tow AUDI A7 2017 Owner´s Manual

Table of content s
About this Owne r's Manual. . . . . .
5
Cockpi t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cockpit overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Controls at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Instruments and indicator lights 9
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Driver information system . . . . . . 21
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Eff iciency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
T ime/date display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
H ead-up display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
O n Board Diagnostic System (OB D) . . . . . 25
Start ing and driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cent ral locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
L uggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Ch ild safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power wi ndows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Sunroof. ... .... .. .. ...... ... .. .. ... 37
Garage door opener (Homelink) . . . . . . . . 38
Light s and Vi sion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
V1s1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
W indshield wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Seat s and stor age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
H ead restra ints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
M emory function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Cigaret te lighte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
12 Volt sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2
Warm and cold .. .. ... . .. .... ... . .
Climate contro l system . ... .. .... ... . .
Steering wheel heat ing .. . ... .... ... . .
Driving ... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. .... ... . .
Genera l information .. ... .. ..... ... . .
Steering ......................... . .
Start ing and stopping the engine ...... .
Start-Stop system .. .. ... ....... ... . .
E lectromechanical parking brake ..... . .
Start ing from a stop ................ .
Automat ic transmission
Trailer towing ................... .
Driving with a tra ile r .. ..... ....... .. .
T ra ile r towing information .......... . .
Driver assistance .. ........ ..... . .
Assist ............................ .
59
59
64
65
65
67
69
71
74
75
76
82
82 84
85
85
S peed warning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8S
Cruise cont rol sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8S
Boost, shifting and engine oil
temperat ure indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Lap timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Audi adaptive c ruise contro l . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Audi active lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Audi side ass ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
N ight vision assist w ith pedest rian and
wild animal detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Audi drive select (d rive setti ngs) . . . . . . . . 105
Parking system s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Parking sys tem plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Rearv iew camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Periphera l came ras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Adjusting the display and the warning
tones......... .. .. .. ............. .. 118
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 12 0
E lectronic Stab ilizat ion Contro l (ESC) . . . . 120
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
E lectromechanical steering, dynamic
stee ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
A ll wheel d rive (quatt ro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12S

co
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00
\.J -<t
Ene rgy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Notice about data recorded by the Event
Data Recorde r and vehicle control
modules
127
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Cor rect passenger seating positions . . . . . 130
Driver's and front passenger 's footwell . . 134
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Sto ring cargo co rrect ly .............. .
Repo rting Safe ty Defe cts ............. . 135
136
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 8
Pr eventative passenge r prote ction 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 0
Gene ral information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 0
Why use safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1
Safety bel ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Belt tens ione rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
F ront airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Mon itoring the Advanced Airbag System . 160
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Ch ild safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
C hi ld seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Secur ing c hild seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
LATCH system ( lowe r anchorages a nd
tethers for chi ldren) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
186
Addit io n al i nfo rm ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Diese l fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Selective catalytic reduction (Ad Blue/
DEF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
195
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
D iese l part iculate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Table of contents
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Engine oi l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Brake fl uid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Windsh ield washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Service interval display 209
Wheels .... .. .. .... .. .......... ... 211
Wheels and Tires ... .... ...... ... .. .. 211
T ire pressure monitoring system
T ire p ressure monitoring system 2 29
231
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
General info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 35
Cleaning and care info rmat ion . . . . . . . . . 2 36
Plac ing you r vehicle out of serv ice . . . . . . 2 39
Do It Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Emergency assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 24 0
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 0
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Tire mobility kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Spare tire 248
Fuses ............................. 250
Replacing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
D river side cockpit fuse assignment
Front passenger side cockpit fuse 251
ass ignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Luggage compartment f use assignme nt . 252
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 54
Start ing by p ushi ng o r tow ing . . . . . . . . . . 2 54
Sta rt ing wi th ju mpe r cabl es . . . . . . . . . . . 2 54
U se of j umpe r cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
T owing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Accessories and Technical Data . 260
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Vehicle spec ificat ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Notes about technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Weig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
D . . 1mens
1ons .. .. .. .. .... ...... ... .. . . 261
3

