2013 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

-Improper use of child restra int anchors
(incl uding tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a co llision. The anchors are de­
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted ch ild restraints .
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor po int.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use ch ild restra int tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restra ints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to t he LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tac h a child restraint to the fro nt passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
t ight, that it causes the we ight-sensing
mat to measu re mo re weight than is ac­
t ual ly on the seat.
- T he heav ier we ight reg iste red can make
the Advanced Airbag System wo rk as
though an adult were on the seat and de­ ploy the Adva nced Ai rbag when it must
be s uppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating posi tion and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Child S afety 223
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig . 230 Tet her st rap: prope r rout ing a nd mounti ng
Fi g. 23 1 Tet her st rap fo r seco nd row sea ts: prope r
rou ting and moun tin g
Installing the tether strap
... Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child res traint accord ing to the child re ­
st raint manufacture r's ins tructions .
... Guide the upper tether strap
und er the rear
head restraint and into the rear ca rgo area
(raise the head restraint if necessary).
... Fo r the second row o f seats: Pull the floor­
ing back, in order to reach the anchor brack­
et
c:::> fig. 231 .
... Fo r the third row of seat s:* Remove the
plastic cover cap with a screw drive r, in orde r
to reach the anchor bracket
c:::> page 222,
fig . 229.
.,. Slide the tether strap hoo k over the anchor
bracket .
... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly follow ing
the child restra int manufacturer's instruc­
tions .
.,. For the second r ow of s eats : Push the floor-
ing forward into place again.
11-

224 Child Saf ety
Re leas ing th e te th er str ap
.. Loosen the tension following the child re­
stra int manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the anchorage .
.. Fo r t he seco nd ro w of se ats: Push the floor­
ing forward into place again.
.. For the th ird r ow of seats :* Replace the
plast ic cover cap .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up­
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area whe re the tether strap was in­
stalled. The uphols tery would a lso be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies especially to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently , few rear -facing child restraint sys­
tems come with a tether . P lease read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur­
e r's instructions caref ully to determine how to
p roperly insta ll the tethe r.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be ki lled if
the front a irbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat in the
seat and register a heavier weigh t in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heav ier weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fatal injury to the ch ild.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dea ler.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T here are a number of sou rces of add itiona l
information about child restraint se lection, in ­
sta llation and use:
N HT SA advises that the best chi ld safety seat
is the one that fits your ch ild and fits in you r
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently.
T ry before yo u buy!
U. S Nat ional Highw ay Traffi c Safety Admin ­
i s trat ion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4 236 (TIY: 1-800-424-9153)
http://www.nhtsa.gov
N ati onal SAFE KID S Camp aign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
http://www.safekids .o rg
S af ety Belt Saf e U. S.A
T el.: (800) 7 45 -SAFE (Eng Lish)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Span ish)
http://www.ca rseat.org
T ranspo rt Ca nad a Info rmation Centre
Tel.: 1-800 -333-0371 or call
1-613-998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ roadsafety/
menu.htm
Aud i Cu stom er R elation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDRs are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDRs that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Intelligent technology 225
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
General information
The ESC improves the vehicle stability.
. ..---------..
------- -
Fig. 232 Center console with ESC sw itch
ESC is designed to help you maintain vehicle
control in situations where the car approaches
the limits of "grip", especially when accelerat­
ing and cornering. ESC reduces the risk of
skidding and improves stability under all road
condit ions .
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination with the ABS system. If
the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc­
tions, the ESC will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic
Differential Lock (EDL) and the Anti-Slip Regu­
lation System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec­
tronic Stabilization Control. In addition to the
data prov ided by these functions, the ESC con­
trol unit requires additional measurement da­
ta provided by high performance sensors. The
rotational speed of the vehicle about its verti­
cal axis, vehicle acceleration in the fore-and­
aft and lateral directions, the brake pressure and the steering angle are all measured.
T he direction in wh ich the driver wishes to
travel is determined with the aid of the steer­
ing angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the ve­
hicle. If the two do not match, for example,
when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESC will automatically brake the appro-
priate wheel to correct the problem. ..,_
•
•

