2017 AUDI A7 brakes

Instruments and indicator lights
increases the risk that the vehicle will slide.
Do not continue driving. See an author ized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Facili­
ty for assistance.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
If t he - (USA models) /. (Canada models)
indicator light tu rns on , the park ing brake was
set.
- (USA mod els) /. (Canada models) Cau­
tion : V ehi cle parked too st eep
If the indicato r light blinks and the message ap­
pears, there is not enough braking power to se­
cure the vehicle . The brakes have overhea ted . The
ve hicle could roll away even on a small incline.
- (U SA models) /. (Canada models) Press
b rake p edal to release parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the~ button at the same time
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
r=> page 75 .
rlJ Parking b rake!
There is a malfunction in the parking brake. Dr ive
to a n author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Serv ice Faci lity immediately to have the malfunc­
tion correc ted.
(D Tips
For add it iona l information on the park ing
brake, see
r=> page 74.
...L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant lev el!
The coolant leve l is too low.
Do not cont inue driving and switch the engine
off. Check the coolant level
r=> page 206 .
-If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
r=> page 206. Only cont inue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off .
• Cool ant temperature too high! Plea se let en­
gine run with vehicle st ationa ry
14 Let the engine run at idle for a few minutes to
cool off, until the indicator lig
ht turns off .
- If the ind icator light does not tu rn off , do no t
cont inue driv ing the veh icle. See an authorized
Audi dea ler or a uthorized Audi Service Facility
for ass istance.
A WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This increases the risk of burns . Wait until you no longer see o r hear
steam or coolant escaping .
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dange rous area . Stop the engine and
allow it to cool befo re working in the engine
compa rtment. Always follow the informa­
tion fo und in
r=> page 199, Working in the
engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the . indicato r
li ght t urns on -this inc reases the risk of en­
gine damage.
,(,. Front safety belt
The . indicator lig ht stays on until the dr iver's
and front passenger's safety belts are fastened.
Above a certain speed, there will a lso be a warn­
i ng tone.
(j) Tips
For additional information on safety belts,
see ¢
page 140 .
0 Alternator/vehicle battery
• Electrical s ystem: m alfunction! Battery is
not being charged
There is a ma lfunction in the a lternator or the ve­
hicle e lectrical system.
Drive to an au thorized A udi dealer or au thori zed
Audi Se rvice Fa cility immediate ly. Beca use the ve ­
hicle battery is discharging, turn off a ll unneces­
sary ele ctrical eq uipment such as the radio . Se e
your authori zed Audi dea ler or authori zed Audi
Ill>

Instruments and indicator lights
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea ler or a uth orized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct ion corrected .
Ill Engine start sy stem fault . Plea se contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the eng ine start ing sys­
tem.
Dr ive to an authorized Aud i deale r or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected.
0 Air suspension
• Air su spen sion : Sy stem fault Driving slowly
at maximum 35 mph is pos sible.
There is a malfunction that can result i n restrict­
ed driving stabili ty.
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately at a maximum
speed of 3S mph (60 km/ h) to have the ma lf u nc­
tion cor rec ted .
• Air suspension : Service mode . Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your author iz ed Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to
have the serv ice mode deactivated.
rl Air suspension : System fault
T here is a system malfunct io n that ca n result in
restricted driving stability o r reduced ground
clearance .
Dr ive to an a uth o rized Aud i de aler or auth o rized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have t he
malfunction corrected .
rl Air sus pension : Vehicle is too low. Ground
clearance limited
The ground clearance is very low due to a system malfunct io n. Wa it until the air suspens ion sys­
tem has restored norma l grou nd clearance. Oth­
erw ise, condi tions such as an uneven road s urfa ce
can lead to vehicle damage.
16
Lt Brake booster
d Brake servo : limited functionality . You can
continue driving . Conta ct work shop
There is a ma lfunction in the brake booster. The
brake booste r is ava ilab le, but its effectiveness is
r educed. Bra kin g behavior may be different from
h ow it norm ally f un cti ons and the br ake peda l
may vibrate .
D rive to an au thorized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Fa cil ity immed iate ly to have the
malfunction cor rec ted .
;;,/!:; Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
If the bl ind icator light blinks while driving, the
ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active ly regu­
l ating .
I f the
bl ind ic a tor light turns on, the system has
swi tched t he ESC off. In t his case, yo u can switch
the ignition off and then on to switch the ESC on again. The indicator light t urns off when the sys ­
tem is functioning fully .
I f the
II ind icator light turns on, ESC was
switched off using the
I~ O FFI button
¢ page 120 .
Stabilization control (ESC / ABS) malfun ction!
See owner's manual
I f the GJ ind icator light and t he A BS i ndica to r
li gh t
rJ]J (U SA mode ls) I riJ (C an ada models)
tu rn o n an d this message appears, there is a mal­
funct ion in the ABS system or e lectronic differen ­
tia l lock. This also causes the ESC to malfunction.
The brakes still function with their normal power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or au thorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
If the 1111 (USA models) • (Canada mod ­
e ls) brake system ind icator light turns on to­
gethe r with the ABS and ESC ind icator lights,
the ABS a nd ESC regulating fu nction may
h ave mal func tioned. Funct io ns that stab ilize