Service Faci lity i f th e battery charge level is too
l ow .
(•) Low battery charge : Battery will be charged
while driving
The start ing ability may be impaired .
If th is message turns
off after a litt le while, the
ve hicle battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn
off, h ave an a uthor ­
ized A udi dealer o r autho rized Audi Serv ice Fac ili­
ty repa ir th e malfunct ion.
~ Engine stop while driving
• Engine stopped: No power steering and
brake support .
There is a malfunction in the eng ine or in the fuel
supp ly system.
M ore fo rce is needed to steer and brake the mov ­
ing ve hicle w hen t he engine is stoppe d. If the ve­
hi cle is rol ling, try to b ring it to a stop
off to the
side from moving traffic. See an aut ho rized Aud i
dealer or aut ho riz ed Aud i Serv ic e Faci lity fo r as­
sis tanc e.
A WARNING
-
If the e ng in e stops while d riving, yo u will
nee d to use more force to brak e the vehicle.
T hi s i ncrease s the r is k of an a ccid ent. Th ere
w ill still be power s teerin g if th e i gnit ion is
switched on w hil e the vehicle is rolling an d
there is sufficient battery c har ge. Othe rw ise,
you must use greate r force when steer ing.
~ Engine oil pressure
• Turn off engine and check oil level
Stop the eng ine and do not continue driving .
Chec k the engine oil leve l
Q page 204.
-If the engi ne oil leve l is to o low, add engine oil
Qpoge 204. O nl y con tinue driv ing once the in­
dicato r light turns
off.
co ~ - If the engi ne oil leve l is co rr ec t an d t he i ndic a-
~ to r lig ht st ill tur ns on, tur n the eng ine off and N
8 do not con tinue driving . See an auth o rized Aud i 00 \.J '<t
Instruments and ind icator lights
dea ler o r auth orized Audi Service Facili ty fo r as ­
sistance .
(D Tips
The oil pres sure w arnin g is no t an oil leve l in­
d ic ator. Always check the oil level regula rly.
't::r;. Engine oil level
• Please add oil immediately.
Add o il imme diate ly Qpoge 202.
Ill Add oil max. x qt (l). You may continue driv­
ing
Add t he d isplayed amount of oil immediately
Q page202.
~- Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
There is a ma lfunction in the e lectron ic steering
l ock . You cannot tur n the ign ition on .
Do
not tow yo ur vehicle because it cannot be
stee red. See an a uthorized Audi dea ler or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for ass istance.
!II Steering lock : System fault Please contact
dealer
T he re is a m alfu n ct ion in the e le ctro nic st eering
l ock .
Dr ive to a n au thori zed A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity i mmed iate ly to h ave the
m alfu nction correc te d .
A WARNING
-
Do not tow yo ur vehicle when there is a m al­
f u nction in t he electron ic steer ing lock - t his
i nc reases t he risk of an acc ident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault . Please contact
dealer
Do not switch the ignition off because you may
not be able to switch it on again . .,.
15

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00
<.,;) 'SI"
You can call up the following information in the
on-board computer:
- Date
- Driving time from the short-term memory
- Average consumpt ion from the short-term
memory
- Average speed from the short-term memory
- Distance driven from the short-term memory
- Current fuel consumption
- Short-term memory overview
- Long-term memory overview
The short-term memory co llects driving informa­
tion from the t ime the ignition is switched on un­
til it is switched off.
If you continue driv ing with­
in two hours af ter switching the ignition off, the
new values are included when calculat ing the cur­
rent trip information .
Unlike the short-term memory, the long-term
memory is not erased automat ically. Yo u can se­
l ect the time period for evaluating trip informa­
tion yourself.
F or some veh icle functions, you can access the
driving info rmation from the short-term memory
in the
line @c:>page21, fig. 5.
Fuel consumption
The current fue l consumption can be shown us­
ing a bar g raph c:>
fig. 8. The average consump­
tion stored in the short-term memory is also dis­
p la yed. If the bar is green, your vehicle is saving
fuel through one of the following functions:
-Re cuperation : electrical ene rgy can be stored in
the vehicle battery when the vehicle is coasting or driving downhill. The bar will move toward
0.
-Cylinder on demand system*: the engine auto­
matically switches four cylinders off when low­
er power output is required and other condi­
tions are met . This change is not noticeable to
the passengers.
@ Tips
The date, time of day and time and date for­
mat can be set in the Infotainment system
qpage24 .
Driver in forma tion system
Efficiency program
Applies to: vehicles with efficiency prog ram
Fi g. 9 Instrument cluster: other equ ipment
Fig. 10 Instrument cluster: economy t ip
T he eff iciency program can help you to use less
fuel.
It shows other consumers that are using
f uel and economy tips give advice on how to dr ive
efficiently. The efficiency program receives dis­
tance and consumption data from the on-board
computer.
T o display the efficien cy program, open the
Vehi­
cle functions
menu and select the Efficiency pro·
gram
menu item.
Other consumers
T he Energy consumers view lists other equip­
ment that is currently affecting fuel cons ump­
tion. The display shows up to three o ther equ ip­
ment items @c:>
fig. 9. The equipment using the
most power is listed first. If more than three
items using power are switched on, the equip­
ment that is current ly using the most power is
displayed.
A gauge @also shows the current tota l con­
sumption of all other consumers.
23

