2012 AUDI Q7 check engine light

236 Trailer to wing
-The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for yo ur
Audi Q7 would be exceeded if your vehi­
cle is simultaneously equ ipped w ith Pan­
oramic sl iding sunroof; th ird-row seat­
ing; trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dea le r-installed) . UNDER NO C IRCUM­
STANC ES MAY AL L SUC H ITE MS BE IN­
STALLED ON THE SAM E VEH ICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6 .9 "
MAX175mm
E
"' E
"' .... a)
rt
Fig. 219 Permi tted ball p osit ion of the t ra iler hitc h
Traile r to wing we ight s
W it h a fac tor y-ins talled trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer we ight is 6 ,615
lbs (3,000 kg) . The maximum permissible un­
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg) .
W ith an aft er mar ket trailer hitch, the maxi­
m um permissible trailer we ight is 5,512 lbs
(2,500 kg) . These specifica tions apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Perm issible tongue load
F or best vehicle handli ng u nder these
changed condit ions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maxim um al ­
l owable or slightly lower. Yo u can get an ap­
proximation of the tongu e load with a bath­
room scale o r you c an measu re the load at a
trucking company or weighing s ta tion.
With a factory-in stalled trailer hitch, the
maximum permissib le load on the ball hitch
may not exceed 662 lbs (300 kg). With an af­
termarket trailer hi tch, the maximum permis­
sib le load on the ball h itch may not exceed 551
lbs (250 kg) . It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t ra iler is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shift ing forward,
backward or sideways.
Nev er allow a pas seng er t o rid e in a trai ler
¢&. in Driving instructions on page 23 7.
Ball m ount
The trailer hi tch may only be used w ith suita­
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 219 . Installa ­
tion of the h itch ball must be carried out in ac­
cordance with the manufacturer's inst ruc­
tions . At the height dimens ion of 1.5 in
(38 .5 mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in ( 12. 7 mm)
is permissible .
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­ er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
T ire pressur e
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold ti re pressu re listed under
" F u ll load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the drive r's side B­
pillar . Inflate trailer tires to t railer and tire
manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
T he headlight settings should be checked wi th
t h e trai ler attached before d riving
off. Check
to make s ure both vehicle and trailer lights
are worki ng properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trai le r to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the ch ains to pe r­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving. ..,.

248 Clea ning and protec tio n
• Dab at the stain . Start at the outside and
work inwards .
• Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or t issue to soak up the mois­
ture.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al­
cantara.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing
dust and dirt .
Dust and gr it in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is
l eft standing in the sun for long periods, the
A lcantara should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fading. Slight color
variations will deve lop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration .
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe­
cia list.
- Do not use br ushes, stiff sponges or sim­
i larly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia ­
bly when needed.
• Keep be lts clean.
• For cleaning, use a mild soap and water sol­
ution. Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
• Do not allow inertia reel safety belts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
• Check the condition of your safety belts
reg­
ularly.
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can b reak in a crash . -
Anything that might damage your safety
be lts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers would not be adequately pro­
tected in an accident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect insta llation. Never remove be lts
from the veh icle to clean them .
- Do not use chemical clean ing agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
erties which weaken the webb ing.
- When clean ing your safety belts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam­
age, see your authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 239.
' Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine comportment.
Alwa ys switch off the ign ition before clean ­
i ng the engine¢ .&, .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engine hood . This
prevents the water drain holes from becoming
blocked, and it prevents debris from enter ing
the vehicle interior through the heating and
ventilat ion ducts.
Cor rosion protection
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion -protected at the factory .
Good anti- corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, particu larly in the w inter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and plenum panel
shou ld be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as well. ..,_

258 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 2 27 Dr iver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood re lease
lever
.. Open the drive r's door.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
inst rument panel
c> fig . 227 in the d irect ion
of the ar row .
The hood pops up s light ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 228 Re lease lever under the e ng ine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make s ure
that the windshie ld w ipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they co uld damage the
pa in t on the hood.
.. Lift the hood s light ly
c> _& .
.. Pull up on the release under the hood
¢ fig. 228 . This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood all the way.
A WARNING
-Hot eng ine co olant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
o pen the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escapi ng from the eng ine
compa rtment . W ait unt il no steam or
coo lant can b e se en o r heard before care­
fu lly openi ng the ho od.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down and la tch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c> _& .
A WARNING
--
A ho od t hat is not completely latched
could fly up an d block your vi ew while dr iv­
i ng.
- W hen you close the engine hood, ch eck it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged . The hood should be flush
wit h the surrou nding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing t hat t he hood
is not s ecured properly, 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 wo rk in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To pr event per­
sonal injury alway s observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartm ent of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
c> &, .
A WARNING
To he lp avo id i njury, before yo u check any­
thi ng under the hoo d:
- Tu rn off the eng ine .
- Remove the igni tion key.

