2017 AUDI A7 coolant level

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Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster overview
The instrument cluster is the central information center for the driver.
Fig . 3 Instru ment cl uste r overview
CD Engine coolant temperature gauge
@ Tachometer ...... .... ...... . .
- With
OFF status indicator . .. . .
- With
READY status ind icator ..
@ Turn signals ...... .... ....... .
© Dis p lay w ith
- Drive r information system . .. . .
- Indicator lig hts ..... .. . .. .. .
® Speedometer
® Fuel level
(D Tips
9
1 0
69
69, 7 1
41
21
10
10
The instrument illumination for the needles
and d ia ls t urns on when the ignition is turned
on and the lights are turned off. The ill umina ­
t ion fo r the g auges reduces aut omat ically and
eve ntu ally t urns off as brigh tness outside in­
creases . This f unction reminds the drive r to
tur n the low beams on at the approp riate
time.
Coolant temperature indicator
ed o n. To prevent engine damage, please observe
t h e following notes about the temperature rang­
es.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge t urn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high eng ine speeds, full ac­
ce le rating and heavy e ngine loads.
Normal range
T he eng ine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the L EDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on.
If the. indicator light in the inst ru­
ment cluster d isp lay turns on, the coolant tem­
perature is too high¢
page 14.
(D Note
-Aux iliary headlig hts and ot her accessories in
front of the coo ling-air intake impa ir th e
cooling effect o f th e coolant . This increases
t he risk of th e engi ne overheating dur ing
hig h ou tsid e tempera tures and heavy en ­
gine load.
~ The coolant temperature display CD¢ page 9,
~ fig. 3 only functions w hen the ignition is switch-
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9

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
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\.J ' mode switches off. The temperature shou ld be
set to approximate ly 72 °F (22 °C).
The
IAU TOI button switches the defroster off.
IQiD REAR I Switching the rea r window defo gger
on /off
The rear window heate r o nl y operates when the
engine is running. It sw itches off automatical ly
afte r a few minutes, depend ing on the outs ide
temperature.
To prevent the rear w indow heater from switch­
ing off automatically , press and ho ld the
l lliil R EAR I
button fo r more than 2 seconds . T his is stored
until the ignition is switched off.
ISYNCI Synchronization
When synchronization is switched on, the set­
tings for the dr ive r's side are applied to the front
passenger's side (except fo r seat heating/ventila­
tion*) . The settings in the rear are a lso synchron­
ized. Synchronization switches off if the settings
are adjust ed on the front passenger's side or in
the rear .
You can synchronize the settings in a row by pressing and holding a contro l. For examp le, to
apply the s ettings for the front passeng er's side
to the d river's side, press and ho ld the contro l on
the front passenger 's side. The same applie s to
the rear .
Res idual heat *
With the ignition turned off, yo u can activate the
residual h eat function by press ing the [!] button
c:> fig. 71. The residual heat from the coolant is
used to heat the vehicle interior. The residual
heat function switches o ff au tomatically after
about 30 m inutes.
Air vents
You can open or close the cent er and rear v ents in
the cockpit and the vents in the rear center con­
sole and door pillars us ing the r idged thumb­
wheels. The levers adjust the direct io n of the a ir­
flow from the vents .
Warm and c old
A WARNING
- You shou ld not use the recircu lation mode
for an extended period of time since no
fresh air is drawn in . W it h the air-condition­
ing switched off, the windows can fog up,
which inc reases the risk of an acc ident.
- Individuals w ith reduced sensit ivity to pa in
or tempe rature could develop b urns when
using the seat heat ing f unct ion. To red uce
t he risk of i njury, these individu als sho uld
not use seat heating.
(!;) Note
To avoid damage to the heating elements in
the seats, do not knee l on the seats o r place
heavy loads on a small area of the sea t.
Basic settings
The climate control system basic settings are ac ­
cessed in the Infotainment system.
.,. Select: the I CAR I functio n button > (Car )* Sys -
tems
co ntro l butto n > AC.
Rear se at settings*
When this funct ion is selected, all settings for
the rear can be adjusted t hrough the climate con­
trol system in the cockpit . The climate control
system settings cannot be adjusted in the rear
seat at t he same time. This f unct ion sw itches off
after a ce rtain per iod of t ime o r when one of t he
contro ls in the coc kp it is pressed.
Automatic reci rculation*
T he sensitivity level of the automatic recircula­
t ion mode can be set at var ious levels from
Off to
S ensitive . Recircu lation mode is cont ro lled auto­
matically. If the windows fog up , press the
I""' FR ON T! button .
Footwell temperature*
You can adjust the footwell temperature so that
it is cooler or wa rme r.
Aut omat ic auxiliar y heater *
In vehicles with diesel engines*, the auxiliary
heater helps to warm the vehicle interior more
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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-
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\.J ' scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Also, safet y and
en vir onm enta l
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en ­
g ine and transm ission parts wh ich an owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re ­
qu ire special tools, test ing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work­
shop perso nnel i n order to assure proper per ­
forma nce, re liability and safety of the ve hicle and
i ts many systems.
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your veh icle warranty.
Therefore, proof of se rvicing in accordance with
the ma intenance sc hedule may be a condition for
upho ld ing a possib le wa rranty claim made wi thin
the warranty pe riod.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessa ry risks fo r you and
your p assengers.
If in doubt about any se rvicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other properly
eq uipped and qua lified workshop. We strongly
urge yo u to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opport unity to perform a ll scheduled ma inte­
nance and necessary repairs . Your dealer has the
facilities, origina l parts and trained specialists to
keep your veh icle running properly .
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The follow ing pages des cribe a lim ited number of
p rocedures w hich can be per formed o n your veh i­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personnel be unavailable . Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
ough ly read a ll of the app licab le text and carefu l­
ly follow the instructions g iven. Always rigorously
observe the
WARNING S provided .
Before you check anything in the engine com ·
partment , always read and heed all WARNINGS
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 199.
Con sumer inf ormation
A WARNING
- Ser ious personal in jury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or re pairs .
- Always be extremely careful when work ing
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mo n sense. Never risk pe rsonal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the mai ntenance,
checks or repairs described on t he following
pages if you are not fu lly familiar wi th these
or other proce dures with respect to the ve­
h icle, o r are uncerta in how to pro ceed.
- Do not do a ny work withou t the prope r tools
a nd eq uipment. H ave the necessary wo rk
done by your au thorized Audi dealer or an­
other proper ly equipped and qualified wo rk ­
shop.
- The engine compa rtment of any motor ve hi­
cle is a potent ially hazardous area . Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan.
It is temperature controlled and
can switch o n suddenly - even when the en­
g ine is off . The radiato r fan switches on au ­
tomatically when the coolan t reaches a cer­
tain tempe ra ture and w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work underneat h
the vehicle . The jack supp lied with t he veh i­
cle is no t adequ ate for t his pu rpose and
could collapse ca us ing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you m ust wor k unde rne ath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels a re always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic t ransmiss ion) is in P (Park
position) and the pa rk brake is applied .
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265

