brakes AUDI Q5 2017 Owner's Manual

Trailer towing
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, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
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 mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck that all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If you r trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
200
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wir ing, swi tches, an d relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mirrors, then yo u
must in­
stall ex tended mirro rs . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ical brake s ple ase no te
t h at these b ra kes are not activated by the
factory -fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the traile r h itch, d o no t
s t o re it in your vehicle. In case of sud den
braking, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in ­
jure you or yo ur passenge rs.
- Never install a "we igh t distribu tin g" or
"loa d eq ualizing" trailer hitch on your veh i­
cle . The vehicle was not designed fo r these
kinds o f trailer hitches. The hitch attach­
ment can fail, ca us ing the tra ile r to tear
loose from the vehicle .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must never
be exceeded under any circ umstances . Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle We ight Rat ing of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
a nd such d amage will no t be covered by
your Limi ted New Vehicle W arra nty . Exceed­
ing the Gross Ve hicl e We ight Rating will al ­
so change the pe rformance and han dling
characte ristics o f yo ur vehicle, which could
cause a crash result ing in se rious injury or
death.

Trailer towing
Sp eed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
dr ive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, w eather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trai le r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swayin g by ac cele rating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for reg ular
ve hicles.
A lways apply b rakes early . When dr iving down­
hi ll, shi ft into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge ¢ page 8 must
be observed ca refully . If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im ­
mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
I f t he coolan t temperature warn ing light i n the
instr ument cluster s tarts flashing ., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi .
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif ­
fe rent weight d istr ibut ion . Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful­
ly you load you r trailer and operate your rig .
202
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing unt il yo u h ave be ­
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires steer ­
i ng action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­ erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
- If you tow a trai ler, your Audi may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 2 76.
' Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have someone place cho cks under bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after parking :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the se lector lever to D/S.

CD
CD
.... N ,-... N ..... 0 0 C<'. 00
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci­dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when wash­
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings .
- After washing the vehicle, the brak ing effect
may be delayed due to mo isture on the
brake rotors or ice in the w inter . This in­
creases the risk of an acc ident. The brakes
must be d ried fi rst w ith a few careful b rake
applications.
(D Note
- If you wash t he vehicle in an automatic car
wash, yo u m ust fold the exte rior m irrors in
to reduce the risk of damage. Power fo ld ing
exter ior mir ro rs* m ust only be folded in and
out using t he power folding fu nction .
- To reduce the risk of damage to the rims
a nd ti res, compare the width between the
whee ls on your vehi cle w it h the dis tance be­
tween the guide rai ls in the car wash.
- To reduce t he risk of damage, compare the
height and width o f yo ur vehicle wi th the
Ca re and cleaning
height and w idth of the inside of the car
was h.
- T o red uce the risk of pa int damage, do not
was h the vehicle in d irect sun light .
- T o red uce the risk of d am age to the s urf ace,
do not use insect removing sponges, k itche n
sponges or similar items .
- Mat te finish painted veh icle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax .
- Never use protective wax. It can destroy
the matte finish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte
finish paint . The paint cou ld be damaged
when the stickers or magne ts are re­
moved .
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash t he vehicle in facilities s pec ially de­
s igned for that pu rpose . This will reduce the
r isk of dirty wate r contaminated with oil from
ente ring the sewe r sys tem.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and caring for individua l vehicle
components, refer to the following tables. The
i nformation contained there is simply recom ­
mendations. For quest ions or for components t
h at are not listed, cons ult an autho rized Aud i
de aler or au thori zed Audi Se rvice Fac ility. Also
f o llow the information fo und in ~ .&. -
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windshield wiper
Deposits ~ page 55, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
blades
Headlights /
Deposits Soft spo nge with a m ild soap solution3>
Tail lights
Sensors /
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth wit h solvent-free cleaning solut ion
camera lens es Camera le nses: soft cloth w ith a lcohol -free cleaning solu-
tion
Snow/ice Hand br
ush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning so
lution
E xhaust tail pipes Road salt Water, clean ing so lution su itab le for stainless stee l, if nee-
essary
205