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\.J ' Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break­
in distance should be 1,000 mi les ( 1,500 km). Do
not drive at speeds that w ill exceed
2/3 of the
maximum permitted engine speed
(RPM) for the
first 600 miles (1,000 km) , and avoid full accel­
eration during this period . You may gradually
start increasing the
RPM and the speed between
600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km).
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven during the first 1,000
miles (1,500 km) also affects the engine quality.
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icularly when running a cold
engine . This will reduce engine wear and improve
the mileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (rpm).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly" . Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati ­
cally reduced .
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive pa r­
ticularly careful for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­
meters) after fitting .
.&_ WARNING
-
New tires tend to be slippery and must also
be "broken-in". Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 miles (500 kilometers).
Brake gently . Avo id following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing.
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low-
D riving
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles with low-slung
chass is (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Warming up/cooling down
Appl ies to: Sand RS models
By warming up/cooling down the engine careful­
ly, you can he lp reduce unnecessary strain on
your vehicle when driving in a sporty style.
The engine speed is limited when the engine is
cold -the full engine output is not available.
When the engine is at operat ing temperature,
the engine speed limitation moves to a higher
RPM range. The tires also only reach their full
road holding capab ility once they have warmed
up .
Your vehicle also has an after-run cooling fea­
ture . However, cooling down is still important.
The engine and the brakes as well as the exhaust
system and the transmission become very hot
when driving in a spo rty style . Before you shut
the vehicle off, you should cool down the vehicle
by driving a few miles at low speeds with light ac­
celeration.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of vehicle
damage when driving through water, for example
on flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body .
- Do not drive faste r than walking speed.
.&_ WARNING
= -
After driving through water or mud, the effec-
tiveness of the brakes may be reduced due to
moisture on the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few careful brake applications should dry
off the brakes .
(D Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspens ion or electrical
65

Driving
system can be severely damaged by dr iving
th ro ugh water.
- Always switch the Star t/Stop sys tem * off
when driving through wate r
r:';> page 71.
{D) Tips
-Dete rm ine the depth befo re driv ing th ro ugh
wa ter.
- Do not s to p the veh icle, dr ive in reverse or
swi tc h t he eng ine off when dr iv ing t hrough
wa ter.
- K eep in mind t hat on coming veh icles m ay
crea te waves t hat raise the wate r level an d
make it too deep for your ve hicle to drive
th ro ugh safely.
- Avo id driving through s alt wa ter, because
th is can ca use corros io n.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l cons umption, the env iron­
men tal impact and the wear to the engine,
b rakes and t ires dep ends mostly on your dr iv ing
style. W ith an anticipatory and economic driv ing
s tyle, f ue l consumption can be reduced by ap­
p roximate ly 10-15% . The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipatory dr iving
A veh icle uses the mos t fu el when a cce le ra ting.
W hen you dr ive wi th ant icipat ion, you do not
need to brake as often and so you ac celerate less .
When possib le, let your ve hicle coast wit h a
gear
engaged ,
for example, when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions a nd fuel con­
sumpt io n to ze ro (f uel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
An effective way to save fuel is to upshift earlier.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the acce le rator peda l slowly and
avoid "k ick -down" .
66
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maxim um vehicle
speed. Hig h speeds cause a disproportionate ly
high increase in fue l cons umption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slowe r driving saves fue l.
Reduce idling time
The Start-S top system * helps to re du ce the idling
time automat ic all y. In ve hicles withou t the Star t­
Stop system *, i t is efficient to sw itch the engine
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
red lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds a lready saves more fue l than the amo unt of
extra fue l needed to restart the engine.
It takes a very long time in id le to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm- up
phase . Therefore, you shou ld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engi ne. Avoid high
RPMs wh ile doing this.
Have maintenance performed regul arly
By having maintenance pe rformed reg ula rly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The
mainte nance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long- term value but al­
so im pacts
fuel consumption . A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consump tio n t hat
i s 1 0% hig he r th an no rm al.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exhaust clean ing system must
r each their op tima l
operating temperature to ef­
fect ively reduce consump tion a nd emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fuel. T he eng ine reaches operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption no rma lizes only
af ter approximate ly
2.5 miles (4 km).
Check the tire pressu re
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to t he correct press ure
r=':>page 221. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres­
s ur e is only 0 .5 bar too low . Due to t he i ncreased
r oll ing resis tance, low tire p ressures w ill also
...

