2017 AUDI A7 light

Trailer towing
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, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the tra ile r operation mode
¢ page 82, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trai ler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your ve hicle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle 's chassis at a
technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always chec k w it h t he t rail ­
er hitch man ufactur er to make s ure t hat you a re
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch m ust be installed i n such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper sys tem . N o mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck t hat all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely faste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from behind¢ &..
82
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped wi th a bra king sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to all regu la ­
tions.
The trailer hydrau lic br ake system mus t not be
directly connecte d to the vehicle's hydr auli c
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
a nd t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your Aud i dea ler for correct wir ing,
switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outs ide mir rors, 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 ile r hi tch, do not s to re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In cas e of sudden brak ing,
the hit ch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your pas sengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
cla ss 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held sec urely in
place to p revent it from shifting forward , back­
ward or si deways .
Never allow a pas senger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driving instructions on page 84.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes the engine wor k harder . It
i s impo rtant that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Ma ke sure that
the cooling system has enoug h fluid.
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\.J ' Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
¢page 221. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions .
Lights
Check to make sure 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 slack 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
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 105, ¢0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions , you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight ¢page 107.
0 Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select
auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a highly 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 easier 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 observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driving down ­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving . Select in the MMI:
I CAR ! function button > (Car)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On. 1J,,
83

Trailer towing
Coolant t emperatur e
The coolant temperatu re gauge <=? page 9 must
be observed ca refully. The coo lant tempe rature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine sp eeds. Reduce your sp eed
immed ia te ly if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information abo ut indicator lights, re­
fe r to . <=?
page 14.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained 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 wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer towing information
Important to know
-
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing a
tra ile r because of the additional weight and d if­
fe rent we ight d istr ib ution. Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend o n how careful­
ly you load yo ur trailer and ope rate your r ig .
Before you actually tow your tra iler, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and bac king up in an area away
from t raff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come comple tely fami liar with t he way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat ion behaves and responds.
Backing up is d iffic ult and requires pract ice .
Backing up with a tra iler gene rally requires steer­
i n g ac tion oppos ite to tha t when backing up yo ur
veh icle w it h out a trailer .
M aintain a g reater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You w ill need more
room to stop . To compensa te fo r th e tra ile r, you
will nee d a larger than no rma l tur ning rad ius.
When pass ing , remembe r that you ca nnot accel­
e rate as fast as you no rma lly would because of
the adde d load . Make s ure yo u have eno ugh room
to pass . After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trai ler before chang ing lanes again.
84
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
c h anges.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer dur ing the brea k-i n pe ri­
od of your veh icle.
- I f you tow a tra ile r, your A udi m ay requi re
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 264.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope wi th a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have so meone p lace cho cks unde r bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer w heels.
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly rele ase the brakes
until the w heel chocks abso rb the load .
.,. Turn th e whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.,. Select the P se lecto r lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Start the engine .
.,. Sele ct the D/S se lector l ever position.
.,. Re lease the par king brake and s low ly pull o ut
and away from the whee l chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone re trieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P befo re applying the park­
i ng brake and before blocking the whee ls, yo u
may have to use more force la ter to move the
l eve r o ut of the P pos it io n.

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Assist Speed warning system
Applies to: vehicles with speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set.
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly.
The . (USA models)/ . (Canada models) indi­
cator light and a message appear in the instru­
ment cluster display at the same time. The./
• indicator light and the message turn off if the
speed falls back below the stored maximum
speed .
Setting a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a gener­
al speed limit or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system.
.. Select: the
ICARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems control button > Driver assistance >
Speed warning.
@ Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system, you
should always monitor your speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
Assist
Cruise control system
Switching on
Applies to: vehicles with cruise control system
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h) .
0
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f
... m
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Fig. 86 Operating leve r: cru ise cont rol system
.. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into position @~ fig. 86.
.. Drive at the speed to be maintained .
.. To store the speed, press the button @.
Th e stored speed and the
[lljlfJ~il (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light are displayed
in the instrument cluster.
T his information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up display* .
The speed is maintained by modifying engine
power or through an active brake intervention.
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to the traffic around
you when the cruise control system is in op­
eration . You are always responsible for your
speed and the distance between your vehi­
cle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traffic, on
winding roads and when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy ra in and
hydroplaning), because this inc reases the
risk of an accident.
- Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when dr iv ing in turning lanes, highway exits
-
or in construction zones . ~
85

