
214 Trailer towing
Operating instructions
6"
i ~
I 1,2 ..
{ ~
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,,
-
2
Fig. 189 Pe rmi tted ball posit ion of the tra iler h itch
T ra ile r tow ing weight s
With a factor y-insta lled or an afte rm arket
trailer h itch, the max imum permissib le trailer
weight is 4,400 lbs (2,000 kg). The maximum perm iss ible unbraked trailer weight is 1,650
lbs (750 kg). These spec ifications apply when
driving on roads hav ing an incl ine of less than
12%.
P erm is s ible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed condit ions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al
l owable or slightly lower . You can get an ap
p rox imation of the tongue load w ith a bath
room scale or you can measure the load at a
tr ucking company or weighing sta tion.
W ith a
fact ory -in stall ed or an aftermarket
trailer h itch, the max imum pe rm issible load
on the ball hitch may not exceed 440 lbs (200 kg).
It is recommended to use the maxi
mum permissible load .
Trailer lo ad distribut ion
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting fo rward,
backward or s ideways.
N eve r allow a p assenger to rid e in a trail er
¢ .&. in Driving instructions on page 215.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with su ita
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 189. Installa
tion of the hitch ball must be carr ied out in ac- cordance with the manufacturer's instruc
tions.
Eng ine cooling system
T owing a t railer 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.
Tire pressur e
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressu re listed under
" F u ll load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B·
pillar. Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire
manufacturers' spec ificat ions.
Lights
T he headlight settings shou ld be checked wi th
the trai ler attached before driving off . Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con
nected from the tra iler to the hitch on the ve
hicle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners . When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
T he chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of separation from the hitch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
T o obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and t railer, please note the fo llowing :
.,. Do not tow a loaded t railer when you r ca r it
self is not loaded .
.. Be especially caref ul when passing ot her
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limits.

names etc.) that conform to Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C hang ing th e engin e oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (kilomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in yo ur 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 eng ine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter
va ls is so very important because the lubricat
ing properties of oi l decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author
ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should even be changed more frequently .
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and -go traffic con
d itions, or when you use your veh icle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run
n ing for a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ecommended.
Damage or ma lf u nction s du e to lac k of
ma intenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW S07 00 (veh icles with diese l engi ne). Yo ur
L im ited New Vehicle Warra nty does not cover
damage or ma lfunctions due to failure to fol
l ow recommended maintenance and use re
quirements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance book let.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that a ll
Checking and fillin g 235
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 prov ide effective lubrication and
cooling o f inte rna l engine components, all in
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change sign ificantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
Q page 205) consume more oil during the
break-in pe riod than they consume after o il
consump tion has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con
sumption depends on the quality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
tempe rature a nd road conditions. Furt her fac
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from wa ter
condensation or fue l residue and the oxida
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es
tablished or spec ified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev
el, see
Not e.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 236 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
~ page 236.
&_ WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compa rtmen t, always read and heed al l
WARNI NGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
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238 Check ing and filling
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper
l y. Do not dump it on garden so il, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re
q ui res little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ia lly condi tioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol -basedcoolant addi -
tive G l3 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces
sary frost protection and protects metal com
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling . It also raises the boil
i ng po int of the coo lant .
Do not red uce the concentration of the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add iti ve mu st be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficie n
cy.
If t he coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i
cle heating and engine cooling system. F
or year -ro und driving, antifreeze is added a t
the factory for temperatures down to :
- -31°F(-35° C)USA
- -40°F ( -40°C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended .
.&, WARNING
--
Before you c hec k anyth ing in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS~ .&.
in Working in the engine
compor tment on page 231 .
(J;) Note
-Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
yo ur vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli
mate condi tions . This is especia lly impor
tant if you live in a region where the win
ter is extreme ly co ld . If necessary, in
crease the p roportion of coo lant add itive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system, remember :
- W e r ecommend using o nly coola nt ad
d itive G l2++ or Gl3 for your veh icle.
T his coolan t additive is av ail ab le a t au
thor ized Audi dealers. O ther types of
antifreeze can significant ly reduce cor
rosion protection . The resulti ng cor ro
sion can cause a loss o f coolant and se
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal
ant to your vehicle 's eng ine coolant.
