brakes AUDI A3 SEDAN 2018 Owners Manual

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Active lane assist*
c:> page 134
Start/Stop system*
c:>page 79
Start/Stop system*
c:> page 79
Convenience key*
c:> page 79
Engine start system
c:> page 26
Transmission
c:> page 89
USA m odels :
Electromechanica l parking brake
c:> page 24
Canada models :
Electromechanica l parking brake
c:> page 24
Elect romechan ical park ing brake
c:> page 24
Hill hold ass ist
c:> page 27
USA models :
Speed warning system*
c:> page 120
Canada models :
Speed warning system *
c:> page 120
USA models:
Cruise control system*
c:> page 120
Canada mod els :
Cruise control system*
c:> page 120
Adapt ive cruise control*
c:> page 126
Adaptive cr uise control*
c:> page 126
Ac tive lane ass ist*
c:> page 134
Side assist*
c:>page 140
~v
pre sense*
c:>page 133
Coc kpit o ver view
High beam ass istant*
c:> page 50
High beams
c:> page 50
e-tron: electric dr ive ready mode*
c:> page 98
e-tron: electric dr ive ready mode*
c:> page 96
e-tron: charging system*
c:> page 115
e -tron: charging system*
c:> page 115
e-tron: gasoline eng ine*
c:> page 98
e-tron: tank system*
c:> page 103
e-tron: charging system*
c:>page 115
BRAKE/((D) Brake system
If this indica tor light tur ns on, t here is a malf unc ­
tion in the brake system .
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada model s)
Brakes : stop vehicle and ch eck brake fluid level
Stop the veh icle a nd check t he brake fl uid level.
See a n author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Se rvice Facility for assis tance if ne cessa ry.
1111 (USA model s) /. (Canada model s)
Warning! No brake booster
If the brake booste r is not working, you have to
use much more force w hen braking the vehicle.
See a n author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance .
1111 (USA models ) /. (Canada models )
Brakes: malfunction! Please stop vehicle safel y
..,_
23

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
~ (USA models) / 6] (Canada mod­
els ) Pa rking brake auto release una vailable
If t his message appea rs, press the brake pedal
fi rst and then release the pa rking bra ke.
~ll. PARK BRAKE (USA model s) / [<~) ( Can ada mod­
e ls) Parking brake : caution! V ehicle park ed too
s tee p
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pea rs, the re is not enough brak ing power to se­
cure the veh icle . T he brakes have ove rheated. The
ve hicl e co uld ro ll away even on a small incli ne.
@ Tips
For addit iona l information on the park ing
b rake, see¢
page 81.
- L Cooling system
• Turn off engine and che ck coo lant le vel! See
o wner 's manual
• Stop v ehicl e and check coolant le ve l! S ee
owner 's manual
The coolant level is too low .
Do not cont inue driving and switch the engine
off. Check the coolant level ¢
page 324.
Plug-in hybrid drive *: refer to ¢page 102.
- If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
¢page 325. O nly cont inue dr iv ing o nce the in ­
dicato r light turns off .
• Coolant temp eratur e too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationar y
Let the eng ine run at idle for a few minutes to
cool off, until the ind icator light turns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
for assistance .
A WARNING
-Never open the hood if you ca n see o r hear
steam o r coolant escap ing fro m the eng ine
compartment. This inc reases the risk of
Coc kpit o ver view
burns. Wait until yo u no longer see o r hear
steam or coo lant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the eng ine
compartment. Always follow the informa­
tion found in
¢ page 318, Working in the
engine comportment .
@ Note
Do not continue dr iv ing if the . indicator
light turns on as this increases the risk of en­
gine damage.
• S w itch off engine! Oil pressure too lo w
Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the eng ine oi l level ¢
page 322 .
-If the engine oi l level is too low, add engine oil
¢
page 321 . Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
- If the engine o il level is correct and the indica ­
tor light still turns on, turn the engine off and
do not cont inue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance .
(D Tips
The oil pressure warni ng is not a n oil leve l in­
d icator. Always check the oil level regularly .
