C7 "Hidden" Gems List
06-09-2013, 10:23 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
C7 "Hidden" Gems List
Here's a list of some of the interesting C7 things that many owners may or may not have been aware of gleamed from the Forums. Some of these are not documented in the manual or are there but either buried, not well explained or often overlooked.
Feel free to suggest more of your own and if they're good ones, I'll add them to this master list. If possible, please, let's not turn this into a complaint thread or things Audi coulda', shoulda' done.
1. Under seat storage compartments; good for compact umbrellas, small flashlights and such.
2. Air conditioned open/close vent in the glove box that can be opened or closed; good for keeping a bottle of something cool in the summer. (Not found in all trims apparently).
3. Extendable visors; useful for blocking the sun through the side windows.
4. Spring loaded Trunk T-hooks; good for hanging bags, dry cleaning hangers from the inside trunk roof or raising the cargo net (if you have one) to help secure larger items.
5. Bottle rest in the doors; great for keeping a bottle available at your finger tips
6. Plastic clips in the glove box; good for a pen and pad, registration and insurance card, tire gauge, bar drink umbrella, etc.
7. One touch sunroof; hit it once and it opens almost all the way. Hit it again to go the last couple of inches. Closes the same with one touch. Same for sunroof tilt (you can alternatively push up or pull down once on the switch for tilt).
8. Engine shut off with driver door open; (not really a gem per se but more of an irritating "feature" to some). On initial 2013 models at least with 0566 MMI software, it can be overridden by the dealer with a TSB software fix.
9. Auto shut off fan; if you press the the fan button after you turn the car off, the fan will continue to run to keep the warm or cool air circulating for a few minutes before shutting off. (Press fan button until temp readout appears, wait 5 seconds or so for fans to operate); uses residual air in the system to blow cool or warm air.
10. Wiper service position; definitely in the manual but often overlooked; saves the wiper arms from damaging the paint on the hood when the arms are lifted for cleaning or replacing blades.
11. ACC MMI setting (Auto Cruise Control); for those that have it, the rate at which the following speed changes can be set in the MMI Individual settings. Comfort allows the car to take longer to maintain the DIS distance stalk setting and Dynamic allows for a faster response.
12. Dynamic/Comfort vs Sport shifter mode; not a Gem but worth mentioning as the manual doesn't say; Sport mode provides the same transmission gear and throttle mapping as the ADS Dynamic setting. Placing the shifter in Sport overrides the MMI Comfort setting.
13. Steering wheel paddles; for those that have a Sport package, the paddles will override the Auto transmission modes and the selected gear will remain in place until either a paddle is pulled to a different gear or after a short period of steady state speed, the manual mode will automatically revert back to the previously set Auto transmission modes (D or S). This is nice when you just want to downshift and then resume in auto. This is different than when in manual mode on the console shifter which will not return to Auto mode without moving the shifter back to D or S.
14. Nav Street View in Google Earth; for those with at least 0566 MMI software, you can enter Street View by zooming in the MMI selector **** closer than 30' if you see a small orange person icon on the MMI screen. The car must be standing still to view it. Street view of destination near arrival location (if available) will show on MMI screen (MMI 0609 or higher).
15. The hook in the trunk can be used to hold up the trunk floor, facilitating access to the spare tire compartment.
16. The passenger side mirror tilts in reverse. Note that adjusting it while in reverse, sets that as the new tilt position anytime the vehicle is in reverse.
17. Nav displays street view image when approaching the destination (MMI version 0609 and above).
18. In manual paddle or shifter mode, tap down once on the shifter to quickly get back to last Auto mode selected (D or S).
19. Pull down on the console shifter from the paddle manual mode to toggle back to the last Auto mode, D or S.
20. The ebrake can be an effective hill holder: Manually set the ebrake while in gear and take foot off the brake. When the accelerator is hit, the ebrake will auto release (assuming seat belt is fastened). Works in Drive and Reverse.
20a. Also: "Hill Hold Lite" - when facing up a steep hill if in drive and brake is depressed, when released, the brakes stay engaged for about 2 seconds, preventing roll-back to allow time to step on the gas.
