tow AUDI Q7 2012 Owner´s Manual

Lo adin g
"' Fo ld the center seatback forward
r=> page 79.
"' Remove the sack from the luggage com ­
partment and unfold it.
"' Place the empty sack over the lowered seat­
back so that the end wi th the z ip fastener is
i n the luggage compartment.
"' Load objects from the luggage compart ­
ment into the sk i sack
r=> &, .
Securin g
"' Insert the ski sack strap @ r=> fig. 94 into
the center seat belt buckle @.
"' Pull the securing strap t ight by the free end
of the belt @.
"' Vehicles with 6 seats* : The ski sack has two
straps with hooks on the unders ide . Hang
the hooks into the luggage compartment by
the rear fastening eyes and pull the secur ing
strap tight by the free end @.
Storage
"' Re lease the securing strap for the sack .
"' Pull the sack to the rear over the folded
down seatback.
"' Raise the seatback unti l it is securely latch­
ed .
"' Fo ld up the empty sack.
"' Stow the ski sack in the luggage compart­
ment so that it cannot slide around.
_&. WARNING
-
- The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis, snowboards and
other light objects. To reduce the risk of
serious persona l injury never transport
heavy or po inted ob jects in the ski sack .
- When bra king rapidly o r during an acci­
dent the load cou ld be displaced and
ca use inj ury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be cove red
for protect ion. Always fas ten the belt
t igh tly around the sack and its contents
r=> fig. 94. S
eat s an d sto rage 8 3
(D Tips
Never stow the ski sack away if it's wet or
damp (for examp le, snow me lting from
skis). Let it dry complete ly before you stow
i t away.
Roof rack
First things first
A roof rack can be fitted to carry additional
luggage on the roof.
"' Always read and follow the instructions pro ­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when the roof rack system must be installed .
If you are transporting luggage or other ob­
jects on the roof, p lease note the following:
- Your vehicle has spec ially designed aerody-
namic roof rails. Only install a roof rack spe­
cifically designed for your model. Contact
the nearest authorized Aud i dealer fo r infor­
mation on approved modu lar roof racks for
your vehicle.
- These approved roof racks are the bas is for a
complete roof rack system. Additional at­
t achments for the basic roof rack a re neces­
sary to safely transpo rt luggage, bicycles,
surf boards, skis or sma ll boats. All necessa­
ry hardware for these systems is available at
your authorized Audi dealer.
- We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
veh icle.
When sh ould the roof rac k be remov ed?
- Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice) .
- When not in use, to reduce fuel cons ump ­
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft.
_&. WARNING
- Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor­
rect mounting of an approved roof rack

106 On the road
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your orig­
inal Audi key.
Fig. 120 I gni tion key positio ns
Vehicles with gasoline engine:
.. Step on the brake .
.. Move the selector lever into P or N
¢ A.
.. Tu rn the ignition key to position @
9 fig. 120 -do not depress the gas pedal
when starting the engine.
Vehicles with diesel engine:
.. Step on the brake.
.. Move the selector lever into P or N
¢ &.
.. Turn the ignition key to position ©- the
glow plug indicator light
m illuminates
when the glow plug system is act ive .
.,. When the indicator light
&J switches off,
turn the ignition key to pos it ion @ but do
not press the accelerator pedal.
.. Re lease the ignition key once the engine
sta rts. The starter must not continue run­
ning.
A cold engine may sound loud after it has
been started . This is due to the hydraulic
va lves building up oil pressure. This is normal
and is not a need for concern.
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine about 30 seconds Later.
Glow plug system*
Diesel engines are equipped with a glow plug
system whose preheating t ime is controlled by the coo
lant and outs ide temperature . Start
the engine
immediately after the glow plug
indicator light
m switches off .
The glow plug indicator light will only illumi­
nate for approximate ly 1 second when the en­
gine is warm or the outside temperature is
higher than 46 °F (8 °C). That means you can
start the engine
immediately .
A WARNING
-Never start or let the engine run in a con-
fined or enclosed area. Exhaust fumes
from the engine contain carbon monoxide,
a colorless and odorless gas . Carbon mon­
oxide can be fatal if in haled.
- Never leave the engine idling unattend­
ed. An unattended veh icle w ith a runn ing
engine poses a danger of personal injury
or theft .
(D Note
- Avo id high engine speeds, fast accelera­
tion or heavy engine loads while the en­ gine is still cold. This could damage the
eng ine .
- Th e engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary engine wear and to
reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after starting your
vehicle. Maintain moderate speed until the
engine is completely warm . Remember,
the engine performs best at operating
temperature.
· Stopping the engine
.,. Turn the ignition key to position @
¢page 106, fig . 120 .
A WARNING
-
-Never turn off the engine until the vehi-
cle has come to a complete stop.

