2012 AUDI Q7 brake fluid

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ibl e.
A WARNING
- I f the m (USA mode ls)/ 11] (Canada
mode ls) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on while driving , the ABS
system is not working properly . The vehi ­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will
not have the protection ABS provides .
Contact your authorized Aud i dea ler as
soon as possible .
-USA models: If the - warning light
and
the m warning l ight come on to­
ge ther, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an accident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­
plicat ions .
-Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light . and the ABS wa rning light
II]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under ha rd b rak ing . Rea r
wheel loc k-u p can cause loss of veh icle
control and an accident . Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your a uthor­
ized Audi dea ler or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat ions .
::J.:.I(®) Parking brake
The indicator light monitors the parking
brake.
-
When the pa rking brake is applied and the ig­
n ition is switched on, the. (USA mode ls)
I
• (Canada models) indicator lig ht comes o n.
T he indicator light must go out when the
parking b rake i s re leased.
BRAKE/((])) Brake system
T he warning/indicator light flashes if brake
fluid level is low, if there is an ABS system
malfunction or a parking brake malfunction .
The - (USA models)/ . (Can ada models)
l ight illum inate s when the ignition is turned
o n. It goes out after the eng ine has been
started . This ind icates that the bra ke warning
li gh t is func tioning properly.
If th e brak e warning light do es not light up
w hen the engin e is cran king, ther e may be a
malfunction in the electrical s yste m . In this
case, c onta ct your Audi dealer .
If the brake system warn ing/indicator light
flashes , there is a brake system malfunction .
By pressing the
! CH ECK I button , you can bring
up a d river message which expla ins the ma l­
f unct ion in mo re det ail
~page 32.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warn ing/indicator
li ght
m (USA models)/ ll] (Canada models)
flashes togethe r wi th the brake system warn ­
ing/ indica tor light ¢
A.
(USA mode ls): If the warn ing light - and
the war ning light
El illuminate toget her, im­
med iate ly contact yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r
o r q ualified wor kshop to have all brake pads
inspec ted
~ page 36 .
When the light comes on , an aud ible warning
s ignal is also g iven .
A WARNING
-USA models: If the - warning light
and them warning light come on to ­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
f ir st under hard bra king . Rear wheel lock­
up can ca use loss of vehicle control and
an accident . Have yo ur vehicle repaired
immed iate ly by your authorized Aud i
deale r or a qua lified workshop . Drive
slowly and avo id sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warn ing light
II]
come on togethe r, the rear whee ls could
.

20 Instrum ent s a nd w arn in g/i ndic ato r light s
lock up first under hard braking. Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an accident. Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualif ied workshop.
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat ions.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
par king brake re leased, or lights up while
yo u are driving, the fluid level in the
brake fluid reservo ir is too low . If you be ­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
mediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, you will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle . Do not rely on stra ined brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power
in critical situations. You must a llow for
increased bra king distances . The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident .

32 Driver information display
warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it
can be brought up at any time by pressing the
I CHECK ! button again.
Usually , you can still drive to the next dealer­
ship. Turn off all but the most necessary elec­
trica l consumers, since these drain the vehi­
cle's battery.
(D Note
If the . warning symbol (coolant system
malfunction) also lights up on the instru­
ment panel during the trip
¢ page 32,
then you have to stop immediately and
turn off the engine. The coolant pump is
not working anymore -danger of damage
to the engine!
BRAKE/( ©) Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be
repaired as soon as possible .
If the warning/indicator light-(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) in the instru­
ment cluster flashes, there is a brake system
malfunction. By pressing the
I CHECK ! button,
you can bring up a driver message which ex­
plains the malfunction in more detail.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
> Pull off the road .
> Stop the vehicle.
> Turn off the engine.
> Check the brake fluid level¢ page 268 .
> Contact your nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop if necessary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
workshop
> Drive carefully to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop and have
the malfunction corrected ¢
&_.
If the ABS system malfunctions, the ABS
warning/indicator light illuminates together
with the brake system malfunction warning/ indicator light¢&. .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 248, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake fluid .
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard . Stop the car and get professional
assistance .
-USA models: If the - warning light
and the
B warning light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an accident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warning light
II]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking . Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an accident . Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard
brake applications.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
When the. symbol in the display blinks,
then either the engine coolant
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low. An
additional driver message can also be dis­
played by pressing the
I CHECK! button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
> Pull off the road.
> Stop the vehicle .
> Turn off the engine.
> Check coolant level¢ page 266 .
> Add coolant if necessary¢ page 267.
> Continue driving only after the engine cool-
ant warning/indicator light goes out.
1J>

