towing AUDI Q7 2015 Owner´s Manual

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'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Adaptive Air Suspension .. .. . .
Air suspension and damping
S afet y fir st ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
15 7
157
163
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Gene ral notes ..... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . .
Ped al area .. .. ............. .. .. . .
Stowing luggage ......... .... .. . .
Report ing Safety Defects ....... ... .
Safety belts ........... .... .. . .
General notes ............... .... .
Why safety belts? ............... .
Safety belts ..... ... ... .. .. .. .. . .
Safety bel t pretens ioners .. .. .. .. . .
Airbag system .......... ... ... .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
Fr ont airbags ..... ..... .. .... .. . .
M on itoring the A dvanced Airbag
System .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. . .
Side airbags . ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Side curtain ai rbags .... ... .. .. .. . .
Child Safety .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Important th ings to know . ... .. .. . .
Ch ild safety seats ......... .... .. . .
Instal ling a child safe ty seat .. .. .. . .
LATC H Lower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren .... .. ... ... .. .. .. .. . .
Addit ional Information
Vehicle operation ... .. .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. . .. .
163
164
168
169
1 70
173 1 73
174
177
180
182
18 2
186
193
197
200
203
203
209
213
216
222
223
223
Not ice about data recorded by vehi cle
con trol mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
E lect ronic S tabiliz ation Control ( ESC) . 223
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Servotronic -advanced powe r steering
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Driving w ith your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 227
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
230
The first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 232
S h utting down veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Operate yo ur v ehicl e economically and
min imi ze poll ution .. . ............ .
Driving off road .............. .
D riv ing i n diff icult road conditions and
offroad . .. .. .. .. .... ........... .
Trailer towing .... .. .. ... ..... .
Drivi ng with a trailer ........... .. .
T rail er tow ing t ips .. . ............ .
Vehicle care ... .. .. ........... .
Vehicle care and cleaning .... .
Genera l informa tion . ... .... ... .. .
Car was hes . ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Cleaning and care information ... .. .
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supp ly . ... .. .. .. ... ..... ... .
Diesel f uel .. .. .. .... ........... .
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. ... ............ .
Se lective cata lytic reduction ....... .
Checking and filling .......... .
En gine hood . .... .... .... ... .... .
E n gine o il ... .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .
Engine cooling system ............ .
Br ake fluid .. .. .. ............... .
B attery ... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .
Windsh ie ld /hea dligh t washer 2
32
235
2 35
238
2 38
2 40
2 42
2 4 2
2 4 2
242
243
2 4 8
248
249
250
252
256
256
258
262
2 65
2 66
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 70
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 71
Tire pressure monitoring system 301
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 304
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Jack, too ls an d inf lata ble spare tire . . 304
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
•
•

4 Table of contents
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
312
Elect rical fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Bulbs .. .. .. ... ... .... ... .. .. .... 315
Emergency situations ... .. .... 317
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Starting by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 317
Startingwithjumpercables .. .. .. .. 317
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Eme rgency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Lift ing vehicle. ........... .... .... 32 1
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Vehicle ident ifica tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
D imensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Diese l eng ine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 326
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
M aintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Addit ional accesso ries, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
D eclaration o f Compliance,
Te lecommunications and E lectronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 1

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
;;./~ Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stabilization Control.
If th€ JjJ indicator light blinks wh ile driving,
the ESC or ASR (Ant i-S lip Regulation) is active­
l y regulating.
If the
DJ indicator light turns on, the system
has sw itched the ESC off . In this case, you can
switch the ignition off and then on to switch
the ESC on again. The indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fully.
If the
II indicator light turns on, ESC was re·
stricted using the
I B OFF ! button~ page 223 .
Stabilization con trol (E SC/A BS): Fault! See
o wn er's manu al
If th€ J.i) indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
ml (USA models) ; IIJ (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, the ABS or
electronic differential lock is malfunction ing .
This also causes the ESC to malfunct ion . The
brakes st ill function with the ir normal power,
but ABS is not act ive.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediately to have the mal·
function corrected.
A WARNING
If the 1111 (USA models) . (Canada
mode ls) brake system ind icator light turns
on togethe r with the ABS and ESC indica­
tor lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function
may have failed . Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer avai lab le. This
could cause the vehicle to swerve and in·
crease the risk of sliding. Dr ive carefully to
the nearest authorized Aud i dea ler or oth­
er qua lified workshop and have the mal·
function corrected.
(D Tips
For additional information on ESC and
ABS, refer to
c:> page 223.
tli1 ! !r Safety systems
T he . (USA models)/ . (Canada mode ls)
i ndica tor light monito rs the safety systems
(e.g . ai rbags, pretensioners) and illuminates
for a few seconds each time you switch the ig­
nition on.
If the . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
A WARNING "'--
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys-
tems, contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler
i mmediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
¢¢ Turn signal s
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left B or the right Ill
turn s ignal, the indicator light blinks . When
you use the emergency flashe rs, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor· mal.
This does not apply, however, in towing mode.
The ind icator light does not flash if a turn sig·
nal is out on the tra iler or the towing veh icle .
Additional information on the turn s ignals
~page 63.

