2017 AUDI Q7 warning lights

Driving
engaged, for examp le when you notice that the
next traffic light is red . This produces an engine
braking effect, wh ich helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumpt ion to zero (fuel shut-off during decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficientl y
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the acce lerator peda l slowly and
avoid "k ick -down".
Avoid full acceleration
You sho uld rarely t ravel a t the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disp ropor tionately
h igh increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise . Driving more slowly saves fue l.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* helps to reduce the id ling
time automatically. In vehicles wi tho ut the Start/
Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the engine
off when stopped at rai lroad crossings and long
red lights . Stopping the engine for 30 -40 sec ­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the eng ine.
I t takes a very long time in idle to wa rm the en ­
gine up to operating temperature . Wear and
emissions are especially high in the wa rm -up
phase. Therefore, yo u should begin driving im­
mediately after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while do ing th is .
Have ma intenance performed regularly
By having maintenance performed regu larly on
your veh icle, you can help to reduce f uel con­
sumpt ion before yo u even start to dr ive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long -term value but a l­
so impacts f uel consumption . A poorly main­
tained engine can lead to f uel consumpt ion that
is 10% higher tha n normal.
80
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exh aust clean ing syste m mus t
r each their op tima l operating temperatu re to ef­
fectively reduce consumption and emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isp roportion ately high
amoun t of fue l. The e ngine re aches opera ting
temperat ure and cons umption norma lizes on ly
after approximate ly 2.S mi les ( 4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save fue l, ma ke sure the t ires are always in­
flated to the corre ct press ure
~ page 343. The
f uel consumpt ion c an increase by S% if the p res­
s ur e is only 0 .S bar too low. Due to the inc reased
rol ling resistance, low tire pressures w ill also
l ead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on winter tires year -round, as this
will consume up to 10% more f ue l.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since eve ry po und of ext ra weight increases f uel
consump tion, a quick inspect io n of the luggage
compartment may be wo rth it to avoid unneces ­
sary weight .
When not be ing used, a roof ra ck sho uld be re­
moved to decrease the w ind resis tance of the ve­
hicle . This will save yo u approx ima tely 12% fue l
at speeds from 62 -7S mph (100 -120 km/h) .
Save energy
The engine d rives the generator, which generates
electri city; the f uel consumpt ion also increases
with t he deman d for e lec tricity . T he refore, sw itch
electrica l eq uipment o ff when you no longe r
need it . Examples of eq uipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating* .
CJ) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights s hould come on to
i ndicate imprope r operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also prod uces
h eat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or othe r proper­
ty .

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:E: ' Start/Stop system*
See the information in r:!:> page 84, Start/Stop
system.
A WARNING , ~
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
-
@ Note
Avoid high engine speed, full throttle, and
heavy engine load if the engine has not
reached operating temperature yet. You could
damage the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run while parked to
warm up. Begin driving immediately. This re­
duces unnecessary emissions.
(D Tips
-Some noise after starting the engine is nor­
mal and is no cause for concern.
- If you leave the vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off af­
ter a certain amount of time. Make sure that
electrical equipment such as the exterior
lights are switched off.
Starting the engine
.,. Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
.,. Press the
I STAR T ENGINE STOPI button
r::!:> page 82, fig . 86 .
Emergency off function*
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can also
be turned off while driving at speeds starting at
4 mph (7 km/h) . To switch the engine off, press
the
! START ENGINE STOPI button twice in a row
briefly or press and hold for longer than two sec­
onds.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You must use
Driving
more force to turn or brake. Because you
cannot steer and brake as you usually
would, this could lead to accidents and seri­ ous injuries .
- Always take the key with you whenever you
leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the engine
could be started or electrical equipment
such as the power windows could be operat­
ed. This can lead to serious injury.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle with the selector lever in the P position .
Otherwise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally .
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off and there is a risk of damaging
the engine. For this reason, let the engine run
for at idle for approximately two minutes be­
fore shutting it off.
