2017 AUDI Q5 towing

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.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle 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 che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
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 mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck that all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If you r trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
200
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wir ing, swi tches, an d relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mirrors, then yo u
must in­
stall ex tended mirro rs . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ical brake s ple ase no te
t h at these b ra kes are not activated by the
factory -fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the traile r h itch, d o no t
s t o re it in your vehicle. In case of sud den
braking, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in ­
jure you or yo ur passenge rs.
- Never install a "we igh t distribu tin g" or
"loa d eq ualizing" trailer hitch on your veh i­
cle . The vehicle was not designed fo r these
kinds o f trailer hitches. The hitch attach­
ment can fail, ca us ing the tra ile r to tear
loose from the vehicle .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must never
be exceeded under any circ umstances . Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle We ight Rat ing of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
a nd such d amage will no t be covered by
your Limi ted New Vehicle W arra nty . Exceed­
ing the Gross Ve hicl e We ight Rating will al ­
so change the pe rformance and han dling
characte ristics o f yo ur vehicle, which could
cause a crash result ing in se rious injury or
death.

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Operating instructions
6" r-2
~·~
1/2"
1·1/2"
ill
Fig. 188 Permi tted ba ll pos it io n of the trailer h itch
Trailer towing weights
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer
hitch, the maximum permissible trailer weight is
4,400 lbs (2,000 kg) . The maximum permissible
unbraked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
These specifications apply when driving on roads having an incline of less than 12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these changed
conditions, adjust the trailer load so that the
tongue load is at the maximum allowable or
slightly lower. You can get an approximation of
the tongue load with a bathroom scale or you can
measure the load at a trucking company or
weighing station.
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer
hitch, the maximum permissible load on the ball
hitch may not exceed 440 lbs (200 kg) .
It is rec­
ommended to use the maximum permissible
load.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely 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 202.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suitable ball mount and ball¢
fig. 188 . Installation of
the hitch ball must be carried out in accordance
with the manufacturer's instructions .
Trailer towing
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 cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label¢
page 240. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. 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.
· 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. .,.
201

Trailer towing
Sp eed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
dr ive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, w eather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trai le r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swayin g by ac cele rating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for reg ular
ve hicles.
A lways apply b rakes early . When dr iving down­
hi ll, shi ft into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge ¢ page 8 must
be observed ca refully . If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im ­
mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
I f t he coolan t temperature warn ing light i n the
instr ument cluster s tarts flashing ., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up .
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 iler because of the additional weight and dif ­
fe rent weight d istr ibut ion . Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful­
ly you load you r trailer and operate your rig .
202
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing unt il yo u h ave be ­
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires steer ­
i ng 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 wou ld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avo id 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 trai ler, your Audi may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 2 76.
' 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:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have someone place cho cks under bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after parking :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the se lector lever to D/S.

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~ Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the whee l chocks.
~ Stop and have someone retrieve t he whee l
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the a utomat­
ic transm ission to P before applying the park­
ing brake and before block ing the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
lever out of the P position .
Trailer towing
203

Wheels
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 make 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 placard
(tire inflation pre ssure label)
c:::> page 240, fig. 204.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers 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
c:::> page 240 , fig. 204 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will
244
be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lb s.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lb s.)
5. Determine 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 capacity calculat ­
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Con sult this manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug­ gage load capacity of your vehi­
cle .
~check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 230, fig. 202) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
· Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
W heel bolts mus t be clean and loose n/tighten
eas ily .
Rims
Rims with a bo lted r im ring * or with bo lted wheel
covers" co nsist of mult ip le p ieces . T h ese compo-
n ents were bolted togethe r usin g s pec ial bolts ..,.

Emerg ency assis ta nce
Emergency assistance
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit and collapsible spare
tire
Onboard tool kit and vehicle jack
The vehicle tools and vehicle jock* ore stored in
the luggage comportment under the floor cover.
Fig. 207 Luggage compartment: on board tool kit and vehi­
cle jack
The vehicle jack* is stored under the onboard tool
kit ¢ fig. 207.
Hybr id d rive*: the storage location of the on­
board tool kit varies
r:!) page 107.
The onboard tool k it includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Folding chocks
- Screwdriver with revers ible blade
- Socket (removable Torx socket)*
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench (for disconnecting
the battery cables)
- Towing eye
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack* can cause
ser ious personal injuries.
- Never use the jack* supplied with your Aud i
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack* is only su itable for use on the
vehicle it came w ith.
250
- Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle will
damage the bumper system. The jack may
slip, caus ing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on cinder blocks,
bricks or other objects. These may not be
able to support the load and could cause in­
jury when they fail.
- Never start or run the engine while the vehi­
cle is supported by the jack* .
- If you must work under the vehicle, always
use safety stands specifically designed for
this purpose.
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
dle of the screwdr iver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bolts .
- Always make sure the inflatab le spare tire*
and even a flat tire are secured in place and
not loose, otherwise they could fly forward,
causing personal inj ury to passenge rs in the
vehi cle in an a cc ident or sudden maneuve r.
@ Tips
The vehicle jack in your vehicle is mainte­
nance-free.
Folding chocks
The folding chocks ore port of the on board tool
kit .
---
Fig . 208 Open ing fo lding chocks
To use the chocks, you fi rst have to raise the sup­
port plate
¢ fig. 208 (D and then insert the lock­
ing plate with the two "tabs" into the elongated
holes in the base plate
@ c> &.. .,,_

