2011 AUDI Q7 service

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ately, check the engine oil level and add oil if necess ary. If the
engine oil level i s normal, but the light continues to flash , do not
keep driving or l et the engine idle , as damage may occur .
If you believe your engine uses too much oil, we recommend that you
cons ult your au thor ized Audi dealer so that the cause of yo ur conce rn
can be properly diagnosed. Keep in m ind that accurate measurement
of oil consump tion req uires gre at care a nd may ta ke some time. You r
Audi dealer has instructions for how to measure o il consumption
a ccu rately.
& WARNING
Stop! Befor e working in the engine compartment, alw ay s read and
heed all WARNINGS ~
& in "Working in the engine compart­
ment " on
page 301 . The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially dangerous area and can cause ser ious
per sonal injury .
0 Note
• The engine depends on o il to lubr icate and coo l all of i ts mov ing
parts . The engine oil must be checked regularly and kept at the
req uire d level.
• Make it a hab it to have the engine oil level checked every t ime you
fill the f uel tank.
• Too little engine oil may cause severe eng ine damage .•
Vehicle OP-eration
Checking the engine oil level
The dipstick indi cates the engine oil level.
F ig. 234 Il lu st rati on
o f prin ciple 1 : M arke rs
o n oil dipsti ck
Fig . 235 I llustration
o f prin ciple 2 : M arker s
o n oil dip sti ck
Before you check anyt hing i n th e eng ine compartment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in " Workin g in
t h e e ng ine compa rtme nt" on
page 301.
Determining oil level
- Park you r veh ic le so tha t it is h orizo ntally lev el.
- While at operating state te mperature, briefly let the
engine ru n at id le and then shut it of f.
- W ait appro x. two minutes .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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-We recommend using only coolant additive Gl2 ++ (check the
l a bel) for yo ur vehicle. This coolant ad dit ive is available at au tho·
r ized Audi dealers . Other types of antifreeze can s ignificantly
reduce corrosion protection. The resulting corrosion can cause a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage .
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's
eng ine coo lant . Adding radiator repa ir fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .•
Checking the engine coolant Level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance .
Fig. 2 37 En gin e
c o mpar tmen t: C oolant
ex pansion tank
Before you c heck anything in the eng ine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
the e ngine compartment" on
page 301.
- Turn off the ignit ion .
- Let t he eng ine cool down .
- Place a thick rag over the coolant expans ion tank
~ fig . 237 and carefully twist the cap counter ·clockwise
~ & -
Vehicle OP-eration
-Read the engine coolant level in th e open coo lant expan ·
sion tank ~ fig . 2 3 7 . With a cold engine, th e coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" ma rkings . Whe n
the engine is warm , the level may be slight ly above the
"max" marking .
The location o f the coo lant expans ion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration=>
page 302 .
To obt ain an accurate reading , the engine must be sw itched off.
Th e expans ion t an k in your vehicle is equippe d with an electric coolant
level sensor.
When the coolant lev el is too low, the warning light in the Auto·Check
System=>
page 35 will blink until you add coolant and t he level has
been resto red to normal. Even though there is an electric coolant
level sensor, we st ill recommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the coo ling system . In the event of
coo lant loss , the cooling system sho uld be inspected immed iate ly by
your authorized Aud i dea ler . It is not enough mere ly to add coolant.
In a
s ealed system, losses can oc cu r only if the boiling point of the
coolant is exceeded as a result of ove rheating .
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get ve ry hot. Reduce
the ri sk of scalding from hot coolant by following the se steps.
• Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down .
• Protect your face, hand s and arms from e scaping fluid and
s team b y co ve ring the cap with a large, thi ck r ag.
• Turn the cap slowly and ver y carefully in a counter-clockwise
direction whil e applying light , downward pre ssure on the top of
thecap .
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Checking and filling -
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<£> For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant sho uld not be reused. A lways dispose of used coolan t
w hile observing a ll enviro nmental regulations .•
Radiator fan
The radia tor fa n switc hes on a utoma tically by itself
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V-belt. The v iscous
cl utch reg ulates the spee d of t he fan accord ing to t he tem pera ture o f
the coolant.
