2012 AUDI Q7 service

58 Clear vis ion
lig ht sensor checked as soo n as poss ible at an
author ized Audi dealer or qua lified wor kshop .
.&_ WARNING
-Daytime ru nning lights and automatic
headlights are only intended to assist
the driver. They do not relieve the driver
of his respons ib ility to check the head­
lights and to turn them on manually ac­
co rding to the current light and v is ibi lity
condit ions. For example, fog cannot be
dete cted by the light sensors*. So alw ays
switch on the headlights
io u nder these
weather conditions and when driving in
the dark.
- Crashes can happen when yo u cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see yo ur car from
the back.
- Please obey a ll laws when using the
lighting systems described here.
@ Tips
- With the switch in AUTO front fog lights
and rear fog lights cannot be turned on in addition.
- The light senso r for headlight contro l is
l ocated in the rear view m irror mount.
You should therefore not app ly any st ick­
ers to the windsh ield in this area in o rder
to preve nt ma lfunctions o r failures.
- Some exterior lighting functions can be
adjusted
c:> page 58.
-When you remove your key from the igni­
tion while the vehicle's lights are turned
on, a buzzer sou nds as long as the driv­
er's door is open .
- In coo l o r damp weather, t he ins ide of
t h e headlights, turn signa ls and tail
li ghts can fog ove r du e to t he tempera­
tu re diffe re n ce between the inside and
outside. They will cle ar sho rtly after
swi tching them on. This does not affect
t h e service li fe of the lighting . -
In the event o f a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cl uster display
c:> page 35 .
Adjusting exterior lighting
The functions are set in the MMI.
• Select: Func tion b utton I CAR !> Con trol but ­
t on
Systems* > Exterior lighting . Or
.. Select: Function button
I CAR !> Con trol but ­
ton
Car systems * > Vehicle settings > Ex te·
rior lighting .
Coming home (Lights when leaving car ),
Leaving home (Light s when unlock ing car )
The coming home f unction ill uminates the
area o utside the vehicle when you tu rn the ig­
nition off and open the driver's door. Depend­
ing on vehicle equ ipment, the f unction can be
switched on and off or the length of t i me the
ligh ts remain on* can be adjusted .
The leaving home illum inates the area outside
the ve hicle when yo u unlock the vehicle . T his
funct ion can be switched on and off .
The Coming home and Leaving home func­
tions only operate when it is dark and the light switch is in the
AUTO pos ition.
Daytime running lights
USA model s: The daytime r unning lights can
be turned on or off using th is function.
Canada model s: Th e fu nction canno t be
tu rned off .
It is activated automatically each
time the ignition is t urned on. This menu item
is shown "greyed out" .
Front fog lights
Fig. 54 Instrument pa nel: light switch

66 Clear vis ion
Headlight washer system
Applies to vehicles: with headlight washer system
The headlight washer system cleans the
headlights .
.. Operate the windsh ield wiper/washer sys­
tem
c:> page 63, fig. 65 ® with the head­
lights turned on by holding the lever for lon ­
ger than one second.
The washer jets extend forward out of the fro nt bumper driven by water pressure to
spray the front headlights with water .
You should inspect the headlights regularly (for example when refueling) and clean off
any solid dirt or insects from the lenses .
To ensure the system works properly in winter ,
keep the washer jets free of snow and remove
any ice using a de- ic ing spray.
Service position
The wiper blades can only be changed in the
service position.
.. If the wiper blades are not frozen to the
windshield , bring the windshield wiper lever
to the basic position@c:>
page 63 , fig. 65 .
.. Select : Function button ICARI > Control but-
ton
Syst ems* > W indshie ld wip ers > Ser vice
po sition .
Or
.. Se lect : Funct ion button
ICARI > Contro l but­
ton
C ar sys tem s* > Servicing & check s >
Wip er service po sition .
- On -
changing the windsh ie ld w iper blades
can on ly be done if you bring the wiper a rms
to the se rv ice position. You wi ll also avoid
paint damage to the hood when wo rking on
t h e wipers in this pos ition.
- Off -the w indshield wipers a re moved to
their initial pos ition aga in.
(D Note
Never maneuve r your vehicle with the
front windshield wipe r arms ra ised since
they will a utomat ica lly be moved back to the
ir basic position above a speed of 3
mph
(6 km/h) and can scratch the hood.
(D Tips
- Yo u ca n al so use the se rvice posi tion, for
example, if you want to protect the
w indshield from icing by using a cover .
- T he service posit ion automatically
switches to
Off when you operate the
w indshield wiper lever, o r speed exceeds
3 mph (6 km/h) .
Replacing windshield wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshield clear.
®
F ig . 67 R emoving th e w ip er b lades
F ig . 68 Ins ta llin g w iper b la d es
Removing a wiper blade
.. Bring the w indshield wipe rs to the se rvice
posi tion
c:> page 66.
.. Lift the wiper arm away from the wind­
shie ld .
.. Squeeze the plast ic bracket on the wind­
shie ld wiper arm together on both sides @
c:>
fig. 67 .
.. Turn the wiper blade away from the wiper
arm . ..,.

