2013 AUDI Q7 wheel bolts

250 Cleaning and protec tio n
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care .
• Wash the whee ls with a sponge or hose
brush every other week.
• For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
aci d-fr ee cast alloy wheel cleaner .
• Rub a coat of
liq uid wax onto the r ims every
t h ree months. Be su re to reach and treat all
parts of the rim .
To preserve the decorat ive appearance of the
cast alloy whee ls, some specia l care is neces­
sa ry. In addit ion to road dirt and sa lt, b rake
d ust is a lso corros ive. If left on for too long,
b rake dust can cause pitting.
Use only specia l
acid-free cleaners formulated
for a lloy rims . Safe p roducts are available at
your author ized Audi dealer. Never leave the
cleane r on the rims longe r than specified on
the label. If not rinsed off promptly, the acid
contained in some cleaners can attack the
threads on the whee l bolts.
Never use ab rasive or metal polishing clean­
ing agents. If the protective coating has been
chipped, e .g. by k icked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possible.
A WARNING
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency¢
page 228, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the veh icle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 245.
-
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does no t need to be
checked.
A ll body cavities which co uld be affected by
corrosion have been thoro ughly protected at
the factory.
This sealing does not require any inspection or
addit ional treatment . If any wax should seep
out of the cav ity when the ambient tempera- ture is high, it can be removed with a p
lastic
scraper and a suitable solvent.
A WARNING
-Solvents can be dangerous.
- Benzine is flammab le and toxic. If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benz ine on the
ground, into open streams or down sew­
age drains.
- Be sure to observe all safety and environ­
mental regulat ions . Follow all instruc­
tions on the container .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 245.
, Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Audi is also thor­
oughly protected against corros ion.
Any damage to the undercoating caused by road hazards should be repaired prompt ly .
A WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong p la­
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stproof ing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. While driving, the substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
'
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 245.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other corrosive materials will
damage the material in the exhaust tail pipes
if they are not cleaned regularly. Do not clean
the tail pipes with wheel cleaner, pa int polish,
chrome polish or other ab rasive cleaners.
Clean the tail pipes with car care products
that are suitable for stainless steel.

S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/ h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1>
Your vehicle is no rma lly facto ry equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving cha rac­
ter istics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
¢ page 28 wi ll normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
¢ A .
U.S. DOT Tir e Identification Numbe r (TIN )
a nd tir e m anufactur e date
T his is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
t ire meets all federal s tandards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
F or example, the numbers 2212 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd wee k of
20 12. The othe r numbe rs a re mar ke ting co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . This informat ion is used to con­
tact consumers if a tire defect requi res a re ­
call.
Audi Original tir e
Tires with the identi fication "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched w ith your Audi . We
recommend using only t hese tires because
they meet the highest standards rega rd ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . You r authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materi als used
The number of plies indicates the n umber of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e l ett ers " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 293
genera l, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, po lye ster, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
ki lograms and pounds that can be carr ied by
the tire.
Tir e quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion, and temp eratu re resis tance
T read wear, t raction and temperat ure grades
¢ page 294.
Ma ximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the g reatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder normal driving conditions.
A WARNING ~
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
col lis ion and serious personal injury.
-Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specif ications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- T ires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
a nd then w ith speci al care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam ­
aged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
•
•

29 6 T ire s and whee ls
was manufactured . Please see q page 292,
Speed roting (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed rating letter code( ¢
page 282) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 291.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the maximum
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal inj ury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immed iately .
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. A l­
ways remember:
- When brak ing, an a ll-wheel d rive vehicle
hand les in the same way as
a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive caref ully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice conditions.
{® Fo r the s ake of the en vironment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be f itted only to the rear
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Aud i dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13 .5 mm), includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow chains on your vehicle
c::>@ . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your veh i­
cle or instal ling them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in ­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con ­
tact with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after

driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary . Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains beca use the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­ el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(0 Tips
W here snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles w ith all-whee l dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled r ims. If different rims are fit­
t e d, the cor rect wheel bolts wit h the right
lengt h and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ens ures t hat w heels a re fitted
secure ly an d that the brake system f unctions
correctly.
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a d ifferent vehicle -even if it
is the s ame mode l
~page 32 7.
& WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tig hte ned to the specified
torq ue.
Tire s an d wheel s 297
-On ly use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce t he
risk o f a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when t he vehi­
cle is mov ing.
If the tig hte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
120
ft l b ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7, 4
ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque w heel bo lts
d iagon ally . After changi ng a w heel, the
torque m ust be chec ke d as soon as poss i­
b le with a to rque wrench -preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or q ua lified work­
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped with tow aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road feel
and handli ng under a var iety of drivi ng condi­
tions. As k your au thori zed A udi dealer for
more de tails.
The low asp ect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a nu mera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n ume ra l rep resen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidew all height in rel ation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven ­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres-
sures should be checked at least once a .,..
•
•

