2015 AUDI Q3 trailer

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Adjusting the display and the warning tones
App lies to vehicles: with pa rking system p lus wit h rear
view ca mera
The display and warning tones con be adjust­
ed in the Infotainment.
~ Se lect: I CARI f u nction button > System s or
Car systems contro l button > D riv er assi st >
Parking aid .
Display
On * -
optical d isplay is shown for the parking
system plus, rear view came ra image is shown
for parking system plus with rear view cam ­
era.
Off -when the park ing system is switched on,
on ly audib le signa ls are given.
Warning tones
Front volume -
Volume fo r the front area
Rear volume -Volume for the rear area
Front frequen c:y -Freq uency for the front area
Rear frequency -Frequency for the rear area
Music volume while parking -When the park­
i ng system is turned on, the volume of the au­
d io/v ideo source is lowered.
The new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal gene rator.
(0 Tips
- The warning tones can also be adjusted
direct ly from the visual display or the
r ear view camera image . Simply press
the
Settings cont ro l button .
- Changed settings are activated when the parking system is switched on aga in.
- The settings a re automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key
that is in use.
Parking systems 93
Error messages
App lies to vehicles: wi th parking syste m plus w ith rea r
v iew camera
T he re is an error i n the system if the LED i n
the
P' "A bu tton is bl ink ing and yo u hear a con­
t inu ous alarm for a few seconds after sw itch­
ing on the park ing system or when the park ­
ing system is already activated. If the error is
not co rrected before yo u switch off the ign i­
tion, the LED in the
? 1J.A. button will blink the
next t ime you sw itch on the parking system by
shifting into reverse .
If a sensor is fa ulty, the~ symbol will appear
in front of/behind the vehicle in the Infota in­
ment display. If a rear sensor is faulty, only
obstacles that are in areas @and @ are
shown
Q page 88, fig . 92. If a front senso r is
faulty, only obstacles that are in areas © and
@ are shown.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or au­
t h orized repa ir facility immed iately to have
the malfunct ion corrected .
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: wit h parking system pluswith rear
v iew camera a nd t railer hitch
For vehicles using the trailer socket, the park­
ing system rear sensors do not turn on when
you shift into reverse gear or when you press
the
P, "~ button . This resu lts in the following re ­
str ictions:
There is no distance warn ing for the rear. The
front sensors remain act ivated . The visual dis­
play sw itches to the trailer towing mode. The
rear view camera image will not show the or i­
entat io n lines and the bl ue surfaces.
(D Tips
Trailer h itches that are not installed at the
factory may ca use the par king system to
malfunction or they may restr ict its func­
tion.

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@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom­
municat ions provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom ­
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI:
!MENU !
button > Audi connect > About Audi con·
nect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing s ituations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of cont ro l and helps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively brak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine powe r and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in­
dicator light
m in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
phys ics. It will not a lways be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
h elp you master situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of wate r in­
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 153
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions . ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
driver ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering i nputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in the intended di­
rect ion. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake ass ist sys­
tem, ant i-slip regu lation (ASR), electron ic dif­
ferential lock (EDL), electron ic interaxle d iffe r­
ential lock*/se lective wheel torque co ntrol*
and hill descent assist. ESC is swit ched on a ll
the time. In ce rtain sit uat io ns when yo u need
less traction, you can sw itch off ASR by press­
ing the b utton
[fil ¢ page 155, fig. 13 7. Be
s u re to switch ASR on again when you no lon­
ger need less traction .
Anti-lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locki ng up
when b raking. The vehicle can st ill be stee red
even during hard braking . App ly steady pres­
su re to the brake peda l. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake a ssis t sy ste m
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking
distance . It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal unti l the situation is over. .,,.
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166 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Tr aile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and mu st be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
h itch with a removab le ball mount. A lways
check with the trai ler h itch manufact urer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hi tch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer h itch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A .
Traile r brak es
If your tra iler is equipped w ith a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulat ions . The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A .
Saf ety ch ain s
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trai le r.
Trail er light s
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wi ring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors .
It is important
that you always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- I f a trai ler has electrical brakes p lease
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory -fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
- Never install a "weight distributing" or
"load equalizing" trailer hitch on your ve­
h icle. The vehicle was not designed for
these kinds of trailer h itches. The h itch
attachment can fail, caus ing the trailer
to tear loose from the veh icle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance
label on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must
never be exceeded under any c ircumstan­
ces. Exceeding the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating of yo ur vehicle is likely to damage
your vehicle, and such damage will not
be covered by yo ur Limited New Ve hicle
Warranty . Exceeding the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating will a lso change the per­
formance and handling characteristics of
your veh icle, wh ich could cause a crash
resulting in serious injury or death.
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Operating instructions
6"
~ ~
I 1,2 ..
-{ }
l::_
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2
Fig. 139 Permit ted ball position of the trailer hitch
Trailer towing weights
With a factory-installed or an aftermarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permissible trailer
weight is 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg). The maximum permissible unbraked trailer weight is 1,650
lbs (750 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 conditions, 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 or an aftermarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permissible load
on the ball hitch may not exceed 220 lbs
(100 kg).
It is recommended to use the maxi­
mum 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 168.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suita­
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 139. Installa­
tion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac-
Trailer towing 167
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
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
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The 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.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits.
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168 Trailer towing
• Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
• Always apply brakes early.
• Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults 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.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while 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 permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er 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 trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, 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 in
the instrument cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A 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 properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
different weight distribution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally 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
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
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 trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.

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@ Tips
-Do not tow a traile r during the break-in
period o f your vehicle .
- If you tow a t railer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
¢ page 23 7.
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 foo t brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under bo th t he
vehicle and the trai ler whee ls .
.,. With chocks in p lace, slowly re lease the
brakes unti l th e wheel chocks abso rb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Move t he se lecto r leve r to P.
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move t he selector lever to D/S .
.,. Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the whee l choc ks .
.,. Stop and have someone retrieve the w heel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the sele ctor lever of t he a uto­
mat ic t ransm ission to P before app lying
t he p ark ing brake an d befo re blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.
Trailer towin g 169
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A 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 your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- 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 causing loss of con­
trol 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.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­ flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout 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 table
c::;, page 199, Cold tire inflation pressure . This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Tires and wheels 201
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
c::;, page 199 . The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, original
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured . For the loca­
tion of the label
¢page 199, fig . 152 .
Most tires lose air naturally over time . They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot ­
hole or hit a curb while parking.
It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least once a month and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be "long." See
c::;, page 203, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres­
sures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire is too high when the tire is "cold", let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on .,.. •
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-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 th at load limits are
no t 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 203
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 . Yo ur Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear fo r
total seating capacity of 5. Eac h seating posi ­
tion has a seat be lt
c::> page 104, Safety bel ts.
T he fac t that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car ­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trai ler hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra ile r) is lim ited . The more passen ­
gers in the vehicle or passe ngers w ho are
heavi er than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be ca rried as lug­
gage.
T he t ire pressure label o n your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and l uggage or o ther cargo t hat
the ve hicl e can carry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
l abel
c::> page 199, fig . 152.
A WARNING
-=
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve -
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accide nt, se ­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight than your vehicle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
veh icle from handling pr oper ly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
ve hicle w it hi n a safe distance.
- Tires o n a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail s uddenly, incl uding a blowout
a nd sudden defla tion, causing loss of
con trol an d a crash . ..,.
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