2011 AUDI Q7 service

Driving and environment
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• Do not alter or remove any device, such as heat shields, switches,
ign ition w ires, valves, which are designed to protect your vehicle 's
Emission Control System and other important vehicle components. •
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high on short
trips.
- Try to avoid driving short distances with a cold engine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optima l oper­
ating temperature
to reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effectively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). After about a half
a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100 km) . After about
2.5 mi les (4 km), the engine is at its proper operating temperature
and fue l economy has reached a normal level. So you can see that you
should avoid short trips whenever possible.
Th e
outside temperature is also critical in this regard. Your car
consumes more fuel in the winter than in the summer. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving off road
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vary. It is the driver's responsibility to decide whether a vehicle can
overcome a specific situation
=> &-
Gradient angle
The number of meters in altitude gained over a distance of 109 .4
yards or 100 meters (grade) are given as a percentage or degrees.
Information about the gradient the vehicle can climb under its own
power (depends in part on the road surface and engine power).
Maximum permitted grade: 31
°
Lateral angle (slope of vehicle)
Indicates the angle up to which the vehicl e can be driven diagonally
or across the fall line on a slope without the vehicle tipping over s ide­
ways (depends on center of gravity). Maximum permitted late ral
angle: 35°
Breakover angle
Indicates the angle up to which the vehicle can dr ive over a ramp at
low speed without the underside of the vehicle hitting the edge of the
ramp.
• Vehicles without air springs: maximum breakove r angle: 21, 1 °
• Vehicles with adaptive air suspension*: maximum breakover
ang le: 23.8° (at high level 2)
Approach /departure angle
Transition from the horizontal plane to a gradient or from a grade
back to level ground. Indicates the angle up to which the vehicle can
drive onto or off a slope at low speed without striking the bumper or
the underbody.
• Vehicles without air springs: maximum approach/departure
ang le: 21.0° (front), 23.4° (rear)
• Vehicles with adaptive air suspension*: maximum
approach/departure angle at high level 2: (front) 23,5°, (rear) 25 .4°
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Ground clearance
Th
e distance between the road surface and the lowest point of the
vehicle underbody.
• Vehicles without air springs: ground clearance: 8.1 in
(204 .8 mm)
• Vehicles with adaptive air suspension*: maximum ground clear­
ance: 9.4 in (239.8 mm) at high leve l 2
& WARNING
Exceeding the stated maximum figures can result in severe inju­
ries or vehicle damage.
• All the information was gathered on level, firm and non-slip­
pery road surfaces, and under dry weather conditions.
• Ideal conditions do not prevail offroad. Never utilize the
maximum readings to their fullest, always leave a safety
reserve.
u
Driving tips
On poor road and off road, there is always only one
motto: Plan ahead and drive slowly!
Please observe the following when driving away from paved
roads:
- Drive only on roads and offroad sections which match the
design of your vehicle and your abilities as a driver. Never
take risks!
- Drive slowly and plan ahead!
- Take into consideration the
ground clearance of your
vehicle .
- Activate the
ESP offroad mode~ page 256 as needed.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information Your Audi was design ed primarily for passenger transpor ­
tation .
If you plan to tow a t rai ler, p lease rem emb er that the add itiona l load
wi ll affect durab ility, economy and performance.
T railer tow ing not on ly p laces mo re s tress on the vehicle, it a lso calls
for more concentrat ion from the driver.
For this reason, a lways follow the ope rating and dr iv ing instr uctions
prov ided and use common sense .
(D Note
If you are going to tow a t ra iler , you must ac tivate the tra ile r ope ra­
tion mode ::::;,
page 182, "Towing a trailer". •
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a we igh t-car rying hit ch confo rm ing to the g ross tra ile r weig ht.
The hitch must be suitable for your vehicle and tra iler and must be
mou nted secure ly o n th e veh icle's chassis a t a
te chnically sound loca­
tion. Use only a trailer hitch with a removab le ba ll mount. Always
check w ith the tra iler h itch manufacturer to ma ke sure tha t you are
using the correct hitch .
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be i nstalled in such a way t hat i t does not interfe re
w ith the impact-absorbing bumper system. No mod ificat ions should
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
be made to the vehicle exhaust and b
rake systems. From time to
time, check that all hitc h mounting bo lts rema in securely fastened.
Whe n you are no t towing a trai ler, remove the trailer hi tch ba ll
mount. This prevents the hitch from caus ing damage should your
vehicle be s truck from behind::::;,& .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer i s eq uipped w ith a b raking system, che ck to be s ure that
it conforms to all regulat ions.
