2014 AUDI Q7 page 27

Weight Rating will also change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash resulting in serious injury or death .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
vehicle would be exceeded if your vehicle
is simultaneously equipped with Panor ­
amic sliding sunroof; third-row seating;
trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dealer-installed) . UNDER NO CIRCUM­
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN­
STALLED ON THE SAME VEHICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6.9"
MAX175mm
E
1/1 E 1/1 ... a)
m
Fig. 231 Perm itted ba ll posit ion of the trailer hitch
Trailer towing weights
With a factory-installed trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer weight is 6,615
lbs (3,000 kg). The maximum permissible un­
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
With an
aftermarket trailer hitch, the maxi­
mum permissible trailer weight is 5,512 lbs
(2,500 kg). These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed cond itions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al­
lowable or slightly lower. You can get an ap­
proximation of the tongue load with a bath­
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station .
With a
factory-installed trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible load on the ball hitch Trailer towing 241
may not exceed 662 lbs (300 kg). With an
af­
termarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permis­
sible load on the ball hitch may not exceed
551 lbs (250 kg).
It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ .& in Driving instructions on page 242.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suita­
ble ball mount and ball ¢
fig. 231. Installa­
tion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac­
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc­
tions. At the height dimension of 1.5 in
(38.S mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in (12. 7 mm)
is permissible.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid .
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar . Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire
manufacturers' specifications .
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving
off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the
ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
Ill-
•
•

24 2 Trailer towing
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
0 Note
If you are going to tow a tra ile r, you must
activa te the trailer operation mode
~ page 159, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
cor e and consid eration.
To obta in the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p le ase no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly careful when pass ing othe r
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not driv e at the maximum p ermissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stributio n
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
l ow speeds only to avoid the risk of los ing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
b le under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
b le, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
pa rtment of the tow veh icle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed . Re- duce your speed even more i
f load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
t ry to stop the swa ying by acceleratin g.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds
f or vehicles tow ing tra ile rs are lower than for
r egular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down hill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle . U se o f
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe ratu re gauge ~ page 10
must be observed caref ully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warn ing light in
the instr ume nt cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road , stop and let the engine
idle for
about two min utes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING "--
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a mov-
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
p rov ided by A udi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
-
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
ca refully you load your tra iler and operate
yo ur rig .
Before you act ua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep pract ic ing unt il you

have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficu lt and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler genera lly requires
steering action opposite to that when backing up your vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop . To compensate for the
trai ler, you will need a larger than norma l
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as you normally would be ­
cause of the added load . Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
<=> page 316.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trai ler wheels .
.. With chocks in place, slowly re lease the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Move the selector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
Trailer towing 243
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to D.
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission to P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
l ater to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.
•
•

Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 245
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
t he wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fec t may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
Q) Note
- If you wash t he vehicle in an automatic
car wash, yo u must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir ­
rors* must only be folded in and out us­
ing the power folding function.
- Compare the track of your vehicle with
the distance between the guide rails of
the facility -there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and tires .
- Compare the height and width of your
vehicle with the he ight and width of the
tunnel at the fac ility. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- T o reduce the r isk o f damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­ nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
ha rd wax .
- Never use car wash cycles that apply protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte fin ish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
a re removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the ve hicl e in facilities spec ially
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the r is k of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clean ing and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the follow ing tables.
The information contained there is s imply rec ­
ommendations . For quest ions or for compo- nents that are not listed, refer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Also
follow the information found in c> ,& .
Cle aning e xterio r
Component Situation Solution
Wip er blades
Dirty c> page 66, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights / Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap so lution a>
t a il lights
S en sor s/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera len ses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de -icing spray
•
•

24 6 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situ ation Solution
Wheels
Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Ex haust t ail Road salt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary
Deco ra tiv e Dirty Mild soap
solutional, a cleaning solution su itab le for
parts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the veh icle data label, re-
pair with touch up paint ~
page 313
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust fi lm Rust film remover, then p rotect with hard wax; fo r ques-
tions, refe r to an a uthorized Audi deale r or a qua lified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an authorized Audi dealer or a quali-
fied workshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No sh ine even Treat with suitable polish; then app ly pa int protectant if
though paint has the po lish that was used does not contain any protec-
been protected/ tant
paint looks poor
Carbon part s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as painted parts~ page 244, Car
washes
a ) M ild soap so lution: m aximu m two ta bles poons neut ral soap in a lite r of wate r
Cleaning int erior
Component Situation Solution
Windo ws
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
D
ec orative Dirty Mild soap solutional
parts/
trim
Pla st ic pa rts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mi ld soap solutional, solvent-free plast ic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary
D ispla ys Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Co ntr ols Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap
solutional
S afet y bel ts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract

Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Fuel supply
Gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ ­
men t clean and preven ts engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recomme nded fo r yo ur vehicle is un­
leaded premium
grade gasoline . A udi recom­
mends using TO P TIE R D etergent Gaso line
w it h a m ini m um oc tane ra ting of 91 A KI (9 5
RON ). For more inform ation on TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, please go to the off ici al
websi te (www .to pt iergas .com) .
T he recommended gasoline octane rating for
your eng ine can also be fo und o n a label loc at­
ed o n the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This ra t­
i ng may be specified as AK I or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operate d using un­
l ea ded regular gasoline with a min imu m oc­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. However, using
87 AK I/91 RON octa ne f ue l w ill sli ghtly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded gasoline only . Unleaded gaso­
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
an d in most E uropean cou ntries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or more informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see
q page 251.
Octane rating
Octane r ating ind icates a gaso line' s ability to
r es is t engine d am ag in g "kno ck" c aused by
p remature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
importa nt to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss o f engine performance.
G asoline mos t commonly used in the Unite d
States an d Canada has the following octane
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 249
rat in g s that can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump :
- Premium Gr ade: 9 1 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 - 90 AKI Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RO N
+MON )/2
RON= Resear ch O ctane Num ber
MO N = Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fue l w ith octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne . The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicl e's cata lytic conve rter a nd its
abi lity to control exh aust em issions.
Blended gasoline
App lies to vehicles: wi th gaso line engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You m ay use unlea ded gasoline blen ded wi th
alcohol o r M TB E (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets the
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -k n ock index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must not co nta in mo re tha n 10 %
ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or high er. ..,.
•
•

Winter operation
At temperatures below 20° F (-7° C), Diesel
fuel No.
2 loses its fluidity due to wax separa­
tion, which may clog the fuel filter or tank fil­
ter and keep the engine from running .
To help the filter from being clogged by wax,
the fuel filter in your vehicle is automatically
preheated. Preheating the fuel filter makes
operation of your vehicle possible with Diesel
fuel No . 2 down to -10° F (-24° C).
If you expect temperatures below 5° F
(-15° C) ask your fuel dealer whether their
Diese l fuel No. 2 is sufficiently winterized for
the prevailing and expected temperatures.
If not winterized or insufficiently winterized
Diesel fuel has already thickened to the extent
that the engine will not start, warm the vehi­
cle up by leaving it in a heated garage.
It is normal that the engine noise leve l (die­
seling) is louder during the warm-up period in
winter.
It is also norma l when whitish-blue
smoke comes out of the tailpipe after start ing
and during warm-up . The amount of smoke
depends on the outs ide temperature.
Do not let your Diese l engine id le unnecessari­
ly after a cold start. Driving off slowly will
shorten the warm-up period .
A WARNING
-Never use "starting assist fluids." They
may be potent ially explosive or cause a
"run-away" engine condition. This could
result in serious engine damage and per­
sonal injury.
- Never use fuel line anti-freeze offered for
gasoline engines .
0 Note
- Refueling with gasoline when your vehi­
cle has a diesel engine can cause very se­
rious and expens ive engine and fuel sys­
tem damage that is not covered by any
A udi Limited Warranty.
- If you put any amou nt of incorrect fuel in
the fuel tank, do not start the engine un-
-
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 251
der any circumstances. Immediately con­
tact the nearest authorized Audi dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Fac ility for as­
sistance. These fuels contain substances
that can severely damage the fuel sys­
tem and the engine if the engine is start ­
ed .
- Veh icles with diesel engines must never
be refueled or driven with gasoline, kero­
sene, heating oil, or other non-specified
fuels that have not been expressly ap­ proved for use with the diesel engine.
Other kinds of fuel can cause serious
damage to the fuel system and the en­
gine that is not covered by any Audi Lim­
ited Warranty.
- If Diesel fuel should get on any rubber
hose, it must be wiped off immediately.
Then wash the contaminated hose por­
tion with soap and warm water. Do not
allow D iesel fuel to remain on connect­
ing hoses . They may develop leaks and
cause serious damage.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system shou ld fai l, you
can still open the flap manually -for detailed
instructions see¢
page 254.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle inc::>
page 315.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
tells you the correct fuel for your veh icle. For
more information abo ut fuel specifications,
see c::>
page 249.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel­
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fue l vapors from escaping from the
tank and pollut ing the environment while you
refuel yo ur vehicle. In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful-
~-~
•
•

252 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car .
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause afire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F8S2 -86).
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supp ly
of fuel can cause misfiring . Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig . 232 Right rear vehicle side : Open ing t he fue l filler
fl ap
Fig. 233 Fu el cap hooked on the opened fue l filler fl ap
When adding fuel, the ignition and any cellu­
lar phones in the vehicle must be switched
off . When activating the central locking, the fuel
filler flap is automatically unlocked or
locked. Refuel the vehicle with the ignition
turned
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
.,. To open the fue l filler f lap, press on the left
side of the flap¢
fig. 232 -arrow-.
.,. Unscrew fue l filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap ¢
fig. 233.
.,. Check the label on the inside of the fuel fill­
er flap to determine if the vehicle must be
fueled with gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refuelling procedure
.,. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it wi ll
go .
.,. Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is fu ll.
Putting the fuel cap back on
.,. After filling your tank, twist the fuel filler
cap clockwise as far as it wi ll go.
.,. Close the fuel filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap proper ly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp¢
page 27
to come on (only vehicles with gasoline en ­
gine) .
_&. WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe bu rns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fu lly into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over­
f low . Fu el spray and overflowing fue l can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnetic radiat ion
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire .