2011 AUDI Q7 warning

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

Ill Checking and filling
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warning/ind icator light will illum inate . Contac t an authorized Aud i
de aler
immediately .
[ i ] Tips
T he b rake fl uid reservoir is located unde rneath t he cover. •
Changing brake fluid
Have the b rake fluid chan ged by an exp eri enc ed t echni ­
cian.
B ra ke flui d absorbs mois ture fro m th e air . If the w ater con ten t in the
brake fl uid is too high, corros io n in th e brake system may result afte r
a p eriod of time. The boil ing po int of the br ake fl uid will also de cre as e
cons iderab ly and decr ease brak ing performa nce.
Th erefo re, the brake fl uid m ust be changed
every two years. Always
use new br ake fluid w hich conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle Stan­
dard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT
4" .
The b rake fl uid reservo ir can be diffi cult to rea ch, there fore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid c hanged by your author ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct tools, the rig ht b rake f luid
and the k now-how to do t his for you .
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the rea ch of children!
• Brake failure can result from old or inappropriate brake fluid.
Observe these precautions:
-Use only brake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Alway s check
with your authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are using
the correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid is also indicated on the brake fluid reservoir .
& WARNING (co ntinued )
-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 efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety . This could result in an accident.
0 Note
B rak e fluid will dam age the pai nt of yo u r ve hicl e.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Beca u se of the pr oblem of pro per dispo sal o f b rak e fl uid as we ll a s
the spec ia l too ls req uired and the necessary expertise, we recom ­
me nd that you h ave t he brake f luid chan ged b y yo ur a uth oriz e d Audi
dea ler. •
Battery
General information
Under normal operat ing co ndit io ns, the battery in your Aud i does not
need any maintenance. With high outs ide temperatures or long daily
dr iv es we re comme nd that yo u have th e ele ct rolyte level checked by
an a uth orized Audi dealer o r qualified wor kshop. The electro lyte leve l
s ho uld a ls o be che cked e ach time the batte ry is ch arge d=>
page 315.
Have the batte ry chec ked when yo u take yo ur vehicle in for serv ice.
Yo u ar e well advised to rep lace a batte ry that is older th an 5 years .
W ith certa in types of airbag deployme nt, the ba ttery is disconnected
from the vehicle e lectrica l system for safety reasons=>
& in "Repair,
c are and dis posa l o f the air bag s" on
page 225. ~

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Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle f unct ions (powe r window regula to rs, fo r ex am ple) are
lost if the batt ery t ermina ls are disconnec ted . These func tions hav e
to be re lea rne d after the battery term ina ls a re co nnecte d aga in . To
prev en t th is, t he battery should only b e disconn ecte d from th e
vehicle e lectr ica l system when absol ute ly necessary for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your veh icle over a period of seve ra l days o r wee ks,
el ect rical compo nents are g radually cu t back or swi tched off . This
re duces ene rgy consumption an d maintains start in g ca pability ove r a
lo nger pe riod=>
pag e 263.
Take into consideration t hat when you unlock your vehicle, some
c onvenie nce func tions, such a s the m aster key remote function or
power seat ad justment , may not be ava ilab le. T he conven ience func ­
t ions wi ll be available again when you turn on the ignition and st art
t he engin e.
Winter operation
Dur ing the w inter months, batte ry capac ity tends to decrease as
t empe ra tures drop . This is beca use mo re powe r is also co nsu med
w hile starting, and the headlights, rear w indow defogger, etc ., are
used more often .
Avoid unnecessa ry power consu mptio n, part icularl y in city tra ffic o r
w hen trave ling on ly short distances . Let your author ized A udi deale r
ch eck t he capa city of the vehicle ba ttery before w inter sets in
=>
page 315. A well charged battery will not only prevent start ing
pro blems when the we ather is co ld, but wi ll a lso la st l onge r.
[ i J Tips
If you r ve hicl e is left s tandi ng for seve ral weeks at extremely low
tempe ratures, t he ve hicle battery should be removed and stored
w here it will no t free ze . T his will preven t it fr om being dam age d and
having to be replaced .•
Safety first
Working on the battery
B e es pec ially ca reful when workin g on o r nea r the
batt ery.
The battery is located un de r th e d rive r's se at . B efo re yo u
ch eck a nyth ing under the driv er's sea t,
read and heed all
WARNINGS =>& .
Always heed the safety warnings , when wo rking on the vehicle
battery or the ve hicle elect rical system to p reve nt injury .
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre ­
cautions when working on the battery.
@
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Always wear
gloves and eye protection.
No
- sparks
- flames
• smoking .
When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen
gas which is explosive and could cause personal injury.
Always keep the battery well out of reach of chil­
dren.
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system ,
there i s the risk of injury, accident and even fire. Read and heed
the following WARNINGS: .,_
Vehicle care Technical data

