2018 AUDI A4 towing

Trailer towing
tires to tra iler and tire manufacturers ' specifica­
tions.
Lights
The headlig ht settings should be chec ked with
the t railer at tached before d riving off. Check to
make su re both vehicle and trailer lights are
wo rking properly.
Safety chains
Be sure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trai le r to the h itch on the veh icle.
L eave enough sla ck in the c ha ins to permi t turn­
ing corners . When you install safety chains, ma ke
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when yo u are
driv ing .
The cha ins shou ld cross u nder the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropp ing in case of separation
from the h itch .
Driver messages
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Weight d istribution
Towing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car resu lts
in a hig hly unstable dist ribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing s teering con trol.
A "balanced " rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible , while
keep ing the tra ile r as lig ht as possib le under t he
circumstances . Whenever possible, t ransfer
some cargo to the l uggage compartment of the
tow vehicle whi le observ ing tongue load req uire­
ments and ve hicle loading conside rat ions.
Speed
The h igher the speed, the more d ifficult i t be­
comes for the drive r to contro l the rig. Do not
d rive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weath er or w ind
conditions are unfavorable
-part icularly when
going downhill.
100
Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swa ying by a ccelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply bra kes early. Whe n driving down­
hill, shift in to a lower gea r to use the eng ine
b raking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
bra kes alone can cause them to overheat and fai l.
Coolant temperature
The coo lant tempe rat ure gauge 9 page 11 must
be obse rved caref ully. The coolant temperature
can increase i f you drive o n long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds . Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in th e top part of the dis­
play turn on.
For more info rmation abou t indicator lig hts, re­
fer
to . ~page 30 .
A WARNING
Anyone not prope rly 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 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 ional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how ca refu l­
l y you load your tra ile r and ope rate yo ur rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing u ntil you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way yo ur vehi­
cl e- tra ile r combination behaves and respo nds.

a co .... N ,....
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Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice .
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
i ng action oppos ite to that when backing up your
ve hicle w ithout a trailer.
M ain tain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. Yo u wi ll nee d more
room to stop. To compensate fo r th e tra iler, yo u
will need a larger than no rmal turn ing rad ius.
When pass ing, remembe r th at you ca nnot accel ­
erate as fast as you norma lly wou ld because of
the added load. Make s ure yo u have eno ugh room
to pass. After passing , allow plenty of room fo r
your tra ile r before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, s harp turns or ra pid lane
changes .
(D Tips
-Do not tow a trailer during t he br eak -in per i­
o d of yo ur vehicle .
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex ­
tra load
~ page 3 83.
Parking on a slope
D o not pork on o slope with o trailer . If it canno t
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
.. Apply the f oot brake .
.. Have someone p lace chock s under both the ve­
hicle and the tra il e r whee ls .
.. Wi th chocks in p lace, slowly release t he b rakes
u nti l the w hee l chocks absor b the load .
.. Turn the wheels towa rds the curb .
.. Apply the pa rking brake .
.. Move the se lector lever to P (a utomat ic t rans­
mission) respectively select first gear (manual
t ransm iss io n).
When restarting after parking:
.. Apply the foot b rake .
.. Start the engine .
.. Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmis­
sion: Move the selector lever to D/S .
.. Release t he pa rking bra ke and s low ly pull ou t
and away from t he whee l chocks .
Trailer towing
.. Stop an d have someone retrieve the whee l
choc ks.
101

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(D Note
The radar sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. Pre sense rear can be impaired by
this. Have an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility check their func­
tion .
(D Tips
-The pre sense rear functions switch off
when towing a trailer .
- The pre sense rear functions may also
switch off if there is a malfunction in the
side assist* system.
Audi pre sense city
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Audi pre sense city
Within the limits of the system, pre sense city
can warn you of impending collisions with
vehicles and pedestrians and initiate the applica­
ble braking maneuver if needed. Pre sense city is
active at speeds of approximately 6 mph (10 km/ h) and higher.