1:::1 Generator/Vehicle battery
• Electrical system: malfunction! Batt ery is
not charging
There is a malfunction in the alternator or the ve­
hicle electr ical system .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly. Turn off a ll un­
necessary electrical equipment because it will
dra in the battery . See an author ized Audi dealer
o r authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility if the battery
c h arge leve l is too low.
(•] F.lectrical sy stem: malfunction! Re start not
po ssible . Plea se cont act Ser vice
.,.
25

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There is a malfunction in the eng ine start ing sys ­
tem .
Dri ve to an autho rized Aud i dea le r o r a uth o rized
Aud i Serv ice Fac ility immedia tely to have t he
mal funct ion corrected.
~ Engine stop while driving
• Engine stopped! Power stee ring and b rake
boo ster not possible
There is a malfunction in the eng ine or in the fue l
supp ly system.
M ore fo rce is needed to s teer and bra ke the mov ­
in g vehi cle when the engine is stopped. If the ve­
hi cle is roll ing , try to bring it to a stop off to the
side from moving traffic. See an authorized Audi
dea ler or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance .
A WARNING -
If the eng ine stops whi le dr iv ing, yo u will
need to use more fo rce to brake the vehicle.
Th is increases the r isk of an accident . There
w ill still be power steer ing if t he ignit io n is
sw itched on wh ile the vehicle is rolling an d
t here is s ufficie nt vehicle batte ry c har ge. Oth ­
erwise, yo u m ust use g re ate r fo rce when
steer in g.
~ Hood
• Warning! Hood is not locked. Stop vehicle
and check the lock
I f t he in dicator lig ht tur ns on and t he message
appears, the hood loc king mechanism is no t en­
gaged correctly .
Stop immed iate ly a nd close the hood
q page 320.
B l~ Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
If the G) indicato r light b lin ks w hile driving, the
ESC or AS R (Anti -S lip Regu lation) is active ly reg u­
l ating.
I f t he
G) indica to r li ght turns on, the sys tem has
switched the ESC off . In this case, you can switc h
Cockpit o ver view
the ignit ion off and then on to switch the ESC on
again. The indicator light t urns off whe n the sys ­
tem is functioning fu lly.
If the II ind ic a tor light tu rns on, ESC was
switched o ff using t he
1~ 00'1 b utton ¢ page 148.
Stabilization con trol (ESC /ABS ): malfunction!
S ee owner's manual
If the If] ind icator light and the llB (USA mod­
els) ;tlJ (Canada mode ls) ABS indicator light turn
o n and the message appears, there is a malfunc ­
t io n in the A BS o r th e e lectron ic diffe re nti al loc k.
T his also causes the ES C to malfunc tion . The
brakes st ill function with t he ir normal power, but
ABS is not active .
Dr ive to an author ized A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity immed iate ly to h ave the
malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
F o r a ddi tio na l in format io n on E SC an d ABS,
see
qpage 148.
Wt:: /BRAKE WEAR/( 0: Brake pads
If the IIJ~:);f;131WfJ;! (USA models)/ [I] (Canada
models) turns on, the bra ke pad is worn out .
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
brake pads checked .
·~ Hill hold assist
II Hill hold a ssist: unavailable
When this message appea rs, hill hold ass ist is
not avai lab le.
@ t.ilanual control!
If t his message appea rs, press t he bra ke peda l.
Cont in ue driv ing wi th the he lp of t he parking
brake
q page 81.
d:::i Engine control
If the II indicator light tu rns on if there is a mal -
f unct ion in the engine control.
Iii"
27

Drivin g
Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in for the first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
t hat will exceed 2/3 of the max imum pe rm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid fu ll acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1 ,500 km) a lso affects the engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
eng ine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
@ Note
When driving on poo r roads, by cu rbs and on
s teep ramps, make su re t hat low-hang ing
compone nts such as the spo ile r and exha ust
system do not come into contact with these
or they could be damaged. This especially ap ­
plies to vehicles with low ground clearance
and veh icles that are heavily loaded.
Warming up/cooling down
Applies to: RS models
By warming up/cooling down the engine carefu l­
ly, you can help reduce unnecessary stra in o n
your veh icle when driving in a sporty sty le .
72
The tires only reach t heir full road ho ld ing capa ­
bility once they have warmed up under load.
Yo ur vehicle also has an afte r-run cooli ng fea ­
tu re . Howeve r, cooling down is st ill import ant.
The eng ine and t he brakes as we ll as the exhaust
system and the transmission become very hot
when driving in a sporty style. Before you shut
the veh icle off, you should cool down the vehicle
by driving a few miles at low speeds with light ac­
ce leration .
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of veh icle
damage when dr iving throug h wate r, fo r example
o n flooded roads:
-The water must not be any higher than the bot ­
tom of the vehicle body .
-Do not drive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
After driving thro ugh water or m ud, the effec­
tiveness of t he b rakes may be reduced due to
mo istu re o n the bra ke rotors and brake pads.
A few ca reful br ake app lica tions sho uld d ry
off the bra kes and restore the fu ll b raking ef ­
fect.
@ Note
-Vehicle components such as the e ng ine,
t ra nsmiss ion, sus pens io n or elect rical sys ­
tem can be severely damaged by d riving
throug h water.
-Alw ays sw itch the S tart/Stop system* o ff
when driving thro ugh wa ter
r=;, page 79.
(j) Tips
-De ter mine the dep th before dr iving throug h
w ate r.
-Do not stop the vehi cle, d rive in reverse or
switch t he e ngine off whe n driving through
water .
-Keep in mind that o ncom ing vehicles may
c re ate w aves th at r aise the wa ter level and
make i t too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
-Avoid dr iving throu gh salt wat er, because
th is can ca use corros io n.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l cons umption, t he e nvir on­
men tal impac t an d the wea r to the engine,
b rak es and t ires depen ds mos tly on yo ur dr iv ing
s tyle. W it h an anticipatory and econom ic dr iv ing
s tyle, f uel consum ption can be re du ced by ap­
p roximate ly 1 0-15% . The followi ng tips will help
you conse rve the environment and you r money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the mos t fu el when a ccele ra tin g.
W hen yo u dr ive wi th a ntici pat ion, you do not
need to brake as ofte n an d so yo u acceler ate less .
W hen possi ble, let your vehi cle coast w it h a
gear
engaged ,
for example when you notice that the
next tra ffic light is red . This p roduces an engine
b raking effect, wh ich helps to protect the brakes
a n d tires a nd reduces t he emissions a nd f uel con­
sumpt io n to zero (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshift ing earlier is an effective way to save fue l.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
l y .
Press down on the acce le rato r peda l slowly and
avoid "k ic k-dow n".
Avoid full acceleration
You s hould rare ly tr ave l a t t he m axim um ve hicle
speed . High speeds cause a d isp roportionately
h ig h inc rease in fuel consumption, emissions an d
traffic no ise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
T h e St art /S top system * he lps t o redu ce the i dlin g
time autom atically . In vehicles wi tho ut the Start /
Sto p system, it is eff ic ient to sw itch t he engine
off w hen stopped at ra ilroad cross ings a nd long
red lights . Depending on t he ve rsion of the en­
g ine, stopping the eng ine for as litt le as five sec­
onds once it has reached ope rat ing tempe rature
Driving
st ill saves mo re fue l th an leav ing t he en gine run ­
ning -even when taking into acco unt the amount
of ext ra fuel t hat is use d to restart t he e ngi ne.
It tak es a ve ry long time in idl e to warm the en ­
gine up to o peratin g tem perature . Wear an d
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. The refore, you s hould begin drivi ng im ­
med iate ly after starting the eng ine. Avoid h igh
RPMs wh ile doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By hav ing maintenance pe rformed reg ularly o n
yo ur vehicle, you can help to reduce fue l con ­
s u mption before you even sta rt to drive. The
maintenance cond ition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term va lue b ut al­
so impacts
fuel consumption . A poorly ma in­
ta ined engi ne ca n lead to fue l co nsump tion that
i s 1 0% hig her th an no rmal.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and emissions contro l system must
r each their optima l
operating temperature to ef­
fec tively reduce consump tion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disp roportionately high
amount of fue l. The e ngine reac hes operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption no rma lizes on ly
after app roxima tely 2 .5 m iles (4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save f ue l, ma ke sure the ti res are always i n­
f lated to t he correct press ure
c> page 339. The
fuel consumpt io n can increase by 5% if the pres­
s ur e is on ly 0 .5 bar too low . Due to t he increased
r oll ing resis tance, low tire pressures w ill also
l ead to greate r tire
wear an d will affect dr iving
behav ior.
