Earlier this week our Audi Q7 was dropped off at
Audi of Santa Monica
( Been there? Rate it! ) to remedy those squeaky brakes, install a back-ordered slow-to-ship part to fix our
parking brake light warning
, and to pay for the windshield wipers they forgot to charge us for on our last visit.
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium: Less than Premium Service.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium

On the eve of its latest scheduled visit to the Service Department, our Audi Q7's brakes started squealing. The unmistakable shriek seems to be coming from the front brakes, though we'll have them check out all the pads' wear. Even with the giant wheels and widely spaced spokes, we weren't able to see much of the pad edge which usually gets the most use. Also, the discs look unmarred...
Continue reading Audi Q7 Braking News.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
Opening the hood of our Q7 yesterday, we found a prize!
Sitting next to the impossible-to-open coolant tank and on top of the weather stripping was a channel lock. A channel lock that did not match our tools, but would probably match those of our local dealership.
Maybe we'll put it back in the engine compartment when we go for our next service...
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 23,799 miles.
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium: Easter Egg!.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
Whenever I drive our Q7, this little detail always impresses me. When it's fully warmed up, the temperature gauge reads dead on center. Not a little bit above or slightly below, but right on the middle hash mark. It’s doesn’t really give you any more information than a typical gauge, but it tells you something about the engineers who designed it...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: The Details Make a Difference.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
As previously reported, we're having some issues with the Q7's parking brake warning light. It keeps telling us the brake is on, even though we are driving and the brake is not on. Over the weekend it wasn't too annoying, only coming on once or twice. But during my Monday morning commute, the warning kept coming on...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: Park Brake.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
Our Audi Q7 had recently accumulated a short list of dealer needs, so we scheduled a visit with Santa Monica Audi. The list of issues included a parking brake light that remained illuminated after the brake was released, a rear sunshade that occasionally popped open while the Q7 was in motion and a groaning noise when the right rear door was opened or closed.
While the dealer was addressing the repairs, they were also going to top off the fluids and replace the windshield wipers.
After spending a morning in the service bay, the technician determined parts needed to be ordered to fix the parking brake light and rear sunshade...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: Trip to the Service Bay.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
This past Saturday the Oldham family decided to take full advantage of our southern California address. We would enjoy the beach in the morning and the ski slopes in the afternoon. I chose our 2007 Audi Q7 for our adventure for three reasons.
1) It's all-wheel drive while our Buick Enclave and Mazda CX-9 are not...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: Sand and Snow in One Day.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
In anyone's estimation, the Audi Q7 is a large vehicle. Nearly 17 feet long, 6.5 feet wide, and nearly 6 feet tall with more than 8 inches of ground clearance. And 5,467 pounds? In the words of Ghostbuster Winston Zeddmore, "That's a big Twinkie."
But it doesn't feel like a big Twinkie...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: Drives Small.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
The distance from the front seatbacks to the tailgate of our 2007 Audi Q7 is just about exactly 6-feet. And I know this because that's my 6-foot ladder. Those are my grungy beach towels too, but they're not pertinent to this blog entry.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
If you'll remember from
previous
posts
, the stereo in our Q7 was on the fritz in perhaps the most annoying way ever. 17 seconds on, 4 seconds off. 17 on. 4 off. Nothing we tried could remedy the situation and the professionals had to be called in...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: MMI Shutdown Solved..
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
This past holiday weekend I put about 500 miles on our 2007 Audi Q7, including a trip to grandma's house, Q7 stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Nothing earthshattering to report, but the truck did crest the 21,000 mile mark on its odometer while I was behind the wheel. And such milestones always seem to be a good time to take stock in a vehicle's aging process...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: 21,000 miles and a Squeaky Door.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
Here in California Audi R8s are a dime a dozen. You'll have to take my word for it, but there's a third R8 parked behind that white trailer. This photo was taken during an event at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, CA.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Coordinator @ 20,555 miles
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
Where is this guy when you need him? When I posted this photo of Audi's electronics test bench for the Q7 it was as a curiosty, but it turned out to be a little prophetic. Mike Schmidt first encountered the Q7's repeated 17-seconds ON, then 4-seconds OFF of sound (regardless of the audio source) and blogged about it here. After one positively maddening drive home on Friday, I was determined to find a fix.
Continue reading Audi Q7 MMI On The Fritz.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
News Editor Kelly Toepke and I were listening to the radio in the Q7 the other day when the speakers went silent.
First we thought the SIRIUS connection was to blame. We switched the band to FM, then to AM. We popped in a CD too, but no luck. The symptoms were unchanged: 17 seconds of music, 4 seconds of silence...
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7: MMI Malfunction.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
If you're a complete nut for Audi products, you'll know that the vehicle pictured above is not our 2007 Audi Q7, but a 4.2 Turbo Diesel (TDI) version that's available in Europe for the time being. Why show you this one instead of ours? Because clean, powerful, and efficient Audi diesels are coming, and they won't be anything like you imagine. The version we'll be getting sometime next year will be a 3.0 TDI making about 240 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque compared to our 4.2 "petrol" engine which makes 350 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. Still don't see my point?
Continue reading 2007 Audi Q7 Fuel Economy Check.
Categories: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium