warning lights AUDI A4 SEDAN 2013 Owner's Manual

76 On the road
in the hy dra ulic valve adjusters. This is
norma l and not a cause for concern.
- If you leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
switched on, the ignition will switch
off
after a certain period of time . Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exter ior lights w ill switch
off as well
when that happens.
Switching engine off
Applies to vehicles: with conven ience key
" Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
" Automat ic transm iss ion: Move the se lector
lever to the P or N pos it ion.
" Press the
!START ENGINE STOPI button
~ page 75, fig . 76.
St eering lock
The steering locks when you t urn the engine
off us ing the I STAR T ENGINE STOP I button
and open the dr iver's door. The locked stee r­
i ng helps p reven t vehicle theft.
Emergency off
If necessary, the eng ine ca n be sw itched off
with the selector leve r in the R o r D/S pos i­
tions. To do so, step on the brake pedal and
p ress and hold the
I START ENGINE STOP I but­
ton vehicle speed must be less th an 6 mph
(10 km/h).
_& WARNING
- Never t urn off the eng ine before the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop . The
full f unction o f the brake booster and the
power steering is not guaranteed. You
must use more force to turn or brake if
necessary. Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usua lly would, this could
lead to crashes and se rious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you s hould always
par k your vehicle with the se lector lever
in P. Ot herwi se, the ve hicle co uld i nad­
vertent ly roll away.
- T he ra diator fan ca n continue to ru n for
up to 10 mi nutes even after yo u have
tu rne d off the eng ine and remove d the ignit
ion key. T he radiator fan can a lso
tur n on again if the engine coo lant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
bu ild-up in the engine compartment.
- Always take the key w ith you whenever
you leave your ve hicle. Otherw ise, the
eng ine could be sta rted or elect rical
equ ipme nt such as the power windows
could be ope rated. This can lead to seri­
o us injury.
(D Note
If the engine has bee n under heavy load
fo r an extended pe riod, heat bu ilds up in
the engine compartment after the engine
i s sw itched off -there i s a r is k of damag ing
the e ngine. A llow the eng ine to run at i dle
for about two minutes before switching it
off.
Driver messages
Ignition i s on
This message appears and a warning tone
sounds if you open the d river's door when the
ignition is sw itched on.
No key id entified
This message appears when t he
I S TART ENGI NE STOPI button is pressed if
there is no master key ins ide the veh icle or if
the system does not recognize it . Fo r exam­
ple, the master k ey cannot be recognized if it
is covered by an object (e.g. al uminum b rief
case) which
screens the radio s ignal. Elec tron­
ic dev ices such as cell phones can also inter­
fere with the radio s ignal.
Press brak e pedal to start engine
This message appears if you do not press the
brake pedal to start the eng ine in a veh icle
with an automat ic transm iss ion.
Press clutch pedal to sta rt engine
T his message ap pears if you do not press the
clutch pedal to start the engine in a vehicle
with a manual transmission. .,.

78 On the road
Emerg ency b rake function
An emergency brake ensures t hat the vehicle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail c::>
page 79, Emergency broking.
Indicat or light s
-If the par king b rake is closed w ith the igni­
t ion
s witc hed on the . (USA models) /
• (Canada mode ls) indica tor lights come
on in the instrum ent cluster and the switch .
-If the parking brake is closed w ith the igni ­
tion
s witc hed off the . (USA models) /
• (Canada mode ls) indicator lights come
on in the instrument clust er and th e switch
for about 20 seconds .
A WARNING
If a gear or a drive range (automat ic trans­
m ission) is engaged with the vehicle sta­
tionary and the engine runn ing, you must
in no instance accelerate o r release the
cl utch carelessly. Otherwise the vehicle
w ill sta rt to move immediately- r isk of an
accident .
@ Note
If the . symbol in the display or the
.. (USA models) . (Canada models)
ind icator light in the instr ume nt cl uster
flashes, there is a ma lf u nction in the brake
system. By pressing the
ISETI button, you
can bring up a driver message which ex­
plains the malfunction in more detail. If
the driver message
Pa rking brake! ap ­
pears, there is an operating malfunction in
the park ing brake which you should have
repaired immediately by an authorized
Aud i deale r or other qualified workshop
c::>
page 15.
(D Tips
- You can apply the parking brake at any time - even w ith the ignition switched
off . Th e ignit ion must be t urned on in o r­
der to release the par king brake. - Occasional noises when the parking
bra ke is applied and released are normal
and are not a cause for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked , the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at
regu lar interva ls. Any associated noises
are normal.
Parking
Parking
"' Press the br ake ped al to s top the veh icle .
"' Pull the button @ c::>
page 77, fig. 77 to set
the parking brake.
"' Automatic transmission: Move the selector
lever to P.
.,. Turn t he engine off c::>
,& .
.,. Man ual transmission: Shift into 1st gear.
In addition on inclines and gr ades
.,. Turn the steering wheel so that your vehicle
w ill roll aga inst the curb in case it shou ld
start to move.
A WARNING
- When you leave yo ur vehicle -even if on ­
ly briefly -always remove the igni tion
key. This app lies particularly when chi l­
dren remain in the vehicle. Otherwise the
children could start the eng ine, release
the park ing brake or operate electrical
equ ipme nt (e .g . power windows). There
is the risk of an acc ident .
- When the veh icle is locked, no one -par­
ticularly not children should rema in in
the vehicle . Locked doors make it mo re
d ifficult for emergency worke rs to get in­
to the vehicle -putting lives at r isk .
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon starting.
Stopping and applying parking brake
"' Pull the switch @c::> page 77, fig . 77 to ap-
ply the parking brake . .,.

