2013 AUDI Q7 brake fluid

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
A WARNING
- If the E (USA models) ,11J (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on while driving, the ABS
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will
not have the protection ABS provides.
Contact your authorized Aud i dea le r as
soon as possible .
-USA models: If the 1111 warn ing light
and the
E warn ing light come on to­
ge ther, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an accident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­
plicat ions .
-Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light . and the ABS warning light
II]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under ha rd b rak ing. Rea r
wheel lo ck-u p can cause loss of veh icle
control and an acc ident . Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your a uthor­
ized Audi dea ler or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat ions.
:r..:.I<®> Parking brake
The indicator light monitors the parking
brake.
-
When the pa rking brake is applied and the ig­
n ition is switched on, the. (USA models)
I
• (Canada models) indicator light comes on.
T he indicator light must go out when the
parking brake is re leased.
BRAKE/{(])) Brake system
The warning/indicator light flashes if brake
fluid level is low, if there is an ABS system
malfunction or a parking brake malfunction.
The 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
l ight illum inates when the ignition is turned
on .
It goes out after the eng ine has been
started . This indicates that the bra ke warning
li gh t is func tioning properly.
If th e brake warning light do es not light up
wh en the engin e is cran king, ther e may be a
malfunction in the electrical syst em . In thi s
case, c onta ct your Audi dealer .
If the brake system warn ing/indicator light
flashes, there is a b rake system malfunction .
By pressi ng the
!CHECK I button , you can bring
up a d river message which expla ins the ma l­
f unct io n in more det ail
~page 32.
If the ABS fails, the ABS warn ing/indicator
li ght
E (USA models)/ 11] (Canada models)
flashes togethe r wi th the brake system warn ­
ing/ indica tor ligh t¢
A .
(USA mode ls): If the warn ing light 1111 and
the war ning light
EiJ illuminate togethe r, im­
med iate ly contact yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r
o r qualified wor kshop to have all brake pads
inspec ted ~
page 36 .
When the light comes on , an aud ible warning
s ignal is also g iven .
A WARNING
-USA models: If the 1111 warning ligh t
and the
E warning ligh t come on to ­
gethe r, the rear wheels could lock up
f ir st under hard bra king . Rear wheel lock­
up can ca use loss of vehicle control and
an accident. Have your vehicle repaired immed iate ly by your authorized Aud i
deale r o r a qua lified workshop. Drive
slowly and avo id sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warning light
II]
come on toge the r, the rear wheels could
.

20 Instrum ent s a nd w arn in g/i ndic ato r light s
lock up first under hard braking. Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualif ied workshop.
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat ions.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
par king brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, you will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle . Do not rely on stra ined brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power
in critical situa tions. You must a llow for
increased bra king distances . The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident .

