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, econo
my 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 .
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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 and 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 mirrors . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tc h, do not s tore
it i n y our vehicle. In case o f su dden brak ing,
the hitch could fly fo rward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p reve nt i t from shi fting forwar d, bac k
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driver messages on page 105.
Engine cooling system
Towi ng a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h flu id.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire p ressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
c> page 351. Inflate trailer
<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
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
CD Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can 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 sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored 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
handling of your vehicle's battery.
-Always shield your eyes and avoid 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-
Emergency situations
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 Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion .
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- 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 rating. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial
ly different
"A h" rating may cause an explo
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak
ened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub
stantially different 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
qpage 330.
CD Note
- Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There 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.
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