2018 AUDI A4 towing

Table of contents
About this Owner's Manual . .. .. .
Cockpit ... .. ............... .... .. .
Cockpit overview ................ .
Controls at a glance ... .......... .. .. .
Instrument cluster .. .......... .. .. .. .
Multifunction steering wheel plus ... .. .
Multifunction steering wheel ......... .
Driver information system ...... .. .. .. .
H ead-up display .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) .. .. .
I ndicator lights .................... . 6
8
8
8
10
13
16
17
24
24
25
Starting and driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
L uggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . .
43
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Panorama glass roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
Valet parking function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
Garage door opener (Homelink) . . . . . . . . 52
L ights and Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
V1s1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Windshield wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
60
Digital compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
H ead restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Memory function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
67
Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Luggage compartment ........ .... .. .
Roof rack .. .. ... ............ .... .. .
Warm and cold ................ .. .
Climate control system .............. .
3 zone deluxe automatic climate control .
Steer ing wheel heating .. ........ .. .. .
2
70
74
76
76
77
79
Driving ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .......... . .
General information . ... ........... . .
Steering .......... .. .. . .......... . .
Start ing and stopping the eng ine ..... . .
Start/Stop system .. .. ............. . .
E le ctromechanical parking brake ...... .
Start ing to drive .. .. .. ........ ..... . .
D rivi ng offroad . .. ... ...... ....... .. .
Automatic transmission
Trailer towing ..... .............. .
Driving with a trailer .. ............. . .
8 0
80
82
83
85
88
89
90
91
99
99
T raile r towing information . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Driver assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Electronic speed limiter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Speed warning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Cruise control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Camera-based traffic sign recognition . . . 104
Lap timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Pred ictive efficiency assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Audi adaptive cruise contro l . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Pred ictive control (eff ic ie ncy assist) . . . . . 115
Traffic jam assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Distance indicat or and distance warnin g 118
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Audi pre sense basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Audi pre sense front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Audi pre sense rea r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Audi pre sense city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Settings in the Infotainment system . . . . 124
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Audi active lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Audi s ide assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Audi drive select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Parking systems
General information .. ... .......... . .
Rear parking system .. .. ........... . .
Parking aid plus .. .. .. ............. . .
Rearview camera ... .. .. ........... . .
Periphera l cameras ... ... .......... . .
Adjusting th e parking aid . ........... .
136
136
137
137
138
140
143

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
F uses .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .... . 369
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Emergency situations ... .. .. .... . 374
G ene ral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
St art ing by pu shing o r tow ing . . . . . . . . . . 374
S tar ting w it h jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Usingthejumpst artcable . ........ ... 375
Towing w ith a tow tr uck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Ra is ing the veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Accessories and Technical Data . 37 9
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Ve hicl e specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
N otes about tec hnica l data . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
We igh ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Di mensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Capac it ies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 1
Gasoline engin es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 1
Diese l eng ines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 383
War ranty cove rages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Oper ating your veh icle outs ide the U .S.A.
o r Can ada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Aud i Service Repair Ma nuals and
Lit erature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
M ain tenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Accesso ries and te chnical changes . . . . . . 385
D eclarat ion of Compli ance,
T elecommun ications and Electronic
Syst ems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Index ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .... . 387
Table of contents
5

