2018 AUDI A7 check oil

Instrum ent s and ind icat or light s
-The front spoiler also he lps to distribute
cooling air while driving . If the spoiler is
damaged, the cooling effect w ill be im­
paired and the r isk of the engine overheat­
i ng will increase. See an author ized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility for
ass istance.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM) .
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1,S00 RPM. The beginn ing of
the red zone in the tachometer indicates the maximum permissible engine speed for all gears
once the engine has been broken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature. Before
reaching the red zone, yo u should shift into the
next higher gear, choose the Dor S se lector lever
position, or remove your foot from the accelera ­
tor peda l.
@ Note
The needle in the tachometer @ ¢ page 9,
fig. 3
may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or there is a risk of engine
damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early he lps you to save fuel and re ­
duces operating noise.
(D Tips
Applies to: Sa nd RS mode ls
The engine speed is limited when the eng ine
is cold - the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper­
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a highe r RPM range .
Fuel level
The display @ only wo rks when the ignition is
sw itched on. If the fuel level d rops below 2 .6 gal
(10 li ters), a red L ED w ill tur n on and t he
rD indi ­
cator light will turn
on ¢ page 17. The LED
blinks red when the fuel leve l is very low .
10 The possible range based on the cu
rrent fue l lev ­
e l is shown in
tab @¢ page 20 , fig . 4 .
Fo r th e tank capacity i n your veh icle, refe r to the
Techn ica l
Data ¢ poge 254.
@ Note
Never drive until t he tank is comp lete ly emp­
ty. The ir reg ular supply of fuel t hat res ults
from tha t ca n cause engine m is fires. Uncom ­
b usted fue l w ill then enter the exhaust sys ­
tem . This can cause overheating and damage
to t he catalyt ic converter .
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or tur n on. They ind icate functions or mal ­
functions .
Messages may appear w ith some indicator lights.
A war ning s ignal will sound at the same time.
The ind icator lights and messages in the instr u­
ment cluster disp lay can be covered by ot her dis ­
plays . To show them again, se lect the tab for in­
dicator lights and messages using the mu ltifunc­
tion steering
wheel ¢ page 20 . If there are sev­
eral malfunctions, you can display them one at a
time us ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicator lights in the display can disp lay in
several colors.
Central indicator light
App lies to : vehicles wit h mo nochrome d isp lay
If a message appears together with a central in­
dicator light . or
0. the central ind icator light
will indicate the priority of the warning. If a
wh ite ind icator light a lso appears, the centra l in­
dicator light w ill have its ow n colo r. Fo r example,
i1' ii ::ippea rs togethe r wi th • • read the descr ip ­
tion
for • .
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly as a function
check when you switch the ignition on. These sys­
tems are marked with
a./ in the fo llow ing tab les. 1111-

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' switched on w hil e the vehicle is rolling and
there is s ufficient batte ry char ge. Ot he rw ise,
you must use greate r fo rce w he n steer ing.
'l=;r: Engine oil pressure
• Turn off engine and check oil level
Sto p the eng ine and do not continue driving .
Chec k the engine oil leve l
q page 197.
-If the engine oi l leve l is too low, add engine oi l
¢page 198. Onl y cont inue driv ing once t he in­
dicato r light tur ns off.
- If the engi ne oil leve l is cor rect an d th e indic a­
tor light s till tur ns on, turn the eng ine off a nd
do not continue d riving . See an a uth o rized Audi
dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Faci lity for as ­
s istance .
(D Tips
The o il press ure war ning i s not an o il level in­
dicator . Always c heck the oi l leve l regul arly .
~ " Engine oil level
Applies to: vehicles with oil level warning
• Please add oil immediately .
Add engine o il imme diate ly ¢page 19 6.
II Add oil max . x qt (I ). You may continue driv­
ing
Add th e disp layed amo unt of oil immed iate ly
¢pag e 196.
@-Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle : Steering defective
There is a malfunction in the elec tronic stee ring
l oc k. You ca nnot turn t he igni tion o n.
Do
not tow your vehicle beca use it ca nnot be
steered. See an author ized A udi dealer or autho r­
i zed A udi Service Fac ility for assis tance.
!Ill Steering lock: System fault Please contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the elect ronic stee ring
l oc k.
Instruments and indicator lights
Drive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz e d
A udi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
A WARNING "---
Do not tow yo ur vehicle when there is a mal­
f u nct ion in the el ectro nic steer ing lock - t his
in creas es t he risk of an acc id ent.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
Do not switch the ignition off because you may
not be able to switch it on again.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or aut ho rized
A udi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
II! Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
T he re is a m alfu ncti on i n th e engi ne st art in g sys ­
tem.
Dr ive to a n au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz e d
A udi Se rvice Faci lity i mmedia tely to h ave the
m alfu nction corr ecte d .
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: System fault. You can con­
tinue driving slowly (max. speed 35 mph)
T he re is a mal fu n cti on t hat ca n res ult in r estric t­
ed driv ing st abili ty .
Dr ive to an au thor ized A udi d eal er or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity i mmedia tely a t a m aximum
s p eed o f 35 mph ( 60 k m/h ) to h ave the ma lf u nc­
t io n co rre cte d.
• Air suspension: Service mode. Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Caref ully drive to an aut ho rized Aud i dea le r o r
a ut ho rized Au di Serv ice Facili ty immedia tely to
have t he s ervic e mod e deac tiva ted.
II Air suspension: System fault .
15

