brake light AUDI A6 2017 User Guide

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N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Stopping the engine
~ Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
~ Move the selector lever to the P or N position.
~ Press the I START ENGINE STOPI ~page 70,
fig. 78 button.
Steering lock1
)
The steering locks when you turn the engine off
using the
I START ENGINE STOPI button and
open the driver's door. The locked steering helps
prevent vehicle theft.
Emergency off function*
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can also
be turned off while driving in the R or D/S selec­
tor lever position at speeds below 6 mph (10 km/
h). To stop the engine, press and hold the
I START ENGINE STOPI button and also press the
brake pedal.
~ WARNING
- Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You may need to
use more force when braking or steering.
Because you cannot brake and steer as you
usually would, this could lead to accidents
and serious injuries.
- Always take the key with you whenever you
leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the engine
could be started or electrical equipment
such as the power windows could be operat­
ed. This can lead to serious injury.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the selector lever in the P position.
Otherwise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally.
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off and there is a risk of damaging
the engine. For this reason, let the engine run
l ) This function is not available in all countr ies.
Driving
at idle for approximately two minutes before
shutting it off.
(D Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to 10
minutes -even with the ignition switched off.
It can also switch on again after some time if
the coolant temperature rises as the result of
heat buildup or if the engine is already warm
and the engine compartment is also heated
by the sun's rays.
Messages
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appears and a warning tone sounds
if you open the driver's door when the ignition is
switched on.
Press brake pedal to start engine
This message appears if you do not press the brake pedal when starting the engine.
II Key not in vehicle?
This indicator light turns on and this message ap·
pears if the ignition key was removed from the
vehicle when the engine was running.
If the igni­
tion key is no longer in the vehicle, you cannot
switch on the ignition or start the engine once
you stop it. You also cannot lock the vehicle from
the outside.
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock if lever is not in P.
This message appears for safety reasons if the
transmission is not in the P position when you
switch the ignition off. Move the selector lever to
the P position. Otherwise the vehicle is not pro­
tected from rolling and it cannot be locked.
II Key is not recognized. Hold back of key
against marked area. See owner's manual
If the indicator light turns on and this message
appears, there is a malfunction
~page 72. .,..
71

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Stopping/starting the engine
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Fig. 80 ll)strument cluster: eng ine sw itched off (stop
p hase)
~ B rake the ve hicle to a stop. The engine stops
shortly befo re the vehicle comes to a stop or if
the vehicle is stationa ry
1l . Keep yo ur foot on
the brake pedal. The
II indicator light appears
in the information line at the bottom of the in­
strument cluster d isplay. The needle in the
tachometer also moves into the
READY1 ) pos i­
t ion .
~ The eng ine starts aga in when you take you r
foot off the b rake pedal. The ind ic a tor light
tu rns off.
Additional information
T he engine stops in the P, N and D se lector lever
positions .
If you select the R position dur ing a stop phase,
the eng ine will start again.
Shift to P quick ly to prevent the engine from
starting unintentionally w hen s hifting t hrough R.
You can dete rm ine for yo ursel f if the eng ine will
stop or not by reducing or increas ing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex­
ample, if you only lightly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and -go traff ic or when turning, the en­
g ine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta­
tionary . As soon as you press the brake down
ha rder, the eng ine will switch off .
ll Market -s p ecific
D rivi ng
(D Tips
-Press the bra ke peda l during a Stop phase
to keep the vehicle from rolling.
- The ignition will turn off if yo u press the
!START ENGINE STOPI butto n dur ing a stop
phase. The needle in the tachometer moves
into the
OFF position.
General information
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
T he standard Start/Stop mode con be canceled
for various system-related reasons.
Eng ine does not swit ch off
Be fo re and dur ing each stop phase, the system
checks if certain conditions have been met. If the
rjj indicator light appears in the instrument clus­
ter display, the eng ine will not be stopped, for
example in the following situations:
- The engine has not reached the minim um re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode .
- The interior temperature selec ted by the A/C
system has not been reached.
- The outside tempera ture is ex tremely high/low.
- The windsh ield is being defrosted® .
- The parking system * is be switched on .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle or
is moving.
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp incl ines .
Engine automatically restarts
The s tandard Start/Stop mode w ill be can celed
dur ing a stop phase in the following si tuations.
T he eng ine res tarts wi thout a ny action by the
driver .
- The vehi cle ro lls, fo r example whi le on a slope .
- The inte rior tempe rature d iffers from the tem-
pe rature selected in the A/C sys tem.
- The windsh ield is being defrosted® .
- The brake peda l is pressed several times in a
row .
73

