towing AUDI Q5 2014 User Guide

~ Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
~ Always apply brakes early.
~ Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded tra iler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly 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 permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow vehicle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult 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 -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 veh icles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to ove rheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he 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 immed iate ly and/or turn off the
air cond itioner.
Trailertowin g 215
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instr ument 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 your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
prov ided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar w ith the way
your vehicle-tra ile r combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
u p you r vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater d ista nce between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You w ill need
more room to stop. To compensate fo r the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass. After passing, a llow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts , sharp t urns or rapid lane
changes.
•
•

216 Trailertowing
-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
<=> page 293.
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:
,,. Apply the foot brake.
,,. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trai ler wheels.
,,. With chocks in place, slowly re lease the
brakes until the whee l chocks absorb the
load.
,,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
,,. Apply the parking brake .
,,. Move the selector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
,,. Apply the foot brake.
,,. Start the eng ine.
,,. Move the selector lever to D/S.
,,. Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
,,. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
mat ic transmission to P before applying
the parking brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.

256 Tires and wheels
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will 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
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly , including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port 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 251,
fig. 205.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 251, fig. 205.
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. (1400-7 SO
(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 ..,

268 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Jack, tools and
inflatable spare tire
Onboard tool kit and vehicle jack
The vehicle tools and vehicle jack* are stored
in the luggage compartment under the floor
cover.
Fig . 211 Luggage compartment: on board tool kit and
vehicle jack
The vehicle jack* is stored under the on board
tool kit¢
fig. 211.
Hybrid drive*: the storage location of the on­
board tool kit varies
¢ page 104.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove whee l bolt covers*
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Folding chocks
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Socket (removable Torx socket)*
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench (for disconnect-
ing the battery cables)
-Towing eye
Before storing the jack*, make sure it is
wound back down as far as it will go.
& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack* can
cause serious personal injuries.
- Never use the jack* supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one . The jack* is only suitab le for
use on the vehicle it came with . -
Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bumper system. The
jack may slip, causing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on cinder
blocks, bricks or other objects. These
may not be able to support the load and
could cause injury when they fa il.
- Never start or run the engine while the
veh icle is supported by the jack*.
- If you must work under the vehicle, al­
ways use safety stands specifically de­
signed for this purpose.
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- Always make sure the inflatable spare
tire* and even a flat t ire are secured in
place and not loose, otherw ise they
could fly forward, causing personal injury
to passengers in the vehicle in an acci­
dent or sudden maneuver.
@ Tips
Some of the on board items listed above
are provided on certain models only or are
optiona l extras.
Folding chocks
The folding chocks are part of the on board
tool kit.
Fi g. 2 12 Open ing folding choc ks
To use the chocks, you first have to raise the
support plate¢
fig . 212 (D and then insert
the locking plate with the two "tabs" into the
elongated holes in the base plate @¢& .
Ill>

_& WARNING
-The chock cannot fulfil its funct ion and
may lose its stability if the "tabs" on the
support plate are not inserted cor rectly
into the elongated holes in the base
pla te. If th is happens, the vehicle may
st ar t to move whi le a wheel is being
changed .
- Never use the folding chocks if they are
damaged or i f th ey have not been assem ­
bled correct ly .
Removing bass box
Applies to vehicles: with bass box
Before the inflatable spare tire* can be taken
out, the bass box must
be removed.
Fig . 2 13 Spare w hee l well : Bas s box
Removing bas s bo x
.,. Lift up the cargo floor using the hand le .
.,. Sq ueeze the locking tabs
c:!;> fig . 213 (D of
the connector.
.,. Disconnect the connector @and place the
lead to one side.
.,. Turn the large screw counter -clockwise .
.,. Carefu lly remove the bass box .
Install ing bas s bo x
.,. Carefu lly place the bass box in the wheel.
The inscr ipt ion "FRONT" on the bass box
must face forward .
.,. Reconnect the connector that was removed .
.,. Secure the bass box with the large screw.
.,. Fold the cargo floor back down.
What do I d o now ? 269
Inflatable spare tire
Applies to vehicles: with inflatable spare tire
The inflatable spare tire expands to its full di­
ameter when it is inflated.
Fi g. 21 4 In flatable spa re t ire w it h comp ressor
Removing inflatable spare tire
.,. Lift up the cargo floo r using t he handle .
.,. Remove the dirt t ray .
.,. Turn the large screw
c:!;> fig. 214 co unter­
clockw ise .
.,. Remove the bass box as required
c:!;> page 269 .
.,. Take out the inflatable spare tire .
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com ­
partment
c:!;> page 145.
Stowing the inflatabl e spare t ire
.,. Release the air by unscrewing the valve
stem .
.,. Screw the valve stem back in afterwards .
.,. Wait a few hours befo re placing the wheel in
the spare wheel well
c:!;> .,&. .
"'Insta ll the bass box as required c:!;> page 269 .
.,. Secure the wheel with t he la rge screw .
.,. Place the d irt tr ay back in .
.,. Fold the cargo floor back down.
After using the inflatable spare wheel
T he inflatab le spare tire can be re-used as
l ong as it is not damaged and is not wo rn
down to the t read wea r indica tors
c:!;> ,& .
When you let the a ir out of the inflatab le
spare t ire , it does not assume its folded shape
again for s evera l hours . U nti l then , it canno t
be pla ced ba ck in the spare whee l we ll and
stowed secure ly.

