suspension AUDI A7 2015 Owners Manual

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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when working under the hood
<=> page 225.
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
w ith a,/ in the followi ng tables.
If one of
these ind icator lights does no t turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
Red ind ic ator l ights
------------
U S A m od els :
Brake malfunction ,/
c:> page 15
Canada mod els:
Brake malfunction,/
c:> page 15
USA models :
Electromechanical park ing
brake
c:> page 16
Can ada models :
Electromechan ica l park ing
brake
c:> page 16
E ng ine cooling system
c:> page 16
E ng ine o il pressure
c:> page 17
Eng ine oi l level
c:> page 18
Battery
c:> page 17
Safety bel t
c:> page 17
Electromechan ica l steering,/
c:>page200
Elect ronic steering column lock
c::> page 18
Engine start system
c:> page 18 Cent
ral indicator light
<=> page 19
USA model s: Speed warning
system
<=> page 83
Ca nada model s: Speed warning
system
<=> page 83
Adaptive cruise contro l*,/
<=> page 88
Air suspension* <=> page 18
Pedestrian warn ing*
c::> page 105
Rear spo iler
<=> page 197
Refill Ad Blue *
<=> page 221
AdBl ue malfunction*
c:>page 2 21
Yellow indicato r light s
-------------
USA mod els : Safety systems
c::> page 19
Canada models: Safety systems
c::> page 19
Electronic Stab ili z ation Control
(ESC) ./
<=> page 19
Electron ic Stab ilizat ion Control
(ESC) ,/
c::> page 19
USA models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ,/
c::> page 19
Canada models :
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ,/
c::> page 19
Worn brake pads
c::> page 20

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
level warning II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam·
age.
~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the driver message
appear, add engine oil immediately
co page 227.
Ill Add oil, max. x qt (I). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap­
pear , add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ¢
page 227.
~- Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears , there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professional assistance.
Ill Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunction .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING , --
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering.
If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the risk of an accident .
©-Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not switch the ignition off
because you may not be able to switch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
ml Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
c:::::> Air suspension
Applies to vehicles: with air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph.
There is a malfunction that can result in re­
stricted driving stability .
Carefully drive a t a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunction . Wait until the air suspen ­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­ ance . Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.

102 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
ence diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttin gs i n o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
Comfort ,
Auto and Dynamic modes in the M MI to
switch between a sporty and a comforta ble
driving mo de.
You c an a lso a djust the setti ng according to
your p re ferences in the
Individual mode . F o r
examp le, you ca n combine settings such as a
sporty en gine t uning with comfortab le steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the A udi drive select can
cause collisions, ot her acc idents and se ri­
ous personal injury.
Description
The follow ing systems a re affected by dr ive
se lect:
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
tra nsmission respond quicker or in a more bal­
a nced manner to acce lerator pedal move ­
men ts. I n the sporty dynamic mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RPMs.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air sus­
pe nsion sport*
(A ir suspension in the MMI) is
an e lec tronically con tro lled air suspens ion and
d ampi ng sys tem. Th ey are adjusted depe nd­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the dr ive r's
steer ing, br aki ng and acceler ation inpu t and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed an d load . A
sporty se tting is generally use d in vehicl es
with a daptive ai r suspension s port* .
The vehicle clea rance v aries depe nd ing on the
se lec ted mode and the speed . T
he hig hway setting is act ivated automat ically
whe n you drive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) for
m ore than
30 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The g ro und clearance is increased a uto­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds .
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering ratios. Indirect steering that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfort
m ode, is best suited to lo ng drives o n a hig h­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides spo rty, direct steer ing .
The following applies to veh icles with dynamic
steering* : the steer ing rat io changes based on
vehicle speed in orde r to ma inta in optimum
stee ring effort for the dr ive r at all times . This
sets the stee ring to be less sens itive at h igher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle
co ntrol. At reduced spee ds, howeve r, s teer ing
is mo re d ire ct in order to keep the stee ring ef ­
fort as minima l as poss ible when the drive r is
mane uve rin g the vehicle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic steering addit iona lly pro ­
vides more responsive steeri ng performance.
Sport differential*
As a component o f the all whee l dr ive system
(quatt ro)
¢ page 200, the Sport differential *
dist ributes t he d riving power to the rear ax le
depend ing on the sit uat ion . The distrib ution
of power var ies depending on the selected
mode, from balanced (comfo rt) to agile (dy­
nam ic) . The goal is a h igh level of ag ility and
abili ty to acce lera te on curves . Th e veh icle is
very respons ive to stee ring.
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves.
The pivoting act io n and the lighting are also
adapt ed to the mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
The behav ior when accelerating can be adjust ­
ed from comfortab le to sporty, depending on
the drive select mode . Adaptive cru ise contro l
also responds to the driv ing behavior o f the
IJI,,