21. Stop/Start Brake Pedal Action. For North American 2013 C7 owners and some ROW. Whenever the start/stop function is activate, the auto-stop feature can be modulated by how hard the brake pedal is pressed. Light pressure: the engine stays on, heavy pressure: the engine turns off
22. Power folding side mirrors - (if equipped), if you fold them in using the mirror control **** when stopped and drive off, they will stay folded in regardless of speed until you turn the control **** back to another position. If you try to fold in the mirrors above a certain speed (29 mph?), they will not fold until you slow down to the threshold speed.
23. ACC (Automatic Cruise Control - The first speed you set does not need to fit the required 2.5 mph increment settings. For example, When you get on a highway with speed limit 65, take the car up to 74 then set the ACC and it will be set at 74. Changing will fall back to the 2.5 mph increments.
Also, ACC sensitivity can be set in the ADS Individual Mode; the "Comfort" setting will cause the ACC acceleration to react more slowly to a followed car's speed changes than the "Dynamic" setting.
24. Open Door Chime defeat - click an arrow button of the DIS control (steering wheel left side). Only works if you open the door first before hitting the button and is only a single use.
25. MMI Reset/Reboot - not really a "gem" per se (more like a "tip") but can solve various MMI glitches. Simultaneously press "Menu"+Selector ****+Upper right function button. Screen goes down, goes up and reboots (takes a minute or two to reload) and doesn't seem to erase any previous settings. This can sometimes solve problems, i.e. my Audi Connect wouldn't get to the internet in any function even though the connection showed excellent. I rebooted the MMI and all was working again. The MMI is a computer and like PCs, it can get "confused" from time to time.
26. Radio Station Touch Pad Presets - You can assign a radio station to a number (1 - 6) on the touchpad without going through the MMI preset screen.
- Tune to the radio station.
- Touch and hold the desired number on the touchpad.
- Wait for the short beep. Station is now assigned.
Additionally, if you want to move a preset to another number, (ie. move the station assigned to touchpad 1 to touchpad 4), simply touch 1 and slide it to 4.
27. Trunk lid - If your key fob is left in the trunk, the lid will not latch. (The same if you leave the fob in the car - it can't be locked by pressing the advanced key door button).
28. Radio band select - repeatedly pressing the "Radio" button on the center console will cycle between FM, AM, and Sirius - no need to select "Band" and use the large MMI ****.
29. Auto door locking - if you lock the car with either the key fob or door button and accidentally unlock it before you walk off, if you don't open the door, the car will automatically lock again after a short time. Nice security feature.
30. HVAC Fan - for those with the Four Zone Climate Control (digital controls), after you turn off the engine, if you press and hold the fan button until the temp display comes back on, after more few seconds, the fan will automatically restart and continue to circulate cool (or warm) air for a period of time (at least 10 minutes or so). This is a nice feature if you are going to be back in a short time - the car will be cooler (or warmer) due to circulation of the residual air temp left in the system. Be aware, this may generate a false intermittent fault in the HVAC module if you run a VCDS scan as it thinks the button is sticking (no alert light). No harm is done though as it is a hidden feature. (We figured this out with an Audi service tech).
31. Fuel door - if the car doors are locked, the fuel access door cannot be opened. Presumably a safety feature and gas theft deterrent.
32. Advanced key door handles - After you lock your car the inner touch sensors on the outer handles are disabled for several seconds specifically so you can pull on the handle to confirm the door is locked.
33. Wipers Service Position - if you want to leave your wipers up in the service position when leaving your car outside in the winter, turn off the engine and pull down on the wiper stalk one time before opening the door. When returning and after removing the ice and snow, start the car and set the wiper stalk to any position to return them to the normal position.
34. Nav Destination Search Memory - when you search for a destination using any of the methods of search or entry type, the next time you go to search, just entering the first letter of the destination will call it back up to the top of the list in the search results.
Feel free to suggest more of your own and if they're good ones, I'll add them to this master list. If possible, please, let's not turn this into a complaint thread or things Audi coulda', shoulda' done.
1. Under seat storage compartments; good for compact umbrellas, small flashlights and such.
2. Air conditioned open/close vent in the glove box that can be opened or closed; good for keeping a bottle of something cool in the summer. (Not found in all trims apparently).
3. Extendable visors; useful for blocking the sun through the side windows.
4. Spring loaded Trunk T-hooks; good for hanging bags, dry cleaning hangers from the inside trunk roof or raising the cargo net (if you have one) to help secure larger items.
