2012 AUDI Q7 check oil

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
too high, or the coolant level is too low
¢ page 32.
If the needle is well in the upper area of the
ga uge , the coolant temperature is too high.
Stop the vehicle , switch the eng ine off and
allow the engine to cool.
If the warning light
comes on again after driving a short distance,
contact an authorized dealer.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
¢ page 248, Engine compartment, be ­
fore opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yo urself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant.
(D Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
i n front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
in g effect of the rad iato r. At high outside
temperatures or high engine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spoi ler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the vehicle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Aud i dealer for
assistance .
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes) .
The tachometer @¢ page 10, fig. 3 is the left
of the two large clock-type displays.
The engine turns at a speed
1,000 times the
single digit in the display, e.g . if the needle is
pointing at the "2" the engine is turning at
2,000 RPM. If
eng ine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red area
at the end of the scale indicates maximum
permissible engine RPM after the break -in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Q) Note
The tachometer needle should not move
i nto the red range. If it does, then only for
a very short per iod of t i me. You could
damage your engine by driving at high
RPM .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upsh ifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise .
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in the MMI.
Fig. 4 Instrument cluster w ith digita l clock
The date, time of day, and time and date for­
mat ca n be set in the MMI. You can find out
more in the MMI manual.
(D Tips
- The d ig ita l clock and the odometer are
turned on for about 30 seconds when
the driver's door is opened.
- When the ignition is turned off, the od­
ometer reading and the digital clock w ith
date display can be switched on for
about 30 seconds by pressing the
! CHECK I button c> page 12, fig . 6.

Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you
when a vehicle light bulb has become defec­
tive.
Fig . 14 D isplay : defective lig ht bu lb warn ing
The defective light bu lb warning monitors the
function of the light bulbs . If th is symbol
ii
illuminates, a brake light, a turn signal (front
or rear), a headlight, the backup light, a fog
light or a rear fog light has failed.
A WARNING
- light bu lbs are pressurized and could ex­
plode while they are being changed caus­
ing serious personal injury.
- Work w ith due care when handling the
high-voltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lights. Fa ilure to do so could re­
sult in dea th o r se rious injury.
(D Tips
Have the bulb replaced or the connection
repa ired by you r autho rized Aud i Service
department.
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 23
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due .
Fig . 1 5 Display: Serv ice interva l d isplay
T he schedule for the nex t oi l change or inspec­
tion is ca lculated automatica lly and disp layed
accordingly. The disp lay works in two stages:
Service reminder
30 days before t he nex t se rvice is due, a serv­
i ce reminde r appea rs in the display whe n you
turn on the ignition
~fig. 15.
After about 5 seconds the display switches
back to norma l. The distance and time re­
mai ning are updated each time the ignit ion is
turned on unt il t he da te d ue for se rv ice is
reached.
Service due
When the due date fo r se rvice is reached, the
mes sage
Se rv ice due! appears in the instr u­
ment cluster immed iate ly after yo u tur n on
the ignit ion. Addit iona lly, a warning tone
sounds. After about
5 seconds the disp lay
switches back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change o r inspection is due,
can be shown in the MMI display by selecting
the service in terval d isplay in the car menu .
Se lect funct io n button
ICARI > contro l button
S ys tem s* > Service inter val display or I CAR I>
control button Car sy stems * > Servicing &
checks > Service inte rvals .