34 Driver information display
Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
• Contact you r nearest authorized Audi dea le r
or qualified workshop.
• Do
not tow yo ur vehicle .
& WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. If it is
towed w ith the steering locked, there is
the risk of an accident .
~ Ignition lock malfunction
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be re­
paired immediately.
If the . symbo l in the display blinks, there is
a ma lfunction in the electronic ignition lock.
An addit ional driver message ca n also be d is­
played by pressing the
! CHECK I button:
Ignition lock defective. Contact workshop !
• Do not turn the eng ine off.
• Drive immediately to an authorized Audi
dealer to have the ma lf u nction corrected.
If there is a ma lfunction in the e lectronic igni ­
tion lock, the ignition cannot be turned off.
Drive immediately to an authorized Audi dea l­
er to have the cause of the ma lfunction cor­
rected.
On vehicles with Convenience key*, the engine
should not be switched off using the
! STOP !
button beca use the engine ca nnot be sta rted
again after the ignition is switched off.
' Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig . 26 Display: low fuel level warning (priority 2)
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc­
t ion - Warning!
When a yellow war ning symbol appears,
one
warning tone sounds . A driver message ap­
pears as well to explain the malfunction in
more de tail. The driver warning goes out after
about 5 seconds, but it can be brought up
again at any time by pressing the
! CHECK I but­
ton .
Check the displayed function as soon as possi­
ble. If
more than one priority 2 ma lf u nction is
detected, all symbols will appear one after
the other for about 2 seconds .
Yellow symbols mean:
"
Convenience key"
Key not in vehicle
c> page 108
•
USA models: Defective
brake light
c>pa ge 23
[fl
Canada models: Defective
brake light
c> page 23
~:)
Defective light bulb
c>page 23
raa
light/rain sensor defective
c> page35
~
Windshield washer fluid Lev-
el low
c>page3 5 1 ...

II
Low fuel level
¢page 35
fi.fl1::jfl1-j Kefill Ad Blue*
¢page255
-Ad Blue,/'
•
•
•
••NI@
AdBlue ma lfunction*
¢poge255
Battery voltage
¢poge36
Worn brake pads
¢poge36
Dy namic headlight range
control defective
¢poge36
Check eng ine oil level
¢poge36
Engine oil sensor malfunc­
tion
¢poge36
Engine speed limitat ion*
¢poge36
Diesel particulate filter *
clogged
¢poge37
A dapt ive lig ht* defec tive
¢poge37
-Ignition lock malfunction
¢poge37
W indshield wiper defective
¢poge37
Tire pressure monitoring
sys tem
Loss of air pressure
¢poge293
T ire pressure monitoring
system
System not availab le
¢poge293
Dri ver information di spla y 35
Battery in remote control
key
¢poge39
A utomat ic transm iss ion
malfunction
¢ page 141
...?c, Key not in vehicle
Applies to vehicles: with Convenience key
!!I Key not in vehicle
This reminder appears along with the !!I sym ­
bol if the master key is removed from the
ve­
hicle with the engine runn ing. It is intended
to rem ind you (e .g. whe n cha ng ing dr ive rs)
not to cont inue the journey without the mas­
te r k ey.
If the master key is no longer in the ve hicle ,
you cannot swi tch off t he ig nit io n after stop­
ping the engine an d you also cannot start the
engine aga in. What is mo re, you cannot lo ck
t he ve hicl e from the o utsi de.
@. D Light/rain sensor defective
fll Automatic headlights/ automatic wipers
defective
If t he symbol illumina tes, the l ight se nsor has
f ailed. For safe ty rea sons the low beams are
tu rned on permanently with t he switc h in
AU­
TO. However , yo u can cont inue to tu rn the
li g hts on and off using the light switch . In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor, t he wind ­
shield wiper lever functions are still availab le.
Have the light/rain senso r ch ecked as soon as
poss ible by an author ized Audi dealer .
6 Windshield washer fluid level too low
~ Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illuminates, add w indshie ld
washe r fl ui d to the washer system and also to
t h e headlight washer system
¢ page 2 73 .
Bl Fuel supply too low
II Please refuel

222 Intelligent technology
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all
four wheels must be fitted with identical
tires. Any differences in rolling rad ius of
the t ires can cause the system to reduce
engine power when this is not desired. See
also¢
page 285, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wea r, depending la rgely on operat­
ing cond itions and dr iv ing habits
Q ,& . On ve­
hicles that are eithe r driven mostly in stop­
and -go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously . Pump the brakes at inter­
va ls.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Moisture or road salt
Under certain conditions, for examp le, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off
the brake pads o r remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the w indshield wipers on, the brake pads will
brief ly touch the brake discs in regular inter- vals so as
to improve reaction time when brak ­
ing on wet surfaces . You, the driver, will not
notice anything.
T he effect iveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a sa lt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean off accumulated sa lt coating
from brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
applications of the brake¢,&.
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c> ,& .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ir cuits may have fa iled
c> ,& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
l evel is monitored electronically .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spect ion
c> page 298, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
-- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!