108 On the road
reached operating temperat ure -other ­
wise yo u risk engine damage.
- The eng ine cannot be sta rted by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not allow the engine to warm up with
t he vehicle stationary. Start driving righ t
away . In th is way you avoid unnecessa ry
emissio ns.
@ Tips
If you open the drive r's door when the ig ­
nition is switched o n, a buzze r sounds and
the message
Ignition is on appears i n the
instrument cluster disp lay. Please switch
the ignition off.
Switching engine off with the~
button
App lies to vehicles: with Convenience key
Fig. 122 Convenience key: ENGINE STOP butto n
.. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
.. Move the selector lever to the P or N posi-
t ion.
.. Pressthe !STOP !button
¢fig.122.
Press ing the I STOP I button once switches off
the engine and the ignition. If you press the
ISTOPI button again for more than 1 second,
the steering is locked, provided that the selec­
tor lever is in t he P pos it ion
¢ & .
Emergency OFF function
If necessary, the engine can be switched off
with the selector lever in the
R, Dor S posi­
tions . To do so, step on the brake peda l and press and ho
ld the !STOP ! b utton (vehicle
speed must be less than 6 mph/ 10 km/ h.
.&_ WARNING
-
-Never turn off the engine until the vehi-
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic only
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply mo re force when steeri ng or brak ing.
Since you cannot steer and stop normal­
ly, t his can lead to acc idents and se rious
. . . in Juries.
- For safety reasons, you sho uld a lways
pa rk your vehi cle wit h the selector lever
i n P. O therwise, the vehicle could inad­
ver ten tly roll aw ay.
- Afte r the eng ine has been switch ed off,
t he r adi at or f an can co ntinu e to run f or
up to 10 minu tes -even with the igni tion
switched off . It can also switch on again
after some t ime if the coolant tem pera ­
ture rises as the resu lt of a heat b uildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compa rtment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays.
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended pe rio d, heat b uilds up in
the engine compartment after the engi ne
i s sw itched off -there is a r isk of damag ing
the e ng in e. A llow th e engi ne to run a t id le
fo r abo ut 2 minutes befor e switching it
off .
Driver messages in the instrument
cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with Co nvenience key
If a func tion is not present, a driver message
appears .
No key identified
This message appears when t he I STAR T I but-
ton is pr essed if there is no master key ins id e
the vehi cle or if t he system does not recogn ize
IJ,-

110 On the road
The parking brake warning light. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates when the parking brake is
set and you switch on the ignition.
_& WARNING
-
Always release the parking brake com­
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef­
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This could lead to brake failure and an accident .
(D Note
Only after the vehicle has come to com­ plete stop, should you firmly set the park­
ing brake and move the selector lever into
"P".
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling
away, there are a few things you should do .
When you park your vehicle, do the
following
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Apply the parking brake firmly .
• Move the selector lever into the
P position
~ &.
• Switch off the engine and remove the igni-
tion key from the ignition lock.
When you park your vehicle on hills, do
the following
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Apply the parking brake firmly.
• If you are parking headed downhill, turn
the front wheels
toward the curb.
• If you are parking headed uphill, turn the
front wheels
away from the curb.
• Move the selector lever into the
P position.
• Switch off the engine and remove the igni­
tion key from the ignition lock.
_& WARNING
This is how you can reduce the risk of in­
jury when leaving your vehicle. -
Never park the vehicle where it can come
in contact with dry grass, spilled fuel or
any other flammable materials.
- When parking on hills, always turn the
wheels so that the front wheels will first
roll into the curb, if the vehicle should
start to roll.
- Never allow anyone - especially small
children - to remain in the vehicle when
it is locked. locked doors make it more
difficult for rescuers to access the pas­
senger compartment in the event of an
emergency. Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Children could release the park­
ing brake or move the gearshift lever out
of gear. The vehicle could start to roll
away and cause an accident.
- No matter what the season is, the tem­
perature in a parked vehicle can reach
dangerous levels.
@ Note
-Please exercise care when you park your
vehicle in parking areas with parking bar­
riers or curbs. Parking barriers and curbs
vary in height and could damage your
bumper and related components as the
front of your vehicle moves over a barrier or curb that is too high, as you park or as
you back out of a parking spot. In order to be sure that no such damage can oc­
cur, you may wish to stop short of having
the front tires of your car touch the park­
ing barrier or curb.
- Please also exercise exceptional care
when you drive up or down steep ramps
or drive over curbs or other obstacles, for
which the vehicle is not designed, be­
cause components of the vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers, spoilers and suspension and exhaust sys­
tem components, may become dam­ aged.
Starting on hills
Hill Hold makes it easier to start on hills.

