2015 AUDI Q7 check engine

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Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stabilization
Control (ESC) is expanded fo r operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
differential lock ing funct ion is required, the
offroad mode can be activated
c::;, page 223.
H ill descent control is a lso ava ilable in the off­
road mode, which automat ically brakes the
ve hicl e and thereby keeps speed consta nt
when differe nt w heel speeds a re detected
when descending a hill
¢page 2 2 5. Your A ud i
a lso has permanent a ll-wheel drive in addi­
tion.
H oweve r, your Aud i is no t a pure off road ve hi­
cle. I t was not built for d riving unde r extreme
conditions, e.g. fo r trips that are in the nat ure
of an expedition .
Drive only on road s and offro ad sections
which match the de sign of y our vehicl e and
you r abilitie s as a dri ver. Ne ver t ake ri sks!
Before driving offroad
- Check the eng ine oi l level, t ire pressu re,
coolant level, and the fluid level in the w ind­
shield washe r reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items a nd other objects in the
l uggage compartment, and sec ure t hem
against s lid ing aro und.
After driving offroad
- After trips off road, remove any twigs and
othe r foreign objects from the grill, the un­
derbody and the wheels. Pay spec ia l atten­
t ion to fore ign ob jects (stones) which have
become lodged in t he tire tre ad.
- Clean t he body and the vehicle unders ide,
and inspect the veh icle for possible damage.
- Clean dirty w indows, headlamp lenses, rear
li gh ts, and license plates .
- Perfo rm a brake check (particularly after
t ravell ing throug h water).
Driving off road 235
A WARNING
- Drive especially attentively and plan
ahead in diff icu lt road conditions and
when off road. Excessive speed o r inco r­
rect maneuve rs can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
-
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, t raff ic, and weath­
e r condition s. D rive e spe cially slowly off­
road when yo ur view is restricted.
- Please be aware that in offroad mode,
pa rti cularly on a smoo th and s lippery
road, the whee ls may have an increased
tendency to spin and the vehicle may
break away -danger of skidding!
- Stability is limited in the offroad mode .
@ For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to the environment and re­
spect na ture.
@ Tips
Only d rive where it is permitted and stay
on marked roads and paths.
Explanation of some technical terms
T he following data refer to ideal cond itions .
Depend ing on ve hicle load and gro und condi­
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary .
It is the driver's responsibility to decide
whether a veh icle can overcome a specific s it­
uat ion
c::;, &, .
Gradient angle
The number o f meters in altitude ga ined over
a distance of 109.4 ya rds or 100 meters
(grade) are given as a percentage o r degrees.
Information about the grad ient the vehicle
can climb under its own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power).
Max imum perm itted grade : 31
°
Gr ound cle arance
The distance between the road s urface and
the lowest point of the vehicle underbody.
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236 Driving o ff road
- Veh icles wi thout air spring s: ground clear­
ance : 8.1 in (204 .8 mm)
- Veh icles w ith adap tiv e air su sp en sion *:
maximum ground clearance: 9.4 in
(239.8 mm) at high level 2
A WARNING
Exceeding the stated maximum figures
can result in severe injuries or vehicle dam­
age.
- All the information was gathered on lev­ el, firm and non-slippery road surfaces,
and under dry weather conditions.
- Ideal conditions do not prevail offroad.
Never utilize the maximum read ings to
their fullest, always leave a safety re ­
serve .
Driving tips
On poor road and offroad, there is always on­
ly one motto : Plan ahead and drive slowly!
P lease obse rve the following when dr iving
away from paved road s:
• Drive only on roads and offroad sections
which match the design of your vehicle and
your abilities as a driver. Never take risks!
• Drive slowly and plan ahead!
• Take in to consideration the
g round cl ea r­
a nc e
of your vehicle .
• Activate the
offroad m ode Q page 223 as
needed.
• Use the
hill desce nt control ~ page 225
when driving down steep sect ions on hills.
Unp aved road s and offroad
Drive slowly on unfamiliar roads and unknown
offroad sections, and look out for unexpected
obstacles (e.g. potho les, rocks , tree stumps ,
etc .).
To prevent the vehicle from bottom ing and
avoid damage to the underbody, you should
d rive st ra ight ac ross severe bumps in the
g round with on ly one s ide of the vehicle so
that on ly two of your wheels cross the bumps. Drive brisk
ly through sandy or marshy offroad
sections and do not stop , if at all possible .
Driving through w ater
Note the following to avoid veh icle damage
when d riving through wate r, for example on
flooded roads :
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
Driving on a slope
If you ever find you rself not able to climb a
s lope, do not try to turn around, drive back
down in
r e v erse . Otherwise, you run the r isk
of tipp ing over .
If the veh icle th re at en s to t ip ov er whe n
dr ivin g a cross a slop e, you mus t immediate ­
ly ste er downhill in the dir ection of th e
s lop e.
Do not park your vehicle on steep slopes or
grades .
To reduce the risk of t ipping over, drive on
s lopes in th e direction of the downward s lope
(fall line) -
not c ross wise.
A WARNING
-After driv ing through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be s low to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads . D ry
the brakes first by brak ing carefully to re­
store t he fu ll braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrica l sys­
tem can be severe ly damaged by dr iv ing
th rough water .
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before d riv­
ing through it .
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or switch the engine off when driving
through water.

