2012 AUDI Q7 instrument panel

Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on and off
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor auto·
matically switch es t he head· and taillights on
and off in r espons e to light conditions .
Fig. 53 Instrument pane l: lig ht sw itch
The ligh t sw itch m ust not be overturned pas t
the stops in
eit her direct ion .
Sw itching on automatic headlight control
,.. Turn the light switch to AUTO ¢ fig . 53 .
Swi tching on the side m ark e r lights
,.. Turn the light switch to :;oo:;.
Sw itching on the headlights and high
be am
,.. Turn the light switch to io .
,.. Push the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument panel
9 page 60 .
Switching off the light s
,.. Turn the light switch to 0.
The headlights only wo rk when the ignition is
sw itched on. While s tart ing the engine or
when switching
off the ignition, the head ·
lights will go
off and on ly the s ide marker
lights will be on .
Afte r star ting t he engine, the headlights are
automatically adjusted* to the load and angle
of the vehicle (for example, during accelera ·
tion, braking). This prevents oncoming traffic
from experiencing unnecessary headlight glare from your headlights.
Clear vi sion 5 7
If the system is not ope rat ing properly, a
warning symbol in the Auto-Check Control is displayed ¢
page 36.
With the side ma rker ligh ts or he ad ligh ts
switched on, the symbol next to the light
switch i lluminates
:oo :.
Daytime running lights
- USA model s:
The daytime runn ing lights
w il l come on automatically whe n the igni­
tion is t urne d on and the l ight sw itch
¢
fig. 53 is in the O position or the AUTO po ­
sition (only in daylight conditions). The
Day­
time running lights
function can be turned
on and
off in the MMI menu E xter ior l ight ·
ing
¢ page 58.
- Canada models: The dayt ime running lights
w ill come on automatically when the igni·
tion is turned on and the light switch
¢
fig. 53 is in the O position o r the AUTO po ·
sition (only in daylight condit ions) ¢ .&. .
Automatic headlight control
In the switch position AUTO the automatic
headlight control
i s turned on. The low
beams and tail lights are turned on automati·
ca lly through a light sensor as soon as amb i­
ent b rightness (e.g . when driving into a t un­
nel) fa lls below a value p reset a t the factory.
When ambien t brightn ess increases ag ain ,
the low beams are turned
off ag ain automati­
ca lly ¢ .&. .
In the
AUTO posi tion the low beams a re
swi tched
off au tom ati cally when the igni tion
is tur ned
off.
Light Sensor Malfunction
In the event of a light sensor malfunction, the
dr ive r is notified in the instrument cluster dis­
play:
f'gl Automatic head lights / automatic wip ers
defective
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
o n permanently with the switch in
AUTO .
However, you can conti nue to turn the lights
o n and
off using the light switch . Hav e the II>

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 179.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 200, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion. Th is applies especially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect, this could result in persona l
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 71
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that t hey
can give you maximum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle cont rol and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust t he seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees s lightly bent
i:::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 71.
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
the head res traint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le
i:::> page 76.
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion . In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
wo uld not be able to brake or accelerate.

96 Warm and cold
Air outlets
Air distribution determines the air flow to the individual vents .
Fig. 112 Instrument panel: a ir outlet locat ions and airf low d irections
Air outlets @and @
" Rotate the horizontal thumb wheel located
below the particular outlet to increase, re­
duce, or shut down the a irflow from that
out let .
" To ad just the direc tion of the a irf low from
the outle t, move the tab in the center o f the
outlet in the desired d irect ion . The direction
of the air de livered from the vents can be
adjusted horizontally and vertically .
(D Air flows to windshield and to drive r and
front passenger side windows
@ Air flows to driver/front passenger or to
the driver and front passenger s ide win­
dows
@ Air flows to driver/front passenger
© Air flows to footwell
The air out lets are actuated either automati ­
cally or manually depending on the operating
mode selected .
@ Tips
When climate control is working, coo led
air will f low primarily from outlets @and
@ . To assure adequate cooling, outlets @
and @ should never be completely closed.
Air outlets in the rear
Outlet s in the center con sol e
.. Rotate the thumbwheel located next to the
outlet to open or close it.
" To adjust the direction of the airflow from
the outlet, move the tab in the center of the
outlet in the desired direction . The d irection
of the a ir deliv ered from the vents can be
adj usted hor izontal ly and vert ica lly.
Outlets in the door pill ars
" Rotate the horizontal thumb wheel located
be low the outlet to open o r close it .
.. To adjust the direction of the airflow from
t he outlet, move the tab in the center of the
outlet in the desired direction . Th e d irect ion
of t he ai r delivered from the vents can be
adjusted horizonta lly and vert ica lly.
T he air ou tle ts are act uated e ither automati­
c a lly or man ua lly depending on the operating
mode selected . Heated o r unheated fresh air,
or cooled air flows from the vents.
T he air ou tle ts to heat the rear footwell a re lo-
cated under the front seats.
1J11>