An aux ili ar y e lec tric r adi ator fan* sw itches on and o ff depend ing o n
coo la nt temperat ure and other vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan can continue r unning
for up to 10 minutes -eve n w it h t he igni tion o ff.
It can even swit ch on
again later by itse lf => & , if
• t he tem pera ture of the e ngi ne coola nt rises due to the hea t build­
up from the eng ine in the engine compa rtment, o r
• th e engine compar tmen t heats up because the ve hicl e is parked in
intense s unlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the risk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan .
• The auxiliary electric fan is temperature cont rolled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine i s not running.
• The auxiliary radiator fan switche s on automatically when the
engine coolant reaches a certain temperatu re and will continue to
run until the coolant temperature drops. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake flu id l eve l can be checke d with a quick gl ance .
Fig . 238 E ngine
compa rtment : Brake
fluid rese rvoir
Before you check a nyt hin g i n th e eng ine compa rtment ,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in " Working in
the e ng ine compartmen t" on
page 301 .
-Read the brake fluid level from t he bra ke flu id reservoir
=> fig. 238 . T he bra ke fluid leve l must be between the
" MIN " and "MAX" markings.
Th e brake fl uid rese rvoir is located at the rear partition of t he engine
compartment on the left side=>
page 302.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto­
m atic adjus tment o f th e brake pads. This is no t ca use for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably below the "MIN" mark, t he
brake warn ing/i nd icator lig ht ( U.S. models :
BRAKE, Canadian mode ls:
ill ) will come on=> page 20 and=> page 34. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle . The complete brake system s hould be thorough ly
che cked by an au thori zed Aud i dea le r o r q ua lified wor kshop a nd the
cause corrected.
If t h e brake fl uid leve l is too low, the brake .,,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Checking and filling Ill
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Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery.
Fig. 239 E ngine
compar tmen t: Connec ­
t ors fo r cha rger and
j umper cables
Alwa ys read and h eed all WARNINGS below=> & and => &
in "Working on the battery" on page 313 .
- Turn off the ignition and all electrical consumers.
- Make sure the area is well ventilated when you charge the
battery.
- Open the hood :::::,
page 300.
-Open the red cover on the positive pole=> fig . 239 .
- Connect the charger connectors acco rding to the instruc-
tions to the
jump start bolts . (Bolts under the red cover=
"positive", Bo lts with hex head
= "negative") .
- Only now plug the mains lead for the charging equipment into th e wall outl et and turn it on=>
&-
- Make sure the charg ing rate is not over 30 amps /14.8
Volt.
- When the battery is fully charged: Turn the charging
equipment off and remove the ma ins lead from the wall
outlet.
Vehicle OP-eration
-Now remove the clamps for the charging equipment.
- Close the red cover on the positive pole.
- Close the hood :::::,
page 301.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures of only O 0C. Allow a
frozen battery to thaw completely before attempting to charge it
~ & .However, we recommend not using a thawed battery again
because the battery casing can be cracked due to ice format ion and
can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Ma xim um cha rging rate of 30
am ps/ 14.8 Vol t)
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a tric kle c harger ), the
battery cables do not have to be disconnected first . The battery caps
sho uld
not be opened when ch arging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the luggage com part·
ment.
F a st charging the batter y (chargin g rate above 14.8
Volt s)
For technical reasons do not use a battery charger that uses voltage
greater than 14.8 Volts to charge your vehicle's battery.
& WARNING
Charging a batt ery can be dan ger ou s.
• Alwa ys foll ow the ope rating in str uc tion s provi ded b y the
batt ery c harger manuf acturer when charging your battery .
• Never char ge a frozen battery. It ma y explode be cause of ga s
trapped in the i ce. Allow a fr ozen battery to thaw out first .
• Do not reu se batterie s wh ich were fr ozen . The batter y hou sing
m ay ha ve crack ed and w eaken ed when th e batt ery froz e.
