2014 AUDI Q7 trailer

Weight Rating will also change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash resulting in serious injury or death .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
vehicle would be exceeded if your vehicle
is simultaneously equipped with Panor ­
amic sliding sunroof; third-row seating;
trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dealer-installed) . UNDER NO CIRCUM­
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN­
STALLED ON THE SAME VEHICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6.9"
MAX175mm
E
1/1 E 1/1 ... a)
m
Fig. 231 Perm itted ba ll posit ion of the trailer hitch
Trailer towing weights
With a factory-installed trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer weight is 6,615
lbs (3,000 kg). The maximum permissible un­
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
With an
aftermarket trailer hitch, the maxi­
mum permissible trailer weight is 5,512 lbs
(2,500 kg). These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed cond itions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al­
lowable or slightly lower. You can get an ap­
proximation of the tongue load with a bath­
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station .
With a
factory-installed trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible load on the ball hitch Trailer towing 241
may not exceed 662 lbs (300 kg). With an
af­
termarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permis­
sible load on the ball hitch may not exceed
551 lbs (250 kg).
It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ .& in Driving instructions on page 242.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suita­
ble ball mount and ball ¢
fig. 231. Installa­
tion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac­
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc­
tions. At the height dimension of 1.5 in
(38.S mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in (12. 7 mm)
is permissible.
Engine cooling system
Towing 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 .
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full 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' specifications .
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer 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 trailer to the hitch on the
ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
Ill-
•
•

24 2 Trailer towing
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
0 Note
If you are going to tow a tra ile r, you must
activa te the trailer operation mode
~ page 159, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
cor e and consid eration.
To obta in the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p le ase no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly careful when pass ing othe r
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not driv e at the maximum p ermissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stributio n
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
l ow speeds only to avoid the risk of los ing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
b le under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
b le, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
pa rtment of the tow veh icle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed . Re- duce your speed even more i
f load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
t ry to stop the swa ying by acceleratin g.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds
f or vehicles tow ing tra ile rs are lower than for
r egular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down hill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle . U se o f
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe ratu re gauge ~ page 10
must be observed caref ully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warn ing light in
the instr ume nt cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road , stop and let the engine
idle for
about two min utes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING "--
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a mov-
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
p rov ided by A udi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
-
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
ca refully you load your tra iler and operate
yo ur rig .
Before you act ua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep pract ic ing unt il you

have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficu lt and requires practice.
Backing up with a trai ler genera lly requires
steering 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
trai ler, you will need a larger than norma l
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as you normally would be ­
cause of the added load . Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
<=> page 316.
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:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trai ler wheels .
.. With chocks in place, slowly re lease the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Move the selector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot brake.
Trailer towing 243
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to D.
.. Release the parking brake and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
matic transmission to P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
l ater to move the lever out of the
P posi­
tion.
•
•

& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more weight than yo ur vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of a loss of veh icle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a veh icle 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 causing loss of con­
tro l and a crash .
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra ile r hi tch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cl e Weight Rating.
& WARNING
- Incorre ct tire pressures and/or underin­
fla tion can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorre ct tire pressures and/or underin­
fla tion can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, incl uding a blowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
-
The correct tire pressure for the tires original ­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the tab le
c:::> page 277, Cold tire inflation pressure .Th is
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the p revious three hours .
Tires an d wheel s 2 79
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
u se . The tire pressure is h igher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" t ire that
counts . The refore, you should never let air o ut
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire in flat ion
pressure" recommendat ions ¢
page 277 . The
tires wo uld then be underinf lated and could
fail suddenly .
The t ire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your ve hicle at
the time it was ma nufactured . For the loca­
tion of the labe l
¢page 277, fig . 249 .
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot ­
hole or hit a curb while park ing.
It is usually
not poss ible to see whethe r the rad ia l tires
u sed today are under inflated just by loo kin g
at them.
T herefo re, be su re to check t ire pressu res at
l east once a mo nth and a lways befo re go ing
o n a long tr ip. Ma ke s ure to ta ke t he number
of peop le and the amount of luggage in to ac­
count when ad justing tire pressu re for a trip -
even one that yo u wo uld not conside r to be
"long." See¢
page 281, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an acc ura te tire pressu re ga uge
when checking and adj usting inf lation pres ­
s ur es . Check a ll of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any t ire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let a ir o ut
of the t ire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
yo u reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure i n the cold
t ir e and the pressu re you need and add the air
t h at you need to reach the cor re ct pressure for
the ve hicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehi cle as listed on the on •
•