Cockpit over view
Drive to an autho rized Audi dea ler or a uthorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
c::=:,Hood
• Warning! Hood is not locked. Stop vehicle
and check the lo ck
If the indicator light turns on and the m essage
appears, the hood locking mechanism is not en­
gaged correctly.
Stop immediate ly and close the hood
<::> page 324.
0 Clutch
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith manu al transmiss ion
• C lutch: malfun ction! Safely stop vehicle
There is an ongoing ma lfunction in t he clutch .
Stop the vehicle safely. See an authorized Audi
dea ler or a uthori zed Audi Serv ice Facility for as ­
sistance .
[Pl Clut <:h: malf un<:ti on! Adapt dri ving style .
Please contact Ser vice
There is an ongo ing malfu nction in the clutc h.
The engine torque tha t can be transferred is re­
duced . You may continue d riving . Avoid using the
clutch in any way that will p lace a heavy load on
it . For example, do not let the clutch r ub when
starting on hills, when towing a trailer or when
maneuvering the vehicle. Drive to an authori zed
Aud i dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility im ­
mediately to have the malfunc tion corrected .
5] Clutch: malfun ction! You ma y continue d riv­
ing
There is a malfunction in the clutch. The engine
torque that can be transferred is reduced. Yo u
may continue driving. Avoid using the clutch in
the future in any way that will p lace a heavy load
on it. For examp le, do not let the clutch rub when
starting on hills, when tow ing a trailer or when
maneuvering the vehicle . The indicato r light
tur ns off once the clutc h is fully operable again.
32
!;.J [/; Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
If the bJ indicator light blinks while driving , the
E SC o r ASR (A nti-Sl ip Regulation) is act ively regu­
l ating .
If the
bJ ind icator light turns on, the system has
switched the ESC off. In t his case, you can switch
t h e ign it io n off and then on to swi tch the ESC on
again. The indicator light t urns off when the sys­
tem is functioning fu lly.
If
the . indicator light turns on, ESC was
swi tched off using the
l.a00I button<::> page 146.
Stabi liz ation contro l (ESC /ABS ): malfunction !
See owner's manual
If the G1 ind icator light and the ~ (USA mod­
els),11J (Canada models) ABS indicator light turn
o n and the message appears, there is a malfunc­
tion in the ABS o r the e lectronic diffe rentia l lock .
This also causes the ESC to malfunction. The
br akes st ill func tion wi th the ir normal power, bu t
ABS is not active .
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Fa cil ity immed iate ly to have the
malfunction cor rec ted .
(D Tips
For addi tional informat ion on ESC and ABS,
see <::>
page 146 .
!I..' Safety systems
The fll indicator lig ht mon itors the safe ty sys­
tems.
If the
fll ind icator light turns on or blinks, the re
i s a ma lfunction in a safety system.
Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction cor rected .
_&, WARNING
Have the safety sys tems inspec ted immedi­
a tely . O therwise, the re is a ris k t hat the sys­
tems may not activate during a collision,
which increases the risk of serious injury or
death .

Driving
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Automatic start /stop deactivated: Please
re sta rt engin e manually
This message appea rs when specific conditions
are not met dur ing a stop phase. The Sta rt/Stop
system wi ll not be able to restart the engine . The
engine must be started with the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOP I button .
Automatic start /stop system: malfunction!
Function unavailabl e. Ple as e cont act Serv ic e
There is a malfunction in the Start/Stop system .
Drive the vehicle to an authorized Audi dealer or
author ized Service Facility as soon as poss ible to
have the ma lfunction corrected.
Electromechanical
parking brake
F ig. 97 Center console: park ing b rake
Your veh icle is equipped with an electromechani­
cal parking brake
(D ¢ fig. 97. The parking brake
is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intent ionally and replaces the hand brake .
Setting/manu ally rele asing the parking
brake
~ Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the sw itch turns on . The
-(USA mod­
els) ;II (Canada models) indicator light a lso
turns on in the inst rument cluste r display .
~ To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake o r accelerator pedal whi le the igni­
tion is switched on and press
t h e®> switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the indicator light in the display turn off.
88
Releasing the pa rking brake automatically
Requirement: the drive r's door must be closed.
~ To start d riving and release the pa rking brake
automatically, p ress the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In add ition to releas ing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are avai lab le w hen you sta rt
d rivi ng¢ page 89,
Starting to drive .
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The veh icle cou ld beg in ro lli ng u nintentionally,
depe nding on the hill o r if towing a trai le r.
~ To prevent the park ing brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold
the(®) switch and
press the accele rator peda l. The pa rking brake
remai ns set a nd p revents the vehicle from roll­
ing backwa rd.
~ You can release the®) switch again on ce you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator
pedal.
Eme rgency braking function
You can use t he emergency b raking func tion in an
emergency situation, or i f the standard brake op ­
eration ma lfunctions or is disab led .
~ Pull and ho ld the(®) swi tch.
~ As soon as you re lease the®> switch or acceler -
ate, the braking stops.
P ull ing and ho ld ing
t h e®) sw itch wh ile driving
the ve hicle ac tiva tes the eme rge ncy brak ing func­
tion. The ve hicle is bra ked at a ll four wheels by
activating the hydraulic b rake system . The brak ­
ing effect is sim ilar to heavy
braking ¢ ,A.
To reduce the risk of act ivat ing the emergency
braking by m istake, a w arning tone (buzzer)
sounds when
the© sw itch is p ulled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the(®) sw itch is released
o r the accelerator pedal is pressed .
Parking
~ Press the bra ke pedal to stop the veh icle.
~ Pull the®) swi tch to set the par king b rake .

