cooling AUDI A7 2015 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2015, Model line: A7, Model: AUDI A7 2015Pages: 316, PDF Size: 78.09 MB
Page 210 of 316
208 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
c:::> page 208, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trai ler hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi
cle be struck from behind
c:::> A.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brakin g sys
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your Audi dealer for correct
wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors. It is important
that you
always have clear v is ion to the rear .
A WARNING
--
After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle . In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shift ing forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c:::> A in Driving instructions on page 210.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard
er . It is important that the cooling system 's
performance is up to the additional load.
Page 211 of 316
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold 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 tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners . When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
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 surface be
fore hitching up the trailer and before adjust
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
qpage 102, ~CD .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> Low
er
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
after coupling the
trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight
qpage 104.
- Changes in temperature or load can af
fect the height of the vehicle .
- Always select
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
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 following:
... Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it
self is not loaded.
... Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
... Observe speed limits .
... Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
... Always apply brakes early .
... Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill .
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles . ..,..
209
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Page 230 of 316
228 Check ing and filling
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en
g ine. Your engine was factory-filled with a
h igh-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the entire year.
0 Note
Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfunctions due to
fai lure to follow recommended mainte
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
standard spec ified for your veh icle's en
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri
ous eng ine damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r othe r addi
tives into the eng ine o il. Doing so can
ca use engine damage.
If you need to add oi l and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi oil qua lity
s tandard your engine requires, yo u may
add a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3
or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 or
API CF with a v iscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30 or SAE SW-30.
- For more information abo ut eng ine oil
that has been approved for your vehicle, please contact either your a uthorized
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubricat ion and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in
ternal combust ion e ngines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va ries from
engi ne to engine and may change sig nifican tly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in period (see
c> page 203) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they cons ume after oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con
s u mption depends on the q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensation or fue l residue a nd the oxida
t ion level of the oil. As any eng ine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, t he oil co nsump
t ion may increase over time until replacemen t
of worn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es
tabl ished o r spe cified . There i s no alte rnative
to regu lar and frequent che ck ing of the o il lev
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l wa rning symbo l
i n t he i nstr ument cluster
Ill lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
i=> page 229 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
i=> page 229.
A WARNING
--
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> & in Working in the engine
comportment on page 225.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient o il level is like-
l y to cause severe damage to the engine. .,.
Page 233 of 316
M N
"' rl
-Always dispose of used engine oil proper
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro
tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sealed and generally re
quires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed . The coolant consists of a
mixture of specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer 's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian
models) . This mixture both assures the neces
sary frost protection and protects metal com
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It also raises the boil
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien
cy .
If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year -round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa
ter and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distill ed water is recommended .
Checking and filling 231
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 225.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate conditions. This is especially impor
tant if you live in a region where the win
ter is extremely cold. If necessary, in
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad
ditive G12++ or G13 (check the label)
for your vehicle. This coolant additive is
available at authorized Audi dealers.
Other types of antifreeze can signifi
cantly reduce corrosion protection. The
resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 196 Engine compa rtment: cove r on t he coola nt
expansion tank
Page 234 of 316
232 Check ing and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lways r ea d and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 225.
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Switch
off the ignition .
• Read the eng ine coolant leve l from the cool
ant expansion tank
c> fig. 196, c> page 22 7,
fig. 193. With a cold eng ine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
ma rk ing.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration ¢
page 22 7.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be sw itched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System ¢ page l 6 will
i l luminate unti l yo u add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level senso r, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a lea k in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your author ized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
T he cooling system is unde r pr essure and
c an get ve ry hot. Reduce t he risk of s cald
ing from hot coolant by followi ng these
steps .
- T urn
off the engine and allow it to cool
dow n. -
Protect your face, han ds and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by cover ing the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very care fully in
a counte r-clockwise direct ion while ap
plying lig ht, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine par ts. Under certa in cond i
tions, th e ethylen e glyco l in engine coo l
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add a ny type o f radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant. Add
i ng radiator r epa ir fluid may adv erse ly af
fe ct the funct io n and perfo rma nce of you r
co oling syste m and could result in damage
not covered by your New Veh icle Limi ted
War ran ty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partment,
alway s read and heed all WARN·
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 225.
• Requirement: The re must be a r esidua l
amount of coolant in the e xpansion ta nk
¢(D.
•Tur no ff the engine.
• Le t the engine cool down.
• Place a thick rag ove r th e coo lant expansion
tank
¢ page 231, fig. 196 and carefully
twist the cap co unte r-clockwise c> &_ .
• Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
¢ page 231, Coolant up to the MAX mark
ing.
• Make s ure that the fl uid leve l remains sta-
b le. Add more coo la nt if necessary.
• Twis t the cap o n again
tightly.
Replacement engine coo la nt must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions
¢ page 2 31, Coolant. .,.