T he tra iler hyd raulic brake system must not be directly connected to
the vehi cle's hydraul ic brake system ::::;, & .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains betwee n your vehicle and t he tra iler .
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulat ions. Be sure to check w ith your
au thor ized A udi deale r for co rrect wi ring, switc hes, and re lays.
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traff ic beh ind you us ing t he regular
outside m irro rs, then you
must install extended mirro rs. It is impor­
t an t th at yo u
always have cle ar vision to the re a r.
& WARNING
• If a trailer has electrical brakes please note that these brakes
are not activated by the factory-fitted control unit -ri sk of acci ·
dent!
• Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not store it in your vehicle .
In case of sudden braking, the hitch could fly forward and injure
you or your passengers .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

pressure label is located o n the dr iver's side B-pillar. Inflate trailer
t ires to tra ile r and t ire ma nufacturers' spec ifications.
Lights
T he headl ight settings shou ld be chec ked with the tr ailer attached
before driving off. Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are wo rking properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra ile r safety cha ins are p roperly connected from the t rai ler
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to perm it
tu rning corners . When you install sa fe ty ch ains, ma ke sure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
T he chains should cross under the trai ler tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the h itch .
0 Note
If you are goi ng to tow a trai ler , you must activate the trai ler opera­
tion mode =>
page 182, "Towing a trailer". •
Driving instructior,s
Driving with a trailer always requires e xtra care and
consideration.
To obtain the best possib le handling of ve hicle a nd trailer ,
please note the following :
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded.
- Be especia lly careful when pass ing other vehicles .
- Observe speed limi ts.
- Do not drive at the maximum pe rmissible speed.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
- Always apply brakes early.
- Mo
nitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distri but ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of we ight . If t his cannot be avoided , drive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
tow veh icle shou ld be loaded to the extent poss ible and permissib le,
wh ile keeping the tra ile r as lig ht as poss ible unde r the ci rc u mstances.
Whe never possible, transfer some cargo to the luggage compart ­
me nt o f the tow vehicle while observing tongue load requirements
and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficult it becomes for the driver to
control the r ig . Do not dr ive at the maxim um permiss ible speed .
Reduce your speed eve n more if load, weather or w ind conditions are
unfavorable -particular ly when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immed iately if the tra ile r shows the slightest
sign of swaying.
Do not tr y to stop the s wayi ng by a ccele rating .
Observe speed lim its. In some areas, speeds for veh icles towing
trailers are lowe r than for regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downhi ll, shift into a lower
gear to use the engine brak ing effect to slow t he ve hicle . Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fa il.
Coolant temperatur e
The coo lant temperature gauge=> page 10 must be observed care­
fu lly. If the needle moves close to the upper end of the sca le, reduce
speed immediately and/or turn off the air conditioner.
If the coo lant temperature warning light in the instrument clus ter
starts flash ing
- F- , pull off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two m inutes to prevent hea t buil d-up.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

you may have to use more force later to move the lever out of the P
position. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Blend of g asoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or ethyl alcohol )
• Anti-knock index must be 8 7 AKI o r higher .
• Blend must not conta in more than 10% ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and M TBE
• Anti-knoc k index must be 87 AKI o r highe r.
• Blend must conta in not more than 15% MTB E.
Sea sonally adjusted ga soline
Many gasoline grades are b lended to perform especially well for
w inte r or summer d riving. Duri ng seasonal change-ove r, we s uggest
that you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the seasonal adjus tment is
mor e likely to be made in time.
0 Note
• Methano l fuels which do not meet these requirements may cause
co rrosion and damage to plast ic and rubber component s in the fue l
system .
• Do not use fuels that fail to meet the specified c riteria in this
chapter.
• If you are unable to dete rm ine whether or not a part icu lar fuel
blend meets the specifications, ask your service stat ion or its fuel
supplier .
• Do not use f uel fo r which t he con tents cannot be iden tifie d.
• Fuel system damage and performance problems result ing from
t he use o f fuels differe nt from t hose s pecifie d are not t he responsi­
bility of Aud i and are not covered u nder the New Ve hicle o r th e Em is­
sion Cont ro l System Warranties .
• If you experience a loss of fuel economy or drivea b i lity and perfor­
m ance problems d ue to the use o f one of these fue l blends , we
recommend that you switch to unblended fuel. •
App lies to veh ic les: with gaso line eng ine
Gasoline additives
A m ajor concer n amo ng many a uto m anufa ctu rers i s ca rb o n deposi t
build-up caused by the type of gasoline you use .
