2011 AUDI Q7 radiator

If the needle is well in the upper area of the gauge, the coolant
tempe rat ure is too high.
Stop the vehicle , switch the engine off and
allow the engine to cool.
If the warning light comes on again after
driving a short distance, contact an authorized dealer.
& WARNING
• Alway s observe th e warning in=> page 290 , "Engine comp art ­
ment ", before opening the hood and checking the engine coolant
level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
s ee engin e coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant .
0 Note
• Mounting additiona l lights or accessories in fron t of the a ir inlets
reduces the cooling effect of the radiator . At high outside tempera­
t ur es o r high engine load, the engine could overheat.
• The front spo iler has bee n des igned to prope rly d istribute the
coo ling air when the vehicle is moving.
If the spoiler is damaged, this
cou ld reduce the coo ling effect and the eng ine could then overheat .
Ask your author ized A udi dealer for assistance .•
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicat es th e engine RPM (revolutions
per minutes).
Th e ta chomete r@ ::::> page 1 0, fig. 2 is the left of the tw o large clock­
type displays.
Th e engine tu rns at a speed
1,000 times the si ng le dig it in the
display, e.g. if the need le is po int ing at the "2 " the engi ne is t urning
at 2,000 RP M.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
If e ngine RPM drops below 1,500, you s hould dow nsh ift to t he next
lower ge ar. T he re d area at t he e nd of the s cale i ndic ates m aximum
permissible e ngine RPM after the break-in per iod . Before reaching
this area, move the selector lever to posit ion "D (Drive)" or ease yo ur
foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
T he tachome ter needle s houl d not move into the red range. If it does,
then only fo r a very short period of time . You could damage your
e n g in e by driv ing at h igh RPM .
c£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel a nd reduces e ngine noise. •
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in the MM I.
Fig. 3 Instrumen t
cluster with digital
clock
Th e d ate, t ime o f day, and time and date fo rmat c an be se t in the
MMI. You can find o ut more in the MMI manual.
Vehicle care Technical data

- Contact your nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop if necessary.
Warning ! Fault in brake system. Contact
workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop and have the malfunction corrected
=>& .
If the ABS system malfunctions, the ABS warning/indicator light illu­
minates together with the brake system malfunction warning/indi­
cator light:::::, &.
& WARNING
• Always observe the warnings in:::::, page 290, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
• Driving with low brake fluid is a safety hazard. Stop the car and
get professional assistance.
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the S warning
light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models: If the brake warning light((]:» and the ABS
warning light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop.
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications. •
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
Engine cooling system malfunction _
t_
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
repaired as soon as possible.
When the -L symbol in the display blinks, then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant level
is too low. An additional driver message can also be displayed
by pressing the [CHECK] button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
- Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check coolant level :::>
page 309.
-Add coolant if necessary=> page 310.
-Continue driving only after the engine coolant
warning/indicator light goes out.
- Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assistance if
necessary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the
cause of the malfunction.
If the O warning symbol (alternator malfunction) also lights up on
the instrument panel:::::,
page 34, then the fan belt may be damaged .
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons, park at a safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights:::::,
page 70, "Emer-
gency flasher
A". ..,.
Vehicle care Technical data

1111....__0_ n_ t_h_ e_ r_ o_ a _ d _________________________________________________ _
Vehicles with diesel engine:
- Step o n the brake .
- Move the selector lever into P or N
~ &.
- Turn the ig nition key to position (D -th e g low plu g i nd i-
cator lig ht ill uminates when t he g low plug sys tem is
active.
- When the in dicator light " swi tch es off , turn t he ignition
k ey to posit ion @ but do not p ress the acce lerator pedal.
- Release the ignition key o nce the e ngin e s tarts. The
s ta rt er mus t not conti nue r unning .
A cold eng ine may sound loud after it has been s tarted . This is due to
the hydra ulic valves b uilding up o il pressure. Th is is norma l and is not
a need for concern .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop trying afte r 10 seconds
and then try to rest art the eng ine about 30 seco nds la te r.
Glow plug system*
Diesel engines are eq uipped with a glow p lug sys tem whose
preheating t ime is controlled by the coo lant and outs ide tempera­
tu re. Start t he engine
immedia tely a ft er the glow plug indicator ligh t
sw itches off.
T he g low pl ug indicator light w ill on ly ill umina te for approximately 1
second when the engine is warm o r the ou tside temperatur e is hig her
than 46 °F (8 °C). That means yo u can start the eng ine
immediately.
& WARNING
Never start or let the engine run in a confined or enclosed area.
Exhaust fumes from the engine contain carbon monoxide, a color ­
less and odorless gas. Carbon monoxide can be fatal if inhaled.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Never leave the engine idling unattended. An unattended
vehicle w ith a running engine poses a danger of personal injury or
theft .
0 Note
• Avoid high engine speeds, fast acce leration or heavy eng ine loads
w hil e the eng ine is st ill co ld. Th is could dam age t he e ng ine .
• T he engine ca nnot be sta rted by p ushi ng o r tow ing the veh icle.
~ For the sake of the environment
T o avoid unnecessary engine wea r and to reduce exhaust emiss ions,
do not let your vehicle stand and w arm up . B e re ady to dr ive off i mme­
diately after sta rting yo ur vehicle. Maintain mode rate speed unt il the
eng ine i s co mpl ete ly w arm . R emembe r, the eng ine pe rfor ms best at
operat ing temperature. •
Stopping the engine
- Turn the ign it ion k ey to posit ion ®~ page 12 7, fig. 125.
& WARNING
• Never turn off the engine until the vehicle has come to a
complete stop.
• The brake booster and servotronic only work when the engine
is running . With the ignition turned off, you have to apply more
force when steering or braking. Since you cannot steer and stop no rmally , this can lead to accidents and serious injuries .
• The radiator fan can continue to run for up to 10 minutes even
after you have turned off the engine and removed the ignition key.
The radiator fan can also turn on again if the engine coolant heats .,,,

