tow AUDI A4 2015 Owner's Guide

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Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns .
Trailer towin g 199
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 200.
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard ­
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n the i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, pe rform ­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve­
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be­
cause of the added load. Ma ke s ure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang­
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 283.
Trailer towin g 201
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­ lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l choc ks absorb the
load .
.. Tu rn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.. Place an a utomatic transm ission* in P, re ­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly th e foot br ake .
.. Start t he en gine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S , respect ively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gea r.
.. Release the parking bra ke and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto­
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
l ater to m ove the le ver out of the P posi­
tion.
•
•

Tires and wheels 243
and can lead to sudden tire fail- The Gross Axle Weight Rating •
ure, including a blowout and ("GAWR") is the maximum load • '
sudden
deflation that can cause that can be applied at each of
the vehicle to crash. the vehicle's two axles.
Your safety and that of your The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat- passengers also depends on ing and the Gross Axle Weight
making sure that load limits are Rating are listed on the safety
not exceeded. Vehicle load in- compliance sticker label locat-
eludes everybody and every- ed on the driver's side B-pillar.
thing in and on the vehicle. Your Audi has 5 seating posi-
These load limits are technical- tions, 2 in the front and 3 in the ly referred to as the vehicle's rear for total seating capacity
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 5. Each seating position has
("GVWR"). a seat belt¢
page 136~ Safety
The "GVWR" includes the belts.
weight of the basic vehicle, all The fact that there is an upper
factory installed accessories, a limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve-
full tank of fuel, oil, coolant hicle Weight Rating means that
and other fluids plus maximum the total weight of whatever is
load. The maximum load in- being carried in the vehicle (in-
eludes the number of passen- eluding the weight of a trailer
gers that the vehicle is intend- hitch and the tongue weight of
ed to carry ("seating capacity") the loaded trailer) is limited.
with an assumed weight of The more passengers in the ve- 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each pas- hicle or passengers who are
senger at a designated seating heavier than the standard
position and the total weight of weights assumed mean that
any luggage in the vehicle . If less weight can be carried as
you tow a trailer, the weight of luggage. the trailer hitch and the tongue The tire pressure label on your
'"" weight of the loaded trailer N
Audi also lists the maximum 0 ::.,:
must be included as part of the co .... combined weight of all of the \!) 1.1'1
vehicle load . .... 1.1'1 ....

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rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
shown on the sticker
c=> page 234, fig. 189.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­ go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five
150
lbs . passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is
650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle . Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
.,.Check the tire sidewall
{c:> page 248, fig. 193) to de­
termine the designated load
rating for a specific tire.
Tires and wheels 245
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends
on a lot of different things in­
cluding proper installation and
balancing, correct tire pressure
and driving style.
Fig. 191 Tire tread : tread wear indi­
cators (TWI)
Fig. 192 Rotating tires for more even
wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehi­
cle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm)
high "wear indicators"
c=> fig. 191 running across the
tread. Depending on the make,
there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other

260 What do I do now ?
What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 195 Seda n Lu ggage compart ment : too l kit
Fig. 196 a llroa d Lu ggage compart men t: too l kit
When you need access to the vehicle tool kit
or jack* , you will need to take out the spare
tire and cover
Q page 260 .
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, the
tool kit may also be located under the cargo
floor cover @
Q fig. 196 behind the seat back­
rest .
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers *
- Alignment pin for changing the wheel
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- T ool for changing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang- ing light b ulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye Some of the vehicle items listed above are
provided on certain mode
ls only or are option­
al extras.
Before ret urning the jack * to its p lace, re trac t
the jack arm f ully.
A WARNING
-
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bo lts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an acc ident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. U nder no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles o r othe r loads; you risk in­
juring yo urself .
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro ­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
Appl ies to veh icles : w ith space -sav ing spare tire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for shor t-term u se only.
F ig. 197 Spa re ti re
Removing the spar e ti re
., lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
Q fig. 197 .
., Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment wea ther strip.

