brake AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2015 Service Manual

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.
T his 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 h igher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
..&, WARNING
After driving through wate r, 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.
(D Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical
system can be severely damaged by driv­ ing through water.
- Check the depth o f the water before driv ­
ing through it.
- Do not s top the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switc h 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 for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh sa lt water because
-
~ it can ca use corrosion. ,....,
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 197
Warming up and
cooling down
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your vehicle, you can help ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessar ily during sporty dr iv­
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is dr iven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine o il temperature to a mini­
mum of 140
°F (60 °() . The t ires a lso on ly
reach the ir full road holdi ng capabi lity on ce
they have warmed up.
The cooli ng fan can cont inue to run in your ve­
hicle after the engine is switched off . Howev­
er, driving the veh icle to coo l it down is pa rti c­
ul arly important. Dur ing spo rty driving , the
engine and b rakes, the exhaust system, and
the transmission a ll become extremely hot.
Before you park the vehicle, you should drive
it for a few miles/kilometers at light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down .
Catalytic converter
App lies to vehicles: wi th gaso line 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 an environmentally sound manner.
"' Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 206,
Fuel supply .
"' Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
"' Never put too much mo to r o il in yo ur eng ine
c:> page 21 S, Adding engine oil "t:::r..
"' Never try to push -or tow -start you r vehicle .
T he catalytic co nve rter is an efficient "clean ­
u p" dev ice bui lt into t he exhaus t system of
the ve hicle . The cata lytic converter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be ­
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is c ritical ly
i mportant for the life of the catalyt ic convert -
er and proper functioning of the engine .
Iii>
•
•

198 Driving and en vironm ent
_& WARNING
The temperature o f the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exha ust tail p ipes once
they have become hot. This could result in burns .
- Do not park or operate the veh icle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold , exhaust p ipes, catalytic con ­
verte r or heat shie lds. D uri ng d riving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
over heat and cause a fire .
(I) Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
l eaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the perfo rmance of the cata lytic
conve rter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 215.
- Do not d rive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso ge t in to
t h e exhaus t sys tem and this could cause
the ca talyt ic converte r to ove rheat.
- Do no t switch off the ign ition wh ile the
vehicle is moving.
- Do no t continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these condi tions, as otherw ise fuel
can reac h the catalytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the co n­
verter, req uiring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System :
- Have your veh icle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir the function of the em
ission cont ro l
system and could lead to damage .
~ For the sake of the env ironment
Even when the Emiss ion Con trol Sys tem is
operat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas can
have a sulfur-li ke ex haust gas smell under
some ope rat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or fil ling the tank with lead -free super
grade gasoline .
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like you r vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer per iod of t ime, contact an
Audi o r other spec ia lized dealer. They can ad­
v ise you on ne cessa ry precautions e .g. co rro­
s io n preven tion , maintena nce and s to rage.
Pay a ttent ion to addi tional in fo rmat ion con­
cerning the battery. Refer to
¢ page 2 21.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your p ersonal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex ­
haust and nois e le ve ls .
Fu el economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine , brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you an tic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt io n by 10 -15 percent . This sec ­
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the e nvir onment and your pocketbook .

M N
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
~ Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating. If you anticipate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
~ Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds . If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
ditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
~ Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
Driving and environment 199
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams , when waiting for trains to pass at rail­
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
long waits on red. Turning the engine off for
just 30 -40 seconds saves more fuel than is
burned starting the engine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
~ Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel consump­
tion.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven .
IIJ,,
•
•

202 Vehicle care and cleaning
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly again and let it
air dry . Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
S tu bborn depos its s uch as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are best removed with plenty of wa ­
ter and a microfiber cloth.
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 meta l compone nts whe n
was hing t he underbody or the ins ide of
t h e whee l hous ings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef ­
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake roto rs o r ice in th e winter . The
brakes mus t be dried first with a few
c a refu l br ake appli cat io ns.
(D Note
- If you wash t he veh icle in a n au tomatic
ca r wash, yo u m ust retrac t the r ear spoi l­
er if necessary, and fo ld the exter io r mir­
r o rs in t o reduce the r is k of dam age. P
ower fo lding ex terior mirrors * mus t on ­
ly be folde d in an d out using the powe r
folding function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle i n direct sunlight.
- T o reduce the ris k of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removi ng 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 polishi ng agen ts or
ha rd wa x.
- N eve r use car wash cycles that apply
p rotectiv e wax .
It can des troy the
ma tte fi nish effect .
- D o not place any st ickers o r magnet ic
signs on v ehicle parts painted w ith
ma tte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
d am aged when the stickers o r m agne ts
a re removed.
~ For the sake of the environment
Only wa sh the ve hicl e in facili tie s sp eci ally
d esigne d for th at pu rpose. Thi s will re duce
the r is k of dirty wate r contam inated with
oi l from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and cari ng fo r individua l vehi­
cle components, refer to the fo llow ing tab le.
The informa tion con tained there is s imply rec­
ommendations. Fo r q uest ions or for compo -nents that are not listed
, refer to a n author­
i z ed Audi dea ler or a qu alified workshop. Also
f o llow the inform ation fo und in ~ .&. .
Cleaning exterior Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades Dirty
~ page 49, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights / Dirty Soft sponge with a m ild soap solution a>
tail lights
Sensors/ Dirty Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand b rush/so lvent-free de -icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake d ust Acid-free special cleaning so lution