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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 17
¢1.~ Trailer turn signal assembly
Appl ies to vehicles: with towing hitch
The indicator light also blinks if the turn sig­
nal is operated when towing a trailer .
The indicator light. blinks when the turn
signal is used, if a trailer has been properly
connected to the vehicle.
If one of the turn signal bulbs on the trai ler is
burned out or defective, the indicator light
will not blink when you use the turn signals.
{!) Tips
For vehicles with a factory installed towing
hitch or a trailer h itch that was installed
later according to factory specifications,
the trailer tu rn signal assembly is actuat­
ed.
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (M IL) is part
of the On-Boa rd D iagnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbol
¢111ij li gh ts up when the igni tion is
turned on and will turn off after the engine has started and has sett led at a constant idle
speed. This ind icates that the MIL is working
properly .
The warning light i lluminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your authorized Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected.
An imp roperly clo sed fuel filler cap m ay al so
c au se the MIL light to illuminate (onl y
v ehicles with ga soline eng ine)
c:> page 250.
F or more in format ion c:> page 2 7 .
Ci:> Adaptive Air Suspension
A ppl ies to vehicles: with Ada ptive Ai r Susp en sio n
This II warning/indicator light has the fol­
l owing f unctions:
- It illuminates for a few seco nds after the ig­
nition is t urned on as f unct ion check and
then goes out . -
If the warning/indicator light illuminates or
blinks contin uously, there is a system fault
in the Adaptive Air Suspension. A system
fau lt can result in lim ited ride comfort and
lo w ground clea rance . Drive safely to the
nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified
wo rkshop, and have the fault corrected.
- If the warning/indicator light flashes, you
should not dr ive the veh icle . The flashing
warning/indicator light points to an extreme H igh level. A very
pronounced lifting of the
veh icle (ext reme H igh leve l) can result, for
examp le, when a heavy load is removed
from the vehicle. As soon as the level has re ­
t u rned to norma l, the wa rning/indicator
light stops flashing, and you can drive away.
- If the warning/indicator lig ht flashes in con ­
junction with the. warning/indicator
light, you should not dr ive off immediately
in order to prevent damage to the under­
body. The two warn ing/ indicator lights
flashing together points to an extreme Low level. A ve ry
pronounced lowering of the ve­
hicle (extreme Low leve l) can result, for ex­
ample, from a heavy load. As soon as the
level has retu rned to normal, the warn ing/
ind icator lights stop flashing, and you can
drive away.
(D Note
If the w arning/ indic ator l igh t flas hes in
conjunction with the. warning/ind icator
li ght, you shou ld not d rive the vehicle be ­
cause low-lying vehicle parts can bottom
out as you drive over uneven ground and be damaged as a result.
~ Adaptive Air Suspension
App lies to vehicles: wit h Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
This. warn ing/indicator light has the fo l­
low ing functions:
- It illuminates for a few seconds after the ig­ nition is turned on as function check and
then goes out .
- It comes on for approximately 15 seconds
as a warning of
reduced ground clearance , if .,,.