.. Lift the wiper blade off in the direction of
the arrow @.
Install ing wipe r blade
.. Place the new wiper b lade in the retainer on
the wiper a rm ©
r::!>fig. 68.
.. Swing the wipe r blade in the direction of
the arrow @against the wiper arm .
.. Squeeze the corrugation on the wiper until
you hear the bracket click in the wiper arm .
.,. Place the wiper arm back against the wind-
shield.
Clean your wiper blades regularly with a wind­
shie ld washer solution to prevent streaking. If
the blades are very dirty, for example with in­
sects, carefully clean the blades with a sponge
or a soft brush .
If the wiper blades begin to streak the wind­
shie ld, this could be caused by residue left on
the windshield by automatic car washes .
Fi ll the windshield washer container with a
specia l solution available at your authorized
Aud i dealer to remove the residue.
A WARNING
Be sure to inspect the condit ion of yo ur
w iper blades regularly. See yo ur author­
ized Aud i dea le r for r eplacement b lades .
(D Note
-The windshield wiper blades must only
be replaced whe n in the service position
r::!> page 66! Otherwise, yo u risk da mag-
i ng the pa int on the hood or the wind­
s h ield wiper motor.
- To he lp prevent damage to the wiper sys­
tem, a lways loosen blades which are fro­
z en to the windsh iel d befo re ope rat ing
wipe rs.
- To he lp prevent damage to w iper b lades,
do no t use g asoline, ke rose ne, pa int
t hi nner, or othe r so lven ts on or nea r th e
wipe r blades .
- To he lp prevent dam age to the wiper
arms or other components, do not at­
tempt to move the w ipers by hand .
Clear vision 6 7
@ Tips
Commercia l hot wa xes applied by auto­
matic car washes affect the cleana bility of
the windshield .
Changing the rear wiper blade
F ig . 6 9 Rear w indow w iper Detac hing the rear wiper
b lade
Removing the wiper bl ade
.. Fold the windshie ld w iper arm away from
the glass.
.. Grasp the upper end of the wiper a rm with
one hand and the metal clamp o n the wiper
b lade w it h the other
Q fig . 69.
.. Ho ld the wipe r arm in the direction of the
arrow @and pu ll th e wiper b lade out of the
holder on ly in the d irection of the arrow @.
Attaching the w iper blade
.,. Ad just the wiper b lade in the holder .
.. Ho ld the upper end of the wipe r arm wit h
one hand.
.. Press t he wiper b lade i nto the ho lder wi th
your other hand .
.. Fold the w iper arm back onto the wind­
shield.
A WARNING
- To avoid streaks, you should clean the
windshie ld w iper blades regu larly with
w indow cleaner. For heavy soiling, for ex­
ample, insects, the w iper blades can also
be cleaned w ith a sponge or a cloth.
- For safety reasons, the w indshield wipe r
blades should be replaced once or tw ice
a year.

Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety belt to critical areas of the
body . Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion . A driver is responsible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chil­
dren . Therefore:
... Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
¢ ,& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correct seating posit ion whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c:>page 173.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear -end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety
belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity and in a rollover. This tightens
the belt and takes up be lt sla ck
c:> .& in Service
Safety belts 177
and disposal of safety belt pretensioner on
page 178.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce
forward occupant movement dur ing a colli­
sion.
@ Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been fo lded forward.
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once.
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions and in accidents in­
volving very little impact force, the safe­
ty belt pretensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is re leased. This is
normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The re levant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop is familiar w ith these regulations
and w ill be pleased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
menta l and other regulations if the veh i­
cle or ind ividual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this
service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretens ioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Insta lling, remov­
ing, servic ing or repair ing of belt pretension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a colli­
s ion .
T he re are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of .,. •
•

178 Safety belts
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pollute the environment .
.&_ WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly:
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti­
vated only once . If belt pretensioners
have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety belt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Spe­
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­
pair manual, training and special equip­
ment necessary.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed . Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.

