2012 AUDI Q7 ABS

Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the
rotational speed of the drive wheels.
G ener al note s
The electronic differentia l lock (EDL) helps the
car to start mov ing, accelerate and climb a
gradient on surfaces providing poor or almost
no gr ip . W ithout EDL, this would be difficult,
if not impossible .
How the s yst em work s
The EDL operates automatically . It monitors
the rotat ional speed of wheels w ith the help
of the ABS sensors <=>
page 223. If a noticea­
ble
slip i s detected at the wheels (e.g . on slip­
pery ground
on one side), the spinning wheels
are braked and power is transferred to the
other wheels. This is done up to a speed of
about 60 mph (100 km/h). Noises from the b rake system signal that wheel spin is being
contro lled .
Driving off
When driv ing off , a lways be sure to keep road
conditions in mind as you accelerate . If one
drive whee l spins because it is on a surface
with less grip, apply
plenty of throttle until
the car starts to move.
Overheating of brakes
To prevent the disc brake of the b raked wheel
from ove rheating if subjected to excessive
l oads on this whee l, the EDL cuts out tempo ­
ra rily. The vehicle remains operational and be­
h aves in the same way as a vehicle without
EDL.
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL
switches on again automatically .
A WARNING
-When accelerating on slippery surfaces,
such as on ice or snow, always be careful
when depressing the acce lerator pedal.
Even with the EDL working, the drive
wheels can spin and reduce your ability
to control your car . R isk of crash!
Int ellig ent technolog y 221
-The increased safety afforded by EDL
does not mean that you can take safety
risks. Always adapt your driving style to
the road condit ions and traffic situation .
(!) Tips
If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also
not functioning. This is ind icated by the
ABS warning light <=>
page 18.
' Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the
driven wheels from spinning when the car is
accelerating.
G eneral not es
The Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) is inte­
grated in the Electronic Stability Control
(ESC). When the vehicle starts up and acceler­
ates, the wheels are prevented from spinning
by adjust ing the eng ine power to match the
amount of grip available from the road sur ­
face .
How the system works
ASR performs automatica lly, i.e. without the
driver 's intervention. With the aid of the ABS
sensors <=>
page 223, ASR monitors the speed
of the dr iven wheels. If the wheels start to
spin, engine torque is reduced automatically
unt il the t ires find enough grip to lock onto
the road surface. The system is active across
the enti re speed range.
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If
a malfunction should occur in the ABS, the
ASR wi ll also be ou t of act ion.
A WARNING
The increased safety affo rded by ASR does
not mean that you can take sa fety risks.
A lways adapt your driving sty le to the road
conditions and traffic situation. ...,
•
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-Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion 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
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to bra ke. Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system co uld
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running¢ &,.
Int ellig ent technolog y 223
A WARNING
-Never let the veh icle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the la ck of booster assistance .
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­
der braking.
T he ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol s ince it preve nts the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the vehicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With ABS y ou do not nee d to pump the
bra ke. Just h old t he br ake ped al d own .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten
braking distance under
all circumstances.
When dr iving on g ravel or on new ly fallen
snow o n top of icy s urfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and wit h great care.
How the ABS s ystem works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached . When
th is happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rotate too
s low ly in relation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake
pressure to prevent tha t whee l from locking .
T his automatic adjustment p rocess will cause
a
sli ght vibrati on of the brake pedal and some
no ises to a le rt you that ve hicle speed m ust be
adapted to existing road and traffic condi ­
tions. •
•

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 .

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
q page 154, Towing a trailer.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. A lways
check with the trai ler hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
i ng bumper system. No mod ifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trai ler hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind~.&.
Trailer towing 235
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
q .& .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trai le r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
M irr ors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors.
It is important
that you always have clear v is ion to the rear.
_&. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in you r vehicle. In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
Audi Q7 vehicle, found on the safety
compliance labe l on the driver's side 8 -
pillar, must never be exceeded under any
circumstances. Exceeding the Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating of your vehicle is likely
to damage your veh icle, and such dam­
age will not be covered by your Limited New Vehicle Warranty. Exceeding the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing will a lso
change the performance and handling
characteristics of your vehicle, which
could cause a crash resulting in serious
injury or death.
-
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238 Trailer towing
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer genera lly requi res
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trai ler, you will need a larger than norma l
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trai ler before chang ­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, you r A ud i may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
~page 319.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided , do so only ofter doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trai ler wheels .
.. With chocks in p lace, slowly re lease the
brakes until the whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Move the selector lever to
P.
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Start the engine. ..
Move the selector lever to
D.
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission to
P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force later to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.

