trailer AUDI A8 2012 User Guide

118 Advanced Parking System
Reverse Parking
Applies to vehicles: with park ing system advanced
Parking mode 1 con be used when parking in
a garage or into a parking space.
Fig. 127 MMI display: aiming at a parking spot
Fig. 128 MMI display : al igning the vehicl e
• Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot
c::> fig . 12 7 . Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle. Each marking represents 3
ft (1 meter). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle's outline by approximately 16
ft (5 me­
ters) to the rear.
• While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines
¢(D. @ marks the rear bumper. Stop the
vehicle when the red orientation line © bor­
ders an object
c::> ,& !
_& WARNING
-The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
¢page 115, fig. 123. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and animals. The rear view camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you should not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the M MI dis play , the direction of travel
of the vehicle rear is represented depend­
ing on the steering wheel angle . The vehi­
cle front swings out more than the vehicle
rear. Maintain plenty of distance so that
your outside mirror or a corner of your ve­
hicle does not collide with any obstacles.
This can damage to your vehicle.
Parallel Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system adva nced
Use parking mode 2 to help you parallel pork
along the side of a street.
Fig. 129 MMI display: blue surface in the park ing spot
Fig. 130 MMI disp lay: Blu e curve on the curb

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stability
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 187
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
Ip.] in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffi<; and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a veh icle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
•
•

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 addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer 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 d riving instr uctions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operat ion mode
~ page 199, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitc h co nforming 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 the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hi tch wit h a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with t he trail er hitch ma nufactur er to
make sure tha t you are using the corre ct
hi tch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitc h must be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfere with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumpe r sys tem. No mod ifica tio ns should
be made to the vehicle exh aust a nd brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolts remain securely fastened.
W hen you are not towing a trail er, remove the
traile r hitch ball mount. Th is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind ¢& .
Trailer towin g 199
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a br akin g sys ­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
r egulations .
T he trailer hy draul ic brak e sys tem mus t not be
direc tly connec ted to the vehi cle' s h ydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all regu lations. Be
su re to check with your Audi dealer for cor rect
wir ing, swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the reg ular o utside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mirrors. It is imp ortant
that you
always have clea r v is ion to the rear.
A WARNING ...__ -
Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
stor e it i n yo ur v ehicl e. In cas e o f sudden
b ra king, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in­
ju re you or your p ass en ger s.
Operating instructions
Fi g. 168 MM I dis pl ay: tow ing mode on
Ma ximum trailer weight
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
ll>

200 Trailer towing
Trail er load dis tr ibut ion
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
N eve r all ow a p assenger to rid e in a trailer
~ .&. in Driving instructions on page 201.
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a tra iler makes the eng ine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the addit ional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
flu id.
Tir e pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
" Full load" on the label loca ted o n the dr iver's
side B-pillar (v is ible when the door is open).
I nflate trailer tires to tra iler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both veh icle and trailer
l ights are wor king p roperly.
Safe ty chain s
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve ­
h icle . Leave enough 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 yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separat ion from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface be­
for e
hitching up the tra iler and b efor e adjust ­
ing the tongue weight . The vehicle must be i n
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
~ page 103, ~CD .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered . In Info ­
tainment, select:
I CARI function button> Lo w­
e r
control button . If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
afte r coupling the
trailer or
a fter adjust ing the tongue we ight
~ page 105.
(D Note
-Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle .
- Always select auto or comfort mode .
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
T o obtain the best possible hand ling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llowing:
.. Do not tow a loaded t railer when you r ca r it­
self is not loaded .
.. Be especially carefu l when passing other ve ­
hicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re ­
s ul ts in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and 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 ci rcumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while obse rv ing
tong ue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
1111>

drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c:> page 10
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
i::> page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your ng .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
Trailer towing 201
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a t railer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re ­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
c:> page 280.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only a~er doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake.
•
•

202 Trailer towing
• Start the engine.
• Se lect the D selector lever position.
• Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­ mat ic transm ission to P before applying
the park ing brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.

vehicle from handling properly and in­crease the risk of a loss of veh icle con­
tro l.
- The brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­ ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
tro l and a crash .
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra ile r hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
.
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure Lobel located on driver's side 8-pil­
lor.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
c:> page 239, Cold tire inflation pressure .Th is
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in
use. The ti re p ress ure is higher when the tire
h as warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflat ion pressure in a "cold " tire that
counts. Therefo re, you shou ld neve r let air out
Tire s an d wheel s 241
of a wa rm tire to match "Cold tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendations
c:> page 239. T he
tires wou ld then be underinflated and cou ld
fail suddenly .
T he t ire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
tion of the labe l
c:>poge 239, fig . 183 .
Most tires lose air natura lly over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ia l tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check t ire pressures at
least once a mo nth and a lways before going
o n a long tr ip . Make sure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggag e into ac­
count when adjust ing tire p ressu re for a trip -
even one th at yo u wo uld not conside r to be
"long." See¢
page 243, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for mo re important information .
Always use an accura te ti re pressu re gauge
whe n checking and adj usting i nflation pres­
s ur es . Check a ll of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire.
If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the ti re is "cold," let air o ut
of the t ire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
driv ing you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference be tween the pressure in the cold
ti re and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the ve hicle load (passengers and luggage) for
t h e tires on you r veh icle as l isted on the on
you r vehicle and in this ma nual a nd the k ind
of driving you plan to do.
Nev er e xceed the ma ximum inflation pre s­
s ure lis te d on the tir e sidewall for any re a­
son.
•
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can a lso damage importan t pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are technica lly referred to as the
vehicle's
Gros s Vehicle We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fue l, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the total we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
hi cle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gro ss Axl e W eight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pillar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. Vehicles with pow­
er individual rear seats* have 4 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total
Tire s an d wheel s 243
seating capacity o f 4 . Each seating position
has a safety belt~ page 134, Safety belts .
T he fact th at there is a n upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . For the locat ion of the
label ~page239, fig.183.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we igh t than your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in ­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -includ ing the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make t he vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se the exa mple be lo w t o cal­
c ulat e th e t otal weight of the
pa sse ngers a nd lu gg age or
•
•

244 Tires and whee ls
other things that you plan to
transport so that you can make sure that your vehicle will not
be overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve ­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)¢
page 239,
fig. 183 .
2. Determ ine the combined
weight of the driver and pas ­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the dr iver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 239, fig. 183.
4 . T he 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 ava ilable
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 ti re sidewall
(¢page 2 4 6, fig. 187) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.

Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 1 95 Luggag e compartment: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 195.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart ­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 195 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 130 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 259
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 failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 257,
c:> page258 .
& WARNING
You or you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
- After insta lling the spare wheel , make
sure that you replace t he f lat t ire/wheel
-