2013 AUDI Q7 air suspension

Displaying the vehicle level
The current vehicle leve l is shown with seg­
ments fi lled out in the segment disp lay @. If
on ly the bottom segment is filled out, the ve­
hicle is at highway leve l. If all segments are
fi lled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos­
sible.
While the vehicle is being raised or lowered,
the target level is indicated by an arrow @
¢
fig. 189 or a white border @¢ fig. 190. The
arrow/border disappears aga in when the vehi­
cle is at the target level.
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This mode must be activated in the MMI be­
fore raising the vehicle with a jack or on a ve­
hicle lift.
.,. Select: ICARI funct ion button> ! SETUP I
function button > Jacking mode . Or
.,. Select:
I CARI funct ion button > Car sys­
tems *
control button > Servicing & checks >
Air susp.: tire change .
The vehicle jack mode must be activated be­
fore changing a wheel so that the automatic
control processes fo r the a ir suspension do
not make lift ing with the vehicle jack more dif­
ficult.
The check lamp
II in the instrument cluster
d isplay illuminates in vehicle jack mode.
0) Tips
The vehicle jack mode is switched off auto­
mat ically at speeds above 9 mph (15 km/
h).
Towing a trailer
Appl ies to vehicles: with towing hitch and Adaptive Air
Suspension
Automatic lowering is not desirable when
towing a trailer.
.,. Se lect: ICARI function button > !SETUP I
function button > Towing mode. Or
Adaptive A ir Suspension 159
.,. Select: I CAR I function button > Car sys­
tems*
control button > Vehicle settings >
Air susp.: towing.
As long as towing mode is activated, a vehicle
with a trai ler appears in the
adaptive air sus­
pens ion
main menu.
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
- Before hit ching up the trailer and before ad­
jus ting the tongue weight at the trailer, the
automatic or comfort mode
must be se lect ­
ed so that the ve hicle can be at normal level
¢ page 157, MMI settings.
-If driving in dynamic mode is desired, this
mode
must be selected before hitching up
the trailer and before adjusting the tongue
weight. However, note that your vehicle is lowered and ground clearance is reduced.
- If you have to dr ive under difficult road con­
ditions, you can select offroad or lift mode,
after hitch ing up the trailer or after adjust­
ing the tongue weight .
- If the veh icle is at
normal level, and you se­
lect offroad mode wh ile traveling at speeds
higher than 22 mph (35 km/h), the veh icle
w ill not be ra ised. Offroad mode will appear
as the active mode in the MMI Display.
- If the veh icle is in offroad mode at
high level
1 ,
it automatically lowers to normal level
when the vehicl e is t ravel ing at speeds ex­
ceeding approximately 31 mph (SO km/h).
The vehicle is automatical ly raised to
high
level 1
again when the traveling speed falls
be low approx imately 25 mph (40 km/h).
Restrictions when operating with a trailer
When operating w ith a trailer, the lift mode
can only be selected up to about 12 mph (20
km/h) . Lift mode is automatically cance led
again when a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/
h) is exceeded.
If t he vehicle is in automatic, comfort, offroad
or lift mode before the trai ler towing mode is
activated, the dynamic mode cannot be acti­
vated .
If t he vehicle is in dynamic mode before tow-
ing operation is activated, it can be driven in
IJI,-

