2018 AUDI Q7 brake

Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r ' eliminates the tendency to cree p when a se ­
lector lever position is engaged . As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the park ing
brake releases automat ica lly and your vehicle
starts to move
r=> page 83.
(D Tips
- Occas iona l noises when the par king b ra ke is
set and re leased a re normal and a re not a
ca use for concer n.
- The park ing bra ke goes th rough a se lf-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises associated w it h this are
normal.
- If there is a power fa ilure, the parking brake
will not set if it is re leased, and it will not
r elease if it is set
r=> ..&, . See a n author ized
A udi dealer or autho riz ed A ud i Service Fa­
cil ity fo r ass is tan ce.
Starting to drive
Various conven ience and safety functions may be
ava ilable when t he vehicle begins dr iv ing, de­
pending on vehicle eq uipment.
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
Requirement: the doors must be closed and the
driver's safety belt must be fastened .
~ To start driving comfortably when on a hill, set
the parking brake and begin dr iving as usual.
The braking force of the parking brake does not
release automatically u ntil the wheels build up
enough dr iv ing fo rce .
St arting on hills with hill hold a ssist
Hill hold ass ist makes it eas ier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be r unning .
~ To activate hill hold assist, press a nd hold the
brake peda l for seve ral seconds. The ve hicle
must be in an up hill direction of travel.
Afte r releasing the bra ke pedal, the bra king pow­
e r i s ma inta ined for a br ief moment
r=> & t o p re­
ve nt the vehicle from rolling back when starting .
During this time, you can easi ly begin to move
your ve hicle .
Driving
A WARNING
--
-If you do not beg in driving immed iate ly or
the engine stalls afte r releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may beg in to roll back­
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park­
i n g br ake immedia tely.
- The intelligent technology of h ill hold assist
can not ove rcome the limitat io ns imposed by
n atural physical laws. The increased comfort
offe red by hill ho ld assist should not cause
you to ta ke safety risks .
- Hi ll hold ass ist canno t hold the vehi cle in
p lace on all hills (for examp le, if the ground
is s lippery or icy).
- T o re duce the r is k of an accident, alw ays
make su re the ve hicle is situated safe ly
while stationary .
Offroad driving
General information
The electronic stab il izat io n control (ESC) func­
tions were enhanced for driving offroad . Offroad
mode can be activated when driv ing in situa tions
whe re s lippage o r a d iffe ren tial lock f unct ion is
ne cessary
r:=>page 143. The hill desce nt assist is
also availab le, w hic h automatically brakes the ve ­
hicle and maintains a constant speed as a res ult
r:=> page 144. In addition, your A udi provides con­
t inuous all wheel dr ive.
However, yo ur Audi is not a purely offroad vehi ­
cle . Yo ur vehicle was not designed to drive under
extreme operating conditions s uch as driv ing in
an expedit ion style.
Onl y drive in terrain that is su itable fo r the vehi­
cle and you r dri ving ability. Never take any un­
ne cessa ry risks!
Befor e driving offroad
-Check the engine o il leve l, the tire p ressure, the
coo lant level and t he fluid leve l in t he washer
fluid reservoir .
- Sto re pieces of luggage and other objects in the
luggage compartment and secure them from
sliding out of place. .,.
83

Drivin g
Aft er d riv ing offroad
- After dr iv ing offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator gri lle, under­
body, and whee ls. Look especia lly for foreign
obj ects (such as stones) that may be stuck in
the tire tread.
- Clean th e ve hicle body and underbody and in ­
spect the vehicle for possib le damage.
- Clean t he windows, headlights, tail lights and
the license plate if they are dirty.
- Perform a brake test (especia lly after driving
through water) .
A WARNING
-Be especia lly cautious and aware when driv­
ing under d ifficult conditions and when off­
road. Vehicle damage and injuries may occur
when driving at excessively high speeds or
with incorrect dr iv ing ma neuvers .
- Always adjust your speed and driving style
to the roads, terra in, traffic and weather
cond it ions. Dr ive espec ially slowly if there is
low v is ib ility when offroad.
- Please note that the wheels can spin more
and the vehicle can swerve when in off road
mode, especially whe n the road is s lippery
o r has loose su rface material.
- Driv ing stab ility is reduced w hen in off road
mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environment and show
cons iderat io n for nature .
(D Tips
Only dr ive where it is permitted and always
stay on the provided roads and paths .
Explanation of technical terms
The follow ing data is based on ideal cond itions .
