brake light AUDI A7 2014 Owner's Guide

210 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
fluid .
Tire p res sure
When tow ing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehi cle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to trai ler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Chec k to make s ure both veh icle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
h icle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per ­
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
cha ins, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be­
for e
hitching up the tra ile r and b efor e adjust­
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort dr iving mode and no t raised
qpage 102, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f u nction button> Low­
e r
control b utton .
I f you m ust dr ive under poor road co ndit ions,
you can raise the veh icle
aft er coup ling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tong ue weig ht
q page 104.
-Changes in tempe ratu re or load can af­
fect the heig ht of the veh icle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load spec ified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded t railer when yo ur car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the max imum permissib le
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes early .
.,. Mon itor the tempe ratu re ga uge.
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
su lts in a highly unstable distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid t he risk of losing
steering con tro l.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to ope rate and con­
t ro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble , while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi ­
ble under the c ircumstances . Whenever poss i­
ble , transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be ­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the s way ing b y accele rating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.

Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
c> page 17 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wearing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
Trailer towing 211
trailer, you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(0 Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load¢
page 285.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
"' App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
"' With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine.
.,. Select the D/S selector lever position .
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
111>
•
•

214 Vehicle care and cleaning
A WARNING
- Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, p rotect your­
self from shar p meta l compone nts w hen
was hing t he unde rbody or the ins ide of
the whee l housings.
- Aft er washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fec t may be de layed due to mo isture o n
the b rake ro to rs or i ce in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
(!;) Note
- If you wash t he vehi cle in a n automati c
car wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior m ir­
ro rs in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exte rior m ir ­
ro rs * must only be folded in and out us­
i ng the power folding function.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
t h e ve hicle in direct sun light . -
To reduce the ris k of damage to the sur ­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted veh icle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishi ng agen ts or
h a rd wax.
- Neve r use car wash cycles that apply
p rotective wax .
It can destroy the
matte fi nish effect.
- Do not plac e any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts pain ted w ith
matte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
d am aged when the stickers o r m ag nets
a re removed.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
O nly wash the ve hicl e in facili tie s sp e ci al ly
d esigne d for tha t purpose. This will re duce
the r is k of dirty wate r contam ina ted with
o il from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and cari ng for individua l vehi ­
cle components, refer to the following tab le .
The information contained there is simp ly rec­
ommendations. For quest ions or for compo- nents that are not listed, refer to an author­
ized Audi dea
ler or a qualified workshop . Also
fo llow the information found in c> ,& .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty <=> page 49, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ D irty Soft sponge wi
th a m ild soap so lutiona l
tail lights
Sensors /
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lense s Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so lvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake d ust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road s alt Water, deani ng sol ution suit able for stainless s teel, if
pipes necessary

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 191 Dr iver footwell: release lever
Fig. 192 Rocker switch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow
~ fig. 191.
.. Raise the hood slightly~ &-
.. Press the rocker switc h under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 192. This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Wh ene ve r y ou must p erform an y wor k in the
e ng ine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluids, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr eve nt per­
so nal injury alwa ys observ e the foll owing
WARNING S. The engin e compartment of an y
v e hicle i s a h az a rdou s are a
~ ,&.
h WARNING
To help avoid injury, before yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Sw itch off the ignition.
- Apply the parki ng brake.
- Move selector leve r to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen o r heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
a nd can sw itch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
a nt system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This inc reases the
ris k of burns.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri ­
cal system is necessary:

Checking and fillin g 229
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 193 Typical l ayout for conta iners and engine o il filler cap
@ Jump start poin t(-) with hex
head screw .. ....... ... .. .. . 240, 276
@ Jump start point(+) under a cov-
®
©
®
©
er .. .. ... ..... ...... ...... 240, 276
Brake fl uid reservo ir
((0)) . . . . . 237
Engine oil filler cap
("1:::r.) . . . . . 232
Coolant expansion tank
(-L) .. .
Windshield/headlight washer
t . ('"') con ainer O ...... .... ... .
235
241
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in a d ifferent a rea depend ing o n the
ver­
sion of the eng ine.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 227.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and viscosity so that it can r un
smooth ly and reliably. Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the t ime and mileage
intervals p rin ted in you r vehicle's Wa rranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has deve loped
a specia l quality sta ndard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.

continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 197 E ngine co mpartment : cove r on the b rake fluid
r ese rvoir
Before you check anything i n the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays read and heed all W ARN ­
ING S 9 A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page
22 7.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
9 fig . 197, 9 page 229,
fig. 193.
The brake fluid level must be be ­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
9 page229.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adj ustment of the
b rake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN " mark, the brake wa rning/indi­
cator ligh t
1111 (U.S. models)/ . (Canadia n
models) will come on~
page 15 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
f ied fac ility and the cau se corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate . Contact an au ­
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediat ely .
Checkin g and fillin g 237
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mois ture from the air. If
the wa ter content in the brake fluid is too
high , corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also dec rease considerably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
ev ery two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4 ".
The brake fluid reservo ir can be d iff icult to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
i zed
Audi dealer . Your dealer has t he correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
-
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake f luid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spec ificat ion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 116.
Always check with yo ur authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct bra ke fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong . This can seriously affect the effi ­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. Th is cou ld resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
.

238 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as we ll as the special tools
required and the necessary expertise, we recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily drives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level should also be
checked each time the battery is charged
<=:> page 240.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ical system for safety reasons
c::> & in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 165.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this , the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrica l system when absolutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capability over a longer period
c::> page 202. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, such as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven- ience
functions will be available again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en­ gine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capac ity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
is because more power is a lso consumed whi le
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticularly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances. Let your authorized Audi
deale r check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in
c::> page 240 . A well
charged battery will no t only prevent star ting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery should be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor . Before you check any­
thing in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
c::> .&,.
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec­
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.