Altho ugh gaso line g rades differ from one manufacturer to another,
they have certain t hings in common . All gaso line grades contai n
substances that can cause deposits to collect on vita l engine pa rts,
su ch as fue l injecto rs an d inta ke valves. A lthough mos t gaso line
brands include additives to keep eng ine and fue l systems clean, they
are not equ ally effec tive.
Audi recommends us ing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline . Fo r more
info rmation on TOP TI ER Detergent Gasoline, p lease go to t he off ic ia l
webs ite (www .toptiergas .com) .
After an extended period of using inadequate f uels, ca rbon deposit
build -ups ca n rob your e ngine of peak perfo rma nce .
0 Note
Damage o r malfunct ion d ue to p oo r fu e l quali ty is not covered by the
Audi New Vehicle Lim ited Warranty. •
Appli es to veh icles : with diesel e ngine
Diesel fuel
A lw ays us e ULS D (U ltra Low Sulfur Di esel) sulfur content
1 5 ppm or less .
The U LSD (Ul tra Low Sulfu r Die sel) meets t he AS TM- D-97S (grade 2) .
Diesel fuel w ith a higher concentration than ULSD-Diesel No. 2
ASTM D975 and Bio-die sel with a higher concentration than 5
%
like B11, B20 or B100 are strictly prohibited .
Serv ice station fue l pumps are labe led w it h the co rrect fuel informa­
ti on fo r easy recogni tion by the user. If the diese l fuel pump is not ..,_

labeled ask the station operator what fuel is being dispensed befo re
fi lling up yo ur vehicle.
Service stations offering Diesel f uel are generally loca ted on truck
routes or major hig hways. Directo ries of Diese l fue l stations are
usually availab le at Diese l fuel stations.
Some states in t he USA require permits to purchase Diesel fuel. Check
w ith your State Mo tor Vehicle De partment.
Diesel fuel may not be available outs ide the USA and Canada. Be sure
to check before trave ling to othe r countries .
Winter operation
At t empe ratures below 20° F (- 7° C), Die sel fue l No . 2 l oses its flu idity
due to wax separation, wh ich may clog the fuel filter or tank fi lter and
keep the engine from running .
T o help t he filte r from be ing clogged by wax, the fue l fi lter in your
vehicle is automatically preheated. Preheat ing the fuel f ilter makes
operat io n of yo ur vehicle possib le with Die sel fuel No. 2 dow n to -
10° F (-24° C).
If you expect temperat ures below 5° F (-1S° C) ask yo ur fuel dealer
whether their Diesel fuel No . 2 is suffic iently w interized for the
prevailing and expected temperat ures.
If not winterized or insuff ic ie ntly w inte riz ed Diese l fuel has already
thickened to the extent that the engine w ill not start, warm the
vehicle up by leaving i t in a heated garage.
It is normal that the eng ine noise level (dieseling) is louder during the
warm-up period in winte r. It is also normal when whitish -blue smoke
comes out of t he tailpipe afte r start ing and du ring warm-up. The
amount of smoke depends on the outside temperature .
Do not let your Diesel engine idle unnecessa rily af ter a co ld start.
Dr iv ing off slow ly w ill shorten the warm-up per iod.
Safety first
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
& WARNING
• Never use "starting as sist flu ids ." Th ey may be potentially
explo sive or cause a "run-away " engine condition . Thi s could
re sult in s eriou s engine damage and per sonal injury .
• Never u se fuel line anti -freeze off ered fo r ga soline engine s.
0 Note
• Your D iesel eng ine has been spec ifically desig ned to ope rate on ly
on Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fue l. Therefore, never use home heating o il
or reg ular gasoline . The properties of these fuels may cause serious
damage to the fuel injection system and to t he engine . Using these
fue ls can cause expens ive eng ine repairs and will also adversely affect
your New Vehicle Lim ited Wa rranty.
• If Diese l fuel shou ld get on any rubber hose, it must be wiped off
immediately. Then wash the contaminated hose port ion w ith soap
and warm water . Do not allow Diesel fue l to remain on connecting
hoses. They may deve lop leaks and cause se rious damage. •
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The f ue l fi ller neck is located o n the rig ht rea r side panel behind t he
fue l filler flap.
If the power locking system shou ld fai l, you can st ill open the flap
ma nually -for deta iled instructions see:::::>
page 296.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your veh icle in
Technical Data
:::::, page 365.