The va lues may va ry depe nd ing on the load ,
g ro und compos it io n and the environment. The
d river is therefore responsib le for decid ing
whether a vehicle can handle a specific situation
¢ .&_ .
84
Incline angle
A rising diffe re nce in al titude (i ncline) on a 109
yard ( 100 m) stretch is given in pe rcentage or de­
grees . Data indicating whet her the vehicle can
drive up an incline by itse lf (dependent on the
road surface and the engine power among other
factors). Maximum permitted incline angle: 31
°
Gr ound cl ea rance
The distance between the road surface and the
l owest point on the vehicle underbody.
- Vehicles with steel su spen sion : ground clear­
ance: 8.3 in (210 mm)
- Vehicl es with air su spen sion* : maximum
gro und clea rance : 9. 7 in (245 mm)
A WARNING
E xceeding the spec ified maximum va lues can
l ead to severe persona l injuries or vehicle
damage .
- All data was collected on flat, firm, non­ slippery road s urfaces and under dry weath ­
er conditions .
- Ideal conditions do not app ly to offroad
driving . Never go all the way up to the maxi ­
m um val ues, b ut rather a lways leave a safe­
ty margin.
Messages
There is only one motto when driving in difficult
conditions and off road: drive slowly and with
caution !
Observe the following when driving on unpaved
roads:
.,. Onl y dr ive in ter rai n t hat is suitable fo r the ve ­
hicle and yo ur driv ing ability . Never take any
unnecessa ry risks!
.,. Drive s low ly and carefu lly .
.,. Pay attent ion to the
g round clear ance of your
veh icle.
.,. Activate the
offroad mode as needed
¢ page 143.
.,. Use the hill de scent as sist when d riving down
steep hills ¢
page 144. .,..

Driving
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency.
The transm ission switches to a spo rty mode afte r
a ki ck-down or when the drive r uses a
sp o rty
driving sty le
character ized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
I f desired, the driver can a lso select the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode)¢ page 89.
Selecting a selector lever position
Fig. 85 Center conso le : se lec tor lever
The cu rrent selecto r leve r pos ition is s hown nex t
to the selector lever ~
fig. 85 . The current selec ­
tor lever position is also shown in the instrument
cluste r display .
.. Yo u may need to re lease the selec tor lever lo ck
depen ding on which selector lever position is
selected and which one you would like to se­
lect.
.. To do this, press the lock ing button
(I) on the
selector lever¢
fig. 85.
.. To engage the nearest selector lever position,
move the se lector lever forward/back unt il you
feel t he fi rst press ure point. The selector lever
will ret urn to its origina l posit ion.
.. To skip over one sele ctor lever pos ition, move
the selecto r lever past the press ure point into
the des ired posi tion . The se lector lever will re ­
turn to its original position.
F or examp le, you c an skip over t he "N" position if
you would like to go directly from "D " into "R".
86
Selector lever lock
The selector leve r lock prevents yo u from select­
i ng a position unintentionally , causing the vehicle
to roll. When engag ing some selecto r lever pos i­
tions, you must press the locking button @on
the selector lever and/or press the brake peda l
¢fig. 85.
You m ust press the brake peda l to engage a se ­
l ector lever position when the engine is running
and the vehicle is stationary .
You do not have to press the brake pedal if you
shift from a drive gear
(" D/S") to reverse gear
("R") within one second . This allows yo u to "rock"
the veh icle to free it when it is stuck.
P - Park
This selector leve r position preven ts the vehicle
from ro lling . On ly shift into park when the vehi­
cle is stationary ¢&. . T o se lect the "P" selecto r
l ever posit ion, press the "P " button @on these­
lector lever¢
fig. 85. P appears next to the se lec­
tor lever.
You can only shift out of park when the engine is run ning and you are pressing the brake peda l. To
release the parking lock, press the brake pedal,
press the locking button @on the selector lever
and select the des ired position ¢
fig. 85.
"P" engages automatically if you switch the en­
gine off whi le the se lector lever is in "D ", "E", "S",
"R" or manual mode.
If you switc h the eng ine off when the " N" selecto r
l ever posit ion is selected, the t ransm iss ion re­
mains in "N " for approximately 30 min utes and
then "P" is engaged. The vehicle is not secured
from ro lling in the "N " selector lever posit ion, so
yo u need to set the parking brake®)¢
page 81.
You must use the park ing lock emergency release
before towing the vehicle¢
page 91.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in th is posi tion . On ly
select reverse gear when the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running at idle speed¢&. . T o
engage the "R" selector lever position, press the brake peda l, press the locking button
(I) on the ..,.

Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r ' selector lever, and select the "R" pos ition
¢ fig . 85.
A confirmation tone w ill sound when the reve rse
gear is engaged.
N · N eutral (idle )
The transm iss ion is in idle in this pos ition. To en­
gage the "N" selector lever position, press the l o cki ng button (!) on the se lector lever a nd sh ift
in to t he "N " posit ion¢
fig. 85.
If you sw itch the engine off w hen the "N" selector
l ever pos ition is se lected, the transmission re­
mains in "N" for app rox ima tely 30 minutes and
then "P " is engaged.
You cannot select the "N" pos ition w hen the ign i­
tion is sw itched off . W hen d riving through an au­
tomatic ca r wash, first select the "N" posi tion and
then tur n t he eng ine off.
For safety reasons, the vehicle ca nnot be locked
when the transm ission is in the
"N" pos it ion.
D IS -Dri ving forward
When the transmission is in the "D/S" posit ion, it
can be operated either in the normal "D" mode or
in the "S " sport mode . Move the selector lever
back to engage the "S" spo rt mode . You can only
se lect the "S" selector lever position when the "D"
or "E " posit ion is selected. To select the "D" or " E"
posi tion again w hen "S " is engaged , move the se­
l ector lever back ¢& . T o shift from "N" to "D"
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), press the brake pedal and s hift into the "D" posi ­
tion
c> & .
I n t he
no rmal mode "D ", t he transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Selec t the
spo rt mode "S" for spo rty driving . The
ve hicle makes full use of the engine's power .
Shifting may become noticeab le when acce lerat­
ing.
The "S" selector lever posit ion engages a utomat i­
cally when you se lect
Dynamic mode in drive se­
l ect*.
Driving
A WARNING
-Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignit ion is
sw itched off.
- Power is still transmitted to t he whee ls
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever pos itions (except "P" and "N") when
the eng ine is ru nning .
- Before ope ning the hood, select the "P" se­
lecto r lever posit ion and set the pa rking
b rake. This red uces the risk of an acc ident.
A lways read and follow the app licab le wa rn­
i n gs¢
page 319, Working in the engine
compartment .
(D Tips
If you accidenta lly select "N" whi le dr iv ing,
t a ke yo ur foot off the acce le rato r pedal and
w ait fo r th e e ngine to slow down to idle be ­
f o re selecting "D" or "S".
Driving tips
Starting th e engine
.. The "P" or "N " posit ion must be selected .
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the b rake peda l.
.. Sta rt the engine ¢
page 77.
.. Press the locking button (Don the selecto r lev ­
er and se lect the "D " "E " "S " or "R " posit io n
' '
i=:> page86.
.. Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the gear engages.
.. Re lease the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor pedal
c> ,& .
Various convenience functions are available for
start ing on h ills
c> page 83.
Stopping t emporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to sto p the veh icle, for
examp le at a traffic light . Do not press the ac-
celerator pedal when doing this . .,._
87

Drivin g
~ To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop ­
ping on steep hills¢
/A.
~ The parking brake will release automatically
and your vehicle will begin to move when the
doors are closed, the driver's safety belt is fas ­
tened, and you accelerate as usual.
Stopp ing /p a rki ng
If the selector lever is not in the "P" position
when you open the dr iver's door, the veh icle
could roll.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal¢ /A.
~ Set the parking brake.
~ To select the "P" selector lever pos it ion, press
the "P" button @on the selector lever
¢ page 86, fig . 85 .
Under certain condit ions, such as driving in the
mounta ins or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
and sh ift
manually to adapt to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 89.
On hills, set the parking brake first and then s hift
into the "P" position¢
page 81. This prevents too
much stress from being placed on the locking
mechanism .
.8, WARNING
- The veh icle can roll eve n when the engine is
swit ched off.
- Unintended ve hicle movement can lead to
serious injur ies.
- T o reduce the risk of an acc ident, do not
press the acce le rato r pedal whe n cha ng ing
the se lecto r lever posit ion while the ve hicle
is s ta tionary and the eng ine is ru nning.
- T o reduce the risk of an ac cident, never se ­
lect the "R" or "P" positions while dr iv ing .
- Do not inadvertent ly press the acce le rato r
peda l w hen the veh icle is sta tionary. Othe r­
wise the risk of an acc ident in cr eases be ­
ca use the vehicle will start to move immed i­
ate ly, even if the parking brake is set .