-If the ti re is not flat and y ou do not have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secu re ly
mounted on the va lve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight t hat any veh icle and any t ire ca n car ry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs 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 limits a re tech nica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
ve hicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of f uel, oil, coo lant and othe r fluids plus
max imum load. The maximum load includes
the number o f passenger s that the ve hicl e is
intended to carry ("se ating capacity") w it h an
assumed weig ht o f 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any luggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
Tire s an d wheel s 281
loaded tra ile r must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Ax le Weight Rating (" GAWR") is
the max imum load th at can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are l iste d on the
s af ety comp liance s tic ke r la bel lo cated on the
driver's side 8 -pillar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear fo r
total seating capacity of 5. On vehicles with
s ix seats*, your vehicle has two front seats,
two seats in the second row seat ing and two
seats in the th ird row seati ng. On veh icles
with seven seats*, your vehicle has two front
seats, t hree seats in the second row s eating
and two seats in t he third row seating. Ea ch
seat ing pos itio n has a se at belt
~page 174,
Safety be lts .
The fact that ther e is a n upper limit to you r
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weigh t Rati ng means
that the to tal weig ht of whatever is bei ng car­
ried in the vehicle ( in cl ud ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the l oa ded trai le r) is limite d. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e ve hicle can carry. Fo r the locat ion of the
label
~page 277, fig . 249.
A WARNING
Overloading a veh icl e can cause loss of ve­
h icl e cont ro l, a crash or o ther accide nt, se­
rio us pe rson al inj ury, a nd eve n death .
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry w ill prevent the
veh icle from h andling proper ly and in ­
crease the risk of the loss o f vehicle con ­
trol.
•
•

282 Tires and wheels
-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)
¢ page 2 77,
fig. 249.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle. 3
. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢page 277, fig. 249.
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
to determine how this re­ duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle. ..,

Fuse s and bulb s 305
Right luggage compartment fuse assignment
0
Fig . 270 Right luggage compartment: fuse panel with plastic clip
Fuse pan el@ (black )
No. Con sumer Amps
1 Rear Seat
Entertainment
15
2 AdBlue heater 30
3 Fuel filler door detection 5
5 Parking system 5
Inte lligent power module con-
6 venience 2
15
(right side of vehicle)
Inte lligent power module con-
7 venience 2 15
(left side of vehicle)
9
Luggage compar tment electri-
20
cal outlet
Intelligent power module con-
10 venience
1
20
(right side of veh icle)
11 Convenience contro
l modu le
15
Intelligent power module con-
12 venience 1 30
(left s ide of ve hicle)
Fus e pa nel © (red )
No. Con
sumer
Amps
1 Radio
7,5/3
0
3 Digital
Signal Processing (DSP)/
30
BOSE amplifier
No. Consumer Amps
4 Bang & Olufsen amplifier
30
5 Ride height adjustment 15
6 Soft close 20
7 Power rear lid 30
8 Power rear lid
30
9 Trailer hitch 15
10 Trailer
hitch (left side of vehicle) 20
11 Trailer hitch (right
side of vehi-
20
cle)
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 applies espe cially to the light bulbs
in the front of your car which you can only
reach through the engine compartment.
Sheet metal and bu lb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause se rio us cu ts, and par ts
IJ>

314 Technical Dat a
designated seating position) and luggage
weight¢ .&,.
Gross Axle W eight Rating
The Gross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle ¢Lr!, .
Vehicle capacit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max. load) is list­
ed on the driver's side B-p illar.
A WARNING
- T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for your
vehicle, fo und on the safety compliance
label on the driver's side B -pillar, must
never be exceeded under any circumstan­
ces. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating of your vehicle is likely to damage
your vehicle, and such damage will not
be covered by your Lim ited New Vehicle
Warranty. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle
We ight Rating will also change the per­
formance and handling cha racte rist ics of
yo ur vehicle, which cou ld cause a crash
result ing in se rious in jury or death.
- T he Gross Veh icle Weight Rat ing fo r yo ur
vehicle would be exceeded if yo ur vehicle
is simultaneo us ly equipped with Panor­
amic sliding sunroo f; th ird-row seating;
Dimensions
Length
Width
Width (across mirrors) Height (unloaded) al
Turning circle diamete rbl trailer towing
equipment (factory or
dea le r-installed), and running boards
(dealer-installed). UNDER NO CIRCUM­
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN­
STA LLED ON THE SAME VE HICLE .
- The actual Gross Ax le Weig ht Rating at
the front and rear ax les should not ex­
ceed the permissible weights, and the ir
comb inat io n must not exceed the Gross
Vehi cle Weight Rating.
- Exceeding permiss ible weight ratings can
result i n ve hicl e damage, a ccidents and
personal inj ury.
....--
CD Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figu res apply
when the load is d istr ibuted evenly in the
vehicle (passenge rs and luggage). When
t ransport ing a heavy load in the lugg age
compar tment, carry the load as near to
t he rear ax le as possible so that the vehi ­
cle's handling is not impaired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissib le
ax le loads or the maximum gross vehicle
we ight . A lways remember that the vehi ­
cle's handling w ill be affected by the ex­
tra load. Therefore, ad just your speed ac­
cordingly.
- Always observe local regulat ions.
in (mm)
200 .3 (5089)
in (mm) 78.1 (1983)
in (mm) 85 .7 (2 177)
in (mm) 68.4 (1737)
ft (m) 39 .4 ( 12)
al The he ight of t he ve hicle depends on the tires and t he su spension.
b l The turning radius dep ends on th e tir es.
When driv ing up steep ramps, on rough roads,
over curbs, etc. it is important to remembe r
that some parts of your ve hicle, such as spoil- ers or exhaust
system components, may be
close to the ground . Be careful not to damage
them .
1