160 Adapti ve Air Su spen sion
this mode. If the suspension is switched from
this mode to another mode, dynamic mode
cannot be re-selected .
(D Tips
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow ­
ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later accord ing to factory specifi­
cations, the system recognizes "Trailer
tow ing mode" and activates this specia l
mode automatically, as soon as the elec­
trical connection on the trailer socket is
connected. The mode ceases a utomat i­
ca lly when the elect rical connection to
t h e trai ler socket is d isconnected.
- If the tra iler towing mode has been acti­
vated, the vehicle will not drop to the
l ow or highway level.
Cargo mode
Applies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air Suspe nsio n
The rear of the vehicle can be lowered to
make it easier to load.
Fig. 191 Luggage compa rtment detail: Cargo mode
sw itch
Using switch for activating c argo mode
.. Close all vehicle doors .
.. Open the trunk lid.
.,. Press the lower part of the sw itch ®
~ fig. 191. The rea r of the vehicle is low ­
ered.
.. Press the uppe r part o f the sw itch
(D . The
rear of the vehicle is raised again.
Activating cargo mode in the MMI*
.. Se lect: ICARI funct ion button> I SE TUP I
func tion button > Lower for loading .
In cargo mode, the rear ax le is lowered by 2 .2
inches (55 mm), compared to the normal lev ­
el.
While the veh icle is in ca rgo mode, the seg­
ments do not appear as filled in the segment
display.
Cargo mode i s automatic ally c an ce le d again
when a different mode is selected in the MM I
Display, or when a speed of about 3 mph (5
km/ h) has been exceeded.
If the system is tempora rily unavailable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the
Lower for loading * function appears
greyed out in the MMI Display. As soon as the
system is available again, the funct ion can
once more be selected in the disp lay.
While the vehicle is being lowered, the indica­
tor light @~
fig. 191 on the switch in the
l uggage compartment flashes. When the car ­
go leve l has been reached, the indicator light
comes on and remains on as long as the vehi­
cle is in cargo mode. When the vehicle is
r aised agai n, the indicator light flashes again.
(D Note
M ake sure before canceling cargo mode
that there is sufficient clearance above the
vehicle and a round the trunk lid, if open.
(D Tips
- The vehicle w ill not be lowered if one of
the vehicle doors is open, or if the com­
pressed air tank is empty. The indicator
light on the switch flashes three times.
- Whe n the compressed air tank is empty,
it will refill when you drive at speeds
over 25 mph (40 km/ h). The vehicle can
be lowered to cargo level whe n the com­
pres sed air tan k is a dequately filled.
- If the vehicle is i n lift or off road mode
when you act ivate cargo mode, the vehi­
cle will fi rst drop down to no rma l level.

-If the ve hicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­ chlorate . When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety bel ts w ith pretens ioners are
scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed . Your authorized
Aud i dea le r i s familiar w it h these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea le r perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire -r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
l owering the vehicle , changing the stiffness o f
the s uspension, incl uding the springs, s uspen­
sion struts, shoc k absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in wh ich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made. Ot he r kinds of
changes may redu ce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the a irbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
The senso rs in the safety belt buckle fo r th e
dr iver and front passenger sea t tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tched o r not.
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe ­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is poss ible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seati ng position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
A irba g sy stem 199
position where t he safety be lt is not be ing
u sed. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety be lt b uckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control un it.
A WARNING
C hanging the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapprove d tire-r im combina­
tions can cha nge Advanc ed Airbag per­
fo rman ce an d in crease the r isk of se rious
person al injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
tha t do no t have the same pe rforman ce
characteris tics a s the co m ponen ts origi­
na lly installed on yo ur vehicle.
- N ever use tire-rim combin ations tha t
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety be lt
b uckle and the cente r console can cause
the sensors in t he b uckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from working properly.
-A lways make su re that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 2 13 Side a irbag locat io n in t he driver's seat

on a slope w ithout the veh icle tipping over
sideways (depends on center of gravity). Maxi­ m um permitted latera l ang le: 35°
Breakover angle
I ndicates the angle up to whi ch the veh icle
can drive ove r a ramp at low speed w it h out
the unde rside of the vehicle hitting the edge
of the ramp.
- Vehicl es with out air spring s: maximum
breakover ang le: 21, 1 °
- Vehicl es with adaptive air su sp ension* :
maximum b reakove r angle: 23.8° (at h igh
l evel 2)
Approach /d eparture angle
Transition from the horizontal p lane to a gra­
d ient or from a grade bac k to level ground . In ­
d ic a tes the angle up to which the vehicle can
drive onto or off a slope at low speed wi thout
striking the bumper or the underbody.
- Vehicl es without air spring s: maximum ap­
proach/depart ure angle: 21.0° (front),
23.4 ° (rear)
- Vehicl es with adaptiv e air su sp ension* :
maximum approach/departu re angle at high
l evel 2 : (front) 23,5°, (rear) 25 .4°
Ground clearance
The distance between the road surface and
the lowest po int of the ve hicle underbody .
-Vehicles w ithout air spring s: ground clear­
ance: 8 .1 in (204.8 mm)
- Vehicles w ith adapti ve air suspension *:
maximum ground clearance: 9 .4 i n
(239 .8 mm) at high level 2
A WARNING
Exceeding the stated maximum figures
can result in severe injuries or ve hicle dam­
age.
- All the information was gathered on lev­
el, firm and non-slippery road surfaces,
and unde r dry wea ther conditions.
- Ideal conditions do not p revail offroad.
Never utilize the maximum read ings to
Driving off road 239
their f ullest, always leave a safety re­
serve.
Driving tips
On poor road and offroad, there is always on ­
ly one motto: Plan ahead and drive slowly!
Please obse rve the fo ll ow ing when d riving
away from paved roads :
.,. Drive on ly on roads and offroad sections
which ma tch the design of yo ur vehicle and
your abilities as a driver. Never take r isks!
.,. Drive slow ly and plan ahead!
.,. Take into consideration the
ground clear­
an ce
of your vehicle .
.,. Act ivate the
ESC off road mode q page 225
as needed.
.,. Use the
hill descent control q page 226
when dr iv ing down steep sections on h ills .
Unpa ved ro ads and offroad
Drive slowly on unfamiliar roads and unknown
offroad section s, and look out for unexpected
obstacles (e .g. po tholes, rocks, tree s tumps,
etc .) .
To prevent the vehicle from bottoming and
avo id damage to the underbody, you should
drive straight across severe bumps in the
ground with only one side of the veh icle so
that only two of your whee ls cross the bumps .
Drive b risk ly through sandy or marshy offroad
sec tions and do not stop, i f at all possible .
Driving throu gh wate r
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when d riving through water, for examp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faste r tha n walk ing speed .
Driving on a slope
If you ever find yourself not able to climb a
s lope, do not try to turn around , drive back
down in
r e ver se . Otherwise, you run the r isk
of tipp ing ove r. ..,.
•
•

