air suspension AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2014 Owners Manual

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
in serious persona l injury or vehicle
damage.
- Whenever sta lled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
¢ page 45.
- The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme ca u­
t ion when wor king under the hood
¢page 213.
(D Tips
Malfunctions or faults w ill be identified e i­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ge r!) o r with a ye llow symbo l (pr iority 2 -
Warn ing).
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when yo u switch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
with a ./ in the following tables.
If one of
these ind icator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
R ed indicato r light s
Red symbols indicate a priority malfunction -
Danger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine .
- Check the ma lfunct ion ing system . Contact
your authorized Aud i dealer or a q ua lified
workshop for assistance.
USA models :
Brake malfunction./
¢page 14
Canada m odels :
Brake malfunction./
¢ page 14 USA mod
els :
E lectromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Can ad a model s:
E lectromechanical parking brake
¢ page 15
Engine cooling system
¢page 15
Engine oil p ressu re
¢page 17
Engine o il level
¢ page 17
Battery
¢page 16
Safety belt
¢page 16
Electromechanical steer ing./
¢ page 194
Electronic steering co lumn lock
¢ page 17
Engine start system
¢page 17
Central indicator light
¢ page 18
USA model s: Speed warning sys ­
tem
¢ page 79
Canada model s: Speed warni ng
system
¢page 79
Adaptive cruise control*./
¢ page 83
Air suspension*
¢page 18
Pedestrian warn ing*
¢ page 100
Rear spo iler
¢ page 192

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
0 Air suspension
Applies to vehicles: with air suspe nsion
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph .
There is a malfunction that can resu lt in re­
stricted driving stability .
Ca refully drive at 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 qua lified workshop immediate ly to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restr icted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance .
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is ve ry 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.
tfsl !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) ;fll (Canada models) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems (e.g.
a ir bags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the
fl (USA models)I E,I (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driv ing, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere in
the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means there is a malfunct ion .
A WARNING "--
If yo u have a ma lfunction in the safety sys-
tems, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
im mediately . Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
Lt Central indicator light
If the indicato r light . or II turns on, check
the message in the instr ument cluster.
f;,J [); Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the lj] indicator light blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating.
If the
lj] indicator light turns on, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, you can
switch the ign ition off and then on to switch
the ESC on aga in. The ind icator light turns off
whe n the system is functioning fully.
If the
fl indicator light turns on, ESC was re­
stricted or sw itched off using the
l.i; O FFI but­
ton
¢page 189.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the J.j] indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
fJln (USA mode ls) ,1IJ (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, the ABS or electronic differentia l lock is malfunctioning.
This also causes the ESC to malfunction. The
brakes still function with their normal power,
but ABS is not active .
Drive to your author ized Audi dealer or quali ­
fied workshop immed iately to have the mal-
funct ion corrected. .,,_

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
@.D Light/rain sensor
II Automatic headlights/automatic wiper s:
sys tem fault
If the indicator light turns on and th is mes­
sage appears, the light/ra in sensor is not
functioning correctly.
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
on permanently w ith the switch in
AUTO .
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and off using the light switch. You can still
control all functions that are independent of
the rain sensor through the windshield wiper
lever.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the prob lem corrected.
; Adaptive dampers
Appl ies to vehicles: with adaptive dampers
B Suspension: System fault! You can contin­
ue driving
If the B symbo l in the display comes on, the re
i s a malfunction in the adaptive dampers.
Please go to an authorized Audi dea ler or oth­
er qualified workshop to have the ma lfunction
repaired.
!- I Sport differential
Applies to vehicles: with sport d ifferent ial
Ill Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport differen­
tial.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the mal function cor rected .
Ill Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
pe rature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING
Contact your author ized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
i s faulty or malfunct ioning . The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢¢ Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left II or the right B
turn signal, the indicator light blinks . When
you use the emergency flashers, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefu lly dr ive to your authorized Audi
dealer immediate ly to have the malfunction
corrected.
(D Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to ¢
page 46.
CRUISE /11
(') Cruise control
T he warning/indicator light lij;jl)~i~ (USA mod­
els)/ lil (Canada models) illuminates when
the cruise control is activated ¢
page 79.

