2011 AUDI Q7 tow

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& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information ~
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 205. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 198 Releasing
the tongue from the
buckle
- Push the red release button on the buckle=> fig. 198. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle=>& .
- Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position.
On vehicles with third row seat* : an unfastened safety belt can be
secured in the retaining clip in the luggage compartment side trim. In
this way, the luggage compartment cover can be removed without
obstruction. Also, the belt tongue height can be adjusted so that luggage compartment can be loaded without obstruction with the
backrest folded
forward.
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed.•
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjustment, the
three point safety belt strap routing can be fitted to the
shoulder area, according to body size .
Fig. 199 Safety belt
height adjustment -
loop-around fittings
-Push the loop-around fittings up => fig. 199 @ , or
- squeeze together the© button, and push the loop-
around fittings
down @.
- Pull the belt to make sure that the upper attachment is
properly engaged.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor- mation :::;:,
page 204. .,

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• A se nsor in the safety belt latch for the d river a nd fo r th e front
sea t passenge r that senses w heth er that sa fe ty bel t is la tched or no t
and tra nsmits this information to t he e lectron ic co ntrol un it.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Imprope r repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advan ced Airbag System from func­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat. If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly .
• Never carry th ings on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight regi stered by the weight­
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged, preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats .
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraint s or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Never use cushions , pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
c hild restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning prope rly.
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something else to properly pos ition
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child re straint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspe cted by your authorized Audi
dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advanced A irbag System and the side airbags sup plement
t he p ro tect io n offered by the front three-po int safety belts w ith
pretens io ners and load limiters and t he adjustable head restra ints to
help red uce the risk of injury in a w ide range of acci den t and cras h
sit uat ions. Be sure to read the important informat ion about safety
and hee d the WAR NINGS in this ch ap ter.
Deployme nt of the Adva nced A irbag System and the act ivation of t he
safety belt pretens ione rs depen d on the dece le ration measure d by
the crash sensors a nd reg istered by the e lectro nic contro l un it . Crash
sever ity depends on speed and decele ration as well as the mass and
st iff ness of t he ve hicle or object invo lved in the cras h.
Whe n the electronic contro l unit registers a low sever ity crash and
t he safety be lt is being used , the air ba g w ill not dep loy . If the safety
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

lffll.___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t--= y '------------------------------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nued)
• Always bu ckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child i s not sitting in it . A loo se child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
• Always make sure the seat backre st to which the child restraint
is installed is in an up right position and securely latched into place
and cannot fold forward . Otherwise, the seatback with the child
safety seat attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci ·
dent or other emergency situation.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS wheneve r using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 233. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page 213, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Deactivating the convertible Locking
retractor
The convertible l ocking retrac tor for child restraints will
be d eactivated automatically when the belt is wound all
the way back into the retractor.
- P ress t he red butto n on t he safety be lt buckle . T he belt
to ngue will pop out o f the buckle.
- G uid e the s afety belt all the way back in to its stowed posi-
t ion .
Always le t the safety be lt retract comple tely i nto i ts s towed position.
T he safety bel t can now be used as an ord inary safety belt without the
convertib le locking ret ractor for ch ild rest raints.
If th e convertible locking r etractor should be activated inadve rtently,
the safety be lt must be un fastened and guided comp letely back into
i t s s towe d position to de activa te th is fe ature. If th e convert ible locking retractor is
not deact ivated, the safety belt w ill gradua lly
become tigh ter and uncomfo rtable to we ar.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible
lo cking retractor for child restraints while the vehicle is moving.
You would not be restrained and could be seriou sly injured in an
a ccident .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever u sing a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used
=> page 233. Special precau·
tions apply when in stalling a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page 213, "Child restraints on the front seat -
s ome important things to know ".•
LATCH Lower anchorages and
tethers for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
T o prov ide a s imp le r a nd more practic able way to a ttach the child
restraint on the vehicle seat, Federal regulat ions require special
lowe r anch orages in ve hicl es and devi ces on new ch ild rest rain ts to
attac h to the veh icle anchorages.
Th e combination of the tether anchorages and the lower anchorages
is now gene rally called the
LATCH sys tem fo r "Lowe r Anch orages and
T ethers for Children ."
Forw ard -fa cing child res train ts manuf actured aft e r September 1,
1999, are required by U.S. federa l regu lat ions to comp ly with new
c hild head moveme nt performan ce requirements. These new per for -
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Intelligent technology
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in. WARNING
• You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system only if road condition s permit. Other
road u sers must not b e put at r isk - you may cau se an ac cident!
• Before d esc ending a steep gr ade , redu ce speed and shift tran s­
mission into a lower gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . This could
cause the brake s to get hot and diminish braking efficiency.
• Do not "ride the brakes " by re sting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake. Thi s may caus e the brakes to overheat ,
premature wear and increa sed stopping di stance.
• Under certain climatic and operating conditions such as
pas sing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brake s can be reduced . In winter,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings , disc s and drums .
Carefully apply brakes for a test. Brake s will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt -cov ered roads
without using your brakes can al so affect braking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few
careful brake applications.
• If you damage the front spoiler , or if you install a different
s poiler , be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwise the brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system.
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an increased stopping distance. Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop. •
Brake booster
The brake booster adds e xtra brakin g pow er .
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure which is created only
w hen the en gine is ru nning =>& .
in. WARNING
• Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the engine shut off .
• If the brake booster i s not working , for example when towing
your vehicle , or because the brake booster has somehow been
damaged , the brake pedal must be p ressed considerably harder to
make up for the lack of booster assistan ce.
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
AB S prevents the wheels from locki ng up under braking.
T he ABS co ntribu tes effectively to vehicle co ntrol s ince it prevents t he
w hee ls from
locking when the b rakes are a pplied. This means t hat t he
veh icle rema ins steerable and is less likely to s kid .
W ith ABS you do not need to
pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten braking distance u nder
oil
circums tances. When driving on grave l or on newly fa llen snow on top
of icy su rfaces, braking dis tance may be even longer, therefore, under
these c irc umstances, it is especially important that you dr ive slowly
and w it h great care .
How the ABS system works
An automatic check is made when a speed of about 12 mph (20 km/h)
is reached . Whe n this happens, a p umping noise can be hea rd. ._

