2013 AUDI Q7 suspension

Adaptive Air Suspension .. .. . .
Air suspension and damping
Homelink ® ... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Universal remote control ... .. .. .. . .
S afet y fir st ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
155
155
161
16 1
165
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 166
Ped al area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Safety bel t pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 182
Airbag system .......... ... ... .
Important things to know ......... .
Fr ont airbags ............ .... .. . .
M on itoring the A dvanced Airbag
System .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. . .
Side airbags .... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Side curtain airbags .... ... .. .. .. . .
Child Safety .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Important things to know . ... .. .. . .
Ch ild safety seats ................ .
Instal ling a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
LATC H Lower anchorages and tethers
for chi ldren .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. . .
Addit ional Information
Vehicle operation ....... .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .... ... .
184
184
188
195
199
202
205
205
211
215
218
224
225
225
Not ice about data recorded by vehi cle
con trol mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
E lect ronic S tabiliz ation Control ( ESC) . 225
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Servotronic ® -advanced power
steering system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Driving w ith your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 231
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
234
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 236
Operate your vehicle eco nomically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Driving off road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Driving in d ifficult road conditions and
offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
D riving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
T rai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 245
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Care of exterior . ... .. .. .. .... ... .
Care of inte rior ... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supply ...... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Diesel f uel .. .. .. .. .. ... ..... ... .
Fuel tank ....................... .
Se lective catalytic reduction ....... .
Checking and filling .......... .
Engine hood ... .. ............... .
E n gine oi l ... .... ..... .... ..... . .
Engine cooling system .. .. ..... ... .
B rake fluid ....... .............. .
B attery ... .. .. .. .. . ............ .
Windsh ie ld/headl ight washer
conta iner . .. .. .. .. ............. . 2
4 5
251
256
256
257
258
261
264
264
266
271
274
2 75
2 79
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
T ire pressure monitoring system 298
Do -it -yourself service . . . . . . . . . 301
What do I do now? ...... ... .. . 301
Jack , tools and inflatable spare tire . . 301
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
•
•

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Warning/indicator lights
Overview
The warning/indicator lights indicate different functions or a possible malfunction .
Fig. 8 Instrument d uster w ith wa rning/indicator lig hts
Your veh icle is equipped with several impor·
tant warning and indicator lights to help you
monitor the continued reliable operation of
your vehicle¢ _& .
•
II
•
Electronic power control
(alternative to
II)
¢page 15
Glow plug system
(alternative to
[3B)
¢page 15
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
¢page 16
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
¢page 16
USA models: Safety systems
¢page 16
Canada models : Safety systems
¢page 16
Left turn signa l
¢page 16
Trailer turn signal assembly*
<=:>page 16
•
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(MIL)
¢ page 17
Adaptive Air Suspension*
<=:>page 17
--·--
- Adaptive Air Suspension*
11111 ¢page17
II
•
-
I : I
:, I
" I
•
Right turn signal
¢page 16
Safety belt
<=:>page 18
High beam
<=:>page 18
Tire pressure monitoring system
<=:> page 18
USA models: Cruise control acti·
vated
<=:> page 18
Can ada models: Cruise control
activated
<=:> page 18
USA models: Anti-lock brake
system (ABS) defective
<=:>page 18

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 17
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (M IL) is part
of the On-Board D iagnost ic (OBD II) system.
The symbol
¢'4 lights up when the ignit ion is
turned on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at a constant idle
speed. This ind icates that the MIL is working
properly .
The warning light i lluminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your author ized Audi dealer and have
the ma lfunction corrected .
An improperl y clo sed fuel filler cap m ay als o
c a u se the MIL light to illumi nate (only
v ehicle s with ga solin e eng in e )
c> page 259.
For more informat ion c> page 2 7.
0 Adaptive Air Suspension
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This IIJ warning/indicator light has the fol­
l owing functions:
- It illuminates for a few seconds after the ig­
nition is tu rned on as function check and
then goes out .
- If the warning/ind icator light illuminates or
blinks continuously, there is a system fau lt
in the Adaptive A ir Suspension . A system
fault can result in limited ride comfort and
low ground cl earance . Drive safely to the
nearest authorized Aud i dealer or qualified
workshop, and have the fault corrected .
- If the warning/ind icator light flashes, you
should not drive the vehicle. The flash ing
warning/ind icator light po ints to an extreme
High level. A very
pronounced lifting of the
vehicle (extreme High level) can resu lt, fo r
example, when a heavy load is removed
from the vehicle. As soon as the leve l has re­
turned to normal, the warning/indicator
light stops flashing, and yo u can drive away.
- If the warning/ind icator light flashes in con ­
junction with the
II warning/indicator
light, you sho uld not drive off immediate ly
i n order to prevent damage to the under­
body . The two warning/ind icator lights flashing together points to an extreme Low
level. A very
pronounced lowering of the ve­
hicle (extreme Low leve l) can result, for ex­
ample, from a heavy load . As soon as the
level has returned to normal, the warning/
ind icator lights stop flashing, and you can
dr ive away.
(D Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in
conjunction with the
II warning/ind ica-
tor light, you should not dr ive the veh icle
because low-lying veh icle parts can bot-
tom out as you d rive over uneven ground
a n d be damaged as a result.
c.:, Adaptive Air Suspension
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This II warning/indicator light has the fo l­
lowing functions:
- I t illuminates for a few seconds after the ig ­
nition is turned on as func tion check and
then goes out .
- I t comes o n for approximate ly 15 seconds
as a warning of
reduced ground clear ance , if
the dynam ic mode is activated and i f the ig­
nition is switched on
r:!;> page 155, Chassis
controls.
- If the warning/indicator light flashes in con­
junction with
the m warning/indicator
light, you should not drive the veh icle imme ­
diately in order to prevent damage to the
underbody. The two warn ing/ indicator
lights flashing together points to an ex­
treme Low level. A very
pronounced lower­
ing
of the vehicle (extreme Low level) can re­
sult, for example, from a heavy load. As
soon as the level has returned to normal,
the warning/ind icator lights stop flashing,
and you can d rive away.
(D Note
If the warning/ indica tor ligh t flashes in
conjunction with
the m warn ing/ indica­
tor light, you should not drive the vehicle

