AUDI A7 2015 Owners Manual

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
•
•

210 Trailer towing
A lways 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 alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Air su spen sion *
When driving with a trai ler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air
suspension trailer mode on when you are tow­
ing a trailer. This will limit the regulation by
the air suspens ion while driving. Select in the
MMI:
! CARI function button> (C ar)* sys te m s
control button > Vehicl e se tting s> Air s usp .:
t o wing > On .
Coolant t emperatur e
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the LEDs in
the top pa rt of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢ page 16 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not prope rly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight dist ribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefu lly you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp letely familiar with the way your vehicle
-trailer combination behaves and
responds .
Backi ng up is diffic ult and requi res p ractice.
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintai n a greater d ista nce between yo ur ve­
hicle and the one in fron t of yo u. You w ill need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­ ce le rate as fast as you norma lly would be­
ca use 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 tu rns o r rapid lane
changes.
(D 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 294.
Parking on a slope
Do not park 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 choc ks unde r both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unt il the whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re sta rting after p ark in g :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the engine.

M N <( (.J
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,...., ..,., ,....,
~ Select the D/S se lecto r lever posit ion .
~ Release the parking b rake and slow ly pull
o ut and away from the whee l chocks.
~ Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
I f you move the selector lever of the a uto­
mat ic transm ission to P before app lying
the parking b rake and befo re blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
la ter to move th e lever out of the P posi­
tion.
Trailer towin g 211
•
•

212 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for corro ­
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or a qualified workshop. Read and follow the
instr uctions for use on th e packaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cleaning and care products incor­
rec tly can be dange ro us to your hea lth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of rea ch of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that depos its suc h as insects, bird
d roppings , tree sap o r road salt rema in on the
ve hicl e, the more the su rface can be dam­
aged. High tempe ra tur es such as those
c a used by s unligh t increase the cor rosive ef­
fect.
B efore was hing, wet heavy deposits w ith p le n­
ty of water.
A lso , wash the underside of your vehicle once
r oad salt stops be ing used fo r th e season .
Pressure wa shers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. Th is
i s especially important in rega rd to t he pres ­
sure and spray ing distance . Do not aim the
spray d irectly at seals o n side w indows, doors, the
hood, the rear lid o r the sunroo f* or at
t ir es , rub ber hoses, insu lating mate rial, sen­
sors * or camera lenses *. Keep a d istance o f at
l east 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice wi th a p ressu re
washe r.
Never use rota ry no zzle s or high pressure noz­
z les.
T he wate r temperature must not be above
140
° F (60 °() .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the ve hicle before washing.
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off . Fo l­
l ow instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicl e starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent-f ree cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and la rge particles from
yo ur vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger­
pri nts are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the p rod uct us ing a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoro ughly with water . Then
clean usi ng a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
crof iber cloth.
Rinse t he vehi cle thoroughly again and le t it
air dry . Remove any wa ter residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn dep osit s su ch as b ird drop pin gs o r
t ree sap are best remove d with p le nty o f wa -
te r and a microfiber cloth . ..,.

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Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 213
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, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
t he wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fec t may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
Q) Note
- If you wash t he vehicle in an automatic
car wash, yo u must retrac t the rear spoil­
er if necessary, and fo ld the exter ior mir­
rors in to reduce the risk of damage.
Power folding exterior mirrors* must on­
l y be folded in and out using the power
fo ld ing funct ion.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the veh icle in direct sunlight. -
To reduce the risk of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface, do not use polishing agents or hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte fi nish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehi cle in facilities spec ial ly
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the risk of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individua l vehi ­
cle components, refer to the follow ing tab le.
The information contained there is s imply rec­
ommendations. For quest ions or for compo- nents
that are not listed, refer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Also
follow the information found inc>,& .
Cle aning e xte rior
Component Situation Solution
W ip er bl ade s
Dirty c> page 49, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ Dirty Soft
sponge with a mild soap solution al
tail lights
S ensor s/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
cam era l enses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Whe els Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Ex haust t ail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut
ion suitable for sta inless steel, if
pipe s necessary
•
•

214 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Decorative
Dirty Mild soap solutional, a cleaning solution suitab le for
parts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, re-
pair with touch up paint
q page 291
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust film Rust
film remover, then protect with hard wax; for ques-
tions, refer to an authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an autho rized Aud i dealer or a quali-
fied workshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even T
reat with suitable polish; then app ly paint protectant if
though paint has the polish that was used does not contain any protec-
been protected/
tant
pa int looks poor
Carbon parts Dirty Clean tlhe same way as painted parts qpage 212, Car
washes
a ) Mild soap so lution: maximum two tablespoons neut ra l soap in 1 quart (I lite r) of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative Dirty Mild soap
solutional
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plastic cleaning sol u-
tion, if necessary
Displays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solut ional
Safety belts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
...