5. Bottle rest in the doors; great for keeping a bottle available at your finger tips
6. Plastic clips in the glove box; good for a pen and pad, registration and insurance card, tire gauge, bar drink umbrella, etc.
7. One touch sunroof; hit it once and it opens almost all the way. Hit it again to go the last couple of inches. Closes the same with one touch. Same for sunroof tilt (you can alternatively push up or pull down once on the switch for tilt).
8. Engine shut off with driver door open; (not really a gem per se but more of an irritating "feature" to some). On initial 2013 models at least with 0566 MMI software, it can be overridden by the dealer with a TSB software fix.
9. Auto shut off fan; if you press the the fan button after you turn the car off, the fan will continue to run to keep the warm or cool air circulating for a few minutes before shutting off. (Press fan button until temp readout appears, wait 5 seconds or so for fans to operate); uses residual air in the system to blow cool or warm air.
10. Wiper service position; definitely in the manual but often overlooked; saves the wiper arms from damaging the paint on the hood when the arms are lifted for cleaning or replacing blades.
11. ACC MMI setting (Auto Cruise Control); for those that have it, the rate at which the following speed changes can be set in the MMI Individual settings. Comfort allows the car to take longer to maintain the DIS distance stalk setting and Dynamic allows for a faster response.
12. Dynamic/Comfort vs Sport shifter mode; not a Gem but worth mentioning as the manual doesn't say; Sport mode provides the same transmission gear and throttle mapping as the ADS Dynamic setting. Placing the shifter in Sport overrides the MMI Comfort setting.
13. Steering wheel paddles; for those that have a Sport package, the paddles will override the Auto transmission modes and the selected gear will remain in place until either a paddle is pulled to a different gear or after a short period of steady state speed, the manual mode will automatically revert back to the previously set Auto transmission modes (D or S). This is nice when you just want to downshift and then resume in auto. This is different than when in manual mode on the console shifter which will not return to Auto mode without moving the shifter back to D or S.
14. Nav Street View in Google Earth; for those with at least 0566 MMI software, you can enter Street View by zooming in the MMI selector **** closer than 30' if you see a small orange person icon on the MMI screen. The car must be standing still to view it. Street view of destination near arrival location (if available) will show on MMI screen (MMI 0609 or higher).
15. The hook in the trunk can be used to hold up the trunk floor, facilitating access to the spare tire compartment.
16. The passenger side mirror tilts in reverse. Note that adjusting it while in reverse, sets that as the new tilt position anytime the vehicle is in reverse.
17. Nav displays street view image when approaching the destination (MMI version 0609 and above).
18. In manual paddle or shifter mode, tap down once on the shifter to quickly get back to last Auto mode selected (D or S).
19. Pull down on the console shifter from the paddle manual mode to toggle back to the last Auto mode, D or S.
20. The ebrake can be an effective hill holder: Manually set the ebrake while in gear and take foot off the brake. When the accelerator is hit, the ebrake will auto release (assuming seat belt is fastened). Works in Drive and Reverse.
20a. Also: "Hill Hold Lite" - when facing up a steep hill if in drive and brake is depressed, when released, the brakes stay engaged for about 2 seconds, preventing roll-back to allow time to step on the gas.
21. Stop/Start Brake Pedal Action. For North American 2013 C7 owners and some ROW. Whenever the start/stop function is activate, the auto-stop feature can be modulated by how hard the brake pedal is pressed. Light pressure: the engine stays on, heavy pressure: the engine turns off
22. Power folding side mirrors - (if equipped), if you fold them in using the mirror control **** when stopped and drive off, they will stay folded in regardless of speed until you turn the control **** back to another position. If you try to fold in the mirrors above a certain speed (29 mph?), they will not fold until you slow down to the threshold speed.
23. ACC (Automatic Cruise Control - The first speed you set does not need to fit the required 2.5 mph increment settings. For example, When you get on a highway with speed limit 65, take the car up to 74 then set the ACC and it will be set at 74. Changing will fall back to the 2.5 mph increments.
Also, ACC sensitivity can be set in the ADS Individual Mode; the "Comfort" setting will cause the ACC acceleration to react more slowly to a followed car's speed changes than the "Dynamic" setting.
24. Open Door Chime defeat - click an arrow button of the DIS control (steering wheel left side). Only works if you open the door first before hitting the button and is only a single use.