Driving
the desired position . The selector lever will re­
turn to its original position.
F or examp le, you c an skip over the
N posit ion if
you would like to go directly from D into
R.
Selector lever lock
The se lector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
i n g a position un intent ionally, causing the vehicle
to ro ll. Whe n engaging some sele ctor lever posi­
tions , you must press t he locking
bu tton (!) on
the selector leve r and/or press the brake pedal
¢ fig . 98.
You mus t press the brake pedal to engage a se­
lec to r l ever pos it ion when the engine is running
an d the vehicle is stationary .
You do not have to press the brake peda l if yo u
shift from D to
R with in one second. This allows
you to " roc k" the veh icle to free it when it is
s tuck .
P - Park
This se lecto r lever position p revents the vehicle
from rolling . Only s hif t in to par k w hen the veh i­
cle is
s tat ionary ¢.&. . To selec t the P se lector lev­
e r position, press the P bu tton @ on the selec to r
lever ¢ fig. 98 . P appears next to the selector lev ­
er.
Appl ies to veh icles w ith S tro nic t ra nsmission:
t he par king lock can only be released when t he
ignition is switched on and the b rake pedal is
pressed. To release the parking lock, press the
brake pedal, press the lock ing
button (!) on the
selector lever and select the desired position
¢ fig. 98. The engine must a lso be started to en­
gage the Dor R se lector lever posit io n.
App lies to vehicles w ith tiptronic transm iss ion:
the park ing lock can only be released when the
engine is running and the brake pedal is pressed.
To re lease the park ing lock, press the brake ped­
al, press the locking
button (!) on the selector
leve r and se lect t he des ired
posit ion ¢ fig. 98.
P engages automatically if you switch t he engine
off while the selector leve r is in D, E, S, R or man ­
ua l mode .
92
If you swi tc h the engine off when the N selector
l ever position is selected, the t ransm ission re­
mains in
N for approx imately 30 minutes and
then Pis engaged. The vehicle is not secured
from ro lling in the
N selector lever pos ition, so
yo u need to set the parking brake
®l ¢ page 88 .
You m ust use the park ing lock emergency re lease
before towing the
vehicle ¢ page 97.
R- Reverse
The reverse gea r is engaged in th is posi tion . On ly
se lect reve rse gear when t he vehi cle is stationary
and t he engine is running at idle
speed ¢.&, . To
engage the
R se lector lever position, press the
bra ke peda l, press the locking
button (!) on the
selector lever and select the
R pos it ion ¢ fig. 98.
A confi rmation tone will sound when the reverse
gear is engaged.
N - Neutral (idle)
The transmission is in idle in th is po sit ion. To en­
gage the
N selector lever position, press the lock­
i ng
button (!) on the se lector lever and sh ift into
the
N pos ition ¢ fig. 98.
I f you swi tc h t he eng ine off when the N sele ctor
l eve r posit ion is sele cted, the t ransm iss ion re­
mains in
N for approximately 30 minutes and
then Pis engaged.
Yo u c anno t se lec t th e N po sition w hen the ig ni­
tion is swi tched off. When dr iv ing th rough an au ­
tomat ic car wash, fi rst select the N position and
then turn the eng ine off.
Fo r safe ty re asons , the veh icle canno t be lo cked
when the transmiss io n is in t he N pos it ion .
DIS -Driving forward
When the transm iss ion is in the D/S posit io n, it
can be ope ra ted e ither in the no rma l D mode o r
i n the S sport mo de. Move the sele ctor leve r back
to engage the S sport mode. You c an on ly se lect
t h e S selector lever position when the Dor E pos i­
tion is se lected . To select the Dor E position
again w hen S is engaged, move the selector lever
back ¢.&. . To sh ift from N to D when traveling at
speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), p ress the brake
pedal and shift into the D
position ¢.&. . .,.