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Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 215
Component Situ ation Solution
T ex tiles,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
A lcan ta ra Water-based stains Absorbent
cloth and mild soap solutional
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona l, blot away the dissolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutional, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
N atu ral le athe r Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutional
Water-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood , etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Sta in remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
nai l polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regularly
apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maxi mum two tablespoons neutral soap in 1 qua rt (I lite r) of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents.
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is also
possible.
- Headlights /ta il li ghts
-Never clean headlights or tail lights
w ith a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form .
-Wheels
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately .
-Se nsor s/came ra len ses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
l ens . This could cause the lens to crack .
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•
•

216 Vehicl e c are and cle aning
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcoho l to clean the camera lens .
Th is could cause scratches and cracks .
-Window s
-Remove snow and ice on w indows and
exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper.
To avoid scratches, move the scraper only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from win­
dows and m irrors using warm or hot
wate r be cause this cou ld cause c rac ks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any stickers on
the heating wi res on the ins ide of the
w indow .
-De corative part s/trim
-Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
- Paint
-To reduce the risk of sc ratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and dust be­
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the veh icle in direct sun light.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do
not polish away rust film .
-Displays
- T o avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays .
-Controls
- Make s ure that no f lu ids enter the con-
trols, because th is cou ld cause dam­
age.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the sa fety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts o r their com­
ponents chemically or wi th cor ros ive
fluids or so lvents and never a llow
sharp objects to come into contact
w ith the safety belts . This co uld cause
damage to the belt webbing.
- If the re is damage to the webb ing, the
connections, the retractors or t he buc k­
les, have them rep laced by an author- ized A
udi dealer or a qualified work ­
shop.
- Te xtiles /Vin yl/Alcantara
- Never treat V inyl/ Alcantara w ith leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar p roducts.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Aud i dealer
or a qualif ied workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, br ushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating * to dry
the seat.
- Objects w ith sharp edges such as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the su rface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex­
ample on cloth ing, can damage seat
covers. Make sure hook and loop fas­
tene rs are closed.
- Natural leather
- N eve r treat leather wit h solven ts, floo r
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges s uch as zip ­
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Neve r use steam cleaners, br ushes,
hard sponges, etc . when cleaning .
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- To help prevent the leat her from fad­
ing, do not leave the vehicle in di rect
sunlight for long periods of time. If leaving the vehicle parked for long pe­
riods of time, you should cover the
leathe r to protect it from d irect sun­
light.
(D Tips
- Insects are easier to remove from paint
that has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust film from forming.

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Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline e ngin e
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ ­
men t clean and preven ts engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recomme nded fo r yo ur vehicle is un­
leaded premium
g rade gasolin e. A udi recom­
mends using TO P TIE R D etergent Gaso line
w it h a mi nimum oc tane ra ting o f 91 A KI (9 5
RON ). For more inform ation on TOP TIER De­
t ergent Gasoline, please go to the off ici al
websi te (www .toptie rgas .com) .
T he recommended gasoline octane rating for
your eng ine can also be fo und o n a label loc at­
e d on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This ra t­
i ng may be specified as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operated using un­
l e ad ed regular g asoline with a min imum o c­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. However, using
87 AK I/91 RO N octa ne fue l w ill sli ght ly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga soline only . Unleaded g aso­
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Ca na da,
an d in most E uropean cou ntries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see
q page 219.
Octane rating
Octane rating ind icates a gaso line's ability to
r es ist engine d amag ing "kno ck" cau sed b y
p remature ign ition and detona tion. There fore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
importa nt to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline mos t common ly used in the Unite d
States an d Canada has the following octane
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 217
ra tings that can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
p ump :
- Premium Grad e: 9 1 -96 A KI
- Regular Grade: 87 - 90 AKI Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RO N
+MON )/2
RON= Resea rch O ctane Num ber
MO N= M otor Octane Number .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny fue l w ith octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
ex pensiv e engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline . The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's cata lytic conve rter a nd its
abi lity to co ntrol ex haust em issio ns.
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unlea ded gasoline blen ded wi th
alcohol o r M TB E (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets the
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -k n ock index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must not co nta in mo re tha n 15%
ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or high er. ..,.
•
•

218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driv ing.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
(CT) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If yo u are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel sup plier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades differ from one
manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to co llect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and fuel
systems clean, they a re not equally effec­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
f uels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
Damage or malf u nct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Su lfu r Diesel)
No. 2. The U LSD No. 2 meets the ASTM D975.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiese l
higher than 5 % s uch as Bl 1, B2O or BlOO are
strictly prohib ited.
Serv ice stat ion fuel pumps are labeled with
the correct fuel information for easy recogn i­
t io n by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fue l is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav­
eling to other countries.
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold
temperatu res, and this can impair the en­
gine's start ing and running. Depending on the
season, gas stat ions provide ULSD No. 2 that
flows better in cold temperatures so that you
can continue operating your vehicle as usua l.
CD Note
-Yo ur vehicle's diesel engine was de­
signed soley for use with ULSD No. 2.
Therefore, never use gasoline, heating
oil, other fuels or flow improvers. These
conta in substances that will severely
damage the fuel system and the engine.
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