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_& WARNING
-The chock cannot fulfil its function and may
lose its stability if the "tabs" on the support
plate a re not inserted correctly into the
elongated holes in the base plate. If th is
happens, the vehicle may sta rt to move
wh ile a wheel is being changed.
- Never use the fold ing chocks if they are
damaged or if they have not been assem­
bled co rrectly.
Removing bass box
Appl ies to: vehicles wit h bass box
Before the inflatable spare tire* can be token
out, the bass box must be removed.
Fig . 20 9 Spare w heel well: Bass box
Removing ba ss box
"Lift up the cargo floor using the hand le .
" Squeeze the locking tabs¢
fig. 209 © of the
connector.
" Disconnect the connector @and place the lead
to one s ide.
"T urn the large screw counter -clockwise .
" Carefully remove t he bass box .
Installing bas s bo x
"Carefully place the bass box in the whee l. The
inscription "FRONT" on the bass box must face
forward.
" Reconnect the co nnector that was removed.
" Secu re the bass box w ith the la rge screw .
" Fold the cargo floo r bac k down.
Em ergen cy a ssis tanc e
Inflatable spare tire
Applies to: vehicles w ith inflatable spare tire
The inflatable spare tire expands to its full diam­
eter when it is inflated .
Fig. 210 In flatable spare tire wit h comp ressor
Removing inflatabl e spare tire
"Lift up the cargo floo r us ing the handle.
" Remove the dirt tr ay .
" Turn the large sc rew ¢ fig .
210 counter -clock-
w ise .
" Remove the bass box as required¢
page 251.
"Take out the inflatab le spare tire.
" Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack* and
the replaced tire in the luggage compartment
¢ page 136.
Stowing the inflatable spare tire
.. Release the air by unscrewing the valve stem.
" Screw the valve stem back in afterwards.
" Wa it a few hours before plac ing the wheel in
the spare wheel well¢,& .
" Insta ll the bass box as requ ired ¢
page 251 .
" Secure the whee l w ith the la rge sc rew.
" Place t he d irt tray back in .
" Fold t he c argo floor back down .
After using the inflatable spare wheel
The inflatable spare tire can be re-used as long as
it is not damaged and is not worn down to the
tread wea r indicators ¢.&, .
When you let the a ir out of the inf latab le spare
t ir e, it does not assume its folded shape again for
severa l hours . Unt il then, it cannot be placed
back i n the spare wheel well and stowed securely.
IJI>
251

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(D Note
Special care is required if you are repairing
the tire on a steep incline.
@ Tips
- Do not operate the compressor for more
than 12 minutes continuously, otherwise it
can overheat. Once the compressor has
cooled, you can continue to use it.
- If sealant has spi lled out, let it dry and then
you can remove it by peeling it away like a
foil.
- Remember to obtain a new bott le of sealant
from your authorized Audi dealer after re­
pair ing a tire. After this, the functionality of
the tire repair set is restored .
- Obey all laws.
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 traff ic and try to reach
level ground before you stop¢_& .
.. All passengers sho uld
leave the car and move
to a safe location (fo r instance, behind the
guardrai l) ¢ .&_ .
.. Engage the
par king b rake to prevent yo ur vehi ­
cle from roll ing unintentionally ¢&_ .
.. Move
selecto r le ver to po sitio n P ¢ &_ .
"" If you are towing a trailer: unh itch the trailer
from your veh icle.
"" Block the diagonally opposite wheel with the
folding chocks o r other objects .
""T ake the
jac k* and the inflatable spa re tir e*
out of the luggage compartment¢ page 250 .
A WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be inj ured while
changing a wheel if you do not follow these
safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road. Turn off the engine, turn the
Em ergenc y ass is tanc e
emergency flashers on and use other wa rn­
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 and possib ly slipping off the jack*,
always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel be­ i n g changed with the fold ing c hocks or oth­
er objects . When one front whee l is lifted
off the ground, placing the Automatic
Transmission in P (Park) w ill
not prevent the
veh icle from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
gro und is leve l and firm.
If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack*.
- Always s tore the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the lugg age com­
partment
¢ page 136.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence
described below s tep-by -step and in exactly that
order.
1. Remove the de corative wheel cover* . For
more detai ls see also
¢page 256, Decaro-
tive wheel covers
o r r::!> poge 256, Wheels
with wheel bolt cops .
2. Loosen the w
heel bolts¢ page 256 .
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack* and align the jack* below that point
¢ page 257.
4. Li ft the car with the jack*¢ page 257.
s. Remove the wheel with th e flat tire and then
insta ll the
inflatable spar e tire*
¢ page 258.
6. Tighte n all whee l bolts lightly.
7 .
Lo wer the vehicle wi th the jack *.
8 . Use the whee
l bolt wrench and
firml y tighten
all wheel bo lts
r::!> poge 256 .
9. Replace the decorat ive wheel co ver* .
255
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