a co .... N
" N
The brake pads are worn. D rive to an autho rized Aud i dea le r o r authorized
Aud i Service Fac ility immediately to have the
brake pads c hec ked.
Applies to: USA models
The liJ ind icator light turns on together w it h the
1111 indicator light.
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
If the 13:a ind icator ligh t turns on if there is a
mal function in the engine control.
D rive s low ly to a n author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Se rvice Fac ility to have the eng ine
checked.
! )\, Engine speed limitation
Applies to: vehicles with engine speed limitation
(Pl Maximum engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically lim ited to the
speed d isplayed in the instr ument clus ter. T his
p rotects t he engine from overheating .
The engine speed limitat ion deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the c ritical temperature
range and you have released the acce le rato r ped ­
a l once .
I f the engine speed lim itation was activated by
a n eng ine contro l ma lfunction, the
13:a ind icator
l ight also turns on . Make su re t hat the speed
does not go above the speed displayed . Drive to
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected.
(D Tips
Applies to: Sand RS models
The engine speed is limited when the eng ine
is cold
-the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper­
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a higher RPM range.
~ .. Engine oil sensor
~ • Oil l evel! Sen sor def ectiv e
\.J ' In strum ents and ind icator ligh ts
The sensor to check the engine oi l level has
failed. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au ­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
f Engine warm-up request
n Pleas e warm up engin e
Fuel has entered the engine oil, either from low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives.
Drive until the eng ine is warm so that the fuel in
the engine o il w ill evaporate. Avoid hig h engine
speeds, full accelerating and heavy engine loads
when doing this .
Bu Tank system
D Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first time
and the message appears, there are about 2 .6
gallons ( 10 liters) of fuel left in the tank .
D Fuel tank system mal funct ion! Contact deal ­
e r
There is a ma lfunction in the fuel tank system.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
For addi tional informat ion on ref ueling, see
¢ page 190 .
<9 Washer fluid level
t-"$ JJlease refill washer fluid
F ill the was her fl uid fo r th e windsh ie ld washer
system and the headlight washer system* when
the ignition is switched off ¢
page 203.
$-. Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defecti ve
T he re is a ma lfunction with the windshield wip-
ers.
..,.
17

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' intervals and ensures a better reaction time for
the brakes in wet weather.
The braking effect can also be reduced if you are
driving on salted roads and you do not apply the
brakes for long periods of time. The layer of salt
on the brake rotors and pads must be worn off
first when the brakes are applied.
Due to its surface, the ceramic brake rotor* ab­
sorbs moisture in certain situations. Therefore,
there will temporarily be less braking force than
when the brakes are dry. You can compensate for
this by pressing the brake pedal harder.
Corrosion
Leaving the vehicle parked for long periods of
time, low mileage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corrosion on the brake rotors
and to dirty brake pads.
If you usually avoid heavy braking or if there is
corrosion present, occasional heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and
pads ¢.&. .
Brake system malfunction
If you notice that the brake pedal travel has sud­
denly increased, then a brake circuit in the dual­
circuit brake system may have malfunctioned. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
problem corrected. On the way there, drive with
reduced speed and keep in mind that you will
need a longer distance to stop and you will need
to press the brake pedal harder .
Low brake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, malfunctions in
the brake system may occur . The brake fluid level
is electronically monitored .
Brake booster
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you ap­
ply to the brake pedal. It only works when the en­
gine is running.
A WARNING
-Only apply the brakes for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system when road and
-
Intelligent Technology
traffic conditions permit. You must not en­
danger other road users. This increases the
risk of an accident.
- Never let the vehicle roll while the engine is
stopped because this increases the risk of an
accident.
- New brake pads do not achieve their full
braking effect during the first 250 mi
(400 km) . They must be "broken in" first.
The break-in period can be considerably lon­
ger for vehicles with ceramic brake rotors*.
However, you can compensate for the
slightly reduced braking force by pressing
firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak­
ing during the break-in period.
- Certain weather and operating conditions
such as driving through water, driving in
heavy rain or driving after washing your ve­
hicle can impair the effectiveness of the
brakes. In the winter, ice may build up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums. Check
these components by braking carefully. Ap­
plying the brakes carefully several times
dries the brakes and removes ice build-up .
- The efficiency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long stretches on roads
covered with salt without using the brakes.
You can remove salt deposits from the
brake rotors and pads by carefully applying
the brakes several times.
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, make sure the front wheel
brakes are ventilated properly. Otherwise,
the brake system could overheat, which re­
duces their effectiveness.
- Failure of a brake circuit impairs braking
performance, which increases braking dis­
tance. Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
- If the brake booster is not working, you will
have to press much harder on the brake
pedal to compensate for the lack of the
booster .
@ Note
-Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braking is not actually
123

