2013 AUDI Q7 instrument panel

For example, the symbol II appears in the
display, indicating low windsh ield washer flu­
id level. The follow ing message also appears:
Pl eas e refill w asher fl uid
The driver message disappears after a few
seconds. The driver message can be displayed
again by briefly pressi ng the
!CH ECK I button.
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
Fig . 25 Disp lay: engin e coola nt l eve l wa rnin g ( pri ority
1)
• Pull off the road .
• Stop the veh icle.
• Turn off the engine .
• Check the ma lfunctioning system. Contact
your authorized Aud i dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
Red symbols indicate a priority 1 ma lfunction
- Danger!
W ith a pr iority 1 malfunction, a large symbol
appears in the center area of the display
¢ fig. 25. When the symbol appears , three
warning tones sound in succession . T he sym­
bol co nti nues to bli nk until the ma lf u nct ion
has been repaired.
I f there are
more than one priority 1 ma lfunc­
tions, the symbols appear one after the other
for about 2 seconds.
An addit ional driver message can also be d is­
p layed by briefly pressing the
I C HECK ! button.
T he red symbols mean :
Driver inform ation di spl ay 31
Alternato r malfunction
¢ page 31
USA model s: Brake system
malfunction
¢page32
Canad a mo dels: Brake sys­
tem malfunction
¢ page 32
Engine coolant level too
low/engine coolant temper­
ature too high
¢ page32
Engine o il pressu re too low
¢ page33
Refill Ad Blue*
¢page 261
AdBlue malfunction*
¢page261
------------~
(D Tips
Faulty steering
¢page33
Fa ulty ignition swi tch
¢ page34
- If the warning/indicator light 1111 (USA
models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes, there is a brake
system malfunction . By pressing the
!CHECK I button, you can bring up a dr iver
message which exp lains the malfunction
in more detail. Please note
¢ page 32 .
-Speed warnings threshold 1. (USA
mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) and
t hreshold 2. (USA models)/ . (Cana­
da mode ls) a re a lso shown as red sym­
bols. The warning is a lways shown as a
small symbol in the upper area of the
display ¢
page 28.
0 Alternator malfunction
If the . symbol in the instrument panel dis­
play flashes, then there is a malfunction in the
alternato r or the veh icle elect ron ics . A war n-
ing to the drive r will appear, too . The driver .,.

Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on and off
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor auto·
matically switch es t he head· and taillights on
and off in r espons e to light conditions .
Fig. 53 Instrument pane l: lig ht sw itch
The ligh t sw itch m ust not be overturned pas t
the stops in
eit her direct ion .
Sw itching on automatic headlight control
,.. Turn the light switch to AUTO ¢ fig . 53 .
Swi tching on the side m ark e r lights
,.. Turn the light switch to :;oo:;.
Sw itching on the headlights and high
be am
,.. Turn the light switch to io .
,.. Push the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument panel
9 page 60 .
Switching off the light s
,.. Turn the light switch to 0.
The headlights only wo rk when the ignition is
sw itched on. While s tart ing the engine or
when switching
off the ignition, the head ·
lights will go
off and on ly the s ide marker
lights will be on .
Afte r star ting t he engine, the headlights are
automatically adjusted* to the load and angle
of the vehicle (for example, during accelera ·
tion, braking). This prevents oncoming traffic
from experiencing unnecessary headlight glare from your headlights.
Clear vi sion 5 7
If the system is not ope rat ing properly, a
warning symbol in the Auto-Check Control is displayed ¢
page 36.
With the side ma rker ligh ts or he ad ligh ts
switched on, the symbol next to the light
switch i lluminates
:oo :.
Daytime running lights
- USA model s:
The daytime runn ing lights
w il l come on automatically whe n the igni­
tion is t urne d on and the l ight sw itch
¢
fig. 53 is in the O position or the AUTO po ­
sition (only in daylight conditions). The
Day­
time running lights
function can be turned
on and
off in the MMI menu E xter ior l ight ·
ing
¢ page 58.
- Canada models: The dayt ime running lights
w ill come on automatically when the igni·
tion is turned on and the light switch
¢
fig. 53 is in the O position o r the AUTO po ·
sition (only in daylight condit ions) ¢ .&. .
Automatic headlight control
In the switch position AUTO the automatic
headlight control
i s turned on. The low
beams and tail lights are turned on automati·
ca lly through a light sensor as soon as amb i­
ent b rightness (e.g . when driving into a t un­
nel) fa lls below a value p reset a t the factory.
When ambien t brightn ess increases ag ain ,
the low beams are turned
off ag ain automati­
ca lly ¢ .&. .
In the
AUTO posi tion the low beams a re
swi tched
off au tom ati cally when the igni tion
is tur ned
off.
Light Sensor Malfunction
In the event of a light sensor malfunction, the
dr ive r is notified in the instrument cluster dis­
play:
g Automatic h eadlights / automatic w ipers
defective
For safety reasons the low beams are t urned
o n permanently with the switch in
AUTO .
However, you can conti nue to turn the lights
o n and
off using the light switch . Hav e the II>

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 184.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 205, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion. Th is applies especially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect, this could result in persona l
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 71
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that t hey
can give you maximum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle cont rol and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust t he seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees s lightly bent
i:::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 71.
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
the head res traint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le
i:::> page 76.
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion . In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
wo uld not be able to brake or accelerate.

