2015 AUDI Q7 check engine

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How is the anti-theft alarm system
switched off?
The anti -theft a la rm system is switched off
on ly when you unlock yo ur vehicle. If yo u do
not open a door w ith in 60 seconds after you
have unlocked with the remote control , the
ve hicle w ill lock itse lf again a utomat ically .
When will the anti-theft alarm sy stem be
triggered?
W hen the ve hicle is locked , the alarm system
mon itors and p rotects the following parts of
the vehicle:
- engi ne compartment
- lu ggage compartment
- doo rs
- i gnition
When the system is activated, the alarm will
be tr iggered if on e of the doo rs, the eng ine
h ood or t he rear lid a re opened, o r if the ig ni­
tion is turned on. The an ti-t heft alarm sys tem
will also go off when t he battery is discon ­
nected .
You can a lso tr igge r the alarm by p re ssing t he
P ANIC button o n your remote con trol. T his
will alert o ther peop le in case of emergency.
Press the
PANIC b utton again to t urn off the
a larm .
How is the anti-theft alarm switched off
when triggered?
The a larm system is switc hed off when you
u nl ock the vehicle o r whe n the ignition is
sw itched on. The alarm will also switch itself
off when it comes to the end of its cycle.
Emergency flasher and horn
The emergency flas her wi ll blink brief ly and
the hor n sounds when the doors, engine hood
a nd rear lid are proper ly closed .
If th e emergen cy fl ashe rs do no t blink , or the
horn does no t soun d, check the doors, engine
h ood an d rear lid to make sure they are prop­
erly closed.
If you close a door, t he hood o r
the rear lid w ith the anti-theft alarm sw itched
on, the emergency flashers will b link and the
Opening and clo sin g 51
horn wi ll sou nd on ly afte r you have closed the
door or li d.
(D Tips
For the anti-the ft a la rm sys te m to fu n c­
tion properly, make sure all ve hicle doors
and win dows are closed before leavi ng t he
v ehicle .
Power windows
Controls
Fig. 4 6 Drive r's doo r: power w indow sw itches
Switches for front door windows
@ o p erates the w indow in the d river's door.
® opera tes the w indow in the front passe ng-
er's door .
Switches for rear windows
© operates the left rear window.
@ operates the r ight rea r wi ndow.
Safety switch
® Safety switch for rear window operat ion.
A WARNING
- Do not lea ve c hildren unattended in t he
ve hicle, especially wi th access to veh icle
keys. Unsupervi sed us e of the keys can
resu lt in start ing of the engi ne and use
o f vehicle system s such as po wer w in­
dows, etc. w hich co uld res ult in se riou s
in jur y.
- R eme mber -you can s till ope n or close
the powe r win dows for about ten mi ­
n utes after the ign ition is switc hed off .
O nl y w hen eit her of t he fro nt doors are

60 Clear vision
Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor auto­
matically switches the head -and taillights on
and off in response to light conditions .
Fig. 56 Instrument pane l: lig ht sw it ch
The light switch must not be overturned past
the stops in
either direction.
Switching on automatic headlight control
.,. Turn the light switch to AUTO ¢ fig. 56.
Switching on the side marker lights
... Turn the light switch to :o o:.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
... Turn the light switch to tD .
... Push the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument panel¢
page 63 .
Switching off the lights
... Turn the light switch to 0.
The headlights only work when the ignition is
switched on. While starting the engine or
when switching off the ignition, the head­
lights will go off and on ly the side marker
lights will be on.
After starting the engine, the headlights are
automatically adjusted* to the load and angle
of the vehicle (for example, during accelera­
tion, braking). This prevents oncoming traff ic
from experiencing unnecessary headlight
glare from your headlights. If the
system is not ope rating properly, a
warn ing symbol in the Auto-Check Control is
displayed
¢ page 36.
With the side marker lights or headlights
switched on, the symbol next to the light
switch i lluminates
:oo :.
Daytime running lights
- USA models :
The daytime running lights
w ill come on automatically when the igni­
tion is turned on and the light switch
¢ fig. 56 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
Exterior light­
ing
c> page 61.
- Canada models: The daytime running lights
w ill come on automatically when the igni­
tion is turned on and the light switch
¢ fig. 56 is in the O position or the AUTO po ­
sition (only in daylight condit ions) ¢
.&..
Automatic headlight control
In the switch position AUTO the automatic
headlight control
is turned on. The low
beams and tail lights are turned on automati­
cally through
a light sensor as soon as ambi­
ent brightness (e .g . when driving into
a tun­
nel) falls below
a value preset at the factory .
When ambient brightness increases again,
the low beams are turned off again automati­
cally ¢
A.
In the AUTO position the low beams are
switched off automatically when the ignition
is turned off.
Light Sensor Malfunction
In the event of a light sensor malfunction , the
driver is notified in the instrument cluster dis­
play:
£I Automatic headlights / automatic wipers
defective
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
on permanently with the sw itch in
AUTO.
However, you can conti nue to turn the lights
on and off using the light switch . Have the ..,.