A pedestrian warning can occur at speeds up to
50 mph (85 km/h), and vehicle warnings can oc­
cur at speeds up to 155 mph (250 km/h) . A pre
sense city braking maneuver is poss ible at speeds
up to 50 mph (85 km/h).
Warnings
Applies to: vehicles with Audi pre sense city
The system recognizes various dangerous s itua­
tions. The
early warning occurs if:
- a vehicle driving ahead brakes suddenly,
- your own vehicle approaches a significantly
slower vehicle or stationary veh icle in the direc­
t ion of travel.
- a pedestrian is standing in the lane or is moving
i nto the lane .
When this warning occurs, it may only be possi­ ble to avoid a collision by swerving or braking
strongly. The message
Audi pre sense .
Assistance systems
¢page 121, fig. 122 and a warning tone will
warn you about the danger.
Additionally, a jerk on the brakes may occur as an
acute warning when there is an imp ending colli­
sion . If you do not react to the acute warning, pre
sense city can brake to the point of complete de­
celeration within the limits of the system . T his
reduces the vehicle speed in the event of a colli­
sion. The message
Audi pre sense . also ap­
pears.
The following functions are triggered in conjunc­
tion with pre sense basic/rear:
- Reversible tensioning of the front safety belts.
- Closing the windows and sunroof* .
- Inflating the side bolsters* on the seat back-
rest.
Audi drive select*: the function is not act ive de­
pending on the mode selected.
A WARNING
- Pre sense city cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It is a system designed to assist and
it cannot prevent a coll is ion in every circum­
stance. The driver must always intervene.
The driver is always responsible for braking
at the correct time. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking risks.
This could increase your risk of a collision.
- The system can dep loy incorrectly due to
system-specific limits.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, please
note that the camera does not always detect
every object.
- Pre sense city does not react to anima ls,
crossing or oncoming vehicles, objects such
as bars, railings or railcars, and objects that
are difficult to
detect ¢ A in General infor­
mation on page 109 .
-In trailer mode, the braking behavior of the
tra iler can be d ifferent than usual during au­
tomatic braking.
A WARNING
-Pre sense city may be restricted or not availa-
ble in the following example situations:
- in heavy fog, ra in, spray or snow
~
123

Assistance systems
-when there are visual obstr uctions, such as
glare, reflections or variations in light
- when it is dark
- if the camera window or the windshie ld is
dirty, iced over, damaged or covered
- when driving on snow, ice or loose ground
- in curves
- if the ESC was restricted or switched off
- when towing a tra iler
- when the driver's seat belt is unfastened
- up to ten seconds after switching on the ig-
nition
(D Note
Impacts or damage to the camera mount on
the windshield can disp lace the sensor . Pre
sense city can be impa ired by this. Have an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Aud i Serv­
ice Facility check the ir funct ion.
{D) Tips
- You can cancel the system braking interven­
tion if you accelerate considerably or swerve
away.
- Keep in mind that pre sense city can brake
unexpectedly. Always secure any cargo or
objects that you are transport ing to reduce
the r isk of damage or injury.
- Specific pre sense city funct ions sw itch off
when the ESC is limited or switched
off
¢ page 147 or the hill descent assist* is
switched on
¢page 148.
-When there is a malfunction in the camera,
the pre sense city funct ions also switch off.
Settings in the
Infotainment system
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith Audi p re se nse
.,. Select in the Infotainment system: IMENU I but­
ton
> Vehicle > left control button > Driver as­
sistance
> Audi pre sense.
Turn on/off Audi pre sense
-the pre sense func­
tions can be turned on and
off.
124
If the system is switched off, it switches on again
automatica lly once the ignition is switched on
again.
Early warning -the early warning can be switch­
ed
off or the pre sense city/front warning point
can be set
( Early /Medium /Late ).
Set the warning time for the early warning to
Early at first . If this causes undesi red early warn­
ings to appear, then set the warning time to
Me­
dium .
The Late warning time should only be set
i n spec ial circumstances, for example, when driv­
i ng with a very dynamic style.
(D Tips
Your settings are automatically stored and as ­
signed to the remote control key being used.