(D Tips
For up to 10 minutes after stopping the en­
gine, the radiator fan may turn on again auto­
matically or it may continue to run (even if
the ignition is switched off) for the following reasons :
- The coolant temperature is increasing due
to trapped heat .
- If the engine is warm and the engine com­
partment also heats up from strong sun­
light.
- Applies to: vehicles with diesel particulate
filter: The emissions control system is heat­
ed through the regeneration process, even if
the engine has not reached its operating
temperature yet .
Messages
Engine running. Warning! Turn off ignition be­
fore leaving vehicle
This message appears and a warning tone sounds if you open the driver's door when the engine is
running . .,._
83

Driving
[jj indicator light appears in the instrument clus­
ter disp lay, the engine will not be stopped, for
examp le in the follow ing s ituations:
- T he eng ine has not reached the minimum re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode .
- The inter io r temperature selected by the cli-
mate contro l system has not been reached.
- The outs ide temperature is ext remely high/low.
- The w indshield is being defrosted .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low .
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle or
is mov ing.
- After engaging the reverse gear .
- On sharp inclines.
-At high a ltitudes.
Engine automaticall y restarts
The standard Start/Stop mode will be cance led
during a stop phase in the fo llow ing s ituations.
The engine resta rts wit hout any action by the
d river.
- The vehicle rolls, for examp le while on a s lope.
- The inter ior temperature differs from the tem-
perature se lected in the A/C system.
- The w indshield is being defrosted.
- The brake pedal is pressed several times in a
row.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Power consumption is high.
The engine can tu rn off again when the condi­
tions for Start/Stop mode are met .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the veh icle bat tery from d rain ing, the
ign it ion wi ll switch off a utomat ica lly under the
following conditions:
- The Sta rt/Stop system has stopped the eng ine .
- The vehicle is stationary.
- You left the vehicle and the eng ine was not re-
started within approximate ly 30 seconds.
I f this happens, you wi ll see the message
Igni­
tion turn s off automaticall y in the instrument
cluster and the activated low beams are replaced
by the parking lig ht. The parking lights will
sw itch off after approx imately 30 minutes or
when you lock the vehicle.
86
The ignition also sw itches o ff when you lock the
vehicle from the outside during a stop phase.
If t he Start/Stop system has not tu rned off the
engine or if yo u have switched the S tart/Stop sys ­
tem off manually, the ignition wi ll not be auto ­
matically switched off and the engine will contin­
u e to run
Q .&. .
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
- If you leave the ve hicle with the D/S or R se­
lector lever position engaged, the parking
brake is automatically set.
- If you select the D or N selector lever posi­
t ion after sh ifting into reverse, the vehicle
must be driven faster than 6 mph (10 km/h)
in order fo r the engine to switch off again .
Manually switching the Start/Stop system
off /on
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
-- -- - --=-
,__ -~-----__ ...
~. ~- • - ,,,.. ~ .. 'l> '* A ·- -- ~ -
Fig . 89 Ce nter console: Start/Sto p system button
-
.,. To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press t he
l(:.l) .. I button . The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is switched off.
@ Tips
If you switch the system off du ring a stop
phase, the engine will start aga in automati­
cally.

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:E: ' _& WARNING
-If you do not begin driving immediately or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake pedal, your vehicle may begin to roll back­
ward . Press the brake pedal or set the park­
ing brake immed iately.
- The intelligent technology of hill hold assist
cannot overcome the lim itations imposed by
natural physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by hill hold ass ist should not cause
you to take safety risks .
- Hi ll hold assist cannot hold the veh icle in
place on all hills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
wh ile stat ionary.
Off road driving
General information
The electronic stabilization contro l (ESC) func­
tions were enhanced for driving offroad. Offroad
mode can be activated when driving in situat ions
where slippage or a differential lock function is
necessary
Q page 149. The hill descent ass ist is
a lso available, which automatically brakes the ve­
hicle and maintains a constant speed as a result
~page 150. In addition, your Audi prov ides con­
tinuous all wheel drive.