Emergency situations
General
This chapter i s intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automatic tran smission
cannot be started by pu shing 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 sho uld fail to start because of a
discha rged o r weak battery, 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 cables of sufficiently la rge
c ross section to carry the starter c urrent safe­
l y. Refer to the man ufacturer's specifications.
Use o nly jumper cables with
insulated te rm i­
na l clamps w hich are d istinctly mar ked:
plus (+) cable in mos t cases co lore d red
minus (-) cab le
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batterie s contai n elec tricity, ac id, an d gas.
Any of these c an cause ve ry ser io us or fatal
injury. Foll ow the instr uctions bel ow fo r
safe han dling of your veh icle's b attery .
- Alw ays s hield you r eye s and avoid lean­
ing over the bat te ry whenever p ossib le.
- A dis ch arged b attery c an free ze at te m­
pera tures ju st be low 3 2 °F ( 0 °C ). Befo re
Emergency situations 283
connecting a jumpe r cab le, you must
thaw the fr ozen battery c omp lete ly, ot h­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin. Fl ush any contacted area with
wate r immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batter ies genera te exp losive gas­
es. Keep spar ks, flame and lighted c iga ­
rettes away from batte ries.
- Do not try to jump start any ve hicle w ith
a low ac id leve l in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booste r batte ry m ust
a lso have a 12-Vol t rating. T he capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery sho uld not be
lowe r tha n that of the discharged bat­
tery . U se of batte rie s of d iffe ren t voltage
or substan tially diffe rent "Ah" rat ing
may c au se a n exp losion and persona l in­
JU ry.
- N ever cha rge a fro zen batte ry. Gas tr ap­
pe d in t he ice may c ause an explosion.
- Never cha rge or use a batte ry tha t h as
been fr ozen. T he battery case may have
be weakened.
- Us e of b atter ies of differe nt voltage or
sub stant ia lly diff eren t ca pa city (Ah) ra t­
i ng may c ause an ex plosion an d injury .
Th e capac ity (Ah) of the booster bat tery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged batte ry .
- Before you chec k any thing in the engine
compa rtment, always read and hee d all
WARNINGS
¢page 231.
(D Note
-App lyin g a higher vo ltage booster ba t­
t ery w ill cause expens ive damage to se n­
sit ive e lectronic com ponents, such as
cont ro l units, relays, rad io, etc.
- The re must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as ot herwise c urrent
co uld a lready start to f low as soon as the
p o sit ive(+) term inals a re connected. ..,. •
•

& WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury and dam ­
age to the vehicle, heed all warnings and
instructions of the jumper cable manufac­
turer. If in doubt, call for road serv ice.
- 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 engine compart­
ment.
- Do not bend over the batteries -danger
of chemical burns!
- The battery ce ll locking screws must be
t ightened securely .
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ page 231.
{[) Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru­
in the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI­
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE(-) to NEGATIVE
(-) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
ce lls are screwed in firmly .
If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies spec ifically to the case of
your vehicle be ing jump started. When
you are giving a jump start to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative(-) ca­
ble to the negative(-) terminal on the
discharged battery©
c::> fig. 230. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(-)
cable to either a solid metal component
that is firmly 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 situations 285
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.
- Never tow your Audi, towing will cause
damage to the engine and transmission.
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch ca­
ble s around the brake lines .
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed , use
the towing loop found in the vehicle tools
and attach to the front or rear anchorage
i::>page 286 and ~page 286.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas­
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, for any reason.
-
•
•