Messages
Applies to: vehicles wi th Audi pre sense
II Audi pre sense: malfunction! Please contact
Service
This message appears when the pre sense func­
tion is affected . For example, th is could be
ca used by a faulty sensor. Drive to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility im­ mediately to have the malfunction corrected.
II Audi pre sense currently restricted . Restrict­
ed sensor vision due to surroundings. See own­
er 's manual
This message appears if the radar sensor and
camera view is obstructed, for example by leaves,
snow, heavy spray or dirt. If necessary, clean the
sensors and the area around the camera
¢ page 109, fig . 108 or ¢page 129, fig. 130 .
II Audi pre sense: currently restricted. Towing
mode
For vehicles wi th a trailer hitch installed at the
factory, the pre sense rear functions switch
off
when the electrical connector at the socket is
plugged in. There is no guarantee the functions
will switch
off when using a retrofitted trailer
hitch.
II Audi pre sense: currently restricted

Ass is tan ce sys tems
-If the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on
the edge of your lane. If this is the case, the system may have detected a vehicle in another
lane that is
not adjacent to your current lane.
-If you are driving through a curve . Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is in the same lane
or one lane over from the adjacent lane.
-If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
roadside structures like guard rails).
- In poor weather condit ions . The side assist
funct ions are limited.
Do not cover the radar
sensors ¢ fig. 130 with
stickers, deposits, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this will impair the function. Do
not use side assist when towing a trailer. For in­
formation on cleaning,
see¢ page 354 .
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your vehicle. Side assist cannot
replace a dr iver's attention . The driver alone
is a lways responsible for lane changes and
similar d riving maneuvers.
-In some situat ions, the system may not
function or its funct ion may be limited. For
example :
-If vehicles are approach ing or being left
behind very quickly. The display may not
turn on in t ime .
-In poor weather conditions such as heavy
rain, snow or heavy mist.
-On very wide lanes, in tight curves, or if
there is a rise in the road surface. Vehicles in the adjacent lane may not be detected because they are outs ide of the sensor
range .
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, whee l housing and
underbody. Th is can impa ir the system. Have
an authorized A udi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility check their function .
(i) Tips
-If the window glass in the driver's door or
front passenger's door has been tinted, the
130
-
display in the exterior mirror may be incor­
rect.
-For an exp lanation on conform ity with the
FCC reg ulations in the United States and the
Industry Canada regulations, see
¢ page 386.
Switching on/off
App lies to: vehicles with A udi side ass ist
The system con be switched on/off in the Info­
tainment system .
If the system is activated, the displays in the ex­
terior mirrors wi ll turn on briefly when the igni­
tion is switched on .
.,. Select in the Infotainment system: IMENU! but­
ton
> V ehicl e > left control button > D riv er as·
s is tance
> Audi side a ssist. Off switches the
system off.
(D Tips
When yo u switch side assist on or off, the ex it
warning system activates or deact ivates
¢ page 131.
Setting the display brightness
App lies to: vehicles wit h Aud i side ass ist
The display brightness con be adjusted in the In ­
fotainment system.
.,. Select in the Infotainment system: IMENU ! but­
ton
> Veh icle > left control button > Dri ver as­
s ist ance
> Audi side a ssist.
The disp lay br igh tness adjusts au tomatically to
the brightness of the surroundings, both in the
information and in the warning stage. In very
dark or very bright surround ings, the automatic
adjustment will set the display to the minim um
or max imum level. In such cases, you may notice
no change when adjusting the br ightness, or the
c h ange may only be noticeable once the sur ­
r oundings change .
Adjust the br ightness to a leve l where the display
i n the information stage will not disrupt your
view ahead . If you change the br ightness, the dis-
play in the exterior mirror w ill briefly show the
.,.

Ass is tance sy stems
- The display brightness for the ex it warning
system cannot be adjusted.
- The system is not available when towing a
trailer.
