2012 AUDI Q7 maintenance

262 Checking and filling
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diese l engine).
C hanging the engine oil
The engine oil and o il fil te r must be changed
according to the m ileage (ki lomete rs) and
time inte rva ls spe cified in your vehicle 's War­
ra nty
& Main ten ance booklet. Do not ex ceed
these in tervals - harmful depos its from ol d
engine o il can reduce engine performance an d
can lead to expensive engi ne re pairs.
C hanging the o il at th e recommen ded i nte r­
v al s is so very impor tant because t he lub ric at ­
ing p roperties o f oi l decrease gra dually du ring
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have yo ur oil changed, ask yo ur aut ho r­
i z ed A udi Service Advisor.
Unde r some ci rc u ms tances the engine o il
should even be change d mo re frequently .
C hange o il more often if you drive mostly
short d istances, ope rate the vehicle in d usty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d it ions, or when you use your veh icle w he re
tem peratures stay below freez ing poin t fo r
l ong periods .
Detergent addit ives i n the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ni ng fo r a shor t time . This is no rma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often tha n
r e co m men ded.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that yo u change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles wi th gasoli ne e ngine) or
VW 507 00 (ve hicles with diese l engi ne) . Yo ur
Li m ite d N ew Vehicle Warranty does no t cove r
d am age or m alfu ncti ons due to f ailure to fol­
l ow recommended main tenance and use re­
q uir ements as set forth in the A udi Owne r's
M anual a nd Warra nty
& M aintenance book let.
Your dea ler will have to deny war ranty cover­
age un less yo u present to the dea le r proof in
the f orm of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll scheduled mai
ntenance was perfo rme d in a
t imely man ne r.
Engine oil consumption
To prov ide effective l ubr ication and cooling for
i nter na l eng ine parts, a ll interna l combustion
engi nes use some o il. Oil consumption va ries
from eng ine to engi ne and may cha nge over
t h e life of the engine. Engines tend to use
more o il du ring t he b reak-in pe riod tha n they
do afterwa rd, w hen oil c onsum ption ha s sta­
b ilized. Dependi ng on the w ay the vehicle is
driven and the operati ng conditions, oil con ­
s u mption can be up to 1 q uart per 1, 200
miles (1 liter per 2,000 km) . Consumption
may be higher within the first 3,000 m iles
(5,000 km) .
Un der normal con ditions , the rate o f oi l con­
s u mption depen ds on o il quality as well as vis ­
cosity, engine spee d (rpm), outs ide tempera­
ture, road conditions, the amount of oil dil u­
t io n caused by condensed water or fue l resi ­
du e, and ox ida tion of the o il. Oil co nsu mp tion
may incr eas e with eng ine w ear ov er time, un ­
t il repl acemen t of w orn en gine p arts may be­
co me ne ce ssar y.
B eca use of all thes e var iables , there is no
sta nda rd o r "n orma l" ra te of o il cons umption .
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. i s not an
indicator of low engine oil level. If the warn ­
ing 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·
ately, check the engine oil level and add oil if
necessary. If the engine oil level is normal,
but the light continues to flash, do not keep
driving or let the engine idle, as damage may
occur .
II-

