
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 193
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 s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, 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 insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trailer has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the lo ad in the traile r is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 19 4.
Engine cooling system
Towing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

194 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
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 o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do no t tow a lo aded tra ile r when your car it
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly carefu l when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed lim its .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i
ble, transfer some ca rgo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rv ing
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
co nsiderations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more 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 -pa rtic ularly
whe n goi ng downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
imm ediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try t o sto p th e swaying by a ccelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the b rakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air condi tioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by A udi.
-

196 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for corro
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified workshop . Read and follow t he in
structions fo r use on the pac kaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cleaning and care products incor
rect ly can be dange rous to your he alth.
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of rea ch of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer that depos its suc h as insects, bird
d roppings , tree sap o r road salt rema in on the
ve hicl e, the more the su rface can be dam
aged. High tempe ra tur es such as those
c a used by s unligh t increase the cor rosive ef
fect.
B efore was hing, wet heavy deposits w ith p le n
ty of water.
A lso , wash the underside of your vehicle once
r oad salt stops be ing used fo r th e season .
Pressure wa shers
When washing your veh icles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instruc
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. Th is
i s especially important in rega rd to t he pres
sure and spray ing distance . Do not aim the
spray d irectly at seals o n side w indows, doors, the
hood, the rear lid o r the sunroo f* or at
t ir es , rub ber hoses, insu lating mate rial, sen
sors * or camera lenses *. Keep a d istance o f at
l east 16 inches (40 cm).
Do not remove snow and ice wi th a p ressu re
washe r.
Never use rota ry no zzle s or high pressure noz
z les.
T he wate r temperature must not be above
140
° F (60 °() .
Automatic car washes
Spray off the ve hicle before washing.
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off . Fo l
l ow instructions from the car wash operator,
especially if there are accessories attached to
your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicl e starting from the top and
working down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent-f ree cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and la rge particles from
yo ur vehicle. Insects, grease spots and finger
pri nts are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the p rod uct us ing a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoro ughly with water . Then
clean usi ng a neutral shampoo and a soft mi
crof iber cloth.
Rinse t he vehi cle thoroughly again and le t it
air dry . Remove any wa ter residue using a
shammy.
Stubborn dep osit s su ch as b ird drop pin gs o r
t ree sap are best remove d with p le nty o f wa -
te r and a microfiber cloth . ..,.

Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 197
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk of accidents .
- To reduce the r isk of cuts, protect your
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
t he wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef
fec t may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
Q) Note
- If you wash t he vehicle in an automatic
car wash, yo u must fold the exterior m ir
rors in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior mir
rors* must only be folded in and out us
ing the power folding function.
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight . -
To reduce the risk of damage to the sur
face, do not use insect removing spong
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface, do not use polishing agents or hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply protective wax.
It can destroy the
matte fi nish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
are removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehi cle in facilities spec ial ly
designed for that purpose . This will red uce
the risk of dirty water contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehi
cle components, refer to the fo llow ing tables .
The information contained there is s imply rec
ommendations. For quest ions or for compo- nents
that are not listed, refer to an author
ized Audi dea ler or qualified workshop. A lso
fo llow the information found inc>,& .
Cle anin g exter ior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper b lades
Dirty i=> page 5 0, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headligh ts / Dirty Soft
sponge with a m ild soap solutional
tail light s
S ensor s/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a solvent-free cleaning product
camera l enses Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhau st t ail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut ion suitable for sta inless steel, if
pi pes necessary
•
•

Vehicle care and cleaning 199
Component Situation Solution
Te xtile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fr es h stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona)
Water-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc . dried sta ins: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc .
Care Regularly
apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons neut ral soap in a liter of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is also
possible.
- Headlights/tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w ith a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form .
-Wheels
-Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately.
- Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
len s. This could cause the lens to crack .
IJII>
•
•

@ Tips
It may take longer to start the engine
when the outside temperature is very cold.
If possible, use winterized fuel if tempera
tures are below freezing.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIE R
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
website (www.toptiergas .com) .
Afte r an extended pe riod of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive
products to your fuel tank.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the r ight rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can sti ll open the flap manually - for detailed
instructions see
c:> page 205.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
c:> page262.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 203
The label on the inside of the fuel fi lier f lap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c:> page 201.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 - 86).
CD Note
Never drive your veh icle until the fuel tank
i s completely empty. The irregu la r supply
of fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.
•
•

204 Fuel suppl y and filli ng your fu el t ank
Refuelling
Fig. 155 Rig ht rea r veh icle s ide: Open ing t he fuel fille r
fl ap
Fig. 156 Fu el fi ller fla p w ith attached fuel c ap
When activating the central lock ing, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or loc ked.
Refue l the vehicle with the ig nition turned
off .
Tak ing th e fuel cap off
~ Turnoff the ignition .
~ Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
c::> fig. 155 -arrow- .
~ Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap~
fig. 156.
Refu elling proc edure
~ Insert the fuel no zzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler nec k as far as it will
go .
~ Select a medium refuelling ra te so that the
nozzle swi tches off a utomatica lly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After filling your tank , tw ist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it w ill go .
~ Close the fuel fil le r flap. T
o avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
completely .
A WARNING
-Im proper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fue l is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump noz zle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over
f low . Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re
fueling . The electromagnet ic rad iat io n
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va
pors a nd cause a fire .
- Never get back into your vehicle wh ile re
fue ling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you mus t get back in your vehi cle while
ref ueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch meta l to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again . Static e lectr icity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors re leased during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any
where in or near your veh icle when refu
eling or filling a portable fue l conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fue l conta iner in your vehicle . The con
tainer, fu ll o r empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash .
- If, u nder exceptional c ircumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel conta iner,
p lease observe t he follow ing:
- Never fill a portable f uel container
whi le it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici
ty can build up while filling and can ig
ni te f uel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portab le fue l conta iner
on the ground before fi lling.

206 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 159 D river' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood re lease
lever
F ig. 160 Re lease lever u nde r the eng ine hood
Before openin g the engine hood, ma ke s ure
that the windshie ld w ipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they co uld damage the
pa int on the hoo d.
... Pull the release lever on the left unde r the
inst rument panel in the direction of the ar
row
c;, fig . 159.
... Raise the hood slightly r::;, .&,
... Press the rocke r swi tch u nder the hood up
ward
c;, fig . 160 . Th is re leases the catch .
... Ope n t he hood.
A WARNING
Hot engi ne co olan t ca n bur n you.
- T o redu ce the r is k o f being burned, never
op en t he ho od if yo u see or hea r steam
or cool an t esc aping from the en gine
c ompartment. Wait unti l no steam or co
olant can be seen or heard before care
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
... Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
... Le t the hood
drop down and latch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
r::;, .&, .
A WARNING
-
A ho od th at is not co mpletely latched
could fly u p an d block your view while driv
in g.
- Wh en you close the engi ne ho od, ch ec k it
t o make sure the sa fe ty ca tch has pro pe r
ly engaged . The hood s hould be flush
wit h the surroun ding vehicle body pa rts .
-If you notice while driv in g that t he hood
is not secured prope rly, sto p at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially ca reful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluid s, there is a ri sk of
injury , burns and accidents . To prevent per
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
r::;, ,&. .
A WARNING
-To help avo id injury, before yo u check any-
thing unde r the hoo d:
- Turn off the eng ine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Ap ply the park ing brake .
- Move selector leve r of automatic t rans -
miss io n to "P" (Par k); pu t man ual trans
miss ion in Neu tral.
- Al ways let the eng ine cool down. Hot
components wi ll burn skin on contact .