Do not d rive on
winter tires year- ro und , as this
will consume u p to 10% more f uel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
S ince eve ry pou nd of ext ra weight inc reases fuel
consumption, a quick inspect io n of the luggage
compartment may be wo rth it to avoid un neces-
sary we ight .
..,.
73

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake when the en­
gine is running and the selector lever is in
the "D", "S" or "R" position or "tiptronic"
mode is selected.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the vehicle is stopped if a gear is
engaged. Otherwise the risk of an accident
increases because the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the parking brake
is set.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the acce lerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never engage the "R" or "P" selector leve l
positions while driving. It could cause a
crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"ti ptron i c".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in p lace with the foot brake or
park ing brake to prevent it from rolling
back.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incline with a
sl ip ping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. The
ml indicator light turns on
and a message appears
¢ page 89 when
the clutch is over loaded .
{LlJ) Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
ce lerator pedal while a driving gear is se ­
l ected. This can cause the automatic trans ­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
Driving
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped while the selector lever is in the
"N" position will damage the automatic
transmission, because it is not lubricated
under those circumstances
¢ page 3 78,
Towing with a tow truck.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic. When the
ml or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 89.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake only re­
l eases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
App lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmiss ions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor lever is in the "D" or "S" posit ion and you
press the b rake pedal. The transmission auto ­
matically se lects a gear that is suitab le for the
hill. Hill descent contro l tries to ma inta in the
speed achieved at the time of braking, within
physical and technica l limitations. If may still be
necessary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Because hill descent control cannot shift down
farther than 3rd gear, it may be necessary to
shift into tiptronic mode in very steep areas . In
th is case, shift into 2nd or 1st gear in t iptronic
mode to use the engine's braking force to rel ieve
the brakes.
Hill descent control switches
off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢ page 120, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
.,,.
87

Driving
& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome phys ical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shifting (tiptronic mode)
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
F ig. 9 3 Center conso le : shifting manually w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig . 94 Steering wheel: shifting manual ly w it h the s hift
paddles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can sh ift into tiptro nic mode while stationary
a nd while driv ing.
• To s hift into tiptronic mode, p ush the selector
lever from the "D/S" position to the right in the
t ip tr onic sh ift gate . Once the transmission has
swi tched modes, t he se lec tor lever posi tion
M
is shown in the instrumen t clus ter display
¢ page 84, fig. 90. For example, M4 means the
fo urth gear is engaged.
• To shift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 93 .
88
• To shift down a gear, tap the selecto r lever
backward
0 -
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the s hift paddles in the "D/S" or
" M " (tiptro nic shift ga te) se lec tor lever posi tions.
• To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig . 94.
• To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
• Applies to: RS models: to select the lowest/
highest possi ble gear, press and hold the sh if t
paddle
0 10 .
If the shift paddles a re tapped wh ile in the "D/S"
selector lever position, a utomat ic mode sw itches
off briefly . To swit ch from manually shift ing bac k
to automatic shifting immediate ly, tap t he shift
padd le
0 ¢ fig . 94 for 1 second .
To keep sh ift ing using the shift padd les, move
the selec to r l ever to the right o ut o f th e "D/S" po­
sition into the tiptronic shift gate .
The tra nsmission a utomatically sh ifts up or dow n
before cr itical engine speed is reac hed.
Applies to: RS models: when accelerating, the
transm iss ion does
not au tomatically shift to the
next gear short ly before the maxim um permitted
engine RP M is re ached. Shift to the next highest
gear at the right time.
The tra nsmission on ly allows manual shifting
whe n the engine speed is w ith in the perm itted
r a nge.