Intelligent technology
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0
Note
If t he re is an elect ro n ic malfunc tion, servotroni c will still funct io n
like a conventional power steering system, provid ing a constant
steer ing suppo rt force tha t is no longer proportiona te to the vehi cle
speed. This is most noticeable when t urning the steer ing wheel at low
speeds (for ex ample when p arki ng), -m ore effo rt will be req uire d
than usua l.
• Be aw are of the d iffe ren t than usual steeri ng respo nse and adjust
your steering force accord ingly.
• Have t he pr oblem chec ked and set r igh t by a n Audi dea ler as soo n
as possib le .
[I) Tips
• When the engine is runni ng, neve r hold t he steering wheel turned
a ll the way to the r ig ht o r to t he left fo r longe r th an 1 5 seco nd s. The
powe r steering pump will over heat the hydraulic fluid if yo u keep
holding t he s teering w heel turne d all the w ay. This is likely to damage
the power steer ing system.
• If the powe r stee ring sys tem s ho uld fail entire ly, or if the engine
is not running (for examp le, while be ing towed), you will still be able
t o steer the vehicle. Howeve r,
considerably more effo rt will be
required to do so.
• If the powe r stee ring sys tem s ho uld have a leak, or is not func ­
tioning properly, contact your author ized Audi dealer immediately.
• Th e power s teeri ng system re quir es a specially fo rm ulated
hydraulic fluid. The power stee ring reservoir is the one located
f ar the st to the rea r on t he left side of the eng ine compa rtment
=> page 302. The correct fluid level in the reservo ir is important for
pr op er f unctio ning o f the power steer ing.•
Dr"v ing witr your quattro®
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Wit h All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are d riven .
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is dist ribu ted to all fo ur wheels. This
hap pens a utomat ically depending o n your dr iv ing style and t he road
conditions at the time. See also =>
page 258, "Electronic different ia l
lock (EDL)" .
Winter tires
When d riving in the win ter, your vehicle with A ll Whee l Dr ive has an
advantage, even w ith regula r tir es. In w inter road con ditions i t may
be advisable to mou nt wi nte r ti res (or all-seaso n tires) for improve d
dr iveability and b raking: these tires m ust be mounted on
all four
wheels .
See also=:> page 334, "W inter tires".
Tire chains
Whe re tire chains are ma nda to ry on certa in roa ds, th is no rma lly a lso
ap plies to vehicles with A ll Whee l Drive =:>
page 335, "Snow chains" .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles wit h All W heel Dr ive must a lways have t ires of the same si ze .
Also avoid tires with different tread depths. For details see page
=> pa ge 330, "N ew tires and rep lacing tires and wheels".
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions . Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
• Although the All Wheel Drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheel s could begin to slide on top of the water (aqua- ...

