2013 AUDI Q7 warning light

268 Checking and filling
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (ki lometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle 's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat ­
ing properties o f oi l decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your o il changed, ask your author­
i z ed Audi Service Advisor.
Under some ci rcumstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oi l more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when you use your vehicle w here
temperatures stay below freez ing point for
l ong periods .
Detergent additives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­
ni ng for a short time . This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoli ne engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diese l engine) . Your
Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or malf unctio ns due to failure to fol­
lo w recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Your dea ler will have to deny warranty cover­
age unless you present to the dealer proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that all scheduled maintenance was
performed in a
timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
To provide effective lubrication and cooling for
internal engine parts, all internal combustion
engines use some o il. Oil consumption varies
from engine to engine and may change over
the life of the engine. Engines tend to use
more o il during the break-in period tha n they
do afterward, when oil consumption has sta­
bilized. Depending on the way the vehicle is
driven and the operating conditions, oil con­
s u mption can be up to 1 quart per 1,200
miles (1 liter per 2,000 km) . Consumption
may be higher within the first 3,000 m iles
(5,000 km) .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on oil quality as well as vis­
cosity, engine speed (rpm), outs ide tempera­
ture, road conditions, the amount of oil dilu­
t ion caused by condensed water or fue l resi­
due, and ox idat ion of the oil. Oil co nsumption
may increase with engine wear over time, un­
t il replacement of worn engine pa rts may be­
come necessary.
Because of all these variables, there is no
standard or "norma l" rate of oil consumption .
We urge you to check the engine oil level at
regular intervals, preferably every time you
fill the fuel tank, and always before a long
trip.
The oil pressure warning light. is not an
indicator of low engine oil level. If the warn­
ing light does not go out after starting, or
flashes while driving (above 1500 rpm), a
buzzer will sound. It indicates that the oil
pressure is too low . Stop the engine immedi·
ately, check the engine oil level and add oil if
necessary. If the engine oil level is normal,
but the light continues to flash, do not keep
driving or let the engine idle, as damage may
occur .
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272 Che cking and filling
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31° F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
_& WARNING
-
Before yo u check anything in the e ngine
compar tment, alw ays read and heed all
WARN INGS
¢.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 264 .
(D Note
- Befo re win ter se ts in, have the coolan t
che cked to see if t he coolant ad dit ive in
you r vehicle is s ufficien t to mee t the cli ­
mate conditions. T his is especially impor­
tant if yo u live in a region where the w in­
ter is extremely co ld. If necessary, in­
crease the proport io n of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant addit ive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G1 2++ o r G13 fo r your vehicle.
Thi s coo lant add itive is available at au­
thorized A ud i dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The res ulting corro ­
sion can cause a loss of coo lant and se­
r ious eng ine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coo lant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid may adve rse­
ly affec t the function and perfo rmance of
you r cooling system and could result in
damage not cove red by your New Vehicle
Limited Wa rranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
T he engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig . 2 4 7 Engin e compa rtm en t: Coo lant expansio n ta nk
Befo re you check anyth ing in the en gine com­
partment,
alway s read and h eed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 264.
.,. Park yo ur vehicle on a level surf ace .
.,. Tur n off the ignition.
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
fig. 24 7, ¢ page 266, fig . 243 and
carefull y twist the cap counter-clockwise
¢,&. .
.,. Read the engine coolant level in the open
coo lant expansion ta nk. W ith a cold eng ine,
the coolant level should be between the "min " and "max " mar kings. When t he en­
g ine is wa rm, the level may be slightly above
the "max" mark ing.
T he locat ion of the coo lant expansion tan k
c an be see n in the engine compartmen t illu s­
t ration
¢ page 266.
T o obtain an accu rate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your veh icle is equipped
with an electr ic coo lant level senso r.
When the coolant leve l is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 32 will
blink unti l you add coolant and the level has
been resto red to normal. Even though there is
an electric coo lant level senso r, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
time to t ime .

Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:;, A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 264.
Checking and filling 273
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c:;, page 2 72, fig. 247 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise c:;, &, .
.. Add coolant .
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specificat ions
c:;, page 2 71, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G13 or in an emergency G12 +. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling .
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en ­
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children. .,.
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274 Che cking and filling
-If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess coo l-
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
c:;, page 271 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­ ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-belt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to t he temperature of the
coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes - even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself
c:;, &. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
_&. WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan . -
The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fig. 248 Eng ine compart men t: cover on the brake fluid
reservoir
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:;, _&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 264.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
c::> fig. 248, c:;, page 266,
fig. 243.
The brake fluid level m ust be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
part ition of the engine compartment on the
left side
c:;, page 266.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake flu id level falls
considerably be­
low the
"MIN" mark, the brake warn ing/indi­
cator light ( U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian
models :. will come on
c::> page 19 and
c::>page 32. Do not continue to operate the ve-
hicle. The complete brake system should be ..,.

