and the system
has detected that the tank was fi lled incorrect ly,
or if there is a system malfunction .
Ad Blue-/' Ad Blue : system fault. No re start in
x mi (x km) See owner's manual
This message appears when it is only possible to
d rive the distance indicated in the driver informa­
tion system. Drive to the nearest authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility to have
196
the malfunction corrected . Otherwise the engine
will not start again if you stop it once the dis­
tance indicated has been driven.
AdBlue: System fault No restart!
See owner's manual
This message appears if the system has detected
that the tank was fi lled incorrect ly or that there
i s a ma lfunction. Drive immed iate ly to the near­
est authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility to have the ma lfunction co rrect ­
ed. Otherwise you wi ll not be able to start the en­
gine again once you stop it.
Filling AdBlue
Applies to: vehicles with selective cata lytic reduct ion
Fig. 180 R ig ht rea r side of t he ve hicle: removing the Ad B l­
ue cap
The Ad Blue tank open ing is located near the die­
sel tank opening . Add at least 1.5 gallons (S . 7
lit ers) of Ad Blue . This is the minimum amount re­
quired to ensure the system detects the refilling
and to start the eng ine. You can add a maximum
of 4.5 gallons (17 lite rs).
Requirement: the request to add AdBl ue must
appear in the ins trument cluster display .
.,. Switch the ignition off.
.,. Open the tank filler door
c::> page 193.
.,. Tu rn the cap on the filler neck counter-clock­
w ise using the wheel wrench from the vehicle
tool kit to remove it
c::> fig. 180.
.. Fill the Ad Blue using a bottle c::> page 197 or a
canister
c::> page 19 7.

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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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\.J ' -Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty . The engine cou ld mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this cou ld cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the vehi­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherwise fuel can
reach the catalytic converter. This could re­
sult in overheating of the converter, requ ir­
i ng its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
book let.
- Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as im ­
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and could lead to damage.
® For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op ­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erat ing states. This depends on the su lfur
content of the fuel being used. Using a differ­
ent brand of fue l may help, or filling the tank
w ith lead-free super grade gasoline .
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to: veh icles with diesel engine
The diesel particulate filter filters nearly all of
the soot particles out of the exhaust. The filter
cleans itself automatically under normal driving
conditions . If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex­
ample , because you are only driving short distan­
ces), the fi lter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbo l for the diesel particulate filter il­
luminates
¢ page 17.
A WARNING
-Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
-
Checking and Filling
the high temperature of the diesel particu­
late filter could start a fire.
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment, such as
checking and filling fluids, there is a risk of in­
jury, scalding, accidents, and burns. For this
reason, follow all the warnings and general
safety precaution s provided in the following in·
formation . The engine compartment is a dan­
gerous area on the vehicle.
¢ ,&..
A WARNING
= =--
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
-Select the P selector lever position.
- Let the engine cool down.
- 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 until no steam or coolant is
escaping .
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never sp ill fluids on a hot engine. These flu­
ids (such as the freeze protection contained
in the coolant) can catch fire.
- Avoid short circuits in the electrical system.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm . The
coo ling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
199

Checking and Filling
-Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed with the en­
gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
the high voltage ignition system.
- Do not under any circumstances give gas in­
advertently (for example, by hand from the
engine compartment) if the vehicle is sta­
tionary but the engine is running and a gear
is engaged. Otherwise, the vehicle will start
to move immediately and this could result
in an accident.
- Pay attention to the following warnings list­
ed when work on the fuel system or on the
electrical equipment is required.
- Do not smoke .
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi·
cal burns, accidents or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed
only by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components when the engine is running or is being start­
ed :
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ignition system
-If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­
tor lever in the P (park) position first .
- Always proceed with extreme caution so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not
become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into contact with hot compo­
nents. Tie back long hair before beginning
work and do not wear clothing that can
hang down into the engine.
200
-Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
c> A .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to mix the flu­
ids up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and en­
gine damage will occur.
@:) For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground under
your vehicle in order to detect leaks quickly. If
there are visible spots from oil or other fluids, bring your vehicle to an authorized Audi deal­
er or authori zed Audi Service Facility to be
checked.