AUDI Q7 2011 Owner´s Manual

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Appli es to vehicles : w ith side assist
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping back
slowly
Fig . 158 Side assist : Vehicles dropping back slowly
CD Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle that you passed has not yet been detected by side assist .
The signal on the outside mirror does not light up~
& in "Safety
tips" on
page 162.
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A vehicle dropping back slowly on the rig ht (difference in speed of
less than 9 mph, or 15 km/h) has been detected by side ass ist. The
informationa l stage signa l on the outside mirror lights up.
® Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation @, the signal
briefly flashes repeatedly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehicle that
you may not have noticed. •
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
App lies to vehicles : w it h sid e assist
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping back
quickly
Fig . 159 Side assist: Vehicles dropping back quickly
CD Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle just passed has not yet been detected by side assist. The
signal on the outside mirror does not light up~
& in "Safety tips" on
page 162.
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The veh icle dropping back quickly on the right ( difference in speed of
more than 9 mph, or 15 km/h) has been detected by side assist, but
is not cons idered notable in the event of a lane change , because it is
dropping back so quickly . The s ignal on the outside m irror does not
light up~
& in "Safety tips" on page 162 . tJ,,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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@ Signal on outside mirror does not light up
If you activate your turn signa l in driving situation @, the signal still
does not light up on the outside mirror~
& in "Safety tips" on
page 162. •
Applies to vehicles : w ith side assist
MMI settings
The basic brightness setting of the signal on the outside
mirror can be adjusted via the MMI.
-Select: Function button ( CAR j > Systems * > Audi side
assist .
The brightness of the signal l ight for both the info rmationa l and alert
stages is automatically adjusted to ambient light conditions . In addi­
tion , you can adjust the
basic brightness separate ly, via the bright­
ness function.
Whi le mak ing the adjustment, the new brightness setting is
displayed briefly . The br ightness d isplayed is that of the informa­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signal br ightness is linked to the
info rmational stage signal brightness.
The informational stage signal brightness should be adjusted so that
you notice the signal illumination when you look in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward through the windshield.
In very dark or light surroundings, the automatic brightness setting
adjusts signal light brightness to maximum or minimum intensity, as
needed. In circumstances such as these, you may not notice any
change in the brightness on the outside mirror when adjusting the
basic brightness.
You may not notice the change until lighting conditions are normal
again.
W Tips
• Side assist is not active when the basic br ightness is adjusted. The
signal light comes on brief ly to help you make the adjustment.
• Your settings are automatically stored and ass igned to the remote
control key being used. •
Appli es to vehicles: w it h si de assis t
General information
Side ass ist has limits and cannot detect vehicles under all road and
weather conditions . Please remember system limitations and never
rely on the system, especially when:
• driving through curves~
page 160,
• lanes a re of different width s~ page 161 . •
Ap plies to vehicles: w ith side ass ist
When driving through curves
Side assist cannot detect vehicles in curves with a turning radius of
less than 328 feet (100 m).
When driving through a curve, it is poss ible that side assist may
registe r a vehicle two lanes over, and the signal on the outside mir ror
will light up.•

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App lies to vehicles : with sid e assist
Lane width
Fig. 160 Lanes of a
normal width are
in
detection area
Fig. 161 Narrow
lanes: Side assist may
detect vehicles two
lanes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cover lanes of standard
width to the left and right of your travel lane, depending on whether
you drive in the center of your lane or closer to the edge.
If you drive in narrow lanes, side assist's detection area may also
include other lanes - especially if you tend to drive on the edge of your
lane => fig . 161. Under these conditions, vehicles can also be
detected that are two lanes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informational and warning stage signals.
When driving in very wide lanes, vehicles in the adjacent lane may not
be detected because they are not inside the detection area .•
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Notes
Ap
plies to veh icles: with s ide ass ist
Messages in instrument cluster display
If side assist turns off automatically, the indicator light on the button
will go out and you will see a message in the instrument cluster
display :
Audi side assist not available: sensors blocked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear bumper on the left and
right (not visible on the outside)=>
page 154, fig. 152. To ensure
that you do not adversely affect the way side assist functions, foreign
objects (such as stickers or bicycle racks) should not be attached to
the area on the rear bumper where the sensors are located. If side
assist functions are adversely affected, you will see this message in
the instrument cluster display . Remove anything that may be
blocking the sensors.
If no vehicle is detected for a longer period of time while driving, side
assist will also switch off automatically.
Audi side assist currently not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the vehicle's battery charge
being low), side assist cannot be activated temporarily .
