2013 AUDI Q5 trailer

@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with Audi side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster d isplay:
Aud i side assist unavail able: S en sors
blocked
The radar sensors' vision is affected . Do not
cover the area in front of the senso rs with bike
wheels, st ickers, dirt or other objects . Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
~page 117, fig. 128.
Aud i side assi st: Currently un avail able
Side assist cannot be switched o n temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assi st: S ystem fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off.
The sensors have been displaced or are faulty.
H ave the system checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or authorized Aud i Service Fac ility
soon.
Audi side assist: Unav ailab le when towing
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a
factory- installed trailer h itch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer. There is n o guarantee the system will switc h off when
using a retrofitted tra iler hitch. Do not use
side assis t when towing a t railer.
Audi side a ssis t 119

132 Parking system
Reverse Parking
App lies to vehicles: with Audi parking system p lus w ith
rea rview camera
Parking mode 1 con be used when parking in
a garage or into a parking space.
Fig. 145 MMI disp lay : aiming at a pa rking spot
Fig. 146 MMI display: alig nin g th e veh icle
... Switch the MMI on and select reverse gear .
... Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot¢
fig . 145. Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking represents 3
ft (1 meter). The
blue area represents an extension of the
ve­
hicle's outline by approximately 16 ft (5 me­
ters) to the rear.
"' While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines ¢ (D. @ marks the rear bumper. Stop the
vehicle when the red orientation line © bor­
ders an object¢ _&..
A WARNING
-The rearview camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
¢ page 129, fig. 141. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and animals. The rearview camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you should not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the M MI dis play , the direction of travel
of the vehicle rear is represented depend­
ing on the steering wheel angle . The vehi­
cle front swings out more than the vehicle
rear. Maintain plenty of distance so that
your outside mirror or a corner of your
ve­
hicle does not collide with any obstacles.
This can damage to your vehicle.
Parallel Parking
Applies to vehicles: with Aud i parking system plus with
rearv i ew camera
Use parking mode 2 to help you parallel park
along the side of a street .
Fig. 147 MMI disp lay: blue surface in th e parking spot
Fig. 148 MM! display : B lue curve on th e curb

134 Parking system
- On -when the parking system is switched
on, either the visua l d isplay or the picture
from the rearview camera is disp layed .
Warning tones
-Front volum e -front sensor vol ume
- Front frequ enc y-front sensor frequency
-Re ar volum e -rear sensor volume
- Rear frequenc y -rear sensor frequency
- In -ca r entertainme nt fader /Mu sic volume
w hile pa rking -
when the parking system is
switched on , the volume of the active audio
source is lowered .
The new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator.
@ Tips
- The warning tones can a lso be adjusted
directly by the v is ual disp lay or the p ic­
ture from the rearview camera. Simp ly
press the
Sett ings contro l button.
- Changed settings are activated when
parking system is switched on again.
- The settings are automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key.
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus w ith
rea rview camera a nd trailer hitch
For vehi cles with a facto ry installed trai ler
hitch, or a trai ler hitch installed according to
factory specifications, the parking system rear
sensors do not come on whenever you shift in­
to reverse gear or when you press the
P, #J\.
switch. Remember, there is no warning for
d istances to the rear . The front sensors re ­
main activated. The visual display switches to
the trailer towing mode. The picture from the
rearv iew camera will not show the orientation
l ines nor the blue su rfaces.
If you install a hitch yourself, th is function
may not work .
Error messages
Applies to vehicles: wi th Audi parking sys te m plus with
rearv iew camera
T he re is an error in the system if t he LED on
the
p, q~ switch is blinking and you hea r a con­
t in uous alarm for a few se conds after switch­
ing on the parking system or when the park­
ing system is already activated . Have yo ur au­
thorized Audi dea ler correct the error.
(D Tips
If the error is not corrected before you
switch off the ignition, when you switch on
the parking system again, the LED in the
Pw J\. switch will blink.

212 Trailertowing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
T ra ile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and mu st be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
h itch with a removable ball mount. A lways
check with the trai ler h itch manufact urer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do n ot use a bumper hi tch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer h itch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A .
Traile r brak es
If your tra iler is equipped w ith a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulat ions . The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A .
Saf ety ch ain s
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trai le r.
Trail er light s
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
Mirror s
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors .
It is important
that you always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- I f a trai ler has electrical brakes p lease
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory -fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r 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.
- Never install a "weight distributing" or
"load equalizing" trailer hitch on your ve­
h icle. The vehicle was not designed for
these kinds of trailer h itches. The h itch
attachment can fail, caus ing the trailer
to tear loose from the veh icle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance
label on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must
never be exceeded under any c ircumstan­
ces. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating of yo ur vehicle is likely to damage
your vehicle, and such damage will not
be covered by yo ur Limited New Ve hicle
Warranty . Exceeding the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating will a lso change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your veh icle, wh ich could cause a crash
resulting in serious injury or death.
-