96 Warm and cold
Air outlets
Air distribution determines the air flow to the individual vents .
Fig. 112 Instrument panel: a ir outlet locat ions and airf low d irections
Air outlets @and @
" Rotate the horizontal thumb wheel located
below the particular outlet to increase, re­
duce, or shut down the a irflow from that
out let .
" To ad just the direc tion of the a irf low from
the outle t, move the tab in the center o f the
outlet in the desired d irect ion . The direction
of the air de livered from the vents can be
adjusted horizontally and vertically .
(D Air flows to windshield and to drive r and
front passenger side windows
@ Air flows to driver/front passenger or to
the driver and front passenger s ide win­
dows
@ Air flows to driver/front passenger
© Air flows to footwell
The air out lets are actuated either automati ­
cally or manually depending on the operating
mode selected .
@ Tips
When climate control is working, coo led
air will f low primarily from outlets @and
@ . To assure adequate cooling, outlets @
and @ should never be completely closed.
Air outlets in the rear
Outlet s in the center con sol e
.. Rotate the thumbwheel located next to the
outlet to open or close it.
" To adjust the direction of the airflow from
the outlet, move the tab in the center of the
outlet in the desired direction . The d irection
of the a ir deliv ered from the vents can be
adj usted hor izontal ly and vert ica lly.
Outlets in the door pill ars
" Rotate the horizontal thumb wheel located
be low the outlet to open o r close it .
.. To adjust the direction of the airflow from
t he outlet, move the tab in the center of the
outlet in the desired direction . Th e d irect ion
of t he ai r delivered from the vents can be
adjusted horizonta lly and vert ica lly.
T he air ou tle ts are act uated e ither automati­
c a lly or man ua lly depending on the operating
mode selected . Heated o r unheated fresh air,
or cooled air flows from the vents.
T he air ou tle ts to heat the rear footwell a re lo-
cated under the front seats.
1J11>

168 Driving Safely
unfolds with great force in the blink of
an eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
er ly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 205. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c::> page 184 .
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use .
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas­
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following :
.. If there are passengers in the rear seat, fold
the head restraints up on the occupied seats
or slide the center head restraint upward at
least to the next notch
c::> page 77. ..
Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position
c::> page 79.
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c::> page 179 .
.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
c::> page 205.
_& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash .
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
-Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re ­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
Fig. 196 H ead restra int: vi ew ed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust-
ed to achieve the best protection. .,.

~ Adjust the head restraints so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of
your head. If that is not possib le, try to ad­
j ust the head restraint so that it is as close
to this position as possible ¢
fig. 196.
~ If there are passengers in rear seat, fo ld the
head restraints up on the occupied seats or
s li de the center head restra int upward at
least to the next notc h.
Adjust ing head restraints ¢
page 76.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
st raints. Dr iv ing without head restra ints or
w it h head restra ints that a re not properly
adjusted incre ases the risk of ser ious or fa­
t al neck injury dramat ica lly. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive wit h the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- E very person in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Alw ays make sure e ach pe rson in the ve­
hicle properly adjus ts the ir head re­
st raint . Adj ust the head rest rain ts so the
upper edge is as even as possib le wit h
the top of your head. If that is not possi ­
ble, try to adjust the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible .
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr iver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
st ra in t.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a ch ild restrai nt that is app ro­
pr iate for their age and s ize
c> page 205.
Examples of improper seating posit ions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seat ing posit ions can cause serious
inju ry or death . Saf ety belts can on ly work
Dr iving S afel y 169
when they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions red uce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in ­
crease the r isk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions a lso increase t he
risk of serious in ju ry and death when an a ir­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the p roper sea ting posit ion. A dr iver is
responsible for the s afe ty of all ve hicle occu­
pan ts and espec ially for children . There fore:
~ Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating posi tion when the vehicle is being
used¢ &.
The following bullet ins list o nly some samp le
pos itions t hat will i ncrease the risk of se rio us
injury and dea th. O ur hope is that t hese exam­
ples will make yo u more aware o f seating po­
s itions tha t are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stan d up in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride w it h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out the window
- neve r put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cush ion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imp roper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occ u-
pants stay in a proper seating position
a nd are p roperly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used .
-
•
•

Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
Fig . 197 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low and as far forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
veh icle maneuver or in a collision .
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
<=>fig. 197.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
¢ page 80.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is secure ly
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an acc ident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment us ing the tie-down eye lets
and suitable straps .
Drivin g Sa fely 1 71
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
<=>page 165 .
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
-
those fitting comp letely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fu lly
closed .
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof *,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh a ir fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Pano ramic s liding sunroof* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked

What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 201 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown forward
Fig. 202 A rear p assenger not wearin g a safety belt
will fly forwar d an d st rike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or brac ing themselves. W ithout the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam vio lent ly into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield , or what­
ever else is in the way ¢
fig. 201. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­ posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
Safety belts 177
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can a lso be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur .
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly . Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen ­
gers ¢
fig. 202. In a frontal coll ision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 203 D river is correctly rest ra in ed in a sudde n brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradua lly reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
liJl,