112 On the road
ice, fog, grave l, heavy rai n and hydro­
planing) -risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise control temporari ly
when entering turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertent ly "resting"
yo ur foot on the accelerator peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. Th is is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's accelerat ion .
- Never use the cru ise control when dr iv ing
off-road or on unpaved roads . The Cruise
control is intended for use on ly when the
vehicle is be ing operated on paved roads,
and is not suitable fo r use off-road o r on
unpaved roads.
({) Tips
The cruise control cannot mainta in a con­
stant speed when driving dow nhill. The ve­
hicle will acce le rate under its own we ight.
Downshift to a lower gea r or use the
brakes to slow down.
Changing speed
.,. Press lever in the 0 or 0 direction
Q page 111, fig. 124 to increase or decrease
yo ur speed.
.,. Re lease the lever to save that speed.
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/
h) by light ly pressing the lever. If you keep the
lever pressed down, you will alter your speed
i n 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can a lso press the accelerato r peda l down
to increase your speed, e.g. if yo u want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­
ator pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by 5 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cruise contro l will turn off temporarily .
The symbol will go out but the saved speed
will be retained.
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving.
.,. Turn on the ign ition .
.,. Pull lever into position
(D Q page 111,
fig . 124.
.,. Press the leve r in the
0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed.
.,. Release the leve r to save tha t speed .
This function makes it poss ible, for example,
to save the speed you want before dr iving on
the highway. Once on the h ighway, act ivate
the cr uise con trol by pulling the lever toward
(D .
Switching the system off
Temporary d eactivat ion
.,. Press the b rake peda l, or
.,. Press the lever into position @(not clicked
into p lace) Qpage 111, fig. 124, or
.,. Drive for longer than 5 min utes at more
than 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed .
Switching off complete ly
.,. Press lever into position @(clicked into
p lace), or
.,. Switch the ignit ion off.
The system retains the saved speed if you de ­
activate the cruise control temporarily . To re­
sume the saved speed, re lease the brake ped­
al and pull the lever to pos it ion
(D .
Switching the ignition off erases the saved
speed.
__& WARNING "'---
You sho uld only ret urn to the saved speed
if it is not too fast for the c urrent traffic
conditions -risk of an accident!

Adaptive cruise control Speed and distance
control system
Description
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise cont rol
The adaptive cruise control driver assistance
program is a combined speed and distance
control system .
Fig . 126 Front bu mper: Pos itio n of r adar sen sor (not
vi sibl e from out side)
Adapt ive cruise control can he lp ma ke driv ing
more relaxed and less tiring , particularly dur­
i n g long trips on interstates or other hig hways
that are genera lly st raight. The system can al­
so ass ist in stop and go traffic .
The adaptive cruise co ntrol works within a
speed range be tween 0 and 95 mph (150 km/
h). Set ACC to maintain a constant , legal trav ­
el speed between 20 and 95 mph (30 -150
km/h) that is appropriate for prevailing traffic
conditions. Select a following distance to the
veh icle ahead and ACC will adjust your speed
to maintain that d istance down to a stop . At a
speed below 20 mph (30 km/h), the min imum
speed setting of 20 mph (30 km/h) will be se­ l ected automati ca lly.
Adaptive cruise control has technical limita­
tions that you must know, so p lease read th is
section carefully , understand how the system
wo rks and use it properly at a ll times.
How does it work?
You can operate the adaptive cruise control
using the lever on the steering wheel column
c::> page 116, How is the speed stored? and
Ad apti ve crui se control 11 3
c::> page 118, How is the distance (time inter ­
val) set? .
Driver information
Important information is brought up in the
speedomete r and in the instr ument clus ter
display as the vehicle is being driven
c::> page 120, Driver informat ion .
What is important for you to know
The adaptive cru ise contro l is set w ith system­
spe cified lim its; that is, as a driver, you will
have to adjus t the speed and distance to the
vehicle ahead in some instances
c:> page 124,
Driver intervention prompt
and c::> page 125,
System limitations.
A WARNING
Imp roper use of the adaptive cruise con­
trol can cause collisions, other accidents
and serious personal injury.
- Always remember that the adaptive cru ise contro l has limits -it will not slow
the vehicle down or ma inta in the set d is ­
tance when you dr ive towards an obsta­
cle or someth ing o n or nea r the road that
is not movi ng, such as ve hicles stopped
in a tra ffic jam, a sta lled or d is ab led vehi­
cle.
- Always remembe r that the adaptive
cru ise con tro l canno t detect a vehi cle
that is driving towards yo u in your traffic
lane and that it cannot detect narrow ve­
hicles suc h as motorcycles and bicycles .
- Never drive a t speeds that are too fast
for traffic, road and weather conditions .
- Never fo llow a vehicle so closely that you
cannot stop yo ur vehicle safely. The
adapt ive cruise control cannot s low or
brake the vehicle safely when yo u follow
a nother vehicle too close ly. Always re­
member that the adaptive cruise control
has a braking power t hat is o nly about
30% of the veh icle's maxim um braking
ab ility. The automat ic bra king f unctio n
cannot bring the vehicle to a s udden o r
-
emerge ncy stop . Always be p repared to IIJ,.