25. MMI Reset/Reboot - not really a "gem" per se (more like a "tip") but can solve various MMI glitches. Simultaneously press "Menu"+Selector ****+Upper right function button. Screen goes down, goes up and reboots (takes a minute or two to reload) and doesn't seem to erase any previous settings. This can sometimes solve problems, i.e. my Audi Connect wouldn't get to the internet in any function even though the connection showed excellent. I rebooted the MMI and all was working again. The MMI is a computer and like PCs, it can get "confused" from time to time.
26. Radio Station Touch Pad Presets - You can assign a radio station to a number (1 - 6) on the touchpad without going through the MMI preset screen.
- Tune to the radio station.
- Touch and hold the desired number on the touchpad.
- Wait for the short beep. Station is now assigned.
Additionally, if you want to move a preset to another number, (ie. move the station assigned to touchpad 1 to touchpad 4), simply touch 1 and slide it to 4.
27. Trunk lid - If your key fob is left in the trunk, the lid will not latch. (The same if you leave the fob in the car - it can't be locked by pressing the advanced key door button).
28. Radio band select - repeatedly pressing the "Radio" button on the center console will cycle between FM, AM, and Sirius - no need to select "Band" and use the large MMI ****.
29. Auto door locking - if you lock the car with either the key fob or door button and accidentally unlock it before you walk off, if you don't open the door, the car will automatically lock again after a short time. Nice security feature.
30. HVAC Fan - for those with the Four Zone Climate Control (digital controls), after you turn off the engine, if you press and hold the fan button until the temp display comes back on, after more few seconds, the fan will automatically restart and continue to circulate cool (or warm) air for a period of time (at least 10 minutes or so). This is a nice feature if you are going to be back in a short time - the car will be cooler (or warmer) due to circulation of the residual air temp left in the system. Be aware, this may generate a false intermittent fault in the HVAC module if you run a VCDS scan as it thinks the button is sticking (no alert light). No harm is done though as it is a hidden feature. (We figured this out with an Audi service tech).
31. Fuel door - if the car doors are locked, the fuel access door cannot be opened. Presumably a safety feature and gas theft deterrent.
32. Advanced key door handles - After you lock your car the inner touch sensors on the outer handles are disabled for several seconds specifically so you can pull on the handle to confirm the door is locked.
33. Wipers Service Position - if you want to leave your wipers up in the service position when leaving your car outside in the winter, turn off the engine and pull down on the wiper stalk one time before opening the door. When returning and after removing the ice and snow, start the car and set the wiper stalk to any position to return them to the normal position.
34. Nav Destination Search Memory - when you search for a destination using any of the methods of search or entry type, the next time you go to search, just entering the first letter of the destination will call it back up to the top of the list in the search results.
Last edited by snagitseven; 06-02-2014 at 08:10 AM.
The following 2 users liked this post by snagitseven:
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06-09-2013, 01:42 PM
#3
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I would have never known about the passenger side mirror tilt in reverse:
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2825183
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2825183
06-09-2013, 04:43 PM
#4
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I had #8 fixed so my car doesn't do that anymore when I get out.
Supposedly though the car will turn off if the key gets so far away from the car. Haven't tried that yet.
Supposedly though the car will turn off if the key gets so far away from the car. Haven't tried that yet.
06-09-2013, 07:20 PM
#5
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One thing I haven't been able to reproduce is the car locking after a period of time on it's own after turning it off and walking away. My '09 A4 did that.
06-09-2013, 09:20 PM
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Another time that street view shows up is when you give the nav a destination. As you approach your destination, it will show you the street view of it in the upper left (presumably so you will know what to look for when you see it).
06-10-2013, 04:29 AM
#7
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I've not seen this in my nav. Are you in the U.S.? If so, what is your MMI version?
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06-10-2013, 06:51 AM
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Its hard not to love AW when threads like this appear.... I think I have read each on of these at one time or another, but having them in one place is very nice. Snagit, thanks for taking the time to summarize these... Hope you can find some cheap ink for your keyboard.
06-10-2013, 07:28 AM
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13. Steering wheel paddles; for those that have a Sport package, the paddles will override the Auto transmission modes and the selected gear will remain in place until either a paddle is pulled to a different gear or after a short period of steady state speed, the manual mode will automatically revert back to the previously set Auto transmission modes (D or S).