2012 AUDI Q7 display

filled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos­
sib le.
Wh ile the vehicle is be ing raised or lowered,
the target level is indica ted by an arrow@
¢ fig. 174 or a white border @~ fig. 175 . The
arrow/border disappears aga in when the vehi­
cle is at the target level.
Limitation s to MMI s ettin gs
Please note that not eve ry dr iving mode can
be selected in every driving situation . For ex­
ample , it is not possible to switch to "lift"
mode at speeds above 12 mph (20 km/h) .
This mode is then shown
greyed out in the
MMI Display .
The vehicle can only be lowered when
a ll of
the vehicle's doors are closed. If one door is open, all driving modes whose level setting is
belo w the current vehicle level appear
greyed
out
in the MMI Display . If a door is opened
while the veh icle is being lowered , the lower­
ing process is inte rrupted until all doors are
closed again.
If the system is temporarily unava ilable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the driving modes that cannot be set ap­ pear
greyed out in the MM I Disp lay. As soon
as the system is available again, the drivi ng
modes can once more be selected in the dis­
p lay.
@ Tips
- For additional informat io n on the driving
modes ~
page 150, Chassis controls .
-When the compressed air tank is empty,
the comp ressor can be switched on by
starting the engine. The Adaptive Air
Suspension is once again available, after
waiting a few minutes.
- To prevent overload, the system switches off temporarily if several adjustments
are made in a row. The Adaptive Air Sus­pension is once again available, after
waiting a few m inutes.
Ad apti ve A ir Sus pension 15 3
Appearance in the instrument cluster
d isplay
Appl ies to vehicles: wi th Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
You can view the current vehicle level in the
instrument cluster display.
Fi g. 17 6 Disp lay: Adapt ive A ir Suspensio n
Fig. 177 Disp lay: Adapt ive A ir Suspension
Repeated, brief tapping of the I RESE T I button
on the windshield wiper lever allows you to
select whether information concerning the
trip computer, digital tachometer, navigat ion *
or "Adapt ive A ir Suspens ion" is to appear in
the instrument cluster d isp lay.
Display of the Adaptive Air S uspension is auto­
matic when the offroad or lift mode is select­
ed, or when the vehicle is automatically low­
ered in lift mode.
Rai sing and lowe ring
If arrow (Dis
white¢ fig. 176 or~ fig. 177,
the vehicle is raised .
If arrow @is
white, the vehicle is lowered .
The respective arrow stays on until the level
c hange is complete. The time required for a
level cha nge can va ry, depending on the cur -
ren t driving conditions . .,..

this mode. If the suspension is switched from
this mode to another mode, dynamic mode
cannot be re-se lected .
{D) Tips
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow­
ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later accord ing to factory specifi­
cations, the system recognizes "Trailer
tow ing mode" and activates this special
mode automatically, as soon as the elec­
trical connection on the trailer socket is
connected . The mode ceases automat i­
cally when the elect rical connection to
the trailer socket is d isconnected.
- If the tra iler towing mode has been act i­
vated, the vehicle will not drop to the l ow or highway level.
Cargo mode
A pp lies to vehicles: wit h Adap tive Air S uspe nsio n
The rear of the vehicle con be lowered to
make it easier to load .
Fig. 178 Luggage compa rtment detail: Cargo mode
sw itc h
Using sw itch for activating cargo mode
~ Close all vehicle doors .
~ Open the trunk lid .
~ Press the lower pa rt of the switch@
Q fig. 178. The rear of the vehicle is low­
ered.
~ Press the uppe r part of the sw itch (D . The
rear of the vehi cle is raised aga in .
Activating cargo mode in the MMI*
~ Se lect: Function button ICAR I > Function
button
! SE TUP I> Lower f or load in g. Ad
apti ve A ir Sus pension 155
In cargo mode, the rear ax le is lowered by 2 .2
inches (55 mm), compared to the normal lev­
el.
While the ve hicl e is in ca rgo mode, the seg­
ments do not appear as filled in the segment
display.
Cargo mode is a utomatically c ance led again
when a different mode is selected in the MM I
D isplay, or when a speed of about 3 mph (5
km/ h) has been exceeded.
If the system is tempora rily unavailable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed ai r
tank, the
Lower fo r loading* function appears
greyed out in the MMI Display. As soon as the
system is available again, the function can
once more be selected in the disp lay.
While the vehicle is being lowered, the indica­
tor light @~
fig. 178 on the switch in the
luggage compartment flashes. When the car­
go level has been reached, the indicator light
comes on and remains on as long as the vehi­
cle is in cargo mode. When the vehicle is
raised agai n, the indicator l ight f las hes aga in.
(D Note
Make sure before canceling cargo mode
that there is sufficient clearance above the
vehicle and around the tru nk lid , if open .
(D Tips
-The ve hicle w ill not be lowered if one of
the vehicle doors is open, or if the com­
pressed air tank is empty . T he indicator
light on the switch flashes three times.
- When the compressed air tank is empty,
it will refill when you drive at speeds
over 25 mph (40 km/ h). The vehicle can
be lowered to cargo level when the com­
pressed air tank is adequately fille d.
- If the veh icle is i n lift or off road mode
when you act ivate cargo mode, the vehi­
cl e w ill first drop dow n to norma l level.