32 Driver in formation d isplay
warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it
can be brought up at any time by pressing the
I CHECK ! button again .
Usually , you can still drive to the next dealer ­
ship. Turn off all b ut the most necessary elec­
trica l cons umers, sinc e these drain the vehi­
cle's battery.
(D Note
If the . warning symbol (coolant system
malfunction) also lights up on the instru­
ment panel during the trip ¢
page 32,
then you have to stop immediately and
turn off the eng ine . The coolant pump is
not working anymore -danger of damage
to the eng ine!
BRAKE/( ©) Brake system malfunction
A malfunc tion in the brake system mus t be
repaired as soon as possible .
If the warn ing /indicator light~ (USA
models)/ . (Canada mode ls) in the instru­
ment cluster flashes, there is a brake system
malfunction . By pressing the
I CH ECK ! button,
you can bring up a dr iver message which ex­
p la ins the ma lfu nction in more detail.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
> Pul l off the road .
> Stop the vehicle .
> Turn off the engine.
> Check the brake flu id level ¢ page 274 .
> Contact you r neares t authorized Audi dea le r
o r qualified workshop if necessa ry.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
workshop
> Drive carefully to the neares t authorized
Audi de aler or qua lified workshop and h ave
the mal function cor rected ¢
&_.
If the A BS system malfunctions, the ABS
war ning/ indica to r li ght illum inates toge ther
with the bra ke sys tem mal func tion warning/
indicator light¢&. .
A WARNING
-Always observe the war nings in
¢ page 255, Engine compartment, be ­
fore open ing the hood and check ing the
b ra ke fluid .
- Driving with low brake f lu id is a safety
hazard . Stop the car a nd get professiona l
assistance .
-USA models: If the ~ warning light
a nd the
m:11 warning light come on to­
ge the r, the rea r whee ls cou ld lo ck up
fi rs t un der hard br aking. Rear wheel lock­
up can ca use loss of vehicle co ntrol and
an accident . Have your vehicle repaired
immed iate ly by yo ur authorized Au di
dea le r or a qua lified workshop. Drive
slowly and avo id sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warning light
[I]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first unde r hard braking . Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
cont ro l and a n ac cident . Have yo ur vehi­
cle repaired immed iately by yo ur au tho r­
i z ed A udi d ealer or a qualified wor ksh op .
D rive s low ly and avoid s udden, hard
brake applications .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling sys tem
must be repaired as soon as possible.
When the. symbo l in t he d isplay b lin ks ,
then either the e ngine coo lant
temperature is
too high, o r th e coo lan t
level is too low. An
additional drive r message can also be dis ­
played by p ressing the
I CHECK ! button:
Switch off engine and ch eck coolant level
> Pull off the road.
> Stop the vehicle .
> Tu rn off the engine.
> Check coolant leve l ¢page 272.
> Add coo lant if necessary ¢ page 2 7 3.
> Continue driv ing on ly after t he engine cool-
ant warning/indicator light goes out .
1J>

34 Driver information display
Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
• Contact you r nearest authorized Audi dea le r
or qualified workshop.
• Do
not tow yo ur vehicle .
.&, WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. If it is
towed w ith the steering locked, there is
the risk of an accident .
~ Ignition lock malfunction
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be re­
paired immediately.
If the . symbo l in the display blinks, there is
a ma lfunction in the electronic ignition lock.
An addit ional driver message ca n also be d is­
played by pressing the
! CHECK I button:
Ignition lock defective. Contact workshop !
• Do not turn the eng ine off.
• Drive immediately to an authorized Audi
dealer to have the ma lf u nction corrected.
If there is a ma lfunction in the e lectronic igni ­
tion lock, the ignition cannot be turned off.
Drive immediately to an authorized Audi dea l­
er to have the cause of the ma lfunction cor­
rected.
On vehicles with Convenience key*, the engine
should not be switched off using the
! STOP !
button beca use the engine ca nnot be sta rted
again after the ignition is switched off.
' Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig . 26 Display: low fuel level warning (priority 2)
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc­
t ion -Warning!
When a yellow war ning symbol appears,
one
warning tone sounds . A driver message ap­
pears as well to exp lain the malfunction in
more de tail. The driver warning goes out after
about 5 seconds, but it can be brought up
again at any time by pressing the
! CHECK I but­
ton .
Check the displayed function as soon as possi­
ble. If more than one priority 2 ma lf u nction is
detected, all symbols will appear one after
the other for about 2 seconds .
Yellow symbols mean:
II
Convenience key"
Key not in vehicle
c> page 108
•
USA models: Defective
brake light
c>pa ge23
[IJ
Canada models: Defective
brake light
c> page 23
1:1
Defective light bulb
c>page 23
.
m
Light/rain sensor defective
c>pag e 35
~
Windshield washer fluid lev-
el low
1 .. c>page35

II
AdBlue ,/'
II
•
•
•
m
m
-
[I]
Low fuel level
¢page 35
Refill Ad Blue*
¢page261
AdBlue malfunction*
¢poge261
Battery voltage
¢page36
Worn brake pads ¢page36
Dynamic headlight range
control defective
¢page36
Check engine oil level
¢poge36
Engine oil sensor malfunc­
tion ¢poge36
Engine speed limitation*
¢page36
Diesel particulate filter*
clogged
¢poge37
Adaptive light* defective
¢poge37
Ignition lock malfunction
¢poge37
Windshield wiper defective
¢poge37
-Tire pressure monitoring
system
Loss of air pressure
¢poge299
Tire pressure monitoring
system
System not available
¢poge299
Driver information display 35
Battery in remote control
key
¢page39
Automatic transmission
malfunction
¢ page 141
...?c, Key not in vehicle
Applies to vehicles: with Convenience key
I!! Key not in vehicle
This reminder appears along with the I!! sym­
bol if the master key is removed from the
ve­
hicle with the engine running. It is intended
to remind you (e.g . when chang ing drivers)
not to continue the journey without the mas­
ter key.
If the master key is no longer in the vehicle,
you cannot switch off the ignit ion after stop­
ping the engine and you also cannot start the
engine again. What is more, you cannot lock
the vehicle from the outside.
@. D Light/rain sensor defective
E;I Automatic headlights/ automatic wipers
defective
If the symbol illuminates, the light sensor has
failed. For safety reasons the low beams are
turned on permanently with the switch in
AU­
TO. However, you can continue to turn the
lights on and off using the light switch. In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor, the wind ­
shield wiper lever functions are still available.
Have the light/rain sensor checked as soon as
possible by an authorized Audi dealer .
c)3 Windshield washer fluid level too low
~ Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illumina tes, add windshield
washer fluid to the washer system and also to
the headlight washer system
¢ page 2 79.
Eli) Fuel supply too low
II) Please refuel

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!

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 .

238 Driving off road
Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stabilization
Control (ESC) is expanded for operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
differential locking function is required, the ESC offroad mode can be activated
c::> page 225 . Hill descent control is also availa­
ble in the ESC offroad mode, which automati­
cally brakes the vehicle and thereby keeps
speed constant when diffe rent wheel speeds
a re detected when descending a hill
c::> page 226. Your Audi also has permanent
a ll-wheel drive in addition.
H owever, your Aud i is not a pure off road vehi­
cle .
It was not built for d riving unde r extreme
conditions, e.g. fo r trips that are in the nature
of an expedition.
Dri ve only on road s and offroad section s
which mat ch the de sig n of your vehi cle and
y our a biliti es as a driver. Ne ver t ake ris k s!
Before driving offroad
- Check the eng ine oil level, tire pressure,
coolant level , and the fluid level in the w ind­
shield washe r reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items and other objects in the
luggage compartment, and secure them
against s lid ing aro und .
After driving offro ad
- After trips offroad, remove any twigs and
other foreign objects from the grill, the un­derbody and the wheels. Pay spec ia l atten­
t ion to fore ign objects (stones) which have
become lodged in the tire tread.
- Clean the body and the veh icle unders ide,
and inspec t the veh icle for poss ible damage.
- Clean dirty w indows , headlamp lenses , rear
l ights, and license plates .
- Perform a brake check (part icularly after
t ravel ling through water) .
A WARNING
-Drive especially attentively and plan
ahead in d iff icu lt road conditions and
when offroad. Excessive speed o r inco r­
rect maneuvers can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
-
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, t raff ic, and weath­
er cond itions. Drive especially slowly off­
road when you r view is res tricted.
- Please be awa re that in ESC off road
mode, particularly on a smoo th and s lip­
pery road, the wheels may have an in­
creased tendency to spin and the vehicle may break away -danger of skidding!
- Stability is limited in the ESC off road
mode .
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to the environment and re­
spect nature .
(D Tips
Only drive w here it is permitted and stay
on marked roads and paths.
Explanation of some technical terms
T he following data refe r to ideal cond itions.
Depend ing on veh icle load and ground condi ­
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary. It is the driver's responsibility to decide
whether a vehicle can overcome a specific s it­
uat ion
c::> ,&. .
Gradient angle
The number of meters in alt itude gained over
a distance of 109.4 yards or 100 meters
(grade) are given as a percentage or degrees.
Information about the gradient the vehicle
can climb under its own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power) .
Max imum perm itted grade : 3 1
°
Late ral angle (slope of vehicle )
Indicates the angle up to which the vehicle
can be driven diagonally or across the fall line ..,.