96 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 pe rsonal injury.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icl e's featu res. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, stee ring, reve rsible sa fe ty belt tension­
e rs a nd adap tive air su spension are alw ays in­
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the e ng ine and the
tra nsmission respond quic ker or i n a more bal­
an ced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts. In the sporty dyn ami c mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RP Ms.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspens ion/adaptive air sus­
pension spor t*
(Air suspen sion in the MM I) is
a n e lec tronic ally con trolled air suspension and
da mpi ng sys tem. They are adjus ted depend­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the drive r's
steeri ng, braking an d acceleration input and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in ve hicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*. T
he veh icle clearance varies depending on the
se lected mo de an d the speed .
T he highway setti ng is a ct ivated automatic ally
whe n you dr ive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) fo r
more than
3 0 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
T he s teer ing adap ts in terms of s teer ing effor t
and steering ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfo rt
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steer ing .
The following app lies to veh icles with dynamic
stee ring* : the steer ing rat io changes based on
vehicle speed in order to ma intain optimum
steering effort for the drive r at all times. This
sets the stee ring to be less sens itive at higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicl e
control. At reduced speeds, howeve r, s te e ring
is mo re dir ect in o rder to keep the stee ring ef­
f or t as minima l as possible when the drive r is
mane uveri ng the veh icle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic stee ring ad dit iona lly pro ­
vides more responsive steering pe rformance .
Adaptive dampers*
The ad aptive dampe rs* use se nsors to re cord
i nforma tion r egarding steering movemen ts,
braking and ac celera tion ope ra tions by the
driver, road surface, d riving speed, and loa d.
T his ma kes it possible to adapt damp ing to
the driving situation v irtually in rea l time.
Drive select also makes it possib le to satisfy
the des ire fo r sporty suspension (Dynamic)
and comfortab le suspens ion (Comfort) with­
out giving up ba lance d tuning (Auto) .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l dr ive system
(quattro)
c:> page 195, the Sport d ifferential*
distributes the d riving power to the rear ax le
depe nd ing on the si tuati on. The dis trib ution
of power var ies depend ing on the selected
mode, from balance d (comfo rt) to agile ..,.

(dynamic). The goal is a high level of agility
and ability to accelerate on curves. The vehicle
is very responsive to steering.
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves.
The pivoting action and the lighting are also
adapted to the mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
The behavior when accelerating can be adjust­
ed from comfo rtable to sporty, depending on
the drive se lect mode . Adaptive cruise control
also responds to the driving behavior of the
vehicle ahead in a more conservative or sporty
manner .
Engine sound
The sound of the engine is adapted to these­
l ected mode and ranges from subtle to sporty.
(D Note
-Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the vehicle when park­
in g. 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 veh icle 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 during transport. The vehicle
may not be secured sufficiently if this
happens.
(D} Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynamic modes.
- Se lecting the
Dynamic mode results in
spo rty shifting characteristics. The S
gear position engages automatically .
Audi drive select 97
-In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the engine. This does not indi­
cate a problem.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fig. 106 MMI: Drive select
.,. To select the mode, select the following in
the
MMI: ICARI function button> Comfort,
Auto, Dynamic or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
Comfort · provides a comfort-oriented veh icle
setup and is suited for long drives on h igh­
ways.
Auto · provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
use .
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style.
Individual -~page 98.
&_ WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi drive select to prevent potential risk
of an acc ident.
-