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the rain sensor is not activated until vehicle
speed is above 4 mph (6 km/h).
To reduce the sensitivity of the rain sensor,
the switch@ must be moved down. To in­
crease the sensitivity of the rain sensor, the
switch must be moved up.
The higher the sensitivity setting, the sooner
the windshield wipers react to moisture on
the windshield . Increased sensitivity is sig­
naled by the windshield w ipers making a sin­
gle pass over the windshield.
The rain sensor wiper intervals depend on the
sensitivity setting as well as vehicle speed .
During brief stops, wiper motion will adjust in
relation to the amount of rain on the wind­
shield.
A WARNING
- Wiper blades are crucial for safe driving!
Only when they are in good condition are
they able to clear the windows properly
to provide uncompromised visibility .
Worn or damaged wiper blades are a
safety hazard
i:::> page 69, Replacing
windshield wiper blades!
- The rain sensor is only designed to assist
and support the driver.
It remains entire­
ly the driver's responsibility to monitor
outside weather conditions and to man­
ually activate the wipers as soon as rain
or drizzle reduces visibility through the
windshield .
(D Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
- Always check that the wiper blades are
not frozen to the glass before you turn
the wipers on. Loosen a wiper blade
which is frozen in place before operating
the wipers to prevent damage to the
wiper blade or the wiper motor .
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window . Using the wipers as a conven­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades .
Clear vision 67
-Prior to using a car wash, the w indshield
wiper system must be switched off (lever
in position 0). This helps to prevent unin­
tentional switching on and damage to
the windshield wiper system.
(1} Tips
- The windshield wipers are switched off
when the ignition is turned off. Activate
the windshield wipers after the ignition
is switched back on by moving the wind­
shield wiper lever to any position .
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
cause smearing which can affect the op ­
eration of the rain sensor . Check the con­
dition of your windshield w iper blades
regularly.
- The rain sensor is part of the interval
wiping system. Turning off the ignition
will also deactivate the rain sensor. To re­ activate the sensor, switch off the inter ­
val wiping function, then switch it back
on again.
- Make sure the washer fluid reservoir in
the engine compartment is topped off
before going on a long trip. Look up
i:::> page 2 70 for checking and filling the
washer container.
Rear window wiper
T he wip er lever is also used to operate the
rear window wiper and the automa tic wiper/
washer func tion.
Fig. 69 Wipe r leve r: activat ing the re ar w indow wiper
and was her
The rear w indow wiper and the automatic wip­
er/washer functions a re activated as follows : ..,.

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Hill descent c ontrol
The hill descent control is sw itched on in off­
road mode. When slowly descending steep
gradients on loose ground or when the axles
are articulated, hi ll descent control provides
assistance by automatically applying the
brakes to keep vehicle speed constant. The ve­
h icle is also rendered easier to steer by selec­
tive distribution of braking force . Hill descent
control intervenes when:
- the accelerator 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 ax le
articulation) .
H ill descent control operates both dr iv ing for­
ward and in reverse. Active hill descent con ­
trol is deactivated by pressing the acce lerator
pedal until the conditions for act ivation al­
ready listed are met again.
A WARNING
You should only switch offroad mode on if
your dr iving abilities and road conditions
permit .
- The stabilization function is limited
when offroad mode is switched on. The
dr iv ing wheels could spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve, especia lly on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
- You should on ly sw itch offroad mode on
when d riving offroad .
(D Tips
Offroad mode cannot be switched on when
adaptive cru ise control* is sw itched on.
Brake system
Operating condit ions and d riving hab it s
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
i ng conditions and dr iv ing habits ~& . On
vehicles that are e ither driven mostly in stop-
Int ellig ent technolog y 225
and-go city t raff ic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often than specif ied in
the
Warranty & Mainten ance boo klet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking
effect of the engine . This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuously . Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi ­
t ions such as temperature and humid ity .
Mo is ture or ro ad s alt
Under certa in conditions, for example, when
driv ing through water or very heavy ra in, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads . A
few carefu l brake applications should dry off
the b rake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you are drivi ng at higher speeds with
the windshield w ipers on, the brake pads wi ll
briefly touch the brake discs in regu la r i nter­
vals so as to improve react ion time when brak­
ing on wet sur faces. You, the drive r, wi ll no t
notice anything .
T he effect iveness of the brakes can be reduced
whe n the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt-cove red
road and the b ra kes are not used. He re too,
you should clean off accumulated sa lt coa ting
from brake discs and pads with a few caref ul
applications of the brake~& .
Corrosion
The re may be a tendency for di rt to b uild up
o n the br ake pads and corros io n to fo rm on
the d iscs i f the car is not driven regularly or
o nly for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If t he brakes a re not used frequently, o r if cor­
ros ion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean off the pads and d iscs by braking .,.
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226 Intellig ent technol ogy
firm ly a few times from a mode rately high
speed ¢.&. .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake peda l travel, t hen one of the two bra ke
circ uits may have failed ¢.&. .
Low brak e flu id le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . T he brake fluid
l eve l is monitored electronically .
Bra ke boo ster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate w ith the brake pedal. It only op­
erates while the eng ine is running ¢,&. .
Brake lining we ar sta tu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection ¢
page 307, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- You should perfo rm bra king maneuve rs
for the p urpose of clean ing the b rake
system on ly if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Be fore descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and inc reased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can accumu
late on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­ ings w ill be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applicat ions .
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
b rake discs and pads with a few ca reful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
i n stall a diffe rent spoiler, be s ure the a ir
f low to the front brakes is not obs truct­
ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system .
- Fai lure of one brake circuit will impai r
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop .
- Never let the ve hicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake peda l must be pressed cons idera­
b ly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance.
Servotronic - advanced power steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with Little effort.
T he advanced Servotronic power steer ing sys ­
tem senses the road speed and electronica lly
adjusts power assistance to provide comforta­
ble and safe steering response exactly match­
ed to the vehicle speed.
Power s teer ing will not work if the engine is
off. As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn.
T he powe r steering fluid level is checked d ur-
ing the sched uled maintenance services . ..,.