"' N
a:: I.J ""'. rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 186 Dr ive r foo twell: re lease leve r
Fig. 187 Rocker sw itch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. With the driver's door open , pull the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
c::> fig. 186.
.. Raise the hood slightly c::> .&. .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c::> fig. 187 . This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 211
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
When ev er y ou must p erform an y wor k in the
en gine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluid s, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr eve nt per­
so nal injury alwa ys observ e the foll owing
W ARNING S. The engin e compartm ent of any
v e hicle i s a h aza rdou s area
c::> ,& .
h WARNING
To help avoid injury, before yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Sw itch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector leve r to P (Park) .
- Always let the eng ine cool down . Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This inc reases the
ris k of burns.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri -
cal system is necessary:
II>-

220 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 192 Engine compar tment: cove r on the brake fl uid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 211.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
fig . 192, ¢ page 213,
fig. 188 .
The brake fluid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake flu id reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illust rat ion
¢ page 213.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indic ator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake f luid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the effi­
c ie ncy of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .

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0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 223.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 155.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢
page 193. Some of the co nvenience func­
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights or power seat adjustme nt. The conven-
Checkin g and fillin g 221
ience funct ions w ill be available again when
yo u sw itch on the ign ition and start the en­
gine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery ca pa city
tends to decrease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used mo re often.
Avoid unnecess ary powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticu lar ly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in¢
page 223 . A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freez e. This will
p reve nt it from be ing dam aged and having
to be repl aced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any­
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec­
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•

226 Tires a nd whee ls
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreci ­
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle.
Ti res may be the least appreci ­
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle. Tires are, how­
ever, one of the most important
parts of a vehicle, partic ularly
considering the comparatively
small patch of r ubber on each
tire that assures that all-impor­
tant contact between you, your
vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the co rrect tire
p ressure, making sure that your
vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more we ight than they
can safe ly handle, avoiding
damage from road hazards and
regular ly inspecting tires for
damage including cuts, s lashes
irregular wear and overall con ­
d ition are the most important
things that you can do to help avoid sudden tire fai lure inc lud ­
ing tread separation and blow­
outs.
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb
or similar obstacle, drive very
slowly and as close as possible
at a right angle to the curb.
Always keep chemicals includ­
ing grease, o il, gasoline and
brake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the tires regularly for
damage (cuts, c racks or blis­
ters, etc.). Remove any foreign
bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove
them to indicate the direction
of rotation . This ensures you to
be able to mount them correct ­
ly when you reinstall them .
When removed , the wheels or
tires should be stored in a cool,
dry and preferably dark p lace.
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounte d on
r ims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢ &.
The tread depth of new tires
may vary , according to the type .,.

228 Tires and wheels
-If you notice unusual vibra­
tion or if the vehicle pulls to
one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is
safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam­
age.
0 Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­
ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability. If summer tires are used
in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread
bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and
unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats , radio,
and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­
proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
...

230 Tires a nd whee ls
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire
at the maximum permissible in­
flation pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire
may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the
total seat ing capac ity of your
vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occu ­
pants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of
an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the ex teriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, includ ­
ing elevations due to labeling,
decorations, or protect ive
bands or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the comb ined we ight of
those installed regular produc­
tion op tions weighing over 5
lbs . (2. 3 kg) in excess of those
standard items which they re ­
place, no t prev iously consid­
ered in curb weight or accessory
weight , incl uding heavy duty
brakes, ride leve lers, roof rac k,
heavy duty bat tery, and spec ial
trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in
wh ich the p ly c ords that extend
t o the beads are laid at sub ­
stantially 90 degrees to the
centerline of the t read .