Rear cross-traffic assist
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith rea r cross-tra ffic ass ist
F ig. 1 33 Example d is play
F ig . 134 In fo ta in me nt system : re ar cro ss -tra ffic ass ist dis­
p lay
The rear cross -traffic assis t can warn the drive r of
a po tential collis ion with approaching cross -traf­
f ic when driv ing i n reverse . Within its limits, the
system monitors the areas beh ind and n ext to
the vehicle using the radar sensors when leaving
a park ing space
c::> page 129, fig. 130. Moving ob­
jec ts tha t are approach ing, such as cars, are de­
tected
c::> fig . 133 .
If the system detects cr itical cross traffic when
ba cking out of a parking space, it will react as fol­
lows :
-Visual indicator : an indicator appea rs in the In­
fotainment system display with a red arrow
symbol. The arrow points in the direction from
which the object is approach ing
c::> fig. 134 .
-Audible warning signal : a continuous tone may
sound as an additional indicator when driving in reverse .
132
-Automat ic brake acti vati on: a brief activation
of the brakes may also warn you of a potentia l
co llision w ith an approaching object .
Requirements for using the rear cross -traffic
a ss is t :
-The parking aid must be switched on
<=> pag e 136.
-Reverse gear must be engaged.
- The speed mus t not be higher th an approxi-
mate ly 9 mph (15 km/h) .
&_ WARNING
-The rear cross-traffic assist is an assist sys­
tem and cannot prevent a collision by itself.
The drive r must always intervene. The driver
is always responsible for braking at the cor­
rect t ime .
-Please note that the rear cross-traff ic assist
may activate the brakes unexpected ly. Se­
cure any cargo that you are transporting to
reduce the ris k of damage or injury .
-An add itiona l brake activation may be trig­
ge red w ith in 20 seconds after an automatic
brake activation .
-If there is an acoust ic warning signal from
the rea r cross-traffic assist, then the park­
ing system may no t warn you of detected
obs tacles under certain circumstances.
- The v iew of the radar sensors may be im­
pa ired by leaves, snow, heavy sp ray o r dirt .
C lean the area in front of the sensors
c::> page 129, fig. 130 .
&_ WARNING
The re ar cross- traffi c assist is subject to limi ­
tations and cannot warn yo u before every im­
pending collision:
- I f the ve hicle is too wide for the parking
space and covered by the neighboring
veh icles.
- People, such as cyclists, joggers, inline skat ­
ers and pedestrians, may not be detected
under certain circumstances.
- If you are in a paralle l parking space or diag ­
onal parking space .

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(D Note
Also read the informat ion in c::> (D in General
information on page 130 .
@ Tips
-You can can ce l the au toma tic b rake activa ­
tion w ith increasing braki ng fo rce if you ap ­
p ly the brakes yourse lf or accelerate cons id­
erab ly.
-In some situations, rea r cross-traffic assist
may warn yo u even if there is no cross t raffic
i n a cr itical area, for examp le when back ing
i nto a parki ng space or maneuver ing.
-The rea r cross-traffic ass ist also switches of f
when you switch off the ESC.
-The rea r cross traffic assist switc hes on and
off thro ugh t he pa rking aid
c::>page 136.
-The system is not available when towin g a
trailer.
Messages
App lies to: ve hicles with Audi side assist
A message appears in the instrument cluster dis­
p lay if the s ide assist switches off automatically .
@t Audi side assist: malfunction! Please contact
Service
@t Audi side assist and exit warning : malfunc­
tion! Please contact Service
The system c annot guarantee th at it will detec t
ve hicl es co rrectly and i t has switched off. The
sensors have been moved o r are faul ty. Have the
system checked by an a uth orized Audi dea ler or
author ized Audi Service Facility soon.
@t Audi side a ssist: currently unavailable. Sen­
sor vision restricted due to surround ings . See
owner 's manual
at Audi side a ssis t and exit warning : currently
unavailable. Sensor vision restricted due to sur­ roundings
The rada r se nso r vis io n is impaire d. T he ar ea in
fr on t of the senso rs must no t be covered by b ike
ra ck s, st ick ers, leaves, snow or any othe r o bj ects.
C lea n the area i n front of the senso rs, if necessa ­
ry
c::> page 129, fig . 130 .
