2014 AUDI A5 COUPE tow

Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Yo ur veh icle 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. Make sure 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 264.
Trailer towin g 195
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 choc ks absorb the
load .
.. Tu rn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.. Place an a utomatic transm ission* in P, re ­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly th e foot br ake .
.. Start t he en gine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S, respect ively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gea r.
.. Release the parking bra ke 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 blocking the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
l ater to move the le ver out of the P posi­
tion.
•
•

230 Tire s and wheel s
the function of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driv ing with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- Excess ive speed and/overloading can
cause heat bui ld-up, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure a nd add
air as required.
0 Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves . To prevent this,
always ma ke sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mou nte d on the valve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflated tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amo unt of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an also damage import ant parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudde n tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause t he veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These load lim
its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gro ss Vehicle Weight R ating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" includes t he weight of the basic
vehicle , a ll f actory installed accessories, a f ull
tank of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other f luids plus
maximum load. The max imum load incl udes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity ") wi th an
assumed we ight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating posit ion
and the total weight of a ny luggage in the ve­
hicle. If you tow a trai le r, the we ight of the
t ra ile r hi tc h and the tongue we ight of the
l oaded tra iler mus t be include d as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Ax le Weight Rating ("GAWR ") is
the max imum load that can be applied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fety comp lian ce s ticke r label loca ted on the
driver's side B-pillar. Yo ur Audi has 4 seat ing
pos itions , 2 in the front and 2 in the rea r fo r
total seati ng capacity of 4. Each seating posi­
t ion has a seat belt c:>
page 129, Safety belts.
T he fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
t h at the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier tha n the sta ndard we igh ts assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The tire pressure label o n your Aud i also lists
the max imum combi ned weig ht of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e vehi cle can carry . Fo r th e lo ca tion of the
l a bel c:>page 226,
fig.168.
8_ WARNING
<=
Over loading a vehicle can cause loss o f ve -
hicl e co ntro l, a c rash 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 the loss of vehicle 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, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer - does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
c::> page 226,
fig. 168.
Tires and wheels 231
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
c::> page 226, fig. 168.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­ pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual ..,.
•
•
'

What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 174 Luggage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take o ut the spare
tire* and cover¢
page 243.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignmen t pin for ch anging the whee l
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- Too l for chang ing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang -
ing light bulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some of the vehi cle items listed above are
p rov ided o n certain models o nly or are opt io n­
al extras .
Before returning the jack* to its place, retract
the jack arm fully.
.&, WARNING
-
-Never use the screw d river hex head to
tighten whee l bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tightening tor ­
que if yo u use the hex head, potentially
caus ing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jac k is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Unde r no cir-
What do I d o now ? 243
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in­
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely w it h appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise , there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury .
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
App lies to vehicles: wit h space -saving spare t ire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only .
Fig. 175 Spa re tir e
Remo ving th e spare tire
.. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
¢ fig. 175 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment wea ther strip .
.,. Turn the large screw <=>
fig. 175 counter ­
clockw ise.
.,. Take out the spa re tire .
.,. Always s tore the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the rep laced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 125 .
.. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid .
Using th e spare tire (compact spar e tire )
The compact spare t ire is only intended fo r
eme rgencies unt il you can reach a repa ir sh op.
Rep lace it as qu ickly as possible with a stand -
ard whee l and tire.
Ill-