264 Check ing and filling
per 2,000 km). Cons umption may be higher
within the first 3,000 mi les (5,000 km).
Adding engine oil "1:::7':
0 N ;:;
"' "' a:>
F ig . 232 Eng ine com part men t: cove r on the eng ine o il
filler neck
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alway s read and h eed all WARN ­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 258 .
.. Unscrew the cap 't::r. to the engine oil fill ing
hole¢
fig. 232, ¢ page 260, fig . 229.
.. Carefully top off with the appropriate o il in
0 .5 lite r doses .
.. Check the oil leve l aga in afte r two minutes
¢ page 263.
.. Top off th e oil again, if necessary.
.. Screw t he cap back on the filling hole and
s li de the oil d ipst ick in as far as it will go.
& WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed a ll WARN­
INGS
¢ .& in Working in the engine com­
partment on page 258 .
The engine com­
partment of any motor ve hicle is a poten­
tially dangerous a rea and can cause ser i­
ous pe rsonal injury.
& WARNING
Spilled o il is a fi re hazard.
- The oil fille r cap must be prope rly se­
c u red to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the ho t engine and exhaust system
w hen the eng ine is r unni ng.
-
(D Note
- The oil leve l m ust not be above range 0
- danger of converter or engine damage !
Contact an authorized dea lership to draw
off oil, if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty .
~ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the so il.
- Observe and follow legal regulat ions
when dispos ing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
Engine oil mus t be changed at intervals listed
in the Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
The eng ine oi l and oil fi lter m ust be changed
accord ing to the mileage and time intervals
specified in your vehicle's Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . Do not exceed these intervals -
harmful s ludge and depos its from old engine
o il can reduce engi ne pe rformance and can
lead to expens ive engine repa irs.
Chang ing oi l at regula r intervals is so very im­
po rtant because t he lubricat ing propert ies of
o il decrease gradually du ring normal vehicle
u se.
If you are not sure when to have the oi l
c h anged, ask your a uthori zed Audi Se rvi ce A d­
visor .
U nder some c ircumstances the engine oil
sho uld even be cha nged more often than
spec ified for normal use. Change o il more of ­
ten if you often dr ive short distances, ope rate
t h e ve hicle in dusty a reas or mostly under
stop-and-go t raff ic conditions, or when you
u se your vehicle where temperatures stay be­
low free zing point for long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oi l loo k dark after the engine has been run-
ning for a short time . T hi s is normal and is not
IJ,,

284 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fi g. 2 39 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
F ig. 240 Rotat ing t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
.... N M
c::> fig . 239 running across the tread. Depend ­
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different fig ures may apply in o ther countries
c::> & .
Tire p res sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
a nd can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 280.
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acce leration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
F or all four tires on your ve hicl e to h ave the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehi cles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 240.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 302 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal ­
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All-wheel driv e
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 225. ..,.

314 General information
General information Explanation of
technical data
Some of the technical data listed in this man ­
ual requires further explanation .
The technical data for your vehicle is listed in
the charts starting on
r:::>page 316. This sec ­
tion provides general information, notes and restrictions which apply to this data .
Vehicle identification
The key data is given on the vehicle identifica­
tion number (VIN) plate and the vehicle data
sticker.
Fig. 269 Veh icle Ide ntific atio n Number (VlN) p late: lo ­
cation on driver 's sid e das h panel
Fig. 270 The vehicle identi fication label -inside the
luggage co mpa rtmen t
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
is located on the driver's side so that it is visi­
b le from the outside through the windshield
r:::> fig . 269. You can also display the Vehicle
Identification Number of your vehicle in the
MMI. Select function button
!CAR l > control
button
Systems* > Vehicle ID number (VIN)
or ICARI > control button Car systems*> Serv­
icing
& checks> VIN number . The
vehicle identification label
is located in the luggage compartment under
the cargo floor cover.
The label¢
fig. 2 70 shows the following vehi­
cle data :
(D Production control No.
@ Vehicle identification No.
® Type code number
@ Type designation/engine output in Kilo-
watts
® Engine and transmission code letter
@ Paint No./Interior
(f) Optional equipment No.'s
Vehicle data 2 to 7 are also found in your War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet.
The safety compliance sticker
is you r assurance that your new vehicle com­
plies with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards which were in effect at the
t ime the vehicle was manufactured . You can
find this sticker on the left door jamb .
It
shows the month and year of production and
the vehicle ident ification number of your vehi ­
cle (perforation) as well as the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR) .
The high voltage warning label
is located on the lock carrier.
The spark ignition system complies with
the Canadian standard ICES-002.
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
front and rear are listed on a sticker on the
left door jamb.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating includes the
weight of the basic vehicle plus fu ll fuel tank,
oi l and coolant, plus maximum load , which in­
cludes passenger weight (150 lbs/68 kg per
Ill>

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Con trol Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
Consumer Information 319
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service Manuals and liter­
atu re are availabl e to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures ,
in very dusty regions, when towing a tra iler
very frequently, etc., some serv ice work
shou ld be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imizi ng adverse
effects on the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics , sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission control sys-
tems, and the generally increasing technica l ..,_
•
•