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 co <.,;) 'SI'
turn signal lever. The emergency flashers stop
temporarily .
The emergency flashers also wo rk when the igni ­
tion is turned off .
Interior Lighting
Front and rear interior lighting
Fig. 36 Fro nt hea dliner: inter io r light ing co ntro ls
F ig. 37 Rea r headliner: Read ing light
Press the corresponding button c:::> fig . 36:
El -Interior lighting on/off
I!!-Doo r contact switch on/off . The inter ior light­
i ng is cont rolled automatically.
~ -Read ing lights on/off
~ * -Switching the rear read ing lights on/off
from the cockpit.
Ambient lighting
App lies to: vehicl es with interior lighting
You can adjust the brightness of the interior
lighti ng .
.. In the Infotainment system, se lect:
ICARI func ­
tion button
> (Ca r)* Systems control button >
Lights and V ision
Vehicle settings > Interior lighting > Bright­
ne ss .
.. To increase or reduce the brightness, turn t he
knob and press it.
T he inter ior lighting tu rns on when yo u sw itch
the headlights on while the ignition is on .
(D Tips
The setti ng is au toma tically s to red and as ­
s igned to the remote cont ro l key t hat is being
u sed .
Instrument illumination
The brightness of the illumination fo r the instru ­
ments, display and head-up display* con be ad­
justed.
Fig . 38 Instrument ill um ination
"' Press the knob to release it .
"' Tur n the knob toward"-" or"+" to red uce or in­
crease the br igh tness.
.,. Press the knob again to return it to i ts or igin al
posi tion.
(D Tips
The ins trumen t illum ina tion for the need les
and dials turns on when the ignition is turned
on and the lights a re turned off. The illumi na­
tion for the gauges red uces automatically and
eventually turns off as brightness outside in­
creases. This funct ion rem inds the dr iver to
turn the low beams on at the appropriate
time .
43

Sea ts and stor age
Pass-through with ski bag
Applies to: vehicles with pass-through and sk i bag
Long objects, such as skis or snowboards, can be
transported in the ski bag*.
F ig. 67 Backrest: pass-throug h cover
.,. To load the s ki sack in the vehicle, fo ld the rea r
center armrest down.
.,. Fo ld the pass-through cover down ¢ fig. 67.
.,. Push the packed bag* through the opening
from the luggage compartment. The zipper
must face toward the rear.
.,. Secure the bag ¢ page 58 .
(0 Tips
You can also open the pass-through from the
luggage compartment. Push the release but­
ton down and push the cover forward.
Securing the ski bag
Applies to: vehicles with pass-through and ski bag
The ski bag* must be secured in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 6 8 Luggage compartment: securing the bag•
58
Fig. 69 Rear bench seat: securing the bag
There are two straps with hooks @on the bot­
tom side of the bag* ¢ fig. 68. There is also a se ­
curing strap @¢ fig.
69 on the bag .
.,. To secure the bag in the luggage compartment,
engage the hooks into the rear tie-downs
~fig. 68.
.,. Tighten the s trap on the bag to prevent the ob­
jects in the bag from sliding around~ fig.
69 .
A WARNING
-The bag is only intended for transporting
skis and other light objects . To reduce the
risk of serious injur ies, never transport
heavy or sharp objects in the bag.
- After loading, the bag must be secured with
the strap.
- Make sure that a ll objects that you are
transporting in the pass-through are secure.
They could slide around and increase the
risk of injury when braking or during an acci­
dent.
(D Tips
- Only fold the bag up if it is dry .
- When transporting skis or snowboards,
tighten the securing strap between the
bind ings.
- Lay skis in the bag with the points facing
forward and snowboards and ski po le points
facing the rear.
-

