Trailer mode
Trailer mode
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trai ler, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from the driver .
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Tr aile r h itch
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 only a trai ler hitch w ith a re
movable bal l mount . Always check with the tra il
er h itch man ufacturer to make sure that you are
using the co rrect hitch.
D o not u se a bump er hit ch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bolts remain securely fastened .
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer h itch ball mount. This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be struck from behind ¢ .&, .
Trailer bra kes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula
tions.
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The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be di
rect ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic brake
system ¢.&, .
Safet y ch ain s
Always use safety chains betwee n your veh icle
and the trai ler .
Tr aile r lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor
rect w iring, sw itches, and relays .
Mirro rs
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in
stall extended mirrors .
It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
&, WARNING
-If a trailer has electrical brakes p lease note
that these brakes are not activated by the
factory -fitted contro l unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the t railer 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 vehi
cle. The vehicle was not designed for these
kinds of tra iler hitches. The hitch attach
ment can fail, causing the tra iler to tear
loose from the veh icle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your ve
hicle, found on the safety compliance label
on the driver's side B-p illar, must never be
exceeded under any circumstances . Exceed
ing the Gross Vehicle We ight Rating of your
veh icle is likely to damage your vehicle, and
such damage will not be covered by your Limited New Vehicle Warranty. Exceeding
the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating will also
change the performance and handling char
acteristics of your vehicle, wh ich could cause
a crash resulting in serious injury or death .
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~ Connect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
j u mp st a rt b olt s. (Bo lts
under the cover= "posit ive", Bo lts with hex
head = "negat ive").
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
c::> &_ .
~ Ma ke sur e th e chargin g rat e is not o ver
30 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
~ When the batte ry is f ully charged: Tu rn the
charging equ ipment
off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging equip
ment.
~ Close the cover@on the positive term inal and
re-install the
cover (D .
~ Close the hood c::> page 221 .
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
c::> ,& . However, we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the battery casing
can be cracked due to ice formation and ca n leak
battery acid.
B attery ch arging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at
Low voltages (e.g. w ith a tri ckl e
c har ger ),
the bat tery cables do not have to be
d isconnected first. The ba ttery caps shou ld
not
be opened when charg ing a battery .
I t is not necessary to
remove the batte ry from
t he luggage compa rtment.
F a st charging the b attery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts )
F or technica l reasons do not use a battery charg
e r that uses voltage greater than 14.8 Vol ts to
charge your veh icle's batte ry.
A WARNING
Charging a batte ry can be dangerous.
- Always fo llow the oper ating instructions
provided by the battery charge r manufactur
er when charging your battery.
Checking and Fillin g
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice . Al
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were frozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened whe n the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generat
ed by the batte ry is explosive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les wh ile
the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician w ith the proper eq uipment.
- Battery acid that may sp ill dur ing cha rging
should be washed
off with a solut ion of
warm water and baking soda to neutralize the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the eng ine . T his w ill ser iously damage sensi
tive elec tronic components, s uch as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as we ll as the battery
cha rger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifica
tions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
r esponsible for distributi ng the elect rical energy
t h ro ugh out your vehicle
c::> page 196. T he intelli
gen t energy management system w ill keep the
engi ne battery charged better then vehicles with
out this system . To make s ure the additiona l elec
trical energy is avai lab le once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu
facture on ly (the same as those installed at the
t ime you r vehicle was del ivered) . Specificat ions
are listed on the battery hous ing . Your autho r-
ized dea ler must code the battery in the ene rgy ..,.
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Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con
necting it to the battery of another vehicle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in
jury . Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A discharged battery can freeze at tempera
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before con
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
Emergency situations
frozen battery completely, otherwise it
could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must al
so have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity (Ah)
of the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial
ly different" Ah" rating may cause an explo
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen. The battery case may have be weak
ened ,
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
q page 221.
(D Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
(D Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical system. .,..
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