262 What do I do now ?
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack *
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 132.
Stowing the infl atable spare tir e
• Release the air by unscrew ing the va lve
stem.
• Screw the valve stem back in afterwards.
• Wait a few hours before p lacing the wheel in
the spare wheel well¢.&_ .
• Secure the wheel with the large screw.
• Fold the cargo floor back down.
Aft er usi ng th e inflat able sp are wh eel
The inflatable spare tire can be re-used as
long as it is not damaged and is not worn
down to the tread wear indicators¢&. .
When you let the air out of the inflatable
spare tire, it does not assume its folded shape
again for several hours . Until then, it cannot
be p laced back in the spare wheel well and
stowed securely .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators.
- If the inflatable spare tire is more than 6
years old, use it only in an emergency and w ith extreme caut ion and caref ul
dr iv ing .
- The inflatable spare tire is intended only
for temporary and short-term use.
It
should be replaced as soon as possible
with the norma l wheel and tire.
- T he tire pressure value for the inflatable
spare t ire is located on the drive r's side
8 -pilla r
¢page 234, fig. 190.
-Maximum perm iss ible speed is SO mph
(80 km/h).
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing.
- When the air is let out of the inflatable
spare wheel, it does not ass ume its fold­
ed shape for severa l hours. Until t hen, it
cannot be p laced back in the spare wheel
we ll and stowed secu rely . -
Never drive with more than one inflata­
ble spare tire.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the inflatable spare tire is not
perm itted. If it is necessary to drive with
tire chains, the inflatab le spare wheel
must be mounted on the rear axle in the
event of a f lat in a front tire . The newly
availab le rear whee l must then be instal­
led in place of the front whee l with the
f lat t ire. Instal ling the tire chain before
mount ing the wheel and tire is recom­
mended .
- L oose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident.
Never store the inflatable spare tire or
jack* and too ls in the passenger com­
partment.
(D Note
- The inflatable spa re tire has been deve l­
oped specifically for this vehicle mode l.
It must not be exchanged or used for
other vehicle models. Sim ilarly, inflata­
ble t ires from other vehicle models must
not be used.
- Normal summer or w inter tires must not
be installed on the inflatable t ire rim.
Inflating inflatable
spare tire
Applies to veh icles: w ith inflatable spare t ire
F ig. 199 Lu gg age compart ment: co mpressor
• Remove the cover for the veh icle tools and
remove the compressor. For some vehicle
models, the compressor is located i n a hold-
er under the spare tire . .,.

"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
~ Unscrew the va lve stem from the s pare tire .
~ Screw the tire filler hose from the compres­
sor firm ly onto the valv e of the spare tire.
~ In se rt the p lug from the compress or into a
socket of the vehicle¢
page 66.
~ Switc h the compressor on .
~ Let the compressor run until the valu e speci­
fied on the tire pressure label is reached ¢
page 234, fig . 190. Sw itch the compres­
so r off afte r runn ing for 12 minutes at the
most -danger of overhea ting!
A WARNING
The compressor and the tire filler hose can
become extremely hot while they are run­
ning -danger of burns!
(D Note
Switch the compressor off after running
for 12 minutes at the most -danger of
overheating! Allow the compressor to cool
down for a few minutes before you use it
again.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger' s safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
~ After you experience a tire fa ilure, pu ll the
ca r well away from moving traffic and try to
r e ach
level gro und before yo u stop ¢ LI)..
~ All p assengers sho uld leave the car and
move to a safe loca tion (for instance, beh ind
the guardrai l) ¢
A .
~ Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling un intentionally ¢
A.
~ Shift into 1st gear on vehicles with manua l
transmission, o r move the
selector lever to
the P po sition
on veh icles with au toma tic
t ransmission .
~ If you are tow ing a tra ile r: u nhi tch the trail­
er from your veh icle.
~ T ake the jack ¢ page 260 and the spare tire
¢ page 261 out of the luggage compart ­
ment.
What do I do now? 263
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while c hanging a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safety precaut ions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road . T urn off the engine,
tur n the eme rg ency flashers on and use
other wa rn in g devices to a le rt othe r mo­
torists.
- Ma ke sur e that passengers wait in a safe
p lace away from the vehicle and well
away from the ro ad and traffic.
- T o help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly sli pping off the
j a ck, alw ay s fu lly se t the par king br ake
an d block the wheel d iagonally opposi te
the whee l be ing changed w ith the fol d­
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
grou nd is level and firm. I f necessary,
use a sturdy board unde r the jack .
- Always sto re the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the replaced tire in the luggage compa rtment
¢page 132.
(D Note
If you are changing the whee l on a steep
i ncline, use a rock or s imilar object to
block the opposite whee l to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
l. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
-
the wheel bolt caps* . For more details see..,.
•
•

