2017 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET tow

Trailer towing 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.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle 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 with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage shou ld your vehicle be
struck from beh ind ¢
,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
gi check to be sure that it conforms to all regula-......
~ tions . N ...... 0
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Trailer towing
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system ¢.&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra iler lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
rect wiring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
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.
,8. WARNING
-If a tra iler has electr ical brakes please note
that these bra kes are not activated by the
factory-fitted control unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
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 trailer is held sec ure ly in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 180.
Engine cooling system
Towing 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 cool ing system has enough fluid. .,..
179

Trailer towing
Tire pr essure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of yo ur
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under " Fu ll
load" on the label ¢
page 217. Inflate trai ler
tires to trai ler and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
The headlight settings should be chec ked with
the trailer attached before driving off . Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be s ure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle .
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn ­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer 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 .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trai ler 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 .
Spe ed
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
180
conditions are unfavorab le -particularly when
going downhi ll.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediate ly if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to st op the swaying by accele rating.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower tha n for regular
vehicles.
A lways apply brakes ear ly . When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gea r to use the engine
braki ng effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone ca n cause them to overheat and fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 8 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­
med iate ly and/or tu rn off the a ir cond itioner .
If the coolant temperatu re warning light . in
the instrument cluster starts flashing, p ull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minu tes to p revent heat build-up .
.&, WARNING
Anyone not properly res trained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci ­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
-
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit iona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your tra iler and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep pract icing u nti l you have be­
come completely fam iliar w ith the way your vehi-
cle-tra ile r combination behaves and respo nds . .,.

Backing up is difficult and requires practice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action oppos ite 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 wi ll need more
room to stop. To compensate for the tra iler, 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 plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex ­
tra load
~ page 246.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on o slope with o trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter 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 place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
" Turn the wheels towards the curb.
" Apply the parking brake.
" Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after parking:
" Apply the foot brake.
" Start the engine .
" Move the selector lever to D/S.
" Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
a:,
~ " Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
~ chocks . N .... 0
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Trailer towing
(D Tips
If you move the selector 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 posit ion .
181

Wheels
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of 1 SO 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.
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
220
driver's side B-pillar ¢ page 217,
fig. 180.
~ 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
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 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 217, fig. 180.
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 217 , fig. 180 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex-
gi ample, if the "XXX" amount ......
~ equals 1400 lbs. and there will ...... 0
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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 207 , fig. 178) 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 ..,.
221

a:,
a:,
...... N
" N ...... 0
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Emergency assistance
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor panel
in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 183 Luggage compartment: tool ki t
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit or
jack*, you will need to take out the spare tire*
and cover
q page 22 7.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignment pin for changing the wheel
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- T ool for changing l ight bulbs
- Revers ible b it (reversible Torx bit for changing
li ght bulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some of the vehicle items listed above are pro­
vided on certa in models only or are optional ex­
tras.
Before return ing the jack* to its place, retract the
jack arm f ully.
_& WARNING
-Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bo lts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
c ident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on ly
for your vehicle model. Under no circum-
Emergency assistance
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you risk injuring
yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appropri­
ate stands if work is to be performed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po­
tential risk for injury .
(D 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. 184 Spare tire
Removing the spare tire
.. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handl e
Q fig. 184 .
.. Hook the handle into the lugg age compartment
weather strip .
.,. Turn the large screw
qfig. 184 counter-clock ­
w ise.
.,. Take out the spare tire .
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack *, and
the replaced tire in the luggage compartment
qpoge 116.
.. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the rear
lid . ...
227

Emerg enc y assis ta nc e
Using th e spa re tire (co mpact sp are tire)
The compact spare tire is only intended for emer­
genc ies until you can reach a repair shop. Repla ce
it as qu ickly as possible with a standard wheel
and tir e.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire . The compact spare tire has
been designed specifically for yo ur type of vehi­
cle. It must not be swapped with a compact
spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Snow chain s
For technica l reasons, the use of snow chains on
the compact spare tire is
not p ermitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails , mo unt the spare wheel with t ire
instead of a rear tire. Install the snow chains on
the rear tire and use it to rep lace the defective
front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire 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 tire pressure of the compact
spare tire m ust be 4.2 bar; otherwise, you
risk having an accident .
- Do not drive faster than SO mph (80 km/h) .
You risk hav ing an accident.
- Avoid full-throttle accelerat ion, heavy brak­
ing, and fast cornering. You risk having an
acc ident.
- Never dr ive using more than one spare
wheel and tire . You risk having an acc ident .
- 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 perm itted . If it is
228
necessary to drive with tire chains, the spare
wheel must be mounted on the front axle in
the event of a flat in a rear tire. The newly
ava ilable front wheel must then be installed
in place of the rear wheel w ith the flat tire.
Installing the tire chain before mounting
the wheel and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compartment can cause serious personal injury during
ha rd braking or in 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¢ A_.
.,. All passengers should le av e the car and move
to a safe location (for instance, behind the
guardrail) ¢
&_.
.,. Engage the parkin g brake to prevent your vehi­
cle from rolling unintentionally ¢
A_.
.,. Move the se lector lever to the P p osition.
.,. If you are towing a trai ler: unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
.,. Take the
jack ¢ page 22 7 and the sp ar e ti re
¢ page 227 out of the luggage compartment.
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while
changing a wheel if you do not follow these
safety precaut ions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road . Turn off the eng ine, turn the
emergency flashers on and use other warn­ ing dev ices to alert other motorists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the veh icle from moving
suddenly a nd possibly slipping off the jac k,

Emergency situations
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 con 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 largecross
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 dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C) . If the vehicle battery is
frozen, you must thaw it before connecting
the jump start cables.
If you do not, this in-
238
creases the risk of an explosion and chemi­
cal burns. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- 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=> poge 193.
([) 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 .