2016 AUDI A4 tow

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI*:
IMENU I button> Audi connect > About
Audi conn ect.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road ho ld ing and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid­
d ing and loss of veh icle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . E SC detects certain
d ifficult dr iving sit uat ions, including when t he
ve hicl e is begin ning to spin (yaw) out of co ntro l
a nd helps you to ge t the veh icle back under con­
tro l by se lective ly bra king the wheels, and/or re ­
d ucing engine powe r and provid ing steering as­
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the dr iver's
intended course. The indicator light
GJ in the in­
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you co ntro l the vehicle.
ESC has limitations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not a lways be able to help out under all con­
d itions you may come up aga inst. For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudde n change in the
coeff icient of friction of the road surface. When
there is a section of dry road that is sudde nly cov­
e red with wate r, slush o r snow, ESC cannot pe r­
form the same way i t wo uld on the dry s urface . If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa­
ter i nstead of t he road su rface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the ve hicle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be b raked or steered. Dur ing fast
cornering, pa rticula rly on w inding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effect ively w it h difficult
d riving si tuations tha n at lowe r speeds. When
tow ing a t raile r, ESC is no t able to help you re­
g ai n con trol as it would if you we re not towing a
tra iler .
A lways adjust yo ur speed and driving sty le to
road, traffic and weathe r co nd itions. ESC canno t
override the vehicle's physical lim its, increase the
Intellig ent Technology
available t ract ion, or keep a vehicle on the road if
road depart ure is a resu lt of driver inattention .
Instead, ESC improves the possib ility o f keeping
the vehicle under contro l and on the road d uring
extreme maneuvers by us ing the driver's steer ing
i nputs to help keep the veh icle go ing in the in ­
tended direction.
If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
c an p rovide any assistan ce, you may not exper i­
en ce the benefi ts of ESC.
ESC is swi tched o n all the time . In certa in s itua­
t ions when you need less tract ion, you can sw itch
off AS R by press ing the button
11) c:> page 178,
fig. 173 o r c:> page 178, fig . 174. Be s ure to
swi tch ASR on again w hen you no longe r need
l ess trac tion.
T he following systems are integ ra ted in the ESC:
Anti-lock brak ing system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up w hen
braking. The vehicle can still be steered even d ur­
i ng hard braking. Apply steady p ressure to the
brake pedal. Do not pump the peda l. A p uls ing in
t h e br ake peda l indicates that the system is help­
i ng yo u to b rake the vehi cle.
Brake assist system
T he brake assist system can decrease braking dis­
tance . It increases b raking powe r when the dr iver
presses the b rake peda l quickly in emergency sit­
u at io ns. You mus t press and ho ld the br ake pedal
u nt il t he s ituat ion is ove r. In vehicles wi th adap­
tive cru ise control *, the brake assist system is
more sensitive if the distance detected to the ve ­
hicle ahead is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine powe r whe n the dr ive whee ls
begi n to spin and adapts the fo rce to the road
co ndit ions . Thi s makes it easier to start, acce ler ­
ate and d rive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
T he ED L brakes wheels t hat are spi nning and
transfe rs the dr ive power to the o ther dr ive
whee l or wheels if the vehicle is equ ip p ed with
all -wheel drive*. This function is not ava ilab le at
higher speeds. .,.
177

