2016 AUDI Q3 towing

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, econo­my 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 .
164
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.
- Never install a "we ight distribu ting" or
"load eq ualizing" trailer hitch on your vehi­
cle. The vehicle was not designed for these
kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attach­ ment can fail, caus ing the tra iler to tear
loose from the vehicle.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must never
be exceeded under any circumstances . Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
and such damage will not be covered by
your Limited New Vehicle Warranty . Exceed­
ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating will al ­
so change the performance and handling
characteristics of your vehicle, which could
cause a crash result ing in serious injury or
death.

Operating instructions
6" r-2
~·~
1/2"
1·1/2"
ill
Fig. 143 Permitted ball pos ition of the trailer hitch
Trailer towing weights
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer
hitch, the maximum permissib le trailer weight is
2,200 lbs (1,000 kg). The maximum permiss ible
unbraked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
These specifications apply when dr iv ing on roads
h av ing an incl ine 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 allowable or
slightly lower. You can get an approximation of
the tongue load w ith a bathroom scale o r you can
measure the load at a trucking company or
weighing station.
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer
hit ch, the maximum permissib le load on the ball
hitch may not exceed 220 lbs (100 kg).
It is rec­
ommended to use the maximum permissible
l oad.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from s hiftin g forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 166.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used w ith suitable
ball mount and ball¢
fig. 143. Installation of
the hitch ball must be carr ied out in accordance
with the manufacturer's instructions.
Trailer mode
Engine cooling system
To wing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance 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 th e cold tire pressure lis ted under "Full
load" on the tire pressure label. The tire pressu re
label is located on the driver's side B-pi llar . In­
flate trailer t ires to trailer and tire manufactur­
ers' specifications.
Lights
T he headlight settings shou ld be checked with
the trai ler attached before driving off. Check to
make s ure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough s lack in the chains to permit turn ­
ing corners . When you install safety chains, make
sure they will not drag on the road when you are
driv ing.
The chains should cross under the trai ler tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with o trailer always requires extra core
and consideration .
To obtain the best possib le handling of vehicle
and trailer, p lease note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded.
.. Be especially care ful when passing other
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissib le
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Mon itor the temperature gauge .
165

Trailer mod e
Weight d istribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and con trol.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping the trai le r as light as possib le under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observ ing tongue load requ ire­
ments and vehicle loading considerat ions.
Spee d
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
conditions are unfavorable - part icularly when
goi ng downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediatel y if the tra iler
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the sway ing by acc ele rating .
Observe speed lim its. In some areas, speeds for
veh icles towing trailers are lower than for regular
ve hicles.
A lways app ly brakes early. When driving down­
h ill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temp era ture
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­ mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner.
If the coo lant temperature warning light in the
instr ument cluster starts flashing., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci-
166
-
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
You r vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because o f th e additiona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will g reatly depend on how carefu l­
l y you load your trai ler and operate your rig.
Before yo u actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing unti l you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer genera lly 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 fro nt 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 accel­ erate as fast as you normally wo uld beca use of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a trailer du ring the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trai le r, your Au di may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
t ra load ¢
page 232.

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 ma ke sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed .
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 pla card
(tire inflation pre ssure l abel)
¢ page 201, fig. 158.
2 . Determine the combined
weight of the drive r and pas­
s engers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtra ct the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
" XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 201 , fig. 158 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
" XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will
Wheels
be five 1 SO lbs. pa ssengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity i s 650 lb s.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determin e the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­
ceed the available cargo and luggage load capa city cal culat­
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehi cle will be towing a
trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Con sult thi s manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug­ gage load capacity of your vehi­
cle.
..,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢page 191 , fig. 156) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mus t be clean and loosen/tig hte n
easily .
Rims
Rims with a bo lted r im ring * or with bo lted w heel
cove rs* cons ist of mult iple p ieces. These compo-
nents were bolted togethe r using s pec ial bolts ..,.
205

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Emergency assistance
General information
.. Park the vehicle as far as poss ible from moving
traffic in the event of a flat tire. In the event of
a flat tire, park the vehicle on a level surface. It
you are on a steep incline, be especially careful.
.. Set the parking brake .
.. Switch the emergency flashe rs on .
.. Put on a reflective vest, if available .
.. Set up the warn ing triang le, if available .
.. Have the passengers exi t the veh icle. They
sho uld move to a safe place, for example be­
hind a guard rail.
_& WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above . They are for
your protection and the for the safety of other drivers.
_& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se ­
rious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
t ighten whee l bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tighten ing torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
c ident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your vehicle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles o r other loads; yo u ris k inju ring
yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle is
ra ised, which could cause a n accident.
- Support the veh icle secure ly with app ropr i­
a te s tan ds if wor k is to be performed under­
neath t he vehicle; otherwise, the re is a po­
tent ial ris k for i njur y.
- Never use the jack s upplied with yo ur Audi
on another vehicle, pa rtic ularly o n a heav ie r
one. The jack is only suitable for u se on the
vehicle it came wit h.
Emergen cy a ssis tanc e
Vehicle tool kit
Fig. 161 Lu ggage compa rtment: cargo floor cover fo lded
u pwa rd
The vehicle tool kit is stored under the cargo
floor cover behind the seat backrest
q fig. 161.
The veh icle tool k it includes :
- Hook for remov ing wheel covers
- Alig nment pin for changing the w heel
- Screwdr iver with reversible blade
- Reversible bit
- Jack
- Auxiliary tool for selector lever emergency re -
lease
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some of the vehicle items listed above are pro­
vided on certa in models on ly or are optional ex­
t ras.
Befo re returning the jack to its place, retract the
jack arm fully .
_& WARNING
---= -
-Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bo lts, since the bolts cannot
at tain t he necess ary tightening to rque if yo u
use the hex head, po ten tially causing an ac­
cident.
- T he factory-su pplied jac k is in tended only
for your ve hicle mode l. Under no circum ­
stances shou ld it be used to lift heavy
ve hicles or othe r loads; you risk injuring
yourse lf .
- Never start the engine when the ve hicle is
raised, which cou ld cause an accident .
211