Driver information
display
Introduction
General notes
The driver informa tion display inside the in­
strument cluster provides you, the driver,
with much useful information.
Fig. 9 Instr ument cluster: ce nter display
Information from the Driver Information Sys­
tem is shown in the display in the center of
the instrument cluster.
When you turn on the ignition and while you
are driving, some functions and vehicle com­
ponents are scanned for their operating sta­
tus. Malfunctions or required service proce­
dures are signalled aud ibly and shown by red
and yellow lighted symbols and rem inders to
the dr iver in the display.
The driver is also shown information about ra­
d io and CD operation and directions for the
nav igation system . You can f ind additional in­
formation on these subjects in the MMI man­
ua l.
The Driver Information System prov ides the
following functions:
Sound system disp lay ¢
page 21
Outside air temperature ¢page22
Digital speedometer ¢page
22
Door open indicator ¢page22
Defective light b ulb ¢poge23
Service interval display ¢page23
Auto Check system ¢
page 30
Driver information ¢page30
Dri
ver inform ation di spl ay 21
Speed warn ing system
Cruise control
Adaptive cruise control *
Selector lever pos ition
Adaptive Air Suspension *
T ire pressure monitori ng
(D Tips
¢page28
--·--¢page24
¢page 111
--..--
¢page 113
¢page 138
¢page298
In the event of a malfunction either a red
or ye llow icon appears in the display . Red
symbols indicate
Dang er ¢ page 31. Yel­
l ow symbo ls indicate a
Warning
¢ page 34.
Sound system display
Fig. 10 Display: sound syste m
If priority 1 or pr iority 2 faults are not shown
by the Auto Check Control, the name of the ra­
dio station you are tuned to or t he frequency
and the recept ion range are shown in the up­
per area of the d isplay.
When the CD is in use, the tit le of the track
being played is shown. The number of the CD
(CDI to CD6) cur rently be ing played is also
s h own.

110 On the road
The parking brake warning light. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates when the parking brake is
set and you switch on the ignition.
A WARNING
-
Always release the parking brake com­
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef­
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This could lead to brake failure and an accident .
(D Note
Only after the vehicle has come to com­
plete stop, should you firmly set the park­
ing brake and
move the selector lever into
"P".
Parking
When you park your vehicle, do the
following
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Apply the parking brake firmly.
• Move the selector lever into the P position
c:>A .
• Switch off the engine and remove the igni-
t ion key from the ignition lock.
When you park your vehicle on hills, do
the following
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Apply the parking brake firmly.
• If you are parking headed
downhill, turn
the front wheels
toward the curb.
• If you are parking headed uphill, turn the
front wheels
away from the curb.
• Move the selector lever into the
P position.
• Switch off the engine and remove the igni­
tion key from the ignition lock.
A WARNING
This is how you can reduce the risk of in­
jury when leaving your vehicle.
- Never park the vehicle where it can come
in contact with dry grass, spilled fuel or
any other flammable materials. -
When parking on hills, always turn the
wheels so that the front wheels will first roll into the curb, if the vehicle should
start to roll.
- Never allow anyone - especially small
children - to remain in the vehicle when
it is locked. Locked doors make it more
difficult for rescuers to access the pas­
senger compartment in the event of an
emergency. Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Children could release the park­
ing brake or
move the gearshift lever out
of gear. The vehicle could start to roll
away and cause an accident.
- No matter what the season is, the tem­
perature in a parked vehicle can reach
dangerous levels.
(D Note
- Please exercise care when you park your
vehicle in parking areas with parking bar­ riers or curbs. Parking barriers and curbs
vary in height and could damage your
bumper and related components as the
front of your vehicle moves
over a barrier
or curb that is too high, as you park or as
you back out of a parking spot. In order
to be sure that no such damage can oc­
cur, you may wish to stop short of having
the front tires of your car touch the park­
ing barrier or curb.
- Please also exercise exceptional care
when you drive up or down steep ramps
or drive over curbs or other obstacles, for
which the vehicle is not designed, be­
cause components of the vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers, spoilers and suspension and exhaust sys­
tem components, may become dam­
aged.
Starting on hills
Hill Hold makes it easier to start on hills.
The system is activated when the brake pedal is depressed
for a few seconds. For this, the ll-