Operating instructions
6"
~ ~
I 1,2 ..
-{ }
l::_
-
2
Fig. 190 Permit ted ball position of the trailer hitch
Trailer towing weights
With a factory-installed or an aftermarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permissible trailer
weight is 4,400 lbs (2,000 kg). The maximum permissible unbraked trailer weight is 1,650
lbs (750 kg) . These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed conditions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al­
lowable or slightly lower . You can get an ap­
proximation of the tongue load with a bath­
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station.
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permissible load
on the ball hitch may not exceed 440 lbs
(200 kg).
It is recommended to use the maxi­
mum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢.&. in Driving instructions on page 214.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suita­
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 190. Installa­
tion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac-
Trailer towing 213
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er .
It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar. Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire
manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits.
•
•

214 Trailer towing
• Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
• Always apply brakes early .
• Monitor the temperature gauge.
W eig ht distribution
Towing a loaded tra ile r with an empty car re­
sults in a highly 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 easier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
b le, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed . Re­
duce your speed eve n mo re if load, weathe r or
wind condi tions are unfavorable -part icu larly
when going dow nhill.
Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the t rail­
e r shows the slightest sign of swaying. Do not
tr y to s top the sw ayin g by acce ler atin g.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower tha n for
regula r vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driv ing
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
g ine b raking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coolant temperature gauge
c:> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale , re­
duce speed immed iate ly and/or turn off the
a ir cond itione r. If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instr ument cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
i ng vehicle is at a much greater risk in a n
accident . Never let anyone ride in your ca r
who is not p roperly wea ring the rest raints
p rov ided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
-
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how ca refully you load your trai ler and ope rate
you r rig.
Befo re you actually tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from t raffic. Keep pract ic ing unt il you
have become completely familiar wit h the way
yo ur vehicle-tra iler combination behaves and
responds.
Backi ng up is difficult and requ ires practice.
Backi ng up w ith a t railer gene rally requires
stee ring action opposite to tha t when backing
u p you r vehicle witho ut a tr ailer.
Maintai n a greater d ista nce between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You w ill need
more room to stop. To compensate fo r the
t railer, you w ill need a larger than normal
tu rning rad ius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot ac­
ce le rate as fas t as you no rma lly would be­
ca use of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass . After passing, a llow
plenty of room for yo ur trailer before cha ng ­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jer ky s tarts, sharp t urns o r rapid lane
changes.

@ Tips
-Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period o f your vehicle .
- If you tow a t railer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 295.
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:
.,. Apply t he foo t brake .
.,. Have someone place c hocks under bo th the
vehicle and the trai ler whee ls .
.,. With chocks in p lace, s lowly re lease the
brakes unti l th e wheel chocks absorb the
l oad .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply t he pa rking brake .
.,. Mov e the sel ecto r leve r to P .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the selecto r lever to D/S .
.,. Re lease th e par kin g b rake and slowly pull
out and away from the whee l cho cks .
.,. Stop and have someone re tr ieve the w hee l
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of t he a uto­
mat ic t ran sm ission to P before app lyi ng
t he p ark in g br ake an d bef ore blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
later to move the lever out of t he P posi­
tion.
Trailer towin g 215
•
•

254 Tire s and wheel s
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of a loss of veh icle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able 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 total load be­
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra iler 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
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wea r and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
-
The correct tire pressure for the tires originol­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­
lar .
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
c:::> page 252, Cold tire inflation pressure .This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a couple of m iles (k ilometers) at
low speeds during the p revious three hours . Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l friction as it flexes in
u se . The tire pressure is h igher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" tire that
counts . Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions
c:::> page 252 . The
t ires wou ld then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured . Fo r the loca­
t ion of the labe l
c:::>page 252, fig . 203 .
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot ­
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ia l tires
used today are underinflated jus t by looki ng
at them.
T he refo re, be sure to check t ire p ressures at
least once a month and always before going
o n a long trip. Ma ke sure to take the numbe r
of peop le and the amou nt o f luggage into ac­
count when adjust ing tire pressu re for a trip -
even one that yo u wo uld not consider to be
" long." See
c:::> page 256, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an ac curate tire p ress ure ga uge
when checking and adj usting inflation pres­
s u res . Check a ll of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any t ire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is co rrect fo r the
load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
dr iv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the p ressure in the co ld
t ire and the pressure you need and add the air
t h at you need to reach the cor rect pressure for
t h e ve hicl e load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on