2012 AUDI Q7 suspension

Adaptive Air Suspension .. .. . .
Air suspension and damping 150
150
Homelink ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Safet y fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 161
Ped al area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Safety bel t pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 177
Airbag system .......... ... ... .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
Fr ont airbags ............ .... .. . .
M on itoring the A dvanced Airbag
System .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. . .
Side airbags . ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Side curtain airbags .... ... .. .. .. . .
Child Safety .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Important th ings to know . ... .. .. . .
Ch ild safety seats ......... .... .. . .
Instal ling a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
LATC H Lower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren .... .. .. ...... .. .. .. . .
Addit ional Information
Vehicle operation ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. . .. .
179
179
183
190
194
197
200
200
205
209
212
218
219
219
Not ice about data recorded by vehi cle
con trol mod u Les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 19
E lect ronic S tabili ty Control ( ES C) . . . . 219
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Servotronic ® -advanced power
steering system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Driving w ith your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 225
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
228
The first 1,000 miles (1,SOO km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 230
Operate your vehicle eco nomically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Driving off road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Driving in d ifficult road conditions and
offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
D riving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T rai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 239
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Care of ex terior . ... .. .. .. .... ... .
Care of inte rior ... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supply ...... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Diesel f uel .. .. .. .. .. ... ..... ... .
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. .... ........... .
Se lective cata lytic reduction ..... .. .
Checking and filling .......... .
Engine hood ... .. ............... .
E n gine oi l ... .... ... .. .... ...... .
Engine cooling system .. .. ... ..... .
B rake fluid ....... ...... ........ .
B attery ... .. .. .. .. . ............ .
Windsh ie ld/headl ight washer
conta iner . .. .. .. .. ............. . 239
244
25
0
250
251
252
255
258
258
260
265
268
2 69
2 73
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
T ire pressure monitoring system 292
Do -it -yourself service . . . . . . . . . 295
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Jack , tools and inflatab le spare tire . . 295
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
•
•

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions or a possible malfunction.
Fig . 8 Instrument duster w ith warning/indicator ligh ts
Your veh icle is equipped with several impor·
a
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
tant warning and indicator lights to help you (MIL)
monitor the continued reliable operation of
<=:>page 17
your veh icle c:> _& .
•
Adaptive Air Suspension*
rm
Electron ic power control <=:>page 17
(alternative to l,;I) -
•
Adaptive Air Suspension*
<=:>page 15
<=:>page 17
II
Glow plug system ~
(alternative to~
rl
Right turn signal
<=:>page 15 <=:>page
16
•
Electron ic Stability Control (ESC)
Safety belt
<=:>page 16
<=:>page 18
I
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
•
High beam
<=:>page 16
¢page 18
USA models: Safety systems
[g
Tire pressure monitoring system
<=:>page 16
<=:>page 18
Canada models : Safety systems
gm
USA models: Cruise control acti·
<=:>page 16 vated
<=:>page 18 j
Left turn signal
E
Canada models: Cruise control <=:>page 16
•
activated
•
Trailer turn signal assembly* c:>pafe 18
<=:>page 16
~
USA models: Anti-lock brake
system (ABS) defective
¢page 18

