2012 AUDI Q7 towing

The chains should cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
([) Note
If you are going to tow a trai le r, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
¢ page 154, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best poss ible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
~ Do not tow a loaded trailer whe n your car it­
self is not loaded.
~ Be especially careful when passing other ve­
hicles.
~ Observe speed limits .
~ Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
~ Always apply brakes early.
~ Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, wh ile keeping the trailer as light as poss i­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi­
b le, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the drive r to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
Trailer towing 237
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
when going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
down hill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10
must be observed carefully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing ., pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING ~
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov-
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
prov ided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar w ith the way.,.
•
•

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.

other things that you plan to
transport so that you can make sure that your vehicle will not
be overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 2 78,
fig. 237.
2.
Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 278, fig. 237 .
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty . For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca-
Tires and wheels 283
pa city is 650 lbs. (1400-7 so
(5 X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail ­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
~ Check the tire sidewall
( ¢ page 285 , fig. 241) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
•
•
'

What do I do now?
Jack, tools and
inflatable spare tire
Tools
The tool kit is located in the luggage com­
partment under the cargo floor cover.
F ig . 2 4 4 Luggage compa rtme nt: ve hicle tool ki t
The on board tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt cove rs*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench
- Towing eye
@ Tips
Some of the onboard items listed above
are prov ided on certa in models only or are
optional extras .
What do I do now ? 295
Jack and folding chocks
The jack and the folding chocks are located in
the luggage compartment under the cargo
floor cover.
F ig . 2 4 5 Luggage compar tme nt ve hicle jack and fold·
i ng chocks
--------
F ig. 246 Ope ning fo ldi ng chocks
Vehi cle jack
The jack is located under the tool kit
¢ fig . 245. Before storing the jack, make sure
it is wound back down as far as it will go.
Folding chocks
Two unassembled fo lding c hocks are attached
to the foam section at the front with the jack
¢fig . 245.
Re lease the two hook-and-loop fasteners, and
remove the two chocks. To use the chocks, you
first have to raise the support plate
¢ fig . 246 (D and then insert the locking plate
with the two "tabs" into the elongated ho les
in the base plate @¢.&. .
A WARNING
-The chock cannot fulfil its function and
may lose its stability if the "tabs" on the
support p late are not inse rted co rrectly
into the elong ated holes in the base

2 96 What do I do now ?
plate. If this happens, the vehicle may
start to move while a wheel is being changed.
- Never use the folding chocks if they are
damaged or if they have not been assem­
bled correctly.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
ser ious persona l injuries.
- Never use the jack supplied with your Au­
di on anothe r vehicle, pa rticularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came w ith.
- Us ing a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bump er system. The
jack may slip, causing in jury.
- Never support your veh icle on cinder
blocks, b ricks or other objec ts. These
may no t be ab le to suppor t the load and
c ou ld cau se injury whe n they fail.
- Never start o r run the engine while the
vehicle is supported by the j ack.
- If you must wo rk under the vehicle, al­
ways use safety stands specifically de­
signed for this purpose.
- Always make su re the inf latable spare
ti re and even a flat tire a re se cu red in
pla ce and not loose, otherwise t hey
c ou ld f ly forward, causing personal in jury
to passengers in the veh icle in an acc i­
dent o r sudden mane uver.
Removing bass box
Applies to vehicles: with bass box
Before the inflatable spare tire can be taken
out, the bass box must be removed .
Fig. 247 Spare wheel well: Bass box
Removing bass box
" Squee ze the locking tabs ¢ fig. 247 (!) of
the connector .
" Disconnect the connector @and place the
lead to one side.
" Turn t he large screw counter-clockwise.
" Carefully
remove the bass box.
Installing bass bo x
" Carefully place the bass box in the wheel.
The insc ription " FRO NT" on the bass box
m ust face forward .
" Reconnect the connector that was removed.
" Secure the bass box with t he large screw.
· Inflatable spare tire
The inflatable spare tire expands to its full di­
ameter when it is inflated.
Fi g. 2 48 In flatable spare t ire w ith compressor
Removing inflatable spare tire
" Lift up the cargo floor us ing the handle .
" Tu rn the large screw¢
fig. 248 co unter-
clockwise.
" Remove the bass box as required
¢page 296.
" Take out the inflatable spare tire .
" Always sto re the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢page 166.
Stowing the inflatable spar e tire
" Release the air by unscrewing the valve
stem.
" Screw the
valve stem back in afterwards .
" Wait a few hours befo re p lacing the wheel
in the spare whee l we ll
r=:, _.&.
" Install the bass box as required r=:, page 296 . ..,.

2 98 What do I do now?
The compressor must not be connected to
the c igarette lighter socket, as this socket
does not provide the required power.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop r::::> /.1. .
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrai l)
r::::> /.1. .
• Engage th e parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
r::::> /.1. .
• Move selector lever to position P r::::> /.1..
• If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle .
• Block the diagonally opposite wheel with
the fo ld ing chocks or other objects .
• Take the
jack and the inflatable spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
r::::>page 295.
& WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if yo u do not fol­
low these safety precautions :
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis ­
tance
off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic .
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the whee l being changed with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one front wheel is lifted
off the ground, plac­
ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se­
curely.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these ­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only vehi­
cles w ith Adaptive Air Suspens ion)
r::::> page 154.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also
r::::> page 299, Deco­
rative wheel covers or r::::> page 299,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts r::::>page 299 .
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the jack and align the jack below that point
r::::>page 300.
S. Lift the car with the jack r::::> page 300.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll the
inflatable spare tire
r::::>page 301.
7. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack.
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts r::::> page 299.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. De activate the vehicle jack mode (only ve­
hicles wi th Adaptive Air Suspension)
r::::> page 154.
& WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
in format ion
c:::> &. in Raising the vehicle on
page 301
and c:::> page 302.

308 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to perform these operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic
transmission. Consequently, the engine
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumper cables to start the en­
gine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
nal clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
injury. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible. -
A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before
connecting a jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery completely, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to
start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es . Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with
a low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of different voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an explosion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an explosion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
page 248, Engine com­
partment.
@ Note
- Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
control units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,.

310 Emergency sit uat ions
-Jumper cables mus t be long enough so
that the vehicles do not touch.
- W hen connecting jumper ca bles, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any moving parts in the eng ine compart­
ment.
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c> page 248, Engine com­
partment.
({D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can r u­
in the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE( +) to POSI­
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
ce lls are screwed in firmly. If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
nec:t i ng a jumper cable as described
above applies spec ifically to the case of
you r vehicle being jump started. When
you are giving a jump st art t o anothe r ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negat ive (-) ca­
ble to the negat ive (-) terminal on the
discharged battery ©
c> fig. 261. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(-)
cable to e ither a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to t he engine block itse lf. If the bat­
te ry that is being charged does not vent
to t he outside, es caping batte ry gas
could ignite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
ing.
T he following information is to be used by
commercial tow truck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safely.
- Ne ver tow your Audi , towing will cau se
damage to the engine and tr an smi ssion .
- Ne ver wrap th e safet y chain s or winch ca­
ble s around the brak e lines.
- To prevent unne ces sary damage, your Audi
must be tr an sp o rt ed with a flat bed tru ck.
- To load th e vehi cle on to the fl at bed, use
the towing l oop found in the ve hicle to ols
and att ach to th e front or rea r anchorage
i=> page 311 and i=>page 311 .
& WARNING
--==
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas-
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, for any reason.
-