2 7 4 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working per sonnel who
have the necessary tools and equ ipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicle s with an automati c transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing .
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discha rged or wea k batte ry, the battery can be
connected to the battery o f
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumper cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cab les of sufficiently
large cross section to carry the starter cur rent
safely. Refer to the manufact urer's spec ifica­
ti ons.
Use on ly jumper cables with
insulated te rmi­
na l clamps wh ic h are d istinctly mar ked :
plus (+) cable in most c ases co lore d red
minu s (-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batterie s cont ain e lec tricity, a cid, a nd gas.
A ny o f these c an ca use ve ry ser io us or f atal
in ju ry . F ollow the i nstruc tio ns below for
safe ha ndling of your ve hicle's bat tery.
- Alw ay s sh ield yo ur eye s and a vo id le an­
ing over the batte ry w henever p ossib le . -
A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
pe rat ures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before
connecting a jumper cable, you must
thaw the fr ozen battery complete ly , ot h­
e rwise it cou ld explode.
- Do not allow batte ry acid to contact eyes
or skin . Fl ush any contacted a rea wi th
wate r im media tely.
- Imp roper use of a booster battery to
s tart a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batter ies generate explosive gas­
es . Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from ba tte ries .
- Do not try to jump start a ny ve hicle w ith
a low ac id leve l in the battery .
- The vo ltage of the booster batte ry m ust
a lso have a 12-Vo lt rat ing . The capacity
(A h) of the booster batte ry should not b e
lowe r than that of the discharged bat­
tery . U se o f batt erie s of d iffe ren t voltage
or subs tanti ally diffe ren t "Ah" rat ing
may c ause an exp losion and person al in­
ju ry .
- N ever ch arge a fr ozen bat te ry. Gas t rap ­
ped in the ice may ca use an ex plosion .
- N ever ch arge o r use a batt ery th at has
been fro zen. T he battery case may have
be weakened.
- Us e of batt erie s of di ffere nt vo ltag e or
substan tially differen t ca pa city (Ah) rat ­
i ng may cause an exp losion and injury.
T he capac ity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis­
charged batte ry.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
W ARNI NGS¢
page 212.
(D Note
- App lyi ng a hig her voltage booste r bat­
tery wi ll cause expens ive damage to sen­
sitive e lectronic components, such as
cont ro l units, relays, rad io, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be­ twee n the vehicles as otherwise current
co uld already start to f low as soon as t he
posi tive(+) terminals a re con nected . ..,.

2 76 Em ergency sit uat ions
-Jumper cables must be long enough so
that the vehicles do not touch.
- When connecting jumper cables, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the eng ine compart­
ment.
- Do not bend over the batteries - danger of chemical burns!
- The battery ce ll locking screws must be
tightened securely .
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
9 page 212.
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru ­
in the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE( +) to POS I­
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that a ll screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs p rior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­ nect ing a jumper cable as described
above applies spec ifically to the case of
your vehicle being jump started. When
you are giving a jump start to another ve­ hicle, do
not connect the negat ive( -) ca­
ble to the negat ive (-) term inal on the
discharged battery@)
9fig. 212. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(- )
cable to e ither a solid metal component
that is firm ly bolted to the engine block
or to the engine block itself. If the bat­
tery that is being charged does not vent
to the outside, escaping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
ing.
T he following information is to be used by
commercial tow truck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safely.
- Nev er tow your Audi , towing will cau se
damage to the engine and tr an smi ssion .
- Ne ver wrap th e safety chain s or winch ca­
ble s around the brak e lines.
- To pre vent unne ce ss ary dam age, your Audi
mus t be tr an sp o rt ed with a flat bed tru ck.
- To load th e vehicle on to th e flat b ed, use
the towing l oop found in t he vehicle to ols
a nd att ach to th e front or rea r a nchor age
c;,page 277 and c;,page 277 .
& WARNING
= -
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas-
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle being towed, for any reason.