tow AUDI A7 2013 Owners Manual

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Homelink ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 8
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Safety fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 131
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 135
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 40
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 43
Safety bel t pre tens io ners . . . . . . . . . . 147
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 9
I mpo rtan t th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 1 49
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 53
M on itoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
K nee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
C hi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Install ing a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 186
L ATC H Lower ancho rages and tethe rs
for ch ild ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Addit ional Information 193
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
P reven tat ive passenger p rotection 194
Vehicle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 196
N ot ice about da ta re cor ded by veh icle
control mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Elec tronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 196
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Table of contents 3
El ectro -mechan ica l powe r ass ist . . . . . 201
Driving with your q uattro ® . . . . . . . . . 201
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving and environment . . . . . 20 4
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 205
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 206
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
D rivi ng wit h a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
T rai le r tow ing tips .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 211
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 213
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Care of ex terior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Care of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
225
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Fuel tan k. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
E n gine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
co nta iner . .. .. .. .. .. ........... . 244
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
T ire pressu re mo nitor ing system 264
Do -it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 26 7
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
E mergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 267
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
•
•

4 Table of contents
Fuses and bulbs ....... .. .. ... .
Fuses . ..... ... . ...... ... .. .. ... .
Bulbs . ... .. ... ... .... ... .. .. ... .
Emergency situations ... .. ... .
General .... ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Starting by push ing or tow ing . .. .. . .
Starting with jumper cables .. .. .. . .
Use of jumper cab les .. .. .. .. .. .. . .
Eme rgency towing with commercial
tow truck .. ................ ... . .
Lift ing vehicle . ........... .... ... .
Technical data ............. .. . .
General information .. .. .. .. . .
Explana tion of te chnical data . .. ... .
Vehicle iden tifica tion .... ...... .. . .
Weights ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Dimensions .... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Data .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
A7 Sportback 310 hp, 3 .0 liter 6-
cylinder engine . ....... ... .. .. ... .
S7 Sportback 420 hp, 4.0 liter 8-
cylinder engine ........... .. .. .. . .
Consumer Information ..... . .
Warranty coverages ....... .... ... .
Operating your vehicle outside the
U .S .A . or Canada .......... ... .. . .
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and 275
275
278
279 279
279
279
280
281 283
285 285
285
28 5
28 5
286
28 7
287
288
289 289
289
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
M ain tenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Addi tional accesso ries , modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
D eclaration o f Compliance,
Te lecommunication and E lectronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Index ..... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... 294

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
9:::r. Engine oil pressure malfunction
The re d engin e oil pr essure warning symbol
require s immediat e ser vice or repair . Driving
with a low-oil- pre ssure indicat ion is lik ely to
inflic t seve re damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears , the oil pressure is too low.
,,. Pull
off the road.
"' Stop t he ve hicl e.
,,. Turn
off the engine.
"' Check the engine oil level¢ page 235 .
• If the engi ne oil leve l is to o low, add engine
o il ¢
page 235 . Make sure that the oil p res ­
s ur e warning symbol. appea rs no longe r
i n t he d is pl ay before y ou sta rt driving again .
• If the engi ne oil leve l is c orre ct and t he ind i­
cat or lig ht still t urn s on, tur n t he eng ine
off
and do not conti nue d riving . Seek p ro fessio ­
nal assistance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv ­
ice without delay . Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil level warning
11-By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
~ . Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When the sy mbo l and t he dr ive r message a p­
pear, the oil has to be reple nis he d rig ht no w
¢page 232.
If t he in dicator light and the message appear,
a dd engine oil imme diate ly
¢ page 235 .
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
W hen the sy mb ol an d the d river message a p­
pear, add the amoun t of oil appe aring in the
display at the nex t op port unity ¢
page 232.
® -e Steering column lock
• Do not drive veh icle: Steering defective
If t he indic ato r ligh t turns on an d the mes ­
sage a ppears, there is an e lec tronic stee ring
co lumn lock malfunct io n. You cannot switc h
t h e i gnit io n on.
Do
not tow yo ur vehicle becau se it c annot b e
stee red. See k professiona l assistance .
!Ill Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If th e indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic steering
co lu mn l ock malfunct io n.
Drive to y our auth orized A udi dealer immedi­
ately to hav e th e malfunction corr ecte d.
A WARNING
-~
Yo ur v ehicl e m ust no t be tow ed in t he
event of a malfu nction in the elec tronic
stee ring colum n lock be cau se it ca nno t be
s teere d due to th e l ock ed steeri ng. If it is
towe d wit h the s teeri ng locke d, there is
the r isk o f an accide nt.
© -e Engine start system
• Engine start system fault . Please con­
tact dealer
If the indica to r ligh t turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not switch the ig nition off
because you may not be a ble to sw itch it on
again.
Dr ive to your au thor ized A udi dea ler immed i­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
Ill Engine start system fault . Please con­
tact dealer