On the road -
----------------
& WARNING (co ntinued )
force when steering or braking. Since you cannot stee r and stop
normally, thi s can le ad to accident s and serious injuries .
• For safety rea sons , you should always park your vehicle with
the selector lever in P . Otherwise, the vehicle could inad vertently
roll away.
• After the engine has been switched off, the radiator fan can
continue to run fo r up to 10 minutes · even with the ignition
switched off . It can also switch on again after some time if the
coolant temperature r ises as the result of a heat buildup or if the
engine i s hot and the engine compartment is additionally heated
by the sun 's rays .
0 Note
If the engine has bee n under heavy load for an exte nded period, hea t
builds up in the engine comp art me nt aft e r t he eng ine is swit ched off
- there is a r isk of damaging the eng ine . Allow the engine to run at id le
for about 2 m inutes befo re switching it off. •
Appli es to ve hicles : w ith Con venience key
Driver messages in the instrument cluster
display
If a f unc tio n is no t pr ese nt, a driver mess age ap pea rs .
No key identified
This message appears w hen the ISTART I butt on is presse d if there is
no maste r key ins ide the vehicle o r if the system does not recog nize
it . F or examp le, the master key can not be recognized if it is covere d
by an ob ject (e .g . a luminum brief case) which
scr eens the ra dio
signal. Electron ic devices such
as cell p hones can a lso interfere w it h
the rad io s ignal.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first Press brake pedal to start engine
Thi
s message appea rs i f yo u press the I ST ART I button to start the
eng ine a nd do no t dep ress t he b rake pedal. The engine can o nly be
sta rted if t he b rake pedal is dep ressed.
Engage Nor P to start engine
Thi s message appea rs w hen the engine is started i f the selec to r lever
for the automatic transmission is not in the P o r N pos it ion . T he
engine can only be starte d wit h the selector i n these pos itio ns.
Key not in veh icle
Thi s mess age appea rs along w it h t he sym bol if th e mas te r k ey is
removed from the vehicle with t he eng ine runn ing. It is intended to
remind yo u (e .g . when cha nging drive rs) not to cont inue the journey
without the maste r key .
If the master key is no longer in the vehicle, yo u cannot switch off the
ignition after stop ping the engi ne and you also ca n no t sta rt th e
eng ine again . Moreover, you cannot lock the veh icle from the outs ide
with the key.
Shift to P otherwise vehicle can roll away. Doors do not lock if you
are not in P.
Th is message appears for safety reasons along with a warning buzze r
if the se lec tor lever f or the au toma tic tran smis sio n is no t in t he P
position when the ignition is switched off with t he
!STOP] butto n and
t he d river's door is opened. Move the sele ctor lever to the P posit io n,
otherwise the vehicle is not secured aga ins t rolling away . You also
cannot loc k the vehi cle using the locking button on the doo r handle
or us ing t he remote key .
To engage steering lock, press and hold STOP button
Th is message appea rs fo r safety reasons if the eng ine and the ign ition
h ave been swi tched o ff by pres sing t he
IS T OP I butt on once, a nd th en
t he d river's door is ope ned. In t his instance, the s teer ing is no t
locke d. The steer in g is locke d:
• If you press the
I ST O P] but ton again for mo re t han 1 second. .,,
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_C_ le_ a_n_ i_ n_ g=- a_ n_d___. p_ ro_ t_e _c_ t_ i_o _n ___________________________________________ _
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the engine compa rt­
men t.
Always switch off the ignition before cleaning the engine=:>& .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front of the win dshi eld
unde r th e eng ine hood . T hi s prevents the water d rain holes from
becoming b locked, and it prevents debris from entering the vehicle
inter io r th rough the heat ing and vent ilation ducts .
Corrosion protection
The eng ine compartment and transmission have been cor rosion­
protected at the factory.
Good ant i-cor rosion treatment is very impo rtant , pa rtic ular ly in the
w inter . If the vehicle is frequently driven on sa lt treated roads, the
en tire eng ine compar tment and plenum p anel sho uld be thoroug hly
cleaned at the end of winter and retreated to prevent salt damage. At
t he same t ime, the underside of the vehi cle should be washed as well.
If the e ng ine compartment is clea ned at any t ime with grease
removing so lutions
2l , or i f you have the engine washed , the anti ­
co rros io n treatment is a lmost a lways removed as w ell.
It is t herefore
essential to have a long-last ing corrosion p rotect ion reapplied to all
surfa ces, seams, jo ints and compo nents in the engi ne co mpa rt ment .
& WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a
potentially hazardous area .
• Before working in the engine compartment, be sur e to read the
information =:>
page 290.
2
l Use on ly th e co rr ect clean ing so lut ions. Never use gaso line or diese l fuel.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Before reaching into the front plenum panel , alway s remove
the ignition key. Otherwise, the windshield wiper system could unintentionally be switched on , possibly causing personal injury
from the moving wiper linkage.
• Never reach into the area around or touch the radiator fan. The
auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly
· ev en when the ignition is off.
• Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with th e engine running.
Moving or hot pa rts could injure you.
• Do not clean the underside of the chass is, fenders, wheel
covers, or other hard to reach part s without protecting your hands
and arm s. You may cut yourself on sharp-edged metal parts.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=:> page 2 78. •