H owever , your Aud i is not a purely offroad vehi­
cle . Your vehicle was not designed to d rive unde r
extreme ope rating conditions such as driving in
an expedition style.
Only drive in terrain that is suitable for the vehi­
cle and your driving ability . Never take any un­
necessary risks!
Before driving offroad
- Check the eng ine oil level, the tire pressure, the
coolant level and the fluid level in the washer
fluid reservoir .
- Store pieces of luggage and other objects in the
luggage compartment and secure them from
s li ding out of place.
Driving
After driving offroad
-After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator grille, under­
body, and wheels . Look especially for foreign
objects (such as stones) that may be stuck in
the tire tread.
- Clean the vehicle body and underbody and in­
spect the vehicle for possible damage.
- Clean the windows, headlights, tail lights and
the license plate if they are dirty.
- Per form a brake test (especially after driving
through water).
_& WARNING
- Be especially cautious and aware when driv­
ing under difficu lt cond it ions and when off­
road. Veh icle damage and injuries may occur
when dr iv ing at excessively high speeds or
with incorrect driving maneuvers.
- Always adjust your speed and driving style
to the roads, terrain, traffic and weather
conditions . Drive especially slowly if there is
low visibility when offroad.
- Please note that the wheels can sp in more
and the vehicle can swerve when in offroad
mode, espec ially when the road is slippery
or has loose surface material.
- Driving stability is reduced when in offroad
mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environment and show
consideration for nature .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is permitted and always
stay on the prov ided roads and paths .
Explanation of technical terms
The following data is based on idea l conditions .
T he values may vary depending on the load,
ground composition and the environment. The
driver is therefore responsible for deciding
whether a vehicle can hand le a specific situation
¢ £ . ~
89

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the tra ile r operation mode
¢page 100.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trai ler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your ve hicle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle 's chassis at a
technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always chec k w it h t he t rail ­
er hitch man ufactur er to make s ure t hat you a re
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch m ust be installed i n such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper sys tem . N o mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck t hat all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely faste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from behind¢ &..
98
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped wi th a bra king sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to all regu la ­
tions.
The trailer hydrau lic br ake system mus t not be
directly connecte d to the vehicle's hydr auli c
brake system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ect wir ing , sw itches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outs ide mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirro rs. It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
A WARNING
-
- After remov ing the tra iler hitch, do not
sto re it in your vehicle . In case of sud den
braking , th e hitch co uld fl y forwar d and i n­
jure you o r yo ur passenge rs.
- I f a tra ile r has e lectr ica l brakes p lease no te
t h at the se brakes are not ac tivated by the
fact ory-fi tted contro l uni t - r isk of accident!
- N ever i nst all a "we igh t distribut ing" or
"lo ad equ alizing" trailer hi tch o n yo ur veh i­
cle. The vehicle was not desig ned fo r these
kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attach ­
ment can fai l, ca us ing the tra iler to tear
loose from the vehicle .
- The Gross Veh icle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B -pillar, m ust never
be exceeded under any circumstances. Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rati ng of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
and such damage will not be covered by
your Limi te d N ew Vehicle War ranty. Exceed ­
ing the G ros s Ve hicl e W eight Ratin g will al-
so ch ange the pe rform ance and ha ndling .,._

Trailer towing
- Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle .
- Always se lect
Auto or Comfort mode. Ot h­
erwise, the tongue load specified for your
vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Messages
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car res ults
i n a hig hly unstable dist ribution of weight. If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at ve ry low speeds o nly
to avoid the risk of lo sing s teeri ng con trol.
A "balanced" rig is eas ie r to operate and cont rol.
T his means that the tow veh icle should be loaded
to the exte nt poss ible a nd permiss ible , while
keep ing the tra ile r as lig ht as possib le unde r th e
circumstances . Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the l uggage compa rtment of the
tow vehicle whi le observ ing tongue load req uire­
ments and ve hicle loading considerat ions.
