AUDI Q7 2015 Owner´s Manual

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Weight Rating will also change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash result ing in serious injury or death .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for your
vehicle would be exceeded if your vehicle is simultaneously equipped with Panor ­
amic sliding sunroof; th ird-row seating;
trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dea ler-installed) . UNDER NO CIRCUM­
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN­
STALLED ON THE SAME VEHICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6.9"
MAX175mm
E
1/1 E 1/1 ... a)
m
Fig. 232 Perm itted ba ll posit ion of t he tra iler hitch
Trailer towing weights
W ith a factory-installed tra iler hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer we ight is 6,600
l bs (3,000 kg). The maximum permissible un­
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
With an
aftermarket trailer hitch, the maxi­
mum permissible t railer we ight is 5,500 lbs
(2,500 kg). These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed cond itions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al­
l owable or slightly lower. You can get an ap­
prox imation of the tongue load with a bath­
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station .
With a
factory-installed tra iler hitch, the
maximum permissible load on the ball hitch
Trailer towing 239
may not exceed 660 lbs (300 kg). With an af­
termarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permis ­
s ib le load on the ba ll hitch may not exceed
550 lbs (250 kg).
It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢.& in Driving instructions on page 240.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used w ith suita­
ble ball mount and ball ¢
fig. 232. Installa­
t ion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac­
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc­
tions. At the height dimension of 1.5 in
(38.5 mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in (12 . 7 mm)
is perm issib le.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid .
Tire pressure
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
" Full load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar . Inf late trailer tires to trai ler and t ire
manufacturers' spec ificat ions .
Lights
The headlight settings sho uld be checked with
the trailer attached before driving
off . Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the
ve­
hicle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
Ill-
•
•

24 0 Trailer towing
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
0 Note
If you are going to tow a tra ile r, you must
activa te the trailer operation mode
~ page 161, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
cor e and consid eration.
To obta in the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p le ase no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly careful when pass ing othe r
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not driv e at the maximum p ermissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stributio n
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
l ow speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
b le under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
b le, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
pa rtment of the tow veh icle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed . Re- duce your speed even more i
f load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
t ry to stop the swa ying by acceleratin g.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds
f or vehicles tow ing tra ile rs are lower than for
r egular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down hill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle . U se o f
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe ratu re gauge ~ page 10
must be observed caref ully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warn ing light in
the instr ume nt cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road , stop and let the engine
idle for
about two min utes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING "--
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a mov-
i ng vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
p rov ided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
-
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
ca refully you load your tra iler and operate
yo ur rig .
Before you act ua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep pract ic ing unt il you

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have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficu lt and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler genera lly requires
steering action opposite to that when backing up your vehicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop . To compensate for the
trai ler, you will need a larger than norma l
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as you normally would be ­
cause of the added load . Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 326.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trai ler wheels .
.. With chocks in place, slowly re lease the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Move the selector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
Trailer towing 241
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to D.
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission to P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
l ater to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.
•
•

242 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for co rro ­
sion damage and paint defec ts on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or a qualified workshop. Read and follow the
i nstr uctions for use on th e packaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cle aning and care products incor­
rec tly can be dange rous to yo ur hea lth .
- Always store cleaning and care produc ts
o ut o f reach of childre n to r edu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Prefera bly use environmentally-frie ndly
p roducts when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p ro du cts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer deposits remai n on t he veh icle, the
mo re the surface ca n be damaged. H igh tem­
pe rat ures such as those caused by su nlight in­
cre ase the d amaging effe cts.
Before washing, wet heavy deposi ts w ith p len ­
ty of wate r.
Stubbor n depos its s uch as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are best removed with plen ty of wa­
ter and a m icrofiber cloth .
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stop s be ing used for the season.
Pres sure washers
When wash ing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instr uc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. T his
is especially important in regard to the pres- s
u re and sp raying dis tance. Do not aim the
s p ray direct ly at sea ls on side windows, doo rs,
t h e hood, the rear lid o r the sunroof* or at
t ires, rubber hoses, insu lating material, sen ­
sors" or camera lenses*. Keep a d ista nce of at
least 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do not rem ove snow and ice with a pressu re
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles .
T he wate r te mperature m ust not be above
1 4 0
°F (6 0 °( ).
Automatic car washes
S pr ay off the ve hicle befo re washing .
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off. Fol­
low instructions from the ca r wash operator,
especially if there are accesso ries attached to
you r vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starti ng from the to p and
wor king down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free clean ing products .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
yo ur vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger­
pr ints are best removed w ith a spec ial cleane r
for matte finish paint .
Apply t he prod uct using a microfiber cloth. To
avo id damaging the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutra l shampoo and a soft mi­
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoro ughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy.