226 Intellig ent technol ogy
The vehicle is then stabilized by the forces act­
ing on the whee l during braking. If the vehicle
is
oversteering (rear tends to sk id out of the
turn), the brakes are ma inly applied on the
wheel that is on the outside of the curve. In
the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to slide out of the curve), the
brakes are applied as needed on the whee l
that is on the ins ide of the curve or addit ional­
l y on the o ther wheels. An acoustic s ignal indi­
cates when ESC b rake app lication cuts in
¢ A .
The system operates across the entire speed
range in combination with the ABS system
¢ page 229. If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESC wi ll be out of ac­
tion as well .
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESC w ill auto­
mat ica lly be act ivated and will perform a se lf­
test. As soon as the test is comp leted, the sys­
tem is in normal operating mode.
Offroad mod e
ESC should normally be ope rated in normal
mode because this ensures maximum vehicle
stability. If necessary, you can act ivate the
ESC offroad mode by pressing the but to n
¢ fig . 232 to obtain maximum traction and
braking ability when driving
off paved roads at
l ow speeds. In ESC offroad mode, the indica­
tor light
Ii) ill uminates and the message Sta ­
b ilization control (E S C): Offr oad . Wa rning !
R estric te d stabilit y
appears br iefly in the dis­
p lay .
The ESC offroad mode can be useful in the fo l­
low ing except ional situations when slip or a
h ighly effective differential locking function is
des irable . Examp les:
- when driving with tire chains,
- when driving in deep snow or on loose
ground,
- when driving on uneven surfaces with the
whee ls severe ly unloaded (articulation), and
- when rocking the vehicle loose after it has
become stuck . When the
unusual situation is past, you
sho uld shift back to the norma l ESC operating
mode by pushing the button again . The mes­
sage
S ta b ilizat ion cont rol (ES C): O n then ap­
pears briefly in the display.
H ill desc ent control
The hill descent control is switched on in ESC
offroad mode . When slowly descending steep
gradients on loose ground or when the axles
are articulated, hill descent control provides ass istance by automatically apply ing the
brakes to keep vehicle speed constant. The ve ­
hicle is also rendered easier to steer by selec­
t ive d istr ibut ion of braking force. Hill descent
control intervenes when:
- the acce lerator pedal is not pressed,
- the vehicle is travelling less than 12 mph
(20 km/h),
- a steep gradient is detected,
- wheel behavior indicates loose ground or
conditions with poor adhesion (e .g. also axle
art iculation).
Hill descent contro l operates both d riving for­
ward and in reverse. Active hill descent con­
tro l is deactivated by pressing the accelerator
pedal until the condit ions for activation al­
ready listed are met again .
A WARNING
--
- The Electronic Stabilization Contro l is
neverthe less s ubject to the laws of phys­
ics. It is part icularly important to pay at­
tention to this fact on wet and slippe ry
roads . It i s therefore important that you
always adapt your dr iving to the cond i­
tion of the road and traffic conditions . Do
not a llow the increased safety provided
by the E lectronic Stabilization Contro l
system to lull you into accepting addi­
tional safety risks .
- Please be aware that in ESC offroad
mode, particularly on a smooth and s lip­
pe ry road, the wheels may have an in­
creased tendency to sp in and the vehicle
may b reak away - dange r of skidding!
~

-Stability is limited in the ESC offroad
mode.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the
rotational speed of the drive wheels .
General notes
The electronic differentia l lock (EDL) helps the
car to start movi ng, accelerate and climb a
gradient on surfaces providing poor or almost
no grip. Without EDL, this would be difficult,
if not impossible.
H ow the system works
The ED L opera tes automatically. It monitors
the rotat iona l speed of wheels w ith the help
of the ABS sensors¢
page 229. If a noticea­
b le
slip is detected at the wheels (e .g. on slip ­
pery ground
on one side), the spinning whee ls
are braked and power is transferred to the
other wheels. This is done up to a speed of
about
60 mph (100 km/h) . Noises from the
brake system s ignal that wheel sp in is being
controlled.
Dri ving off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road
conditions in mind as you accelerate. If one
drive wheel spins because it is on a surface
w ith less gr ip, apply
plenty of throttle until
the car starts to move.
O verheating of br akes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel
from overheating if subjected to excessive
loads on this wheel, the EDL cuts out tempo­
rarily . T he vehicle remains operational and be­
haves in the same way as a veh icle w ithout
E DL.
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL
switches on again automatically .
A WARNING
-When accelerating on slippery surfaces,
such as on ice or snow, always be carefu l
when depressing the acce le rator pedal.
Int ellig ent technolog y 22 7
Even with the EDL working, the drive
wheels can spin and red uce your ab ility
to control your car. Risk of crash!
- The increased safety afforded by EDL
does not mean that you can take safety
risks. Always adapt your driving style to
the road condit ions and traffic situation .
(D Tips
If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also
not functioning. This is ind icated by the
ABS warning light¢
page 18.
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR )
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the
driven wheels from spinning when the car is
accelerating .
General note s
The Anti-Slip Regu lation System (ASR) is inte­
grated in the Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC). When the vehicle starts up and acceler­
ates, the wheels are prevented from spinning
by adjust ing the engine power to match the
amount of grip available from the road sur­
face .
How the sy stem works
ASR performs automat ically, i.e. without the
driver's intervention. With the aid of the ABS
sensors ¢
page 229, ASR monito rs the speed
of the dr iven wheels .
If the wheels start to
spin, engine torque is red uced automat ically
unt il the t ires find enough grip to lock onto
the ro ad surface. The system is active across
the entire speed range.
T he ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If
a malfunc tion s hou ld occu r in the ABS, the
ASR wi ll also be out of act io n.
A WARNING ~
The increased safety affo rded by ASR does
not mean that you can take safety risks.
A lways adapt your driving sty le to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
Ill--
•
•