____________________________________________ ....:C _h_ e..:......::. c....:k :..:..in :....:..::: g!....::. a:..:..n.:... d:.:......: f....: i.:..ll :.:.i.:...n ::.:gi!-- __
Closing the engine hood
- Pull the hood down until the pressure from the struts is
reduced.
- Let the hood
drop down and latch in place. Do not try to
push it shut;
it may fail to engage=:> &.
& WARNING
A hood that is not completely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
• When you close the engine hood, check it to make sure the
safety catch has properly engaged. The hood should be flush with
the surrounding vehicle body parts.
• If you notice while driving that the hood is not secured prop­
erly, stop at once and close it. •
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine
compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the engine compartment,
for example checking and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury always
observe the following WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area=>& .
& WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check anything under the hood:
• Turn off the engine.
• Remove the ignition key.
• Apply the parking brake.
Safety first
& WARNING (continued)
• Move selector lever to "P" (Park).
• Always let the engine cool down. Hot components will burn
skin on contact.
• To reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood.
• Keep children away from the engine compartment.
• Never spill fluids on hot engine components. They can cause a
fire. • Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary electric fan is
temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly.
• Never open the coolant reservoir cap when the engine is still
warm. The coolant system is pressurized and hot coolant could
spray out.
• Protect your face, hands and arm from steam or hot engine
coolant by placing a thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
• If work on the fuel system or the electrical system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in
the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher immediately available.
• To avoid electrical shock and personal injury while the engine is
running or being started, never touch:
-Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage electronic ignition
system.
• If you must perform a check or repair with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move selector lever to
"P" (Park). .,
Vehicle care Technical data

., __ C_h_ e_c _k _i_n -=g :a,__ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ l _li _n _,g;._ __________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
-Always use extreme caution to prevent clothing, jewelry, or
long hair from getting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting hot parts. Tie back hair
before starting, and do not wear clothing that will hang or
droop into the engine.
• Minimize exposure to emission and chemical hazards=:>
/1::..
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle
components contain or emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and reproductive harm. In
addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain products
of component wear contain or emit chemicals known to the State
of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproduc­
tive harm.
• Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
When adding fluids, a lways make sure that they are poured into the
proper container or filler open ing , otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems wi ll occur.
ci> For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle floor pan from underneath
reg ular ly. If yo u see spots from oil or other vehicle fl uids, have your
vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi dea ler .•
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 233 Typical layout for containers, engine oil dipstick and engine oil filler
cap
© Windshield/headlight washer container ( q ) ... .... .
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L ) ..... ......... ... .. . .
® Engine oil f iller cap ("l!::r.) .......... ...... .. .. .. . .
© Engine oil dipstick (orange) ... .. .... .. .. ... . .. .. .
® Brake fluid reservoir ( ) ................. ... .. . .
©
0
Power steering reservoir ... .... .. .... .. ... ..... .
Jump start connector( +) u nder a cover,(-) with hex head 316
309
306
305
311
261
screw .. ... ... ...... ........ ......... .... .. .. 315,355
The position of the engine oil filling hole and the engine oil dipstick
=:> fig. 233 (position ® and ©> can vary according to the type of
eng ine.

___________________________________________ C_ h _ e_c _k _ i_n -=g ~ a_n _ d_ f_i _ll _i _ n -=g =--- ......J•
-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