Kick-down
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you p ress the accelerator pedal down be­
yo nd the res istance point (called kick-down), the
automat ic transmission downshifts into a lower
gear, depending on vehicle s peed and engine
RPM .
It shifts up into the next higher gear once
t h e maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
Applies to: RS models: in tipt ronic mode, the
transm iss ion does
not automa tic ally shift down
i nto a lower ge ar. If yo u m ust accelera te, for ex ­
ample to pass a vehi cle, you mus t sh ift manually .
..,.

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
(D Tips
It may be necessary for the gasoline engine to
r u n longer for technical reasons, such as
when condensation accumu lates in the en­
gine. Driving exclusively in electric mode is
not possible in this phase.
Plug-in hybrid functions
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The funct ions descr ibed below act ivate automati­
cally depending on the driv ing sty le.
Full-throttle acceleration (boost)
The boost funct ion is act ivated by pressing the
accelerator pedal farther down (kick-down). The
vehicle is powered by both the gasoline engine
and the electric motor when in full accelerat io n.
Boost is only availab le for a sho rt time , because it
uses a large amou nt of energy. Ava ilability de­
pends on the high-voltage battery charge level.
Coasting
The gasoline engine switches off and disengages
at speeds up to approximate ly 112 mph
(180 km/h) if the accelerator pedal is not p ress-
Tips for efficient driving
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Driving situations Conditions
e-tron
ed and the "D" position is selected. Driving con­
servative ly like this can reduce fuel consumption .
Energy recovery (recuperation)
When braking, t he e lectr ic moto r will act as a
generato r creat ing elect ric energy that is then
stored in the hig h-voltage battery. This also o c­
curs when the vehicle is coasting or driving down ­
hill .
If the brakes are applied early and evenly, the
electric motor w ill brake the vehicle @
¢
page 95, fig. 98. By doing this, a large amount
of the kinetic energy is recovered and may be
stored as electric energy in the high-voltage bat­
tery . The conventional brakes are also activated
when the brakes are pressed very hard.
The strength of recuperation can depend on the
following factors:
- If you are in tiptronic mode ¢
page 88. Or
- I f the sport dr iv ing mode "S" was se lected.
The energy recovery is shown in the energy flow
display in the instrument cluster display/Info­
ta inment system
¢ page 100.
Vehicle behavior
-Cautious driving and reserved ac- The kinetic energy of the ve hicle is used to
ce leration . move the vehicle.
Constant driving and
-Re lease the accelerator pedal The gasoline engine turns off automati-
coasting (gliding)
early and entirely. cally and disengages when you release the
accelerator pedal completely . The veh icle
glides w ithout being propelled .
-Brake early and evenly with short The electric motor brakes the vehicle. By
E nergy recove ry ( re- pedal movements.
doing this, a large amount of the kinetic
energy is recovered and may be stored in
cu perat ion)
the high-voltage battery in the form of
electr ic energy .
Driv ing in city traffic
-Accelerate moderately and brake The kinetic energy o f the ve hicle is used to
early and evenly move the vehicle.
99
...

Trail er to wing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your veh icle is primari ly intended for transport­
ing peop le and luggage. Howeve r, if you dr ive
with a tra iler , follow the techn ica l requirements ,
the operation and driving tips, and the lega l reg ­
ulations.
Dr iving w ith a trailer affects the vehicle 's fuel
consumpt ion, performance and wear. It a lso re­
quires higher concentration from the driver .
A WARNING
Do not transport any people in a trailer due to
the risk of fatal injury .
Technical requirements
Certain requirements must be met when towing
a trailer.
Trailer hitch
Only use a trailer hitch with a removab le ball
h itch mount and ball h itch. The tra ile r hitc h must
be pe rm it t ed for the vehicle, the tra iler and the
permitted tota l weight of the trailer being
pu lled . Above all, it must be secure ly and safe ly
attached to the vehicle trailer.
Never mo unt a t rai ler hitch on the bumper. The
trai ler hitc h must be mounted in a way that does
not impair the function of the bumper. Do not
make any changes to the exhaust system and the
brake system.
