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
0
LL 00
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
Check ing and F illing
CJ) Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will serio us ly damage sensi
tive electronic components, such as control
un its, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger .
Battery replacement
The new ba ttery mu st have the same specifica
tions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
battery .
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle is
responsible for dist ributing the electrical energy
throughout your vehicle¢
page 173. The inte lli
gent ene rgy ma nagement system wi ll keep the
eng ine batte ry charged better the n ve hicles w ith
ou t th is system . To make su re the addit io nal
e lec trica l energy is avail ab le on ce again after you
h a ve changed the battery, we recommend t hat
you insta ll batteries o f the same type an d manu
facture on ly (t he same as those insta lled at the
time your veh icle was delive red). Spec ificat ions
are listed on the battery housing. Your author
ized Audi dealer must code the battery in the en
ergy management system to enab le you to use
the energy manageme nt functions correctly after
replacing the battery .
If it is not possible to use a battery of th is type,
the new battery must have the same capacity ,
voltage (12-volts) , ampe rage, construct ion and
p lug sealing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the igni
tion and all electrical consumers are tur ned off .
@ Note
Make sure the ventilation hose on the side of
the batte ry is connected, othe rw ise fumes or
battery acid can lea k out.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend your author ized
Audi dea le r change the battery fo r you. Bat
t er ies con ta in su lf ur ic ac id a nd lead a nd must
always be disposed of prop erly i n comp lianc e
206
with a ll environmenta l re gu lations . Disposing
of veh icle batteries im properly is very danger
ous to t he environment.
Windshield/headlight*
washer container
Fig. 177 En gin e compar tment: Cove r on the w inds hield
a n d head lig ht* was he r flu id conta iner
The washer fluid co nta iner is marked with the
symbol
Q on its cap ~ fig. 177, ¢ page 195,
fig. 1 71.
M N
-N ,.:
"' m
.. Before you check anythi ng i n the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ .& in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 193.
.. Lift the fi ller cap to ngue to add w ashe r fl uid .
You c an f ill the containe r to t he top .
.. Press the ca p back on to the filler neck a fte r fill -
ing the contai ner.
Yo u c an find the reservo ir
capacity in t he table in
~page 244.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
possible, use soft wate r to preve nt scaling on the
w ashe r jets. Alw ays add a glass cleane r solu tion
(wi th fros t protection in the win ter) .
@ Note
Do n ot mix engi ne coolan t antifree ze or any
o the r ad ditive s t o fill u p the wi ndshi eld wash
er reservo ir.
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 .