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 23
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and off using the light switch . You can still
control all funct ions that are independent of
the rain sensor through the windshield wiper
lever.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the prob lem corrected .
I--i Sport differential
Applies to vehicles: with spo rt differe ntial
(II Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport differen­
tial.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the mal function corrected .
(II Sport differential : overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
sign ificantly due to the sporty dr iving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the norma l range and the
indicator light switches of.
& WARNING
Contact your authorized Aud i dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
is faulty or ma lfunctioning. The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety .
¢i Q Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left. or the right a
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flashers, both indica ­
tor lights f lash.
If one of the turn s ignal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefully drive to your authorized Audi
de aler immediately to have the malfunction
correc ted. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the trail- er or on the vehicle
fails in trailer towing
mode.
a) Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
¢ page 45.
CRUISE t •(-') Crui se cont rol
The warning/indicator light IB;(l)~i~ (USA mod­
els)/lil (Canada models) illuminates when
the cruise control is activated¢ page
83.
Driver information
display
Overv iew
Fig. 4 Drive r informat io n sys te m in th e in strument
cl uster
Fig. 5 Disp lay: example of t he info rmatio n line
The driver information system contains infor­
mation @that is displayed on tabs @
¢
fig. 4 . The following content is possible de-
pending on vehicle equipment: ..,.

26 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
The current fuel consumption can be dis­
p layed using a bar ¢
fig. 10. The average con­
sumpt ion (mpg) stored in the short-term
memory is also displayed. Electrical energy
can be stored in the battery when the vehicle is coasting or driving downhill (recuperation) .
The bar w ill move toward Cl.
Efficiency program
The efficiency program can help you to use
less fuel. It evaluates driving information in
reference to fuel consumption and shows oth­
er equipment influencing consumption as well
as shift recommendations. ¢
page 26. Fuel
economy messages ¢
page 26 provide tips
for eff icient driving . The efficiency program
uses distance and consumption data from tr ip
computer
1.
To display the efficiency program, call up Ve­
hicl e functions and select the menu option
Efficiency program . If the data a re deleted in
the efficiency program, those values are also
reset in tr ip computer.
(D} Tips
- All stored values w ill be lost if the veh i­
cle battery is disconnected.
- Fuel consumpt ions (average and cur­
rent), range and speed are displayed in
metric units on Canadian models.
Other equipment
Fig. 8 Tri p comp uter: other equ ipment
Requirement : The eff iciency program must be
displayed
~ page 26 .
.,. Turn the thumbwheel until the other equip ­
ment appears in the display . Other equipment that is currently affecting
fuel consumption is listed in the efficiency
program. The display shows up to three other
items of equ ipment @. The equ ipment using
the most fuel is listed first . If more than three
items using fuel are switched on, the equip ­
ment that is currently using the most fuel is
displayed .
A scale @also shows the current total con­
sumption of all other equipment .
Fuel economy messages
Fig. 9 Display : example o f a fuel econo my m essa ge
Fuel economy messages are displayed when
fuel consumption is increased by certain con­
ditions. If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your veh icle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automat i­
cally and are only displayed in the efficiency
program. The fuel economy messages turn off
automat ically after a certain per iod of t ime .
.,. To turn an economy message off immed i-
ately after it appears, press any button on
the mult ifunction steering wheel.
@ Tips
- Once you have turned a fuel economy
message off, it will only appear again af­
ter you turn the ign ition on again .
- The fuel economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in­
tervals over a period of time.

