210 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
fluid .
Tire p res sure
When tow ing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehi cle 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 t ires to trai ler and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Lights
Chec k to make s ure both veh icle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
h icle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
cha ins, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be
for e
hitching up the tra ile r and b efor e adjust
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort dr iving mode and no t raised
qpage 102, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f u nction button> Low
e r
control b utton .
I f you m ust dr ive under poor road co ndit ions,
you can raise the veh icle
aft er coup ling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tong ue weig ht
q page 104.
-Changes in tempe ratu re or load can af
fect the heig ht of the veh icle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load spec ified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
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 fo llow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded t railer when yo ur car it
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the max imum permissib le
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes early .
.,. Mon itor the tempe ratu re ga uge.
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re
su lts in a highly unstable distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid t he risk of losing
steering con tro l.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to ope rate and con
t ro 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 cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the s way ing b y accele rating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem
perature can increase if you drive on long in
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
c> page 17 .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wearing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is diff icult and 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.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
Trailer towing 211
trailer, you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(0 Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load¢
page 285.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork 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 place chocks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
"' With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine.
.,. Select the D/S selector lever position .
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
111>
•
•
214 Vehicle care and cleaning
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, p rotect your
self from shar p meta l compone nts w hen
was hing t he unde rbody or the ins ide of
the whee l housings.
- Aft er washing the vehicle, the braking ef
fec t may be de layed due to mo isture o n
the b rake ro to rs or i ce in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applications.
(!;) Note
- If you wash t he vehi cle in a n automati c
car wash, yo u m ust fold the exterior m ir
ro rs in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exte rior m ir
ro rs * must only be folded in and out us
i ng the power folding function.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash
t h e ve hicle in direct sun light . -
To reduce the ris k of damage to the sur
face, do not use insect removing spong
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted veh icle compo
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishi ng agen ts or
h a rd wax.
- Neve r use car wash cycles that apply
p rotective wax .
It can destroy the
matte fi nish effect.
- Do not plac e any stickers o r magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts pain ted w ith
matte fi nish paint. The paint cou ld be
d am aged when the stickers o r m ag nets
a re removed.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
O nly wash the ve hicl e in facili tie s sp e ci al ly
d esigne d for tha t purpose. This will re duce
the r is k of dirty wate r contam ina ted with
o il from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and cari ng for individua l vehi
cle components, refer to the following tab le .
The information contained there is simp ly rec
ommendations. For quest ions or for compo- nents that are not listed, refer to an author
ized Audi dea
ler or a qualified workshop . Also
fo llow the information found in c> ,& .
Cleaning exterior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blades
Dirty <=> page 49, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlights/ D irty Soft sponge wi
th a m ild soap so lutiona l
tail lights
Sensors /
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth w ith a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera lense s Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so lvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sa lt Water
Brake d ust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail Road s alt Water, deani ng sol ution suit able for stainless s teel, if
pipes necessary
216 Vehicl e c are and cle aning
Component Situation Solution
Tex tile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vin yl, the surface
A lcan ta ra Water -based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
O il-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.
N atu ral l eathe r Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solution a>
Water-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc. dried stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regular
ly apply conditioning cream that protects from
light a nd penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as plastic parts
a) Mil d soap so lution : m ax im um two ta b les poons neu tral soa p in a lite r of wate r
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repe lling windshield 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 .
(V Note
-Headlights /tail li ghts
- 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.
-W hee ls
- 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 repa ired immediately.
- Sen sor s/c ame ra len ses
-Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
le ns. This could cause the lens to crack . ""
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hanging the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilomete rs) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changing the oil at the recommended inter
vals is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author
ized Audi Service Advisor .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for long periods.
Detergent addit ives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine). Your
Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or malfunctions due to failure to fol
low recommended maintenance and use re
quirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover
age unless you present to the dealer proof in
Checking and filling 231
the form of Service or Repair Orders that all
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see ¢
page 204) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil , the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions . Further fac
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary .
With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil lev
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbol
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
should check the oil level as soon as possible
¢
page 232. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
9 page 232.
.&, WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
comportment on page 22
7.