Checking and Filling
belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
the high-voltage ignition system.
- Do not under any circumstances give gas in­
advertently (for example, by hand from the
engine compartment) if the vehicle is sta­
tionary but the engine is running and a gear
is engaged. Otherwise, the vehicle will start
to move immediately and this could result
in an accident.
- Pay attention to the following warnings list­
ed when work on the fuel system or on the
electrical equipment is required.
- Do not smoke.
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby.
- All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi­
cal burns, accidents or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed
only by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components when the engine is running or is being start­
ed:
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­ tor lever in the P (park) position first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution so that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not
become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into contact with hot compo­
nents. Tie back long hair before beginning
work and do not wear clothing that can
hang down into the engine.
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as
possible~ &..
A WARNING
California Proposition 6S Warning:
194
-Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Wash hands after handling.
@ Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to mix the flu­
ids up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and en­
gine damage will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground under
your vehicle in order to detect leaks quickly. If there are visible spots from oil or other fluids, bring your vehicle to an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility to be
checked.

Checking and Filling
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 181 Typical location of the rese rvoir and the engine o il filler open ing
(D Jump start po int(-) with hex head screw
~ page 202, ¢page 247
@ Jump start point(+) under the cover
~page 202, ¢page 247
® Engine oil label* w ith VW standard
¢ page 196
@ Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) ¢ page 201
® Engine oil filler opening(~)¢ page 198
@ Coolant reservoir (- L) ~ page 200
(j) Washer fluid reservoir (0) ¢ page 203
The engine oil fill er opening ® may be located in
a different area depending on the specific engine.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine
compartment¢ &
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 193.
196
Engine oil
If the engine oil level is too low
If you need to add engine oil, use an oil that is
listed on the sticker.
The sticker is located at the
front of the eng ine
compartment¢ page 196,
fig . 181 .
If the recommended engine o il is not availab le,
in an emergency you may add a maximum of 1
quart(! liter) of ACEA C3 or API SN eng ine oi l
one time until the next oil change .
For more information on the correct eng ine oil
for your vehicle, contact an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility . Have the oil
c h anged by an authorized Audi dealer or author­
i zed Service Facility.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' Audi rec ommends
~ Castrot /lftlg;'f.E@t Frtrrr.::--.~lri,'lAl.
A ud i recomm ends using the Lo ng Life h igh ­
perfo rm ance eng ine oil from Aud i Genu ine
Parts .
Checking the engine oil level
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
Observe the safety precautions¢ A in Working
in the engine compartment on page 193.
~ Park your vehicle on a level surface.
~ Shut the engine off when it is warm.
~ Switch only the ignition back on.
~ Wait approx imately two minutes.
~ Select: the ICARI function button > ( C ar)* Sys ­
tem s
control button > Service & control > O il
l e v el.
~ Read the o il level in the I nfota inme nt system.
Add eng ine oil if the ba r in the oil leve l ind ica ­
tor is just before
"min"¢ page 198.
(UJ) Note
The engine oil leve l mus t not be unde r the
"min" mark ing, as this will increase the risk of
engine damage.
(D Tips
The o il level indica tor in the disp lay is on ly an
informationa l display. If the o il level is too
low, a minimum oi l warning appears in the in ­
strument cluster. Add oil and close the hood.
The current oil level is d isplayed in the Info­
tainment system the next t ime the ignition is
sw itched on.
(D Tips
The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 m iles (0.S liter/1,000 km), de­
pending on driving style and operating condi­
tions. In RS models, the o il consumption may
be up to 1 qt/600 mi (0 .8 l/ 1,000 km). Con­
sumpt io n may be h igher du ring the first
3,00 0 miles (5, 000 km). Be cause of this, the
eng ine o il level must be checked reg ularly. It
Ch eck ing and F illing
is best to check each time you refue l yo ur ve ­
hicle and before long drives.
- In order to p rov ide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l engine components, a ll
internal comb ustion engines consume acer ­
tain amount of oil. Oi l consumption var ies
from engine to engine and may change sig­ nifica ntly over the life of the engine. Typi­
cally, eng ines with a specif ied break-in peri­
od consume more o il du ring the break-in pe­
r iod than they consume afte r oil cons ump­
tion has stabilized.
- Under norma l condit ions, the rate of oil
c ons umption depends on the q ual ity and
vis cos ity of the oil, the R PM (revo lutions per
m in ute) a t which the engine is operated, the
ambient temperature and road conditions .
Furt her factors are the amount of oi l di lu­
tion from water condensat ion or fue l resi ­
due and the oxidation level of the oil. As any
eng ine is subject to wear as m ileage builds
up, the oil consumption may increase over
t ime until replacement of worn components
may become necessa ry.
- With all these var iables com ing into play,
no sta ndard rate of o il consumption can be
established o r specified. There is no a lter na­
ti ve to c hec king the oil leve l reg ula rly and
frequently.
- If you have the impress ion your engine co n­
sumes excessive amo unts of o il, we recom ­
mend that yo u consult an author ized A udi
dea ler to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed . Keep in mind that the
accurate measurement of o il consumption
requires great care and may take some
time. An authorized Aud i dealer has instruc­
tions about how to measure o il consump­
tion accurately.
- You can find informat ion on engine oil and
eng ine o il capacit ies for the USA at
www .aud i usa .com/he lp/ma intenance, o r
for Ca nada at www.aud i.ca/ca/web/en/
cu stomer -area/ ca re -and -m a i ntena nee/ au di­
serv i ce -sched u les. htm l, or ca ll
800 -8 22-2834 .
197

