2015 AUDI A4 Owners Manual

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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 199
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 trai ler 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 fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler 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 200.
Engine cooling system
T owing 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 . .,..
•
•

200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold 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.
Lights
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.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly 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 of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
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 cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
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 rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n the i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly 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 p roper ly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, pe rform ­
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. Ma ke s ure 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 283.
Trailer towin g 201
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 m ove the le ver out of the P posi­
tion.
•
•

202 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 co rro ­
sion damage and paint defec ts 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 cle aning and care products incor­
rect ly can be dange rous to your he alth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut o f reach of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Prefera bly use environmentally-frie ndly
p roducts when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p ro du cts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer deposits remai n on t he veh icle, the
mo re the surface ca n be damaged. H igh tem­
pe rat ures such as those caused by su nlight in­
crease the d amaging effe cts.
Before washing, wet heavy deposi ts w ith p len ­
ty of wate r.
Stubbor n depos its s uch as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are best removed with plen ty of wa­
ter and a m icrofiber cloth .
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stop s be ing used for the season.
Pres sure washers
When wash ing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instr uc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. T his
is especially important in regard to the pres- s
u re and sp raying dis tance. Do not aim the
s p ray direct ly at sea ls on side windows, doo rs,
t h e hood, the rear lid o r the sunroof* or at
t ires, rubber hoses, insu lating material, sen ­
sors" or camera lenses*. Keep a d ista nce of at
least 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressu re
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles .
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
1 4 0
°F (6 0 °( ).
Automatic car washes
Sp ray off the ve hicle befo re washing .
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off. Fol­
low instructions from the ca r wash operator,
especially if there are accesso ries attached to
you r vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Washing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starti ng from the to p and
wor king down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush. Use solvent-free clean ing products .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger­
pr ints are best removed w ith a spec ial cleane r
for matte finish paint .
Apply t he prod uct using a microfiber cloth. To
avo id damaging the pa int surface, do not use
too much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutra l shampoo and a soft mi­
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the ve hicl e thoro ughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy.

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Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 203
& 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 risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp meta l components when
washing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to moisture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter . The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat ions .
{[) Note
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the r isk of damage to
the mirrors . Power folding exterior 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
the veh icle in direct sunl ight. -
To reduce the r isk 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 clean ing and caring for individua l vehi­
cle components, refer to the fo llow ing tab les .
The informa tion contained there is s imply rec­
ommendations. For questions or for compo- nents that are not listed
, refer to an author­
ized Audi dea ler or qua lified workshop. A lso
fol low the information fo und in ¢ ,&. .
Cleanin g exte rior
Component Situation Solution
Wiper blade s
Dirty ¢ page 5 6, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Hea dlight s/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solution a>
t a il light s
Sen sors /
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a so lvent-free cleaning product
came ra lens es Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
solution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so
lvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road sal t Water
Brake d ust Acid-free special cleaning so
lution
Ex haust tail Road sa lt Water, cleaning solut io n suitable for sta inless steel, if
pipe s necessary
•
•

204 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Decorative
Dirty Mild soap solutional, a cleaning solution suitab le for
parts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, re-
pair with touch up paint¢
page 280
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust film Rust
film remover, then protect with hard wax; for ques-
tions, refer to an authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an autho rized Aud i dealer or quali-
fied workshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No shine even T
reat with suitable polish; then app ly paint protectant if
though paint has the polish that was used does not contain any protec-
been protected/
tant
pa int looks poor
Deposits such as in- Dampen with water immed iate ly and remove with a mi-
sects, bird drop- crofiber cloth
pings, tree sap and
road salt
Grease-based con- Remove immediately with a mild soap solution a) and a
taminants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sun-
block
Carbon parts Dirty Clean tlhe same way as pa inted parts ¢ page 202, Car
washes
a l Mi ld soap so lution: maximum two tab lespoons neut ra l soap in 1 quart (1 lite r) of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative Dirty Mild soap solutional
parts/
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plast ic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary
Displays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutional
Safety belts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract

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Vehicle care and cleaning 205
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 1 quart (I 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>
•
•

206 Vehicle care and cleaning
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
Th is could cause scratches and cracks.
-Windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and
exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper.
To avoid scratches, move the scraper only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from win­
dows and mirrors using warm or hot
water because this could cause cracks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any stickers on
the heating wires on the inside of the
window.
- Decorative parts/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
- Paint
-To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and dust be­
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do
not polish away rust film .
- Remove cosmetics and sunblock imme­
diately. Otherwise, the paint could be
damaged.
-Displays
- To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays.
-Controls
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could cause dam­
age.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their com­
ponents chemically or with corrosive
fluids or solvents and never allow sharp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts. This could cause damage to the belt webbing. - If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buck­les, have them replaced by an author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Textiles/Vinyl/Alcantara
- Never treat Vinyl/Alcantara with leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar products.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or belts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex­
ample on clothing, can damage seat
covers. Make sure hook and loop fas­
teners are closed.
- Natural leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or belts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- To help prevent the leather from fad­
ing, do not leave the vehicle in direct
sunlight for long periods of time. If leaving the vehicle parked for long pe­
riods of time, you should cover the
leather to protect it from direct sun­
light.
(D Tips
- Insects are easier to remove from paint
that has been freshly waxed.
- Regular waxing can prevent rust film
from forming.