2012 AUDI Q7 trailer

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.,.
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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.

28 0 T ire s and wheel s
-Always make su re that t he tota l load be­
ing t ransp orted -includ ing the we ight of
a tra ile r hitch a nd the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cl e Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/o r underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incor rect tire pressures and/or underin­
fla tion can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, incl uding a b lowo ut and sudden de ­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label loc;ated on driver's side 8-pil­
lar.
The recommended t ire p ress ures are o n the
tire pressure label and in the tab le
¢ page 278, Cold tire inflation pressure.This
means that the pressure must be checked and
ad justed when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
l ow speeds during the previous three hours.
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal fr iction as it flexes in
use . The t ire pressure is higher when the tire
has wa rmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflat ion pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm t ire to match "Cold tire inflation
p ressu re" recommendations ¢
page 2 78. The
tires would then be under inflated and cou ld
fa il suddenly .
The t ire pressure label on you r Audi lists the
r ecommended cold t ire inflat io n pressu res at
maximum capacity fo r the new, o rigi na l
eq uipment t ires that were on your vehicle at the time
it was man ufactu red. Fo r the loca ­
tion of the labe l
~page 278, fig . 237.
Most tires lose air natur ally over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if yo u drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while park ing.
It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
u sed today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
The re fore, be sure to check ti re p ress ures at
least once a mo nth and a lways before going
on a long trip . Make s ure to take the n umber
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjust ing tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you wou ld not consider to be
"long. " See
~ page 2 82, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for mo re important information .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflat ion pres ­
s ur es. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire .
If the pressure in any t ire
i s too high when the t ire is "cold," let air out
of the t ire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
yo u reach the pressure that is correct for the
l oad (passengers and l uggage) and kind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any ti re is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this ma nual and the kind
of d riving you plan to do.
Ne ver e xceed the ma ximum infl ation pres­
sure listed on the ti re sidewall for an y rea ­
son .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufact urer, determines the correct
t ire press ure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the ti re pressure whe n
the tires are co ld.
- Read the required tire pressure from the t ire
pressure labe l. The tire pressure label is lo -
cated o n the driver's side B-pillar . T he tire
liJJ>

28 2 T ire s and wheel s
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded wi ll not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle control
,
but can a lso damage impo rtant parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure in-
,
eluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are tech nically referred to as the
vehicle 's
Gr oss Vehicl e W eig ht Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories , a full
tank of fuel , oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer h itch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
ve hicle load .
The
G ro ss Ax le We ight Rat ing ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker label located on the
driver's side B -p illar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 i n the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. On vehicles w ith
six seats*, your veh icle has two front seats,
two seats in the second row seating and two
seats in the third row seating . On vehicles
with seven seats*, your vehicle has two front
seats, three seats in the second row seating
and two seats in the third row seating . Each seating position has a seat belt
q
page 170,
Safety belts .
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carr ied as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weig ht of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . Fo r the location of the
label qpage278, fig. 237.
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we igh t than your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail s uddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavi er than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se t he exa mple b elo w t o ca l­
c ulat e th e t otal w eight of the
pa sseng ers a nd luggage or

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.
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'

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.

306 Fuses and bulbs
Right luggage compartment fuse assignment
0
Fig. 259 Rig ht luggage compartment: fuse panel with plastic clip
Fu se pa nel @ (bla ck )
2
3 Fuel filler door detection
5 Parking system Inte lligent power module con-
6 venience 2
(right side of vehicle)
~
Intelligent power module con-
7 venience 2
(left side of vehicle)
9
L uggage compa rtment electri-
cal outlet
I Intelligent power module con-
10 venience 1 (right side of vehicle)
1 1 Convenience contro l mod ule
In telligent power module con-
12
venience 1
(left side of vehicle)
-Fuse panel © (red)
1 Radio
3 Digital Signal Processing (DSP)/
BOSE amplifier
4 Bang & Olufsen amplifier
s Ride height ad justment
6 Soft close 30
5
15
15
20
20 1 5
30
7,5/3 0
30
30 1 5
20
No . Consumer
7 Power rear lid
8 Power rear lid
9 Trailer hitch
15
10 Trailer hitch (left side of vehicle)
1 1 T
railer hitch (right side of veh i-
20
de)
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safe ty, we recommend that you hove
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned
out bulbs for you.
It i s becom ing increasing ly more and mo re
diffic ult to replace vehicle ligh t bu lbs since in
many cases, other parts of the car must fir st
be removed befo re you are able to get to the
bulb. This applies especially to the light bulbs
in the front of your car which you can only
r each th rough the engine compartment .
Sheet meta l and bu lb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause serious cuts, and parts
must be correctly taken apart and then prop­
erly put back together to help prevent break ­
age of pa rts and long term damage from wa­
te r that can enter housings that have not been
properly re sea led. ..,.

designated seating position) and luggage
weight~&. .
Gros s Axle W eight Rating
The G ross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle
q .&. .
Vehicle capacit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max. load) is list­
ed on the driver 's side B-p illar.
Roof weight
The maximum permissible roof weight is 220
lb (100 kg ).
The roof weight is made up of
the we ight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object be ing transported
q page 84, Loading the roof rack.
..&, WARNING
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for yo ur
Audi Q7 vehicle, found on the safety compliance label on the driver's side B ­
pillar, must never be exceeded under any
circumstances. Exceed ing the Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating of your vehicle is like ly
to damage your vehicle, and such dam­
age will not be covered by your Limited
New Vehicle Warranty . Exceeding the
Gross Vehicle We ight Rating will also
change the performance and handling
characteristics of your vehicle, which
cou ld cause a crash result ing in serious
injury o r death.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for your
Audi Q7 wo uld be exceeded if your vehi­
cle is s imultaneously equ ipped with Pan­
oramic sliding sunroof; third-row seat­
ing; trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dealer-installed). UNDER NO CIRCUM­
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN­
STALLED ON T HE SAME VEHICLE .
- The actual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles should not ex­
ceed the perm iss ible weights, and their
c ombination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing.
G ene ral in formation 315
-Exceeding perm iss ible weight ratings can
result in veh icle damage, acc idents and
personal injury.
([) Note
-The ve hicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is d istr ibuted evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
transport ing a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as poss ible so that the vehi­
cle's handling is not impaired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axle loads or the maximum gross veh icle
we ight. Always remember that the vehi­
cle's handling w ill be affected by the ex­
tra load. Therefore, ad just yo ur speed ac­
co rding ly.
- Always observe local regulat ions .
Dimensions
T he specifications refer to the basic model.
D ifferences may occur depending on the mod­
el type and op tions ordered, fo r example, tire
sizes .
Q) Note
When dr iv ing up steep ramps, on rough
r oads, over c urbs, etc. it is important to re ­
member that some parts of your vehicle,
such as spoi lers or exhaust system compo­
nents, may be close to the ground. Be
careful not to damage them.
•
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