2 90 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 2 53 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icators (TWI)
F ig. 25 4 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tr ead Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l t ires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
.... N M
c::> fig . 253 running across the tread. Depend ­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different fig ures may apply in o ther countries
c::> & .
Tire p ressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
a nd can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For t his
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 2 86.
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acce leration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
F or all four tires on your ve hicl e to h ave the
same service life, we recommen d that t he
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufact urer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­ ing:
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehi cles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the fro nt w heels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 254.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 308.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avo id excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect w heel alig nment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an aut horized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
c::>page 231. ..,.

driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary . Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains beca use the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­ el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(0 Tips
W here snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles w ith all-whee l dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled r ims. If different rims are fit­
t e d, the cor rect wheel bolts wit h the right
lengt h and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ens ures t hat w heels a re fitted
secure ly an d that the brake system f unctions
correctly.
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a d ifferent vehicle -even if it
is the s ame mode l
~page 32 7.
& WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tig hte ned to the specified
torq ue.
Tire s an d wheel s 297
-On ly use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce t he
risk o f a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when t he vehi­
cle is mov ing.
If the tig hte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
120
ft l b ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7, 4
ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque w heel bo lts
d iagon ally . After changi ng a w heel, the
torque m ust be chec ke d as soon as poss i­
b le with a to rque wrench -preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or q ua lified work­
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped with tow aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road feel
and handli ng under a var iety of drivi ng condi­
tions. As k your au thori zed A udi dealer for
more de tails.
The low asp ect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a nu mera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n ume ra l rep resen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidew all height in rel ation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven ­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres-
sures should be checked at least once a .,..
•
•

304 What do I do now?
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop ¢,& .
• All passengers should
leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
A-
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally ¢,& .
• Move
selector lever to position P <=> ,&.
• If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Block the diagonally opposite wheel wi th
the folding chocks or other objects.
• Take the
jack and the inflatable spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 301.
11. WARNING
=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions :
- If you have a f lat tire,
move a safe dis­
tance off the road . Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Auto mat ic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
-Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se ­
curely .
' Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the se­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢ page 159.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also ¢
page 305, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 305,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 305.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 306.
5. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 306.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢page 307 .
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly.
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 305.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢page 159.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
inf ormat ion¢ .&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page
307 and ¢page 308.

306 What do I do now?
Loosening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
c:> fig. 264.
Tightening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
A WARNING
- Do not use force or hurry when changing
a wheel - you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack. - You risk an injury.
@ Tips
If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find it
easier to loosen by carefully pushing down
on the end of the wheel bolt wrench with
one foot only. As you do so, hold on to the
car to keep your balance and take care not
to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
Fig. 265 Sill pane ls: mar kings
Fig. 266 Sill: posit ioning the jack
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode* (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
<::> page 159 .
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
.,. Move the
selector lever to position P .
.,. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that
is nearest the wheel that will be changed
<=>
fig. 265. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the jack.
.,. Turn the
jack located under the lifting point
on the sill to raise the jack until its arm@
<=>
fig . 266 is located under the designated
plastic mount<=>
& c::>(D .
.,. Align the jack so that its arm @ c::> fig. 266
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door sill and the movable base® lies
flat on the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under the lifting point@.
.,. Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground
c:> ,& .
Position the jack only under the designated
lifting points on the sill
<=>fig . 265. There is
exactly
one location for each wheel. The jack
must not be positioned at any other location
<=>
.&. <=> CD .
An unstable surface under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground. If nec­
essary place a sturdy board or similar support
under the jack . On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
c:> ,&.. liJI,