192 Trailer towing
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
Trailer hitch Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita
ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely 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 trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
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 time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi
cle be struck from behind
¢ A.
Trailer brakes
If your tra iler is equipped with a braking sys
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulations . The trailer
hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the tra ile r.
Trailer lights
T railer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
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 clear vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
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 yo ur passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
-
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instructions on page 193.
Engine cooling system
T owing 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 . .,..
220 Check ing and filling
- To r educe the danger of explosion, never
co nnect or disconn ect cha rger cables
wh ile the c harger is operating.
- Fast char ging a battery is dangerous and
shou ld on ly be attempted by a compe
tent technician w ith the proper equip
ment .
- Battery acid that may spill d uring charg
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the acid.
(Q) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine . This will seriously dam
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, rad io, etc., as we ll
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specif/·
cations and dimensions as the original equip
ment battery.
In tell igent energy management in your veh i
cle is respons ible for d istributing the e lectr i
cal energy throughout you r vehicle
~ page 185. The intell igen t energy m anage
men t system w ill keep the engine ba tte ry
charged better then vehicles w ithout this sys
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries o f the same type and ma nu
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi
cations are listed on the battery hous ing. You r
author ized Audi dealer must code the battery
in the ene rgy managemen t system to enable
you to use the ene rgy management functions
correctly after replac ing the battery.
I f it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new bat tery m ust h ave the s ame ca
pac ity, voltage ( 12-volts), amperage, con
struction and plug sea ling. When installing the battery, make su
re the ig
nition and a ll electrical consumers are turned
off.
(D Note
Make sure the ventilat ion hose on the side
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery acid can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the p rob lem of p roper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author
i zed Audi dealer change the battery fo r
you. Batteries contain sulfur ic acid and
l ead and must always be disposed of prop
erly in comp liance with all environmental
regula tions. Dispos ing of veh icle batter ies
i mprope rly is very dange rous to the envi
r o nment .
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 181 En gin e compa rt m en t: Cove r on the w ind·
s h iel d a nd h eadligh t• was he r fl uid conta in er
.., N
-~ (X) a,
The washer fluid conta iner is marked w ith the
symbol
O on its cap~ fig. 181, ~ page 208,
fig . 175.
.. Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compa rtment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS q A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 206 .
.. Lift the fi ller cap tongue to add washer flu
id. You can f ill the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
fi lling the conta iner .
You can find the reservo ir
capacity in the table
in
q page 262. .,.
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer
gency crews and working personnel who have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumper cables to start the en
gine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently
largecross section to carry the starter current
safely. Refer to the manufacturer's specifica
tions.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi
nal clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
injury. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avoid lean
ing over the battery whenever possible.
Emergency situations 255
-A discharged battery can freeze at tem
peratures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before
connecting a jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery completely, oth
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to
start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with
a low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat
tery. Use of batteries of different voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an explosion and personal in
jury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trap
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat
ing may cause an explosion and injury.
The ca pa city (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
page 206.
(D Note
- Applying a higher voltage booster bat
tery will cause expensive damage to sen
sitive electronic components, such as
control units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,. •
•