24 4 What do I do no w?
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been des igned specifically for your type of
vehicle.
It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Sno w cha in s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
n ot permitted .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to rep lace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex­
t reme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possib le w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire, the tire pressu re must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c ompac t spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You r isk having an acc ident.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . Yo u risk hav­
ing an acc iden t.
- Never dr ive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acci­
dent.
- No rma l summer o r winte r ti res m ust not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- F or te chnical reasons, the use o f ti re
chains on the spare tire is not permi tted .
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare whee l must be mounted o n the
front axle in the event of a f lat in a rear tire. The new
ly available front wheel
must then be installed in place of the
rear whee l with the flat tire. Installing
the t ire cha in before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard brak ing or in an accident.
Never store the spa re tire or jack and
too ls in the passenger compa rtment.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
"'After you expe rience a tire failure, pull the
car we ll away from moving traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop ¢ ,&.
"'All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ &,.
"' Engage the
parking brak e to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢&, .
"' Shift into
1st gea r on ve hicles w ith manual
transmiss io n, or move the
select or lever to
the P p osition
on ve hicles w it h automatic
transmission .
"'I f you are towing a trailer : unhitch the trai l­
er from your vehicle .
"' Take the
jack¢ page 243 and the spare tire
¢ page 243 out of the luggage compart­
ment.
A WARNING
--
You o r you r passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
l ow these safety precaut io ns:
- I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Tu rn off the engine,
tur n the eme rgency flashers on and use
o ther warning devices to a lert other mo-
torists .
IIJ>

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. ..,. •
•

-Jumper cables must be long enough so
that the vehicles do not t ouch.
- W hen connecting jumper ca bles, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the eng ine compart­
ment.
- Do not bend over the batteries - danger
of chemical burns!
- The battery ce ll locking screws must be
t ightened securely .
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
page 206.
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru­
in the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE( +) to POSI ­
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
ce lls are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs p rior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies spec ifically to the case of
your vehicle be ing jump started. When
you are givi ng a jump start to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negat ive( -) ca­
ble to the negat ive( -) term inal on the
discharged battery @¢
fig. 188. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(- )
cable to e ither a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to the engine block itse lf. If the bat­
tery that is being charged does not vent
to the outside, escaping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Em erg en cy si tuation s 257
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
ing.
T he following information is to be used by
commercial tow t ruck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safely.
- Never tow your Audi , towing will cause
damage to the engine a nd transmi ssion.
- Never wrap th e safet y chain s or winch c a­
ble s around th e brak e lin es.
- To prevent unne ce ss ary dam age, your Aud i
mu st be t ransp orted with a flat bed truck .
- To load th e vehi cle on to the fl at bed , use
the t owing loop found in the vehicle t ool s
and atta ch to the front or rear anch o rage
r=:> page 258 and ¢page 258 .
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas­
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle being towed, for any reason.
-
•
•

258 Emergency situations
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop until it is
needed.
Fig. 189 Front bumper: removing th e cove r cap
Fig. 190 Front bumper: screw ing in t he tow ing loop
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo­
cated on the right side of the front bumper
and covered by a small cover when not in use.
... Remove the towing loop from the vehicle
toolkit
c::> page 243 .
... Press the cover in by applying short strong
pressure to the bottom part to release it
from the bumper
c::> fig . 189 .
... Screw the towing loop tightly into the
threaded hole as far as it will go
c::> fig. 190
and tighten it with the wheel wrench .
When it is no longer needed, unscrew the
towing loop and put it back into the veh icle
too lkit. Be sure to have the towing loop stored
in the vehicle at all times.
A WARNING
If the towing loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the vehicle is towed -potential risk of an
accident .
-
Rear towing loop
Do not install the rear towing loop until it is
needed .
Fig. 191 Rear bum per: cove r
Fig. 19 2 Rea r bumper: Screw ing in tow ing loop
On the right side of the rear bumper there is a
threaded hole for the towing loop. The
threaded hole is protected by a cover.
... Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
toolkit
c::> page 243.
... Press the cover in by applying short strong
pressure to the bottom part to release it
from the bumper
c::> fig. 191.
... Screw the towing loop tightly into the
threaded hole as far as it will go
c::> fig. 192
and tighten it with the wheel wrench.
Unscrew the towing loop again after use and
install the cover in the bumper. Install the
cover in the bumper. Return the towing loop
to the toolkit . Be su re to have the towing loop
stored in the vehicle at all times .
A WARNING
-
If the towing loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the vehicle is towed -potential r isk of an
accident.