.. Select : ICAR lfunction button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Speed
warning.
Warning thresho ld 2 can be set in the speed
range starting from 20 mph to 150 mph (30
km/h to 240 km/h). Settings can each be ad­
justed in intervals of 6 mph (10 km/h).
Cruise control
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30 km/h).
®
f
®t
0
Fig. 79 Con tro l lev er w it h push-bu tton
Fig. 80 D isplay : S ele ct ed speed
.. Pull the lever to position (D ¢ fig. 79 to
switch the system on.
.. Drive at the speed to be controlled .
.. Press button @to set that speed.
The stored speed and the green symbol
[ij;jl)~i~ (US model)/ .. (Canadian model) are
shown in the display ¢ fig. 80. The display
may vary, depending on the type of display in
your vehicle. The indicator light
[ij;(l)~i~ (US model)/ B (Canadian model) w ill
also light up in the instrument cluster.
On the road 81
The speed is kept constant by modifying en­
gine power or through an active brake inter­
vention.
_& WARNING
- Always pay attent ion to the traffic
around you when the cruise control is in
operation. You are always responsible for
your speed and the distance between
your veh icle and other vehicles .
- For reasons of safety, cru ise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
p lani ng) -risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily
when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones .
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration .
-If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cruise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched off. The other cruise control functions re­
main active as long as the indicato r light
lijj(l )~i~ (US models) li'I (Canadian mod­
e ls ) is on.
@ Tips
-Veh icles with manual transmiss ion: You
can attain the set speed only if the gear
that is currently engaged will allow it, or
if it does not tax the engine and allows i t
to run smoothly. Therefore shift into a
higher or lower gear in a timely manner.
- The brake lights illuminate as soon as
the brakes apply automatically.
Changing speed
.. To increase/decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever in the
0 10 direction
¢ page 81, fig. 79. Ill>

90 Transmi ssion
You can a lso shift the gears manually using
tiptron ic, if you like ¢page 93.
Selector lever positions
Appl ies to vehicles: with S tro nic t ransmission
F ig . 89 Display : Selector lever posit io ns
The inst rument cluster display shows the cur­
rent selector lever position and current gear .
P-Park
The wheels are mechanically locked in this po­
sition . You can only sh ift into Park when the
vehicle is
stationary ¢,&. .
To shift in and out of P, press the inter lock
button in the selector lever
while pressing the
brake pedal.
R - Re verse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢.&. .
To select R, press the interlock button
while
pressing the brake pedal. The back-up lights
switch on in the R posit ion if the ignition is
switched on.
N -N eutral
The transmission is in id le in this position.
0 /5 -Normal position for driving forward
In t he D/S position, the transmiss io n can be
ope rated e ither in the normal D mode or i n
the S sport mode . To select the S sport mode,
pu ll the se lector lever back brief ly . Pulling the
l ever back again will select the normal D
mode. The instrument cluster disp lay shows
the selected driving mode. In the
n
o rmal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the best gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and the
dynamic contro l program (DRP).
Se lect the
s port m ode S for sporty driving.
T he vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power . Shift ing is more noticeable when accel­
erating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h), you must always app ly
the foot brake before and while moving the l ever to D/S out of N.
In certain circumstances it may be advanta ­
geous to temporari ly switch to the manua l
shift program to manua lly select gear ratios
to match specific driving conditions
¢ page 93.
A WARNING
-- Never select R or P whi le driving .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
m ust keep your foot on the brake in a ll
selecto r lever posit ions (except P) whe n
the eng ine is ru nning. Do not inadver­
t en tly press the a ccelera tor pedal when
the vehicle is s topped if a gear is engag ­
ed . Otherwise the vehicle will start to
move immediate ly . This could happen
even if the park ing brake is act ivated.
- Before opening the hood and working on
a running engine, select P w ith the selec ­
tor lever and activate the parking brake. Always read and follow the applicable
war nings
c>page 208, Engine compart­
ment.
@ Tips
- On vehicles with Audi dr ive select* , yo u
can adjust the sporty shift character istics
in the
Dynami c driving mode.Swill ap-
pear in the ins trument cluster display in-
stead of D. ..,.