unfolds with great force in the blink of
an eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger 's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt be longing to that
seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop ­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­ dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt w il l not be ab le to protec t you prop­
er ly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined o r
ti lted far back! The farther the backrests
are ti lted back , the greater the risk of in ­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c> page 200 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c> page 179 .
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use .
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor ­
rect seat ing pos ition in the event of a sudden
brak ing maneuve r or an acc ident , your pas­
se ngers on the rea r bench seat must always
observe the fo llow ing :
~ If there are passengers in the rear seat, fold
the head rest ra ints up on the occupied seats
or slide the center head restrain t upward at
least to the next notch
c> page 77 .
Dr ivin g Sa fely 163
~ Make s ure that the seatback is secure ly
latch ed in the upright posi tion
c> page 79.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
~ F asten and wear safety be lt s properly
<=> page 174 .
~ Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
pria te fo r the ir s ize and age ¢
page 200.
A WARNING
Passengers who are imp roperly seated on
the rear seat can be se riously inj ured in a
crash .
- Each passenger must always si t on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is sec urely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
be lt s are properly posit ioned on the
body . By not s itting up right, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
in jury from improperly positioned safety
be lts!
- Always adjust the head restraint p roperly
so that it can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re ­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 1 83 Head restr ain t: v ie wed from th e front
The head restraints must be correct ly adjust-
ed to achieve the best protectio n. ..,.

164 Driving Safel y
• Adjust the head restraints so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of
your head. If that is not possib le, try to ad­
just the head restraint so that it is as close
to this position as possible
q fig. 183.
• If there are passengers in rear seat, fold the
head restraints up on the occupied seats or
s lide the center head restra int upward at
least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
q page 76 .
A WARNING
-
Driv ing without head restraints or w ith
head restra ints that are not properly ad ­
justed increases the risk of serious o r fatal
neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
t he risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- E very pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int.
- Always make su re each pe rson in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re­
straint. Ad just the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have driven
off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
st rain t.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro­
pr iate for their age a nd s ize
q page 200.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they a re p roperly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness
of safety belts and will even in­
c rease the risk o f injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant w ho is
not in the proper s eating position. A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle o ccu­
pants and espec ially for child ren. The re fo re:
• Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
Q & .
The following bulletins list o nly some sample
pos itions tha t w ill increase the r isk of serious
i njury and dea th. O ur hope is that t hese exam­
ples will ma ke yo u more aware o f seat ing po­
s itions tha t a re dangerous.
Th erefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r sta nd up i n the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the e dge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo a rea
A WARNING
Imp roper seating positions increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
veh icle is being used.

172 Safety belts
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 188 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown forward
Fig. 189 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt
will fly forward and strike the drive r
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
q fig. 188. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­ posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents
in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur .
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­ gers¢
fig. 189. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 190 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
lilJJ,

forces on the body more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision , safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident . Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision. For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags ,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
Safety belts 173
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person, in­ cluding small children, into any belt .
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­
ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en.
- Never let any person ride with their feet
on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­ hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­ aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi­
tion .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt. Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly. If web-
bing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are .,..
L,_ _______________ _J
•
•

180 Airbag sys tem
Since the cir cumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and anot her, it is not
possib le to def ine a range of vehicle speeds
that will cover every possible k ind and angle
of impact t hat will always trigger the a irbags.
Important factors include, for example, the
nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car h its, the ang le of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rea r collisions, or in ro ll-overs .
Always remember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in k inds of co llisions.
Your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
a re not supposed to deploy, or when they have
a lready deployed; for example, when your ve­
hicle strikes or is struck by another vehicle af­
ter the first co llision.
This is jus t one of the reasons why an a irbag is
a supplementary restra int and is not a substi­
tute fo r a safety belt . The airbag system
works most effect ively when used with the
safety belts. Therefore, always properly wear
your safety belts¢
page 170.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l or
instrument panel will dec rease the effec­
t iveness of the airbags and will increase
the risk of personal injury in a collision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (2S cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instrument pan­
el.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the s teer ing whee l, investi­
gate whethe r adap tive equipmen t may
be available to help you reach the pedals
and increase your seating distance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You will also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag. -
To reduce the risk of injury when an a ir­
bag inflates, always wear safety be lts
properly ¢
page 174, Safety belts.
-Always make certain that ch ildren age 12
or younger always ride in the rear seat. If
children are not properly restrained, they
may be severe ly injured or killed when an
ai rbag inflates.
- Never let children ride unrestrained or
improperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad­
just the front seats prope rly .
- Never ride with the back rest reclined.
- Always sit as far as possible from the
steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
¢page 161.
-Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat .
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the floor in front of the seat to
help prevent serio us in ju ries to the legs
and h ips if the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects , Items can a lso
move into the a rea of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra king or in a
sudden maneuve r. Objects nea r the air ­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in jur y when an airbag inflates.
A WARNING ~
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must
be replaced.
- Use on ly orig ina l equipment airbags ap­
proved by Aud i and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary too ls
and d iagnost ic equipment to properly re­
p lace any airbag in your vehicle and as­
sure system effectiveness in a crash .
- Never permit salvaged or recycled air­
bags to be installed in your vehicle.