CD
CD
.... N ,-... N ..... 0 0 C<'. 00
& WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original container out of
the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from old or inappro­
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau­
t ions:
- Use only brake flu id that meets SAE speci­
fication
J 1 703 and confo rms to Fede ral
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your author ized Audi dealer to make
sure you are using the correct brake fluid.
The correct type of brake fluid is a lso indi­
cated on the brake flu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use o f
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fl uid is left in the system too long.
This can serious ly affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an acc ident.
Brake fluid w ill damage the pa int of yo ur vehi­
cle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of
brake flu id as we ll as the special tools re­
qui red and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any maintenance.
W ith
high outside temperatures or long da ily
drives we recommend that you have the electro­ lyte level checked by an authorized Audi dea ler or
qua lified workshop. The e lectrolyte level should
a lso be checked each t ime the batte ry is charged
¢ page 22 7.
H ave the battery checked when you take your ve­
hi cle in for serv ice. You a re well advised to re­
p lace a batte ry that is o lde r than 5 years .
Check ing and Filling
Hybrid dr ive *: you can find important in format ion
about the high voltage battery under
¢ page 100.
Disconnecting the battery te rminals
Some vehi cle functions (power window regula ­
tors, for examp le) are lost if the batte ry te rm i­
nals a re disconnected . These functions have to be
re learned after the battery terminals a re con­
nected again. To prevent this, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle electrical
system when absolutely necessary for repa irs.
Vehicles not dr iven for long p eriod s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
severa l days or weeks, electrical compone nts are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumpt ion and maintains starting ca­
pability over a longer per iod
¢ page 192.
T ake into consideratio n that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions, suc h
as the inter ior lights or the power seat adjust­
ment, may not be ava ilab le. The conve nience
funct ions will be available again when you turn
on the ignition and sta rt the eng ine.
Winter operation
D uring the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is be­
cause more power is also consumed while start­
i ng, and the headlights, rear w indow defogger,
etc., are used more ofte n.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, pa rtic u­
larly in city traff ic or when traveling only short
distances . Let your author ized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the veh icle batte ry before winter
sets in
¢ page 22 7. A we ll charged batte ry will
not only p reve nt start ing prob lems when the
wea the r is co ld, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
T he battery is loca ted in t he luggage compart­
ment unde r the floo r. B efo re yo u check any thing .,..
225

Wheel s
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is sui table for driving on mud and
snow.
& indicates a winter tire.
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the t ire. In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, po lyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry .
@Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resist ance
Treadwear, traction and tempera­
ture ranges ¢
page 247.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires .
You must always follow the speci­
fied running direction
¢page 259.
232
@ Ma ximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat ­
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Acces sory we ight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power steer­
ing, power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the r im . ...

Wheel s
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the max imum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated . Also called "maxi ­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­
cle .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer d iameter
means the overall diamete r of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side ­
walls of an inflated tire , including
elevations due to labeling, deco­ rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
para llel cords.
234
Production options we ight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular product ion
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight or accessory weight , including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim.
Radial ply ti re
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are la id at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 233 , Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF"
on the sidewall. ...

a,
a,
-N r-­N
-0 0 0: a:,
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any
luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­ gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
Wheels
driver's side B-pillar q page 240,
fig. 204.
&,_ WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-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 overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­
tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
243

Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
H ill descent control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Kick-down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Manual shift program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Removal lock (ignit ion key) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Shift paddles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Automatic wipe/wash system . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
AUTO (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
B
Bass box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Battery location inside the luggage compart­
ment .. .. .. .. ...... ......... .. .. .. . 225
Charge level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Charging . .. .. ............... .. . 107,227
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Impor tant warnings when working on the
battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Winter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Working on the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Bio-ethanol (Fuel)....... ..... ... ... .. . 210
Blended gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Blower (climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
B ra ke fluid
Changing the brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Checking the brake fluid l evel . . . . . . . . . . 224
Brake system
Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
~ Brak e booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 ....
~ Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
8 Brake fluid specifications for refill and re-
~ placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 00
Index
Brake light defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Electromechanical parking brake . . . . . . . . 86
Fluid reservo ir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Warning/indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Braking Brake assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Braking guard . .. . ... ............. 109, 115
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Switching on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Break -in per iod
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Ti res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
New tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Breakover angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
C
Californ ia Proposition 65 Warning 218
Battery specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
AdBlue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Engine oil ....... .. ................. 219
Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Cargo area
refer to Loading the luggage compart-
ment...... ... . ... ................. 136
Cargo floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Cente r armrest
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Centra l locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Changing Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Child restraints
Danger of using child restra ints in the front
seat...... .... .. .. ............... .. 149
System anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? . . . . 185
281