Speed
T he higher the spee d, the more d ifficult i t be­
comes for the drive r to co ntro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
conditions a re unfavorable -part icularly when
going downhill.
Re du ce veh icle spee d
immediately if the trai le r
shows the s lightest sign o f swaying.
Do not try
to stop the sway ing by accele rating .
Observe speed lim its. In some areas, speeds for
ve hicles towing trai lers are lower than for reg ular
veh icles.
A lways app ly b rakes early. When dr iv ing down ­
hi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to ove rheat and fail.
Air suspension*
If you are connecting a trailer to a fa cto ry -ins tal­
led trai ler hitch, trai ler mode a utomat ic all y
switches on in the ai r suspensio n. This will limit
the reg ulation by the a ir s usp ension whi le dr iv -
100
ing . If you want to swi tch off tra iler mode wh ile
driving, for example when using a bicycle rack system, se lect in the Infota inment system :
IM ENUI button> Vehicle > left control button>
Vehicle settings > Air suspension: trailer .
If the vehicle has a retrofitte d tra iler hitc h, the
trailer mo de might not switch on automatically .
In this case, switch the tra iler mode on before
hitc hing the tra iler and switch it off after un­
hitc hing the tra ile r.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant tempe rat ure gauge c:::> page 11 m ust
be obse rved caref ully. The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive o n long inclines in a low
gear at high eng ine speeds. Reduce your speed
i mmediately if the LEDs in the top part of the d is ­
play turn on .
Fo r more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
c:;, page 26.
A WARNING
Anyone not prope rly res trained in a moving
v e hicle is a t a much greater risk in an acci ­
d ent. Never l et anyon e ride in your car who is
n ot prope rly we aring the rest rain ts provide d
by Au di.
Trailer towing
information
' Important to know
-
You r vehicle handles d ifferently when towing a
t railer becau se o f th e ad dit iona l we igh t and dif­
f erent we igh t d istribu tion. S afety, per forman ce
and eco nomy will g reatly depend on how caref ul­
l y you load your trai ler and operate yo ur rig .
B efo re yo u ac tually tow yo ur trailer, pra ct ice
tu rning, s to p ping and b acking up in an are a away
from traffic. Keep pra ct icing u nti l yo u h ave be­
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way yo ur vehi­
cle-tra ile r combination behaves and responds .
Bac king up is diff icul t and requ ires pra ctice.
Backing up w ith a trailer genera lly req uires steer ­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle witho ut a t railer .

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:E Predictive control
(efficiency assist)
Description
App lies to: ve hicles with Audi adaptive cruise co ntro l an d pr e·
di ctive efficiency assist
Fig. 111 Instrument cluster: pred ictive control
General information
The predictive control 1l uses the map informa­
tion from the navigation system in order to react
proact ively when driv ing. Information from the
camera-based traffic sign recognition* is also ap­ plied to recognize traffic signs
<:!)page 104.
When coming up to areas with speed limits or
changes in the course of the road (such as curves,
intersections or traffic circles), the system brakes
automatically and then accelerates back up to
the set speed .
When adaptive cruise control is switched off, the
system only provides notifications without con­
trolled interventions ¢
page 105.
The driver can override the predictive control at
any time by pressing the accelerator or brake
pedal. If the system changes the vehicle speed to
adapt to speed limits, you can change the speed
using the lever
¢ page 110, fig. 106 .
Always switch off the predictive control in
the following situations:
- When increased attention is needed from the
driver .
- In poor weather conditions such as snow or
heavy rain.
- When driving on roads in poor condition .
ll This is not ava ila ble in some co untrie s.
Assistance systems
Indicator in the instrument cluster display
When switching on the adaptive cruise contro l
for the first time, the message
ACC: 11D + B ac­
tive
in the instrument cluster indicates the avail·
ability of the predictive control.