Ass is t
- Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be­ cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system .
-If a brake system malfunction such as over­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is sw itched on, the braking function in
the system may be switched off. The rest of
the cruise control system f unctions remain
a ct ive as long as the
[l!jl!)~1j (USA models) /
Bl (Canada models) indicator light is on .
@ Tips
The brake lights turn on when the brakes a re
app lied automatically.
Changing speed
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith c ruise control system
.. To inc rease or decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever toward
0 10 ¢ page 85,
fig . 86 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction until the de­
s ired speed is displayed.
You can a lso press the accelerator pedal down to
increase your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you set earlier w ill re­
sume as soon as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
However, if you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cru ise control system turns off temporarily.
The green
1ij;(l )~14 (USA models) t BI (Canada mod ­
els) indicator light in the speedometer turns off
and the stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting the speed
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith c ruise control system
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Pu ll the lever into position@~
page 85,
fig. 86.
86
.. To increase or decrease the speed, tap the lever
toward
0 10 .
.. To store the speed d isp layed, release the lever.
This function makes it possible, fo r example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway, activate the
cruise contro l by pull ing the lever toward@.
Switching off
App lies to : vehicles with c ruise co nt rol system
Temporary deacti vation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position @(not clicked into
place)
¢ page 85, fig . 86, or
.. Dr ive for longer than 5 minutes faster than 5
mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press the lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.. Switch the ignit io n off.
The speed you stored will be maintained if the cruise contro l has been switched off temporarily .
To resume the stored speed, release the brake pedal and pull the lever to position @.
Switch ing the ignit ion off w ill erase the stored
speed .
A WARNING
You should only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traff ic conditions.
Othe rw ise you can inc rease the risk of an acc i­
dent.

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Boost, shifting and
engine oil temperature
indicators
Applies to: vehicles with boost, shifting and engine oil tem­
peratu re indicators
Fig. 87 Instrument cluster: boost, shift ing and eng ine oil
temperature indicators
... Turn the menu thumbwheel on the steering
wheel until
Lap timer appears in the instru­
ment cluster display.
@ Boost pressure indicator
The current engine load (meaning the current
boost pressure) is indicated by a bar .
@ Shifting indicator
The shifting indicator is on ly visible when shifting
gears in tiptronic mode ¢ page
79. Green LEDs
turn on as the engine RPMs increase. The LEDS
flash red at speeds near the RPM limit.
In vehicles with an activated head-up display
¢ page
24, the shifting indicator is shown in the
head-up display instead of the instrument clus­
ter.
© Engine oil tempe rature indicator
If the engine oil temperature is below 140 °F
(60 °(), th<> I# symbol followed by three hy­
phens"- - -" and the
0
( unit is shown.
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture when the engine oil temperature is between
140
° F (60 °() and 248 °F (120 °() under normal
driving conditions. The engine oil temperature
may be higher if there is heavy engine load and
high temperatures outside. This is not a cause for
concern as long as the .¢ page
15 or Ill
Assist
¢ page 15 indicato r lights in the display do not
blink.
Lap timer
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with lap timer
You can record and evaluate lap times with the
lap timer ¢ page
87, fig. 88. Th e time is meas­
ur ed in m inutes, seconds and 1/10 seconds . The
hours are also shown when the lap time exceeds
60 minutes. The maximum individual measure ­
ment is 99 hours. A maximum of SO laps can be
recorded.
A WARNING
-Your focus shou ld always be on driving your
vehicle safe ly. As the driver, you have com­
plete respons ibility for safety in traffic. Only
use the functions in such a way that you al­
ways maintain complete control over your ve­
hicle in all traffic situations .
@ Tips
You can retr ieve informat ion from the tr ip
computer wh ile the lap timer stopwatch is
r unning.
Opening the lap timer and recording times
Applies to: vehicles with lap timer
Fig. 88 Display: lap t imer
Opening the lap timer
... Turn the menu thumbwheel on the steering
wheel until
Lap timer appears in the instru­
ment cluster display .
-
87