286 Emergency situations
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop until it is
needed.

Fig. 231 Front bumper: removing th e cove r cap

Fig. 232 Fron t bumper: screw ing in t he tow ing loop
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo­
cated on the right side of the front bumper
and covered by a cover when not in use.
• Remove the towing loop from the vehicle
toolkit
c::> page 268 .
• Carefully remove the cover c::> fig. 2 31.
• Screw the towing loop tight ly into the
threaded hole as far as it will go
c::> fig. 232.
When it is no longer needed, unscrew the
towing loop and put it back into the vehicle
too lkit . Be sure to have the towing loop stored
in the vehicle at all times.
When re-installing the cover be s ure to first
insert the tabs on the cover into the retaine rs
near the radiator grille. Then install the other
side of the cover and push it into the retainers
c::> fig . 231 .
The appearance of the cove r varies from the il­
lustration for some model versions .
A WARNING
-If the towing loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the veh icle is towed - potent ial r isk of an
accident.
(D Note
The cover is attached to the bumper with
several hooks. Do not use excess ive force
when removing the cover to avoid damag­
i ng it.
Rear towing loop
On vehicles without a factory -installed trailer
hitch* , the threaded hole for the towing loop
is on the right side of the rear bumper.
Fig. 233 Rear bump er: Cov er
Fig. 234 Rea r bumper : Screw ing in towing loop
Vehicles with a towing loop
• Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
toolkit
c:> page 268.
• Press the cover in by app lying short strong
pressure to the bottom part to release it
from the bumper
c::> fig. 233.
• Screw the towing loop tightly into the
threaded hole as far as it will go
c:> fig. 234. ""

Vehicles with a trailer hitch *
• Install the trailer h itch .
• Attach the towing bar or the towing cab le to
the trai le r hitch.
Unscrew the towing loop aga in after use and
i nstall the cover in the bumper. Return the
t owing loop to the vehicle too lkit. Be sure to
have the towing Loop stored in the vehicle at
all times.
A WARNING
- If the towing Loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the vehicle is towed -potential risk of an
accident.
- If your veh icle has a
trailer h itch * only
use a special towing bar to prevent dam­
aging the ball h itch . These towing bars
have been specially designed for trailer
towing hi tches.
- If your veh icle has a
trailer hi tch* use on­
ly specia l towing cables.
Loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Fig. 235 Veh icle on fla t bed tru ck
Front hook up
• Align the vehicle w ith the centerline of the
car carr ier ramp.
• Att ach the winch hook to the front towline
eye previously installed .
Rear hook up
• Align the vehicle with the centerline of the
car car rier ramp.
• Attach the winch hook to the rear towline
eye previously installed .
Emergency situ ation s 287
@ Tips
Check caref ully to make sure the hook-up
i s secure before moving the car up the flat­
bed truck ramp.
Lifting vehicle
Lift ing w ith workshop hoist and with
floor jack
The vehicle may only be lifted at the lifting
points illustrated.
F ig . 236 Fro nt li fting point
F ig . 237
Rea r liftin g po int
• Read and heed WARNING ¢ ,&. .
• Locate lifting points ¢ fig. 236 and
¢fig. 237.
• Adjust li fting arms of workshop ho is t or
floor jack to match veh icle lifting points .
• Insert a rubber pad between the floor jack/
workshop hoist and the lift ing poin ts .
If you must l ift your vehicle with a floor jack
t o work und erneath, b e sure the vehi cle i s
saf ely s upported on stands int ended for thi s
purpo se.
Fron t lifting point
The lifting poin t is located on the floor pan re-
inforcement about at the same level as the
Ill>

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties :
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Con trol Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Consumer Information 293
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service Manuals and liter­
atu re are availabl e to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions , for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures ,
in very dusty regions, when towing a tra iler
very frequently, etc., some serv ice work
shou ld be pe rformed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imizi ng adverse
effects on the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics , sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technica l ..,_
•
•