44 Clear vision
& WARNING
-Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver . They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check
the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions. For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights
io
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists. Always turn on
theheadlightssothatyoucanseeahead and so that others can see your car from
the back .
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described .
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
{D) Tips
- The light sensor* for automatic head­
light range control* is located in the rear
view mirror mount . You should therefore
not apply any stickers to the windshield
in this area in order to prevent malfunc­
tions or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc ­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display ~
page 22 .
-You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They will clear shortly after
switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situation .
Fig. 34 Ce nte r co nso le: em erg en cy flash er sw itc h
.. Press the switch I:;,,. ~fig. 34 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
signal indicator lights
B Nin the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
I:;,,. blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flashers also work when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
@ Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
.. Select: !CAR ! function button> (Car)* sys­
tems
control button > Vehicle settings > Ex-
terior lighting. ..,.

Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following settings in the
Automatic headlights menu:
Headlights activation time -You can adjust if
the headlights switch on
Early, Med . or Late
according to the sensitivity of the ligh t sensor.
Audi adaptive light* -You can switch adaptive
light
On and Off.
Daytime running lights
USA models:
You can switch the dayt ime run­
n ing lights
on and off .
Canada models :
The function cannot be
turned off . It is activated automatically each
time the ignition is switched on. This menu
item is shown "greyed out" .
Coming home, Leaving home
The coming home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you switch the
ignition off and open the driver's door. To turn
the function on, select
Lights when leaving
car > On .
The leaving home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you un lock the
vehicle. To turn the funct ion on, select
Lights
when unlocking car > On .
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light
switch is in the
AUTO position. Clear
vision 45
Turn signals and high beam lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as
the headlight flash­
er.
Fig. 35 Tu rn signal and high beam lever
The turn signal and high beam lever has the
following functions:
Turn signals ¢ 9 ©@
.. 0 .... ~
.,. Push the leve r up as far as it can go to turn
on the right turn signa l or down to turn on
the left tu rn s ignal ¢
fig. 35.
... Move the lever briefly until you meet resist­
ance and re lease it to flash three times.
.,. Move the lever (up or down) until you meet
resistance and hold it there to determine
the flashing time for the turn signals.
High beam ~D @
... Push the lever forward to switch on the high
beam .
.,. Pull the lever back towards you to sw itch
off
the high beam.
Headlight flasher ~D ©
... Pull the lever toward the steering wheel to
use the headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
-The turn signals on ly work w ith the ignition
sw itched on. The indicator l ights
B or Bin
the instrument cluster¢ page 12 also blink.
-After you have turned a corner, the turn sig-
n al switches
off automatically.
- The
high beam works only when the head-
lights are on. The indicator light
El in the .,.

46 Clear vis ion
instrument cluste r illuminates when the
high beams are on.
- T he
headlight flash er works only as long as
yo u hold the lever - even if there are no
l ights turned on. The indicator light
II in
the instrument cluster il luminates when you
use the headlight flasher.
A WARNING
Do not use the high beam or headlight
flasher if you know that these could blind
oncoming traffic.
Interior lights
Front and rear interior lighting
Fi g. 36 Headliner: Front interior ligh ts
Fig . 37 Re ar headli ne r: Readi ng light
Press the appropriate button q fig . 36:
El-Interior lighting on/off
I]]-Door contac t sw itch . The inter ior lighting
turns on automatica lly when you unlock the
vehicle, open a door or switch the ignition off.
The interior lighting turns off several seconds
after you close the doors, when you lock the
vehicle or when you sw itch the ignition on.
When a door is open, the light t urns off afte r
a few minutes.
L:!l -Read ing lights on/off
~ - Switching the rear read ing lights on/off
from the cockpi t.
I" REARI * - Switching the rear reading lights
o n/off from the cockpit.
Ambience lighting
Applies to vehicles: with ambience lighting
You can adjust the br ightness for the ambi­
ence ligh tin g.
.. Select in the MMI: ICARlfunction butto n>
(Car )* sys tem s control button > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interi or lighting > Brightne ss.
.. To increase or reduce the b rightness , turn
t he knob and press it .
T he ambience light ing tu rns on when you turn
t h e headlights on wh ile the ig nition is swi tc h ­
ed on.
(D Tips
The setti ng is automati cally sto red and as­
s igned to the remo te contr ol key t hat i s in
u se .
Instrument illumination
You can adjust the brightness of the instru­
men t and di splay illumination a s well as the
Head-up Display*.
Fi g. 38 Instrume nt illumina tion
... Press the knob to re lease it.
.. Turn the knob toward"-" or"+" to reduce or
increase the br ightness .
.. Press the knob aga in to return it to its origi-
na l posit ion . ...

