Trailer mod e
Operating instructions
6"
~ 2
. 1/2 "
.(. '-I} 1-1/2"
-
F ig. 189 Pe rmi tted ball posit io n of the traile r hi tch
Tr aile r to wing weights
With a f ac tor y-inst all ed or an a ft er ma rket trailer
h itch, the maximum permissib le trailer weight is
4,400 lbs (2,000 kg) . The maximum perm iss ible
unb raked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg) .
These spec ificat ions apply when dr iv ing on roads
hav ing an incl ine of less tha n 12%.
Perm is sible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these changed
conditions, adjust the trailer load so that the
tongue load is at the maxim um allowable or
slightly lower. You can get an approx imation of
the tongue load w ith a bathroom scale or you can
measure the load at a tr ucking company or
weighing station.
W ith a
fa ctor y-installed or an aftermarket trailer
h itch, t he maximum permissib le load on the ball
h itch may not exceed 440 lbs (200 kg).
It is rec
ommended to use the maximum permissible
load.
Trailer load di stribution
B e su re the load in the trailer is held securely in
p lace to prevent it from s hift ing fo rwa rd, back
ward or sideways.
Nev er allo w a p assenge r to ride in a trail er c::> A
in Driving instructions on page 205.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used w ith suitable
ball mount and ball
c::> fig. 189 . Installat ion of
the hitch ball must be carr ied out in accordance
w ith the manufacturer 's inst ruct ions.
204
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes t he 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 t railer, inflate the ti res of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under "Full
l oad" on the tire press ure label. The tire pressure
l abel is located on the driver 's side B-pillar . In
flate tra iler tires to trailer and tire manufactur
ers' specifications.
Lights
The head light settings shou ld be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check to
make s ure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra ile r safety cha ins a re properly connect
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit tu rn
i ng corners . When you install safety chains, make
s u re 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 a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of veh icle
and t railer, p lease note the following:
.., Do not tow a loaded trai ler when your car itself
is not loaded.
.., Be especially care ful when passing other
vehicles .
.., Observe speed limits.
.., Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.., Always app ly brakes early.
.., Monitor the temperature gauge.
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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 only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observ ing tongue load require
ments and vehicle loading considerat ions.
Speed
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 wind
conditions are unfavorable - part icularly when
going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the tra iler
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed lim its . In some areas, speeds for
veh icles towing trai lers are lower than for regular
veh icles.
Always apply 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 fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge r=;, 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 coolant temperature warning light in the
instrument cluster starts flashing., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci-
-
Trailer mode
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
t railer because o f the additional weight and dif
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how carefu l
ly you load your trai ler and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
tu rning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficu lt and requires practice.
Backing up with a t railer 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 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 would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before c hanging 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 your veh icle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may requ ire
more frequent maintenance due to the ex
tra load
r=;, page 280.
205
Trailer mod e
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the ve
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in p lace, slowly release the brakes
unt il the wheel chocks absorb the load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the pa rking brake .
.,. Move the selector lever to P .
When resta rting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake .
.,. Start the engine .
.,. Move the selector leve r to 0/5 .
.,. Release t he pa rking brake and slow ly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
"' Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the se lector lever of the automat
ic transmission to P before applying the park
ing brake and before blocking the wheels, you may have to use more force later to move the
lever out of the P position .
206
Fuel and Refueling
Fuel and Refueling
Fuel
Gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoli ne engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead
ed premium
grade gasoline . Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
p lea se go to the offic ial website
(www.toptiergas .com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rating
may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead
ed regular gasoline with a minimum octane rat
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON . However, using 87 AKI/91
RON octane fuel wil l slightly reduce engine per
forma nce.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gasoline
is availab le throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European countries . We recommend that
you do not take your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gaso line may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
¢ page 214.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore, buying
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
he lp prevent possible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane rat
i n gs that can usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 - 96 AKI
212
- Regular Grade: 87 - 90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON= Motor Octane Number.
{[) Note
-Do not use any fuel with octane ratings low
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen
sive engine damage wi ll occur .
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of lead
ed gasoline will severely damage your vehi
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al
cohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as oxygen
ates) if the blended mixture meets the following
criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher .
- Blend must not contain more than 15% etha-
nol.
- Vehicles with flexible fue l* engine: blend must
not contain more than 85% ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline ...
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pecia lly we ll for winter or summer driving. Dur
ing seasona l change-over, we suggest that you
f ill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal
adjustment is more likely to be made in time.
- Fuels containing a high percentage of etha
no l such as ESO and E85 may only be used in
vehicles with flexible fuel* eng ines. Using
high ethanol fuel in veh icles not equ ipped
with flexible fuel* engines can cause severe
engine damage .