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vehicle ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner .
Engine sound *
The sou nd of the engine is adapted to these­
lec ted mode and ranges from subtle to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is eno ugh clearance
above and below the veh icle when park­
i ng. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load condi ­
tions and changes to the driving modes,
which can affect clearance.
- When transporting the vehicle on a car
carrier, train, ship or by other means, on­
ly tie the vehicle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Securing the vehicle at
the axle components, suspension struts
or tow ing eyes is not permitted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change d uring transport. The vehicle
may not be sec ured s uff icient ly if this
happens.
-If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer ope rat ion mode
¢page 208 .
@ Tips
-In some mode ls, the m axim um vehicle
speed can on ly be reached in the Auto
and Dynami c modes.
- Se lecting the Dynami c mode results in
sporty shifting characteristics . The S
gear position engages automatically .
- In vehicles with sport differential*, the
D ynamic mode is deactivated when tow ­
ing a trai ler .
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
Audi dri ve sele ct 103
stopping the engine. This does not indi ­
cate a prob lem .
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
F ig . 1 09 MMI: Drive select
.,. To select the mode, select the following in
the MMI : ICARlfunction button> Comfort,
A uto , Dynamic or In d iv idual.
You can c hange the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or while driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine .
Comfo rt -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways .
Auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
namic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
D ynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style .
Indi vidual -
¢ page 104.
WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi drive select to prevent potential risk
of an accident.

104 Audi drive select
Adjusting the Individual mode
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
• Se lect : I CAR ! function button > Set individu­
al
control button. You can now adjust the in­
dividual systems.
The
Individual dr iving mode will automatica l­
ly be activated when you have finished config­
uring the settings .
Systems Comfort
Engine /Transmission
balanced
Air suspension* comfortable
Steering comfortable The equipment
in your vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust. The following
table provides an overview of the characteris­
tics of each driving mode.
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
Dynamic steering* comfortable/indirect balanced/direct sporty direct
Sport differential * balanced agile sporty
Adaptive cruise control* comfortable balanced sporty
Engine sound* subtle
subtle/sportya> sporty
al Sub
tle in th e d riv in g po sit ion D an d sp or ty in t he driving pos itio n S.
Your Individual mode settings are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the re­
mote control key being used.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Appl ies to vehicles : wit h adapt ive a ir suspe nsion
Raising the vehicle
You can ra is e your veh icle temporarily, for ex­
ample to drive over a tall curb.
• Select the following in the MMI:
ICARI func­
t ion button
> Raise control button.
• Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its fina l po­
sit ion .
Lowering the vehicle
• To lower the vehicle, select the following in
the MMI:
!CARI function button > Lower con­
tro l button.
• Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to lower complete­
l y .
(D Note
- Remember that your vehicle is not suita­
ble for dr iv ing offroad even when it is
raised. There is not enough ground clear­
ance.
- If the vehicle is raised, it wi ll lower auto­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/
h) or faster.
Driver messages
Air suspension: vehicle currently too low .
Level control running
Air suspension: vehicle currently too high.
Level control running
The driver message switches off when the lev­
el control process is complete .

