2013 AUDI Q7 differential

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
;;./~ Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stabilization Control.
If the JjJ indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Ant i-S lip Regulation) is active­
l y regulating.
If th€
JjJ indicator lamp illuminates, the sys ­
tem has switched the ESC off. In this case, you
can switch the ignition off and then on to
switch the ESC on again. The system is func­
tioning comp letely whe n the indicator lamp
switches off .
If the
i indicator lamp illuminates, the ESC
was switched off with the
I ~ O FF I button.
St abili zation con trol (E SC/ ABS): Fa ult! See
owner 's manu al
If th€ J_j) indicator lamp and the [I] ABS indi­
cator lamp illuminate and the dr iver message
appears, the ABS or e lectronic differential lock
i s ma lfunctioning . This also interrupts the
ESC. The brakes st ill function with the ir nor­
mal power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi ·
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
For more informat ion about the ESC
c=;,page225.
~/ !'!r Safety systems
The I (USA models)/ . (Canada models) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems (e .g.
a irbags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
I f the
I (USA models) • (Canada models)
i ndi cator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates w hile you are driv ing, or if it sta rts to
b link, then there is a ma lfunct ion somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means there is a ma lfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer
i mmediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
den t.
¢ Q Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left a or the right .
turn s ignal, the indicator light blinks . When
you use the emergency flashers, both indica­ tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­ mal.
This does not apply, however, in towing mode.
The ind icator light does not flash if a turn sig­
nal is out on the trailer or the towing veh icle .
Additional informat ion on the turn s ignals
¢ page 60.
¢1¢ Trailer turn signal assembly
Applies to veh icles: w ith towing hitch
The indicator light also blinks if the turn sig ­
nal is operated when towing a trailer.
The ind icator light. bli nks when the turn
s ignal is used, if a tra iler has been proper ly
co nn ected to the vehicle.
If one of the turn signa l bulbs on the trailer is
burned out or defective, the ind icator light
will not blink when you use the turn signa ls .
(D Tips
For vehicles with a factory installed towing
hitch or a trailer hitch that was installed
later according to factory spec ificat ions,
the trailer turn sig nal assembly is actuat­
ed.

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
because low-lying vehicle parts can bot­
tom out as you drive over uneven ground
and be damaged as a result.
~ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/indicator light ill uminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and (on USA models only) any front passenger to put on the safety belt . Add ition­
ally, an acoustic warning (gong) wi ll also
sound.
F or more Information
~ page 175, Safety
belt warning light.
~D High beam
The ii warning/indicator light illuminates
when the high beams are on or when you use
the head light flasher . For more informat ion
about using the high beams, see
~page 60.
(J) Tire pressure monitoring system -
telltale ind icator lamp
The warning/indicator light appears in the
event of a significant loss of tire pressure or if
there is a malfunction .
The indicator light IE illuminates to check
the function when you switch on the ignition.
If the
IE symbol remains on or blinks after
you switch on the ignition, there is a loss of
tire pressure or a system malfunction. If there
is a system malfunction, see your authorized
Aud i dealer as soon as possible.
Detailed information on the tire pressure
monitoring system can be found in
~page 298.
CRUISE/'(-) Cruise control
The (ij;\1)~1~ (USA models) /. (Canada mod­
e ls) warn ing/indicator light illuminates when
the cruise contro l is activated.
ABS /(8) Anti -lock brake system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The E (USA models) ;fl] (Canada mode ls)
warning/indicator light will come on for a few
seconds when the ignition is sw itched on . T he
l ight will go out after an automatic check se­
quence is comp leted.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
-The warning/indicator light does not illumi­
nate when you switch on the ignition.
- The warning/indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds.
- The warning/indicator light illuminates
while driving.
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information regarding the ABS
~page 229.
The ABS warning light and the brake warn­
ing light come on together. The ABS will not
work and you will notice a change in braking
response and performance.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light ~ page 19 and
the ABS warning ill uminate
together there
may be a malfunction in the ABS, and there
may also be a malfunction in the brake system
i tself ~
A.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light 11111
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes. By press ing the
jCHECKI button, you can b ring up a driver
message which explains the malfunction in
more detail. Please note
~ page 32.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together with the ABS. The
ABS wa rning lig ht will come on if there is a
malfu nction in the EDL system
q page 227.

