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Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember that
the additiona l load will affect durability, econo
my and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentrat ion from
the driver .
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating and
d riving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the veh icle 's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use on ly a tra iler hitc h with a re
movable ba ll mou nt. Always chec k w ith the t ra il
e r hitch m anu fac tur er to make sure that you a re
using the co rrec t hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not in terfere with the impact-absorbi ng
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should b e
mad e to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
Fr om time to t ime, c hec k t hat a ll h itch mou nti ng
bo lts remain sec urely fastened .
When you are no t tow ing a trailer,
remove the
trai ler hitch ball mount . Th is prevents the hitc h
fr om caus ing damage should you r vehicle be
s truck from behind¢,&. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equipped w it h a braking system,
check to be s ure that it conforms to all regu la
tions.
Trailer mode
T he trailer hyd raulic brake system must not be di
rect ly connected to the ve hicle's hydraulic b rake
system ¢.&. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety ch ains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r li ghts must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w it h your author ized Audi deal er for cor
r e ct w iring, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us
i ng the regular o uts ide mirrors, then you
must in
sta ll extended mirrors .
It is importa nt that you
always have clea r vision to the rea r.
_&. WARNING
- I f a trai ler has elec trical brake s please note
th at these b ra kes are not acti va ted by the
factory -fitted contro l unit -ris k of acci dent!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do n ot store
it in your vehicle . In case o f su dden braking,
the hi tch could fly forward and injure you or
your passe ngers.
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r weight
A trai ler for you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the load in the t ra iler i s held secure ly in
pla ce to prevent it from sh ifting forw ard , back
war d or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving in struc tion s on page 182.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's pe rform
ance is up to the additional load . Ma ke s ure that
t h e coo ling system has enoug h fluid.
IIJJ,
181
Trailer mode
Tire pressure
When tow ing a trailer, inflate the tires of your ve
hicle 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 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 su re trailer safety chains are properly connect
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will 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, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
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 results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
182
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and contro l.
This means that the tow vehicle shou ld be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keep ing the trailer as light as possible under the
c ir cumstances. Whenever poss ible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require
ments and vehicle load ing considerat ions .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
cond it ions are unfavorab le - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When dr iving down
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im
med iately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
If the coolant temperature warning light . in
the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two m inutes to prevent heat build-up .
&_ WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
-
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-To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when wash
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to moisture on the
brake rotors or ice in the w inter . The brakes
must be dried first w ith a few careful brake
applications.
(I) Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior m irrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors. Power folding exterior mirrors* must only
be fo lded in and out us ing the power folding
f u nct ion.
- To prevent pa int damage, do not wash the
vehicle i n direct sunlight .
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect removing sponges, k itche n
sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use protective wax.
It can destroy
the matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte
finish pa int. The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magnets are re
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
On ly wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially de
signed for that purpose. This will reduce the
risk of dirty water contam inated with o il from
entering the sewer system .
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you wou ld like to take your vehicle out of serv
ice for a longer time, contact you r authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repair facility. They will
adv ise you of important measur es, such as corro-
Care and cleaning
sion p rotection , maintenance and storage proce
dures . Also follow the information about the bat
tery
C) pag e 200.
185
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Checking and Filling Hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehi
cle.
Fig. 159 Driver's side footwell: e ng in e hood release lever
Fig. 160 Releas e lev er un der t he e ngin e hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that
the windshield wipers are flat against the wind
shield . Otherwise, they could damage the paint
on the hood.
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever un
der the instrument panel in the direction of the
arrow
c::> fig . 159.
.. Ra ise the hood slightly c::> &.
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
c::> fig . 160. This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compa rt
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be
Checking and Filling
seen or heard before carefully opening the
hood .
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from the
struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in place. Do
not try to push it shut;
it may fa il to engage
c::> &. -
A WARNING
A hood that is not comp letely latched could
fly up and block your view while driving.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly en
gaged . The hood should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood is
not secured properly, stop at once and close
it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engine compartment.
-
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking and
filling different fluids , there i s a risk of injury ,
burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury
always observe the following WARNINGS . The
engine compartment of any vehicle is a hazard
ous area
c:> .&. .
A WARNING
-
To help avoid injury, before you check any-
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic transmis-
sion to "P" (Park); put manua l transmission
in Neutral.
-Always let the engine cool down. Hot com
ponents wi ll burn skin on contact .
191
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Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 161 Typical layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap (
@ Brake fluid reservoir((();) .... .. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. .. .
® Jump start point(-) with hex head
195
202,237
199
198
screw ... .. ............... .. . 202, 237
@ Windshield/headlight* washer con-
tainer
(Q) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
The position of the engine oil filling hole
c:> fig. 161 (item@) can differ depending on the
engine design .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment, always read and heed all WARN
INGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 191.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci
fications.
T he service interval disp lay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change . W e recommend that you
have your oil changed by an authorized A udi Serv
ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil qua lity standard specified in the
table .
Audi oil quality standard
Ga soline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
193
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-To avoid being burned, do not spi ll anti
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool ant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti
freeze in its original conta iner and well out
of the reach of ch ildren .
-If you drain the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper container
clearly marked "poison" .
(D Note
-Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek profess ional
ass istance.
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and could
cause an eng ine fire . Excess coolant will be
fo rced out through the pressure relief valve
i n the cap when the eng ine becomes hot.
- If, i n an emergency , only water can be add
ed, the correct ratio between wa ter and an
tifreeze
i::;, page 196 must be restored as
soon as possib le .