48 Openin g and clo sing
- If the vehicle battery charge drops below
a certain level, you can still open or close
the rear lid manua lly, howeve r, you will
need to app ly more force to close it .
- As soon as the electrical connection to
the trailer socket is comp leted on
vehicles with a factory installed towing
hitch, or a trailer hitch that was installed
l ater accord ing to factory spec ificat ions,
the automatic rear lid function can only be ope rated v ia the handle in the rear lid.
Rear lid emergency unlocking
If the rear lid cannot be opened , an emergen­
cy release is provided .
·-----------------.J ~ N
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Fig . 41 Sectio n of the lu ggag e compar tment: A cce ss to
e m erge ncy re lease
Fig . 4 2 Sect io n of th e lugg age compa rtme nt: Em er­
g en cy re le ase
~ T ilt the sea tback fo rwa rd.
~ Move into the trunk .
~ Take the screwdr iver from the veh icle too l
k it. As an a lternative, you can a lso use the
v eh icle key.
~ Put the flat side of the screw driver into the
reces s and pry the cover up
i=> fig . 41 -Arrow -.
~ Press the lever in the direction of the arrow
i=> fig. 42 to unlock the rear lid.
Child safety lock
Power child safety lock for the rear
doors
The power child safety lock t prevents the
rear doors from being opened from the in ­
side .
Fig. 4 3 Section fro m drive r's door: con tro ls
The rear doors are eq uipped w ith a power
chi ld safety lock.
It is operated with the two
safety buttons
III in the dr iver 's door c> fig. 43 .
~ Press th e left and/or right safety b utton to
disab le the rear power w indow(s) and pre­
vent the respect ive rear door from being
opened from the i nside. The LED in the but­
ton will light up when the child safety lock is
turned
on .
~ Press the illum ina ted button again to turn
the chil d safety featu res
off .
When the c hild safety lock is activated, the in ­
te rior door opening lever is inoperat ive; the
doo r ca n only b e opened from th e outside . In
addition, the window reg ulator for that doo r
is a lso inoperative when the child s afety lock
is activa ted.
If the ch ild safety loc k has been ac tivated on
o ne or both sides, the butto ns in the rear for
the Panoramic slid ing su nroof* are disabled .
If the child safety lock has been act ivated on
the left
and on the right side , the rear con­
t ro ls are locked on veh icles with rear a ir-condi­
tio ning *. Dashes " ••• " are show n in t he dis­
plays for the rear climate contro ls , and the
rear ai r-conditioning can on ly be operated
from the climate controls in the cabin
i=> page 100.

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Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situation.
,r--,a.
-------------------
Fi g. 6 0 Center console: em ergency flasher sw itch
.. Press the sw itch ~ ~ fig. 60 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emerge ncy flashe r is on, al l four
turn signals blink at the same time. The t urn
signal indicator lights
11111 in the instru­
ment cluster, as well as the light in the emer­
gency f lasher switch ~ blink likewise.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­ cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has dep loyed .
@ Tips
You shou ld tu rn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the l ast vehicle st anding in a tr af­
fi c jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle h as broken down or yo u are
i n an emergency si tuation, or when
- your vehicle is being towed by a tow
tru ck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.
Clear vi sion 63
Turn signal and high beam lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er.
t
'
Fi g. 61 Turn signal and high beam lever
The turn signa l and high beam lever has t he
following functions :
Turn signals ¢¢
.. Lift the leve r up a ll the way ~ fig. 61 @to
use t he right turn s ignals, or push the leve r
down all the way@to use t he left tur n sig ­
na ls .
Auto -blink
.. Move the leve r (up or down) just to the point
of resistan ce to use the turn signa ls fo r as
long as you need them, for example w hen
chang ing lanes.
.. Move the lever (up or down) just to the point
of resistance and then release it right away
to make the turn signals blink
three times.
You can use t his feature for example when
chang ing lanes on highways.
H igh beam [D
.. Push the lever forward @ to sw itch on the
high beam .
.. Pull the lever back towards you to switch off
the high beam.
Headlight flasher [D
.. Pull the lever toward the steering wheel@
to use the headlight flasher .
~

