2018 AUDI A7 warning

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" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the driver's safety belt must be latched and the
parking brake must be set.
.,. To start driving and release the parking brake
automatically, press the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are available when you start driving
¢page 74,
Starting to drive.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
.,. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold
the(®) switch and
press the accelerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward.
.,. You can release the C®l switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.,. Pull and hold the®) switch.
.,. As soon as you release the (®) switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and holding the
C®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­ ing effect is similar to heavy
braking¢&_ .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when
the®> switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the®) switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
Driving
.,. Pull the®> switch to set the parking brake .
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Turn the engine off¢&_ .
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
A WARNING
-
- Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accident.
- Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
During emergency braking, your vehicle will
brake similar to heavy braking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics . In cor­
ners and when road or weather conditions
are bad, a full brake application can cause
the vehicle to skid or the rear end to swerve,
which
increases the risk of an accident.
- If the power supply fails , you cannot set the
parking brake if it is released . In this case,
park the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving your vehicle, even for a short period
of time. This applies particularly when chil­
dren remain in the vehicle. Otherwise chil­
dren could start the engine, release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power windows, which in­
creases the risk of an accident .
- No one should remain in the vehicle when it
is locked - especially children . Locked doors
make it more difficult for emergency work­
ers to get into the vehicle, which puts lives
at risk.
(D Tips
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping
in city traffic, you can set the parking brake
manually . The vehicle does not have to be
73

Drivin g
held with the br ake pedal. T he parking brake
eliminates the tendency to creep when a se­
lector lever pos ition is engaged . As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the park ing
brake releases automat ically and your vehicle
starts to move
¢ page 74 .
(D Tips
- Occasiona l noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased are normal and are not a
cause for concern .
- The park ing brake goes through a se lf-test
cycle at regular intervals when the veh icle is
stopped . Any noises associated w ith this are
no rmal.
- If there is a power fa ilure, the parking brake
will not set if it is released, and it will not r elease if it is
set¢ &. See an authorized
A udi dealer or authori zed Audi Servi ce Fa­
cility for ass istance.
Starting to drive
Va rio us conven ience and safety fu nctions may be
av aila ble when the vehicle begins d riv in g, de ­
pending on vehicle eq uipment.
Starting on hills with the parking brak e set
Requ irement: the dr iver's door must be closed
and the dr iver's safety be lt must be fastened .
.. To start driving comfortab ly when on a hill , se t
the parking brake and begin dr iv ing as usual.
T he brak ing force of the park ing brake does not
re lease automatically until t he wheels b uild up
eno ugh dr iv ing fo rce .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold ass ist makes it eas ier to start on hills.
Req uirement: the driver 's door must be closed
and the eng ine must be r unning.
.. T o activate hill hold assist, press an d hold the
brake peda l for seve ral seconds. The ve hicle
must be in an up hill direction of travel.
Afte r releasing the br ake pe dal, the br aking pow ­
er is ma intained for a brie f
moment¢ A to p re ­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting .
74
During this time, you can easily begin to move
yo ur vehicle .
A WARNING
Applies to: ve hicles with hill hold assist
- If you do not beg in driving immed iate ly or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may beg in to roll back­
ward. Press the bra ke peda l or se t the park­
ing b rake immedi ately.
- The inte lligent technology of hill ho ld assist
cannot ove rcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural phys ica l laws. The increased com fort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
you to take safety risks.
- Hill hold ass ist cannot hold the vehicle in
place on all hills (for examp le, if the ground
is s lippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk o f an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stationary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
The au tomatic transmissio n is controlled elec­
t ronically. The transmission shifts up or down au ­
tomat ic al ly depen ding on which dr ive p rogr am is
selected .
When a
moderate driving sty le is used, the
t ransm iss ion selects the mos t econom ica l dr iv ing
mode. The tra nsmission upshi fts at a lowe r RPM
and downs hifts a t a higher RPM to improve fue l
efficiency.
The transmission sw itc hes to a sporty mode after
a kick- down o r when the dr iver uses a
s porty
dri ving style
characterized by quick acce lerato r
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
c h anges in sp eed and t raveling at the maximum
speed .
I f desired, t he driver can also selec t the gears
manually (tipt ronic mode ) ¢ page 78.
Applies to: vehicles wit h S t ronic transmiss ion
The S tron ic is a d ua l- cl utc h t ran smission. Power
i s transfer red using two clutches that work inde -
pendent ly from one another . They rep lace the
..,_