Check ing and F illing
Adding engine oil
F ig. 182 Engine co mpartment : en gin e oil fille r opening
cove r
Observe the safety precaut ions ¢&. in Working
in the engine comportment on page
193 .
"'Turn the eng ine off.
"' Open the hood ¢ page 195.
"'Unscrew the cap~ for the eng ine oi l filler
opening
¢ fig. 182.
"'Carefu lly add 0.5 quart (0 .5 liter) of the correct
oi l
¢pag e 196.
"'Close the engine oil filler opening cap .
"'Close the engine compartment lid.
"'Restart the ign ition after two mi nutes and read
the current o il level in the Infotainment system
¢ page 197 , Checking the engine oil level .
"'Add more oil if necessa ry .
,& WARNING
- Whe n add ing o il, do not let oil d rip onto hot
engine components . This increases the r is k
of a fire.
- Yo u m ust seal the cap on the oil fi lle r open ­
ing correctly so that oil does not leak o ut
onto the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is r unning, because this is
a fire hazard.
- Always clean skin thorough ly if it comes into
contact with engine oil.
- Engine oil is poisono us and must be kept
o ut of reach of chi ld ren.
- Store the engine oi l sec urely in the original
container.
(LlJ) Note
- If the message Ill Oil l evel i s too full.
Plea se redu ce oil le vel.
appears, there is too
198
much oil in the engine and the re is a r isk o f
cata lytic converter and engine damage. Do
not start t he engine. Contact an autho rized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have excess eng ine o il extracted if
necessary .
- Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfunctions due to
failure to follow recommended mai nte­
nance and use requ irements as set fort h in
the A udi Owne r's Manual and War ranty
&
Ma inte nan ce bookle t.
- Use on ly a high quality engine o il that ex­
press ly complies with the A ud i oi l quality
s ta ndard spec ified fo r yo ur vehicle 's eng ine.
Us ing any othe r oi l c an cause ser io us eng ine
damage .
- Do not mix any add it io na l lubr ic a nts in to
t he engine oil. Damage ca used by such add i­
tives is not covered by the warranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Oil sho uld neve r en ter the sewer sys tem or
come in to contact with the g round .
- Pay attent ion to lega l re quir emen ts when
disposing o f emp ty o il conta iners.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified servi ce sta ­
tion.
Befo re yo u check anything in t he engine compart ­
ment,
alway s read and h eed all WARNINGS ¢ &
in Working in the engine comportment on
page
193.
The eng ine o il must be changed according to the
i nte rvals spec ified in yo ur War ranty
& Ma inte ­
nance boo klet. This is ve ry important because the
l ubricating prope rties of oil diminish gradua lly
during norma l vehicle us e.
Un der some c ircumstances the engine oil should
be c hanged more freq uent ly. Change oi l more of ­
ten if you drive mostly s hort distances, operate
the ve hicle in dusty areas or under
predominantly ..,.