Adaptive Air Suspension
Air suspension and damping
Description
App lies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air S uspe nsio n
Air suspension and damping con be adjusted
separately.
Adaptive A ir Suspension is an electronically
controlled springing and damping system.
This chassis system makes it easier on the
driver by adapt ing to the particular situation
through imperceptible control processes.
The
Adaptive Air Suspension component reg ­
ulates ground clearance depending on vehicle
speed and driver input. It functions independ­
ently from the load condition . Accelerating to
a speed above a predetermined limit will make the vehicle lower itself. On the other
hand, driving more slowly results in the vehi­
cle raising again at specific speeds.
The
damping component provides individual
control of the damping forces . For example,
w ith damping characterist ics set to provide
greater comfort, damping is set somewhat
harder for a br ief per iod only as required, for
example, when go ing aro und a curve or when
braking.
Settings
Adapt ive Air Suspension prov ides the driver
with the opportun ity to set the chassis charac­
ter istics also to their individual preference.
W ith the driving modes
Comfort, Automatic
and Dynamic the driver has three chassis set­
tings available, ranging from comfort to spor­
ty. The
Offrood mode can be selected for driv­
ing on poor quality stretches of road. In addi­
tion,
Lift provides a fifth mode, which can be
selected when exceptionally high ground
clearance is needed
c::;, page 155, Chassis con ­
trols .
The modes are set in MMI <::;,page 157.
Adaptive A ir Suspension 155
A WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can
change due to temperature fluctuations or
changes in load .
@ Note
- Whenever you park your vehicle, a lways
make sure there is adequate clearance
above and below the vehicle. The he ight
of the parked vehicle can change as the
result of temperature fluctuations,
changes in load condition and changes in
the driving mode (ground clearance).
- If the vehicle is being transported (e.g .
by tow truck, train, ship, etc.), mount the
tie-down chains/cables over the running
surface (circumference) o f the tires. Nev­
er secure the vehicle by the axle, the sus ­
pension struts or the front or rear tow­
line eye . For technica l reasons, the pres­
sure in the suspens ion struts may change
during the transport, which could result
in the vehicle no longer being secured
properly .
- If you are going to tow a trailer with a
trailer hitch that was
not installed ac­
cording to factory specif ications, you
must activate the traile r operation mode
man ually
<::;,page 159.
(D Tips
-Before you can raise your vehicle using
the vehicle jack (for example, when
chang ing a flat tire) or a vehicle lift, yo u
must activate the jacking mode
c::;, page 159.
- On some models, the vehicle can reach
its maximum speed only in the
Automat ­
ic
and Dynamic modes.
Chassis controls
App lies to vehicles : wit h Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
Five different driving modes can be set by the
driver.
T he automatic control processes are speed­
and t ime-dependent. For example, it is not