30 Driver in formation d ispl ay
(30 km/h to 240 km/h) . Settings can each be
adj usted in intervals of S mph (10 km/h) .
Auto Check Control
Introduction
The Auto-Check control monitors the function
of certain veh icle featu res and components . It
simply makes sure these features and compo­ nents are work ing proper ly . The Auto -Check
contro l wo rks as long as the ignition is on, as
well as whenever the vehicle is driven.
If a componen t is ma lf u nctioning or if the
n eed for an urgent repair has been detected,
this will appear in the instrument cluster dis­
p lay . You w ill a lso hear an audible warn ing
tone . The displays are co lor coded in e ither
red or yellow depending on their level of prior­
ity .
A red symbo l means
Dange r, a yellow symbo l
indic ates
Warning . In certain s ituations, in­
formation message for the dr iver appear in
addit ion to the red and yellow symbols.
Function te st : automat ic transmi ssion
The Auto -Check Control will automat ica lly
perform a test each time you switch on the ig­
n ition. With the selector lever in
P or N , the
following message appears in the display :
When station ary apply foot br ake while s e­
lecting gear .
When you select a different gear (for exam ­
p le :
R , D , etc.), the message wi ll disappear
and the Auto-Check function is d isplayed .
I f there is a m alfu nction, then the malfunc­
tion message w ill appear about 15 seconds af ­
ter the yo u start the vehicle. At t he same time
you will hear a warning tone .
Driver information messages
Driver information messages are shown in the
instrument cluster display in addition to the
red and yellow symbols .
Fig. 24 Ins trume nt cl ust er: CHECK b utto n
For example, if the transmiss ion selec to r l ever
is not in the P position when the engine is
turned off, the following message appears :
Shift to P otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Door s do not l ock if you are not in P .
The ig nition key can only be removed with the
selector in this position . Th is and other mes­
sages are bro ugh t up if a func tion cannot be
carr ied out.
Driver messages and red symbols
If a red symbol appea rs in the display, a d river
message can be shown by pressing the
I CH ECK I button.
For example, the symbo l for a problem w ith
engine oil p ressure . appears in the display.
If you then p ress the
I CHECK I button , the fol­
lowing dr iver message appears in the display:
Switch off engine ! Oil pr essure too low
The driver message in the display goes out af­
ter about 5 seconds . The driver message can
be displayed again by briefly press ing the
I CH ECKi button.
Driver me ssages and yellow symbol s
If a yellow symbol appears in the display, a
driver message is also displayed automatical-
~ ~

For example, the symbol Ill appears in the
display, indicating low windshield washer flu­
id level. The follow ing message also appears:
Pl eas e refill w asher flu id
The driver message disappears after a few
seconds. The driver message can be displayed
again by briefly pressi ng the
!CHECK I button.
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
Fig. 25 Display: engine coolant level warning (pr ior ity
1)
• Pull off the road .
• Stop the veh icle.
• Turn off the engine .
• Check the ma lfunctioning system. Contact
your authorized Aud i dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
Red symbols indicate a priority 1 ma lf u nction
- Danger!
W ith a pr iority 1 malfunction, a large symbol
appears in the center area of the display
¢ fig. 25. When the symbol appears, three
warning tones sound in succession . T he sym­
bol co nti nues to bli nk until the ma lf u nct ion
has been repaired.
I f there are
more than one prio rity 1 ma lfunc­
tions, the symbols appear one after the other
for about 2 seconds.
An addit ional driver message can also be d is­
p layed by briefly pressing the
I CHECK ! button.
The red symbols mean:
Driver inform ation di spl ay 31
@ Tips
Alternato r malfunction
<:!> page 31
USA models: Brake system
malfunction
r:!>page32
Can ad a mod els : B rake sys­
tem malfunc tion
r:!> page32
Engine coolant level too
low/engine coolant temper­
ature too high
<:!>page 32
Engine oil pressure too low
<:!>page 33
Refill Ad Blue*
¢page255
AdBlue malfunction*
<=> page255
Faulty steering
r:!>page33
Fa ulty ignition switch
<=>page34
-If the wa rning/ind icator light 11111 (USA
mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) in the in­
strument cluste r flashes, there is a brake
system malfunction. By pressing the
! CHECK I but ton, you can bring up a driver
message which explains the malfunction
in more detail. Please note
r:!> page 32.
-Speed warnings threshold 1. (USA
mode ls)/ . (Canada models) and thresh ­
old 2. (USA
models) ta (Canada mod­
els) are also shown as red symbols. The
warning is always shown as a small sym­
bol in the upper area of the display
r:!> page 28 .
0 Alternator malfunction
If the . symbo l in the instrument pane l dis­
play flashes, then there is a malfu nction in the
alternator or the vehicle elect ron ics. A warn -
ing to the driver will appear, too. The driver ..,_