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Audi side assist not available when towing
The radar sensor's view is limited when towing a trailer. For vehicles
with a factory installed towing hitch or a trailer hitch that was
installed later according to factory specifications, side assist is auto­
matically deactivated as soon as the electrical connection to the
trailer's electrical socket is made, and this status message appears in
the instrument cluster display . Deactivation cannot be guaranteed .,,_
Vehicle care Technical data

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when usin g a retrofitted tow ing hitc h that was not installed
acc ording to factory speci ficati ons. •
Applies to vehicles: w ith sid e assis t
Safety tips
T he s ide assist detect ion may be limited w hen driving aro und narrow
st reet corners, on hilly st ree ts, and un der poo r wea the r condit ions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may also detect o ther objects,
such as high or staggered g ua rdrails .
S ide assi st does not me asure actual lane wid th. The sy stem assume s
a fixed lane w idt h. Detection in the left and right lanes is based on
t his assumed lane wid th. W hen drivi ng o n nar row ro ads o r whe n
dr iving to the left o r right of the center of a travel lane, it is possib le
that vehicles will be detected that are
not i n the lane next to the lane
you a re us ing.
& WARNING
• Improper reliance on the side assist system can cause collisions
and serious personal injury:
-Never rely only on side assist when changing lanes.
- Always che ck rear view mirrors to make sure that it is safe to
change lanes.
• Side as sist cannot detect all vehicles under all conditions­
danger of accident!
• Side assi st cannot detect vehicle s in time to alert you when
they approach from behind at very high speed, or fall drop back
very quickly.
• The radar sensor's
vision can be reduced or entirely blocked by
rain , snow , and heavy spray. This can result in side assi st not
adequately detecting vehicles or , in some cases, not detecting
them at all. Alway s keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle .
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Please note that side assist indicates there are approaching
vehicles, or vehicles in your blind spot, only after your vehicle has reached a driving speed of at least 19 mph (30 km/h).
• Side assist signal does not work around tight corners (turning
radius less than 328 feet , or 100 m).
• Side assist is no replacement for the driver's full attention. The
driver alone i s responsible for lane changes and similar driving
maneuvers . Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle.
0 Note
T o ensure that s ide ass ist is not a dversely affected, yo u should not
bloc k the ar ea on the rear bumper w he re the radar sensors are
locate d w it h foreign objects (such as w it h sticke rs or b icycle racks).
[ i ] Tips
If the positions o f the radar sensors have been c hanged as a result of
a r ear end -colli sion, fo r instan ce, h ave side assis t che cked b y an
author ized Audi dea ler for safety reasons. •

____________________________________________ A_ u_ t_ o_ m_ a_ t_ i_ c _ t_ra _ n_s_ m __ is_s_ i_ o _ n _ __.lJII
Automatic transmission
• • ®
t1ptron1c
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with an e lectron ically contro lled automatic
transmission. Upshifting and downshifting takes place
automati­
cally.
The transmiss ion is also equipped with tiptronic ®. It allows the driver
to shift gears
manually if desired => page 167. •
Driving the automatic transmission
Starting the engine
-The selector lever must be in Nor P.
Starting off
- Press a nd hold the brake pedal.
Fig. 162 Shift gate on
th e ce nte r co nso le :
selec tor lever w it h
r ele ase bu tton
-Press and hold the release button in the selector lever
handle and move the selector lever from
P or N to D and
release the button => & .
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
- Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted (you will
feel a slight movement).
- Remove your foot from the brake pedal and accelerate .
Rocking back and forth to become unstuck
-Shift only between D and R when the vehicle is at a full
stop and the engine is running at idle speed .
Stopping
-Press and ho ld the brake pedal until the vehicle has come
to a complete stop .
- Keep the b rak e pedal depr essed so that the vehicle ca nnot
roll forward or backward while it is idling => & .
- Once stopped,
do not depress the accelerator pedal to rev
up the engine=> &.
Parking
-Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle has come
to a complete stop.
- Set the park ing brake firmly=>
page 132, "Park ing".
- Press and hold the release button in the selector lever
hand le, move the se lector l ever int o
P and the n let go of
the release button => & .
The selecto r lever must be in Nor P. If one of the dr iv ing positions is
engaged a safety switch will prevent the engine from being started.
See also =>
page 127. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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Before you move the selector lever from t he P position, yo u must
a lw ays app ly the b rake ped al befo re and while dep ress ing the bu tton
in the handle of the selector lever.
& WARNING
• Unintended vehicle movement can cause serious injury.
- When the selector lever is in a driving position, the vehicle
may creep, even at idle speed. Therefore do not release the
parking brake o r foot brake until you are ready to move ,
because power is transmitted to the wheel s as soon as a driving
position i s engaged.
- Do not accelerate while selecting a driving position. At this
time the engine must be at idle speed so that undue stre ss is
not placed on the clutches in the tran smission.
