2016 AUDI A4 brakes

Trailer mod e
Trailer mode
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not only 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 hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your veh icle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check w ith the t rail­
er hitch man ufact urer to make su re that you are
using the co rrect hitch .
Do not use 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 t ime to t ime, check that a ll hitch mount ing
bolts rema in securely fastened.
When you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from caus ing damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
190
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between you r vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wiring , switches, and relays.
M irrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outs ide mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ica l brakes p lease no te
t hat these brakes are not activated by the
factory-fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
'
- After removing the trai ler hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch co uld fly forward and in ­
jure you or yo ur passengers.
Operating instructions
Ma ximum traile r we ight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held securely in
place to p revent i t from shifting forward, back ­
ward or sideways.
Nev er allow a pa ssen ger to rid e in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driving instructions on page 191.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder . It
i s important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cool ing system has enoug h fluid.

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Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra ile r, infl ate the tires of yo ur
ve hicl e to the co ld tire press ure listed under "Fu ll
l oad" on the label located on the driver's side B­
pi llar (visib le when th e door is open). Inflate
tra ile r tir es to t railer and tire manufacture rs'
specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked wi th
the trai ler attached before driv ing
off . Check to
make sure both veh icle and trai ler lights are
wo rking prope rly .
Safety chains
Be s ure trai ler s afety chains are p ro p erly conne ct­
ed from the trailer to the hitc h on the vehicle .
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when yo u are
driving.
The chains s hou ld cross under the t railer tongue
to p revent it from dropp ing in case of separat ion
from t he hitc h.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra core
and consideration.
To ob tain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llowing :
.,. Do no t tow a lo ad ed t railer w hen yo ur car i tse lf
i s not lo ad ed.
.,. Be especia lly caref ul when passing ot he r
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits.
.,. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Moni to r th e temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
T owing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds o nly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
Trailer mode
A "ba lanced" rig is easier to opera te and co ntrol.
This means that the tow vehicle sho uld be loaded
to the extent possib le and permissib le, w hile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
cir cumstances . Wheneve r poss ib le, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow ve hicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loa ding consi de rations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icult it be­
comes for the driver to control the r ig. Do not
drive at t he max imum permissib le speed. Reduce
you r sp eed even more if load, weathe r or wind
cond it ions are u nfavo rab le -pa rticularly when
go ing down hill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightes t sign of sway ing .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing trailers are lower tha n for regular
vehicles .
Always apply bra kes early . When d riving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the e ngine
braki ng effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overhea t and fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coo lant tempe rature gauge c:> page 10 m ust
be obse rved caref ully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­
me diate ly and/or t urn
off th e a ir cond it io ne r .
If the coolant temperat ure warning light . in
t h e instr ument cluster starts flashing, pull
off
the road, stop and let the engine idle for about
two m inu tes to pre vent heat build -u p .
A WARNING ,.__ -
A nyone not prope rly restr ained in a moving
ve hicl e is at a m uch grea te r risk in an a cci ­
d ent. Never le t anyon e ride in your car w ho is
n o t pr ope rly we arin g th e res tra ints p ro vid ed
by Au di .
191

Trailer mode
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles different ly when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distr ibution. Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actua lly tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is d ifficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You w ill need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trai ler, you
will need a larger than norma l turning radius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trai ler before chang ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load~
page 258.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
.,. Apply t he foot brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
192
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
.. App ly the parking brake .
.. Place an automat ic transmission* in P, respec­
tively a manual transmission in first or reverse
gear .
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to 0/5, respectively a
manual transmission in first gear.
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the whee l chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone ret rieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
ic transmission* to P before applying the
parking brake and before blocking the wheels,
you may have to use more force later to move
the lever out of the P position.

Care and cleaning
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci­
dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when was h­
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
- A fter washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to mo isture on the
brake rotors or ice i n the winter. The brakes
must be dried first w it h a few careful brake
applications.
{U) Note
- If you wash the ve hicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior m irrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Power folding exte rior m irrors* must on ly
be fo lded in and out us ing the power folding
f u nct io n.
- T o p revent paint damage, do not wash the
vehicle in di rect sunlight. -
To red uce the risk of damage to the s urface,
do not use insect removing sponges, k itchen
sponges o r similar items .
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the r isk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Neve r 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 paint. The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magnets are re­
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he veh icle in facili ties spec ially de­
s igned for that pu rpose. This will reduce the
r isk of dirty wate r cont am ina ted with o il from
en te ring the sewe r system.
Cleaning and care information
W hen clean ing and ca ring for ind ividua l vehicle
com ponents, refer to the fo llow ing tables. The
i n fo rmat ion conta ined there is s imply recom­
mendations. For ques tions or for components that are
not listed, cons ult an autho riz ed Aud i
dealer or au thor ized A udi Servi ce Fac ility. Also
f o llow the informa tion fo und in ¢ .&, .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Wind shield wiper
Deposits ¢ page 55, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
blades
Headlights
/ Tail
Deposits Soft sponge with a m ild soap solutiona>
lights
Sensors /camera
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning solut ion
lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth w ith alcohol-free cleaning so lu-
tion
Snow/ice H
and br ush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dus t Acid
-free special clean ing solu tion
E x haust tail pipes Road salt Water, clean ing solution su itab le for stainless stee l, if nee -
essary
Decorative parts / Deposits Mild soap so
lution al, a cleaning so lution suitable for stain-
t rim less stee l, if necessary
194