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Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 243
& WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp meta l components when
washing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter . The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat ions .
{[) Note
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the r isk of damage to
the mirrors . Power folding exterior m ir­
ro rs* must only be folded in and out us­
i ng the power folding function.
- Compare the track of your vehicle w ith
the d istance between the gu ide ra ils of
the faci lity- there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and tires.
- Compare the height and width of you r
vehicle with the he ight and width of the
tunnel at the facility. -
To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the r isk o f damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or
ha rd wax .
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte fin ish effect .
- Do not place any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The pai nt cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
a re removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the ve hicl e in facilities spe cially
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the r is k of dirty water contam ina ted with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cle aning and caring for individua l vehi ­
cle components, refe r to the fo llowing tab les.
The information contained there is simply rec ­
ommendations. For questions or for compo -nents that are not listed,
re fer to an author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Also
follow the information fo und in¢.& .
Cle aning ex terio r
Component Situation Solution
Wipe r bla des
Dirty c:> page 69, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
H eadligh ts/ Dirty Soft sponge with a m ild soap solutiona >
tail lights
S ensors /
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera l enses Came ra lenses : soft cloth with an alcohol -free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
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244 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wheels
Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road salt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for sta inless steel, if
pipes necessary
Decorative Dirty Mild soap
solutional, a cleaning solution su itab le for
parts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the veh icle data label, re-
pair with touch up pa int¢
page 323
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust fi lm Rust film remover, then protect with hard wax; fo r ques-
tions, refer to an a uthorized Audi dea le r or a qualified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an authorized Aud i dealer or a quali-
fied workshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even Treat w ith suitable polish; then apply paint protectant if
though paint has the polish that was used does not con tain any protec-
been protected/
tant
paint looks poor
Deposits such as in- Dampen with water immed iately and remove with a mi-
sects, bird drop- crofiber cloth
pings, tree sap and
road salt
Grease-based con- Remove immediately with a mild soap solution al and a
tam inants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sun- block
Carbon parts Dirty Clean tlhe same way as painted parts ¢ page 242, Car
washes
a) M ild soap sol utio n: max imum two tablespoo ns neut ral soap in 1 quart (l lit e r) of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative Dirty Mild soap solutiona)
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
He avily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plastic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary

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Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 245
Component Situ ation Solution
Dis plays
Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Co nt rols Dirty Soft
brus.h, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solut iona)
Sa fety belts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
Te xtiles, Stains adher ing to Vacuum cleaner
V in yl, the surface
Alcant ara Water -based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona), blot away the dissolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special
stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solution a>, if necessary
nai l polish , latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
N at ur al lea ther Fresh stains Cotton cloth
with a mild soap solutiona)
Water-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dried stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oi l-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special sta ins such Sta in remover suitable for leather
as ballpoint pen,
nai l polish , latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regularly apply condit ion ing cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the mater ial. Use specially-col-
ored condit ion ing c ream, if necessary.
Carb on pa rt s Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons neutral soap in 1 quart (1 liter) of water
_&. WARNING
The windshield may not be treated with
wate r-repelling windsh ie ld coating agents.
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare . Wiper blade chatter is also
possible.
-
@ Note
- Headl ight s/ta il ligh ts
- Neve r clean headlights or tail lights
with a dry cloth or sponge .
- Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form .
-Wheels
•
•