Consumer inf orm ation
@ For the sake of the env ironment
- Changing the engine settings wi ll adversely
affect emission levels. Th is is detrimental to
the environment and increases fuel con­
sumption.
- A lways observe environmental regu lations
when disposing of old engine o il, used brake
fl ui d, d irty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers mig ht be classified as Perchlorate Mate­
rial -special handl ing may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
r ate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modu les
safety be lts wi th pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicab le laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your deal­ er perform this service for you.
Accessories and technical changes
Additional accessories and parts replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design
features ensuring a high standard of active and passive safety.
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
proved changes to the vehicle . For this reason, if
parts have to be replaced, please observe the fo l­
lowing points when insta lling addit ional accesso­
ries:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are available from author ized Audi dealers.
These dealers also have the necessary faci lities,
too ls and trained specialists to install the parts
and accessories properly.
266
A WARNING
-
Using the wrong spare parts or using non-ap-
proved accessories can cause damage to the
vehicle and serious personal injury.
- Use only accessories expressly approved by
Aud i and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessor ies have been spe­
cially designed to be used on your vehicle.
- Do not use license plate brackets in the
front area that are d ifferent from the one
installed at the factory, or add additional li­
cense plate brackets.
- Never install accessor ies such as telephone
cradles or beverage holders on airbag covers
or w it hi n the airbag deployment zones. Do­
ing so will i ncrease t he risk of injury if a ir­
bags are triggered in an accident!
- Before you check anything in the eng ine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS ¢page 199.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine A udi spa re
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
i t ems are used or if repair wor k is not per­
formed according to specified me thods, this
can resul t in severe damage to your vehi ­
cle's eng ine and body (such as corrosion)
and adve rsely affect your vehicle's warranty.
- If emergency repai rs must be per formed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by an
authorized Audi dealer as soon as possib le .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable for
damage which occurs d ue to failure to com­
ply with these stipulations.
Technical Modifications
Our guidelines must be complied with when tech­
nical modifications are made .
A lways consu lt an authorized Audi dea ler
before
start ing work on any modifications .
This will help ensure tha t vehi cle fu nction, per-
fo rmance and s afety are not impaired¢ &,.
ll-