The MMI control console should be cleaned
with a brush first so that no dirt is trapped be ­
tween the buttons and the housing . We rec­
ommend giv ing the MMI control console a fi­
nal w ipe with a cloth mo istened with water
and d ish washing detergent.
Q;) Note
To prevent damage, make sure that no flu­
id ever gets into the MMI control console .
Aluminum trim
Use only neutr al- pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum surfaces.
C hr ome ca re products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum in um s urfaces and can dam­
age them ove r time.
& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 239 .
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabric coverings (e .g. seats, door
trim panels, etc.) should be cleaned at regu lar
intervals with a vacuum cleaner . Th is removes
surface dirt particles which could become em­ bedded in the fabr ic through use. Steam
cleaners should not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there.
Norm al cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab­
ric. Brushes should only be used for carpets
a nd floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by b rushes.
Normal surface sta ins can be cleaned using a
commercia lly available foam cleaner . Spread
the foam on the surface of the fab ric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not sat u­
r ate the fabric. Then pat the foam dry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e .g. microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried comp lete ly.
Cleaning and protec tion 245
Cl ean ing sta in s
Stains caused by beverages (e.g . coffee, fruit
juice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter ­
gent solution. Apply the detergent sol ution
with a sponge. In the case of stubborn stains, a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the s tain and worked into the fabric . After­
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to
remove the rema ining detergent . Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric dry with an abso rbent, dry cloth.
Stains from chocolate or makeup should have detergent paste (e .g . ox -gall soap) rubbed in ­
to them . Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge).
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, o il, lipstick or a ballpoint pen . Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab­
sorbent mater ial. It may be necessa ry to re­
treat the areas with detergent paste and wa­
te r.
In the case of general soiling of the uphols­
tery and cover material, we recommend hir ing
a specia list that has the eq uipment to clean
the seat cove rs and othe r fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
¢ page 239.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fas teners on yo ur cl othing can
damage the seat cover . Please make sure
that Ve lcro fasteners are closed .
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For persistent d irt
use an Aud i approved
s olvent-fre e plastic
clea ner/protectant . .,.. •
•

preservative creme that contains UV­
blockers and that works into the leather .
This creme w ill nourish and mo istur ize
the leather, he lp ing it to breathe and
stay supple. It also helps to build up a
protective coating on the surface.
- Clean the leather every 2 - 3 months,
and clean any areas that get soiled.
- Remove fresh marks made by ballpoint pens, ink, lipst ick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as possib le.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need­
ed by using a special colored leather care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color .
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at­
tention.
Norm al cleaning
.,. Clean soiled areas w ith a slightly mo istened
cotton or woolen cloth.
Mor e stub born dir t
.,. More stubborn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a m ild soap so lution (2
tablespoons m ild liquid soap) .
.,. Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather, and make certa in that no water
soaks into the seams .
.,. Wipe off the soap solut ion with a soft, dry
cl oth.
Cleaning spots
.,. Remove fresh water -b ased spots (such as
coffee, tea, ju ices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.,. Remove fresh
gr eas e or oil -ba sed spot s
(such as b utter, mayon naise , chocolate) wi th
an absorbe nt cloth or paper towe l, or use
the cleaner from the leat her ca re kit i f the
spot has not yet penetrated into the s urface
of the leather .
.,. Use an oil/grease disso lv ing spray, if
oil /
grease spots h ave d ried on.
Cleaning and protec tion 247
.,. Remove specific k inds of spots (ba llpoint
pe n, fe lt marker, fingernai l polish, water­
based pa int, shoe po lish, etc .) with a spot
remover specifically formu lated for leather.
L e ather care
.,. Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized Au ­
di dea ler) to care for the leather .
.,. App ly the product very sparingly.
.,. Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
If you have any q uestions about cleaning and
caring for the leather in yo ur vehicle, it is best
to contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler, who
will be g lad to help you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as :
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to ca re fo r colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpoin t pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease d issolving spr ay
- New and upcom ing products .
.&_ WARNING
Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other in formation
r::!)page 239 .
(D Note
- Never use chem ica l so lvents (e .g . lighte r
fluid, tu rpe nti ne), waxes, s hoe polish o r
simi la r prod ucts on the lea ther surfaces
i n yo ur Audi .
- T o avoid damage, have stubbo rn sta ins
remove d by a comme rci al clean ing spe­
c ialist .
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
Applies to vehicles: with Alcantara upholstery
Removing du st and dirt
.,. Mois ten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces .
Removing stains
.,. Moisten a cloth with lukewa rm wate r o r
w ith di luted
ethyl (rubbing ) alc ohol.
•
•

thoroughly checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected .
If the brake fluid level is too low ,
the brake warning/indicator light will i llum i­
nate. Con tact an au thori zed Aud i dealer
im ·
mediately .
@ Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moist ure from the a ir. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease b raking performance .
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standa rd "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake f lu id reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that yo u
have the brake f lu id changed by your author­
i zed
Audi dea ler . Your deale r has the co rrect
too ls, the right b rake fluid and the know-how
to do this fo r you.
_& WARNING
- Br ake fluid is po isonous . It must be s to r­
ed only in the closed orig inal con tainer
o ut of the reac h of c hildren!
- Br ake f ailure can resu lt from old or in ap ­
propr iate b ra ke fluid. Observe these pre ­
caut ions:
- Use on ly brake fluid that meets SAE
specif ication
J 1 703 and conforms to
Federal Motor V ehicle Sta ndard 116.
A lways check wi th you r auth o riz ed Audi
deale r to ma ke s ure you are using the
correct brake flu id . T he correc t type of
Checkin g and fillin g 269
brake f luid is also ind icated on t he
brake f luid rese rvoir.
- The bra ke fl uid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong. This can seriously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safe ty. This co uld resu lt in an accide nt.
(1) Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
required and the necessary expertise, we
recomme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i deale r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operating cond itions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level chec ked by an au thorized
Audi dealer or qualified wo rkshop . The elec­
t ro lyte level should also be che cked each time
t h e battery is cha rged
~ page 271.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for se rv ice . You a re well advised to
replace a battery that is o lde r th an 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the ba tte ry is disconnected from the ve hicle elec­
t rical sys tem for safety reasons
~ A in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 193.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle fu nctions (power window regu ­
lators, fo r example) are lost if the battery te r­
mina ls are disconn ected . T hese functions have
to be relearned after the bat tery termina ls are
conne cte d ag ain. To p revent t his, the battery .,. •
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