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re quirements may ca use corros io n and dam
age to plast ic and r ubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the spec i
fied c rit er ia i n this c hapter.
- If you a re unable to determine whether or
not a particular fue l blend meets the spec i
fi cat ions, ask your service station o r its fuel
su pplier.
- Do not use fue l fo r w hich the contents can
not be identified.
- Fuel sys tem damage and performance prob
l ems result ing from the use of fue ls diffe r
ent from those specified are not the respon
s ibility o f Audi and are no t covered under
the New Vehicle or the Emissio n Contro l
System Wa rranties .
- If you experience a loss of fue l economy o r
driveability an d performance prob lems d ue
to the use o f one of these fuel b lends, we
r ecommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
App lies to vehicles: with flexib le fuel engine
You con recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking a t the label on the inside of
the fuel filler flop.
Veh icles with flexibl e fu el engines may be op er
ated w ith bio -ethanol fuels such as E85 (85%
ethano l and 15% gasoline) or with un leaded gas
oline (9 1 AKI/RO Z 95). The ve hicle may a lso be
ope rated with a mixture of these fuels.
Fuel and R efueling
Your fuel consumpt ion w ill increase when using
bio-ethano l fue ls due to th e lower amount of en
ergy conta ined per un it vol ume in ethanol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in low
temperature s
Due to the chemica l composition of b io -ethanol ,
a certa in amount of fue l ends up in the engine o il
when driving short distances in very low temper
atures . This fuel evaporates again when the en
gine is warmed up.
II Please warm up eng ine .
If the drive r message appears in the instr ume nt
cluster disp lay, drive with a warm engine to re
duce the oil leve l.
(D Note
- N ever fill wi th metha nol o r with a higher
percentage of b io -ethanol than 85% (E85).
A highe r percentage of bio-ethanol in the
fuel can cause damage to the engine or to the fuel system.
- If you use on ly E85, it is recommended to
fill the fue l tank complete ly w ith unleaded
premium grade gasoline every 5,000 mi les.
- If you expe rience starting, rough id le or hes
itat ion d riveab ility prob lems, f ill the fuel
tank complete ly w ith unleaded p remium
grade gaso line and drive it norma lly until
the gaso line is used. See your author ized
Audi dea ler if the problem persists.
- Inform your author ized Audi dealer that you
are operating o r have operate d the vehicle
w ith E8S.
- Read and follow the i nformat ion and tips
abou t gasoli ne <=:>
page 212 .
(D Tips
It may take longer to start the engine when
the outs ide temperatu re is very cold . If possi
ble, use w inte rized fue l if tempe ratures are
below free zing .
213
Fuel and R efu eli ng
Gasoline additives
Applies to veh icles: w ith gaso li ne engine
A major concern among many auto manufactur
ers is carbon deposit build- up ca used by the type
of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades d iffer from one manu
facturer to another, they have certain things in
common. All gaso line grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on v ita l engine
parts, such as fue l injectors and intake valves . Al
though most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective.
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas
oline. For more information on TOP TIER Deter
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended pe riod of using inadequate
fue ls, built-up carbon depos its can rob your en
gine of peak performance.
(D Note
- Damage or ma lfunction due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Audi New Vehi
cle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive prod
ucts to yo ur fuel tank.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith d iese l e ngine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Su lfur Diesel) No. 2 .
The ULSD No . 2 meets the ASTM D97S.
Diese l fuel with concentrations of biodiesel high
er than S % such as 811,820 or 8100 are strictly prohibited.
Service station f uel pumps are labeled with the
correct fue l information for easy recognition by
the user.
If the diesel fuel pump is not labeled
ask the station operator what fuel is be ing dis
pensed before filling up your vehicle .
ULSD No . 2 may not be availab le outside the USA
and Canada . Be sure to check before traveling to
other countries .
214
ULSD No. 2 can become thicke r in very cold tem
peratures, and this can impair the engine's start
i ng and running. Depend ing on the season, gas
stations provide ULSD No. 2 that flows better in
cold temperatures so that you can continue oper
at ing your vehicle as usual.
(D Note
- Your vehicle's diese l eng ine was designed
so ley for use w ith ULSD No. 2. Therefore,
never use gasoline, heating oil, other fuels
or flow improvers. These contain substances
that will severely damage the fuel system and the engine. Such damage will no t be
c ove red by your New Vehicle Limited War
ranty .
-If you pu t any amo unt of inco rre ct fuel in
the fuel tank, do not start the engine u nder
any circumstances. Immed iate ly contact the
nearest authorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Serv ice Facility for ass istance .