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N
" N ,...,
0 00 <.,;) ' torque converter used in conventional automatic
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate without a noticeab le interruption in tract ion .
Appl ies to: veh icles wit h a t iptro nic tra nsm iss io n
Power is transferred using a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Fig. 81 Instrument cluste r: se lecto r leve r po sition s
The selector lever position that is engaged is
shown in the instrument cluster display .
P- Park
T his selector l ev er position prevents the vehicle
from rolling. You can only sh ift into Park when
the vehicle is
stationary ¢.&. .
To shift in and out of the P selector lever posi­
tion, press th e interlock button in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake pedal. This only
works when the ignition is turned on.
R - R everse
Only shift into reverse gea r when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢.&. .
To select the R se lector lever position, press t he
interlock button
while pressing the brake peda l
at the same time. The back-up lights switch on in
the R position if the ignition is switched on .
N -Neutral
The transm iss ion is in idle in this pos it ion ¢,&. .
DIS -Normal pos iti on for d riv ing forward
In the D/S selector lever pos ition, the transm is ­
sion can be ope rated either in the normal D mode
or in the S sport mode . T o select the S sport
D rivi ng
mode, pull the selector lever back briefly. Pulling
the lever back again will select the normal D
mode. The instrument cluster d isp lay shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
n o rmal mode D, the transmission auto ­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving . The
vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's power.
Sh ift ing is more not iceable when accelerating .
To move from selecto r lever pos ition N to D, you
must press the brake pedal and the vehicle must
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta­
t ionary ¢.&. .
A WARNING
----
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
sw itched off.
- Never se lect R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the b rake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
r u nning. Otherwise, this inc reases the risk
of an acc ident.
- Do not inadvertently p ress the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stopped if a gea r is
engaged. O therwise the ve hicle will start to
move immed iate ly, even if the parking brake
is set . This could result in a crash.
- To decrease the r is k of an accident, these­
lecto r lever mus t be in the P pos ition and
the parking brake must be set before open ­
ing the hood and working on a running en­
g ine. A lways read and follow the applicable
warn ings
¢ page 193, Working in the en­
gine compartment.
(D Tips
- Drive select : sporty shifting characteristics
can be se lected using the
Dynamic driv ing
mode.Swill appear in the instrument clus­
ter display instead of D.
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" N .... 0 00 \.J ' Stopping/parking
If t he se lecto r lever is not in t he P posi tion when
you open the driver 's door, the vehicle could rol l.
The message
V ehicle ma y roll! Selector le ver not
in P
appears . A warning tone will a lso sound .
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal¢.&_ .
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the P selector lever position.
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, s uch as dr iv ing in
the mountains, i t may be useful to switch tempo­
rari ly to the manua l shift program in order to
manually adjust the gears to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 78.
On inclines, activate the park ing brake fi rst and
then move the selector lever to the P position
¢ page 72 . Th is prevents the locking mechanism
from being loaded too heavi ly and wi ll make it
eas ier to move the se lector lever out of the P po­
sition .
A WARNING
-The veh icle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off .
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
runn ing wh ile in gear .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition wh ile
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
ru nning .
-
-Please note that a sma ll amount of power is
t ransmitted if the vehicle is stopped tempo­
ra rily while in t he D/S or R selector lever po ­
s iti on. To redu ce the r isk of an accident, yo u
mus t continue press ing firmly on the brake
peda l w hil e the vehicle is stopped so that it
does not roll.
-Never engage the R o r P se lec to r level posi­
tions while driving .
It could cause a crash.
-Be fore dr iv ing dow n a steep s lope, red uce
yo ur speed and shift in to a lower gear with
"ti ptro n i c" .
-Do not ride the brakes o r press the brake
peda l too often or too long w hen driving
down hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak-
Driving
ing distance or causes comp lete fai lure of
the brake system.
-If you m ust stop on an incline, a lways ho ld
the vehicle in place wit h the foot brake or
parking brake to prevent it from rolling
back .
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipp ing clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload .
The@] indicator light turns on
a nd a message
appears~ page 79 when
the clutch is overloaded .
@ Note
-When stopping on an incl ine, do not try to
hold the ve hicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator peda l wh ile a d riving gear is se­
lected. This ca n cause t he transmission to
over heat a nd can damage it. Se t the park ing
bra ke or p ress the brake pedal to p revent
t he vehicle from rolling.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when t he engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be ­
cause it is not lubricated.
(D Tips
Fo r sa fety reasons, the park ing bra ke is re ­
l eased a utomatica lly on ly when t he driver 's
safety be lt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor leve r is in the D or S position and yo u press
the brake peda l. The transmission a utomatica lly
selects a gear that is suitable for the hi ll. Hill de ­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach ­
ieved at the time of braking, w ith in physical and
technical lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed w ith the brake pedal.
Hi ll descent control switches off once the hill lev-
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
.,..
77