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Weight Rating will also change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash result ing in serious injury or death .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for your
vehicle would be exceeded if your vehicle is simultaneously equipped with Panor ­
amic sliding sunroof; th ird-row seating;
trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dea ler-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. 232 Perm itted ba ll posit ion of t he tra iler hitch
Trailer towing weights
W ith a factory-installed tra iler hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer we ight is 6,600
l bs (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 t railer we ight is 5,500 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
l owable or slightly lower. You can get an ap­
prox imation 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 tra iler hitch, the
maximum permissible load on the ball hitch
Trailer towing 239
may not exceed 660 lbs (300 kg). With an af­
termarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permis ­
s ib le load on the ba ll hitch may not exceed
550 lbs (250 kg).
It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
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 240.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used w ith suita­
ble ball mount and ball ¢
fig. 232. Installa­
t ion 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
(38.5 mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in (12 . 7 mm)
is perm issib le.
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 tra iler, 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 . Inf late trailer tires to trai ler and t ire
manufacturers' spec ificat ions .
Lights
The headlight settings sho uld 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-
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-Blend must contain not more than 1S%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
Applies to vehicles : wit h gasoli ne e ng in e
A majo r concern among many auto manufac­
ture rs is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 249
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
webs ite (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended per iod of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel)
No. 2. The ULSD No. 2 meets the ASTM D97S.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiesel
highe r than S % such as Bll, B2O or BlOO are
strictly prohib ited .
Se rv ice stat ion fuel pumps are labeled with
the cor rect fuel informat ion for easy recogn i­
tion by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fuel is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav­
eling to other countries .
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in very cold
temperatu res, and this can impair the en­
gine's start ing and running. Depending on the
season, gas stations provide ULSD No. 2 that
flows better in cold temperatures so that you
can continue operating your vehicle as usua l.
CD Note
-Yo ur vehicle's diesel engine was de­
signed soley for use with ULSD No. 2.
Therefore, never use gasoline, heating oil, other fuels or flow improvers. These
conta in substances that will severely
damage the fuel system and the engine . .,.
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~ Check the label on the inside of the fuel fi ll­
er flap to determine if the vehicle must be
fueled with gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refuelling procedure
~ Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasol ine
pump into the fue l filler neck as far as it will
go.
~ Se lect a medium refuelling rate so that the
no zzle switches off automatica lly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After filling your tank, twist the fuel fi ller
cap clockwise as far as it will go.
~ Close the fuel filler flap.
To avoid fuel spi lling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel fi ller cap properly
and comp lete ly. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause the M IL lamp
r=) page 2 7
to come on (only vehicles with gasoline en­
gine) .
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries .
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of f iller neck or to over­
flow. Fuel spray and ove rflow ing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone wh ile re­
fueling. The electromagnetic radiation
can cause sparks that can ignite fue l va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into you r vehicle while re­
fueling. If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle whi le
refueling, make certain that yo u close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 251
-Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your vehicle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fuel conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle . The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Stat ic electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel conta iner
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the filler no zzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and dur ing filling .
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the f iller nozzle must always be
in contact with the conta iner . This will
help prevent static electric ity from d is­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fue l inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cia l laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel container meets
in dustry standa rds (ANSI/ AS TM
F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
shou ld be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automat ica lly for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In •
•

256 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle.
F ig . 2 40 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood re lease
lever
.. With the driver's door open, pull the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow¢
fig. 240.
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
F ig. 241 Re lease lever under the eng ine hood
Before o pening the engine hood, make s ure
that the windsh ie ld w ipers are flat against the
windshie ld . Otherwise, they could damage the
pa int on the hood .
.. Lift the hood sli ght ly¢ &_.
.. Pull up on the release unde r the hood
¢
fig . 241 . This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood all the way.
A WARNING
-Hot eng ine co olant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
o pen the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the eng ine
compa rtment . W ait unt il no steam or
coo lant can b e seen o r heard before care­
fu lly openi ng the ho od.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced .
.. Le t t he hood
drop down and latch in p lace .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage ¢&_ .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up an d block your vi ew while dr iv­
i ng.
- W hen you close the engine hood, c heck it
to make sure the safety catch has p roper­
ly engaged . The hood sho uld be flush
wit h the surrou nding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing t hat t he hood
is not s ecured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment .
Whenever you must perform any wo rk in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To pr event per­
sonal injury alway s observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartm ent of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
¢ &, .
A WARNING
To he lp avoid injury, before yo u check any­
thi ng under the hoo d:
- Tu rn off the eng ine.
- Remove the igni tion key.

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-Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out .
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances . This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
Checking and filling 257
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
Q) Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. •
•

258 Checking and filling Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
Fig. 242 Typical layo ut for containers, engine oil di pstick and engin e oil fille r cap
(D W indshield/head light washer
t . (
;R ) con ainer ,.... .............. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
@ Engin e oi l filler cap ('t".:r.) . .. .. .
©
®
®
(j)
Eng ine oil dipstick .......... .
Brake fluid reservoir
((0)) ..... .
Power steering reservoir ... .. .
Jump start connector( +) under 270
263
261
260
265
226
a cover,( ·) with hex head screw 268,317
The position of the engine o il fi lling hole and
the engine oil dipstick
r=;, fig. 242 (position ®
and @) can vary according to the type of en­
gine .
_&. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
c ompartment on page 256.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interva l disp lay in t he instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it
is time for an oil change . We recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized Audi Service Advisor.
If you have to top
off the oil between oil
changes, use the Audi o il quality standard
spec ified in the table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
engine