• Charge the b attery
in a well ventilated area . Keep away from
op en flame o r el ect rica l spark. Do not sm oke . Hydrog en gas gener -
ated by the b attery is ex plosi ve. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

,.,.___T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Driv ing with underinflated tire s bend more , letting them get
too hot re sulting in tread separation , sudden tire failure and lo ss
of control.
• Exce ssive speed and /overloading can cause heat build-up,
s udden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high , the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as required .
0 Note
Driving without valve s tem caps can cause damage to the tire valves .
T o prevent this, a lways make sure that factory ins talled valve stem
caps on al l wheels are secure ly mounted on the valve .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Underinflated t ires will also inc rease t he f uel consumption .•
Tires and vehicle load limits
T here are lim its to the amo unt of load or weight that any veh icle and
any tire can carry . A veh icle that is overloade d will not handle well and
is more difficult to stop . Overload ing can not on ly lead to loss of
vehicle contro l, but can also damage important parts of the vehicle
and can le ad t o su dden t ire failure, including a b lowo ut and s udden
def lation that can ca use the vehicle to c rash .
Yo ur safety a nd t hat of your passengers also de pends o n mak ing s ure
that load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load incl udes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle . These loa d limits are technically
referred to as the ve hicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR") . The
"GVWR" includes the weight o f the basic vehicle, all factory
ins talled accessories, a f ull tank of f uel, oil, coolan t and other fl uids
plus maxim um load . The max imum load i ncludes the numbe r of
passenge rs that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity")
w ith an ass umed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each passenger at a
designate d seati ng position and the total weig ht of any luggage in
the vehicle. If yo u tow a trai le r, the weight of t he t railer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle loa d.
The
Gross Axle We ight Rating ("GAWR") is the max imum load that
can be a pplied at each o f the ve hicle 's two axles .
Th e Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the Gross Axle Weight Rat ing
are listed on the safety compliance sticker label located on the
dr iver 's side B-pillar. Your A udi has 5 seat ing pos it ions, 2 in the front
and 3 in the rear for tota l seat ing capacity of 5. On vehicles with six
sea ts*, yo ur vehicl e has two fron t seat s, two se a ts i n the se co nd row
seating and two seats in the t hird row seating. On ve hicles with seven
sea ts*, yo ur veh icle has two fron t se ats , th ree seats in the se cond row
seat ing and two seats in the third row seating. Eac h seating posit io n
has a seat belt=>
page 20 1, "Safety bel ts" .
Th e fact that there is an upper lim it to your veh icle 's Gross Vehicle
We ight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is being
c arried in t he veh icle ( inclu ding t he weight of a tra ile r hi tch and the
tongue weight of the loaded tra iler) is limited . The more passengers
in the vehi cle or passenge rs who are heavier th an the stan dard
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carried as luggage.
Th e tire pressure labe l on yo ur Audi a lso lis ts the max imum combined
we igh t of all of the occupants and luggage or o ther cargo that the
vehicle ca n carry. For t he locat ion of the label=>
page 322, fig. 241.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death. ._

-Tires and wheels
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
v ehicle . That weight ma y not safel y
e xceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6 . If your v ehicl e will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how this redu ces the a vailable
cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
Check the tire sidewall( =>
page 330,
fig. 245) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific tire .•
Tire service life
The servi ce li fe of tires depends on a lot of different
t h ings inclu ding p roper installatio n and b alancing,
correct tire pr essur e and driving style.
~------------ ~
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
Fig. 24 3 Tire tre ad :
t rea d wea r ind ic at ors
(TWI)
Fig. 244 Rotat ing
t ires for more e ven
wear
T he origin al tir es on you r vehi cle h ave 1/16 in ch (1. 6 mm) high "wear
ind icators "~ fig . 243 ru nning across the t read . Depend ing on the
ma ke, there wi ll be six to eight of them eve nly placed around the t ire.
Marks o n the t ire sidewall (for e xample "T WI" or other symbols) indi­
cate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tires must be
replace d. D ifferent fig ures may apply in othe r countr ies ~& . ._,.

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure cau se s prema ture we ar and c an cau se sudden
ti re blow-o ut. Fo r this reaso n, tir e press ure must be ch ecked at l eas t
once a mo nth ;:::,
page 324 .
Driving style
Driv in g fast aro und curves, heavy a cce le ra ti on and hard bra kin g
increase tire wea r.
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all fou r tir es on your ve hicle to have the same service life, we
re co mm end th at t he fron t and rear tire s ar e rotat ed acco rd ing t o the
tire ma nufact urer's s uggested tire rotation intervals. Please
remem be r th e fo llow ing:
• Tir e ro tat io n in terv als ma y differ from t he ve hicle serv ice in terv als
out lined in your Warranty
& Maintenance bo oklet .
• Th e long er o ne tire is used i n one location on t he veh icle, t he mo re
it wears at certa in po ints; t herefore, we recommend t hat you follow
th e tir e m an ufac ture r's sugges ted tire r ota tion in te rv a ls .
• Vehicles w ith fro nt-w hee l dr ive experience mo re tread wea r on the
fron t w heels compared to all-whe el driv e (qua ttro ®).
• P leas e ro tate tires as sh own ;:::, fig. 244.
• Extra care m ust be ta ken when rotat ing direction-specific tires
=:, p age 3 48 .
Wheel balancing
The w heels on new ve hicl es a re bala nced. However, v ario us sit uatio ns
dur ing everyday driving can cause them to become unba lanced,
re su lt ing in vibra tions yo u can usually fee l throug h the stee rin g
w hee l.
Unbalanced whee ls mus t be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
s t eer ing, suspension and t ir e s. A wheel must also b e rebalanced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Safety first
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrec t wheel a lignment can c ause excessive t ire wear, im pair ing
t he sa fety o f the ve hicle . If t ires s how exc essive wear, hav e the wheel
alignment checked by an author ized A udi dealer o r qualifie d wo rk ­
shop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must a lways have tires of the same s ize,
constr uctio n an d trea d type . For details see ;:::,
page 262.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control, a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear ind icators .
• Worn tires 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, oil , gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle care Technical data

_______________________________________________ W __ h_a _t_ d_o_ I_ d_o_ n_ o_ w_ ? _ __._
Release the two hook-and-loop fasteners, and remove the two
chocks . To use the chocks, you first have to raise the support plate
=>
page 340, fig . 250 (D and then insert the locking plate with the
two "tabs" into the elongated holes in the base plate @=>& .
& WARNING
• The chock cannot fulfil its function and may lose its stability if
the "tabs" on the support plate are not inserted correctly into the
elo ngated holes in the base plate. If this happens, the vehicle may
start to move while a wheel is being changed.
• Never use the folding chocks if they are damaged or if they
have not been assembled correctly.
& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause serious personal inju­
ries.
• Never use the jack supplied with your Audi on another vehicle,
particularly on a heavier one. The jack is only suitable for use on
the vehicle it came with.
• Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle will damage the
bumper system. The jack may slip, causing injury.
• Never support your vehicle on cinder blocks, bricks or other
objects . These may not be able to support the load and could cause
injury when they fail.
• Never start or run the engine while the vehicle is supported by
the jack.
• If you must work under the vehicle, always use safety stands
specifically designed for this purpose.
• Always make sure the inflatable spare tire and even a flat tire
are secured in place and not loose, otherwise they could fly
forward, causing personal injury to passengers in the vehicle in an
accident or sudden maneuver. •
Vehicle OP-eration
Applies to vehicles : with bass box
Removing bass box
Before the inflatable spare tire can be taken out, the bass
box must be removed.
Fig. 251 Spare wheel
well: Bass box
Removing bass box
-Squeeze the locking tabs=> fig. 251 (D of the connector.
- Disconnect the connector @ and place the lead to one
side.
- Turn the large screw counter-clockwise.
- Carefully remove the bass box.
Installing bass box
-Carefully place the bass box in the wheel. The inscription
"FRONT" on the bass box must face forward.
- Reconnect the connector that was removed.
- Secure the bass box with the large screw. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service iTechnical data