88
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control activates when the transm is­
s ion is in the "D" or "S" pos ition and you press the
brake pedal. The transmission automat ically se ­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
sce nt cont rol tr ies to maintain the speed ach­
i eved at the t ime of braking, w it hi n phys ical and
tec hnical lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed wit h the brake peda l.
Hill descent cont rol sw itches off once the h ill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operating the cru ise control system*
¢
page 95 , hill descent control is also activated
whe n the speed is set.
.8, WARNING
Hill desce nt co ntro l cannot ove rcome physical
lim itat ions, so it may not be ab le to m ainta in
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.

Driving Transmission malfunction
• Transmi ssion: malfunction! Please stop ve­
hicle and shift to P
Do not cont inue d rivi ng. Selec t the "P" selector
lever position and co ntact an authorized Au di
de aler or auth o riz e d Aud i Serv ice Facili ty fo r as­
si st ance.
[O] Selector lever: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving . Please contact Service
There is a system malfunct io n in the t ransm is­
sion . Drive to an author ized A udi dealer or au­
thor ized A udi Se rvice Fac il ity immed iate ly to have
t he ma lfunction co rrecte d.
[O] P button: malfunction! Auto P when engine
off . Please contact Service
There is a malfunction in the "P " button on t he
selecto r leve r. The transmission a utomat ically
e ngages "P" when you switch off the eng ine.
Dr ive to an a utho rized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immedia tely to have t he
malfunc tion corrected.
[O] Selector lever: malfunction! Gear change on­
ly possible using both paddle levers. Please con­
tact Service
There is a system malfunct io n in the t ransm is­
sion. You can conti nue d riving w ith rest ricted
f un ction . The selecto r leve r is not working . Gears
can only be se lec ted by tapping bo th sh ift pad­
d les a t the sam e time w hen t he v ehicl e is station ­
a ry ~
page 8 9, fig . 87. Pa y a tten tio n t o th ese­
lec ted t rans mi ssion positio n in t he ins tru ment
cluste r display. The par king lock eng ages au to ­
mat ica lly w hen you t urn off the engine . Drive to
an author ized A udi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the mal func­
tion cor rected.
[O] Transmission: Please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Pr es s t he bra ke peda l and se lec t the des ired se ­
lec to r l eve r pos it io n ag ain. Y ou ca n then con tinue
d riving .
[O] Transmis sion: too hot. Please adapt driving
style
90
T he transmission tem peratu re has inc reased sig ­
nificantly . Drive very cautio usly o r ta ke a break
from driving until the temperature ret urns to t he
no rma l range and t he indicato r light turns off.
[O] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving. See owner's manual
T he re is a s ystem malfunc tion in the tran smi s­
s io n. You m ay con tinu e dr ivin g. Drive to an au­
t h ori ze d Aud i dea le r o r a uthorized Audi Se rvice
Fac ility soon to have the malf unct io n correcte d.
[il Transmission : malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving in D until engine is off
There is a syst em malfunc tion in th e transmis­
s io n. The trans missio n is swi tching to eme rge ncy
mo de.
If yo u tu rn th e e ngine off, you w ill not be
a ble to se le ct any o the r se le ct or lever posi tio ns
a ft er sta rting t he engine aga in . D rive to an a u­
t h orized Audi dea le r or a uthorized Audi Se rvice
Facility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction cor ­
r ected .
[O] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving with limited function. Please contact
Service
T he re is a sys tem m alf unc tion in the tran smis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rgency
mode. This mode only s hifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
D rive to an author ized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving w ith limited function. No reverse
gear
There is a system malfunction in the tra nsmis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. Th is mode only s hifts int o ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Yo u cannot engage the reve rse gear. Dr ive to a n
a uth orize d Aud i dea le r o r auth orized Aud i Serv ice
Fac il ity i mmed iat ely to hav e the ma lfunction cor­
r ec ted .
[O] Danger of rolling away! P not possible.
Please apply parking brake

-The parking lock was released using the emer­
gency release
¢ page 91. Or
- The parking lock can no longer be engaged.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected .
[il Move selector lever to automatic position
There is a malfunction in the tiptronic mode . End
tiptron ic mode by pushing the selector lever to
the left into the "D/S" position.
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released with the
emergency release when driving through moun­ tains/maneuvering.
Fig. 88 Drive r's side footwell : releas ing th e parking lock
us ing the eme rgency re lease
The emergency release is located under the floor
mat on the driver 's side .
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
"'To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintent ion­
ally, set the parking brake(®)¢
page Bl or
press the brake pedal.
"' There are two slits on the cover. Position the
screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit in one of
the slits on the cover and pry the cover off.