The label on the inside of t he fuel filler flap tells you the correct fuel
for your veh icle. For more informat ion about fuel specifications, see
:::::>
page 291 . _,,
Vehicle care Technical data

lffll __ C_ h_e _c_ k_ i_ n _ g_ a_ n _ d_ f_il _l _in ____ g ___________________________________________ _
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only : Only if the level of t he
oil is a t or be low the m inimum m ark o n the o il d ipstick -and no o il
that express ly conforms to A udi o il standard VW 507 00 spec ifica ­
tions is available -may you top off with a high q ua lity engine oil , that
meets ACEA C3 o r API CF spec ifications, but even then, on ly in
viscosity gra des SAE 5W- 40, SAE SW -30, or SAE OW -40 . However,
dur ing t he e ntire time between o il change i nte rvals, neve r top off
w ith more than a tota l of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil that does not
c onfor m to Audi o il specification VW 5 07 00.
For more information about eng ine oi l th at has been approved for
your vehicle, please con tact either your au thorized A udi dea le r or
Aud i Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822 -2834 or vis it our web site at
www.aud iusa .com or www .aud icanada.ca . He re yo u w ill also find a
cu rrent list of oils (manufactu rers, brand names e tc.) that co nform to
Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gaso line e ngine) or VW
507 00 (vehicles w it h die sel eng ine).
Changing the engine oil
The eng ine oil and oil fi lter mus t be changed according to the mileage
(kilome ters) and t ime intervals specified i n your vehicle 's Warranty &
Ma intenance booklet . Do not exceed these interva ls - harmful
deposi ts from o ld engi ne oil can reduce engine pe rfo rmance and ca n
lead to expensive engine repa irs.
C hangi ng the oil at the recommende d interva ls is so very imp ortant
because the lubricating properties of o il decrease gradually during
normal ve hicl e use. If yo u ar e not sure w hen you have yo ur oil
changed, ask your author ized Audi Service Adv isor .
Under some circumstances the eng ine o il should even be changed
more fr eq uent ly. Chang e oil mor e of ten if you d rive mostly short
distances, operate the veh icle in d usty areas or mostly under stop­
and -go t raff ic condi tion s, or when you use yo ur vehicle where tempe r­
atures stay be low free zing po int for long periods.
De tergen t ad dit ives in the o il wi ll m ake fres h oil look dark a fter the
eng ine has bee n ru nning for a short t ime . This is normal and is not a
reason to ch ang e the oil mo re of ten t han re commended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of maintenance
It is essentia l that you change your o il at the recommended intervals
using only en gine oil th at com plies wi th A udi o il st and ard VW 502 0 0
(vehicles w ith gasoline eng ine) o r VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iesel
eng ine) . Your Limited New Vehicle Wa rranty does not cover damage
or ma lfunct ions due to fa ilure to follow recomm ended maintena nce
and use requirements as set forth in t he Au di Owner's Man ua l and
W arranty
& M aintenance boo klet. Y ou r deale r will have to deny
wa rranty coverage unless yo u present to the dealer proof i n th e form
of Se rvice o r Rep air O rders tha t al l sche dul ed main tena nce was
performed in a time ly ma nner. •
Engine oil consumption
To provide effective lubr ication a nd cooling for interna l eng ine parts,
a ll in ter na l c omb ustion e ngines use some oil. Oil cons umption v aries
from engine to engine and may change over the life of the eng ine .
E ngines te nd to use m ore oi l dur ing the b re a k-i n period t han t hey do
after ward, when oil consumption has stab ilized. Depending on t he
way the vehicle is driven and the operatin g cond itions, oi l cons ump ­
tion ca n be up to 1 qua rt pe r 1,200 m iles
(I liter per 2 ,000 km).
Consumption may be higher withi n th e first 3,0 00 miles (5,00 0 km).
Under nor mal co ndi tions, the rate o f oi l consu mptio n depe nds o n oil
quality as well as viscosity, engine speed ( rpm), o utside tempe rature,
roa d condi tion s, the amou nt of o il d ilution caused by co nde nsed
water or fu el residue, and oxidation of the oil. O il cons umption may
increase wi th en gine we ar ove r time, un til repl aceme nt of worn
eng ine pa rts may become necessa ry.
Because of all these var ia bles, there is no standa rd o r "norma l" rate
of oil consumption .
We urge you to check the engine oil level at
regular intervals, preferably every time you fill the fuel tank, and
always before a long trip .
The oil pressure warning light
~ is not an indicator of low eng ine
oil level. If the warning light does not go out after starting, or
flashes while driving (above 1500 rpm), a buzzer will sound . It
indicates that the oil pressure is too low. Stop the engine immedi- _.,,