2012 AUDI Q7 engine coolant

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overv iew of the inst rument cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge . . . 10
@ Tachometer with time and date
display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 11
® Warning/indicator lights . . . . . . 14
© Driver information system.. .. . 21
® Speedometer with odometer . . 12
® Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
(i) Instrument cluster illumination 13
@ Reset button for trip odometer . 12
® Parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
@ ICHECK I button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
@ Tips
The illumina tion for the instr ument cluster
lights up whenever you switch on the igni­
tion with the
vehicle headlights off. As
the daylight fades, the instrument cluster illumination likewise dims automatically
and will go out completely when the out­
side light is very low. This feature is meant
to remind you to switch on the headlights
when outside light condit ions become
poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge q page 10, fig. 3 CD
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol­
lowing important po ints:
Engine cold
As long as the needle remains at or close to
the bottom of the gauge, the engine still has
not reached its operating temperature. Avoid
high engine speeds, heavy engine loads and
heavy throttle applicat ions .
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating
temperature, the needle will move into the
middle of the gauge and remain there. If the
engine is working hard at high outside tem­
peratures, the needle may rise up. This is no
need to worry as long as the. warning light
in the instrument cluster does not illuminate.
Warning light in the instrument cluster
When the. warn ing light in the instrument
cluster starts to flash, th is can mean one of
two things: either the coolant
temperature is .,..

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.

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 ..,_

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>

~ 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:
~

Warm and cold Climate control
Description
The air conditioner is fully automatic and is
designed to maintain a comfortable and uni­
form climate inside the vehicle .
We recommend the following settings:
~ Set the temperature to 72 °F (+22 °C).
~ Press the !AUTO I button.
With this setting, you attain maximum com­
fort in the least amount of time. Change this
setting, as desired, to meet your personal
needs.
The climate controls are a combination of
heating, ventilation and cooling systems,
which automatica lly reduce humidity and cool
the air inside your vehicle.
The air temperature, air flow and air distribu­
tion are automatica lly regu lated to achieve
and maintain the desired passenger compart­
ment temperature as quickly as possible.
The system automatically compensates for
changes in outside temperature and for the
intensity of the sunlight entering the ve hicle.
We recommend you use the
Automatic mode
¢ page 94 for year-round comfort.
Please note the following:
Turn on the air conditioner to reduce humidity
in the vehicle. This also prevents the windows
from fogging up .
When the outside temperature is high and the
air is very hum id,
condensation from the
evaporator may drip under the vehicle. This is
normal and does not indicate a leak.
If the outside temperature is low, the fan nor­
mally only switches to a h igher speed once
the engine coolant has warmed up sufficient­
l y.
The a ir conditioner temporarily switches off
when you drive off from a standstill using full
throttle to save engine power.
Warm and cold 91
The compressor also switches off if the cool­
ant temperature is too high , so that the en­
gine can be adequately cooled under extreme
loads .
Air pollutants filter
The air pollutants filter (a combined particle
filter and activated charcoa l filter) reduces or
prevents outside air pollution (dust, or pollen)
from entering the vehicle. The air is a lso fil­
tered in a ir recirculation mode.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the interva ls specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the a ir cond i­
tioner can properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high
air pollution, the filter may need to be
changed more frequently than specified in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. If
in doubt, ask your authorized Audi Serv ice Ad­
visor for advice .
Key coded settings
The air conditioner settings selected are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the key be ing
used. When the vehicle is started, the air con­
ditioner automa tically selects the settings as­
s igned to that key . This way every driver w ill
mainta in his/her own personal settings and
does not have to reset them manually.
If a different dr iver uses your key and changes
the air cond itioner settings, the latest adjust­
ments will erase and replace the sett ings you
have stored.
Energy management
To prevent the battery from being discharged
and to restore the balance of energy, compo­
nents which require large amounts of energy
are temporarily cut back or switched off
¢ page 225. Heat ing systems in particular re­
quire a great deal of ene rgy. If you notice , fo r
example, that the seat* or rear window hea t­
ing is not heating, they have been temporarily
cut back or switched off by
energy manage­
ment .
These systems are availab le aga in as
soon as the energy balance has been restored . .,.