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(D Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
w ill still function like a conven­
tional power steer ing system, providing a
constant steer ing support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the
steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when parking), -more effo rt will be re­
qui red than usual.
- Be awa re of the different than usual
stee ring response and adjust your stee r­
i ng force accord ingly .
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an Aud i dealer as soon as possible .
(D Tips
-When the engine is runn ing, never hold
the steer ing whee l turned a ll the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
seconds. The power s teer ing p ump w ill
overheat the hydraulic fluid if you keep ho lding the steering whee l turned a ll the
way . This is likely to damage the power
steering system .
- If the power steer ing system should fai l
entirely, or if the engine is not running
(for 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 steering system should
have a leak, or is not functioning proper­
l y, contact your authorized Aud i dealer
i mmediately.
- The power steering system requires a
spec ially formulated hydraulic fluid . T he
power steer ing reservo ir is the one locat­
ed farthest to the rear on the left side o f
the engine compartment
~ page 258.
The correct fluid leve l in the reservoir is
important for proper functioning of the
power steer ing .
Int ellig ent technolog y 22 7
Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels are driv­
en .
Gener al info rmation
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens au toma tically
depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time . See also
~ page 223.
Winter t i res
When d riving in the winter, your vehicle with
a ll-wheel drive has an advan tage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea ­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
wh eels. See also ~ page 298, Winter tires.
Tire ch ains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive~
page 299, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls/tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize . Also avoid tires
with different tread depths . For deta ils see
page ~
page 291, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
.8, WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur dr iv ing to road and t ra f­
fic conditions . Do not let the extra sa fety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Altho ugh the a ll-wheel drive is very ef ­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by tire traction . You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, you •
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when you turn on the ignition and start the
engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off or use other MMI func­
tions, the battery is being d ischa rged.
I f starting capability is jeopardized due to en­
e rgy consumpt ion, the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will
switch off in 3 minutes.
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes. If
you wish to cont inue using the functions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is be ing driven, the battery can be­
come discharged . Th is happens mostly when
little energy is be ing generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili ­
brium, consumers which require especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or swit ched off. Heating systems in par­
t icular requ ire a great deal of energy.
If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporari ly cut back or switched
off. These systems will be avai lab le again as
soon as the energy balance has been restored.
You will a lso notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . This is norma l and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener­
ated and the battery is charged.
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, this
Intelligent technology 229
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) I.ow battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
T h is not ificat ion reminds you that the start ing
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driv in g again, the battery
will be recharged and the not ific at ion w ill go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig­
nition is tu rned on or whi le driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If this driver notification appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or whi le driving and does
not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Starting ab ility is
restricted . Have the battery checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop.
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Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
11-Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
11-Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at rail­
road cross ings, or at traffic lights that have
long waits on red. Turning the engine
off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is
burned starting the engine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
11-Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects fuel
consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
Driving and environment 233
The amount of oil used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles
(S,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
t enance booklet. Lack of prop er mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission cont ro l system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
11-Try to avoid driving short distances w ith a
cold engine.
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their optimal operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious emis­
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km), liJI,
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