Add ing radiato r repair flu id may adverse
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not cover ed by yo ur New Ve hicle
Limited Warranty.

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 201 Eng ine co mpa rtme nt: cove r on the coola nt
exp ansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lway s re ad and he ed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 231 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Turn off t he ignit ion.
.,. Read the eng ine coolant level from the cool
ant expansion tank¢ fig . 201, ¢ page 233,
fig. 198 . With a cold eng ine , the coola nt
level should be between the "M IN " and
"MAX" markings . W hen the eng ine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "MAX"
marking.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration ¢page 233.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an e lectr ic coolant level sensor .
When the coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto -Check System ¢ page 30 will
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
a n elec tric coolant leve l sensor, we s till rec
ommend you chec k the coolant leve l from
time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 239
ing system shou ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
eno ugh merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
(D Note
Do not a dd any type o f radiator leak se al
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
ing radiator repa ir flui d may adverse ly af
fect the funct ion and performance of yo ur
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed alt WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 231 .
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank ¢ page 239, fig. 201 and
carefully turn
the cap counter -clockwise ¢
_& .
.,. Add coolant m ixed in the co rrect rat io
¢ page 238, Coolant.
.,. Twis t the cap o n aga in tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢ page 238, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant add itive
Gl2 ++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do not
use a different add itive . In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi
tive and can restore t he cor rect ratio . Th is
sho uld be done as soon as possib le.
If you have lost a cons iderab le amount of
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the eng ine is cold.
Always use new engine coo lant when refill ing .
Do not fi ll coo lant above the "MAX" mark. Ex
cess coolant will be forced o ut through the
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300 Index
Center armrest
Adjusting . ................. ..... .. 66
Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Changing A flat tire .. .......... ...... ... .. . 273
A wheel .. .. ................ ... ... 273
E ng ine oil ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 237
Checking Engine coolant level ....... .. .. .... . 239
Tire pressure .............. ... .. .. . 253
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat .... ........... .. .. .... . 158
System anchors .......... .. .. .. .. . 191
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? . . 196
Chi ld safety ................. .. .... . 178
Convertible locking retractor .. .. ..... 188
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats ............. .. ... 181
Important things to know when dr iving
with chi ldren . ... ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 178
I nstalling a child restraint using the
L A T CH system . ......... .. .. .. .. .. . 193
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook .... ................ ... .... . 193
Tether anchors ............ ... .... . 194
Tether straps .............. .. .... . 194
Ch ild safety locks
Rear doors ............... ... .... .. 46
Child safety seats . .......... ... .. .. . 184
Booster seats ............. ... .. ... 186
Conve rtible child seats .... .. .. .. .. . 185
Conve rtible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 188
Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat .. ................ ..... . 158
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ........ .. .. .... . 181
Infant seats ............. .. .. .. .. . 184
Installing ................. .. .... . 188
LA TCH system ......... .... ... .. .. . 193
Lower anchorages ......... ... .. .. . 192
Safety instructions ... ..... .. .. .... . 181
Unused safety belts on the rear seat .. 183
Cigarette lighter ........... .. .. .. .. .. 75
C leaning .................... ..... . 217 Climate control
.... ............. ..... 79
Air vents . ..... .. .. .............. .. 81
Automatic recircu lation .......... ... . 81
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Setup .... .... .. ............. .... . 81
Supplementary .. ................ .. 82
Synchronizing . ... ....... ...... .. .. . 81
Climatized cupholder ................. 74
Clock .. .. .. .... .. ............. ..... 12
Closing Panoramic sliding sunroof ........ ... . 47
Coat hooks ..... .. .. .............. .. 77
Cold tire inflation pressure .......... .. 251
Compass mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Compliance ..... .. .. .............. . 296
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 146, 293
Contacting NHTSA . ............... .. 146
Controls Cleaning .. .... .. .. .............. . 219
Convenience Closing ...... ... .. .............. .. 47
Open ing .. .... .. ............. .... . 47
Convenience key . .. ............. .... . 40
Indicator lights .. ..... ........... .. 87
Locking and unlocking vehicle ........ . 40
Start ing engine (START ENGINE STOP
button) ..... .. .. .. ........... .... . 86
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) .... ............... .. . 87
Switching on ignition ............ ... . 86
Convertible child safety seats . .. ... ... 185
Convertible locking retractor Activating . .... .. ............. .... 190
Deactivat ing . ... . ... ... .... ... .. .. 191
Using to secure a child safety seat 1.88, 190
Coolant system .... ................ . 238
Cooled cupholder ............... .... . 7 4
Cooling box in glove compartment . . . . . . 77
Cooling mode (climate control) ..... ... . 80
Cooling System Expansion tank ... ............. .... 239
Cornering light .. .. ............. .... . 51
Cruise control
Changing speed
Preselect speed .