260 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
Fig. 229 Typical layout for containers, engine oil di pstick and engin e oil fille r cap
(D W indshield/head light washer
t . (
;R ) con ainer ,.... .............. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
@ Engin e oi l filler cap ('t".:r.) . .. .. .
©
®
®
(j)
Eng ine oil dipstick (orange) . .. .
Brake fluid reservoir
((0)) ..... .
Power steering reservoir ... .. .
Jump start connector( +) under 273
266
264
263
268
224
a cover,( ·) with hex head screw 271,308
The pos ition of the engine o il fi lling hole and
the engine oil dipstick
r=;, fig. 229 (position ®
and @) can vary according to the type of en­
gine .
_&. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
c omportment on page 258.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophist icated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. Th is engine needs the right kind of
engi ne oil that meets specifications regard ing
quality and v iscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day tha n it did years ago . Audi has developed
a spec ia l quality standard for eng ine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera­
t ion .
Modern engine lubr ication has taken a quan ­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic "'

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-

266 Check ing and filling
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
_& WARNING
-
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 258.
(D Note
- Befo re winter se ts in, have the coolant
checked to see if t he coolant addit ive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely co ld. If necessary, in­
crease the proport ion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­ ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle.
Th is coo lant add itive is available at au­
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The resulting corro ­
sion can cause a loss of coo lant and se­
r ious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid may adve rse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Wa rranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig . 233 Engine compartment : Coo lant expansio n ta nk
Before you check a nyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
alw ays re ad and h eed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 258.
.,. Park yo ur vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Turn off the ignition.
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
fig. 233, c> page 260, fig. 229 and
care full y twist the cap counter-clockwise
¢,&. .
.,. Read the engine coolant level in the open
coolant expansion tank. W ith a cold eng ine,
the coolant level should be between the "min" and "max" markings. When the en­
g ine is wa rm, the level may be slightly above
the "max" mark ing.
T he locat ion of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 260.
To obtain an accu rate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 32 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coo lant level sensor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to t ime.

Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool ­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi d ealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
sea led system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter -clockwise direction wh ile ap ­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid be ing burned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
o r hot eng ine parts. Under certai n condi­
t ions, the ethy lene g lycol i n engine cool­
an t ca n ca tch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to you r vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair f luid may adversely af­
fec t the function and pe rformance of your
cooling system and could res ult in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engi ne com­
partment ,
alwa ys read and heed all WARN ­
INGS c:> A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 258 .
Checking and fillin g 267
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine coo l down .
.. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank
c:> page 266 , fig . 233 and carefully
twis t the cap coun ter-clockwise c:> &, .
.. Add coo lant .
.. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly.
Rep lacemen t engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
c:> page 265, Coolant . We
recommend us ing on ly coo lant additive G12+
+, G 13 or in an eme rgency G12 +. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use pla in
water until you can ge t the co rrect addi tive
and can restore the correc t ratio. This sho uld
be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount of
coolant , the n you sho uld add cold ant ifree ze
and cold wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
n ew engine coolant when refilling .
Do not f ill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coola nt will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en ­
gine becomes hot .
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get ve ry hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolan t by following
these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, th ick rag .
- Turn the cap s lowly and very carefully
i n a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill a n­
tifreeze o r coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engi ne pa rts. Under certain
c ond it ions, the ethy lene glycol in en­
gine coolant c an catch fire .
- Antifree ze is po isonous. Always s to re an­
tifree ze in its o rigina l container and well
ou t of the rea ch of child ren. .,.
•
•

268 Checking and filling
-If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess cool-
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c:::> page 265 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­ ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-belt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to the temperature of the
coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself
c:::> &. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
t he engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunligh t.
_&. WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan. -
The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fig. 234 E ngine compart men t: cove r on the brake fluid
reserv oir
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:::> _&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 258.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c:::> fig. 234, c:::> page 260,
fig.
229. The brake fluid level m ust be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the
left side
c:::> page 260.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake flu id level falls
considerably be­
low the
"MIN " mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light ( U.S. models: -· Canadian
models :. ) w ill come on
c:::>page 19 and
c:::>page 32. Do not continue to operate the ve-
hicle. The compl ete brake system should be ..,.