2012 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Con trol Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
Consumer Information 319
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service Manuals and liter­
atu re are availabl e to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures ,
in very dusty regions, when towing a tra iler
very frequently, etc., some serv ice work
shou ld be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imizi ng adverse
effects on the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics , sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission control sys-
tems, and the generally increasing technica l ..,_
•
•

320 Consumer Inf ormation
comp lexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, s afety an d e nvir onm ent al con­
cerns place very strict limits on the nature of repairs and adjustments to engine and trans ­
miss ion pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing dev ices and oth­
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re ­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­ ranty. Therefo re , proof of servici ng in accord­
ance w it h the ma intenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warran ty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adve rsely
affected, creating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any serv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give your authorized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perform all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, or iginal parts
and tra ined spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing lim it e d m aint en anc e y ourself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited num­
ber of procedures which can be performed on
you r vehicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cab le text and ca refully follow the instruc­
tions given. Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS p rovided .
Before you ch eck anything in th e engin e
compartme nt, alway s read an d heed all WARNINGS
¢ & a
nd ¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 258 .
A WARNING
--Serious personal in jury may occur as a re-
sult of improperly performed mainte­ nance, adjustments or repa irs.
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle. Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r isk personal
in jur y.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed o n the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re­ spect to the vehi cle, or are uncerta in how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work withou t the proper
too ls and equipment . Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal ­
er or anothe r properly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- The engine compar tment o f any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area. Never reach into the area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
control led and can sw itch on suddenly -
even when the engine is off and the igni­
tion key has been removed. The rad iator
fan switches on automatically when the coo lant reaches a certai n tempera ture
and will cont inue to run until the coo lant
temperature drops .
- Always remove the ign ition key befo re
anyone gets under the veh icle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The jack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur ­
pose and co uld co llapse causing serio us
personal injury.
- If you must work unde rneath the vehicle
wit h the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are always secure ly
blocked and that the engine cannot be
started.

-Always make sure the transm ission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) and the park brake
is firmly app lied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the eng ine settings w ill ad­
versely affect em ission levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when d isposing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batter ies or worn out t ires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo­
rate Material -specia l hand ling may ap­
ply, see www.dts c.ca .gov/hazardous­
waste/perch lorate. When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac ­
tive and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non-ap­ proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason,
if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories:
Con sumer In formation 321
Approved Audi accesso ries and genuine Audi
parts are available from authorized Audi deal­
ers.
T hese dea lers a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the
parts and accessories proper ly.
A WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non­
approved accessories can cause damage to
the vehicle and serious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and genu ine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specially designed to be used on your ve­
hicle .
- Never install accessories such as tele­
phone cradles or beverage holders on air­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~
page 248.
(D Note
-If items other than genuine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to spe cified meth­
ods, this can result in severe damage to
yo ur vehicle's engine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect your vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations.
•
•

322 Consumer Information
Technical Modifications
Our guidelines must be complied with when
technical modifications are made .
Always consult an authori zed Audi dealer be ­
fo re starting work on any modifications .
This will he lp ensure that vehicle function,
performance and safety are not impaired
¢ &. .
Attempting to work on electronic components
and the software used with them can cause
malfunctions. Because of the way electronic
componen ts are interconnected with each
other, such malfunctions can also have an ad­
verse affect on other systems that are not di ­
rectly involved . Th is means that you risk both
a substantial reduction in the operational
safety of your vehicle and an inc reased wea r of
ve hicle parts ¢
A:,..
Author ized Audi dealers will perform th is
wo rk in a p rofessiona l and competent manner
or, in special cases , refer you to a professional
company that specializes in such mod ifica­
tions .
A WARNING
Improper repairs and modifications can
change the way vehicle systems work and
cause damage to the veh icle and serious
personal injury.
-
If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the ve hicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as possi­
ble.
Declaration of
Compliance, Telecom­
munications and
Electronic Systems
Radio Frequency Devices and Radio Communi­
cation Equipment User Manual Notice .
The manufacturer is not responsib le for any
radio or TV interference caused by unauthor­
i z ed modifications to this equipment.
D ev ices
The following dev ices each comply with FCC
Part 15.19, FCC Part 15.2 1 and RSS -Gen Iss ue
1:
- Adapt ive cru ise control
- Conven ience key
- Aud i side assist
- Cell phone package
- Electron ic immobili zer
- Homelink ® universal remote contro l
- Remote control key
FCC Part 15.19
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC
Ru les . Operation is subject to the fo llow ing
two conditions :
(1) This device may not cause harmful inter ­
ference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation .
FCC Part 15 .21
CAUTION:
Changes or mod ificat ions not expressly ap­
proved by the party responsible for compli­
ance could void the user 's authority to operate
the equipment .
RSS-Gen Issu e 1
Operation is subject to the fo llow ing two con­
ditions:
(1) this device may not cause inte rfe rence ,
and