In the no rmal mode D, the transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de­
pends on eng ine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power.
Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat­ ing.
The S selector lever position engages automati­
cally when you se lect
Dynamic mode in drive se­
l ect*.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-Power is sti ll transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is running .
-Before opening the hood, select the P selec­
tor lever position and set the parking brake.
This reduces the risk of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 323, Working in the engine com­
partment.
@ Tips
If you accidentally se lect N wh ile d riving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and wa it
for the engine to slow down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Appl ies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Starting the engine
.,. The P or N position must be selected.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ .. Start the engine ¢ page 83 .
;::; .,. Press the lock ing button @ on the selector Lev-,....
:::l er and select the D, E, So r R position 0
3 ¢page 91 .
Driving
.. Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
.. Release the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor
pedal ¢&, .
Various convenience functions are available for
start ing on h ills
¢ page 89.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, for
examp le at a traffic light. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep
hills ¢&, .
.. The parking brake will release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
.. Press and hold the brake peda l¢ &, .
.. Set the parking brake.
.. To select the P selector lever posit ion, press the
P button
@ on the selector lever¢ page 91 ,
fig . 98 .
Under certain conditions, such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporar ily
and shift
manually to adapt to the driv ing cond i­
t ions ¢ page 94 .
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P
position ¢ page 88. This prevents
too much stress from being placed on the locking
mecha nism .
A WARNING
--The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
switched off.
-Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
. . . . serious mJunes .
-To reduce the r isk of an accident, do not
press the accelerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running.
93

Driving
"' Keep the brake pedal pressed and engage the
fo llowing se lector lever positions one after the
other: N, D and back to N.
"' Turn the eng ine off again .
"' Grasp the socket wrench w ith both hands and
pull it up and out carefully to remove
<=> (D .
"' Reinsert the cover and rubbe r mat.
When the parking lock emergency re lease is
used, the
mJ ind icator light and the N selector
lever position tu rn on in the instrument cluster .
The message
Dang er of rolling away! P not pos­
s ible . Please apply parking brake
a lso appea rs .
.&_ WARNING
- Only activ ate the emerge ncy re le ase while
on a level s urface o r a slig ht slope.
- T he pa rking lock may only be released using
the emergency release if the parking brake
is set. If i t is not functioning, secure the ve­
hicle from rolling using the brake peda l or
other s uitab le means, s uch as blocking a
front and a rear wheel. An unsec ured vehicle
may roll away, wh ich increases the r isk of an
acc ident.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, you m ust
not drive when the eme rgency re lease is ac­
t ivated.
(D Note
- Read and fo llow the impo rtant instr uctions
abo ut towing<=>
page 376.
- The risk of damage increases if you do not
r emove the socket wrench carefully when
resett ing the pa rking lock.
98
-

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
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,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
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
After removing the traile r hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure 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 securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢.&.
in Driver messages on page 100 .
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 344. Inflate trailer
99