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (M IL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbol
f• lights up when the ignition is
turned on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at a constant idle
speed. Th is ind icates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system .
Contact your author ized Audi dealer and have
the ma lfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate (only vehi­
cles with gasoline engine)
c:> page 253.
For more informat ion c:> page 2 7.
0 Adaptive Air Suspension
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This II warning/indicator light has the fol­
l owing functions:
- It illuminates for a few seconds after the ig­
nition is turned on as function check and
then goes out .
- If the warning/ind icator light illuminates or
blinks continuously, there is a system fau lt
in the Adaptive A ir Suspension . A system
fault can result in limited ride comfort and
low ground clearance . Drive safely to the
nearest authorized Aud i dealer or qualified
workshop, and have the fault corrected .
- If the warning/ind icator light flashes, you
should not drive the vehicle. The flash ing
warning/ind icator light po ints to an extreme
High level. A very
pronounced lifting of the
vehicle (extreme High level) can resu lt, fo r
example, when a heavy load is removed
from the vehicle. As soon as the leve l has re­
turned to normal, the warning/indicator
light stops flashing, and you can drive away.
- If the warning/ind icator light flashes in con­
junction with the
II warning/indicator
light, you sho uld not drive off immediately
i n order to prevent damage to the under­
body. The two warning/ind icator lights flashing together points to an extreme Low
level. A very
pronounced lowering of the ve­
hicle (extreme Low leve l) can result, for ex­
ample, from a heavy load. As soon as the
level has retu rned to normal, the warning/
ind icator lights stop flashing, and you can
drive away.
(D Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in
conjunction with the
II warni ng/indica­
tor light, you should not dr ive the veh icle
because low-lying vehicle parts can bot­
tom out as you drive over uneven ground
and be damaged as a result.
~ Adaptive Air Suspension
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This II warning/ indicator light has the fol ­
lowing functions:
- It illuminates for a few seconds after the ig­
nition is turned on as function check and
then goes out.
- It comes on for approximately 15 seconds
as a warning of
reduced ground clearance , if
the dynamic mode is activated and if the ig­
nition is switched on
r:!;> page 150, Chassis
controls.
- If the warning/indicator light flashes in con­
junction with the
II warning/indicator
light, you should not drive the vehicle imme­
diately in order to prevent damage to the
underbody. The two warn ing/ indicator
lights flashing together points to an ex­
treme Low level. A very
pronounced lower­
ing
of the vehicle (extreme Low level) can re­
sult, for example, from a heavy load. As
soon as the level has returned to normal,
the warning/indicator lights stop flashing,
and you can drive away.
(D Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in
conjunction with the
II warning/indica­
tor light, you should not drive the vehicle

Driver information
display
Introduction
General notes
The driver informa tion display inside the in­
strument cluster provides you, the driver,
with much useful information.
Fig. 9 Instr ument cluster: ce nter display
Information from the Driver Information Sys­
tem is shown in the display in the center of
the instrument cluster.
When you turn on the ignition and while you
are driving, some functions and vehicle com­
ponents are scanned for their operating sta­
tus. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are signalled aud ibly and shown by red
and yellow lighted symbols and rem inders to
the dr iver in the display.
The driver is also shown information about ra­
d io and CD operation and directions for the
nav igation system . You can f ind additional in­
formation on these subjects in the MMI man­
ua l.
The Driver Information System prov ides the
following functions:
Sound system disp lay ¢
page 21
Outside air temperature ¢page22
Digital speedometer ¢page
22
Door open indicator ¢page22
Defective light b ulb ¢poge23
Service interval display ¢page23
Auto Check system ¢
page 30
Driver information ¢page30
Dri
ver inform ation di spl ay 21
Speed warn ing system
Cruise control
Adaptive cruise control *
Selector lever pos ition
Adaptive Air Suspension *
T ire pressure monitori ng
(D Tips
¢page28
--·--¢page24
¢page 111
--..--
¢page 113
¢page 138
¢page292
In the event of a malfunction either a red
or ye llow icon appears in the display . Red
symbols indicate
Dang er ¢ page 31. Yel­
l ow symbo ls indicate a
Warning
¢ page 34.
Sound system display
Fig. 10 Display: sound syste m
If priority 1 or pr iority 2 faults are not shown
by the Auto Check Control, the name of the ra­
dio station you are tuned to or t he frequency
and the recept ion range are shown in the up­
per area of the d isplay.
When the CD is in use, the tit le of the track
being played is shown. The number of the CD
(CDI to CD6) cur rently be ing played is also
s h own.