92 Transmi ssion
• Wait a moment until the transm ission
shifts . You wi ll notice a slight movement
when the gear engages.
• Re lease the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal
c::> .&, .
Stopping t empora ril y
• Press the brake peda l to prevent the vehicle
from moving, for example at traffic lights .
• Do not press the accelerator pedal when do -
ing this.
P a rk ing
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. The message
T ran smi ssio n: Car
m ay roll! Shift to p ark!
appears.
• Press and ho ld the brake pedal
c::> .&, .
• Activate the parking brake .
• Hold t he interlock button down, place the
selector lever in the
P position and release
the interlock button.
Stopping on an inclin e
• Always press the b rake peda l to hold the ve ­
hicle in p lace and prevent it from "rolling
back" c::>
.&,. Do not try to prevent the ve hicle
from "ro lling back" when a gear is engaged
by increasing the engine speed
c::> (D.
Starting on an incline
• Activate the parking brake .
• With the driving gear se lected, press the ac­
celerator pedal carefully. The parking brake
will release automat ically if your seat be lt is
fastened.
Dr ivin g on an incline: Under certain circum­
stances, such as driving in the mountains, it may be useful to sw itch temporarily to the
manual shift program in order to adjust the
gears to the driving conditions by hand
c::> & .
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P posit ion.
This prevents the lock ing mechanism from be­
ing loaded too heav ily and w ill make it easier
to move the selector leve r out of P .
A WARNING
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
activate the pa rking brake and move the
selecto r lever to P .
- Powe r is still transmitted to the w heels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
p revent the vehicle from "c reeping", you
m ust keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "t iptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the se lector lever position
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never sh ift into R or
P while driving .
- Before driving down a steep s lope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes o r press the bra ke
pedal too often or too long. Constant
brak ing ca uses the brakes to overheat
and substantially reduces braking per­
formance, increases braking d istance or
causes complete failure of the brake sys­
tem.
- To preve nt the vehicle from ro lling back
when stopp ing on inclines, always hold it
in place with the b rake pedal or parking
b rake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutc h. T he clutch opens auto­
mat ica lly when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indica tor l amp
mJ ill u­
minates and a driver message appears
c::>
page 95 when the clutc h is overload­
ed .
(D Note
-When s topping on an incl ine, do no t try
to hold t he vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This can cause the S t ron ic
transm ission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Activate t he parking brake or

126 Driving Saf ely
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle. Some of the
feat ures described in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters fo r the seats,
- belt p retensioners for the seats,
- head restra ints for each seating positio n,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain a irbags,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re-
s tr aints,
- ad justab le steer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to he lp protect you and
you r passengers in a w ide range of accidents.
T hese fe atures canno t work as a system if
they a re not always correct ly adjusted and co r­
rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody' s respon sibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
Fo r yo ur safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driv ing alway s:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals a re op­
erati ng correctly .
.,. Make su re that the tire pressu re is co rrect.
.,. Make su re that all w indows are clean and
afford good v is ib il ity to the o utside.
.,. Sec ure a ll lugg age and o ther items caref ully
qpage 60 .
.,. Make s ure that nothing can interfere with
the peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir­
rors correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restra ints according to their he ight.
.,. Make su re to use the right child restraint
co rrectly to p rotect chi ldren¢
page 165,
Child Safety. "'

136 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se­
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- P regnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns mu st also use safety
bel ts. Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions: two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases th e risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and dea th.
- N ever st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe ­
ty belt or child restra int.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and (on USA models only) front seat
passenger to remind you about the impor­
tance of buckling-up .
Fi g. 129 Safety belt warni ng lig ht in the instrument
cluster -e nl arge d
Before driving off, always :
.. Fasten you r safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect your children w ith a child rest raint
system approp riate fo r the size and age of
t he children.
The . war ning light in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is switched on as a
rem inder to faste n the safety belts. In addi­
t ion, you will hea r a warning tone for a certa in
per iod of t ime.
Fasten your safety b elt now and make sure
that your pas sengers also properly put on
their safety belts.

(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
.,. Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals .
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authori zed Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab il ity to hold its value, it also affects
fuel
consumption.
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oi l consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
g ine output .
0 Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte ­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
Driving and environment 195
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be rela tively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a
cold engine.
The engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious emis­
sions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km),
the engine is at its proper operat ing tempera­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possible.
T he
outside temperature is also cr itical in th is
regard. Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the summer.
•
•

196 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A.
Trailer brakes
If your tra iler is equipped with a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to a ll
regulations . The trailer
hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trai le r.
Trailer lights
T railer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors . It is important
that you
always have clear vis io n to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
-
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instructions on page 197.
Engine cooling system
T owing a trailer makes the engine work hard ­
er. It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid . .,..

Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (vis ible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trai ler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be su re tra iler sa fety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners . When you install safety
chains, 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
separatio n from the hitch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer whe n 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 ea rly .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stribution
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
steer ing control.
Trailer towing 197
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icult 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
when 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 ¢ page 10
must be observed carefully . If the need le
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 •
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov ­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
prov ided by Audi.
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