122 Adaptive cruise control
select information from the trip computer,
navigation system* or adaptive cruise control.
@ Vehicle symbol
@ Distance
© Status
@Vehicle symbol
The vehicle symbol indicates whether the sys­
tem has detected an object traveling in front .
-Vehicle outline: Open road, no vehicle
ahead.
- White vehicle: A vehicle is detected ahead.
-Red vehicle : Request for driver to assume
control.
@ Distance
Using the arrows and scale, you can detect
how far it is to the vehicle in front of you.
- Open road: No arrow appears when the ve­
hicle is on an open road and there is no vehi­
cle ahead.
- Driving in traffic: If a vehicle is detected
ahead, the arrow moves on the scale. The
green area represents the distance set.
When approach ing slow ly, the arrow moves
from the
gray zone to the green zone on the
scale .
-Driver intervention prompt : When ap­
proaching rap idly, the arrow serves as an
early warning signal. If the d istance select­
ed is exceeded or possibly not reached, the
arrow moves into the
red zone on the scale.
In certa in driving situations, you as the driv­
er w ill have to take action
c::> page 124, Driv­
er intervention prompt.
@Status
- The text ACC OFF appears in white letters
when adaptive cruise control is turned off.
- The text
ACC AVAILABLE appears in wh ite
letters when the system is turned on but no
desired speed has been set.
- The text
OVERRIDE appears in white letters
when you exceed the desired speed by accel­
erating. - The text
DI
STANCE! appears in red letters
when the interva l to a vehicle traveling
ahead is too short and you have to slow your
veh icle additionally with the foot brake.
- The text messages
DISTANCE 1 to DIS­
TANCE
4 appear in green letters to indicate
the t ime interval you have set and adapt ive
cruise control is in management mode.
- If the driving program "standard" is re­
placed by "comfort" or "dynam ic" using the
MMI , the above text message is supple­
mented by an appropriate prompt, e.g.
DIS­
TANCE
1 -dyn .
System status indicator
Applies to vehicles : wi th adap tive c ruise contro l
The text messages and symbols shown in this
area of the display are not displayed perma­
nently.
Fig. 137 System status indicator
Time intervals (such as.::::::, ____ .::::::,)
The different symbols for the time intervals
(distance) appear if you change the settings
c::>fig. 137.
Three white dots ... appear if a setting cannot
be made w ith the operating lever. The follow­
ing are possible reasons
- If you pull the cont ro l lever towards you to
resume speed but no requested speed was
set.
- If you push the lever up to increase (or down
to reduce) speed when no speed has been
set previously.
- If you push the lever up to increase (or down
to red uce) speed and this speed is outs ide
llll>