266 What do I do now?
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
... After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop o ,&.
... All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
o A-
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
o ,&.
... Move selector lever to position Po ,& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle .
... Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
o page 264,
o page265.
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire,
move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm.
If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
-
-Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
opage 136.
@ Tips
Before changing the whee l, you must acti­
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto­
matic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus­
pension* do not make it more difficult to
lift the vehicle with the jack
o page 268 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
opage 268 .
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also
o page 267, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or o page 267,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts o page 268.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
opage 268.
5. Raise the car with the jack o page 268.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare opage 270.
7. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly .
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9 . Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts o page 268.
10. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode * in the
MMI:
I CARI function button > (Ca r)* sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks
> Air susp.: jack mode > Off.
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automati­
ca lly at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h) .
A WARNING ,-
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
in format ion
o .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page 269
and opage 271.

No. Equ ipment Amps
4 Suspension control system sen-s sor
s
E
lectronic Stabilization Cont rol
s (ESC) module
6 Climate control
s
7 Adaptive cruise control
10
8
Airbag control module, front
s passenger's seat sensor system
9 Gateway
s
Homelink (garage door opener),
10 night vis ion system cont ro l
s
module
11 Image
processing (active lane
10
ass ist, adaptive cruise control)
12 Dynamic steering
s
13 Terminal 15 in
the instrument
15
panel
14 Terminal 15
in the luggage com-
partment 30
15 Terminal 15
(engine)
15
16 Starter 40
Fu se pa nel ® (b rown )
No . Equipment Amps
1 Gateway s
2 C
limate control 10
3 E
lectronic Stabili zation Control
10
(ESC) module
4 Fron
t door (driver 's side)
30
s
Power seat adjustment (driver's
7,5
seat)
6 Dynam
ic steering
35
7 Sunroof 20
8
Rear door control module (driv-
15
er 's side)
9 Lumbar support (
Front passen-
s ger seat)
10 Tire pressure
monitoring system
s
11 Su
nroof, rear spoi ler (Sportba ck)
20
12 Driver
door control module
15
Fuse s and bulb s 2 7 3
Fuse pan el© (r e d )
No . Equipment
2 Fuel pump
3 Brake light
sensor/brake pedal
sensor system
AdBlue control module (Diesel)/
4 Engine acoust ics
s Left rear door cont rol modu le
6 Power seat adjustment
(pas-
senge r's seat)
7 Horn
8 Windshield wiper motor
9 Light/rain sensor, heater
for vid-
eo camera in windscreen
10 Lumba r support (driver seat)
11 Front
passenger door control
modu le
12 Right rea r door cont rol modu le
Front passenger side cockpit fuse
assignment Amp
s
25
S/S
S/7,S 30
7,5 15
30
s
s
15
15
F ig . 22 0 Front passenger side cockpit: fuse pa nel w it h
plast ic brac ket
Fuse panel @ (bla ck)
No . Equipment Amps
1 Head-up
Display s
2 MMI Display s
3 CD/DVD changer s
4 MMI unit/drives 7,5
s
Chip card reader (not in all coun-
s tries)
6 Instrument
cluster
s
7 Steering column switch module s ...

274 Fu ses and bulb s
No. Equ ipment Amps
8
Headlight range adjustment/
5/7,S
adaptive lighting system
10 Left headlight
(headlight with
7,5
adaptive light)
11 Supplementary heater
s
F
u se p ane l@ (b ro wn)
No . Equipmen t Amps
1 Climate control
10
2 Climate control system blower 40
3 Diagnostic interface
10
4 E lectrical ignition lock
s
s
Power steering column adjust-
s ment
6 Steering column switch module
10
7 Power
steering column adjust-
ment 25
8 Light switch
s
Luggage compartment fuse assignment
Fig
. 22 1 Luggage compartment: fuse panel with plas­
tic bracket
Fuse p anel @ (b la ck )
No. Equipment Amps
4 E lectromechanical parking brake 30
s Electromechanical parking brake
30
6 Front door
(front passenger's
30
s ide)
7 Rear exter ior lighting
30
Rear sun shade, closing aid, lug-
8 gage compartment
lock, con-
20
venience key, START ENGINE
STOP, fuel filler door
No. Equipment Amps
9 Power seat adjustment
15
10 Parking system
s
11 Rear seat
heating
30
Fuse pan el@ (r e d )
No . Equipment Amps
l Left belt tensioner
25
2 Right belt tensioner 25
3 Socket/cigarette
lighter
20
4 Socket 20
5 Electromechanical
parking brake
5
6 adaptive ai r suspension 15
7 Rear door
(front passenger's
30
side)
8 Rear exterior lighting 30
9 Luggage compartment
lid con-
30
t rol module
10 Telephone 5
11 Sound amplifier 30
12 Rear
spoiler (Sportback)
20
Fuse p anel© (brown)
No . Equipment Amps
1 Radio receiver,
Sound amplifier/
30/20
MMI unit/drives
2 Tank leak detection system
s
4 AEM
control module/battery
10/15
module
6 Battery fan 35
7 Rad
io receiver 7,5
8 Rear Seat Entertainment 7,5
9 Automatic dimming interior
5/15
rearview mirror/battery module
10 Parking system 5
Fuse pan el@ (gre en)
No . Equipment Amps
1 pre sense 5
2 Electromechanical parking brake
s
3 adaptive
air suspension
5
4 Automatic transmission 7,5