110 On the road
The parking brake warning light. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates when the parking brake is
set and you switch on the ignition.
_& WARNING
-
Always release the parking brake com­
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef­
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This could lead to brake failure and an accident .
(D Note
Only after the vehicle has come to com­ plete stop, should you firmly set the park­
ing brake and move the selector lever into
"P".
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling
away, there are a few things you should do .
When you park your vehicle, do the
following
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Apply the parking brake firmly .
• Move the selector lever into the
P position
~ &.
• Switch off the engine and remove the igni-
tion key from the ignition lock.
When you park your vehicle on hills, do
the following
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Apply the parking brake firmly.
• If you are parking headed downhill, turn
the front wheels
toward the curb.
• If you are parking headed uphill, turn the
front wheels
away from the curb.
• Move the selector lever into the
P position.
• Switch off the engine and remove the igni­
tion key from the ignition lock.
_& WARNING
This is how you can reduce the risk of in­
jury when leaving your vehicle. -
Never park the vehicle where it can come
in contact with dry grass, spilled fuel or
any other flammable materials.
- When parking on hills, always turn the
wheels so that the front wheels will first
roll into the curb, if the vehicle should
start to roll.
- Never allow anyone - especially small
children - to remain in the vehicle when
it is locked. locked doors make it more
difficult for rescuers to access the pas­
senger compartment in the event of an
emergency. Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Children could release the park­
ing brake or move the gearshift lever out
of gear. The vehicle could start to roll
away and cause an accident.
- No matter what the season is, the tem­
perature in a parked vehicle can reach
dangerous levels.
@ Note
-Please exercise care when you park your
vehicle in parking areas with parking bar­
riers or curbs. Parking barriers and curbs
vary in height and could damage your
bumper and related components as the
front of your vehicle moves over a barrier or curb that is too high, as you park or as
you back out of a parking spot. In order to be sure that no such damage can oc­
cur, you may wish to stop short of having
the front tires of your car touch the park­
ing barrier or curb.
- Please also exercise exceptional care
when you drive up or down steep ramps
or drive over curbs or other obstacles, for
which the vehicle is not designed, be­
cause components of the vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers, spoilers and suspension and exhaust sys­
tem components, may become dam­ aged.
Starting on hills
Hill Hold makes it easier to start on hills.

Rearv iew cam era c overage a rea
The MM I display shows the area covered by
the rearview camera c:>
fig. 166 (!). Objects
that are not in the area covered @are not
shown on the MMI display .
We recommend that yo u practice parking with
the rearview camera in a traffic-free location
or parking lot to become familiar with the sys ­
tem, the orientation lines, and their function.
When do ing th is, there should be good light
and weather conditions.
I n the MMI disp lay, objects or vehicles appear
closer or further away if:
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level
s u rface onto an incline, or a downward
s lope,
- you are driving in reverse gear toward pro ­
truding objects,
- the vehicle is carrying too much load in the
rear .
The accuracy of the or ientat ion lines and blue
surfaces dimin ishes if:
- the Adaptive A ir Suspension* is faulty or the
dynamic, offroad or lift mode is on,
- the rearv iew camera does not provide a reli­
able image, for example, in poor visibility
cond it ions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to sun glare and reflection.
Ca ring for the rear view c amer a len s
The rearview camera is located above the rear
license plate bracket . For the parking system
to operate, the lens
c:> fig. 167 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcoho l­
based glass cleaner, and then wipe the lens
clean with a dry cloth c:>0 .
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
preferably with a de-icing spray
c:> ([).
A WARNING
-The parking system cannot rep lace the
dr iver's attention. The driver alone is re-
-
Par king system 145
sponsib le for parking and simi lar d riving
maneuvers.
- Sensors have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected. Pay spec ia l attention
to small children and an imals because
the sensors cannot always detect them.
-Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's surroundings, us ing the rearview mirror
as well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted
from traffic by the rearv iew camera pic­
tures .
- If the position and the installation angle
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rear end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons.
H ave it checked by a qualified dea le rship.
(D Note
- Low obstacles a lready s ignaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's
detect ion range as they are approached
and w ill not continue to be s ignaled. Ob­
jects such as ba rr ie r chains, trai le r d raw
bars, thin painted vert ica l poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing r isk of damage .
- Never use warm or hot wate r to remove
snow or ice from the rearview camera
lens -this could cause the lens to crack!
- When cleaning the lens, never use prod ­
ucts that are ab rasive.