- Remember: -even when stopped briefly with the automatic
tran smission in "D ", "S" or "R ", engine power is being trans­
mitted to the wheels. Your vehicle could "creep" forward or
backward. When stopped, keep the brake pedal fully
depressed and use the parking brake if necessary to keep the
vehicle from rolling .
• If the selector lever is unintentionally moved into N while you
are driving, take your foot off the acc elerator pedal and wait for
the eng ine to return to idle speed before selecting a driv ing posi­
tion .
• Never shift into "R " or "P" when the vehicle is in motion.
• Never get out of th e driver's seat when the engine is running .
• If you must get out of the vehicle, move the selector lever
securely into the P pos ition and apply the parking brake firmly.
• If the engine must remain running, never have any driving
position engaged when checking under the hood . Ma ke sure the
s elector lever ha s securely engaged and is locked in "P" with the
parking brake firmly set=> page
290, "Engi ne compartment".
Otherwise, any increa se in engine speed may set the vehicle in
motion, even with the parking brake applied. •
Selector lever positions
This s ectio n de scri bes the selector leve r posi tio ns and
driving ranges.
"' ....
"' 0 ..:, ;g
Fig. 16 3 Displ ay in
the i nstrument cluster :
s electo r le v e r in posi ­
ti on P
The instrument cluster display shows the current se lector lever posi­
t ion.
P -Park
In th is sele ctor lever posi tion t he transmi ssion is mecha nica lly
locked. Engage
P only when the vehicle is completely stopped=> &
in "Driving t he automa tic tr ansm ission" o n page 163 .
To shift in or out of pos ition P , yo u must first press and hold the bra ke
peda l
and then press t he release button in t he selecto r leve r handle
w hile moving the selecto r lever to or from
P. You ca n shi ft o ut of this
position on ly w ith the ignition o n.
R -Reverse
Th e transm ission will automatica lly select the lowest gea r ratio when
you sh ift i nto reve rse .
Select
R only when the veh icle is at a full stop and the engine is
r un ning a t id le speed=>
& in "D riving the a utomat ic tr ansm issio n"
on
page 163.
B efore yo u move the se lector lever to R , press both the but ton in the
hand le of the se lector lever
and t he brake peda l at the same t ime. ~

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When the ignition is on, the backup lights illuminate when the
selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in th is posi tion . Sh ift to this posit ion
for standing with the brakes applied~
page 165.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the footbrake before and wh ile moving the
lever out of
N .
D -Normal position for driving forward
Position D is for normal city and highway driving. It ranges from zero
to top speed and all gears shift automatically, depending on engine
load, driving speed and automatically selected shift programs.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always app ly the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
D out of N.
In certain circumstances it may be advantageous to temporarily
switch to the manual shift program to manua lly select gear rat ios to
match specific driving conditions~
page 167.
S -Sport position
Select this position for sportier performance. In this position, the
transmission will not upshift as soon, allowing the vehicle to use the
increased power available at higher engine speeds to ach ieve livelier
acceleration.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
S out of N.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ~ & in "Driving the automatic
transmission " on page
163 .
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
0 Note
Coasting downh ill with the transmission in N and the engine not
running will result in damage to the automatic transmission and
poss ibly the catalytic converter .•
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you against acci­
dentally shifting into a forward or the reverse gear and
causing the vehicle to move unintentionally .
Fig. 164 Shift gate:
selector lever lock posi­
tions and interlock
button highlighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
- Turn the ignition on.
- Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time press and hold
the interlock button on the side of the gear selector knob
=> fig . 164 with your thumb un til you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N positions when the ignition
is turned on. To move the lever from these positions the driver must
depress the brake pedal. As a reminder to the driver, the following
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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warning appears in the instrument cluster display when the selector
is in
P and N:
When stationary apply foot brake while selecting gear
A time delay element prevents the selector lever from locking when
it is moved through the
N position (going from R to D). The locking
element will lock the selector lever if the lever is left in N (Neutral) for
more than approximately 1 second, without the brake pedal be ing
pressed.
At speeds above about 3 mph (5 km/h) the Automatic Shift Lock is
automatically deactivated in the
N position.
Interlock button
The lock button on the selector lever prevents the lever from being
accidentally shifted into certain positions. Pressing this button deac­
tivates the selector lever lock. Depending on the direction of the
shift, the selector lever locks at different positions. The positions are
high light ed in the illustrat ion~
page 165, fig. 164.
Ignition key safety interlock
The key cannot be removed from the ignition unless the selector lever
is in the
P park position. When the ignition key is removed, the
selector lever w ill be locked in the
P pos it ion .•
Kick-down
The kick-down feature allows the vehicle to generate
maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal beyond the resistance point
that is reached at full throttle, the transmission will select a lower
gear rat io based on vehicle speed and engine RPM . The engine RPM
will be contro lled to produce maximum vehicle acceleration as long
as you continue to press the accelerator pedal beyond th is resistance
point .