Driving
-The vehicle battery charge leve l is too low.
- Power consumption is high .
The engine can turn off again when the condi­
tions fo r Start-Stop mode are met .
Ignition is switched off automati call y
To prevent the veh icle battery from drain ing, the
ignit ion will switch off
automat ic a lly under the
following conditions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine.
- The driver's door must be open.
- The driver's safety be lt must be unb uckled.
- The brake pedal must not be p ressed .
- The vehicle must be stationary .
In th is case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The parking lights will
sw itch off after approximately 30 minutes or
when you lock the vehicle .
If the Start/Stop system has not turned off the
engine or if you have sw itched the Start/Stop sys­
tem off manually , the ignition will not be auto­
mat ically switched off and the engine w ill contin ­
ue to run
~ ,& .
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of poisoning, never allow
t he engine to r un in confined spa ces .
@ Tips
If you select the Dor N se lector lever position
after sh ift ing into reverse, t he vehicle m ust
be driven faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) in or­
de r fo r th e e ng ine to swit ch off again.
74
-
Manually switching the Start /Stop system
off /on
Appl ies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
If you do not wish to us e th e system, you can
switch i t off manually.
Fig . 8 1 Ce nte r conso le: Start/Stop system b utto n
.,. To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press the
l (A) ~I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is switched off.
0) Tips
If yo u switch the system off d uring a stop
phase, the engine will start aga in automati­
cally .
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to : vehicles with Start/Stop system
Start-stop system deactivated: Please restart
engine manually
This message appears w hen spec ific cond itions
are not me t during a stop phase. The S tart/S top
system will
not b e a ble to re sta rt the eng ine. The
engine m ust be started with the
I S TAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button.
Start -stop system: System fault! Currently
una vailable
There is a ma lfunction in the Start/Stop system.
Drive the vehicle to an author ized Audi dea ler or
autho rized Service Facility as soon as possible to
have the malfunction corrected.

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Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig . 82 Center co nso le: park ing brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an e lectromechani ­
cal parking brake
¢ fig. 82. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the veh icle from roll ing un­
intentiona lly and replaces the hand brake.
Setting /manually relea sing th e parking
b rake
.. Pull the<®> switch to set the park ing brake. The
LED in the switch illuminates. The -(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light al­
so turns on in the instrument cluster display .
.. To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the b rake o r acce lerato r pedal whi le the igni­
t ion is switched on and p ress the© switch at
the same t ime . The L ED in the b utton and the
i ndicator light in the display t urn off .
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement : the driver's door must be closed,
the dr iver's safety be lt must be latched and the
pa rking brake must be set.
"' To start driving and re lease the park ing brake
automatically, press the acce lerato r peda l as
usual.
In addi tion to releasing the parking brake auto­
mat ica lly, other convenience and safety funct ions
are available when you sta rt driving ¢
page 76,
Starting from a stop.
Preventing the automatic parking br ake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling uninte ntiona lly,
depending on the hill or if towing a trail er.
D rivi ng
"'To prevent the parking brake from releasi ng au­
tomatically, pull and hold the<®> switch and
press the accelerator peda l. The pa rking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward.
"' You can release the<®> switch again once you
are sure t hat you are giving enoug h driving
force to the wheels by press ing the accel erator
pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency s ituation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.. Pull and ho ld the(®) switch.
"' As soon as you release the <®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops .
Pull ing and ho ld ing the© switch wh ile driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
t ion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system . The brak­
ing effect is sim ila r to heavy braking ¢_& .
To reduce the risk of activat ing the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buz zer)
sounds when the© switch is p ulled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as the© switc h is released
or t he accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle.
"' Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake .
"' Place t he selector lever in t he P position .
"' Tu rn the engine off¢_& .
"' Tur n the steering w heel when par king o n in­
clines so tha t the wheels w ill roll into the curb
if the vehicle st arts moving.
& WARNING
-
- Do not press the acce lerator peda l inadver­
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
d iate ly and this could result in a n accide nt.
- Eme rgency brak ing sho uld only be used in
an emergency, when the norma l brake pedal
has fai led or the brake pedal is obstructed . .,.
75