146 Parking system
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus w ith
rea rview camera
The reorview camera switches on automati­
cally together with the acoustic and visual
pork assist when you put the vehicle in re­ verse .
Fig. 168 Ce nter console: Park ing system switc h
Fig. 169 MMI display: visual d istance d isplay
Switching on
> Switch the MMI on and se lect reverse gear.
> Switc h on the Adaptive Air Suspension*
comfort or automatic mode.
> To use the front pa rking system , press the
switch P"1t in the center console
c:> fig. 168. A
short confirmat ion tone sou nds a nd the in ­
di ca to r li ght in the swi tch lights up.
Switching betwe en the r earview camera
and visual display
> Press the Graphi c control button
¢
page 147, fig. 170@to see the v isua l
display.
> Press the Rea r view contro l button to see
the rearview camera image
<=:> fig. 169.
Switching off
> Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h), or
> press the sw itch P 1t or
> switch off the ignition.
Segm ents in the visual display
The red segments in fro nt of and behind the
vehicle
<=:> fig. 169 help you to determ ine t he
distan ce between yo u and an obstacle. As
your vehicle comes close r to the obstacle, the
segments move closer to the vehicle . The co l­
lision area has been reached when the next to
l ast segment is displayed . Do not continue
driving farther ¢
& in General Information
on page
145!
A WARNING
-
- The MMI d isplay cannot show, or ca nnot
adequately show, certain objects (such as
sma ll posts or grating), recesses in the
g rou nd a nd p rot ruding pa rts on ano ther
car.
- Onl y use t he rearview camera to ass ist
you i f it shows a good, clear pic ture. For
examp le, the image may be affec ted by
the sun s hining into the lens, d irt on the
lens or if there is a defect.
- Use the rearv iew came ra only wi th the
rear lid comp lete ly closed . Make s ure any
objects you may have mounted on the
rear lid do not b lock the rearview cam­
era.
(D Tips
- The sensors m ust be kept clean and free
of snow and ice for the park assist to op­
erate.
- The visua l display is shown in the ill us­
tration of the rearview camera. Th is dis ­
play shows where the sensors have de­
tected an obstacle.
- You can change the volume and pitch of
the s ignals as we ll as the disp lay
c:> page 148.
- Please follow the instructions for tow ing
a trailer
c:> page 149.
- What appears in the display is time-de­
layed.

150 Adapti ve Air Susp en sion
Adaptive Air
Suspension
Air suspension and damping
Description
App lies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air Suspe nsion
Air suspension and damping can be adjusted
separately.
Adaptive Air Suspension is an electronically
controlled springing and damping system .
This chassis system makes it easier on the
driver by adapt ing to the particular situat ion
through imperceptible control processes.
The
Ad apti ve Air Su sp ension component reg ­
ulates ground clearance depending on vehicle
speed and driver input. It functions independ­
ently from the load condition . Accelerating to
a speed above a predetermined limit will make the vehicle lower itself . On the other
hand, driving more slowly results in the vehi­
cle raising aga in at specific speeds.
The
d am ping component provides individual
control of the damping forces. For example,
with damping characterist ics set to prov ide
greater comfort, damping is set somewhat
harder for a brief per iod only as required, for
example, when going around a curve or when brak ing .
Set tings
Adapt ive A ir Suspension provides the driver
with the opportun ity to set the chassis charac­
teristics also to their individual prefe rence.
W ith the dr iv ing modes
Comfort, Automatic
and Dynamic the driver has three chassis set ­
tings available, ranging from comfort to spor­
ty. The
Offrood mode can be selected for driv­
ing on poor quality stretches of road. In addi­
tion,
Lift provides a fifth mode, which can be
selected when exceptionally high ground
clearance is needed
c::> page 150, Chassis con ­
trols.
The modes are set in MMI r:::;, poge 152.
A WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can
change due to temperature fluctuations or
changes in load.
([) Note
- Whenever you park your vehicle, a lways
make sure there is adequate clearance
above and below the vehicle. The he ight
of the parked vehicle can change as the
result of temperature f luctuations,
changes in load cond ition and changes in
the driving mode (ground clearance).
- If the vehicle is being t ransported (e.g.
by tow truck, train, sh ip, etc.), mount the
tie-down chains/cables over the running
surface (circumference) of the tires. Nev­
er secure the vehicle by the axle, the sus­
pension struts or the front or rear tow­
line eye. For technical reasons, the pres­
sure in the suspens ion struts may change
during the transport, which could result
in the vehicle no longer be ing secured
properly .
- If you are going to tow a trailer with a trailer hitch that was
not installed ac­
cording to factory specif ications, you
must activate the tra iler operation mode
manually
c;, page 154.
(D Tips
- Before you can raise your vehicle us ing
the vehicle jack (for example, when
changing a f lat t ire) or a veh icle lift, yo u
must activate the jac king mode
c::>poge 154.
-On some mode ls, the vehicle can reach
its maxim um speed only in the
Automat ­
ic
and Dynamic modes.
Chassis controls
Applies to vehicles: wit h Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
Five different driving modes con be set by the
driver.
The automatic control processes are speed­
and t ime -dependent . Fo r example, it is not