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose o f used coolant while observ ing all
environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it
self.
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V
be lt . The viscous clu tch regulates the speed of
the fan ac cording to the temperature of the cool
ant.
An auxiliary e lectr ic rad iator fan* switches on and
off depend ing on coolant temperat ure and othe r
veh icle operati ng conditions.
Afte r you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue runn ing for up to 10 minutes -even
Ch eck in g and Fillin g
with the ignition off . It can even sw itch on again
later by itself¢& , if
- the temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises due
to the heat build- up from the engine in the en
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
veh icle is parked in intense sun light .
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of persona l injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature con trolled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto
matica lly when the engine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick
glance .
Fig. 1 65 Engine compar tment : Cove r on the b rake fl uid
r e servoir
Before you check anyth ing in the engine compart
ment,
al way s read and h eed all WARNIN GS
¢ _.& in Working in the engine compartment on
page 191 .
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the b rake fluid
reservoir
¢ fig. 165, ¢page 193, fig . 161 . The
brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN "
and "MAX " markings.
19 9
Checking and F ill in g
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on t he left
side
c!,> page 193.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the b ra ke fluid level fal ls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warn ing/indicator
light (U.S. models:
1111 , Canadian models: . )
will come on
c!,> page 15 . Do not contin ue to oper
ate the vehicle . The complete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an author iz ed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/ind icator light w ill illuminate .
Contact an authorized Audi dealer
i mmed iately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under
neath the cove r.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moist ure from the a ir. If the
water content in the brake fluid is too high, cor rosion in the brake system may result after a peri
od of time . The boiling point of the brake flu id
w ill also decrease conside rably and dec rease
b rak ing perfo rmance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ve ry
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid w hich con
forms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DOT 4".
The brake fluid rese rvoir can be difficult to reach,
therefo re , we recommend that you have the
b rake fluid changed by your author ized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has the correct too ls , the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do t his for
you.
A WARNING
- B rake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
on ly in the closed original container out of
the reach of children!
200
- Brake fail ure can resu lt from o ld or inappro
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau
tions:
- Use only b rake fluid that meets SAE spec i
f ica tion
J 170 3 and conform s to Federa l
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
su re you are using the correct brake fl uid.
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i
cated on the brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fl uid must be new. Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake f luid is left in the system too long.
This can seriously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an acc ident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehi
cle.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
Because of the prob lem of prope r disposal of
brake fluid as well as the special tools re
qu ired and the necessary expert ise, we rec
omme nd that you have the brake flu id
changed by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating conditions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
Wi th
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the e lectro
lyte level checked by an a uth orized Aud i deale r o r
qualified workshop . The electrolyte leve l should
a lso be checked each time the batte ry is c ha rged
c:!,> page 202.
Have the battery checked when yo u take your ve
hicle in for service . You a re well adv ised to re
pla ce a battery that is older tha n 5 years.
With certain types of airbag deployment, the bat
te ry is disconnected from the veh icle elect rical
system for safety reasons
c:!,> & in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 1 42.
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Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be li~ed with the jack first be
fore the wheel can be removed .
·- ·
Fig . 178 Sill panels: marking s
Fig . 179 S ill: posit ion ing the vehicl e jack
The location of the jack point is indicated by an
indentation on the underside of the vehicle
¢ fig. 178.
.,.. Activate the pa rkin g brake to prevent the vehi
cle from rolling unintentionally .
.,.. Shift into
1st gea r on vehicles with manua l
transmission or move the selector lever to the P
pos ition on vehicles with automatic transmis
sion.
.,.. Find the
marking (imprint) on the sill that is
nearest the wheel that w ill be changed
¢ fig . 178. Behind the marking, there is a lift
ing point
on the sill for the vehicle jac k.
.,.. Turn the
veh icle jack loca ted under the lifting
point on the si ll to raise the jack until the jaw
r:=;, fig. 179 @ covers the notch on the vehicle
¢A ¢ 0 .
.,.. Align the vehicle jack so the jaw @covers the
notch and the base plate @ is flat on the floor.
The base plate @ must be
vertical under the
lifting point @.
Em erg en cy ass is tan ce
.,.. Insta ll the rod on the vehicle jack : Insert the
rod into the opening on the handwheel. Turn
the rod left or r ight to secure it.
.,.. Continue raising the jack with the rod unt il the
wheel lifts off the ground slightly .
Position the vehicle jack
onl y under the designat
ed lifting points on the si ll
Q fig. 178. There is ex
actly
one Location for each wheel. The jack m ust
not be posit ioned at any other location
c:> ,& ¢CI).
So ft g round under the jack can cause the vehicle
to s lip off the jack . Always place the jack on firm
ground. Use a flat, stable support if necessary.
Use a non-s lip surface such as a rubber mat on a
slipper y surfa ce such as tile .
A WARNING
= -
-You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo llow
t hese safety precautions:
- Position the vehicle jack on ly at the desig
nated lifting points and align the jack.
Otherwise, the vehicle jack could slip and
cause an injury if it does not have suffi
c ient hold on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable surface under the jack
may cause the vehicle to slip off the jack .
Always provide a firm base for the jack on
the ground.
If necessary, use a sturdy
board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery su rface (such as t iles)
use a rubber mat or simi lar to prevent the
ja ck from slipp ing.
- To help prevent injury to yourself and your
passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are sure
the jack is secure ly engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the veh icle
when it is jacked up .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and we ll away
from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack pos ition is correct, adjust
as necessary and then contin ue to raise
the jack .
229