Driving
Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig . 80 Center conso le: par king brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an electromechani­
cal parking brake
Q fig. 80 . The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling un­ intentionally and rep laces the hand brake.
S etting /manuall y re leas ing the parking
bra ke
.. Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch illuminates. The -(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) indicator light al­
so turns on in the instrument cluster display .
.. To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the brake o r acce lerato r pedal while the igni­
tion is switched on a nd p ress the®> switch at
the same time. The L ED in the b utton and the
indicator light in the display t urn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Req uirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the dr iver's safety belt must be la tched and the
pa rking brake must be set.
.. To start driving and release the park ing brake
automat ica lly, press the acce lerato r pedal as
us ual.
In addition to releasing the park ing brake auto­
mat ically, othe r convenience and safety funct ions
are available whe n you sta rt driving
Q page 75,
Starting from a stop.
Preventing the automatic parking br ake
release
The vehicle could begin ro lling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
74
.. To prevent the park ing brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and ho ld the<®> switch and
press the acce lerator peda l. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward.
" You can release the®) switch again once you
are sure that yo u are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by press ing the accelerator
pedal.
Eme rgency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency sit uation, or if the standa rd brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disab led.
" Pull and ho ld the®) switch.
" As soon as you release the ®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pul ling and ho ld ing the®> switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The ve hicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system . The brak­
i ng effect is sim ila r to heavy brak ing
Q ,&. .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by m istake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the© switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as the© switch is released
o r the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Park ing
" Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
" Pull the© switch to set the parking brake .
" Place the selector leve r in t he P position .
" Tu rn the engine off
Q ,&. .
"Tur n the steering w hee l when parking on in­
cl ines so that the wheels w ill roll into the cu rb
if the vehicle start s moving.
& WARNING
- Do not press the acce le rator pedal inadve r­
tently if a gea r is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diate ly and this could result i n an accident .
- Emergency braking sho uld only be used in
an emergency, when the norma l brake pedal
has fai led or the brake peda l is obstr ucted. "'

-When accelerating using the la unch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads . T hi s can lead to increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
ml Tran smission : ple ase press b ra ke peda l and
s e le ct gear aga in
Press the brake pedal and se lect the desired se­
lector lever posit ion aga in. You can then continue
driving.
ml Transm ission o verheat ing : Please dri ve con­
ser vat ively .
The transm ission temperature has increased s ig ­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. D rive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
switches of .
ml Transmission malfunction: You can continue
dri ving
There is a system malfunct ion in the transmis ­
sion . Yo u may continue driving. Drive to your au ­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
F acility soon to have the ma lfunction corrected.
ml Transm ission m alfun ction: You can continue
dri ving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the t ransm is­
sion . T he transmission is sw itching to emergency
mode. This mode only sh ifts in to certa in gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall. D rive to an authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
Applies to: vehicles with S tronic transm ission
ml Ii) Tra nsm is sion malfunction : No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
There is a system malfunct ion in the transm is­
sion. The transmission is sw itchi ng to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts in to certa in gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engi ne may stall .
~ You cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to an ....
~ author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service N .... 0 co <.,;) 'SI"
D rivi ng
Facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction co r­
rected .
ml Transmiss ion malfunction : Stop vehi cle and
shift to park.
Do not continue dr iving. Se lect the P selector lev­
er posit ion and see an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility for ass istance .
(D Note
If the transm ission has switched to emergen­
cy mode, drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility immediate­ l y to have the ma lfunction co rrected.
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle 's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency.
F ig . 85 Fro nt center conso le: eme rge ncy release for the se ­
lector leve r
... To reach the emergency release mechanism, re­
move the ashtray insert* .
... Loosen and remove the small cap in the asht ray
mou nt
Q fig . 85 .
... You now have a ccess to a pin. Using a screw­
driver or sim ila r object, press the pin down and
hold it in that position .
.,. Press the re lease button in the selector lever
and move it into the N position.
Only move the selec tor lever out of the P posit io n
whe n the ignition is switched on . If the veh icle
must be pushed or towed d ue to a power failure
(for example, the vehicle battery is drained), the
selector lever must first be moved to the N posi­
t ion using the eme rgency re lease mechanism.
81

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,,,

co
co
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\.J '<t
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
¢page 221. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions .
Lights
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.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 105, ¢0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions , you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight ¢page 107.
0 Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select
auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
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.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driving down ­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving . Select in the MMI:
I CAR ! function button > (Car)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On. 1J,,
83