130 Audi side assist
-The radar sensor's vision can be reduced
or entirely blocked by rain, snow, and
heavy spray . This can result in side assist
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at all.
Always keep an eye on the direction you
are traveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle.
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or vehi­ cles in your blind spot, only after your ve­
hicle 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 driv­
er's full attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar
driving maneuvers. Always keep an eye
on the direction you are traveling and the relevant area around the vehicle.
- To ensure that you do not adversely af­
fect side assist, do not block the area on
the rear bumper where the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
stickers or bicycle racks).
- Make sure that the signal light on the
outside mirror is not blocked by stickers
or other items.
(Di Tips
- Side assist automatically deactivates if it
detects that the radar sensors are
blocked ¢
page 135. The indicator light
on the button goes out .
- The area on the bumper where the radar
sensors are located must consistently re­
main free of snow, ice, and heavy soiling
so that side assist can function properly.
Follow the additional notes on
¢page 136.
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow­
ing hitch* or a trailer hitch* that was in­
stalled later according to factory specifi­
cations, side assist is automatically deac- tivated
as soon as the electrical connec­
tion to the trailer electrical socket is made
¢ page 135.
-For vehicles with a trailer hitch that was
not installed according to factory specifi­
cations, switch off the side assist when
towing a trailer .
- Additional tinting on the front side win­
dows can make it harder to see and cor­
rectly understand the signal light on the
outside mirror.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions¢
page 322.
Sensor detection area
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-----··· .... ·--·--
@ / ,
--­
ill b''T -
Fig. 150 Sc hematic illustration: Sensor detectio n area
The detection ¢ fig. 150 of the radar sensor
detection area is made up of:
-
- the approach area (light red area) (D, about
230 feet (70 m) behind the vehicle, and
- the "blind spot" (dark red area) @.
The radar sensors cover the adjacent left and
right lanes. Other lanes are
not covered by the
radar sensors.
(D Tips
Side assist does not measure actual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane
width . Detection in the left and right lanes
is based on this assumed lane width.
When driving on narrow roads or when
driving to the left or right of the center of
a travel lane, it is possible that vehicles
will be detected that are
not in the lane

Lane width
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-· Fig. 155 Lan es o f a norma l wid th a re in detect ion area
Fig . 156 Narrow lanes: Side ass ist may detect vehicles
two la nes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cov­
e r l anes of standard w idth to the left and
r ight of your travel lane, depending on wheth­
er you dr ive in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge.
I f you drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de­
tec tion a rea may a lso incl ude other lanes -es­
pec ia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane
c:::> fig. 156 . Under these cond it ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
signals.
When driving in very wide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be ­
cause they are not inside the detection area.
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If s ide ass ist t urns off automa tically, the ind i­
cator l igh t on the button wi ll go ou t and you
Aud i side assist 135
will see a message in the instrument cluster
display:
Audi side assist not available: sensors
bloc ked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and r ight (not visible on
the outside)
c:::> page 129, fig . 147. To ensure
that you do not adversely affect the way side
ass ist functions, foreign objects (such as stick­
ers or bicycle racks) should not be attached to
the area on the rear bumper where the sen­
sors a re located . If side ass ist functions are
adverse ly affec ted, you w ill see th is message
in the instrument cluster disp lay . Remove any­
th ing t hat may be blocking the sensors.
If no vehicle is detected for a longer per iod of
t ime wh ile dr iv ing, s ide ass ist w ill also switch
off automatically.
Audi s ide as sist cu rrentl y not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the
vehicle 's battery charge be ing low), side assist
cannot be act ivated temporar ily .
Audi side assis t: sy stem fault
Have the system checked by an author ized Au­
di dealer or qualified workshop.
Audi side assist not availabl e when
towing
The radar sensor's view is limited when tow­
ing a tra iler. For vehicles with a factory instal­
led towing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to facto ry specifica­
tions, s ide ass ist is automatically deact ivated
as soon as the ele ctrical connection to the
trailer's e lectrical socke t is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus­
ter display. Deactivation cannot be guaran ­
teed when using a retrofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed according to factory
specifications.

142 Automatic transmission
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehicle to an
authorized Audi dealership as soon as pos­
sible to have the condition corrected.
Emergency release for selector lever
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec­ tor lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 163 Emergency release fo r selecto r lever
The emergency release is located under a rub­
be r mat .
.,. Carefully
lift the rubber mat with a screw­
driver or something similar~
fig. 163 .
.,. You now have access to a rocker switch . Us­
ing a screwdr iver or similar object, press the
rocker switch down and hold it down .
.,. Now press the interlock and move the selec-
tor lever to the
N position.
The selector lever can only be moved from the
P position if the ignition key is in the lock and
the ignition is turned on . If the vehicle has to
be pushed or towed if the power supply fai ls
(e .g. battery is discharged), the selector lever
must be moved to the
N position using the
emergency locking device.