Driving
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢ page 84, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
)
r
Fig. 83 Center console : sh ifting manual ly w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig. 84 Stee ring wheel: shifting manually w ith t he s hift
paddles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing .
"To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the 0/5 sett ing to the right. As soon
as the transmission switches over, the
M selec­
tor lever position will appear in the instrument
cluster disp lay.
.. To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 83.
78
" To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
o.
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the 0/5 or M
selector lever positions.
" To shift up a gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢ fig . 84 .
"To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before cr itical engine speed is reached .
Applies to: RS mo dels: when accelerating , the
transmission does
not automatically shift to the
next gear shortly before the maximum permitted
engine RPM is reached. Shift to the next highest
gear at the right time.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is w ith in the permitted
range.
Kick-down
Kick -down enables maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­ mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on veh icle speed and engine RPM .
It shifts up in­
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci­
fied engine RPM is reached .
In tiptronic mode, the transmission does
not au­
tomat ically shift down into a lower gear . If you
must accelerate, for examp le to pass a vehicle,
you must shift manually .
A WARNING
-
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Appl ies to : RS 7 Sportback pe rformance
The maximum engine torque is temporarily in­
creased in overboost . Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operating temperature.
II>

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" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' The bars in the boost pressure indicator are red
¢page 23.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when overboost is ac­
tive.
Launch control program
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with S tro nic
-
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop.
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned.
.. Deactivate the Start/Stop system*¢ page 72.
The LED in the 10 ,r- l button turns on.
.. Switch the electronic stabilization control (ESC)
sport mode on
¢ page 121. The II indicator
light turns on.
.. Pull the selector lever b ack out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position or select the
DYNAMIC driving mode in drive select
¢ page 106 .
.,. Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second.
.. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down w ith your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal within
five seconds
¢ & ..
A WARNING
- Always adapt your driv ing to the traffic flow.
- Only use the Launch control program when
road and traffic conditions allow it and oth­
er drivers will not be endangered or both­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel­
eration.
- Please note that the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is s lippery.
Driving
-Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I ~ OFFI button briefly to turn the sport
mode
off.
(D Tips
- Th e transmission temperature may increase
significantly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few minutes. It will be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads . This can lead to increased
wear .
Transmission malfunction
[i'J Transmission: Pres s brake pedal and select
gear again .
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
lector lever position again . You can then continue
driv ing .
[O] Transmission overheating: Please drive con­
servatively.
The transmission temperature has increased sig­
nificantly due to the sporty d riving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
switches of .
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to an au­
thori zed Audi dealer or authori zed Audi Service
Facility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving with limited functionality
T here is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The engine may sta ll.
Drive to an au thorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the malfunction corrected .
..,.
79