Check regu larly if the trai ler hitc h is securely
mounted . A lways follow the instructions given by
the trai ler hitch manufacturer .
Trailer brakes
If t he tra ile r has its own bra ke system, then fol­
low the manufacturer specifica tions. Howeve r,
the brake system on the trai ler must never be
connected to the vehicle brake system.
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Engine cooling system
D riving w ith a tra ile r means a higher load on t he
engine and the cooling sys tem. The coo ling sys­
tem must be designed for additiona l load and
contain enoug h
coolant ¢@ .
@ Note
Longer incl ines cannot be driven wi tho ut a
suitab le cooling system, especia lly if the out ­
side temperatures are high . ot herwise, this
i ncreases the risk of eng ine damage.
Operating instructions
Several things must be noted when towing a
trailer.
Towing capacity
Yo ur vehicle can only be ope ra ted with class 1 or
class 2 trai le rs.
Load distribution
Poor cargo load and distr ib ution can negatively
i mpact vehicle handling . T o have the lowest im­
pact as poss ible, load the tra ile r according to
t h ese cr ite ria :
- Store objects preferably in the vehicle luggage
compartment . The vehicle should a lways carry
the heaviest poss ib le load and the trailer
should have t he lig htest poss ible load .
- Dist ribute the load in the t railer so that the
heavy objects a re as close to the axle as poss i­
ble.
- Secu re objects from s lid ing o ut of place.
- Ut il ize the maximum permitted tongue we ight
if poss ible .
Tire s
Set the tire pressure on your vehicle for a "full
load"; see the tire pressure
st icker ¢ page 341.
If necessary, also adjust the t ire pressure on the
trailer acco rding to the manufactu rer's recom­
mendat ion.
Winter tires should be mounted on the vehicle and on the trailer during w inter temperatures .

Outside mirrors
If yo u cannot see the traffic behind the tra iler
with the standard exterior mirrors, then you
must attach additiona l exterior mirrors . Adj ust
them so you have a sufficient visibility behind
you .
Exterior lighting
Follow the legal regulat ions regard ing the light­
ing equipment on your trailer . Contact an author ­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty for more information.
Before starting to drive, check all lighti ng equip­
ment on the hitched trailer.
The headlight range contro l adjusts automatical­
l y to the light range of the headl ights.
Safety chains
Make sure the safety chains are correctly applied
when pull ing a trailer . The chains should hang
enough so that the trailer can dr ive around
curves. However, they must not touch the
g ro und .
(D Tips
-Use chocks whe n parking on incl ines if the
trailer is load ed.
- We recommend also hav ing the veh icle in­
spected between the inspect ion intervals if
you are towing a trailer frequently.
- Avo id driving with a trailer during the vehi­
cle break- in period .
Driving with a trailer
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Speed
Adhere to the legal speed limits. Follow the legal
regulations specific to the country.
As the speed increases, the driving stability of
the trai ler decreases. Therefore you should not
exceed the maximum legal speed limit when
u. there are unfavorable road, weather and/or wind 00
~ conditions . This especially applies when driving
~ downhill.
0 N > 00
Trailer towing
You m ust always reduce your speed as soon as
you notice even the slightest swinging motion of
the tra iler. Never try to "stra ighten out" the tra il­
er by acce lerating.
T he weight distribution is very poor if the vehicle
is empty and the trai ler is loaded . However if you
must drive under these circumstances, then dr ive
especially slowly .
Brakes
Brake in a timely manner. Downshift before driv ­
ing down hill so that t he engine can assist with
braking ~.&. .
When using a trailer w it h overrun brakes, first
brake gently then quickly. This reduces the r isk of
jerking while braking if the trailer wheels lock up .
Engine coolant temperature
Pay attention specifically to the coo lant tempera­
ture display when there are high outside temper­
a tur es, and when driving on long inclines
~page 11. Shift to a hig her gear in a timely man­
ner .
A WARNING
= -
Constant braking causes the brakes to over-
heat and substantially reduces braking per­
formance, increases braking distance or caus­
es complete failure of the brake system.
119