Driving and environment
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" before they have optimal
grab ~& .
Dur ing the break-in period, you should avoid putting severe loads on
the bra kes. Severe loads incl ude, for example, sudden hard braking,
in part icu lar at very high speeds or, for examp le, on mountain passes .
& WARNING
New brake pads don't have the be st stopping power and must be
" b roken-in " du ring the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilo­
meters ) of normal city driving . You can compensate for this by
pressing the brake pedal more firml y. This also applies later when
new pad s are installed.
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Ap plies to veh icles : w it h gasoline eng ine
Catalyt·c converter
It is very important tha t your emission con trol system
(catalytic c onverte r) is f unctioning properly to ensure
that your vehicle is running in an environmentally sound
manner.
- Always use lead-free gasoline~ page 291, "Gasoline" .
- Never ru n the tan k down a ll the way to empty .
- Nev er put to o mu ch mot or oil in y our engin e~
pag e 306,
"Add ing engin e oil~" -
- Neve r try to push -or tow-start yo ur vehicle .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean-up" dev ice built into the
exhaust system of the ve hicle. The catalytic converter burns many of
the pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are released into the
atmosphere. The exclusive
use of unleaded fuel is critically important for the life of
t he c atal ytic converte r and proper f unct ion in g of t he engi ne.
& WARNING
• Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas where the hot
e x haust system may come in contact with dry grass , brush , fuel
s pill or other material whi ch can cau se a fire.
• Do not apply additional undercoating or rustp roofing on or
near the exhau st manifold, exhaust pipe s, catalytic converter or
heat shields. During driving , the substance used for undercoating
c ould overheat and cau se a fire .
0 Note
• Be aware th at just one tank fi lling wit h le aded fu el w ill alre ady
ser iously degrade the performance of the catalytic co nverter.
• Do not excee d the correct engine oil leve l~
page 306.
• Do not drive unti l the f uel tank becomes complete ly empty . The
eng ine could misfire. Unbu rned fuel could also ge t into the exha ust
system and th is could cause the catalytic converter to overheat.
• Do not tu rn off the igni tion whi le the veh icle is moving .
• Do not contin ue to operate your vehicle under these conditions, as
o therwise fuel can reach the cata lytic converter . This could result in
overheating of the converte r, requiring its rep lacement.
• To assu re eff icient operat ion of the Emission Co ntrol System:
- Have yo ur vehicle main taine d pr operly and in a ccordan ce wi th
the service recommendations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet .
- Lack of p roper maintenance as well as improper use of the
veh icle w ill imp air the f unction of the emiss io n con trol syste m and
could lead to damage. ..

Driving off road
Driving off road
Driving in difficult road conditions
and offroad
General information
T he ope ra ti on of the Ele ctro nic Stabilization P rogr am ( ESP ) is
expanded for operation away from paved roads. In s ituations where
slip or a different ia l lock in g f unct io n is requ ired, t he ESP offroa d
mode can be activated~
page 256. Hill descent control is also avail­
able in the ESP offro ad mode, wh ich a utomatically bra kes the vehicle
and thereby keeps speed consta nt when d ifferent whee l speeds are
de te cted when descend ing a hill~
page 257. Your Audi also has
permanent all-wheel drive in add ition.
However , your Audi is not a pure offroad ve hicle.
It was not bui lt for
dr iv ing un der extreme cond it ions, e.g. for t rips that ar e in th e natur e
of an exped it io n.
Drive only on road s and offroad sections which match the design of
your vehicle and your abilities as a driver. Never take risks!
Before driving offroad
• Check the eng ine oi l level, tire pressure, coolant level, and the
fluid level in the w indshiel d wa sher rese rvoir.
• Stow luggage items and other objects in the luggage compart ­
me nt, and sec ure t hem agains t slid ing ar ound.
After driving offroad
• After tr ips offroad, remove a ny tw igs and other foreign objects
from the gr ill, the underbody an d the whee ls. Pay special attention to
fore ign obje cts (sto nes) wh ich have be come lodge d in the tire tr ead.
• Clean the body and the vehicle unde rside, and ins pect t he vehicle
for possib le dam age. •
Clean dirty w indows, headlamp lenses, rear lights, and lic ense
plates.
• Perform a bra ke check (pa rticul arly afte r travell ing t hrough
wate r).
& WARNING
• Drive especially attentively and plan ahead in difficult road
condit ions and when offroad. E xcessive speed or incorrect maneu­
vers can cau se injurie s and damage to the vehicle .
• Always adapt your speed and driving style to road, offroad,
traffic, and weather condition s. Drive especially slowl y offroad
when your view is restricted.
• Please be aware that in ESP offroad mode, particularly on a
smooth and slippery road, the wheels may have an increased
tendency to spin and the vehicle may break away - danger of skid­ ding!
• Stability i s limited in the ESP offroad mode.
Avoid dama ge to t he e nvir onment and respect nature .
[ i ] Tips
O nly drive where i t is permi tted and st ay on mar ke d roads an d
paths .
Explanation of some technical terms
The follow ing data refer to ideal conditions. Depending on vehicle
load and g round condi tions a nd the enviro nment, t he num bers may ...

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