24 6 Vehicle care and cleaning
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive materia ls.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately .
-Sen sors /cam era l ense s
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
lens. This could cause the lens to crack.
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
Th is could cause scratches and cracks .
-Windows
- Remove snow and ice on w indows and
exte rior mirrors with a plastic scraper .
To avoid scratches, move the sc raper
only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from win­
dows and m irrors using wa rm or hot
water because this cou ld cause cracks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any sticke rs on
the heating wires on the ins ide of the
w indow.
- Decorati ve parts /trim
- Never use chrome care o r cleaning
products.
- Paint
- To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and d ust be­
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the veh icle in direct sun light .
- To reduce the risk of paint dama ge, do
not polish away rust film.
- Remove cosmet ics and sunblock imme ­
diately. Otherwise, the paint could be
damaged .
-Di splays
- To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays.
- Controls
- Ma ke s ure that no f lu ids ente r the con-
t rols, because th is co uld cause dam­
age .
-Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their com­
ponents chemically or with co rrosive
f lu ids or solvents and never allow
sha rp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts. This could cause
d amage to the bel t webbing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connection s, the re tracto rs or the buck ­
les, have them repla ced by an author­
ized A udi dealer or a qualified work­
shop.
- Textile s/Viny l/Alcantara
- Never treat V inyl/Alcantara w ith leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar
p roducts.
- To avo id damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an autho rized Aud i dea le r
or a qualified workshop .
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc . w hen cleaning .
-Do not turn on t he seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- Objects w ith sharp edges s uch as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex­
ample on cloth ing, can damage seat
covers . Make sure hook and loop fas­
tene rs are closed .
-Natural leather
- N eve r trea t le at her wit h solven ts, floo r
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges s uch as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the su rface.
- Neve r use s team cleaners, br ushes,
hard sponges, etc . when cleaning .
- D o not turn on the seat heating * to dry
the seat.
- To help preve nt the leat her from f ad­
ing, do no t leave the vehicle in d irect
sunlight for long per iods of t ime. If

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leaving the vehicle parked for long pe­
riods of time, you should cover the
leather to protect it from direct sun­
light.
@ Tips
- Insects are eas ier to remove from paint
that has been fresh ly waxed.
- Regu lar waxing can prevent rust film
from forming.
Vehicle care and cleaning 247
•
•

248 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Fuel supply
Gasoline
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for yo ur vehicle is un ­
lead ed premium
grade gasolin e. Audi recom­
mends us ing TO P TI ER D ete rgent Gaso line
wi th a m inimum octane ra ting of 91 A KI ( 95
RO N). For more inform ation o n TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, p lease go to the off icia l
websi te (www. topt iergas .com) .
T he re commended gasoline octa ne rating for
your engine can also be fo und o n a label loc at­
ed on the ins ide of the fue l filler flap . This ra t­
in g may be specified as AK I or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operated u sing un­
l eaded regular g asoline with a minimum oc ­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. Howeve r, using
87 AKI/91 RON octa ne fue l wi ll slightly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga soline only. Unleaded g aso­
li ne is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd i n most E uro pean countries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see~
page 250.
Octane rating
Octane rating ind icates a gaso line's ability to
r es ist engine dam ag in g "kno ck" cau sed b y
premature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
b uy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss o f engine performance.
G asoline mos t commonly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the following octane r
atings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Premium Gr ade: 91 -9 6 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock In d ex = (R+M) /2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resea rch Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Num ber.
(D Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 91 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's cata lytic co nve rter a nd its
ability to co ntrol exha ust em issions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d wi th
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more t han 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co -sol -
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 15%
ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher . IJll,