T he symbol appears when the system
is regulating the speed to match a speed limit . If
this is the case, the system is reg ulating a speed
of 50 mph (80 km/h). The speed is then taken
over by the adaptive cruise control. The speed in
the speedometer LED ring adjusts to the speed to
be maintained
¢ page 109, fig . 105. The ..
¢
fig . 111 symbo l appears when there is an adap ­
tation to the route ahead .
If you are in the Driver assistance display in the
instrument cluster, then the following symbols
will indicate which occurrence the system is cur­
rently responding to:
Symbol Meaning
MPH USA
models:
Speed limit
km/h
Canada models:
Speed limit
Ir
Curve
_l!L
1i1
Intersection
~ ): Traffic c ircle
A WARNING
- Read the warnings on ¢.&. in General infor­
mation on page 108
and on¢ .&. in Descrip­
tion on page 104 .
- Pay attention to traffic and the area around
your veh icle when predictive control is
switched on. The driver is always responsi­
ble for assessing the traffic situation.
- There is an increase in the risk of an acci­
dent, because the system does not consider
"right of way" rules and also does not re-
spond to traffic lights. ._.
113

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:E: ' In a speed range under 40 mph (65 km/h), traffic
jam assist can help to keep the vehicle within a lane calculated by the system. W ith in the lim its
of the system, the system controls the steering
automatically when adapt ive cruise control is
switched on . Since traffic jam assist is only an as­
sist system, the driver must always keep his or
her hands on the steer ing whee l and be ready to
steer. The d rive r ca n override the control at any
time by actively steering.
The system is designed for driv ing on express­
ways and highways.
Switching traffic jam ass ist on and off
... Press the button to switch the system on and
off<=> fig. 112.
... To turn the system off completely, select in the
Infotainment system:
I MENU ! button> Vehicle
> left contro l button > Driver as sistance > Traf­
fic jam a ssist .
If traff ic jam assist was deactivated through the
Infotainment system, you can cont inue operating
the act ive lane assist using the<=>
fig. 112 button
<=> page 124. The traffic jam ass ist functions are
no longer available.
Requirements for using traffic jam assist:
-Traffic jam assist must be switched on in the
Infota inment system .
- Adaptive cruise control must be switched on
and act ive
c;, page 109 .
Always switch off traffic jam assist in the
following situations:
-When increased attention is needed from the
driver .
- In poor weather conditions such as snow or
heavy rain .
- When driving on roads in poor condition .
- In construction zones.
- In city driving .
Traffic jam assist availability:
When you are in the Driver assistance view in the
in str ument cluster disp lay, the indicator light
turns on¥ and the message
Traffic jam assist
available
appears if a traffic jam situation was
detected. You can open the
Driver assistance dis -
Assistance systems
play using the mu ltifunction steering wheel but­
tons
c;, page 12. To activate traffic jam assist, you
must press the
<=> fig. 112 button and switch on
the adaptive cruise control
c;, page 109.
Indicator lights
Ill and II-traff ic jam assist is on. Vehicles driv­
ing ahead were detected. Your vehicle adapts
whi le driving
c;, fig. 113.
•- traffic jam assist sw itches off if the driver
does not take over steer ing after multiple driver
intervention requests . The system brakes the ve ­
hicle until it is stationary.
A WARNING
-A lways keep your hands on the steering wheel
so you can be ready to steer at any t ime. The
driver is always responsible for staying in a lane and for assessing traffic s ituations . Read
and follow the warnings
on<=>.& in General
information on page
108. Never use traffic
jam ass ist in the following situations or you
will increase the risk of an accid ent.
- Driving offroad or on unpaved roads. Traffic
jam assist is only designed for use on paved
roads.
- In city driv ing o r in construction zones.
- On curv ing stretches of road.
- In narrow lanes.
- In unclear traffic situat ions such as at inter-
sections or toll stat ions.
@ Tips
You are not necessarily guided to the center
of your lane.
115