Wisconsin Q7

Greetings,

Ordered a new Q7 and it's supposed to be here in early October.

I had 2 Mercedes "R" classes and loved them, went to a boring MDX, and the Q7 is as close as I can get to a "R". I really miss the R class and 2011 was the last year of US production.

Couple questions:
- Can I use an oil pump to drain the oil? (There is not a dipstick)

- I like to leave a car idling for warm ups in the winter time. Is there a way to have the car running and lock it for security reasons?

- Looking to pull the middle 2nd row seat out and put an arm rest / storage area / better cup holders. Anybody seen anything that resembles that idea?

- 2nd row seats: anybody try to move them back for better leg room?

- If you have Apple car play: can you text (get or send) through the car?

- If you have Apple car play: can you bounce between the Audi nav and Apple Maps easy? What shows up on the dash?

Appreciate any feedback.

Beeg

The middle seat back can fold down to become an armrest/cupholder. It just doesn't have a cubby for storage.

You can slide the seats back slightly yes, you can also tilt the backrest back for a more laid back position.

I use Android Auto but the concept is the same. You can only reply to text messages via voice control, I don't think you can initiate a text (someone confirm please?). You can easily jump back to audi nav with the map/nav button on the center console, however you have to navigate back to the android/apple mode through the menus. You can also just unplug/replug the phone back to automatically switch to it.

moncsicsi

I use Apple Carplay and I can initiate a text by holding down the talk button on the steering wheel, which activates Siri, and then I say "text Name of person" and the message I want to send. I don't know how Android Auto works though.

RickObe

And... you can do that even if the iPhone is not connected to CarPlay. The Siri interface works even if the iPhone is just connected via BlueTooth.

SYMAWD

With an Android you can text just through bluetooth using the Audi interface but you have to use the touch pad which takes forever. Android Auto makes it much easier to text by using voice.

RickObe

Yes you can, but there's a trick and it's not real convenient. Here's the trick (this will work with most any vehicle):

1) MAKE SURE the physical key is in your pocket and not in the car.
2) Leave the engine running with the auto start/stop disabled.
3) Lower the driver window, exit the vehicle, and close the door.
4) Reach in through open window and hit the lock button: vehicle locks.
5) Reach in and pull the auto-up window button. Pull your arm out quickly. The vehicle will now be running, closed up and locked.

Use the physical key hidden in the key FOB in the driver door lock cylinder to unlock the car. BUT... annoyance with the new Q7: Audi has covered the physical lock cylinder with a decorative plastic trim piece. You have to put the key in the slot under this piece to pop it off to access the cylinder. I'm not sure how many removals of this trim it will take before the little plastic tabs that hold in on will be worn out.

For this reason (and others), I'm planning on getting a Viper remote start unit installed in the car. However, Viper does not have the firmware written for the new Q7 yet. Current estimate is maybe another 60 days.

ven7782

I am coming off the R too and the Q7 really exceeds the R in terms of drive quality, the tech, the interior finish etc.. The only thing I loved about the R over the Q7 was the 3rd row seating and the RSE of course because the RSE in the new Q7 truly sucks which may not be a big deal for most anyway.

Wisconsin Q7

Thank you all for the input.

Looks like some minor issues to work through - but they're all good options for us have.

Ven7782 - thanks for the input. Nice to hear the Q7 exceeds the R. 3rd row and RSE is no biggee to me

epicQ7

Yes, you can use the pump method to change the oil. Did mine that way at 5,000 miles. Will do the same in another 5k when I hit 12.5k miles. Every other cycle from there I will probably pull the plug and drain from the bottom to make sure to get anything at the bottom out.

Wisconsin Q7

Thank you.

What year is your car & what pump did you use?