2017 AUDI A7 service

Checking and Filling
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 184 Typical location of the rese rvoir and the engine o il fil le r open ing
(D Jump start po int(-) with hex head screw
<::;> page 208, <::;> page 254
@ Ju mp start point(+) under a cover
<::;> page 208, ¢ page 254
® Engine oil label* with VW standard
<::;> page 202
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) <::;> page 207
® Engine oil filling opening (~)¢page 204
@ Coolant reservoir (- L) ¢ page 206
(j) Washer fluid reservoir (0) ¢ page 209
The engine oil f illing opening (item@) may be
located in a differe nt area depending on the en­
gine version .
A WARNING
Read and follow the WARNINGS before
checking anything in the engine compartment
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compartment
on page 199.
202
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The service interval display in the instrumen t
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change. We recommend that you
have your oi l changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Advisor.
If you must add oil between oil changes, use an
oi l that matches the Audi oil quality standard
listed on the sticker. The sticker is located at the
front of the eng ine compartment ¢
page 202,
fig. 184 .
Audi recommends
~Castrol /fg/j;Sf.g;fg f'r Audi recommends Longlife high performance
engine oil from Aud i Genuine Parts .,_

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

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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\.J ' ~ Clamp the charger terminal clamps to the jump
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
M N
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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

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