___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead
particles get on your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explo sive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can cause
blindnes s and severe burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protect ion. Do not tilt the
battery because acid could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin , immedi­
atel y rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek medical attention
immediately.
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame, elect ric sparks or
an open light .
• Do not smoke.
• Do not int erchange the positive and negative cab les .
• When working on the battery, be sure not to short-cir cuit the
terminals with tools or other metal obje cts. This would cause the
battery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or
explosion and per sonal injury .
• When a battery is charged , it produces hydrogen gas which i s
e xplosive and could cause personal injury.
• Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
• Before work is done on the electrical system, disconnect the
negative ground cable.
• Befo re performing any work on the electrical system , swit ch
off the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equipment .
The negative cable on the battery must be disconnected. If you are
ju st going to replace a light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the l ights.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Before di sconnecting the battery , switch off the anti-theft
alarm system! Otherwise you w ill set off the alarm .
• When disconnecting the battery, first disconnect the negative
cable and then the po sitive cable .
• Before reconnecting the battery , make su re all electri cal
consumers are sw itched off . Reconnect the positive cable first and
then the negative cable. Never interchange the cables - this could start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out battery. It could
e x plode! If a battery has frozen, then it must be replaced. A
di scharged battery can freeze o ver at 32 °F (0 °C ).
• Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the open ing on
the side of the battery .
• Never use batte ries which are damaged . There is the danger of
an explosion! Alway s repla ce a damaged battery .
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts , terminals and related accessorie s contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• Do not disco nne ct the vehi cle battery when t he ign it ion is
switched on o r when the engine is running, otherwise, you wi ll
da mage e le ctronic compone nts in t he e lec trica l system .
• If your ve hicle is go ing to stan d for a long period of time witho ut
bei ng d rive n, protect the ba tte ry from "freezing", ot herwis e it w ill be
damaged and will then have to be replaced.•

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

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& WARNING (continued)
• To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or disconnect
charger cables while the charger is operating.
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment.
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
CD Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine. This will seri­
ously damage sens it ive electronic components, such as control units,
relays, radio, etc ., as well as the battery charger.•
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifications and
dimensions as the original equipment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your veh icle is responsible for
distributing the electrical energy throughout your vehicle
~ page 263. The intelligent energy management system will keep
the engine battery charged better then vehicles without this system .
To make sure the additional electrical energy is available once again
after you have changed the battery, we recommend that you install
batteries of the same type and manufacture only (the same as those
installed at the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifications are
listed on the battery housing. Your authorized dealer must code the
battery in the energy manageme nt system to enable you to use the
energy management functions correctly after replacing the battery.
If it is not possible to use a battery of this type, the new battery must
have the same capacity, voltage (12 volts), amperage, construction
and plug sea ling. When
installing the battery, make sure the ignition and all electrical
consumers are turned off.
CD Note
Make sure the vent ilation hose on the side of the battery is
connected, otherwise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
~ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom­
mend your authorized Audi dealer change the battery for you.
Batteries contain sulfu ric acid and lead and must always be disposed
of properly in compliance w ith all environmental regulations.
Disposing of vehicle batteries imprope rly is very dangerous to the
environment. •
Windshield/headlight washer
container
Fig. 240 Engine
compartment: Wind­
shield and headlight*
wa sher fluid container
The washer fluid container is marked with the symbol Q on
its cap. .,

___________________________________________ C_ h_e _c _k_ i_n ~g_ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _i_n _g __ nn
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment ,
always read and h eed all WARNINGS ::::;, & in "Working
in the engine compartment" on
page 301 .
- Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid. You can fill
the contai ner to the top .
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck after filling the container.
You can find the reservoir capacity in the table in~ page 365.
To prevent lime residue from building up on the spray jets, use
distilled water when refi lling. Always add a g lass cleaner so lution
(with frost protection in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or any other additives to fill up
the windsh ie ld washer rese rvo ir .•
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota ­
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib rat ion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 348 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, drive with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km) .
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. .,_