320 Consumer Inf ormation
comp lexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, s afety an d e nvir onm ent al con­
cerns place very strict limits on the nature of repairs and adjustments to engine and trans ­
miss ion pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing dev ices and oth­
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re ­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­ ranty. Therefo re , proof of servici ng in accord­
ance w it h the ma intenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warran ty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adve rsely
affected, creating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any serv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give your authorized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perform all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, or iginal parts
and tra ined spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing lim it e d m aint en anc e y ourself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited num­
ber of procedures which can be performed on
you r vehicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cab le text and ca refully follow the instruc­
tions given. Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS p rovided .
Before you ch eck anything in th e engin e
compartme nt, alway s read an d heed all WARNINGS
¢ & a
nd ¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 258 .
A WARNING
--Serious personal in jury may occur as a re-
sult of improperly performed mainte­ nance, adjustments or repa irs.
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle. Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r isk personal
in jur y.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed o n the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re­ spect to the vehi cle, or are uncerta in how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work withou t the proper
too ls and equipment . Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal ­
er or anothe r properly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- The engine compar tment o f any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area. Never reach into the area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
control led and can sw itch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off and the igni­
tion key has been removed. The rad iator
fan switches on automatically when the coo lant reaches a certai n tempera ture
and will cont inue to run until the coo lant
temperature drops .
- Always remove the ign ition key befo re
anyone gets under the veh icle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The jack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur ­
pose and co uld co llapse causing serio us
personal injury.
- If you must work unde rneath the vehicle
wit h the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are always secure ly
blocked and that the engine cannot be
started.

332 Index
Light Exterior lighting in the mirror housing ..
59
leaving home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
also refer to Ambience lighting . . . . . . . 62
Lighting
refer to Ambience lighting ........... 62
Lighting in the mirror housing . . . . . . . . . .
59
Lights .. ...... ................... .. 57
Coming home ............ .. .. .. .. .. 58
Daytime running lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Emergency flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
60
Exterior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Front fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Headlights ............ .. .. .. .. .. ..
57
High beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 60
High beam warning/indicator light ... .. 18
Leaving home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Rear fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
59
Side marker lights ........ .... .... .. 57
Turn signals ............. .. .. .. .. .. 60
Xenon headlights ..... .... .. .. .. .. .. 57
Light sensor defective ......... ... .. ..
35
Loading the luggage compartment .. ... 166
Loading the roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Locking
Power locking switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
Rear lid/trunk lid ............ ..... .. 45
Remote control key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using the key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Lower universal anchorage bars (Canada) 212
Lower universal anchorages (Canada) 212
Luggage Stowing . ................... .... . 166
luggage compartment Tie-down rings ............ ... .... .. 80
Luggage compartment ....... ..... .. .. 79
Cargo net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Expanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Retractable cover ........... .. .. .. .. 81
Ski sack . ... ................ ..... .. 82
also refer to Loading the luggage com-
partment . ................. ..... . 166
M
Maintenance ................. ..... . 319
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) . . 17, 27 Master key .
..... .. ................ .. 38
Battery replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,
40
Check light . ... .. ................ .. 39
Mileage Average ... .... ................... . 24
Instantaneous ... ................ .. 24
Mirrors Activating the dig ital compass ..... .. .
69
Adjust ing the exterior mirrors .... .... . 68
dimming .. .. ................. .. .. .
69
Recalling position of outside mirrors . .. 73
Storing position of outside mirrors . ... . 73
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 190
N
Natural leather .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 246
New tires and wheels
NHTSA 285
Contacting ...... ... .......... .... 167
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) catalytic converter
refer to Ad Blue ... ....... ...... .... 255
Number of seats .................... 170
0
Occupant seating positions ........... 161
Octane rating ... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 250
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Offroad mode . .. .. ... .......... .... 219
Oil
refer to Engine oil ....... ...... .... 260
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) Data Link Connector (DLC) ........... . 28
Electronic speed limiter ............. . 28
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) .. .. . 27
Open door or rear lid warning .......... 22
open sky system
refer to Panoramic sliding sunroof .... . 54
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize pollution . ... ....... ... .. .. 230
Optional equipment Marked with an asterisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Other equipment (efficiency program) .. . 27
Outlets .. .. .. .. .. ....... ...... .... . 87