304 What do I do now?
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang ­
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop ¢,& .
• All passengers should
leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
A-
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally ¢,& .
• Move
selector lever to position P <=> ,&.
• If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Block the diagonally opposite wheel wi th
the folding chocks or other objects.
• Take the
jack and the inflatable spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 301.
11. WARNING
=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions :
- If you have a f lat tire,
move a safe dis­
tance off the road . Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Auto mat ic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
-Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se ­
curely .
' Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the se­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢ page 159.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also ¢
page 305, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 305,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 305.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 306.
5. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 306.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢page 307 .
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly.
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 305.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢page 159.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
inf ormat ion¢ .&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page
307 and ¢page 308.

After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without do­ing the following .
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment <=>
page 171.
• As soon as possible, have the tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench . The correct tightening tor­
que is 120
ft lb (160 Nm).
• Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as poss i­
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tighten ing torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torq ues checked.
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: with decorative wheel cove rs
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fig . 262 C h ang ing a whee l: Removing the wheel cove r
Removing
• Insert the hook provided with the veh icle
tool kit in the hole in the hub.
• Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
c>fig . 262.
What do I do now? 305
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The cops must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un­
screwed .
Fig. 263 Chang ing a whee l: removing the wheel bo lt
caps
Removing
• Push the plastic clip provided with the veh i­
cle tool kit over the wheel bolt cap until it
engages .
• Pull on the
plastic clip to remove the cap
c>fig. 263.
Refitting
• Place the caps over the wheel bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle.
Fig. 264 C ha ng in g a wheel : loosen ing t he whee l bol ts ...

306 What do I do now?
Loosening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
c:> fig. 264.
Tightening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
A WARNING
- Do not use force or hurry when changing
a wheel - you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack. - You risk an injury.
@ Tips
If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find it
easier to loosen by carefully pushing down
on the end of the wheel bolt wrench with
one foot only. As you do so, hold on to the
car to keep your balance and take care not
to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
Fig. 265 Sill pane ls: mar kings
Fig. 266 Sill: posit ioning the jack
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode* (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
<::> page 159 .
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
.,. Move the
selector lever to position P .
.,. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that
is nearest the wheel that will be changed
<=>
fig. 265. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the jack.
.,. Turn the
jack located under the lifting point
on the sill to raise the jack until its arm@
<=>
fig . 266 is located under the designated
plastic mount<=>
& c::>(D .
.,. Align the jack so that its arm @ c::> fig. 266
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door sill and the movable base® lies
flat on the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under the lifting point@.
.,. Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground
c:> ,& .
Position the jack only under the designated
lifting points on the sill
<=>fig . 265. There is
exactly
one location for each wheel. The jack
must not be positioned at any other location
<=>
.&. <=> CD .
An unstable surface under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground. If nec­
essary place a sturdy board or similar support
under the jack . On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
c:> ,&.. liJI,

_& WARNING
-You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not
follow these safety precautions:
- Position the jack only at the designated
lifting points and align the jack. Other­
wise, the jack could slip and cause an
injury if it does not have sufficient hold
on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jack may cause the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide a firm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve­
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad­
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the jack only at the designated lifting
points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehicle
will be damaged.
What do I do now? 307
Taking the wheel off/installing the inflatable spare tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel
Fig. 267 Chan gin g a w hee l: alignment p in inside the
to p ho le
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows :
Removing the wheel
.. Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
and set it aside on a
clean surface.
.. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole
~ fig . 267.
.. Th en remove the other wheel bolts as de­
scribed above.
.. Take off the wheel leaving the alignment
pin in the bolt hole
~ 0.
Putting on the inflatable spare tire
.. Inflate the inflatable spare tire ~ page 303
and push the wheel over the alignment pin.
.,. Screw in and tighten all wheel bolts
slight­
ly.
.. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest .
.. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re­
leased .
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly ~
page 305. Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.