2012 AUDI A7 trailer

184 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorde r (EDR), ins talled by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restr ict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A ltho ugh yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during norma l vehicle op­
erat ion for diagnostic and repa ir purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a sys tem faul t or o ther
cond ition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith special equip­
ment.
Electronic stabilization
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESP detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) o ut of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under contro l by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr ive r's intended cou rse. The in­
dicato r light
G] in the instrument cluste r
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the veh icle.
ESP has l imitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
s u dden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
s lush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the ve hicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle be cause con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot a lways deal as effectively
with difficult driv ing situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departu re is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibil ity of keeping the vehi cle under con ­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the d river's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
ca uses you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 197
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢&. in Driving instru ctions on page 198.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
•
•

198 Trailer towing
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to tra iler and t ire manufac ­
turers' specif ications.
Lights
Check to ma ke s ure bot h ve hicle and trailer
lights are working proper ly.
Safet y chains
Be sure tra ile r safety cha ins are prope rly con­
nected from the trailer to the hi tch on the ve­
h icle. Leave enough s lack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case o f
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p lease no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra ile r when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly ca reful whe n passing other
ve­
hicles.
.. Observe speed limits .
.. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
W eight distribution
Towing a loaded trai le r with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at
very
low 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 poss ible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
b le under the circumstances . Whenever possi- ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tong ue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the mo re d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re ­
duce your speed
even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill .
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early . When driving
down hill , shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperatur e
The coo lant temperat ure gauge ¢ page 10
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at h igh engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the d isp lay turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
referto .¢page
15 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly 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 p roperly wea ring the rest raints
p rov ided by A udi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and ..,.

different weight distribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy wi ll greatly depend on how
carefu lly you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actua lly tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp letely fam iliar with the way
your vehicle- trailer combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is d ifficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler generally 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
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turn ing 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
p lenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break- in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 2 73 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If i t 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 trailer wheels.
Trailer towing 199
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Select the
P selector lever position .
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine .
.. Select the
D/S selector lever position.
.. Release the parking brake and slowly 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 pa rking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
lat er to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.
•
•

-The brakes o n a vehicle t hat has been
overloaded may not be a ble to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra ile r hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer - does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cl e Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
fla tion can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
fla tion cause increased tire wea r and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lea d to sud den tire fa il­
ure, incl uding a blowo ut and sudden de ­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
.
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure Lobel located on driver's side 8-pil­ lor.
The re commended t ire press ures a re o n the
tire pressure label and in the tab le
c=> page 235, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adj usted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours .
A ir i n the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of inte rnal fr iction as it flexes in
use. The t ire p ress ure is higher w hen the tire
h as wa rmed up th an when it is "cold."
It is the inflat io n pressu re in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you shou ld never let air out
of a warm t ire to ma tch "Cold tire in flation
p ressu re" recommend ations
c::> page 235. T he
Tire s an d wheel s 237
tires wo uld then be unde rinflated and co uld
fail suddenly.
T he tire pressure label on your Aud i lis ts the
re commended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your ve hicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
tion of the labe l
c::> page 235, fig. 176.
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if yo u drive over a pot­
ho le or hit a curb while par king. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ia l tires
u sed today are underinflated just by looking
at them .
There fore, be sure to check t ire p ress ures at
l east once a month and always before going
on a long tr ip. Make sure to take the n umber
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac ­
count when adjust ing tire pressure for a tr ip -
even one that you wou ld not conside r to be
"long." See
c::> page 239, Tires and vehicle
food limits
f or mo re import ant inform ation .
Always use an accurate ti re pressu re gauge
when checking and ad justing inflation pres­
s ur es. Check a ll of t he tires and be s ure not to
forge t the spare tire.
If the pressure in any t ire
is too high when the ti re is "cold," let air out
of the ti re s low ly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any ti re is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the ve hicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on you r veh icle as listed on the on
you r vehicle and in this ma nual and the kind
of d rivi ng you plan to do .
Never exceed th e maximum inflation pr es­
sure listed on the tire sidewall for any rea­
s on.
•
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can a lso damage importan t pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are technica lly referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Veh icle We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of f ue l, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the total we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
hi cle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gro ss Axl e W eight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pillar . Your A udi has 4 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 4. Each seating pos i­
tion has a safety belt¢
page 128, Safety
belts .
Tire s an d wheel s 239
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car ­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less we ight can be ca rried as lug­
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Aud i also lists
the maximum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the ve hicl e can carry . For t he locat ion of the
label¢
page 235, fig . 176.
.&_ WARNING ~
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve -
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry wi ll prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -includ ing the weight of
a t railer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer - does not ma ke t he vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's G ross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e exa mple below to cal­
c ulat e the total weight of the
pa ssen ger s a nd lu ggag e or ot h-
e r thin gs that you pl an t o .,..
•
•

240 Tires and whee ls
transport so that you can make
sure that your vehicle will not
be overloaded .
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
c:::> page 235 ,
fig. 176 .
2. Determine the comb ined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the dr iver and pas­
sengers from "XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
c:::> page 235, fig . 176 .
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
" XXX "
amount equals 1400 lbs .
and there will be five 150
l bs . passengers in you r vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca- pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs
.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calcu lated in Step
4 .
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail ­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
.,. Check the ti re sidewall
(c:::> page 242 , fig. 180) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.

254 What do I do now?
-Never st ore the inflatable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger com­
partm ent.
- Always s tore a ll jacking equipment,
too ls, and the inflatable spare tire in
the luggage compartment.
- Tighten the knurled retaining screw for
the inflatable spare tire securely.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
" After you experience a tire fa ilure, pull t he
ca r well away from moving traffic and try to
r each
level gro und before you stop c::> ,&. .
" All passengers sho uld leave the car and
move to a safe loca tion (fo r inst ance, behind
the g uardrail)
c::> ,&. .
" Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally
c::> ,&. .
" Move selecto r lever to pos ition Pc::> ,&. .
" If you are tow ing a trailer, unh itch the tra il­
er from your veh icle .
" Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
l uggage compartment
c::> page 252 ,
c::> page 253.
.&_ WARNING
You or your p assengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol ­
low t hese safety preca utions:
- If you have a fl at t ire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road . Tur n off the engine,
t ur n the emergency flas hers o n and use
other warning dev ices to alert other mo­
torists .
- Make su re that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help p revent the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake and block th e whee l diago na lly opposite
-
the wheel be ing changed . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure t he
ground is level and firm. If necessary, use a sturdy board under the jack .
- After insta lling the spare wheel, make
sure tha t you replace the fla t tire/wheel
i n its storage area prope rly and tighten
the knurled retain ing screw secu rely.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these ­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also
c::> page 255, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c::> page 255,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel bolt s c::>page 255.
3. Loc ate the p roper moun ting poin t for th e
jac k an d align the jack be low that poin t
c::>page 256 .
4. Raise the car with the jack c::> page 256.
5. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll
the spare c::> page 257.
6. Tig hte n all whee l bolts lightly .
7.
Lower the vehicle wi th the jack .
8 . Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ig ht en al l w heel bo lts c::> page 25 5.
9. Re place the decora tive wheel cover* .
A WARNING
Always read and fo llow all WA RNINGS and
i nformat io n
c::> & in Raising the vehicle on
page 257
and c::> page 258 .
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete withou t the
doing the following .
" Replace the too ls and the jac k in their prop-
er lo cat io n. .,.