Page 235 of 316
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
We recommend using only coolant addi-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do
not use a different additive. In an emergency
use plain water until you can get the correct
additive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add cold antifree ze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
-Turn off the engine and allow itto cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an
tifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
is empty. Air could enter the cooling sys
tem and damage the engine. If this is
Checking and filling 233
the case, do not continue driving. Seek
professional assistance .
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool
ant will be forced out through the pres
sure relief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c> page 231 must be re
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al
ways dispose of used coolant while observ ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off.
It can even switch
on again later by itself
c> .&, if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper
ature drops.
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Page 303 of 316
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'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Certification .... ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 297
Changing a wheel ................... 275
Changing engine o il ........ .. .. .. .. . 230
Chec king
E ng ine coolant leve l .... ... .. .. .. .. . 23 1
Tire pressure . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 252
Ch ild restra ints
D anger of using c hild restra ints in the
fro nt sea t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Where can I get add it ional information
about child restra ints and their use? .. 19 1
Ch ild restra int system anchors . ....... 187
Ch ild safety .. ............. .... .. ... 173
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 184
Important safety instructions for us ing
ch ild safety seats ...... ..... .. .. .. . 177
I mportant th ings to know when dr iv ing
wi th ch ild ren ............ .... .. ... 173
Tether anchors ........... .. .. .. ... 190
Tether straps ... ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 190
Ch ild safety lock
Rear doors ........................ 40
Ch ild safety seats .......... .... .. ... 179
Booster seats ............ .... .. .. . 182
Convertible c hild seats ....... ... .. . 180
Convertible locking retracto r .. ....... 184
H ow do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ........ .. .. .. .. . 177
I nfant sea ts ............. .... .. .. . 179
I ns tall ing .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 184
I ns tal ling a child restraint using the
L A TCH system .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 189
LATCH system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Lower anchorages ........ .. .. .. .. . 188
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook .. .. .. .. ........ ..... ... ... . 189
Safety instructions ................. 177
Unused safety belts on the rea r seat .. 179
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Cle aning .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 212
Climate control Air vents ... ... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 71
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Climate con trol sy stem
Supp lementary hea ter .. ... .. .. .... .. 74
Climate control (four-zone) Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Inde x 301
Climate control (three -zone)
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Clock .............................. 27
Closing Rear lid ........................... 37
Slid ing/tilting sunroof ......... .... .. 41
Cold tire inflation p ress ure ..... ... .. .. 247
Coming home . .. .. ................. . 46
Compact spare tire .................. 274
Compartments .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 60
Compliance ....... .. ............... 297
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 136, 294
Consu mption (f uel) ............. .. .. . 25
Contacting NH TSA ................. . 136
Controls Cleaning . ... .. .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. 214
Convenie nce key . ...... ............. . 35
Star ting the engine . ........... .... . 76
S topping the eng ine (START ENG INE
STOP b utton) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Switching the ignition on .... ... .. .. . 76
U nlocking and locking vehicle ......... 35
Convertib le child sa fe ty se ats ......... 180
Convertib le locking retractor
Activati ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Deact ivating . .. .. .. ..... .......... 186
U sing to secu re a child safety seat 1B4, 186
Coolant
refer to Engine coolant ............ . 231
Cooling mode (automatic climate control) 72
Cooling mode (climate cont rol) . . . . . . . . . 70
Cruise contro l
Changi ng speed .. .. . .. .. ... ..... .. . 84
P resett ing your speed ............... 85
Switching off ...................... 85
Switch ing on . .. .. .... ........... .. . 84
Wa rning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 23
(upholder .. .. .. .. ... ... ...... ..... . 60
C ur ve lig ht . ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 102
Cylinder managem ent
refer to Cyli nder on dema nd System .. . 25
Cyl inder on demand System
25
D
Data recorder ... ...... ............. 194
Date d isp lay .. .. .. .. ............... . 27
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Page 313 of 316
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Windshield Cleaning ... .......... ...... ... .... 48
defrosting (automatic climate control) . 73
defrosting (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . 71
W indshield washer system ............ 48
Washer fluid leve l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Washer reservoir ............ ... .. . 238
W indshield wipers
C leaning ... ... .......... .. .. .. .... 49
F olding up . ............. .. .. .. .. .. 49
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Replacing windshield wiper blades ..... 49
Switching on/off ............ ... .. .. 48
W inter operation
Battery .......................... 235
Car washes ................. ... ... 212
Cooling system .............. ... ... 231
Defrosting windows (automatic climate
control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Defrosting windows (climate control) .. 71
Removing ice from windows .. .. .. .. . 214
Seat heating (automatic climate control) 73
Seat heating (climate control) . . . . . . . . 71
Steer ing whee l heating .............. 74
Tires .. .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 200
W inter tires .. ... ........... ... .. ... 267
All-wheel drive .................... 267
X
Xenon-Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 284
Inde x 311
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