108 On the road
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your orig­
inal Audi key.
Fig. 123 I gni tion key positio ns
Vehicles with gasoline engine:
.. Step on the brake .
.. Move the selector lever into P or N
~ ,&. .
.. Tu rn the ignition key to position @
~ fig. 123 -do not depress the gas pedal
when starting the engine.
Vehicles with diesel engine:
.. Step on the brake .
.. Move the selector lever into P or N
~ ,&..
.. Turn the ign ition key to position ©- the
glow plug indicator light
II illuminates
when the glow plug system is act ive .
.. When the indicator l ight
II switches off,
turn the ignition key to pos it ion @ but do
not press the accelerator pedal.
.,. Re lease the ignition key once the engine
sta rts. The starter must not continue run­
ning.
A cold engine may sound loud after it has
been started . This is due to the hydraulic
va lves building up oil pressure. This is normal
and is not a need for concern.
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine abo ut 30 seconds later.
Glow plug system*
Diesel engines are equipped with a glow plug
system whose preheating t ime is controlled by the coo
lant and outs ide temperature . Start
the engine
immediately after the glow plug
indicator light
II switches off.
The glow plug indicator light will only illumi­
nate for approximate ly 1 second when the en­
gine is warm or the outside temperature is
higher than 46 °F (8 °C). That means you can
start the engine
immediately .
A WARNING
-Never start or let the engine run in a con-
fined or enclosed area. Exhaust fumes
from the engine contain carbon monoxide,
a colorless and odorless gas . Carbon mon­
oxide can be fatal if in haled.
- Never leave the engine idling unattend­
ed. An unattended veh icle w ith a runn ing
engine poses a danger of personal injury
or theft .
(D Note
- Avo id high engine speeds, fast accelera­
tion or heavy engine loads while the en­ gine is still cold. This could damage the
eng ine .
- Th e engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary engine wear and to
reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up. Be ready to
drive off immediately after starting your
vehicle. Maintain moderate speed until the
engine is completely warm . Remember,
the engine performs best at operating
temperature.
· Stopping the engine
.,. Turn the ignition key to posit ion @
~page 108, fig . 123.
A WARNING
-
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi-
cle has come to a complete stop.

110 On the road
reac hed o per ating temperature -other ­
wise you risk engine damage.
- The eng ine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not allow the engine to warm up with
t he vehicle stationary. Start driving right
away . In th is way you avoid unnecessary
emissions.
@ Tips
If you open the drive r's door when the ig ­
nition is switched o n, a buzze r sounds and
the message
Ignition is on appears i n the
instrument cluster disp lay. Please switch
the ignition off.
Switching engine off with the~
button
App lies to veh icles: wit h Co nvenience key
Fig . 125 Convenience key: ENGINE STOP button
.. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
.. Move the selector lever to the P or N pos i-
t ion.
.. Press the
!STOP ! button c;, fig. 125.
Pressing the ! STOP ! button once switches off
the eng ine and the ignition. If you press t he
!STOPI button again for more than 1 second,
the steering is locked , provided that the selec­
tor lever is in t he P pos it ion
c;, & .
Emergency OFF function
If necessary, the eng ine can be sw itched off
with the selector lever in the R, Dor S posi­
tions . To do so, step on the brake pedal and press and ho
ld the
! STOP ! button (vehicle
speed must be less than 6 mph/ 10 km/h).
.&_ WARNING
-
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi-
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic only
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply mo re force when steeri ng or brak ing.
Since you cannot stee r and stop normal­
ly, t his can lead to acc idents and se rious
. . . in Juries.
- For safety reasons, you sho uld a lways
pa rk your vehicle wit h the selector lever
in P. O therwise, the vehicle could inad­
ver ten tly roll aw ay.
- Afte r the eng ine has been switch ed off,
t he r adi ator fa n can cont in ue to run f or
up to 10 minu tes -even with the igni tion
switched off . It can also switch on again
after some t ime if the coolant tempera ­
ture rises as the resu lt of a heat b uildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays.
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended pe rio d, heat b uilds up in
the engine compartment after the engi ne
i s sw itched off -there is a r isk of damag ing
the e ngine. A llow the engi ne to run a t id le
fo r about 2 minutes before switching it
off .
Driver messages in the instrument
cluster display
Applies to veh icles: w it h Co nvenience key
If a func tion is not present, a driver message
appears.
No key identified
T his message appears when the I STAR T I but-
ton is pr essed if there is no master key ins id e
the vehi cle or if the system does not recogn ize
IJ,-