Assistance systems
@t Audi side assist : currently unavailable. See
owne r's manual
at Audi side assist and exit warning: currently
unavailable. See owner's manual
S id e assist ca nnot be sw itched on at this time be­
c a u se the re is a ma lfun ction ( for ex ample, the
ba ttery ch arge leve l may be too low).
@t Audi side assist: unavailable in towing mode
(it Audi side assist and exit warning: currently
unavailable. Towing mode
Sid e assist switches off automatically when the
electrica l connecto r in the factory-installed t rail­
er hitch is connected. There is no guarantee the
system will sw itch off when using a retrofitted
t railer h itch . Do not use side assist and the ex it
warning w hen tow ing a traile r.
111 Rear parking aid: obstacle detection restrict­
ed
T he rear cross-traffic ass ist is not available. E i­
t h er the ESC is sw itched off, or the rada r senso rs
may be cove red by a bike rack, sticke rs, leaves,
snow or other objects. Switc h the ESC on , or
clean the area in front of the senso rs if necessary
c::> pag e 129, fig . 130 . If thi s m essage continues
to be displayed, dr ive immedia tely to an author­
i z ed Audi de aler or author ized Audi Se rvice Facili­
ty to ha ve the mal fu ncti on re paire d.
Audi drive select
Introduction
Applies to : vehicles with Aud i drive se lect
Drive select makes it possib le to exper ience dif­
ferent types of ve hicle sett ings in one ve hicle .
T he driver can select
Offroad *, Comfort , Auto
and Dynamic mod es in the Info tainm ent system
t o swi tch b etwee n a sp orty and a comfo rtable
dr iv ing mo de, fo r ex ample . In t he
Individual
mode, the settings can be a djusted to you r per­
sona l p references . This makes it possible to com­
bine settings such as a sporty engine setting with
li ght steer ing.
133

Parking systems
Parking systems
General information
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith a rea r parking sys te m /pa rking sys ­
tem p lus/rearv iew camera/peripheral ca meras
Depending on your vehicle's equipment , various
parking aids will help you when parking and ma­
neuvering.
The
rear parking system is an audible parking aid
that warns you of obstacles
behind the vehicle
¢ page 137.
The
parking system plus assists you when park ­
ing by audibly and visually indicating objects de­
tected
in front of and behind the veh icle
¢ page 137.
The
rearview camera shows the area behind the
vehicle in the Infotainment system display . The
lines in the rearview camera image help you to
park or
maneuver ¢ page 138. The parking sys­
tem plus functions are also available
¢ page 137.
The
peripheral cameras give various views to
help you when parking or maneuvering
¢ page 140. The parking system plus functions
are also available
¢page 137.
A WARNING ,..__ -
- Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attention. The driver is always
responsible when entering or leaving a park­
ing space and during similar maneuvers.
- Please note that some surfaces , such as
clothing, are not detected by the system .
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
which people and objects cannot be detect­
ed . Be especially cautious of small children
and animals .
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's sur ­
roundings, using the rearview mirror as
well.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park­ ing system may be impa ired as a result.
136
Have an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility check their func­
tion.
(D Note
- Some objects are not detected or displayed
by the system under certain circumstances:
- objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- objects above the sensors such as wall ex ­
tensions
- objects with certain surfaces or structures
such as chain link fences or powder snow
- If you continue driving closer to a low ob­
ject, it may disappear from the sensor
range. Note that you will no longer be
warned about this obstacle.
- Keep enough distance from the curb to re ­
duce the risk of damage to the rims.
{i) Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover ­
age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or when there is tall
grass
- external ultrasonic sources such as from
cleaning vehicles
-in heavy rain, snow, or thick vehicle ex­
haust
- We recommend that you practice parking in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be­
come familiar with the system . When doing
this, there should be good light and weath­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume of the signals
and the display ¢
page 143.
- Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trailer located in
¢page 144.
- What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed.
- Th e sensors must be kept clean and free of
snow and ice for the parking aid to operate .
- Th e rearv iew camera is automatically
cleaned when cleaning the rear window*
¢ page 60 .