100 Warm and cold
Synchronization
Applies to vehicles: with four -zone automat ic comfort a ir
co ndit io ning
One climate control setting for all seats .
With synchronizat ion active, the driver's set­
tings are adopted for the front passenger and
the rear left and right seats. A ll the other set­
tings that were made are transferred to the
other seats. This includes all the climate con­
trol settings, except for the seat heat ing/ven­
tilation* .
If a different setting is se lected at a
"synchroni zed seat", synchron iz ation is can­
celled.
Supplementary heater
App lies to vehicles: with d iesel eng ine
" Select : Funct ion button ICARI > Control but­
ton
AC > SuppL heater. Or
" Select : Funct ion button
~IC_A_R~I > Control but-
ton
Car systems* > AC > SuppL heater.
Vehicles with diesel engines are equipped
with a supp lementary heater to warm the in­
ter ior of the vehicle more quickly. The supp le ­
men tary heater switches itself on and off au­
tomatically when the outside temperature is
be low SO °F (10 °C) and the engine is running,
depending on the coolant temperature, interi­
or temperature and the se lected temperature.
Rear operation
Applies to vehicles: with four -zone automat ic comfo rt a ir
co nd it io nin g
The air conditioning in the rear of the vehicle
con be controlled from the cockpit .
" Se lect: Funct ion button ICARI > Contro l but­
ton
AC > Rear operation . Or
" Select : Funct ion button
ICARI > Control but­
ton
Car systems*> AC> Rear cabin set­
tings.
The driver or front passenger can control the
air conditioning in the rear of the vehicle us­
ing
his/her own controls.
Heated Seats
Heated front seats~
Applies to veh icles: w it h electrically heated fro nt seats
The sea t cushion and the seotbock of the
front seats con be heated electrically.
" Press the Ill button.
" Rotate the regulator to the des ired setting.
In position O the heating for the seats is
turned off. The range of adjustment is be­
tween 1 and 6 .
The heater for the front seats can be turned on when the weight of the particular seat's oc­
cupant is detected. However, the front seats
can be pre-heated for about 10 m inutes using
the activated seat heater. After th is time has
elapsed, the seat heater automatically turns
off if it does not detect an occupant's we ight
for the particular seat.
_&. WARNING
Individuals with reduced sensitiv ity to pain
or temperature could develop burns when
using the seat heating function . To reduce
the r isk of injury , these ind ividuals should
not use seat heating .
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating elements
i n the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat.
(D Tips
Please note that the weight of objects
placed on the seat wi ll also be detected.
This weight may be enough to cause the
seat heater to turn on.
Front seat ventilation ~
Applies to veh icles: w it h front seat ve ntil at ion
The seat cushion and the seatback on the
front seats con be ventilated .
" Press the~ button.
" Rotate the regulator to the desired setting .
ll-

-The brake booster and servotronic only
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or braking .
S ince you cannot steer and stop normal­
ly, this can lead to accidents and ser ious
injuries.
- The rad iator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 min utes even after you have
turned off the engine and removed the ign ition key. The radiator fan can also
turn on again if the engine coolant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
build -up in the engine compartment.
«I) Note
Do not stop the engine immed iate ly after
hard or extended dr iving. Keep the engine
running for approximately two minutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up .
Starting and stopping
the engine with
Convenience key
Starting the engine with the~
button
App lies to vehicles: with Convenie nce key
This bu tton swi tches on the ign ition and
starts the engine .
Fig. 121 Co nvenie nce k ey: ENG INE START b utton
The I S TAR T! button is provided w ith two -sta ge
o p era tion
¢ fig. 121.
Switching the ignition on
.. Press the !START I button once to the fir st
stage to switch on only the ign ition .
On th e road 107
Gasoline eng in e: St arting th e engine
.. Step on the brake.
.. Move the se lector lever to the P or N posi ­
tion ¢,&. .
.. Press the
r::1s=Tc:- A=RT =I button to th e seco nd
stage to start the engine .
Diesel en gine : Starting the engine
.. Step on the brake.
.. Mov e the selector lever to the P or N posi­
tion ¢,&. .
.. Press the
r::1s=TAc:-=R T=I button down to the fi rst
level to begin the preheating process . The
glow plug indica tor light &; illuminates
when the glow plug sy stem is active .
.. When the indicator light
m;J switches off,
press the
I S TA RT ! button down to the se c­
ond
level to start the eng ine .
After a cold engine is started, there may be a br ief period of increased no ise because oil
pressure must first build up in the hydraulic
valve adjuste rs. This is norma l and not a cause
for concern .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine abou t 30 seconds later .
Glow plug system *
Di ese l engine s
are equ ipped with a glow plug
system whose preheating time is controlled
by the coo lant and outs ide temperature . Start
the engine
immediately afte r the glow plug
indicator light
m switches off.
The glow plug indicator light will only illumi ­
nate fo r approximate ly 1 second when the en­
gine is warm or the outs ide temperature is
higher than 46 °F (8 °C) . That means yo u can
star t the eng ine
immediately .
WARNING
Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiation .
(D Note
-Avo id h igh engine rpm, full thrott le and
heavy engine loads until the eng ine has