. ................ .. 95
96
Switching off .. .. ............. .. .. . 96

Eyeg lasses compartment . ... .. .. .. .. .. 77
F
Fall line
Fan 2
10
Radiato r ... .. ........... .. .. .. .. . 240
Fastening Booster seats ............ .. .. .. .. . 186
Convertible c hild safety seats . . . . . . . . 185
Infant seats .. ..... ... .... ... ... .. 184
Fl at ti re
C hanging .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ... 273
Fl exible fuel . .. ........... .. .. .. ... 22 3
F loor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
F og lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 0
Fold ing chocks ............... .. .... 268
Folding the rear seat forward . . . . . . 67, 68
F oo t pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
For the sake of the environment Gasoline fumes and the envi ronment .. 226
Le tting the engine warm up . . . . . . 83, 86
R educing e ng in e noise by ea rly ups hift-
i ng .. .. .. .. .. ............... .. .. .. 11
Refue ling . .... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. ... 226
Saving fue l by ear ly upshift ing . ... .. .. 11
Fr ont airbags
D escr ipt io n ..... ......... .. .. .. .. . 16 1
H ow t hey work ........... .. .. .. .. . 166
F ronta l co llisions and the laws of physics 150
Fr ont ashtray ... ... .. ... ... .. .. .. .... 75
Fr ont seats .. ............. .... .. .... 6 1
Ad justi ng .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 1 41
C hild r estraints in the fron t seat . .. .. . 158
Fue l
Addit ives ... .. ........ ... .. .. .. .. . 222
B lended gasoline ......... .. .. .. .. . 22 2
Consu mption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3
Fill er ne ck .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 225
Fu el gauge .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... 12
Gasoline additives ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 224
Octane rating ... .. .... ... .. .. .. .. . 222
Recommendation ......... .. .. .. .. . 222
Refue lling .. ............. .... .. ... 226
Reserve .. ... ............. ... ... ... 12
Tank capacity ............... .. .... 290
Un lock ing the fue l filler f lap by ha nd .. 227
Index 303
Fuel economy messages (e fficiency p ro -
gram) . ... .. .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 25
Fuel fi lle r flap
Unl ocking the fuel fi lle r flap by hand .. 227
Fuel supply too low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Fuse a rrangement ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 279
G
Garage door o pener ( Hom eLink) ..... .. 135
Gas discharge lamps .. ............... 282
Ga uges
Engine coolant temperature . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
General i llustration
Instruments and controls .... ... .. .. .. 8
General rules and dr iv ing tips ..... .. .. 210
B efo re driv ing offro ad .......... .... 210
D rivi ng o ffroad . .. .. . .............. 210
G lossary of tire and loading term inology 248
G love compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cooling box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
G low p lug sys tem
In dicator light ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. . 15
GPS cont ro lled clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
G radient angle .. ...... ............. 210
G ross Ve hicle Weig ht Rating (GVWR) . .. 289
G rou nd clearance .. ... ... ...... ..... 210
H
Head lights
Adaptive light .. ...... ............. . Sl
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .... 218
Fog lights ........ ................. SO
Head light range control defect ive ..... 35
L eft hand drive, r igh t h and drive .. .. .. . 51
Re ar fog ligh ts . .. .... ............. . SO
T ra ve l mode . .. .. ............... .. . 51
Washe r reservoir ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 246
Washe r system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Head restra ints .. ...... ........... .. 142
Adjus ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
F ron t se ats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
R ea r seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
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