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r::> & in General information on page 118,
r::> (Din General information on page 119 .
The blue area represents an extens ion of the
vehicle's outline by approximately 16 ft
(5 m) to the rear . The long side of the blue
area should be on the curb . The entire blue
area must fit into the pa rking space.
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the right as far as it w ill go.
• Back in to the park ing space u ntil the b lue
curve
r::> fig . 134 touches the curb r::> & in
General information on page 118,
r::> (D in
General information on page 119 .
Stop the
vehicle.
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
whee l to the left as far as it will go .
• Continue to back into the parking space un ­
t il the vehicle is parked pa rallel to the cu rb
r::> & in General information on page 118,
r::> (D in General information on page 119.
@ marks the rear bumper . Stop the veh icle,
at the latest, when the red orientation line
@ borders an object. Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle whi le doing this .
Parking next to obstacles
If there is an obstacle (s uc h a s a wall) next to
the par king space, position the veh icle so
there is more space o n that s ide. Position the
l ong side of the blue s urface so that there is
sufficient space from the obstacle . The sur­
face must not be to uch ing . You will also need
to start turning the steer ing wheel much ear­
lier . The blue curve
r::> fig . 134 must not touch
the obstacle and should have sufficient room.
(D Note
Remember to maintain sufficient clear­
ance from the curb to avoid damag ing the
wheel rims .
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and sur­
faces will be displayed, depend ing on the
turn sig na l being used.
P arking systems 121
Peripheral cameras
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
In add ition to parking system plus
c:> page 117, this parking system conta ins pe ­
ripheral cameras . Depending on the vehicle
equipment, you are ass isted by vario us views
su ch a s p eriphera l view, corne r views a t the
fron t and rear of the veh icle, and views di re ct­
ly in front of or behind t he vehicle .
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
Fi g. 1 35 Locat io n of per ip hera l came ras
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the pe­
ripheral cameras are found in the radiator
grille, in the luggage compartment lid and on
both exterior m irrors*
c:> fig. 135. Make su re
that the lenses a re not covered by depos its o r
any other obstr uctions as it may impa ir t he
system. For info rmat io n on clean ing, refe r to
¢ page 212.
In the peripheral mode, b lack corners are
shown in the ve hicle silhouette . Objects in
these a reas a re outside of the came ra's field
of view and are not detec ted .
The accuracy of the orientation lines and the bl ue surfaces is reduced if the adaptive a ir
suspension* is faulty, if the vehicle is l ifted or
if the
D ynamic mode is activa ted ¢ page 102 . ...,

164 Airbag system
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per ­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts wit h pretens ioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Aud i dea ler is familiar wit h these requ ire­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea le r perfo rm this se rv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion st ruts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and se nt to the electron ic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels meas ured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­ ured by the sensors and prevent the a irbag
from deploying when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire -rim combina­
tions can change Advan ced A irbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serio us
personal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance character istics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinatio ns that
have not been approved by A udi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
F ig . 1 65 Driver's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the ins trumen t
pane l underneath t he steering wheel
¢ fig. 165, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneat h the glove compartment.
T he knee airbag offe rs additional p rotection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If t he front airbags dep loy , the knee ai rbags
also dep loy in frontal coll isions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the contro l unit
is met
¢ page 15 7, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their norma l safety function,
safety belts help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in position in a fronta l collision so that
the a irbags can provide supplemental protec­
t ion .
The airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
o nly help to protect you if you are weari ng
your safety belt and wea ring i t properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just beca use the law requi res you to
do so
r::!;>page 138, General notes . ..,.

204 Driving and en vir onm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis) * and fully load­
ed veh icles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any higher tha n the
bottom o f the vehicle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through water, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
-Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectr ica l
system can be severe ly damaged by driv­
ing through water.
- Always switch
off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water¢
page 81.
(D Tips
-Check the depth o f the water before driv ­
ing through it.
- Do no t stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep fo r your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
-
- Avoid driving through salt water because
it can cause corrosion .
Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles : w ith gasoli ne e ngi ne
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in on environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 217,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your eng ine
¢ page 229, Adding engine oil~-
.. Never try to push- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean­
u p" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
the ve hicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be­
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is c rit ically
important fo r the life of the catalyt ic convert­
er and prope r fu nct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
-
The temperature of the exhaust system is
h igh, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot . This could result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material which can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
~

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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Driving style
Driving fast around curves,
heavy acceleration and hard
braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even
wear
For all four tires on your vehicle
to have the same service life,
we recommend that the front
and rear tires are rotated ac­
cording to the tire manufactur­
er's suggested tire rotation in­
tervals. Please remember the
following:
-Tire rotation intervals may dif­ fer from the vehicle service in­tervals outlined in your War­ranty
& Maintenance booklet .
-The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle,
the more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recom­
mend that you follow the tire
manufacturer's suggested tire
rotation intervals.
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread
wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all-wheel drive (quat­
tro).
-Please rotate ti res as shown
¢ fig. 203.
Tires and wheels 259
-Extra care must be taken when rotating direction-specific
tires ¢ page
280.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are
balanced. However, various sit­
uations during everyday driving
can cause them to become un­ balanced, resulting in vibra­
tions you can usually feel
through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be re­
balanced to avoid excessive
wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced when a new tire is
installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, im­pairing the safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excessive
wear, have the wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must al­
ways have tires of the same size, construction and tread
type . For details see
¢ page
200.
•
•
'