182 Airbag sys tem
as def ined in the electronic control unit
Q page 190, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
A lways remember, a ch ild safety seat or infant
carrier insta lled on the front sea t may be
struck and knocked o ut o f position by the rap ­
id ly inflating passeng er's airbag in a frontal
coll is ion . T he airbag cou ld greatly reduce the
effec tiveness of the child restraint and even
serious ly injure the child during inflat ion.
F or this reason, and because the back seat is
the safest p lace for children - when properly
restra ined acco rd ing to their age and si ze - we
s trongly recommend that children always sit
in the back seat
Q page 200, Child Safety .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
t he fr ont a irbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he i nflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier wit h great
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety sea t
and child against the backrest , center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always insta ll rear -facing child sa fety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you mus t install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on , im­
med iately install the rea r-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
hav e the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Aud i dealer.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat may i n­
terfere wi th the deployment of the air­
b ag and cau se serious person al injury to
the ch ild .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat: -
Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­ ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore a nd
aft ad justment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible b efore installing
the forwa rd-fa cing ch ild restra int. The
b ackrest mus t be a djusted to a n up right
position.
- Make s ure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays o n all the
t ime wheneve r the ignition is switched
on.
A WARNING -ra----
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will be displayed whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, perform the checks de­
scribed
Q page 190, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
-Take t he chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of the rear seat positions if t he
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi deal er immed iate­
ly .
- Always carefu lly follow instr uctions from
chi ld restraint manufacture rs when in­
st all ing c hild restra ints .
A WARNING
If, in exce ptiona l circumstances, you m ust
i nsta ll a forward or rearw ard-fa cing child
r estra int on the front passenger's seat :
- Imp roper ins tallation o f child restra ints
can reduce their effec tiveness or even

192 Airbag sys tem
-the safety be lt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of slack in the safety
belt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
t h ings that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upholstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In addition to the
PASSENG ER AIR BA G OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluste r display . T his is to in­
form the drive r of the current front passenger
a ir bag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
prope rly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on, it
means that the re may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced A irbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearward-facing
child safety seat, or in a forward -facing
child restraint that has not been properly
installed will be seriously injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make
certain that a ll children , especially 12
years and younge r, a lways ride on the back seat properly
restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward o r rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced A irbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appea r and stay on, imme­
diate ly install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspe cted by your au­
thori zed A udi dealer.
- A tight tether or other s trap on a rea r­
ward-facing child restraint att ached to
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch p ressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and registe r more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to t he ch ild.
- If, i n exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust ins tall a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint o n the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the sea t in to its rearmos t po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the airbag
as possible. The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
--
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps descr ibed above, make su re the
ad ult is properly seated a nd restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re tr ans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger
seat.
...

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.

226 Intelligent technology
can result in there being insufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine .
I ntell igent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of electrical ener­
gy . Starting abi lity is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically , energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery volta ge, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various e lectrica l compo­
nents. Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individua l consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being dr iven , dynamic en­
e rg y management distributes the energy gen­
erated according to the needs of the individu­
a l components. It regulates consumption, so
that more ele ctrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­ mal state of cha rge for the battery.
{D) Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If starting ab ility is threatened, you are
i nformed by a warn ing
c> page 22 7,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display .
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The battery is seve rely taxed in shor t-distance
driving, in city tra ffic and dur ing the cold time
of year . Abundant electrical energy is re ­
quired, but only a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engine is not running and e lectri­
ca l components are turned on . In this in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
being generated.
It i s in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat­
ing the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks , e lectr ica l compo­
nents are gradually cut back or sw itched off.
T his reduces energy consumption and main­
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your vehicle , some conven ience functions ,
s uc h as the inte rior lights or the power seat
adjustment, may not be available. The con­
venience functions will be available again
when you turn on the ignition and start the e ngine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, w ith
the engine turned off or use other MMI func ­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption , the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will
switch off in 3 minutes .
The warning indicates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, you
have to sta rt the eng ine.
1111>

With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged. This happens most ly when
litt le energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equili­
brium, consumers which require especia lly
large amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par­
ticular requ ire a great deal of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they h ave been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be available again as
soon as the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly. This is normal and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the additional energy required is gener­
ated and the battery is charged .
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ab ility of the engine to start, th is
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
This notification reminds you that the starting
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving again, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If th is driver notification appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or while driving and it goes
out again after a wh ile, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Intelligent technology 22 7
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If this driver notification appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or whi le driving and does
not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Starting ab ility is
restricted . Have the battery checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop.
•
•

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. .,..