156 Adapti ve Air Susp en sion
possible to raise the suspension to a h igh level
above certain speeds .
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is
exceeded for more than 30 seconds, the vehi­
cle is automatically lowered to
low level when
in comfort and automatic mode. Ground
clearance is about 0.6 inch (15 mm) less,
compared to the
normal level .
When a speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h)
is exceeded for more than 20 seconds, the ve­
h icle is automat ica lly lowered to
highway l ev­
el
when in automatic and dynamic mode.
G round clearance is about 1.4 inches (35 mm)
less, compared to the
normal level. Road
hold ing is optimized as a result of the lower
center of gravity, and fuel consumption is re­
duced as a result of reduced wind resistance .
I
Level adjustment
high level 2
high level 1
normal level
low level
highway level
Ground clearance
about 9.4 inches
(240 mm)
about
8 inches
(205 mm)
about 7 inches (180 mm)
about 6 .5 inches
(165 mm)
about 5 .7 inches
(145 mm)
The segment disp lay @ in the MMI Display
c:::> page 157 or in the instr ument cluste r dis­
p lay
c:::> page 158 shows the current veh icle
level.
Automatic
Select the automatic mode if you prefer a bal­
anced, comfortable suspension setting . The
damping characteristics are adjusted accord­ ingly.
- Automatic lowe rin g: When a speed of
about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is auto­
matically lowered by about 0.6 inch (15
mm) to the
low level, wh ich is more suitable
for highway speeds . Road hold ing is opti ­
mized as a result of the lower ce nter of grav- ity and fuel consumption is reduced as a re
­
sult of r educed wind resistance . When a
speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h) is ex ­
ceeded for more than 20 seconds, the veh i­
cle is automa tically lowered by an addi tional
0 .8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automat ic raising: When the vehicle is at
highway level and the speed falls below
about 80 mph (130 km/h) for more than 20
seconds , the vehicle is automatically raised
to
low level. Th e vehicle is automatica lly
raised aga in to
normal level if the speed
fa lls below about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a
pe riod of 2 minutes . The vehicle is raised im ­
mediately when speed fa lls below about 22
mph (35 km/h) .
Dynamic
Select the dynam ic mode if yo u pre fer a spor­
ty suspension se tti ng. In t his mode , the veh i­
cle is lowered to
low level while it is still sta­
t ionary and sporty damping characteristics
are selected . The warning light
Ill in the in ­
strument cluster will come on for a few sec­
onds just to rem ind you of the reduced ground
clearance .
If you switch off the engine whi le the vehicle
is in the dynamic mode and then switch on the
igni tion once aga in, the
Ill warn ing light will
also come on again for a few seconds as a re­ minder .
-Automat ic lowe ring: When a speed of
about 100 mph (160 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 20 seconds , the veh icle is auto ­
mat ically lowered by 0 .8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automa tic raising: The vehicle is automati ­
cally ra ised to
low level again , if the speed
fa lls below about 80 mph (130 km/h) for a
pe riod of 20 seconds. The ve hicle i s raised
immed iate ly when speed falls be low about
22 mph (35 km/h).
Comfort
Select the comfort mode if you desire a s us­
pension setti ng w ith a special emp hasis on
comfort . Damp ing cha racte ris tics w ith a clear .,.

emphasis on comfort are selected in this
mode.
- Automatic lowering : When a speed of
abo ut 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is auto­
matically lowered by 0.6 inch (15 mm) to
low level .
-Automatic raising: The vehicle is automati­
ca lly raised to
normal level again, if the
speed falls below about 44 mph (70 km/h)
for a period of 2 minutes . The vehicle is
raised immediately when speed falls below
about 22 mph (35 km/h) .
Offroad
Select the offroad mode when you have to
travel over poor quality sections of road (e .g.
trails). In th is mode, the vehicle is raised to
high level 1, and damp ing characteristics for
poor road stretches are selected . When
sw itch ing to offroad mode, the Adaptive Air
Suspension indicator appears automat ically in
the instrument cluster display ¢
page 158.
The offroad mode can only be activated at
speeds below 37 mph (60 km/h) . Offroad
mode ends automatically and the automatic
mode is activated when a speed of approxi­
mately 50 mph (80 km/h) is exceeded.
Lift
Select the lift mode when except ionally high
ground clearance is needed at a reduced
speed. In this mode, the vehicle is raised to
high level 2. When switching to lift mode , the
Adaptive A ir Suspension indicator appears au­
tomatically in the instrument cluster display
¢ page 158.
The lift mode can be activated only at speeds
be low 12 mph (20 km/h) . When a speed of
about 25 mph (40 km/h) is exceeded, the sys­
tem automatically leaves lift mode and the
offroad mode is activated. The instrument
cluster display automat ically switches the dis­
play to Adaptive Air Suspens ion to indicate re­
duced ground clearance .
Adaptive Air Suspension 15 7
MMI settings
Applies to vehicles: wit h Adaptive A ir Suspension
Driving modes are adjusted in the MMI and
the current vehicle level is displayed .
Fig. 187 MMI Display: Sett ings
Fig. 188 MMI Display: Sett ings
Th e ign ition must be switched on to set the
driving modes.
1-Select: !CAR ! function button .
Raising and lowering
If the arrow (D ¢ fig. 187 is white or if the ar­
rows
(D blink ¢ fig. 188, the vehicle is being
raised .
If the arrow @¢
fig. 187 is white or if the ar­
rows
(D point downward and blink ¢ fig. 188,
the vehicle is being lowered .
The respective arrow stays on/blinks until the
level change is complete . The time used for a
level change can vary, depending on the cur­
rent driving conditions .
Displaying the vehicle level
The c urrent vehicle level is shown with seg­
ments filled out in the segment display@. If
only the bottom segment is filled o ut, the ve-
hicle is at highway level. If all segments are
IJJ>-