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... -You should perform braking maneuvers for
the p urpose of clean ing the brake system
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at risk - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transm iss io n into a lower
gear or lowe r d riv ing range. Do not ride the
bra kes or hold the pedal down too long or
t oo often. This could ca use the bra kes to get
hot an d diminish brak ing efficiency.
- Do not "r ide t he b rakes" by resting your foot
on the pe dal when yo u do not inten d to
br ak e. This may cause the br akes to over­
heat, p remat ure wea r and increased stop ­
ping distance.
- Under certa in climatic and operating condi­
tions such as passing thro ugh water, driving
in heavy ra in or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re ­
duced. In w inte r, ice can acc umulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings w ill be cleaned off after a
few careful b rake applica tions.
- Driv ing for an ex tended period of time on
salt-covered roads witho ut using your
bra kes can also affe ct bra king efficie ncy .
C le an off a ccumula ted s alt co ating from
bra ke discs and pads with a few caref ul
bra ke app lications.
- If you dam age the fro nt sp oiler, or if yo u in­
st all a diff erent spoi le r, be sure the ai r flow
to the front brakes is not obstr ucte d. Othe r­
wise the bra ke system could overheat reduc ­
ing the e ffectiveness of the entire b rake sys­
tem.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair the
brak ing capability resulting in an increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
- Never let the veh icle roll to a stop w ith the
engi ne shut off .
-If the brake booster is not working, the
bra ke pedal m ust be pressed conside rably
harder to make up for the lac k of booster
assista nee .
Intellig ent Technology
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The ele ctro-mechanical power a ssist helps the
driver when steering .
P ower s teer ing adapts electronically based on
t h e veh icle spee d.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your author ized
Audi dealer or a qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.
' :r, y Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue d riving
If the indic ator l igh t turns on and the message
appe ars, the steering may be more diffic ult to
move o r more sensitive than usu a l. T he steering
whee l may a lso be at an angle w hen d riving
straight .
Drive slowly to you r autho rized Audi dea le r or
qualified wo rks hop to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
,T u Dynamic steering: initializing
If this drive r message appea rs and t he indicator
li ght is flashing on t he instrument pane l, dynam­
ic s teer ing* is being re ini tialized. After s tarting
t h e engine, t he steer ing w heel w ill move sligh tly.
Re- ini tializa tion might be necessary if the s teer ­
ing wheel was moved hard to the left a nd right
whi le the vehicle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as initialization is comp lete.
A WARNING ~
Have the dynam ic steeri ng* system malfunc -
tion repaired as soon as poss ible by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop -
r isk of acc ident!
181

Driving and th e en vironm ent
(D Tips
- Check the depth of the water before driving
through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine
off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your veh icle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because it
can cause corrosion .
Catalytic converter
It is very impor tant tha t your emission con trol
system (ca talytic converter) is functioning prop ­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
~ Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 198,
Fuel supply .
~ Never run the tank down a ll the way to empty .
~ Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 20 7, 9::?l Adding engine oil .
~ Never try to push- or tow-start you r vehicle.
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
dev ice bu ilt into the exha ust system of the vehi­
cle. The cata lytic conve rter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the life of the catalytic conve rter and
p roper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING ,..____ -
- The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or ope rate t he vehicle in areas
where t he hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, br ush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani-
186
fold, exha ust pipes, cata lytic conve rter or
heat shields . D uring driving, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a f ire .
Cl) Note
-Be aware that just one tank f illing wit h
leaded fu e l w ill already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 207.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unbu rned fue l cou ld also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ign ition while the vehicle
is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherw ise fuel can
reac h the catalytic converter . T hi s could re ­
sult in overheat ing of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement.
- T o ass ure eff icient ope rat ion of the Emis­
sion Contro l System:
- Have you r vehicle maintained properly and
i n accordance wit h the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty & Ma intenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im­
p roper use of the veh icle will impa ir the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage .
(® For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op­
erating properly, t he exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
con tent of the fuel being used . Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help , or fi lli ng the tank
wi th lead-free super g rade g asoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wo uld like yo ur vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer pe riod of time, con tact an Audi
o r other spec ia liz ed dealer. They can adv ise you ..,.

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.

Wheels
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR ") .
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any
luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
230
The Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 22 7,
fig. 190.
! WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and

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Emergency assistance
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor panel
in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 193 Sedan Luggage compartment: tool kit
Fig. 194 all road Luggage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit or
jack*, you will need to take out the spare tire and
cover
c:::> page 237.
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, the too l
kit may also be located unde r the cargo floor cov­
e r@
c:::> fig. 194 behind the seat backrest.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Alignment pin for changing the wheel
- Screwdriver with reversible b lade
- Tool for changing l ight b ulbs
- Revers ible b it (reve rsible Torx bit for changing
l igh t bu lbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Emergen cy a ssis tanc e
Some of the vehicle items listed above are pro­
vided on certain models on ly or are optional ex­
tras.
Be fore returning the jack* to its place, retract the
jack arm fully .
A WARNING
-Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your veh icle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
veh icles or othe r loads; you risk injuring
yourse lf.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised, which cou ld cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appropri­ ate stands if wo rk is to be pe rformed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po­
tential risk fo r injury.
(0 Tips
The vehicle jack* in your vehicle is mainte­
nance-free .
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
App lies to vehicles: wi th space -saving spare tire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover. It is
intended for short-term use only.
Fig . 195 Spare tire
237