224 Intellig ent technol ogy
8_ WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always
remember that bra king capability is limit­
ed by t ire traction . Always adjust your dr iv­
ing spee d according to the road and t raffic
co nditions. Do no t let t he extra sa fety af­
forded by the ABS tempt you into ta king
extra risks. The ABS cannot overcome the
laws of physics.
@ Tips
- If ABS is not functioning prope rly, a
warning light will come on. See
¢page 18 .
-If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is al­
so not functioning. This is indicated by
the ABS warning light .
Brake assistant
The brake assistant is designed to achieve the
optimum braking effect .
The brake assistant helps to increase the ef­
fective b rak ing power and thus to achieve a
shorter stopp ing distance. If the driver
presses the brake pedal very quickly, the brake
assistant automatica lly boosts the braking
force to the maximum level, up to the point where the anti-lock brake function (ABS) inter­
venes to stop the wheels from locking. You
should then keep the brake pedal pressed un­
til the veh icle has braked to the required
speed . The brake assistant sw itches itself off
as soo n as you re lease the brake pedal.
Automatic full braking a ssist
This funct ion allows full brak ing in spite of
h igh brake pedal forces (e .g . when the brakes
a re severely stressed because the vehicle is
fully loaded) . The driver notices th is function
throug h a reduction of pedal force and in­
creased pedal trave l. When the brake peda l is
r e leased, fu ll braking assis t switc hes off again
automatically.
I f the re is an ABS fa il ur e, the brake ass ista nt
and automatic full b rak ing ass ist are not avai l­
ab le . The brake assistant wi
ll not be operative if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS .
8_ WARNING
-Please remember that the accident risk a l-
ways increases if you drive too fast, espe­
cially in corners or on a slippery road, or if
you follow the veh icle ahead of you too
closely. Increased r isk of an accident can­
not be compensated for even by the brake
assistant, so always maintain a safe speed.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering
system senses the road speed and electron i­
cally adjusts power assistance to provide com­
fortab le and safe steering response exact ly
matched to the vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
The power steering fluid level is checked dur­
ing the scheduled maintenance services .
d) Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will still function like a conven­
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
l onger proportionate to the vehicle speed .
This is most not iceable when turning the
stee ring wheel at low speeds (fo r example
when pa rking), - more effort w ill be re­
q uired than us ua l.
- Be aware o f the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer ­
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set r ight
by an Audi dealer as soon as possible .

232 Driving o ff road
Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stability Con­
trol (ESC) is expanded for operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
d ifferential locking function is required, the
ESC offroad mode can be act ivated
c::;, page 219 . Hill descent control is also availa­
ble in the ESC offroad mode, which automati­
cally b rakes the vehicle and thereby keeps
speed constant when diffe rent wheel speeds
a re detected when descending a hill
c::;, page 220. Your Audi also has permanent
a ll-whee l drive in addition.
H oweve r, your Aud i is not a pure off road vehi­
cle .
It was no t built for d riving unde r extreme
conditions, e .g. fo r trips that are in the natu re
of an expedit ion .
Dri ve only on road s and offroad section s
which match the de sign of y our vehicl e and
y ou r abilitie s as a dri ver. Never take risks!
Before driving offroad
- Check the eng ine oil level, ti re p ressu re ,
coolant level , and the fluid level in the w ind­
shield washe r reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items and o ther objects in the
luggage compartment, and secure t hem
against s liding aro und .
After driving offroad
- After trips offroad, remove any twigs and
othe r foreign objects from the grill, the un­
derbody and the wheels. Pay spec ia l atten­
t ion to fo re ign objects (stones) which have
be come lodged in the tire tread.
- Clean t he body a nd the veh icle unders ide,
and in spec t the veh icle for poss ible damage.
- Clean dirty w indows , headlamp lenses , rear
l ights, and li cense plates .
- Perfo rm a brake check (part icularly after
t ravel ling th rough water) .
A WARNING
-Drive especially attentively and plan
a head in d iff icu lt road conditions and
when off road. Excessive speed o r inco r­
rect maneuvers can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
-
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, t raff ic, and weat h­
er cond itions. Drive e specially slowly off­
ro ad when you r view is res tricted.
- Please be awa re that in ESC off road
mo de, particularly on a smoo th and s lip­
pe ry road, the wheels may have an in­
crease d tendency to sp in and the vehicle
may b reak away - danger of skidding!
- Stabili ty is limited in the ESC off roa d
mode .
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to t he environmen t an d re­
s pect na tu re .
(D Tips
Only d rive w here it is permitte d and stay
on marked road s and pat hs.
Explanation of some technical terms
The following data refe r to ideal cond itions.
Depend ing on veh icle load and gro und condi ­
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary. It is the driver's responsibility to decide
whether a vehicle can overcome a specific s it­
uat io n
c::;, ,&. .
Gradient angle
The number of meters in alt itude ga ined over
a distance of 109.4 yards or 100 meters
(grade) are given as a percentage or degrees.
Information about the gradient the vehicle
can climb under its own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power) .
Max imum pe rm itt ed grade : 3 1
°
Later al angle (slope of vehicle )
Indicates the angle up to which the vehicle
can be driven diagonally or across the fall line ..,.