
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be
cause of the added load. Ma ke s ure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 2 73.
Trailer towin g 199
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.. Tur n the whee ls towa rds t he curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an a utomat ic t ransm ission* in P, re
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot br ake .
.. Sta rt t he engine.
.. Move the se lector lever to D/S, respectively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gear .
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before bloc king the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
la ter to m ove the lever out of the P p osi
tion.
•
•

206 Cleaning and protection
Your authorized Audi dealer can provide clean
ing prod ucts that have been tested and ap
proved for your vehicle .
Care of interior
Infotainment components
The Radio/MM !* display may be cleaned with
a soft cloth and commerc ially-avai lable "LCD
cleaner" . The cloth should be coated lightly
when the cleaning solution when cleaning the
display.
The
MM I* controls must be cleaned first with
a brush so that dirt does not enter the unit or
enter between the buttons and the housing.
Then wiping the controls with a cloth damp
ened with dish detergent and water is recommended.
(D Note
- To avoid scratching the disp lay, you
shou ld never clean it dry.
- To prevent damage, make sure fluids do
not enter the controls.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral -pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum surfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum surfaces and can dam
age them over time.
..&, WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fab rics and fabric coverings (e.g. seats, doo r
trim panels, etc.) should be cleaned at regular
interva ls with a vacuum cleaner. This removes
surface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabr ic through use. Steam
cleaners should not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabr ic and lock it there.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab
ric. Brushes shou ld only be used for carpets
and floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface stains can be cleaned using a
commercially availab le foam cleaner . Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu
rate the fabric. Then pat the foam dry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g. m icrofiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried completely.
Cleaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
juice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solution. Apply the detergent solution
with a sponge. In the case of stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric. After
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to
remove the remaining detergent. Apply the
water with a damp doth or sponge and pat
the fabric dry with an absorbent, dry cloth .
Stains from chocolate or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed into them . After
wards, remove the soap with water (damp
sponge).
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, o il, lipstick or a ballpoint pen. Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent material.
It may be necessary to re
treat the areas with detergent paste and wa
ter.
In the case of general soiling of the upho ls
tery and cover material, we recommend hiring
a specia list that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
..&, WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
i:> page 200.

208 Cleaning and protection
-To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not a llow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked outside
for long periods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun
li ght.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
l eave pe rmanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
@ Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser
vat ive cream that contains UV-blockers
and that works into the leather. This
cream will nourish and moistur ize the
l eather, helping it to breathe and stay
supple. It also helps to build up a protec
tive coating on the surface.
- Clean the leather every 2 -3 months,
and clean any areas that get soiled.
- Remove fresh marks made by ballpoint
pens, ink, lipst ick, shoe polish, etc . as
soon as possible.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need
ed by using a special colored leather care
cream to touch up areas of uneven color.
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
App lies to vehicles: with nat ura l leather
Natural leather requires special care and at
tention.
Normal cleaning
.. Clean soi led areas wit h a slightly moistened
cotton or woo len cloth.
More stubborn dirt
.. More stubborn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a mild soap so lution (2
tablespoons mi ld liquid soap) . ..
Never allow the soap solution to saturate
the leather, and make certain that no water
soaks into the seams.
.. Wipe off the soap so lution with a soft, dry
cloth.
Cleaning spots
.. Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil-based spots
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or pape r towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care k it if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leathe r.
.. Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil/
grease spots have dried on.
.. Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, fe lt marker, fingernai l polish, water
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather.
Leather care
.. Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized
Audi dea ler) to care for the leather .
.. App ly the product very spar ingly.
.. Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
If you have any questions about cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your authorized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to help you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as :
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc .
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcom ing products.
,&. WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
~page 200.

226 Check ing and filling
• Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 173, ¢ page 218,
fig . 169.
The brake fluid level must be be
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear partition of the engine compartment on the
left side ¢
page 218 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi
cator light (U .S . mode ls:
1111 , Canadian
models :. ) will come on
¢ page 15. Do not
continue to operate the vehicle. The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
i ndicato r light w ill illuminate . Contact an au
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediat ely .
@ Tips
The brake f luid reservoir is located under
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
ev ery two years. A lways use new brake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
S tanda rd "FMVSS 116 DO T 4".
The brake flu id reservoir can be difficult to
reach, therefo re , we recommend that you
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur au tho r
ized
Audi d eale r. Your dea le r has the correct tools, the
right brake flu id and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
'-
- Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor-
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake f lu id. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
specifi cation
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 1 16 .
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake f lu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left i n the system too
long . This can se riously affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety . T his could result in an accident.
W Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial tools
required and the necessary expertise, we
recommend that you have the brake flu id
changed by your autho rized Aud i deale r.
Battery
General information
Under normal operat ing cond itions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any ma inte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long da ily drives we recommend that you have
the e lectrolyte leve l che cked by an autho rized
A udi dealer or qualified workshop. The elec
trolyte level should also be checked each time
the battery is charged
¢ page 229. ..,_

Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. Yo u are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnec ted from the vehicle elec
trica l system for safety reasons
c::> &. in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 156.
Di sconn ecting the battery t erminal s
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connec ted again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicl es not driven for long p eriod s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cu t back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capability over a longer per iod
c::> page 191.
Some of the conven ience functions may not
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The conven ience
functions will be ava ilable again whe n you
turn on the ignition and sta rt the eng ine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop . This
i s because more powe r is also consumed while
start ing , and the head lights, rea r window de
fogger, etc., are used more often .
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, par
ticularly in c ity t raffic or when t rave ling on ly
short d istances. Let you r authorized Audi
dea le r che ck t he capacity of the vehicle bat
t ery before w inte r sets in
c::> page 229. A well
cha rged batte ry w ill no t only p revent sta rting
p rob lems when the weathe r is cold, b ut will
a lso last longer.
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery shou ld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the l uggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you check any
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
h eed all WARNINGS
c::> &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Al ways heed the follo wing WARNING SYM
BOLS and safety precautions when working on the battery.
® Always wear eye protection .
/).. Batte ry acid contains sulfuric acid . Al
~ ways w ear glov es and ey e protection .
IC No
\!!51 -sparks
-flames
- smoking.
A Wh en a battery i s charged , it produces
~ hydrogen g as which i s explosive and
could cau se per sonal injur y.
~ Always keep the battery well out of
'if!:11 reach of children .
_&. WARNING
Whenever working on t he battery o r on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-
•
•

250 Tire s and wheel s
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low t ire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installation of replace
ment or a lternate tires or wheels on the vehi
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
N
I
F ig. 181 Display : underinflatio n warning
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, th is is indicated in the instru
ment cluster w ith a
IE warning symbol and a
message¢
fig. 181 . The driver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! SE T! button. If on ly one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos it ion.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be reset via radio or MMI * each time the pres
sures are adjusted (e. g . when switching be
tween partia l and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
¢
page 251 . The TPMS indicator only moni
tors the tire pressure that you have prev iously stored
. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for yo ur vehicle on the label on driv
er's side B-pillar ¢
page 235.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire p ress ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the t ire has structural damage ,
- the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 251.
Warning symbols
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The
IE i ndicato r light in the inst ru
ment cluster a lso illuminates
¢ page 13.
Check/cor rect the press ures of all fo ur tires
and reset TPMS via radio or MMI*.
11@1~1 (Tir e Pressure Mon itoring System) Tir e
pr ess ure : Sy ste m malfun cti on!.
If11Nlf:1 appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving and the
IE indicator light
in the instrument cluster blinks for approx i
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malf unct ion.
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢ page 251. If the indicator light does not
tu rn
off or if it turns on sho rtly the reafter, im
med iate ly dr ive you r vehicle to a n author ized
A udi dealer or authorized repair fac ility to
have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is sign ificant ly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressures. In
flate the tire pressu re to the prope r pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressu re labe l¢
page 235. D riving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes

the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to impair the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability .
- The driver is responsible for ma inta ining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the t ire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor
ty driving style, w inter condit ions or un
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i
cator may be de layed .
-Ask your author ized Audi dealer if run
flat tires may be used on your veh icle .
You r vehicle registrat ion becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit
ted. Dam age to your veh icle or a cc iden ts
cou ld also resu lt.
@ Tips
- The t ire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The t ire pressure monitoring system on
you r Audi was developed using t ires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall¢
page 242. We recom
mend using these t ires .
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
radio or MMI* .
.,. Before resetting the TPMS, the current p res
s u res of all four tires must correspond to
the specified val ues . Adjust the tire pressure
and reset the pressure in the tire press ure
monitoring system according to the load
you are carry ing
¢ page 235 .
.. Turn on the ignition .
.,. Select : the
ICARI function button> T ire
pr ess ure monitoring
> Stor e now . Or
.,. Se lect : the ICARI function button > Car sys
t e m s
control button > Serv icing & ch ecks>
Tire s an d wheel s 251
Tire pres su re mon itor ing > St ore tire pre s
s u re s.
(D Tips
Do not s to re the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire .
•
•

260 Fuses and bulb s
No.
5 Sound actuator/exhaust sound
tuning
6 Headlight range control sys
tem/cornering light
7
8
Headlight (corner ing light)
Control modules (electrome
chanical parking brake, shock
absorber, quattro sport, trailer
hitch), DCDC converter
9 Adaptive cruise contro l
10 Shift gate
1 1 Side ass ist
Headlight range control, park
ing system
13 Airbag
14 Rear wiper (allroad)
15 Auxiliary fuse (instrument pan
el)
1
16
Auxiliary fuse terminal 15 (en
gine area)
Fu se pane l @ (b row n)
2 Brake light sensor
5
6
7
Left seat heating with/w ithout
seat venti lation
ESC Horn
Front left door (window regula-
8 tor, central locking, mirror, switch, lighting)
9 Wiper motor
10 ESC Two-door models: rear left win
dow regulator, Fo ur-door mod-
11 els: rear left door (window regu lator, central locking, switch,
lighting)
12 Rain and light sensor
F u se p anel© (red )
3
4 Dynamic steer ing
Amps
5/15
5/7,5 7,5
5
5
5
5
5
5
15
10
40
5
25
15/30
5
15
30
30
25
30
-No . Consumer Amps
6
Windshield washer system,
35
headlight washer system
7
Vehicle e lectrical system control
20
module 1
8
Vehicle electrical system control
30
module 1
9 Sunroof 20
10 Vehicle electrical system control
30
module
1
11 Sun shade motor 20
-
12 Anti-theft alarm warning sys-
tern 5
Right cockpit fuse assignment
Fig.
193 Right cockpit : fuse panel wit h plastic cl ip
No. Consume r
Fuse pane l@ (black )
..
5 Steering column switch module
7
8
Terminal 15 diagnostic connec
tor
Gateway (Databus diagnostic interface)
9 supp lementary heater
Fuse pan el@ (bro wn)
1 CD/DVD player
Amp s
5
5
5
5
5
•
I