(2) this dev ice must accept any interference,
including interference that may cause unde­
sired operat ion of the device .
Consumer Information 323
•
•

324 Index
A
Accessories
Adaptive Air Suspension ....... .. .... .
Cargo mode in the MMI .... .. .. .. .. .
Controls .
..................... .. .
321
150
155
150
D .. escnpt1on ... ........... .. .. .... . 150
High level .................. ...... 150
Highway level ................ .... . 150
Instrument cluster display . . . . . . . . . . 153
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire 154
Low level ................ .... ..... 150
Normal level ............. .... .... . 150
Segment display ........... .. .. ... 152
Setting the driving modes .. .. .. .... . 152
Trailer towing mode ....... .... .... . 154
Using switch for cargo mode ...... ... 155
Warning/indicator lights ..... .. .... .. 17
Adaptive cruise control .......... .. .. . 113
Changing speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Driver information
Driver intervention prompt ..... .... .
Driving in traffic .......... .. .. .. .. .
Driving program .................. .
Error messages .................. .
Open road . ................. ..... .
Override
. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .
Request for driver to assume control . .
Save speed . ... ....... ... .... .. .. .
Setting distance . ............... .. .
Settings ... ... .... ...... .. .. .... .
Setting time interval ........ .. .. .. .
Special driving situations .. .... .... .
Status messages ......... .. .. .... .
Switching on and off ......... ..... .
System limits .................... .
120
124
114
124
122
114
114
114
116
118
124
118
125
122
116
125
Temporarily turning off . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
warning/indicator lights ..... .. .. .. . 121
Adaptive light ... .......... .. .. .. .. .. 59
defective ................... ..... .. 37
AdBlue .. .. .. ..... ........... ... .. . 255
Filling ... .. ............. ........ . 256
Messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play ... .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .
255
Adding
Engine coolant .............. ... ...
267
Engine oil .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 264
Windshield washer fluid ... .. .. .... . 273
Additional accessories
Additives
Engine oil ....... ............. ... .
Adjusting 321
264
Instrument cluster illumination .. .. .. . 13
Steering column electrically ...... ... 103
Steering column manually .......... 103
Adjusting front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Airbag
Warning/indicator lights .............
16
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179, 196
Advanced Airbag System ........... . 183
Advanced Airbag System components . 186
Care ...... .... .. .. ........... .... 193
Children .. .. .... ................ . 201
Child restraints ... ............. .... 202
Components (front airbags) ......... 186
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat ........ ....
181
Disposal .. ...... ............. .... 193
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183, 184
How do the front airbags work? .. .. .. 188
How many airbags does my vehicle
have? ........ ...................
186
How the Advanced Airbag System com-
ponents work together .............
187
Important things to know ....... .. .. 179
Indicator light ... ................ . 190
Monitoring .... .. ............. .... 190
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ... .... 190
Repairs ... .... .. ............. .... 193
Safety instructions ................. 192
Side airbags ... .. ....... ...... .. .. 194
Side curtain airbags ............ .. .. 197
Weight-sensing mat ............. .. 201
When must the system be inspected? . 190
Air conditioning
refer to Climate controls ..... ... .. .. . 91
Air distribution
Climate controls .. ... .......... .... .
94
Four-zone automatic comfort air condi-
tioning ....... .. .. ... ....... ... .. .
99
Air pollutants filter
Climate controls .. ............. .... .
91
All-wheel drive .. .. ............. .... 225
Winter tires
Alloy wheels 289
243

Alternator Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Ambience lighting Lighting p rofiles .......... .. .. .. .... 62
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolant system .. ... .. 265
Anti-lock brake system How the ABS system works . .. .. .. .. . 223
War ning/ indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. .. 18
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) How t he system works .. ... .. .. .. .. . 22 1
Anti-theft systems Anti- theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
E lect ronic immobilize r ..... .. .. .. .. .. 40
App roach/departure angle . ......... .. 232
Ashtray ..... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... 86
ASR How t he A nti-Sli p Regula tion System
works ... .. ................. .. ... 22 1
Aster isk
What does it mean whe n someth ing is
marked with an aste risk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Aud i brak ing guard ......... .. .. .. .. . 126
Error messages .......... .... .. ... 128
Sett ings ................... ... ... 128
Stat us messages .... ..... .. .. .. .. . 128
Sw itching on and off ...... .. .. .. .. . 128
Aud i parking system plus with rearv iew
camera ... .. ................. .. ... 144
Adjusting the display ......... .... .. 148
Adjusting the warni ng tones .. .. .. .. . 14 8
Rearview camera - pa rking mode 1 ... . 147
Rearview camera - pa rk ing mode 2 . .. . 14 7
Safety precau tions ........ .. .. .. .. . 14 4
Sw itch ing on and off ... ... .. .. .. .. . 146
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 9
Aud i Servic e Repa ir Manuals and Litera-
ture .. .. .. .. ................. .. .. . 319
Auto-Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Automatic belt retrac to r . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Automatic ca r wash
refer to Was hing ......... .. .. .. .. . 24 0
Automatic mode Four- zone automatic comfort a ir cond i-
tioning .. ............ ...... .... ... 98
Automatic S hift Lock (ASL) . ... .. .. ... 139
Inde x 325
Automat ic transm iss ion .. ..... ... .. .. 137
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) ... ... .. .. 139
Driving ... .. .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 137
Dynam ic shift program ............. 140
Emergency mode . ................. 141
Emergency re lease for selecto r lever .. 142
Ig nition key safety lock . .. .. ... ... .. 105
Ki ck-down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Manua l shift prog ram .......... .... 140
Se lector lever .. .. .... ........... .. 138
S hi ft buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Steering wheel with tiptronic ®
A UTO mode 141
AC climate cont ro ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Auto Safety Hotline ............. .... 167
Ave rage speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle .......... . 230
B
Bass box . .. .. .. .. ... ... ... .. .. .. .. 296
Battery . ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 269
Battery location .. .. . ... .... ... .. .. 270
Charg ing .. .. .. .. ................. 271
Important warnings when working on
the battery .. .. .. .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 270
Jump start ing .. .. .. ............... 308
Low .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .... 225
Rep lac ing the battery .......... .. .. 273
State of cha rge . .. ................. 225
Voltage ... .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 36
Win ter operation ... . .. ..... ... .. .. 269
Working on the battery . ..... ... .. .. 270
Befo re d rivi ng . .. .. .. ............... 160
B lended gasoline .. ............. .. .. 2SO
Body cavity sealing ... . .. ..... ... .. .. 244
Boos ter seats ..... .. ............... 208
B rake assistant .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 224
B ra ke booste r ... .. .... ............. 223
Brake fluid Changi ng the brake fluid . .......... . 269
Checking the brake fluid level ....... . 268
Rese rvoir . .. .. .. .. . ....... ..... .. 268
What is the correct bra ke fluid level? .. 268
Wha t should I do i f the brake fluid w arn-
ing light comes on? .. .. ..... ... .. .. 2 68
B rake light
Defec tive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
•
•

326 Index
Brake system .. .... ..... ... .. .. .... . 268
Anti-lock brake system . ... .. ... ... .. 1 8
Bra ke fl uid .... ... .... ... .. .. .... . 268
Brake fl uid spec ificat ions for refill and re-
p lacement ... ............. .. .... . 269
Brake pads . .............. ... .. ... 228
Ge ne ral informat ion ... ... .. .. .. .. . 222
H ow does mo isture or road salt affect the
b rakes? .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 22 2
M alfunct io n ............. .. .. .... .. 3 2
P ark ing brake ... ...... ... .. .. .... . 109
Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .... . . 19
Worn brake pads symbol ... .. ... ... .. 36
B raki ng gua rd
refer to Audi br aking gua rd . .. .. .. .. . 126
Break- in period . .. ...... .... ... .. .. . 228
Brake pads ... .. ...... .... ... .. .. . 228
Tir es .. .. .. ................ ... ... 228
Breakover ang le ........... .... .... . 232
B ulbs . .. .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 30 6
Bumper cover Ca ution w hen parki ng nea r a parking ba r-
ri er or curb . ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 110
C
Ca lifo rnia Proposit ion 65 Wa rning .. ... 259
B attery spec ific .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 27 1
Capac it ies . .. ............. .. .. .. ... 316
C ar -Systems
Ambience lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Lighting profi les .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 62
Ca r ca re . .. .. ................ ... .. . 239
I n ter ior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4
Pl asti c and v inyl .......... .. .. .. .. . 24 2
Care of exte rior .. .... .... .. .. .. .. .. . 239
Cargo area
refer to loading the luggage compart-
ment .. .. ................. .. .... . 166
C ar go floor ............... .. .. ...... 8 2
Cargo net .... .. ........ .... ... .. .. .. 80
Cata lytic converter . ..... ... .. .. .... . 229
Cente r arm rest
Cup holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
S to rage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7
Center console in rear ........ ... .. .... 78 Cen
tral lock ing
Emergency locking . .... ..... ... .. .. . 45
Pano ram ic s liding s unroo f . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Certification .. .. .. ............. .. .. 3 22
Chang ing a flat t ire . .. .. ...... ... .. .. 298
Chang ing a wheel . .... .. ..... ... .. .. 298
Chang ing engine oil 264
Chassis Undercoating .... ............. .... 244
also refer to Adaptive Air Suspen-
s io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 152
CHECK button ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 12
Checking En gine coolant level ............ .. .. 266
Checking t ire pressure ........ ...... . 280
Child rest raints
Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . ................... .... 181
Where can I get additional informat io n
about child rest raints and the ir use? .. 218
Child rest raint system anchors . ... .. .. 212
Child safe ty . ...... ............. .... 200
Co nvertib le lo cking retractor ... .. .. .. 209
G ui dance fixtures for lower ancho rages 214
Important sa fe ty instru ctions for using
child safety seats .... .. ..... ... .. .. 203
Important things to know when driving
with children .. .. ... .......... .. .. 200
Installing a c hild restra int using the
LATCH system .. .. .......... ...... . 215
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook ........ ... .. .............. . 215
T e ther anchors ... ............. .... 216
T e ther s traps .... ............. .... 216
Child safety lock
r ear doors (powe r) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Child safety seats . ... .... .... ... .. .. 205
Booster seats .... ............. .... 208
Co nvertib le child seats ......... .. .. 206
Co nvertib le locking retractor ... .. .. .. 209
Danger of using child restraints i n the
front seat ..... .. .......... ... ... . 181
How do I properly i nstall a chi ld safe ty
seat in my ve hicle? ............. .. .. 203
Infan t seats ... .. .. .... .... ... .. .. 205
Installing ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 209