How to replace a car battery on Audi Q7 2007?
Every car battery is built to last an astonishingly long amount of time, however, that doesn’t exempt them from losing charge which ultimately leads to replacing them. Most car batteries are conveniently located underneath the hood, so all you have to do to replace them is simply lift the hood, locate the brackets holding the battery in place, remove them, replace the old battery, re-install the brackets, and your job is done. However, if you are an Audi owner especially a 2007 Audi Q7, this process is a little more difficult and complicated than a regular car battery replacement. If you want to see a video version of this article and all the steps I had to do to replace the battery on my Audi Q7, you can find it at the bottom of this article.
Where is the Audi Q7 Battery Located?
For some unknown reason, the Audi Q7 car battery is located underneath the driver’s seat inside the vehicle, so to replace it you’ll need to partially remove the seat. I don’t know why Audi decided to design their car with the battery under the seat but it definitely makes the battery replacement that much longer and harder. Thankfully Audi did design positive and negative probes under the hood so you can at least do a jump start from under the hood. Can you imagine having to jump-start the car from under your seat?
Related Post: How to replace Audi Q7 Headlight Bulb
Difficulty Level: Pretty Simple to Pain in the Butt (depending on if you have the same issues I had)
Time: About 1 hour to an entire day
Cost: $160-$200 (you can get one here)
Before you can replace your Audi Q7 car battery, you’ll need a few tools.
Tools You Need
- Audi Q7 car battery
- Trim Removal Kit Tool
- Triple Square Bit Socket Set <— This is a must for Audi Owners
- T20 Torx Bit <– Also a must-have for Audi
- 10mm socket
Below, I’m going to take you through all of the steps involved with changing and replacing your 2007 Audi Q7 car battery so you can ensure you get the job done right and safe. I will also cover the steps to avoid and the troubles I had with my Audi Q7 battery replacement.
Step 1: How to remove Audi Q7 Driver Seat
When I was first doing this I thought you had to remove the entire seat. If for whatever reason you need to remove the entire seat I will walk you through the entire process. However, you only need to remove the two from bolts.
Start by moving the seat all the way back. There are two plastic covers that you will need to remove. Use a trim removal tool in order to pry the plastic cover. Use a triple square bit socket to remove the two front bolts.
WARNING: DO NOT USE A TORX BIT. THEY ARE DIFFERENT AND YOU WILL STRIP THE BOLT
Since I bought my Audi Q7 used, it appeared that someone used a torx bit instead of a triple square bit and stripped the bolt. I had to use a bolt removal tool and ended up damaging one of the bolts on the backside. It was a very frustrating process. Again I don’t understand why Audi does not use regular hex bolts that would work great especially on bolts that will be removed all the time.
Once you remove the two front bolts, you should be able to tilt the seat back to give you enough room to access the battery. If for any reason you need to remove the back bolts here is where they are located. There is a plastic cover that you need to slide away from the seat. Once you do that you will see the same looking bolt as shown above.
Step 2: Remove the battery cover
The battery is enclosed in a plastic box with a lid. The lid is held in place by four latches. Unlatch all four latches.
There is a small T20 Torx screw that you need to remove before you can remove the plastic lid.
Step 3: Remove the positive and negative poles from the Audi battery
This step is just like any other car. Unscrew the nut on each pole to loosen up the connection. Then carefully pull the connections away from the battery.
Step 4: Tricky Part – Remove the clamps that holding the Audi Battery in place
For this step, you will need a 10mm socket and a ratchet wrench. The first clamp is located in the front left corner closes to you (or the door). The second clamp is on the same side but in the middle. It is really easy to miss it since there is no indication of a bolt. However, this hex stem looking thing is actually unscrewable and can be removed. See the pictures below.
Step 5: Remove the Audi Q7 Battery
You may now remove the battery. For this, you will need a special tool called your muscle. This battery isn’t light so consider yourself warned.
Step 6: Take a break and reflect on why you should never buy another German car again.
By this point, you may share the same frustrations as me but the worst part is over. Now install your new battery and put everything back together in reverse order. Don’t forget to use the proper bits mentioned above. And if you do decide to move the entire front seat, then you can watch my video of how I did this entire process of removing my Audi Q7 Battery.
Read here on how you can replace a light bulb on your audi q7?