132 Audi side assist
-The radar sensor's vision can be reduced
or entirely blocked by rain, snow, and
heavy spray . This can result in side assist
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at all.
Always keep an eye on the direction you
are traveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle.
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or
vehicles in your blind spot, only after
your vehicle has reached a driving speed
of at least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- Side assist signal does not work around
tight corners (turning radius less than
328 feet, or 100 m).
- Side assist is no replacement for the driv­
er's full attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar
driving maneuvers. Always keep an eye
on the direction you are traveling and the relevant area around the vehicle.
- To ensure that you do not adversely af­
fect side assist, do not block the area on
the rear bumper where the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
stickers or bicycle racks).
- Make sure that the signal light on the
outside mirror is not blocked by stickers
or other items.
(Di Tips
- Side assist automatically deactivates if it
detects that the radar sensors are
blocked ¢
page 13 7. The indicator light
on the button goes out .
- The area on the bumper where the radar
sensors are located must consistently re­
main free of snow, ice, and heavy soiling
so that side assist can function properly.
Follow the additional notes on
¢page 138.
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow­
ing hitch* or a trailer hitch* that was in­
stalled later according to factory specifi­
cations, side assist is automatically deac- tivated
as soon as the electrical connec­
tion to the trailer electrical socket is made
¢ page 137.
-For vehicles with a trailer hitch that was
not installed according to factory specifi­
cations, switch off the side assist when
towing a trailer .
- Additional tinting on the front side win­
dows can make it harder to see and cor­
rectly understand the signal light on the
outside mirror.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions¢
page 329.
Sensor detection area
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-----··· .... ·--·--
@ / ,
--­
ill b''T -
Fig. 153 Sc hematic illustration: Sensor detectio n area
The detection ¢ fig. 153 of the radar sensor
detection area is made up of:
-
- the approach area (light red area) (D, about
230 feet (70 m) behind the vehicle, and
- the "blind spot" (dark red area) @.
The radar sensors cover the adjacent left and
right lanes. Other lanes are
not covered by the
radar sensors.
(D Tips
Side assist does not measure actual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane
width . Detection in the left and right lanes
is based on this assumed lane width.
When driving on narrow roads or when
driving to the left or right of the center of
a travel lane, it is possible that vehicles
will be detected that are
not in the lane

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"' rl
"' rl
Lane width
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-· Fig. 158 Lan es o f a norma l wid th are in detect ion area
Fig . 159 Narrow lanes: Side ass ist may detect vehicles
two la nes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cov­
e r l anes of standard w idth to the left and
r ight of your travel lane, depending on wheth­
er you dr ive in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge.
I f you drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de­
tec tion a rea may a lso incl ude other lanes -es­
pec ia lly if you tend to d rive on the edge of
your lane
c:::> fig. 159 . Under these cond it ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
l anes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
signals.
When driving in very wide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be ­
cause they are not inside the detection area.
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If s ide ass ist t urns off automa tically, the ind i­
cator l igh t on the button wi ll go ou t and you
Aud i side assist 13 7
will see a message in the instrument cluster
display:
Audi side assist not available: sensors
blocked
T he side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and r ight (not visible on
the outside)
c:!> poge 131, fig . 150. To ensure
that you do not adversely affect the way side
ass ist functions, foreign objects (such as stick­
ers or bicycle racks) should not be attached to
the area on the rear bumper where the sen­
sors a re located . If side ass ist functions are
adverse ly affec ted, you w ill see th is message
in the instrument cluster disp lay . Remove any ­
th ing t hat may be blocking the sensors.
If no vehicle is detected for a longer per iod of
t ime wh ile dr iv ing, s ide ass ist w ill also switch
off automati cally.
Audi side assist cu rrently not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the
vehicle 's battery charge be ing low), side assist
cannot be act ivated temporar ily .
Audi side as sis t: system fault
Have the system checked by an author ized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Audi side assist not available when
towing
The radar sensor's view is limited when tow­ ing a tra iler. For vehicles with a factory instal­
led tow ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to facto ry specifica­
t ions, s ide ass ist is automatically deact ivated
as soon as the ele ctrical connection to the
trailer's e lectrical socke t is made, an d this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus­
ter display. Deactivation cannot be guaran ­
teed when using a ret rofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed according to factory
specifications .