"' Insert the socket wrench (from the vehicle tool
k it) into the opening
c:> fig . 88.
"'T urn the socket wrench all the way clockw ise @
and press it downward @unti l it locks into
place.
~ "'L eave the socket wrench inserted c:> .&_ . ...... N r--.
~ Resetting the parking lock
0
0
~ "'Press the brake pedal and start the engine .
Driving
"' Keep the brake pedal pressed and engage the
following selector lever positions one after the
other: "N" , "D" and back to "N".
"' Turn the engine off again.
"' Grasp the socket wrench with both hands and
pull it up and out carefully to remove
c:>(D .
"'Install the cover .
When the parking lock emergency release is
used, the
[il indicator light and the "N " selector
lever posit ion turn on in the instrument cluster.
The message
Danger of rolling away! P not pos­
sible. Please apply parking brake
also appears.
_& WARNING
-Only activate the emergency release while
on a level surface or a slight slope.
- The parking lock may only be released using
the eme rgency release if the parking brake
is set . If it is not functioning, secure the ve­
hicle from rolling using the brake pedal or
other suitable means, such as blocking a
front and a rear wheel. An unsecured vehicle
may roll away, which increases the risk of an
accident.
- To reduce the r isk of an accident, you must
not drive when the emergency release is ac­
tivated .
@ Note
-Read and follow the important instructions
about tow ing
<=> page 371.
-The risk of damage increases if you do not
remove the socket wrench carefully when
resetting the parking lock.
91

Trail er to wing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your veh icle is primari ly intended for transport­
ing peop le and luggage. Howeve r, if you dr ive
with a tra iler , follow the techn ica l requirements ,
the operation and driving tips, and the lega l reg ­
ulations.
Dr iving w ith a trailer affects the vehicle 's fuel
consumpt ion, performance and wear. It a lso re­
quires higher concentration from the driver .
A WARNING
Do not transport any people in a trailer due to
the risk of fatal injury .
Technical requirements
Certain requirements must be met when towing
a trailer.
Trailer hitch
Only use a trailer hitch with a removab le ball
h itch mount and ball h itch. The tra ile r hitc h must
be pe rm it t ed for the vehicle, the tra iler and the
permitted tota l weight of the trailer being
pu lled . Above all, it must be secure ly and safe ly
attached to the vehicle trailer.
Never mo unt a t rai ler hitch on the bumper. The
trai ler hitc h must be mounted in a way that does
not impair the function of the bumper. Do not
make any changes to the exhaust system and the
brake system.
Check regu larly if the trai ler hitc h is securely
mounted . A lways follow the instructions given by
the trai ler hitch manufacturer .
Trailer brakes
If t he tra ile r has its own bra ke system, then fol­
low the manufacturer specifica tions. Howeve r,
the brake system on the trai ler must never be
connected to the vehicle brake system.
92
Engine cooling system
D riving w ith a tra ile r means a higher load on t he
engine and the cooling sys tem. The coo ling sys­
tem must be designed for additiona l load and
contain enoug h coo lant ~@ .
A WARNING -
- Never mount a "weight -distributing" or
"load-balancing" trailer coupler as the trail­
er hitch. The ve hicle was not des igned for
these types of tra iler h itches. The tra iler
h itch can malfunction and t he tra ile r can
b reak off from the vehicle.
- If t he tra ile r i s equ ipped w ith elect ronic
brakes, these brakes can not be activated by
a facto ry-installed control system, whi ch in­
creases the r isk of an accide nt.
- To red uce the r is k of injury, always remove
the ball hitch mount if no tra ile r is mo unt ­
ed.
@ Note
L onge r incl ines cannot be dr iven without a
su itab le cooli ng system, especially if the out­
s ide temperatu res a re high. ot herwise, this
i nc reases the risk of eng ine da mage.
Operating instructions
Several things must be noted when towing a
trailer.
Towing capacity
The permitted towing capacity must not be ex ­
ceeded under any circumstances~
page 376.
You can dr ive up larger inclines if you are not us­
i ng the maximum towing capacity.
The towing capacities given only apply to e leva ­
tions up to 3,200 ft (1,000 m) above sea level. As
the e levation increases, the engine power de­
creases due to the decreasing air pressures. T his
reduces the hill climb ing ability and towing ca­
pac ity . For every additional 3,200
ft (1,000 m),
t h e maximum permitted tow ing weight must be
r educed by app roximately 10% . T he pe rm itted
tow ing weight is t he comb ined we igh t of the
( loaded) vehicle and the (loaded) trailer .