The spare tire is intended for short-term use on­
ly. Have the damaged tire checked and replaced,
if necessary, by an author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility as soon as possib le.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire . The compact spare tire has
been designed specif ically for your type of veh i­
cle . Do not replace it with the spare tire from an­
other type of vehicle.
R emo ving th e spar e tire
... Remove the cargo floor .
... Remove the wing bolt and then remove the re-
tainer underneath it.
... Remove the subwoofer*
¢ page 212.
... Remove the spare tire.
Snow cha in s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains on
the compact spare tire is not permitted.
If you have to drive with snow chains and a front
tire fails, mount the spare wheel in place of a
rear tire. Install the snow chains on the rear tire
that you removed, and install that in p lace of the
front tire that failed.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare t ire if it is damaged or if
it is worn down to the tread wear indicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and carefu l dr iving.
- The spare tire is intended on ly for tempora­
ry and short-term use. It shou ld be replaced
as soon as possible with the normal wheel
and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare t ire, the
t ire pressure must be checked as soon as
poss ible. The t ire pressure of the compact
spare tire must be 4.2 bar; otherwise, yo u
risk having an accident.
- Do not d rive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h).
Yo u risk hav ing an accident.
- Avoid full-throttle accelerat ion, heavy b rak­
ing, and fast cornering. You risk having an
acc ident.
Em ergenc y ass is tanc e
-Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an accident.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be
mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire chains
on the spare tire is not permitted. If it is
necessary to drive w ith tire chains, the spare
wheel must be mounted on the front axle in
the event of a flat in a rear t ire. The newly
ava ilable front wheel must then be installed
in place of the rear wheel with the flat tire.
I nstalling the tire chain befo re mounting
the wheel and tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compartment
can cause se rious personal injury during
ha rd bra king or i n an accident. Never store
the spare tire or jack and tools in the pas­
senger compartment.
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
... After you experience a tire failure, pull the car
well away from moving traffic and try to reach
lev el ground before you stop¢ page 211,
¢ .&_.
... All passengers should le av e the car and move
to a safe location (for instance, behind the
gua rdrail)
c:::> .lll ·
... Engage the parking brake to prevent your veh i­
cle from rolling unintentiona lly
c:::> .&_ .
... Move the selector le ver to the P po sit ion .
... If you are towing a trai ler: unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
... Take the
jack ¢ page 211 and the spa re ti re
¢page 212 out of the luggage compartment.
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while
changing a whee l if you do not follow these
safety pre caut ions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road. Turn off the eng ine, turn the
213

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 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
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
r::!)page 177.
(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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-The battery cell lock ing screws must be
t ightened secure ly.
- Befo re yo u check anything in the en gine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
¢ page 177.
(D Note
Imp ro per hook -u p of jum pe r cables can r uin
the gene rato r.
-Always con nect POSIT NE
(+ ) to POSITI VE
(+ ), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE( -)
ground post of the battery manager contro l
u nit .
- Check that all sc rew p lugs on the batter y
ce lls are screwed in firmly . If not, t ighten
pl ugs prior to connecting clamp on negative
batte ry te rminal.
- Please note t hat the procedure fo r con nect­
i ng a jumper cab le as desc ribed above ap­
p lies specif ica lly to the case of yo ur vehicle
being jump start ed. Wh en you are giv ing a
ju mp sta rt to anothe r vehicle, do
not con­
n ec t t he neg ative (-) ca b le to the negative
( -) t ermina l on the disch arged b attery @
¢
fig. 175. In ste ad , secure ly connec t the
negative( -) ca b le to either a solid me tal
com ponent th at is f irm ly bolted to the e n­
gine block o r to t he engine block i tsel f. If
the battery that is be ing c ha rged does not
vent to the outs ide, escap ing batte ry ga s
could ignite and exp lode!
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires s pecial handling for towing .
The following informa tion is to be used by com ­
mercia l tow tr uck operators who know how to op­
e ra te the ir equip men t safely.
- Ne ver tow your Audi, towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
around the brake lines.
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed truck .
Emergency situations
-To load the vehicle on to the flat bed , use the
towing loop found in the vehicle tools and at­
tach to the front or rear anchorage
¢ page 225 and ¢ page 226.
A WARNING
A veh icle being towed is not safe for passen­
ge rs. Neve r allow a nyo ne to ride in a vehicle
b eing towed, for any reason .
Front towing loop
Only ins tall the front towing loop when i t is
needed .
®
®
-
0 0) N 9 ::>
gi
Fig. 176 Front bum pe r o n th e rig "h t side : remove t he co ver
Fi g. 177 Fron t bum per o n th e right sid e: screw in t he tow ­
in g loop
The threaded opening for the towing loop i s lo ­
cate d be hind a cove r on t he rig ht side of the front .,.
225