Driving
App lies to: ve hicles w ith S tro nic t ra n smi ssio n
Ii) 10 Tran sm issio n m alfunctio n: N o reve rse
ge ar. You c an c ontinue d riv ing
There is a system malfunct io n in the t ransm is­
sion . T he transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
You cannot engage the r everse gear. Drive to an
author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
[!l Transmi ssio n m alfun cti on : Sto p vehicl e and
s hift t o park .
Do not cont inue drivi ng. Select the P se lector lev­
er position and see an authorized Audi dea le r or
author ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
(D Note
If the transmission has switched to emergen­
cy mode, drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
author ized A udi Se rvice Facility immediate ly
to have the ma lfunction corrected.
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle's power supply foils, the selector
lever con be released in on emergency.
F ig. 85 Fro nt ce nter console: emergency release for t hese ­
l ector lever
.,. T o reach the emergency release mechanism, re­
move t he ashtray insert * .
.,. Loosen and remove the sma ll cap in the ashtray
mount ~ fig. 85 .
.,. You now have access to a pin . Using a screw­
driver or s imilar object, press the pin down and
hold it in that posit ion.
80
.,. Press the release button in the selector lever
and move it into the N position .
Only move the selec tor lever o ut of the P posit ion
when the ignition is switched on. If the vehicle
must be pushed or towed due to a power failure
(for example, the vehicle battery is drained), the
selector lever must first be moved to the N posi­
tion using the emergency release mechanism.
A WARNING
- Only activate the emergency release while
on a level surface or a slight slope .
- Only move the selector lever out of the P po­
sition when the parking brake is set. If it is
not funct ioning, secure the veh icle from
ro lling using the brake pedal or other suita­
ble means, such as b locking a front and a
rear wheel. An unsecured vehicle may roll
away, which increases the risk of an acci­
dent .

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" N .... 0 00 \.J - Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your veh icle is primar ily intended for transport­
ing people and luggage. However, if you dr ive
with a trailer , follow the technical requirements,
the operation and driving tips, and the legal reg­
u lations.
Driving with a trailer affects the vehicle 's fuel
consumption, performance and wear. It also re­
quires highe r concentration from the driver.
A WARNING
Do not transport any people in a trailer due to
the risk of fatal injury.
Technical requirements
Certain requirements must be met when towing
a trailer.
Trailer hitch
Only use a trailer hitch with a removab le ball
hitch mount and ball hitch. The trailer hitch must
be perm itted for the vehicle, the trailer and the
permitted total weight of the trailer being
pu lled. Above all, it must be secure ly and safe ly
attached to the vehicle trailer.
Never mount a trailer hitch on the bumper. The
trailer hitch must be mounted in a way that does
not impair the function of the bumper. Do not
make any changes to the exhaust system and the
brake system.
Check regularly if the trailer hitch is securely
mounted. A lways follow the instructions given by
the trai ler hitch manufacturer .
Trailer brakes
If the tra iler has its own brake system, then fol­
l ow the manufacturer specifications. However,
the brake system on the trailer must never be
connected to the vehicle brake system.
Trailer towing
Engine cooling system
Driving with a trailer means a higher load on the
engine and the cooling system. The coo ling sys­
tem must be designed for additiona l load and
contain enough coo lant
i::> @ .
@ Note
Longer inclines cannot be driven without a
suitab le cooling system, especia lly if t he out­
side temperatures are high . otherwise, this
increases the risk of engine damage.
Operating instructions
Several things must be noted when towing a
trailer.
Towing capacity
Your vehicle can only be operated with class 1 or
class 2 trailers.
Load distribution
Poor cargo load and distribut ion can negatively
impact vehicle handling.
- Store objects preferably in the vehicle luggage
compartment . The vehicle should always carry
the heaviest poss ible load and the trailer
should have the lightest possible load.
- Distribute the load in the trailer so that the
heavy objects are as close to the axle as poss i­
b le.
- Secure objects from sl iding out of place .
- Ut ilize the maximum permitted tongue weight
if possible .
Tires
Set the tire pressure on your vehicle for a "full
load"; see the tire pressure sticker
c::>page 215.
If necessary, also adjust the tire pressure on the
trailer according to the manufacturer's recom­ mendat ion .
Winter tires should be mounted on the vehicle and on the trailer during winter temperatures.
Outside mirrors
If you cannot see the tra ffic behind the trailer
with the standard exterior mirrors, then you
81