98 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
Adaptive dampers* comfortable balanced sporty
Sport differential* balanced agile sporty
Curve
light* comfortable balanced sporty
Belt tensioner* Standard Standard
Deployment time
adapted
Adaptive cruise control* comfortable balanced sporty
Engine sound subtle subtle/sportyal sporty
al
Sub tle in th e d riving po sit ion D an d sp orty in the driv ing pos itio n S.
(D Tips
Your Individual mode settings are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the re­
mote control key being used.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
App lies to vehicles: with adaptive air suspension
Raising the vehicle
You can raise your vehicle temporarily, for ex­
ample to drive over a tall curb.
• Se lect the following in the MMI: ICAR!func­
tion button>
Raise control button.
• Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its final po­
s it ion .
Lowering the vehicle
• To lower the vehicle, select the following in
the MMI: ICARI function button >
Lower con­
trol button.
• Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to lower complete­
ly .
(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 will 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 drive r mess age sw itches off when the lev ­
e l contro l pro cess is comple te.
Audi drive select 99

experience, informat ion a nd specia l
too ls necessary to perform the work
safely.
- If the veh icle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts w ith pretens ioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your author ized
Aud i dea ler is familiar with these requi re­
ments an d we recommend that yo u have
your dea ler perform this se rvice for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire -r im combinations not app rove d by Aud i,
l owering the vehicle, changing the stiffness o f
the suspension, incl uding the springs, s uspen ­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that a re measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the elect ronic control
u ni t. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
se nsors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in wh ich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Ot her k inds of
change s may reduce the force levels meas ­
u red by the sensors and prevent the a irbag
from deploying when it shou ld .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle fo r the
d river and front passenger sea t tell the elec ­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l atched or not . If the safety belt is be ing used,
the front airbag will dep loy at a slightly high ­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe ­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a pa r-
A irba g sy stem 159
ticular coll is io n, it is possible t hat an airbag
w ill not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is be ing used b ut w ill inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not be ing
used . It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety be lt buckles so that the sen ­
sors can send the cor rect info rmation about
safe ty be lt use to the electronic control un it .
A WARNING .
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
i ng use of unapp roved tire-r im combin a­
tions can cha nge Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of se rious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install s uspension componen ts
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi ­
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire -rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi .
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 63 Driver 's k nee airbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the ins trumen t
pane l underneath the steering wheel
r:::> fig. 163, the airbag for t he passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan-
el underneath the glove compartment. ..,.

238 Tires and wheels
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced. Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire p ressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 234.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tir es on your vehicle to have the
same se rv ice life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- T ire rotation inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle serv ice intervals outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front whee ls com­
pared to all-whee l drive (quattro).
- Please rotate ti res as shown
c::> fig. 198.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 2 59.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
Ho wever, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on steering, suspension
and tires . A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed. Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect
wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi ­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
c::>page 195.
_8 WARNING
-Sudden tire fa ilure can lead to loss of con-
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn t ires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on whic h tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
I f you are going to use snow chains , then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch (10 ,5 mm), including the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and tr im discs
before putting snow cha ins on your vehicle
c:;, Q) _ For safety reasons cover caps must the n
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are ava il­
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for yo ur vehi ­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
ser ious personal inj ury.
- Snow chains are ava ilable in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in­
struct ions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- When driving w ith snow chains never
dr ive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow cha ins.
- Always observe local regulat ions .
([) Note
-Remove snow cha ins before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging t ires and wear ing the snow
chains down unnecessar ily.
- Snow chains, wh ich come into d irect con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitab ly covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sa ry. Follow the i nstructions from the
snow cha in manufacture r when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do no t mo unt or use snow chains because the vehicle will be ex
­
treme ly low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev ­
el, the snow cha ins might severely dam­
age the whee lhouse and other parts of
the vehicle .
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer­
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bol ts mus t alway s be tightened to the
correc t torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims . If different r ims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bol ts with the righ t
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used . T his ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the b rake system functions
co rrect ly.
In certa in circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different veh icle -even if it
is the same model
c:;, page 275 .
A WARNING
Imp rope rly t ightened or ma inta ined wheel
bo lts can become loose c ausing loss of
control, a col lision and serio us pe rsonal i n­
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bo lts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bo lts can turn easily and be prop­
erly tightened.
- Never g rease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in t he wheel hubs . They can
become loose while driv ing if greased or
oiled, even if t ightened to the specified
torque.
- On ly use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce the