2012 AUDI Q7 ECO mode

220 Intellig ent technol ogy
The vehicle is then stabilized by the forces act­
ing on the whee l during braking. If the vehicle
is
oversteering (rear tends to sk id out of the
turn), the brakes are ma inly applied on the
wheel that is on the outside of the curve. In
the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to slide out of the curve), the
brakes are applied as needed on the whee l
that is on the ins ide of the curve or addit ional­
l y on the o ther wheels. An acoustic s ignal indi­
cates when ESC b rake app lication cuts in
¢ A .
The system operates across the entire speed
range in combination with the ABS system
¢ page 223. If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESC wi ll be out of ac­
tion as well .
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESC w ill auto­
mat ica lly be act ivated and will perform a se lf­
test. As soon as the test is comp leted, the sys­
tem is in normal operating mode.
Offroad mod e
ESC should normally be ope rated in normal
mode because this ensures maximum vehicle
stability. If necessary, you can act ivate the
ESC offroad mode by pressing the but to n
¢ fig . 218 to obtain maximum traction and
braking ability when driving
off paved roads at
l ow speeds. In ESC offroad mode, the indica­
tor light
fi illuminates and the message Off ­
road control Warning! Red uced t ract ion
ap­
pears briefly in the display .
The ESC offroad mode can be usefu l in the fo l­
low ing except iona l situations when slip or a
h ighly effective differentia l locking function is
desirable . Examples:
- when driving with tire chains,
- when driving in deep snow or on loose
ground,
- when driving on uneven surfaces with the
wheels severe ly unloaded (articulation), and
- when rocking the vehicle loose after it has
become stuck.
When the unusua l situat ion is past, you
should shift back to the normal ESC operating mode by pushing the button again
. The mes­
sage
S tabilit y prog ram on then appears brief­
l y in the display.
H ill descent control
T he hill descent con trol is swi tched on in ESC
offroad mode . When slowly descending steep
gradients on loose gro und or when the axles
are articulated, hill descent control provides
ass istance by automatically applying the
brakes to keep vehicle speed constant. The ve­
hicle is also rendered easier to steer by selec­
t ive d istr ibut ion of braking force . H ill descent
control intervenes when:
- the acce lerator pedal is not pressed,
- the vehicle is travelling less than 12 mph
(20 km/h),
- a steep gradient is detected,
- wheel behavior indicates loose ground or
conditions with poor adhesion (e.g . a lso axle
articu lation).
Hill descent con tro l operates both d riving for­
ward and in reverse. Active hill descent con­
trol is deactivated by pressing the accelerator
pedal unti l the conditions for activation al­
ready listed are met again.
A WARNING
- The Electronic Stability Control is never­
theless subject to the laws of phys ics. It
is part icu larly important to pay attention
to this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore impo rtant that you a lways
a dapt your d riving to the condit ion of the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not allow
the increased safety provided by the Electron ic Stability Control system to lull
you into accepting additional safety
risks.
- Please be aware that in ESC offroad
mode, particularly on a smooth and s lip­
pery road, the wheels may have an in­
creased tendency to spin and the vehicle
may break away - danger of skidding!
- Stability is limited in the ESC offroad
mode.

230 Driving and en vironm ent
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in
the exhaust system area or a fire could
start.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that
l ow-lying parts such as spoi lers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis)* and fully load­
ed veh icles .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your persona l driving style
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumption by 10-15 percent. This sec­
tion will give you some t ips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, wh ich will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, tr ip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avo id unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerating . If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maxi -
mum speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fue l consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the environment.
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emissions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­ ditions perm it.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not d riv­
ing the vehicle .
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
eng ine run at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa it ing for tra ins to pass at rail­
road crossings, o r at traffic lights that have
long waits on red. Turning the engine
off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is
burned starting the engine again .
IJII>

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.
-
•
•

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.,.
•
•

a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
A WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine com­
partme nt, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
q & in Working in the engine com­
partment on page 258.
The engine com­
partme nt of any motor veh icle is a poten­
tially dangerous a rea and can cause ser i­
ous pe rsonal injury.
A WARNING
If you must change t he engine o il i n your
vehicle:
- Always wea r eye p rotection.
- To reduce the r isk of burns from hot en-
gine oil let the engine cool down to the
t ouch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
yo ur finge rs, stay as far away as possible.
Always kee p your forea rm pa ra llel to the
ground to he lp prevent ho t oi l from r un­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the o il into a co nt ainer designed
f or this p urpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
yo ur engine .
- T o reduce the r is k of po ison ing, never use
empty food or beverage containers that
might mis lead someone into dr inking
from them.
- Engine oil is poisono us. Keep it well out
of the reach of chi ldren.
- Cont in u ous contact with used engi ne oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
yo ur sk in by washing tho ro ughly with
soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oi l ad dit ives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en ­
gine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
-
Checkin g and fillin g 265
@) For the sake of the environment
-Before changing the oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
of the old o il.
- Always dispose of used oil p ro perly. Nev­
er dump it on garden soil, in wooded
areas, into streams or down sewage
dra ins.
- Recycle used o il by tak ing it to a used en ­
gine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station.
- We strongly recommend that yo u have
your oil cha nged by an authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified wo rkshop with the
special tools a nd expert ise required, and
proper m eans of disposa l.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
T he cooling sys tem is sealed and genera lly re­
quires little attention.
T he cooli ng system has bee n filled a t the fac­
t ory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be c hanged . The coo lant cons ists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coo lant additive G l3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canadian mode ls). This m ix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects meta l compone nts in t he
engine's cool ing system from corros io n and
sca ling.
It also raises the boiling point of the
c oolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool ­
ant in the s ummer by adding p lai n water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
lea st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main ­
tai n antifree ze pro te ct io n a nd coo ling eff icien­
cy .
If the coo lant fros t protection is too low,
the coo lant co uld freeze and damage the vehi-
cle heating and engine cooling system. .,..
•
•

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 ..,.

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 . ..,.
•
•

driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary . Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains beca use the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­ el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(0 Tips
W here snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the cor rect wheel bolts wit h the right
lengt h and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ens ures t hat w heels a re fitted
secure ly an d that the brake system f unctions
correctly.
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a d ifferent vehicle -even if it
is the s ame mode l~
page 3 21.
& WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tig hte ned to the specified
torq ue.
Tire s an d wheel s 2 91
-On ly use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce t he
risk o f a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when t he vehi­
cle is mov ing.
If the tig hte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
120
ft l b ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7, 4
ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque w heel bo lts
d iagon ally . After changi ng a w heel, the
torque m ust be chec ke d as soon as poss i­
b le with a to rque wrench -preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or q ua lified work­
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped with tow aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road feel
and handli ng under a var iety of drivi ng condi­
tions. As k your au thori zed A udi dealer for
more de tails.
The low asp ect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a nu mera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n ume ra l rep resen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidew all height in rel ation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven ­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important th at low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres-
sures should be checked at least once a .,..
•
•