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-Hill hold assist cannot hold the veh icle in
place on all h ills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
wh ile stat io nary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
The automat ic transmission is cont rolled e lec­
tron ica lly. The tra nsmission shifts up or down au­
tomatically depending on which drive program is
selected.
When a
moderat e driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving mode. The t ransmission upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency .
The transmission sw itches to a sporty mode a fter
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
s po rt y
driving st yle
characterized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed .
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode) q page 80 .
Appl ies to : ve hicles w ith S tro nic t ran smi ssio n
The 5 tronic is a dual-clutch transmiss ion . Powe r
is transferred using two cl utches that work inde­
pendently from one another. They replace the
torque converter used in conventional automat ic
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeab le interruption in tract ion.
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with a t iptro nic tr ansmi ssio n
Power is transfer red using a torque conver ter.
D rivi ng
Selector lever positions
Fig. 83 Instrument cl uster: selector leve r pos itions
The selector lever position that is engaged is
shown in the instrume nt cluster display .
P - Park
This selector lever position prevents the vehicle
from rolling. You can only shift into Park when
the vehicle is
stationary q &. .
To shift in and out of the P selector lever posi ­
tio n, press the inter lock b utton in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake peda l. Th is only
works when the ign ition is turned on.
R- Reverse
Only s hift into reve rse gear when t he vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed
q &. .
To se lect the R selector leve r pos ition, press the
in terlo ck button
while pressing the brake pedal
at the same time. The back-up lights switch on in
the R position if the ignition is switched on .
N -Neutral
T he tra ns m ission is in idle in th is posi tion
q &_ .
DIS -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S se lector lever position, the t ransmis ­
s io n can be operated e ither in the normal D mode
or in the 5 spo rt mode . To select the 5 sport
mode, pull the selector leve r ba ck briefly . Pu llin g
t h e lever ba ck aga in will selec t the normal D
mode. The instr ument cluster disp lay shows the
selected driving mode .
77

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l - than 2 seconds when the brake pedal is not
pressed.
Interlock button
The in terlo ck button i n the selector lever handle
p revents yo u from moving the selector lever i n­
advertently while in some se lector lever posi­
tions. The positions that require the interlock button to be pressed are marked in co lor i n the il ­
lustration
c:> fig . 84.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.. The selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
s it ion.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Press and hold the lock button in the selector
lever hand le, select the desired se lector lever
pos ition such as 0/5 and release the lock but­
ton .
.. Wait a moment unt il the transm ission shifts .
You w ill no tice a slight movement when t he
gear e ngages .
.. Release t he b rake pedal and press the acce le ra­
tor pedal
c:> &_ .
Stopping temporarily
.. Keep the veh icle stat ionary using the braking
peda l, for example at traffic lights .
.. Do no t press t he accelerator pedal when doing
t hi s.
.. To p revent the vehicle from rolling when yo u
sta rt driving, se t the park ing brake when stop­
ping on steep i nclines
c:> _&. .
.. The parking bra ke wi ll re lease automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the se lec to r l ever is not in the P posi tion when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could rol l.
The message
Transmission: selector lever in
drive position!
appears . A warn ing tone wi ll also
sound.
.. Press and hold the brake pedal
c:> _&. .
Driving
.. Se t the par king brake.
.. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
U nder certain circumst ances, su ch as driving in
t h e mo unta ins, i t may be useful to swi tch tempo ­
ra rily to the manual s hift program in order to
man ua lly adjust the gea rs to the driving condi ­
tions
c:> poge 80.
On inclines, activate the parking brake fi rs t a nd
t h en move the selector lever to t he P position
c:> page 75. This prevents the locking mechanism
from be ing loaded too heavily and will make it
easier to move the selector lever out of the P po­
s ition .
A WARNING
- The vehicle ca n roll even if the ignit ion is
sw itched off .
- Never leave your ve hicle w ith the engine
r u nning while in gear .
- Do not press the acce le rator peda l when
changing the se lector lever posi tion while
the vehicle is s ta tionary and the engi ne is
r u nning .
-
-Please no te that a small amo unt of power is
transmi tted if the veh icle is stopped tern po­
r a rily w hile in t he D/S or R select or leve r po­
si tion. To reduce t he risk of an a cc iden t, y ou
m ust cont in ue pressing firmly on the brake
pedal whi le t he veh icle is stoppe d so that i t
does not ro ll.
- Never engage the R or P sele ctor leve l pos i­
tions while dr iv ing. It could ca use a crash .
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and sh ift into a lowe r gear w ith
"t i pt ronic" .
- Do not r ide the brakes or p ress the brake
pedal too often or too lon g when dr iving
downhill . Constant bra king causes the
brakes to overheat and s ubstant ially re­
duces brak ing performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete fai lure of
the bra ke system.
- If you must stop on an incline, a lways hold
the vehicle in place wit h the foot brake or
pa rking bra ke to p reve nt i t from rolling
back.
79