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Switching on/off
App lies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 9 4 Operat ing leve r: sw itching o n and off
Fig. 95 Inst rument cluste r: adaptive cruise contro l
You can set any speed between 20 mph (30 km/
h) and 95 mph (150 km/h) .
Indicator lights and messages in the instrument
cluster display inform you about the current sit­
uation and setting.
An addit ional indicator appears in the Head-up
d isplay* .
Switching adaptiv e cruise control on
.,. Pull the lever toward you into position @
¢
fig . 94. ACC: standb y appears in the display.
Saving the speed and activating regulation
.. To save the current speed, p ress the ISETI
¢ fig . 94 button . The stored speed is shown in
the speedometer in the L ED l ine @ and appears
briefly in t he information line @ ¢
fig. 95 .
.,. To activate the regu lation whi le stationary, also
press the brake peda l.
Switching adaptive cruis e control off
.,. Push the lever away from you in to posi tion @
u nt il it clicks i nto place. The message
ACC : off
appears.
A ss ist
@ Indic ato r light s
•-adaptive cruise control is switched on. No
objects are detected ahead . The stored speed is
maintained .
• - An object ahead was detected . The adaptive
c ruise contro l system regu lates the speed and
distance to the object ahead and accelerates/
brakes automatically .
f:i-adaptive cruise control is switched on. An
object ahead was detected. Your vehicle remains
stopped and will not sta rt driving automatically .
• -The automatic braking is not enough to
mai ntai n a sufficie nt dis tance to an obje ct ahead.
You must intervene ¢
page 94, Request for
driver intervention .
© Instrument cluster display
If adaptive cru ise control is not shown in the in­
strument cl uster d isplay, you can call it up using
t h e m ultif unction steer ing whee l butto ns
¢page 21.
Based on the graphics in the display , you can de­
te rm ine if the system is maintain ing a distance to
t h e object ahead and what that d ist ance is .
No vehicle -No object ahead was detected .
White veh icle -An object ahead was detected.
Red vehicle -Request for driver intervention
~page 94.
Both arrow s on the scale © indicate the distance
to the object ahead. No arrow appears w hen the
vehicle is on an open road and t here is no object
ahead . If an object is detected ahead, the arrow
moves on the sca le .
The green zone on the s cale i ndicates the store
distance . For information on changing the dis ­
tance, refer to ¢
page 93. If the distance se ­
lected is exceeded or not reached , the arrow
moves into the red zone on the scale .
A WARNING
~~ --
If you press the !SET ! button when driv ing at
speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h), the vehicle
accelerates automatically up to 20 mph (30
91

Ass is t
@ Tips
Your settings are automatica lly stored and as­
signed to the remote control key be ing used .
Request for driver intervention
App lies to: ve hicles w ith Audi adaptive cruise co ntro l
Fig . 99 Instrum ent clus te r: r eq ues t fo r drive r interve ntio n
In certain situations, the system w ill request you
to take action :
- if t he braking from the adapt ive cr uise control
system is no t enough to maintai n enough dis­
tance to the object ahead.
The dange r is ind icated by the . indicator light
~ fig. 99. An audio s ignal will also sound.
- Press the brake pedal to slow your vehicle down .
Audi braking guard
Applies to: ve hicles w ith Audi adaptive cruise co ntro l
Fig . 100 In str um ent clus te r: appro ach warning
The braking guard uses radar sensors and a video
camera .
It also functions within the limits of the
l) This is no t a vail able in som e coun trie s.
94
system when adaptive cru ise control is switched
off.
What can the braking guard do ?
When detected in time, the system can assess
dange rous si tu at ions where an object ahead
brakes sudden ly or if yo ur own vehicle is trave ling
at a h igh speed and approach ing an ob ject that is
moving more slow ly. The braking guard does not
react if it cannot detect the situation.
The system advises you of var ious dange rous sit­
uations :
- The
di stan ce warning occu rs if you dr ive too
close ly to the object ahead fo r a long per iod of
time .
If the object ahead brakes strongly, you
would not be ab le to avoid a co llis ion. The .
indicator light appears as an indication for this .
- T he
appr oach w arning occurs when an object
ahead is trave ling more slowly or brakes
strongly. When this warning occurs, it may only
be possible to avoid a collis ion by swerving or
brak ing strongly . The danger is indicated by the
• indicator light
¢fig. 100 . An audio signal
w ill also so und .
If you do not react early enough or at all to a dan ­
gerous situation, the braking guard supports you
with a braking intervention .
- If a co llision is imminent, the system wi ll first
provide an
acute warning by braking sharply .
- If you do not react to th e acute warning, the
b raking guard can inc rease the braking force
w ith in the lim its of the system
1> . This reduces
the vehicle speed in the event of a coll is ion.
- T he system can in itiate complete dece leration
shortly before a collision
l) . Full deceleration at
high speeds occurs only in veh icles with adap­
tive cruise control and side assist (pre se nse
plus) .
- If the braking guard determ ines that you are
not braking s trongly enough when the re is a n
impending coll is ion, it can increas e the b raking
force.
- The p re sense funct io ns also engage w hen
there is an impending collision ~
page 138.