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.
IJJ,,,
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 automat ic transmission can
not be started by pushi ng 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 suffic iently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use on ly jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are distinct ly marked :
plus(+ ) cable in most cases co lored 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 hand Ling of your veh icle's batte ry .
- Always shield your eyes and avo id 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-
254
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 Fac ility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immed iately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
veh icle may cause an explosion .
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batter ies .
- 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 rat ing. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of different voltage or substantial
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an exp lo
sion and persona l injury.
- Never cha rge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never cha rge o r use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak
ened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or sub
stantially diff erent 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 199.
([) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- Th ere 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 .