These fuels contain substances that can se
verely damage the fuel system and the en gine if the engine is started .
Refueling
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap .
If the power lock ing system shou ld fai l, you can
still open the flap manually -fo r detailed instruc
tions see
¢ page 216 .
You can find the fuel tan k capacity of your vehicle
in ¢ page277.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells
you the correct fuel for your veh icle. For more in
fo rmat ion about fuel specifications, see
¢ page 212.
Your vehicle f uel tank has an on-board refuelling
vapor recovery system . Th is feature helps to pre
ven t fue l vapors from escaping from the tank and
po lluting the environment wh ile you refue l yo ur
vehicle. In order to fill the tank properly wh ile
protecting the environment, p lease follow this
refue ling procedure carefully .
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,&_ WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never car
ry additiona l fue l containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans
port fuel can be dangerous. Such containers,
full or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc.,
be very careful and a lways observe local and
state laws regarding the use, transportation
and storage of such fue l conta iners. Make cer
tain the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never d rive your vehicle unt il the fuel tank is
completely empty. The irregu lar supply of
fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld enter
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
Refuelling
Fig . 190 Righ t rear vehicle side: Opening the fuel fille r flap
Fig . 191 Fuel filler flap wit h attac hed fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel fill
er flap is automatically unlocked or locked. Re
fuel the vehicle with the ignition turned
off .
Fue l an d Re fuelin g
Taking the fuel c ap off
.,. Press the left side of the f uel filler flap to open
it¢fig.190-arrow-.
.,. Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and hang it
on the fuel filler flap¢
fig. 191 .
.,. Check the label on the inside of the fuel filler
flap to determine if the vehicle must be fueled
w ith gasoline or diesel fuel.
Refu ellin g pr ocedure
.,. Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline pump
into the fuel fill er neck as far as it will go.
.,. Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Pu tting th e fuel cap ba ck on
.,. After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap clock-
wise as far as it will go.
.,. Close the fuel filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the fuel
tank always close fue l cap properly and com
pletely. An improperly closed fuel filler cap may
also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 26 to come on
(only vehicles with gasoline engine).
A WARNING
-
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns . -
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause se
vere burns and other injuries.
- Fa ilure to shut the engine off while refuel
ing and/or to insert the pump nozzle fully
into the fue l filler neck could cause fuel to
spray out of fi ller ne ck or to overflow. Fue l
spray and overflowing f uel can cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while refue l
ing. The electromagnetic rad iat ion can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors and
cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while refu
eling. If in exceptional circumstances you
must get back in your vehicle whi le refuel
ing, make certa in that you close the door
and touch metal to discharge static electric-
ity before touching the filler nozzle again. ..,
215
Fuel and Refueling
Static electricity can cause sparks that can
ignite fuel vapors released during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refueling
or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable fue l
container in your vehicle. The container, full
or empty may leak and could cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances , you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the follow ing :
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it
is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for exam
ple, in the luggage compartment, or on
the trunk) . Static electricity can build up
while filling and can ignite fuel vapors
causing a fire.
- Always place a portable fuel container on
the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle completely
inside the portable container before and
during filling .
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be in
contact w ith the container . This will help
prevent static electric ity from discharg ing
and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or lug
gage compartment . Fuel vapors are highly
f lam mable.
- Always observe local and state/provincial
laws regard ing the use, storage and trans
portation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel conta iner meets in
dustry standards (ANSI/ ASTM F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it should
be removed immediately to prevent damage
to the paint .
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle switches off automatically for the first time,
the tank is full. Do not try to add more fuel
216
because fuel may spill out. In addition, the
expansion space in the fuel tank will be filled -
causing the fue l to overf low when it becomes
warm and pollute the environment.
(D Tips
- Running your engine white refuelling may
cause vapors to escape or even cause fuel to
spill out of the tank. This wou ld then shut
off the fuel nozzle before the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the ignition
turned on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not indicate the correct fuel level after refu
elling .
- Diesel vehicles* are equipped with a diesel
misfueling protector. It allows the vehicle
to be fueled only with a diesel fuel pump
nozzle. A worn or damaged nozzle or a noz
zle that is too small may not be able to open
the diesel misfueling protector . If this is the
case, try turning the nozzle before inserting
it in the fuel filler neck, use a different fuel
pump or see your authorized Audi dealer or
authorized repair facility for assistance.
- Th e fue l fi ller f lap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from the
inside.
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
pow er locking syst em should fail .
Fig. 192 Lu ggage compa rt men t: Em ergency open ing of
fu el filler fl ap
Th e emergency open ing mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the luggage
compar tment.
.. Open the right side trim panel.