Driving
than 2 seconds when the brake pedal is not
pressed.
Interlock button
The in terlo ck button in the selector leve r handle
p revents you from moving the se lector lever i n­
adve rtently while in some se lector lever posi ­
tions. The positions that require the interlock
button to be pressed are marked in co lor in the il­
lustration ¢
fig. 82.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
• The selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
s ition.
Starting from a stop
• Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Press and hold the lock button in the selector
lever hand le, select the desired se lector lever
position such as 0/5 and release the lock but­
ton.
• Wait a moment u ntil the transmission shifts .
You w ill not ice a slight moveme nt when the
gear engages .
• Release t he b rake pedal and press the accelera­
tor pedal ¢& .
Stopp ing temporarily
• Keep the veh icle stationary us ing the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights .
• Do not p ress the accelerator pedal when doing
th is.
• To preve nt the vehicle from rolling w hen you
sta rt d riving, se t the par king brake w hen stop­
ping on steep inclines¢&, .
• The park ing brake w ill release automatically
and the vehicle wi ll start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the se lec tor lever is not in the P posit io n when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could rol l.
The message
Transmission: selector lever in
drive position!
appears . A warn ing tone w ill also
sound.
• Press and hold the brake pedal¢&, .
78
• Se t the park ing brake.
• Select the P se lector lever position .
U nder cert ain circumst ances, such as d riving in
t h e mo unta ins, it may be useful to swi tch tempo ­
rarily to the man ual sh ift program in order to
manua lly adjust the gears to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 79 .
On inc lines, activate the parking brake f irs t and
then move the selector lever to the P position
¢
page 74. This prevents the locking mechanism
from be ing loaded too heavily and will make it
easier to move the selector lever out of the P po­
s ition.
A WARNING
-
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignit io n is
sw itched off.
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
r u nning while in gear .
- Do not press the acce le rato r pedal when
changing t he selec tor lever posit ion while
the vehicle is s tat ionary and the engine is
r u nning.
- Please note that a small amount of power is
tra nsmi tted if the vehicle is stoppe d tem po­
rari ly wh ile in the D/S or R sele ctor leve r po­
sitio n. T o reduce the ris k of an ac cident, you
m ust c ontin ue pressing firm ly on the brake
pe dal while the ve hicle is stopped so that it
does not roll.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i­
tion s while dr iving. It could ca use a crash .
- Before driving down a s teep slope, redu ce
your speed and sh ift into a lower gear w ith
"t i p tronic" .
- Do not ri de the brakes or press the brake
pe dal too often or too long when dr iv ing
downhill . Constant braking causes t he
brakes to ove rheat and substant ia lly re­
duces brak ing performance, increases brak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the bra ke system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place w it h the foot brake or
parking bra ke to p revent it from rolling
back .

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<.,;) 'SI"
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
1§1 indicator light turns on
and a message appears
Q page 81 when
the clutch is overloaded.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
l ected. This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it. Set the parking
brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- Allow ing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent contro l is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the Dor S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢ page 85, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
_& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
Driving
a constant speed under all conditions. Always be ready to apply the brakes.
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shi~ the
gears manually .
'
Fig. 83 Center console : shift ing manually wit h the selector
lever
Fig. 84 Steering w hee l: m anual s hifting wi th the sh ift pad­
dles•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driving.
.,. To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the right. As soon
as the transmission switches over, the
M selec­
tor lever posit ion will appear in the instrument
cluster display .
"'To shift up a gear, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 83.
"'To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0-
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
selector lever positions. .,.
79

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the tra ile r operation mode
¢ page 82, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trai ler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your ve hicle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle 's chassis at a
technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always chec k w it h t he t rail ­
er hitch man ufactur er to make s ure t hat you a re
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch m ust be installed i n such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper sys tem . N o mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck t hat all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely faste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from behind¢ &..
82
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped wi th a bra king sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to all regu la ­
tions.
The trailer hydrau lic br ake system mus t not be
directly connecte d to the vehicle's hydr auli c
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
a nd t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your Aud i dea ler for correct wir ing,
switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outs ide mir rors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors. It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
A WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tch, do not s to re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In cas e of sudden brak ing,
the hit ch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your pas sengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
cla ss 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held sec urely in
place to p revent it from shifting forward , back­
ward or si deways .
Never allow a pas senger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driving instructions on page 84.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes the engine wor k harder . It
i s impo rtant that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Ma ke sure that
the cooling system has enoug h fluid.
IJJ,,,

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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,,
83