Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
Genera l information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger transpor
ta tion.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that the add itional load
wi ll affect durability, economy and performance.
Trai ler towing no t only places more s tress on the vehicle, it a lso ca lls
for more concentration from the driver.
F or this reaso n, always fol low the operating and driving instructions
prov ided and use common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a tra iler, you must activate the trailer opera
tion mode =>
page 211, "Towing a trailer".
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a we ight-carry ing hitch conforming to the gross tra iler weig ht.
T he hitch must be suitable for your vehic le and trailer and must be
m ounted secure ly on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound
location. Use only a trailer hitch with a removable ball mount.
Always check with the trai ler hitch ma nufacturer to make sure that
you are using the correct hitch .
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be instal led in such a way that it does not in terfere
with the impact-absorbing bumper system. No modifications shou ld be made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems . Fro m
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Tr
aile r t owing
time to time, check that all hitch mounting bolts remain securely
fastened .
When you are not towing a trai ler, rem ove the t railer hi tch bal l
mount. This prevents the hitch from causing damage should your
vehicle be struck from behind =>
&.
Trailer bra kes
If your trai ler is equipped with a b raking system, check to be sure
that it conforms to all regulations.
The tra iler hydraul ic bra ke system must not be directly co nnecte d to
the veh icle's hydrau lic brake system=> &.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the trailer.
Trail er lights
Trai ler lights must meet a ll regulations. Be sure to check with your
au thorized Audi dea ler for correct wiring, switches, an d relays.
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traff ic behind you using the regular
outside mirrors, then you
must instal l extended mirrors. It is impor
t ant that you
always have clear v isi on to the rear.
& WARNING
• If a trailer has electrical brake s please note that the se brakes
are not act ivated by the fa ctory-fitted control unit -ris k of acci
dent!
• After removing the trailer hitch , do not store it in your vehicle.
In case of sudden braking , the hitch could fly forward and injure
you or your passengers .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___________________________________________ C_ h_e _c_ k_ i_n _g _ a_n _d_ f_il _li _n _g __ _
•
-Make sure the area is well ventilated when you charge
the battery.
- Open the hood
::::> page 330.
-Open the red cover on the positive pole ::::> fig. 289.
- Connect the charger connectors according to the instruc-
tions to the
jump start bolts. (Bolts under the red cover=
"positive", Bolts with hex head = "negative").
- Only now plug the mains lead for the charging equip
ment into the wall outlet and turn it on
::::> &.
- Make sure the charging rate is not over 30 amps/14.8
Volt.
- When the battery is fully charged: Turn the charging
equipment off and remove the mains lead from the wall
outlet.
- Now remove the clamps for the charging equipment.
- Close the red cover on the positive pole.
- Close the hood=>
page 331.
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures of only O °C. Allow
a frozen battery to thaw completely before attempting to charge it
~ & .However, we recommend not using a thawed battery again
because the battery casing can be cracked due to ice formation and
can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of 30
amps/14.8 Volt)
When charging at /ow voltages (e.g. with a trickle charger), the
battery cables do not have to be disconnected first. The battery caps
should
not be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the luggage compart
ment.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate above 14 .8
Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery charger that uses voltage
greater than 14.8 Volts to charge your vehicle's battery.
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
• Always follow the operating instructions provided by the
battery charger manufacturer when charging your battery.
• Never charge a frozen battery. It may explode because of gas
trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
• Do not reuse batteries which were frozen. The battery housing
may have cracked and weakened when the battery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from
open flame or electrical spark . Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas gener
ated by the battery is explosive.
• To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or disconnect
charger cables while the charger is operating.
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment.
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid .
0 Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start the engine. This will
seriously damage sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc ., as well as the battery charger. •
Vehicle care I t •
IIIII.___E_ m_ e_r -=g "-e_ n _ c-=y _ s_ i_t _u _a _t_ i_o _n_ s _______________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (c ontinu ed )
• Bef ore you chec k anything in the engin e compartment , always
re ad and h eed all W ARNINGS =>
page 324, "Engine compa rtment".
0 Note
• Applying a higher voltage booster battery wil l cause expensive
damage to sensitive electronic components, such as contro l units,
relays, radio, e tc.
• There must be no electrical contact between the vehicles as
otherwise current could already start to flow as soon as the positive
( + ) terminals are connected .
[ i ] Tip s
• The discharged battery must be properly connected to the
vehic le's e lectrical system. When jump starting or charging the
battery, never connect the negative ground cable to the battery
negative pos t because the battery manager system must be ab le to
detect the battery's state of charge . Always connect the negative
ground cable to the negat ive ground post of the battery manager
control unit. •
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper c able clamps in exac tly
the order described below!
F ig . 3 12 E ngin e
co mpartm ent : Co nnec
to rs for ju mp er ca ble s
and cha rger
F ig . 3 13 Ju mp st artin g
w it h th e batte ry o f
ano ther v eh icle : A -
d isc harg ed ve h icle
b att ery, B -boo ster
b att ery
The procedure descr ibed below for co nnect ing jumper
cables is intended to provide a j ump star t for your vehi cle .
Vehi cle with discharged battery :
-Turn off lights and accessories, move lever of automatic
tra nsmissio n to
N (Neutral) or P (Par k) and set parking
brake .
~