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--
•
•

@ Tips
- When the engine is running, never hold
the steer ing whee l turned a ll the way to
the right or t o the left f or longer than 15
seconds. The power steering pump w ill
overheat the hydraulic f lu id if you keep
hol ding the steer ing wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering system.
- If the power steer ing system should fail
ent irely, or if the engine is not running
(fo r example, while being towed), you
will still be ab le to steer the vehicle.
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so.
- If the power s teer ing system should
have a leak, or is not functioning proper­
l y, contact yo ur authorized Audi dealer
immediately.
- The power stee ring system requires a
spec ially formulated hydraulic fluid. The
power steering reservo ir is the one locat­
ed farthest to the rear on the left side of
the engine compartment
c> page 266.
The co rrect flu id level in the reservoir is
i mportant for proper functioning of the
power steer ing .
Driving with your
quattro ®
With all-wheel drive, oil four wheels ore driv ­
en.
Gener al information
W ith all -whee l dr ive , power is distributed to
a ll fo ur wheels. This happens automatica lly
depending on yo ur driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time . See also
¢ page 227,
Electronic differential lock (EDL) .
Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your ve hicl e w it h
all -wheel drive has an advan tage, even with
regu lar tires . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak-
Int ellig ent technolog y 231
ing: these tires must be mounted on all four
wheel s. See also ¢
page 295, Winter tires .
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory o n certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 296, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always have ti res of t he same s ize. A lso avo id tires
with different t read depths. For det ails see
page
c!;> page 291, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
_& WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur driv ing to road and traf­
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Altho ugh the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfaces .
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide o n top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in­
crease in engine speed as w ith a front ­
wheel drive vehicle. Always drive at
speeds which are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat­
te ry is discharged by idling cur rent consume rs
(e.g. immobi liz e r). In certa in circumstan ces it ..,_
•
•

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 ..,.

334 Index
------------------------------------
Homelink® universal remote control .. 328
Remote control key ................ 328
def What does this mean when it appea rs in
the trip odometer display? ... .. .... .. 12
Defective light bulb warning . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Defrosting/defogging the windows . . . . . . 94
Defrosting/defogging windows . .. ...... 96
Determining correct load limit . .. .... . 288
Diesel fuel ... ................ ..... . 257
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . 37,235
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Digital compass ......... .. .. .. .. .. .. 69
Digital speedometer ............ .. ... . 22
Dimensions ................ ... .... . 321
Dimming the rearview mirror .. .. ...... 69
Dipstick Reading the dipstick properly . .. .. .. . 269
Distance control system
refer to Adaptive cruise contro l .... ... 113
Doors Power child safety lock .... .. .. .. .. . . 48
Driver information system . .. .. .. .. .. .. 21
Dig ital speedometer ...... .. .. .. .. . . 22
Driver information messages . . . . . . . . . 30
Open door or rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . 22
Outside temperature display .. .. ...... 22
Sound system display ....... .. .... .. 21
Driver seat
refer to Seat ing pos ition ....... .. ... 166
Driver's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Driver's seat memory ....... .. .. .. .. . . 73
Activating remote control key ..... .. .. 74
Recalling a seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Storing a seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Driving messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Driving mode
refer to Adaptive Air Suspension . lSS, 157
Driving offroad
Driving through water ..... .... .... . 239
Driving tips .............. .. .. .. .. . 238
Rules of behavior ........... .. .... . 238
Sand and mud .. ...... .... ... .. .. . 239
Snow-covered ground ...... ..... .. . 239
Unpaved roads ............... .. ... 239
Driving safely ............. .... .... . 165 Driving
through water ........... .. .. 239
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Duplicate key . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 38
Dust filter
Climate controls . ................. .. 91
E
Easy entry feature .. .. ........... .. .. 104
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Fuel economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Memory levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Other equipment ..... .... ..... .. .. . 27
Electric seat adjustment
refer to Power seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
How the system works .............. 227
Warning/indicator lights ........ .. .. . 18
Electronic immob ilizer ........... .... . 40
Electronic power control (EPC) warning/indicator light . . . . . . . . . 15
E lectronic speed limiter ............... 28
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
Hill descent control . ........... .. .. 225
How the system works .............. 225
Offroad mode .... ............. .... 225
Warning/indicator lights ............. 16
Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .... . 16
Emergency locking of doors ....... .. .. . 45
Emergency operation Rear lid ....... .. .. .............. .. 48
Emergency starting ................. 314
Emergency towing ... .... .... ... .. .. 316
Energy management ................ 231
Battery power ... ............. .... 233
Driver notification ............. .. .. 233
Engine Compartment .... ................ . 266
Coolant ....... .. .. .............. . 271
Hood ......... .. .. .............. . 264
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 106
Starting with jumper cables ..... .... 314
Stopping .. .... .. ................. 106
Engine compartment
Safety instructions ................ . 264
Working the eng ine compartment .... 264