Check ing and F illing
The brake fluid rese rvoir is located at the rear
partition of the engine compartment on the l eft
side ¢
page 205 .
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 th e b rake fl uid level fa lls considerably be low
the "M IN" mark, the b rake warning/ind icator
lig ht ( U.S. mode ls :
1111 , Canadian models:. )
will come on ¢
page 15. Do not contin ue to oper ­
ate the vehicle . T he comp lete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authori zed
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop and the cause
corrected . If the brake flu id level is too low, the
b rake warning/indicator light will i llum inate.
Contact a n author ized Audi dealer
immediately .
{D) Tips
The brake fluid reservoir is located under­
neath the cover .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician .
Brake fluid absorbs mo isture from the air. If the
water content in the b rake fluid is too high, cor­
rosion in the brake system may resu lt afte r ape ­
riod of t ime. The boiling poi nt of the brake flu id
will also decrease cons iderably and decrease
b raking perfo rman ce.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every
two year s.
Always use new brake fluid wh ic h con­
forms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle Standard "FMVSS
1 16 DO T 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to reach,
therefore, we recommend that yo u have the
brake fl uid changed by yo ur autho rized
Audi
dealer .
Your dealer has t he corre ct tools, t he
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed orig inal container out of
the reach of chi ldren!
212
- Bra ke fa ilure ca n result from old or inapp ro­
priate brake fluid . Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid t hat meets SA E speci­
fi ca ti on
J 170 3 and con forms to Federa l
Motor Ve hicle Standard 116 . Always check
wi th yo ur autho rized Audi dea le r to make
s ur e yo u are using the correct brake fluid .
The correct type of brake flu id is also ind i­
cated on the b rake fluid reservo ir .
- The brake fluid m ust be new . Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long .
This can se riously affect the efficiency of
the b rakes as well as your safety . This
could resu lt in an accident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your veh i­
cle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem o f proper d isposa l o f
brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls re­
q ui red a nd the necessary expertise, we rec­
omme nd that you have the bra ke f luid
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
, General information
U nder normal operating condit ions, the battery
i n your Audi does not need any maintenance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend that you have the elect ro ­
lyte level c hecked by an au thorized Aud i dealer o r
qualified workshop. The electro lyte level shou ld
a lso be che cked each time the battery is c ha rged
~ page 214.
Have the batte ry chec ked when you take yo ur ve­
hicle in for service. You are we ll adv ised to re­
pla ce a battery tha t is older than 5 yea rs.
With certain types of airbag deployment, t he
batte ry is d iscon nected from the ve hicle electri­
ca l system for safety reasons ¢.&.
in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 151. .,.

be happy to provide more infor­
mation.
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5 " or "M+S" indicates the tire
has character istics that make it
suitable for driving on mud and
snow .
& indicates a winter tire .
@Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the tire. In general: the
more layers , the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These inc lude
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the max i­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Treadwear, traction and tempera­
ture ranges
c::> page 234 .
;;: @ Running direction
\:i ~ ...
'° V, ....
'° ....
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional tires .
Wheels
You must always follow the speci­
fied runn ing d irect ion
c::> page 244 .
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number ind icates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat ­
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weigh t (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­
matic transm ission, power steer­
ing , power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as facto ry-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the heigh t to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lowe r indicate a
low sidewa ll for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement. .,.
219

(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight
Ma ximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated. Also called "maxi ­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the veh icle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­ c le.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, including elevations due to labeling, deco ­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes , ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 220, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire. Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as .,.
221

increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
- 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 overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­
tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas ­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­
ed.
Wheels
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
~ page 227, fig. 190.
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 passengers
from
" XXX " kilograms or "XXX "
pounds shown on the sticker
¢page 227, fig. 190.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
" XXX " amount
equals
1400 lbs. and there will
be five
150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
231