228 Intelligent technology
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all
four wheels must be fitted with identical
tires. Any differences in rolling rad ius of
the t ires can cause the system to reduce
engine power when this is not desired. See
also¢
page 291, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wea r, depending la rgely on operat­
ing cond itions and dr iv ing habits
Q ,& . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and -go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously . Pump the brakes at inter­
va ls.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Moisture or road salt
Under certain conditions, for examp le, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads. A
few careful brake applications should dry off
the brake pads o r remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the w indshield wipers on, the brake pads will
brief ly touch the brake discs in regular inter- vals so as
to improve reaction time when brak ­
ing on wet surfaces . You, the driver, will not
notice anything.
T he effect iveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a sa lt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean off accumulated sa lt coating
from brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
applications of the brake¢,&.
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c> ,& .
Faults in the brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ir cuits may have fa iled
c> ,& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
l evel is monitored electronically .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spect ion
c> page 304, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
-- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Othe r road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!

-Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running¢ &,.
Int ellig ent technolog y 229
A WARNING
-Never let the veh icle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­
der braking.
T he ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol s ince it preve nts the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the vehicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With ABS y ou do not n eed to pump the
bra ke. Just h old t he br ake ped al d own .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten
braking distance under
all circumstances.
When dr iving on g ravel or on new ly fallen
snow o n top of icy s urfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and with great care.
How the ABS s ystem works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached . When
th is happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rotate too
s low ly in relation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake
pressure to prevent that whee l from locking .
T his automatic adjustment p rocess will cause
a
sli ght vibrati on of the brake pedal and some
noises to a le rt you that ve hicle speed m ust be
adapted to existing road and traffic condi ­
tions. •
•

230 Intellig ent technol ogy
8_ WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always
remember that bra king capability is limit­
ed by t ire traction . Always adjust your dr iv­
ing spee d according to the road and t raffic
co nditions. Do no t let t he extra sa fety af­
forded by the ABS tempt you into ta king
extra risks. The ABS cannot overcome the
laws of physics.
@ Tips
- If ABS is not functioning prope rly, a
warning light will come on. See
¢page 18 .
-If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is al­
so not functioning. This is indicated by
the ABS warning light .
Brake assistant
The brake assistant is designed to achieve the
optimum braking effect .
The brake assistant helps to increase the ef­
fective b rak ing power and thus to achieve a
shorter stopp ing distance. If the driver
presses the brake pedal very quickly, the brake
assistant automatica lly boosts the braking
force to the maximum level, up to the point where the anti-lock brake function (ABS) inter­
venes to stop the wheels from locking. You
should then keep the brake pedal pressed un­
til the veh icle has braked to the required
speed . The brake assistant sw itches itself off
as soo n as you re lease the brake pedal.
Automatic full braking a ssist
This funct ion allows full brak ing in spite of
h igh brake pedal forces (e .g . when the brakes
a re severely stressed because the vehicle is
fully loaded) . The driver notices th is function
throug h a reduction of pedal force and in­
creased pedal trave l. When the brake peda l is
r e leased, fu ll braking assis t switc hes off again
automatically.
I f the re is an ABS fa il ur e, the brake ass ista nt
and automatic full b rak ing ass ist are not avai l­
ab le . The brake assistant wi
ll not be operative if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS .
8_ WARNING
-Please remember that the accident risk a l-
ways increases if you drive too fast, espe­
cially in corners or on a slippery road, or if
you follow the veh icle ahead of you too
closely. Increased r isk of an accident can­
not be compensated for even by the brake
assistant, so always maintain a safe speed.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering
system senses the road speed and electron i­
cally adjusts power assistance to provide com­
fortab le and safe steering response exact ly
matched to the vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
The power steering fluid level is checked dur­
ing the scheduled maintenance services .
d) Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will still function like a conven­
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
l onger proportionate to the vehicle speed .
This is most not iceable when turning the
stee ring wheel at low speeds (fo r example
when pa rking), - more effort w ill be re­
q uired than us ua l.
- Be aware o f the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer ­
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set r ight
by an Audi dealer as soon as possible .