
344If and when
Instructions for tow starting
In general, the vehicle should not be started by towing. Jump-starting is
much more preferable ⇒ page 340.
For technical reasons, the following vehicles can not be tow started:
● Vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
● Vehicles with an electronic parking brake, given that it is possible that
the brake will not be disengaged.
● If the vehicle battery is flat, it is possible that the engine control units do
not operate correctly.
However, if your vehicle must absolutely be tow-started (manual gearbox):
● Engage the 2nd or 3rd gear.
● Keep the clutch pressed down.
● Switch on the ignition and the hazard warning lights.
● Release the clutch when both vehicles are moving.
● As soon as the engine starts, press the clutch and move the gear lever
into neutral. This helps to prevent a collision with the towing vehicle.
CAUTION
When tow-starting, fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it.
Towing instructions
Tow rope or tow bar
When towing, the tow bar is the safest and vehicle friendly way. You should
only use a tow rope if you do not have a tow bar. A tow rope should be slightly elastic to avoid damage to both vehicles. It is
advisable to use a tow rope made of synthetic fibre or similarly elastic mate-
rial.
Only secure the tow rope or tow bar to the towline anchorage or specially
designed fitting.
Vehicles with a
factory fitted towing device , can only be used for towing
with a tow bar, specially designed to fit on a tow hitch ball ⇒ page 236.
Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
Note the following for a towed vehicle:
● Make sure the gear selector lever is in the N position.
● Do not drive faster than 50 km/h (30 mph) when towing a vehicle.
● Do not tow further than 50 km (30 miles).
● If a breakdown truck is used, the vehicle must be towed with the front
wheels raised. Note the following instructions for towing four all-wheel drive
vehicles.
Instructions for towing all-wheel drive vehicles
All-wheel drive vehicles can be towed using a toolbar or tow rope. If the ve-
hicle is towed with the front or rear axle raised, the engine must be turned
off to avoid transmission damage.
For vehicles with a double clutched DSG ®
(direct shift gearbox) the instruc-
tions for towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox apply ⇒ page 344.
Situations in which the vehicle should not be towed
In the following cases, the vehicle should not be towed but transported on a
trailer or special vehicle:
● If the vehicle gearbox does not contain lubricant due to a fault.
● If the vehicle battery is flat and, as a result, the electronic steering lock
and electronic parking brake cannot be disengaged if applied.
● If the vehicle to be towed has an automatic gearbox and the distance to
be covered is greater than 50 km (30 miles).

345
If and when
Note
The vehicle can only be towed if the electronic parking brake and steering
lock are deactivated. If the vehicle has no power supply or there is an elec-
tric system fault, the engine must be started using jump leads to deactivate
the electronic parking brake and electronic steering lock.
Fitting the front towline anchorage
Fig. 220 On the right-
hand side of the front
bumper: Screw in the
towline anchorage
The location for the removable towline anchorage is on the right-hand side
of the front bumper ⇒ Fig. 220.
The towline anchorage should always be kept in the vehicle.
Note the instructions for towing ⇒ page 344.
To fit the towline anchorage
● Take the towline anchorage from the vehicle tool kit
⇒ page 323.
● Press on the upper cover and carefully remove it forwards. Allow the cov-
er to hang. ●
Screw in the towline anchorage into its position anticlockwise as far as
it will go ⇒ Fig. 220 ⇒
. Use a suitable tool to firmly tighten the towline
anchorage in its location.
● After towing, remove the towline anchorage by turning it clockwise and
put the cover back in place.
CAUTION
The towline anchorage must always be completely and firmly tightened.
Otherwise, it could be released while towing and tow-starting.
Fitting the rear towline anchorage
Fig. 221 On the rear
bumper, to the right hand
side: Tow ring in position
The location for the removable towline anchorage is on the right-hand side
of the rear bumper ⇒ Fig. 221. For vehicles with a factory fitted towing brack-
et, there is no fitting behind the cover to insert the towline anchorage. For
towing, fit and use the tow hitch ⇒ page 236, ⇒
.
Note the instructions for towing ⇒ page 344.
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTechnical Specifications

Sliding doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Childproof lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Opening and closing electrically . . . . . . . . . 81
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304, 350 All-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Spanner symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Spare fuel canister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Special features Automatic car wash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Folding exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
High pressure cleaning equipment . . . . . . 247
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184, 188, 366
Pushing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Radio reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Removing the vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Washing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Special notes High-pressure cleaning system . . . . . . . . . 238
Long parking times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343, 344
Tow starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Specifications Combined weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Drawbar load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Trailer weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Specific notes Electric sliding doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Spectacle case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Speed rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Stabilising the vehicle and trailer combina- tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Start-Stop function
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Start-Stop Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Start assist See "Start assist systems" . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Starting assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Jump leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Positive pole on the starting assistancepoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Starting using an external battery See Starting assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Steering Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Counter steering assistance system . . . . . 169
Electromechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Steering column lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Tendency to pull to one side . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Steering wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Rocker switches (Tiptronic) . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Storage compartment on the roof console . . . 143
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Glove compartment lighting . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Sudden braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Sun blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Anti-trap function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Sun blinds Rear side windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Sun visor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Symbols
See "Lamps" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
System Automatic dipped beam control . . . . . . . . . 98
Systems ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . 190
ASR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191, 192
Auto Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
BAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Brake assist system (BAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Braking assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
EDL and XDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electronic differential lock system (EDL andXDS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . 190
ESC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Lane Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Lane Assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Launch-Control Programme . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Optical parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Park Assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Parking sensor system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Rear Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Rear assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Sign Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Start-Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Start assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
379
Index