Driving
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
[i1 indicator Light turns on
and a message appears~
page 81 when
the clutch is overloaded.
(D Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
lected. This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it. Set the parking brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the Dor S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the hill . Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
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 86, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations , so it may not be able to maintain
80
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
'
}
Fig . 85 Center console: sh ift ing manually with the selector
l ever
Fig. 86 Steering wheel : manual s hift ing with the s hift pad­
dles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tip tron ic mode while stationary
and while driving.
.,. To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the right. As soon
as the transmission switches over, the
M selec­
tor lever position will appear in the instrument
cluster display .
.,. To shift up a gear, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 ~ fig. 85.
.,. To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0-
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
selector lever positions. ..,.

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' ~ To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 86.
~ To shift down one gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permitted
range.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­
mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on vehicle speed and engine RPM.
It shifts up in­
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci­
fied engine RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Launch control program
A ppl ies to: ve hicles wit h S tro nic
-
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop.
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
~ Deactivate the Start/Stop system*¢ page 74.
The LED in the l0 u•I button turns on.
~ Switch the Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) sport mode on ¢
page 121. The II i ndi­
cator light turns on.
~ Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position or select the
DYNAMIC driving mode in drive select
¢page 106.
~ Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
Driving
~ At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal within
five seconds ¢_& .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use the Launch control program when
road and traffic conditions allow it and oth­
er drivers will not be endangered or both­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel­
eration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I.P-O FFI button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
@ Tips
- The transmission temperature may increase
significantly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few minutes.
It will be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
DD Transmission: please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driving.
DD Transmission overheating: Please drive con­
servatively.
The transmission temperature has increased sig­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light switches of. .,..
81

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trai ler operation mode
c::> page 83, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount. Always check with the trail­
er 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 -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
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 shou ld your vehicle be
struck from behind
c::> .&, .
Tra iler towing
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regu la­
tions.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the tra iler .
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Audi dealer for correct wiring,
switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
A WARNING
--
After 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 lim ited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or s ideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer c::> .&.
in Driving instructions on page 85 .
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has enough fluid . ..,.
83

Trailer towing
Tire pr essure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of yo ur
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under " Fu ll
load" on the label¢
page 220. Inflate trai ler
tires to trai ler and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to ma ke sure both vehicle and t railer lights
are working proper ly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are proper ly connect­
ed from the traile r to the hitch on the vehicle.
L eave enough slac k in the c ha ins to permi t turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld 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 veh icle is on a level surface before
h itchi ng up the t railer a nd before adjus ting the
tongue we igh t. The vehicle must be in
auto or
c omfort driving mode and not ra ised
¢page 104, ¢(!) .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainmen t, se lect:
ICARI f u nct ion butto n> Lower
con trol b utton.
I f you must dr ive under poo r road conditions, you
can ra ise the vehicle
aft er coup ling the t rai ler or
after adj usting the tongue weight¢ page 106.
@ Note
-Changes in tempe rature or load ca n affect
the he ight of the vehicle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode . Other­
wise, the tongue load spec ified for your ve­
hi cle w ill no longe r be applicable.
84
· Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
i n a h ighly unstab le distribut ion 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 shou ld be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, wh ile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
c ir cumstances . Wheneve r possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow ve hicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle load ing conside ra tions.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the dr iver to control the r ig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
yo ur speed even more if load, weather or wind
cond it ions are unfavo rab le -pa rtic ularly whe n
going downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immed iately if the t railer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
t o stop th e s waying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds fo r
vehicles tow ing traile rs are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the eng ine
braki ng effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
bra kes alone ca n cause them to overheat a nd fail.
Air suspension*
When dr iving with a trailer, act ivate the trailer
mode of the air suspens io n. Switch the a ir sus­
pension trailer mode on w hen you are towing a
trailer. This wi ll limit the regulation by the air
s u spension while dr iv ing. Se lect in the M MI:
I CAR ! funct ion but ton > (Car )* s ystem s contro l
button >
Vehicle setting s > Air su sp .: towing >
On . .,_