@ Tips
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) lights on when the ign it ion is
sw itched on and the vehicle lig hts are
turned off. As the daylight fades, the ill u­
m ination of the dials likewise dims auto ­
mat ically and w ill go out comp lete ly when
the o utside lig ht is ve ry low . This fea ture is
meant to remi nd you t o swit ch on the
headl igh ts when o utside light condi tions
become poor.
Vision
Sun visors
( J
F ig . 39 Sun v isor
The sun visors for the driver and passenger
can b e released from their brackets and
turned tow ard the doors ¢
fig. 39@.
The mirror light switches on when the cover
over the vanity mirror @opens.
Sun shade
Applies to vehicles: with sun shade
The sun shade is located on the luggage com ­
partment shelf.
a a
F ig . 40 Sun s hade i n lowe red pos it io n
Clear vi sion 4 7
When the sun shade is in the lowered posi ­
tion, it is secured in t he retainer @.
1-To raise @the s un shade , remove it from
t he re tainer.
_& WARNING ..
Do not use t he sun shade to secure cargo .
The luggage compartment cove r is not a
surface for storing objects . Objects p laced
on the cover could endanger all ve hicle oc­
cupants dur ing sudden braking maneuvers
or i n a c rash .
Wiper and washer
system
Switching the windshield wipers on
Fi g. 4 1 Windshi eld wipe r leve r
Move the windshie ld w iper lever to the corre­
sponding position:
@ -Windshield wipe rs off
@ -Rain senso r mode . The windsh ield wipers
switch on once the veh icle speed exceeds ap ­
proximate ly 2 mph (4 km/h) and it is ra ining .
T he hig her the rain senso r sens it ivity is set
(sw itch @to th e r ight) , the earlier the wind­
shield wipers react to mois ture on the w ind­
shield. Yo u can deactivate rain sensor mode in
the MMI, which will then activate interm ittent
mode. Se lect: ICAR ifunct ion button>
(Car )*
systems
contro l button > Driver assist > Rain
sensor > Off .
In interm ittent mode, yo u can
adjust the interval time using the switch @.
@ -Slow w ip ing
@ -Fast wip ing

-Never exceed the maximum permissible
load carry ing capacity of the roof of your
vehicle, the perm issible axle weights and
the permiss ible total weight of your veh i­
cle
c;, page 285, Weights.
@ For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased wind resist­ ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
using fue l unnecessarily. So remove the
roof rack after using it.
Luggage compartment
Loading luggage compartment
Luggage items must be stowed securely.
Fig . 61 Place heavy objects as far forward as possib le.
Not e the following to preserve the vehicle's
good handling characterist ics .
.. Distribute the load as evenly as possible .
.. Place heavy objects as far forward as possi ­
ble
c;, fig. 61 .
.. Secure luggage items with the cargo net* or
with non-elastic retaining straps to the tie­
down rings*
c;, page 65.
A WARNING
-Loose objects in the luggage compart­
ment can slide about suddenly and alter
the vehicle's handling characterist ics.
- Loose objects in the passenger compart­
ment can fly forward during abrupt ma­
neuvers or accidents and injure occu­
pants.
Seats and storage 63
-Always store objects in the luggage com­
partment and use suitable straps, partic­
ularly with heavy objects.
- When you transport heavy objects, al­
ways remember that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity may result in a change in
the vehicle's handling characteristics.
- Follow all warnings
c;, page 130, Driving
Safely.
(D Tips
The tire pressure must be adjusted to the
load - see the tir e pressure sticker located
on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Luggage compartment cover
The luggage compartment cover consists of
two parts.
... ...
Fig. 62 Cover in the open rear lid
Fig. 63 Cove r behind the rear bench seat
Removing the cover in the rear lid
.. Remove the knobs (D c;, fig. 62 from the
ball mounts .
.. Pull the cover @ out of the retainers @ in
the direction of the arrow.
~