Trail er mode
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.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac
tivate the trai ler operation mode
¢ page 202, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Tr ailer 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 h itch man ufact urer to make sure that you are
using the co rrect hitc h.
Do not u se a bumper hitch .
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 .
F rom t ime to t ime, check that a ll hitch mo unt ing
bolts rema in securely fastened.
When you are not tow ing a traile r, remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount. This prevents the hitch
from caus ing damage should your vehicle be
struck from behind
¢ ,&. .
202
Trailer b rakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it co nforms to all regu la
tions.
The tra iler hydrau lic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydrau lic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the tra iler.
Trailer light s
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Aud i dealer for correct wir ing,
switches and relays .
Mirror s
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.
A WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra iler hitch, do not sto re
i t in you r vehicle. In case of s udden braking,
the hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Fig. 1 87 MMI d ispl ay: tow ing mode o n
Maximum traile r weight
A tra iler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Check ing and F illing
warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
CD Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will serious ly damage sensi
tive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
T he new battery must have the same specifica
t ions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
bat tery.
Int elli g ent en ergy managem ent in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the electrical energy
throughout your vehicle
r=> page 195. The intelli
gent energy management system will keep the
engine battery charged better than veh icles w ith
out this system . To make sure the addit ional
e lectrical 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
time your vehicle was delivered). Specifications
are listed on the battery housing. Your author
i z ed dealer must code the battery in the energy
management system to enable you to use the en
ergy management functions correctly after re
placing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts) , amperage, construction and
plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the igni
tion and all electrical consumers are sw itched
off.
CD Note
- Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherw ise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM battery . Installing a d ifferent type of bat
tery can cause problems in the vehicle elec -
234
trical system. When replacing the vehicle
battery, always install one with the same
specifications as the original battery .
- Battery mounts and clamps m ust always be
secured correctly.
- Read and follow the warnings under
¢ page 231, Working on the battery before
performing any work on the battery .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p roblem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend your authorized
A udi dealer change the battery for you . Bat
teries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must
a lways be disposed of properly in compliance
with all environmental regulations . Disposing
of veh icle batteries improperly is very danger
ous to the environment .
Windshield washer
system
Fig. 204 En gin e compa rt ment: washer fluid rese rvoir cap
The w indshield washer fluid reservo ir Q conta ins
the cleaning solution for the w indshield and the
headlight washe r system ¢
fig. 204, ¢ page 222.
The reservoir capacity is found in
r=> page 2 78 .
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium. Always add w indow cleaner to the wa
ter . When the outside temperat ures are cold , an
anti-freez ing agent shou ld be added to the water
so that it does not freeze. ..,.
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
ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Veh icles with an automatic transmission can
not 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 shou ld 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 jumpe r cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of suffic iently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are dis tinct ly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored re d
minus( -) cable
in most cases colored blac k.
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 avo id leaning
over the battery whenever poss ible.
- 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 exp losion.
- Vehicle batteries generate exp losive 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 vo ltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of different voltage or substantial
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an exp lo
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 batter ies of different voltage or sub
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an exp losion and injury. The capac ity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lowe r than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the eng ine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
r::!)page 220.
(D Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- Th ere 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 e lectrica l system. ..,.
271