~ Contact your authorized Audi dea ler fo r as -
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is co rrect, then the
radiato r fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion.
If the . warning symbo l (alternator mal­
f u nction) a lso l ights up on the instr ument
panel ¢
page 31, then the fan belt may be
damaged .
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanica l or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 60, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam o r coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment - you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longe r see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping.
- The e ngine compartment of any ve hicle
is a da ngerous a rea. Before you perform
any wor k in the engine compar tment,
t ur n o f the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 248,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not cont in ue d riving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malf unct ion in the
engine cooling system -you co uld damage
your eng ine.
9=:7-Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a low-oil -pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
If the . symbo l appears in the disp lay and
b links, the oil press ure is too low . An addition ­
a l dr iver message can also be disp layed by
press ing the
I CH ECKi button:
Switch off engine! Oil p ressure too low
Dri ver information di spla y 33
Immediate act ions
~ Pull off the road.
~ Stop the vehicle.
~ T ur n off the engine .
~ Check the engine oil le vel with the dipstick
¢ page 263.
Dipstick readings check s too low
~ Top off oil to the proper level¢ page 264.
~ Make s ure that the oil pressure wa rning
symbo l. appears no longer in the display
before you start driving again.
Dipstick read ing checks OK
~ If the oil p ress ure warn ing symbol .
s t arts flashing aga in even though the en­
gine oil level checks OK on t he d ipstick,
do
not continue d riving and do not let the en­
gine run in idle .
Instead, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer for assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indic ator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it . Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip .
- The yellow oil lev el warn ing indication
1111 requires oil refill or workshop s erv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until th e
red oil pre ssure warning . start s to
flash before you r espond to the low oil
level warning
Ill . By then , your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
i Steering malfunction
If there is a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock, the steering cannot be
unlocked .
If the I symbol i n the display blinks, there is
a malfunction in the electronic steering col­
u mn lock. An additional driver message can
a lso be displayed by pressing the
ICHECK I but-
ton:
~

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

36 Driver in formation d isplay
When this symbo l (I illuminates for the f irst
time, the fuel reserve in your vehicle is sti ll
between 2 .6 and 3 .2 gallons (10- 12 liters) .
Refue l as soon as possib le
¢ page 252.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
ample fuel in the tank, and the text
T a nk sys ­
tem malfunct ion! Cont act wor kshop
appears
in the display, there is a fault in the system.
Contact a qualified workshop to have the fau lt
rectified.
t::l Battery voltage
If the battery's state of charge is not in the
optimal range, the
f• ) symbol is shown in the
d isplay and the dr iver message
Low battery
c harge : battery will be charg ed while driving
appears.
Wh ile this dr iver not ificat io n is displayed, you
have to be p repared for lim ited start ing capa­
b ili ty.
Driv er m essage appears and goes out
again
I f t his driver message appears after the igni ­
tion is turned o n or wh ile driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged .
Driver message app ears and does not go
out again
If th is driver notification appears after the ig ­
nition is turned on or while driving and does
not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the opt imal range. Starting capability
is restricted. Have the battery checked by an
author ized Audi dealer as soon as poss ible .
{0 : Worn brake pads
El Brake pads !
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed . On USA models the wa rning light
El
l ) - : USA mod els only
comes on together with the warning light
- · Both sets of bra ke pads on an ax le
must a lways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
=
Driving w it h bad brakes can cause a colli-
sion and ser ious personal in jury.
- If the warn ing light
El and the warning
light
11111> with the message Brake
pads!
comes o n in the inst rument cluster
d isp lay, immediately contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop to have all b rake pads checked or
re placed if ne cessa ry.
~(i) Headlight range control
II He adlight range control defective !
-
If the symbol illuminates, the dynamic head­
li ght rang e control is no longer work ing prop­
erly. Have the system checked and repa ired at
yo ur aut horized Aud i dea le r.
~ -Engine oil level
l!I Plea se check oil level
When the symbol illuminates, check the en­
gine o il leve l as soon as possible
¢ page 263.
T op off t he oil at your ear liest opportu nity
¢ page 264 .
't::r.~ Engine oil sensor defective
II Oil level ! Sensor defective
If the symbol illum ina tes, contact yo ur au ­
thorized Aud i dea le r and have the oil sensor
inspected. Unti l yo u have this done, check t he
oi l level each time you refue l just to be on the
safe s ide
¢ page 263.
!?) Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: wit h engine speed limitatio n
II! Do not e xceed ma x. engine speed of X XXX
rpm .,,.

-Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to bra ke. Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system co uld
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running¢ &,.
Int ellig ent technolog y 223
A WARNING
-Never let the veh icle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the la ck of booster assistance .
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­
der braking.
T he ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol s ince it preve nts the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the vehicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With ABS y ou do not nee d to pump the
bra ke. Just h old t he br ake ped al d own .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten
braking distance under
all circumstances.
When dr iving on g ravel or on new ly fallen
snow o n top of icy s urfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and wit h great care.
How the ABS s ystem works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached . When
th is happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rotate too
s low ly in relation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake
pressure to prevent tha t whee l from locking .
T his automatic adjustment p rocess will cause
a
sli ght vibrati on of the brake pedal and some
no ises to a le rt you that ve hicle speed m ust be
adapted to existing road and traffic condi ­
tions. •
•