-
•
•
238 Checking and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as we ll as the special tools
required and the necessary expertise, we recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily drives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa
cility . The electrolyte level should also be
checked each time the battery is charged
<=:> page 240.
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service . You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec
tr ical system for safety reasons
c::> & in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 165.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this , the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrica l system when absolutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capability over a longer period
c::> page 202. Some of the convenience func
tions may not operate, such as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven- ience
functions will be available again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en gine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capac ity
tends to decrease as temperatures drop. This
is because more power is a lso consumed whi le
starting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par
ticularly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances. Let your authorized Audi
deale r check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in
c::> page 240 . A well
charged battery will no t only prevent star ting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery should be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor . Before you check any
thing in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
c::> .&,.
Always heed the safety warnings , when work
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
&
Batt ery acid contain s sulfuric acid.
Alw ay s w ea r g lov es and eye protec -
t io n.
@
No
-spa rk s
- flam es
- sm oking .
~
When a b atte ry is ch arged , it p rodu -
ce s hy d roge n ga s wh ich i s exp losi ve
a nd could cause pe rso nal injur y.
®
Alw ay s keep the b atter y well out of
rea ch of children.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r isk of
injury, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
yo ur sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection.
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could leak out of the vent ilation open
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your sk in, immed iately r inse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek med ical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cab les.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-c ircuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or explosion
and personal in jury.
Checkin g and fillin g
-When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explos ive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the elect rical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec
trical system, switch off the eng ine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If yo u are just go
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switc h off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch
ed off . Reconnect the pos it ive cable first
and then the negative cable. Neve r inter
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery.
It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis
charged battery can freeze over at 32
°F
(0 oc).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! A l
ways rep lace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac
cessories conta in lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
Ca lifornia to cause cance r and reproduc
tive problems. Wash hands after han- dling.
~
239
•
•
No. Equipment Amps
5 Parking system 5
6 Rear Seat Entertainment 5
7 Start-Stop-System 5
8 side ass ist 5
9
Gateway, Vehicle electrical sys-
5 tern control module 1
10 Sport differential
5
Fuse panel © (black)
No. Equipment
Amps
1 Not used
Fuse panel ® (black)
No. Equipment
Amps
1 Movement-activated luggage 1
compartment lid opening
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned
out bulbs for you.
It is becoming increasingly more and more
difficult to replace vehicle light bulbs since in
many cases, other parts of the car must first
be removed before you are able to get to the
bulb. This appl ies especially to the light bulbs
in the front of your car which you can only
reach through the engine compartment .
Sheet metal and bulb ho lders can have sharp
edges that can cause ser ious cuts, and parts
must be correctly taken apart and then prop
erly put back together to help prevent break
age of parts and long term damage from wa
ter that can enter housings that have not been properly resealed.
F or your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace any bulbs for you, since your dealer has the proper tools,
the correct bu lbs and the expertise .
Gas discharge lamps (Xenon lights):
Fuses and bulbs
Due to the high e lectr ica l voltage, have the
bulbs replaced by a qualified technician.
Head lights w ith Xenon light can be identified
by the high voltage sticker.
LED headlights* require no maintenance.
Please contact your authorized Audi dealer if a
bulb needs to be replaced.
_& WARNING
Contact with high-voltage components of
the electrical system and improper re
placement of gas discharge (Xenon) head
light bulbs can cause ser ious personal in
jury and death .
- Xenon bulbs are pressur ized and can ex
plode when being changed .
- Changing Xenon lamps requ ires the spe
cial tra ining, instructions and equip
ment.
- Only an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop should change the
bulbs in gas discharge lamps.
&_ WARNING
There are parts with sharp edges on the
openings and on the bulb holders that can
cause serious cuts.
- If you are uncertain about what to do,
have the work performed by an author
ized Audi dealer or other qualified work
shop . Serious personal injury may result
from improperly performed work.
(D Tips
-If you still prefer to replace the light
bulbs yourself, be aware that the engine
compartment is a hazardous area to
work in
¢page 227¢ &.
- It is best to ask your authorized Audi
dealer whenever yo u need to change a
bulb .
275
•
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