2012 AUDI Q7 brakes

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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•

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.

Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after purchase . Regu lar and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
F u rth ermor e, good c are may be a conditi on
for subs tantiati ng a w arrant y claim sho uld
c orrosion d amag e or paint d efects oc cur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedic ated veh icle-car e products and can ad ­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
.&, WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ign it ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. w ithout pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
Cleaning and protec tion 239
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 222, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean­
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often t his is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle body, the more lasting their destructive ef­
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex­
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro­
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
.&, WARNING ,_
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 239.
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24 4 Cl eaning and protec tio n
8_ WARNING
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency¢
page 222, Gen eral
information.
Test the brakes carefu lly
e ach time you wash the veh icle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
-
other information ¢ page 239.
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked .
All body cavities wh ich could be affected by
corrosion have been thoroughly protected at
the factory.
This sealing does not require any inspection or
additional treatment. If any wax should seep
out of the cavity when the ambient tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed with a plastic
scraper and a suitable solvent.
8_ WARNING , ~
Solvents can be dangerous .
- Benzine is flammable and toxic . If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
sparks, flame and lighted c igarettes
away. Never dump benzine on the
ground, into open streams or down sew­
age drains.
- Be sure to observe all safety and env iron­
menta l regulations. Follow all instruc­
tions on the con tainer .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information
¢ page 239 .
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Audi is also thor­
oughly protected against corrosion .
Any damage to the undercoating caused by road hazards should be repa ired promptly .
8_ WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong p la­
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustp roofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. While driving, the substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rmation ¢
page 239.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and o ther co rrosive materials w ill
damage the material in the exhaus t tail pipes
i f they a re not cleaned regular ly . Do not clean
the tail pipes with wheel cleaner, paint polish, chrome polish or other abras ive cleaners .
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
that are suitable for sta inless steel.
Your a uthorized Audi dea ler can provide clean­
ing products that have been tested and ap­
proved for your vehicle .
Care of interior
MMI display
.,. Clean the MM I display wi th a soft clean
cloth and an LC D cleaner .
T he M MI display can be cleaned wit h a profes­
s io nal ly availab le " LCD cleane r". The cloth
sho uld be slightly dampened with t he clean­
ing fluid to clean the disp lay.
CIT) Note
To avoid sc ratching the M MI display, you
shou ld never clean it dry.
MMI control console
.,. First clean the MMI contro l conso le with a
brush to remove dust from the housing .
.,. Then wipe the MMI control console with a
clean, soft, slightly damp cloth. .,..

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 .,. •
•

2 76 Tires and wheels
M aximum loaded vehicle weight
means t he sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
( c ) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) P rod uction options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means t he max imum co ld inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be in flate d. Also called
"maxim um inflation p ress ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilog rams) times the
nu mbe r of o ccupants seated in t he vehicle up
to the tota l sea ting capaci ty of yo ur vehicle .
Occupant distribution means dist ribution of occupants in a veh icle .
Outer diameter means t he overa ll diameter of a n inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means t he linear dis tan ce between the ex ter i­
ors o f th e sidewalls of an inflated tire, in cl ud­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
p rotective bands o r ribs.
Ply
mea ns a laye r of r ubber-coate d parall el c ords.
Production options weight
means t he comb ined we ight of those installed
regular produc tion options weigh ing ove r 5
l bs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of t hose standard items
which they repla ce, no t previously considered
in cur b weight o r acc essory weig ht, incl uding
h eavy duty brakes, r ide leve le rs, roof ra ck,
h eavy duty ba ttery, a nd specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in which the p ly co rds
that ex tend to the beads are laid a t sub stan ­
ti ally 9 0 degrees to the ce nt erline o f the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 2 75, C old tire infla tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than t he cor­
r espondi ng stan da rd tire. Reinforced tires
may be identifie d as "X L", "xl" , "EX TRA LOAD",
o r "RF " on t he sidewal l.
Rim
means a metal su ppo rt for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat.
If
you change your wheel s ize, you wi ll have to
purchase new tires to match th e new r im di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal d ista nce between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means tha t po rtion of a t ire betw ee n t he
t read and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
r a ti ngs range from 93 mph ( 150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 286 . You may
not fi nd this information o n all ti res because
it is no t re quir ed by law.
T he speed rating letter code, wh ere applica­
ble , is molde d on the tire sidewall a nd indi­
c ates the max imum pe rmissibl e road speeds
~ A in Winter tire s on page 290 .
Tire pressure monitoring system
mea ns a system that detects when o ne or
more of a ve hicle 's tires are unde rinf lated an d
i lluminat es a low tir e pr essure wa rning t ell-
tal e. ..,_

Tires an d wheel s 2 79
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label located on the driver's side 8-
p ill ar a lways takes precedence.
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inf lation pressures for the A udi model
I Engine Tire designation
covered by your Owner 's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal­
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
normal load condition full load condition front rear front rear
I
PSI II kPA PSI kPA PSI j[ kPA PSI kPA
2 55/5 5 Rl8 109H XL
All Sea son
265 /50 Rl9 ll0H XL
All Sea son
3.0 /3 .0 TDI 275 /45 R20 ll0H XL
6 -cy lind er All S ea son
275 /45 R20 110V XL
High Performance
295 /35 R21 107V XL
High Performance
35 240 35
35 240 35
35 240 35
35 240 35
36 250 35 240
44
300 49 340
240 44 300 49 340
240 44 300 49 340
•
240 44 300 49 340
I
240 44 300 49 340
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
l ocated on a label on the driver's side 8-pilla r.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year , al­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on you r vehicle. Ma ke su re that the tire
si ze information on the ve hicle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­ l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
ve hicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that
l oad limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­ red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
i ng ( "GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be appl ied at each of the veh icle's two axles.
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weig
ht Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
drive r's side 8-pillar . The tire pressure labe l on
yo ur A udi lists t he maxim um combined
weight of all o f the occ upants and luggage or
othe r cargo that t he vehicle can carry. Fo r the
location of the tire press ure label ¢
fig. 23 7.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a 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.
- T ires on a vehicle that has been overload ­
ed can fail suddenly ca using loss of con-
trol and a crash . ..,.
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