& WARNING
Be careful when using the kick-down feature on slippery roads.
Rapid acceleration may cause the vehicle to skid. •
Dynamic shift program (DSP)
The automatic transmission is electronically controlled.
The transmission is self adapting and will automatically select the
best sh ift program suited to the dr iving cond it ions and dr iving style .
The transmission will select one of the
economy programs when you
dr ive at a steady speed or a gradua lly changing speed w ithout heavy
acceleration. This achieves optimum fuel efficiency, with early
upshifting and delayed downshifting.
The transm ission will automatically select the
sporty shift programs
when you drive at higher speeds, or w ith heavy acceleration and
frequently changing speeds. Upshifts a re delayed to make full use of
engine power. Downshifting takes place at higher engine speeds than
in the economy programs.
The selection of the most suitable shift program is a continuous, automatic process. The driver can also make the transmission switch
to a sporty program by
quickly pressing down the gas pedal.
Thi s causes the transmission to shift down to a lower gear to achieve
rapid accelerat ion, e .g . for quickly passing another vehicle . You do
not need to press the gas pedal into the kick-down range. After the
transmission has upshifted, the orig inal program is selected
according to your driving sty le.
An additional shift program allows the automatic transmission to
select the proper gear for uph ill and downh ill grad ients.
Thi s keeps the transmission from shifting up and down unnecessarily
on hills. The transmission will shift down to a lowe r gear when the
driver presses the brake pedal on a downhill gradient. This makes use .,_

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of the braking effect of the engine without the need to shift down
manually .•
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you con manually select
gears.
Fig. 165 Center
console: shifting the
tiptroni c® manually
Fig. 166 Display:
manual shift program,
selec ted gear
Switching to manual shift program
-Push the selector lever to the right from D. As soon as the
transmission has switched over , the selected gear appears
in the display => fig. 166.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
To upshift
-Push the selector lever forward to the plus position 0
=> fig. 165.
To downshift
- Push the lever to the minus position Q.
When accelerating, the transmission will a utomatica lly shift into the
next gear before the engine reaches its maximum RPM .
I f you apply a light throttle when accelerating, tiptronic ® will auto ­
matically shift from 1st to 2nd gea r to save fuel. If you apply a heavy
throttle, the transmission will stay in 1st gear until near maximum
RPM is reached, or until the driver sh ifts into 2nd gear.
I f you take your foot off the accelerator pedal when driv ing down a
st eep incline, tiptronic ® will downshift from the selected gear into
the next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear, based on road speed and
e ngine RPM . Automatic downsh ifting is interrupted as soon as you
apply the throttle again.
[ i ] Tips
• When you shift into the next lower gear, the transmission will
downshift on ly when there is no possibility of over-rewing the
engine.
• When the kick -down comes on, the transmission will shift down to
a lower gear, depending on vehicle and engine speeds.
• tiptronic ® is inoperative when the transmission is in the fail-safe
mode. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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Applie s to veh icles : wi th tip tron ic -s te eri ng whe el
Steering wheel with tiptronic ®
The shift buttons on the steering wheel allow the driver to
shift gears manually.
Fig. 167 Steering
wheel: Shift buttons
- To downshift, touch the button on the left Q.
- To upshift, touch the button on the right G).
The shift buttons a re activated when the selector lever is in D, Sor in
the manual shift program (t iptronic).
Of course, you can continue to use the manual shift program with the
selector lever on the center console. •
Automatic transmission malfunction I
In the event of a system malfunction, the automat ic transmission
switches to emergency operation mode .
., Gearbox malfunction: you can continue driving
You can continue to drive the vehicle. See an authorized Audi dealer
or other qualified workshop at the next opportunity .
Gearbox malfunction: you can continue driving (limited
functionality )
There is a serious system malfunction:
• The program shifts only into certain gears.
• The engine may stall.
• It is not poss ible to restart the engine if it has been switched off.
• Continuing to drive could result in subsequent damage .
0 Note
If the transmission switches to fail-safe mode, you should take the
vehicle to an authorized Audi dealership as soon as poss ible to have
the condition corrected. •
Emergency release for selector lever
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector lever can
be released in an emergency.
Fig. 168 Emergency
release for selector
lever
The emergency release is located under a rubber mat.
- Carefully lift the rubber mat with a screwdriver or some­
thing similar=> fig. 168.
- You now have access to a rocker switch . Using a screw­
dr iver or similar object, press the rocker switch down and
hold it down. ._