194 Airbag system
-If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@, For the sake of the envi ronment
Undeployed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­ chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts w ith p retens ioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authori zed
Aud i dea ler is familiar wit h these requ ire­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perfo rm this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not app roved by Aud i,
lowe ring the vehicle, ch anging the stiffness of
the suspension, incl uding the springs, s uspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the ai rbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by t he
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in wh ich it would not dep loy if the
cha nges had not been made. Other k inds of
cha nges may reduce the force levels meas­
ure d by the sensors and preven t the a irbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
The senso rs in the safety belt buckle fo r th e
d river and front passe nger sea t tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l atched or not. I f the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­ er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is poss ible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt is being used but will inflate at the position where t
he safety be lt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety be lt b uckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control un it.
A WARNING
=
Changi ng the veh icle's suspension includ-
i ng use of unapp roved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
fo rma nce and increase the r is k of seri ous
personal injury in a cra sh.
- N ever install suspension components
that do no t have the same pe rformance
chara cter istics as the compone nts o rigi­
na lly ins talled on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
= -
It ems stored between the safety be lt
bu ckle and the cente r console can cause
the sensors in the b uckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from working prope rly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide suppl emental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
F ig . 20 0 Side air bag locat ion in th e driver's seat

224 Intellig ent technol ogy
8_ WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always
remember that bra king capability is limit­
ed by t ire traction . Always adjust your dr iv­
ing spee d according to the road and t raffic
co nditions. Do no t let t he extra sa fety af­
forded by the ABS tempt you into ta king
extra risks. The ABS cannot overcome the
laws of physics.
@ Tips
- If ABS is not functioning prope rly, a
warning light will come on. See
¢page 18 .
-If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is al­
so not functioning. This is indicated by
the ABS warning light .
Brake assistant
The brake assistant is designed to achieve the
optimum braking effect .
The brake assistant helps to increase the ef­
fective b rak ing power and thus to achieve a
shorter stopp ing distance. If the driver
presses the brake pedal very quickly, the brake
assistant automatica lly boosts the braking
force to the maximum level, up to the point where the anti-lock brake function (ABS) inter­
venes to stop the wheels from locking. You
should then keep the brake pedal pressed un­
til the veh icle has braked to the required
speed . The brake assistant sw itches itself off
as soo n as you re lease the brake pedal.
Automatic full braking a ssist
This funct ion allows full brak ing in spite of
h igh brake pedal forces (e .g . when the brakes
a re severely stressed because the vehicle is
fully loaded) . The driver notices th is function
throug h a reduction of pedal force and in­
creased pedal trave l. When the brake peda l is
r e leased, fu ll braking assis t switc hes off again
automatically.
I f the re is an ABS fa il ur e, the brake ass ista nt
and automatic full b rak ing ass ist are not avai l­
ab le . The brake assistant wi
ll not be operative if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS .
8_ WARNING
-Please remember that the accident risk a l-
ways increases if you drive too fast, espe­
cially in corners or on a slippery road, or if
you follow the veh icle ahead of you too
closely. Increased r isk of an accident can­
not be compensated for even by the brake
assistant, so always maintain a safe speed.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering
system senses the road speed and electron i­
cally adjusts power assistance to provide com­
fortab le and safe steering response exact ly
matched to the vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
The power steering fluid level is checked dur­
ing the scheduled maintenance services .
d) Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will still function like a conven­
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
l onger proportionate to the vehicle speed .
This is most not iceable when turning the
stee ring wheel at low speeds (fo r example
when pa rking), - more effort w ill be re­
q uired than us ua l.
- Be aware o f the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer ­
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set r ight
by an Audi dealer as soon as possible .

It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However , wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
p roduces heat, which cou ld resu lt i n over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
"' Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
r uns p roper ly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects
fuel
c on sumpt ion .
Ch eck your oil each tim e yo u fill your tank .
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest v alue after a certain
mileage has been dr iven .
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles (S,000 ki lometers) before you can properly
assess o il consumption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
gin e output.
0 Note
- Have yo ur vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance wit h the service rec­
ommendations in your War ranty
& Main-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 231
tenance book let. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve ­
hicle will impair the function of the
em ission contro l system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of the Emission Control System unless ap­proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as heat shie lds, switches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
"' Try to avoid driv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine .
The eng ine and cataly tic converter have to
reach their opt imal
op erat ing temperature t o
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious em is­
s ions effect ively .
Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid-s iz e
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30 -40 l/l00km). After about a
half a mile , fuel economy cl imbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2.5 miles (4 km),
the engine is at i ts p rope r opera ting tempe ra­
tu re and f uel economy has reached a normal
l evel. So you can see that yo u should avo id
short trips whenever possible.
T he
out sid e t emperat ure is also cr itica l in th is
regard. Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the summer.
•
•