thoroughly checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected .
If the brake fluid level is too low ,
the brake warning/indicator light will i llum i­
nate. Con tact an au thori zed Aud i dealer
im ·
mediately .
@ Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moist ure from the a ir. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease b raking performance .
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standa rd "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake f lu id reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that yo u
have the brake f lu id changed by your author­
i zed
Audi dea ler . Your deale r has the co rrect
too ls, the right b rake fluid and the know-how
to do this fo r you.
_& WARNING
- Br ake fluid is po isonous . It must be s to r­
ed only in the closed orig inal con tainer
o ut of the reac h of c hildren!
- Br ake f ailure can resu lt from old or in ap ­
propr iate b ra ke fluid. Observe these pre ­
caut ions:
- Use on ly brake fluid that meets SAE
specif ication
J 1 703 and conforms to
Federal Motor V ehicle Sta ndard 116.
A lways check wi th you r auth o riz ed Audi
deale r to ma ke s ure you are using the
correct brake flu id . T he correc t type of
Checkin g and fillin g 275
brake f luid is also ind icated on t he
brake f luid rese rvoir.
- The bra ke fl uid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong. This can seriously affect the effi­
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safe ty. This co uld resu lt in an accide nt.
(1) Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
required and the necessary expertise, we
recomme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i deale r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operating cond itions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte level chec ked by an au thorized
Audi dealer or qualified wo rkshop . The elec­
t ro lyte level should also be che cked each time
t h e battery is cha rged
~ page 2 77.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for se rv ice . You a re well advised to
replace a battery that is o lde r th an 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the ba tte ry is disconnected from the ve hicle elec­
t rical sys tem for safety reasons
~ A in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 198.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle fu nctions (power window regu ­
lators, fo r example) are lost if the battery te r­
mina ls are disconn ected . T hese functions have
to be relearned after the bat tery termina ls are
conne cte d ag ain. To p revent t his, the battery .,.
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•

2 76 Chec king and filling
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a pe riod
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capab ility over a longer period
<=> page 231.
Take into consideration that when you un lock
your vehicle, some convenience functions, such as the interior lights or the power seat
adjustment, may not be available. The con­
venience functions will be available again
when you turn on the ignition and start the
engine .
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop . This
is because more power is also consumed while
starting, and the headlights, rear window de ­
fogger, etc., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticularly in city traffic or when traveling only
short d istances . Let your authorized Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
tery before w inte r sets in
<=> page 277. A well
cha rged battery w ill not only prevent starting
p rob lems when the weather is cold, but will
a lso last longer.
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze . This wi ll
prevent it from being damaged and having
to be replaced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located under the driver 's seat.
Before you check anyth ing under the driver 's
seat,
read and heed all WARNINGS c:> _&.
Always heed the safety warnings, when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec­
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM­ BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
® Always wear eye protection .
b.. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al­
~ ways wear gloves and eye protection.
~ No
\!:!Y -sparks
- flames
- smoking.
A When a battery is charged, it produces
~ hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
Always keep the battery well out of reach of children.
,&. WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes .
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
-
Do not tilt the battery because acid ~

could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­ tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
fro zen, then it must be replaced. A dis-
Checking and filling 2 77
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 oc).
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­ pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc ­
tive problems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven ,
protect the battery from "freezing ", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
batt ery.
Fig. 249 Engin e compart men t: Co nnectors fo r charger
and j umper ca bles ..,_

Battery replacement
The new battery must have th e sam e specifi­
cations and dim ensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intell igent energy management in your vehi­
cle is respons ible for d istr ibuting the e lectr i­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::> page 231. The intel ligent e nergy ma nage­
men t system w ill keep the eng ine ba tte ry
ch arged be tte r th en vehicles w ithout t his sys ­
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en ­
e rgy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and man u­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations a re listed on the battery hous ing . Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy manageme nt system to enable yo u
to use the energy managemen t fu nctions co r­
rectly after rep lac ing the b attery .
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca­ p aci ty, voltage
(12 volts) , a mpe rage , con ­
s truc tion and pl ug sea ling.
W hen insta lli ng the battery, make sure the ig­
ni tion and all e lectr ical c ons umers a re turned
off.
CD Note
Ma ke s ure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the bat tery is connected, ot he rwise
fumes or ba ttery a cid c an leak out.
@, For the sake of the environment
Because of the probl em of proper d isposa l
of a batte ry, we recommend your autho r­
i z e d Au di d ealer change the batt ery f or
you. Batter ies co ntain s ulfu ric ac id and
lead and m ust always be dis posed of prop ­
erly i n complia nce w ith all environmenta l
reg ulations. D isposin g of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment.
Checkin g and fillin g 2 79
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fig. 2 50 En gin e compart ment: cover on t he w inds hield
a n d head lig ht* was her fl ui d reservo ir
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol Won its cap
c::> fig . 250, c::> page 266,
fig . 243 .
.. Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::> &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 264 .
.. Lift t he fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can fi ll the containe r to t he top .
.,. Press the cap back o nto the fi lle r ne ck afte r
f illing the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in t he table
in
c::> page 32 2.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
poss ible , use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. A lways add a glass cleane r
solution (with frost pro te ction in t he winter).
CD Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreez e or
a ny other addit ives to f ill up t he win d­
sh ield washer rese rvo ir.
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