check engine light AUDI S3 2015 Owners Manual

12 Instrum ent s and indicator lamp s
Fuel level
The display@ Q page 10, fig. 3 only works
when the ignition is sw itched on . When the
d isplay has reached the reserve mark, the bot­
tom LED wi ll turn red and the
tD indicator
light turns on
Q page 24 . The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The on -board computer shows the range
based on the fuel leve l
Q page 2 8, On-board
computer display.
F or the tank capac ity in yo ur vehicle , refer to
the Tec hnical Data
Q page 288.
CJ) Note
Never d rive until the tank is completely
empty. The irregular supp ly of fuel that re­
sults from that can cause the engine to
misfire. Uncombusted f uel will then enter
the exha ust system. This can cause over­
heating and damage to the catalytic con­
verter .
Coolant temperature indicator
In vehicles without a coolant temperature in­
d icator , an indicator l ight . will turn on
when the coolant temperature is too h igh
Q page 20. Refer to Q Q) .
The coolant temperature ind icator @
c::> page 10, fig . 3 only works when the ignition
is switched on . T o prevent engine damage, ob­
serve the fo llow ing notes about the tempe ra­
ture ranges.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the engine has not reached operat ing
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
fu ll acce le rat ing and heavy engine loads.
Norm al range
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving condi­
tions. The L EDs higher up may turn on if the
engine is under heavy load or the o uts ide tern- perature is h
igh. This is not a cause for con­
cern as long as th e . indicator light in the
display does not turn on.
Hot range
If the L EDs in the upper area of the disp lay
and the. indicator light in the instrument
cluster disp lay t urn on , the coo lant tempera ­
ture is too high
c::> page 20.
A WARNING
I-
- Always observe the warn ing in
c::> page 217, before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the eng ine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coo lant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourse lf . Let the engine
coo l off f irst unti l yo u can no longe r see
or hea r steam or coolan t escap ing.
Q) Note
- In vehicles w ith a boost pressure indica­
to r*, this indicator replaces the tempe ra­
t ur e display. To promote a long engine
service life, avoiding h igh engine speeds,
full acceleration and he avy eng ine lo ads
during approximately the first 15 m i­
nutes when the engine is co ld is recom ­
mended. The amount of time until the
eng ine is warm depends on the outside
temperat ure. Check the engine oil tem­
perature* if necessary.
c::> page 32
- Add itiona l head lights and other compo­
nents in front of the air intake impairs
the cooling effect of t he coolant. This in­
creases the risk of the engine overheat­
ing during high outs ide temperatures
and heavy eng ine load.
- T he front spoiler also he lps to d istr ibute
cooling ai r correctly wh ile driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the coo ling effect
w ill be imp aired and the risk of the en­
gine overhea ting will increase . See an au­
thorized Audi dealer or autho rized Audi
Service Facility for assistance . ...,

M N
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M ..,., ......
-If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
when the vehicle is stationary or after
switching the ignition on,
check if you can
release the parking brake . If you cannot re­
lease the parking brake, see your authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty. If you can release the parking brake and
the message still appears, see an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty immediately to have the malfunction cor­
rected.
- If the indicator light and message appear
while driving, the hill start assist or emer­
gency braking function may be malfunction­
ing.
It may not be possible to set the park­
ing brake or release it once it has been set.
Do not park your vehicle on hills and see an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
(USA models): If the. and&] indicator
lights turn on together, take your vehicle to an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the brake
pads inspected c;, page 22 .
There is also a warning tone when the lights
turn on.
A WARNING
-
-Follow the warnings on c::;, page 217,
Working in the engine compartment
be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
brake fluid level.
-If the brake system indicator light does
not turn off or it turns on while driving,
the brake fluid level in the reservoir is
too low, and this increases the risk of an
accident. Stop the vehicle and do not
continue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
for assistance.
-If the brake system indicator light turns
on together with the ABS and ESC indica­
tor lights, the ABS/ESC regulating func­
tion may be malfunctioning. Functions
that stabilize the vehicle are no longer
available . This could cause the rear of the
vehicle to swerve, which increases the
Instruments and indicator lamps 19
risk that the vehicle will slide. Drive care­
fully to the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility and have the malfunction corrected.
PARK /C®)/¢5, Electromechanical parking
brake
If the . (USA models) /. (Canada models)
indicator light turns on, the parking brake was
set.
• (USA models) I. (Canada models) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
When the indicator light blinks and this mes ­
sage appears, there is not enough braking
power to keep the vehicle from rolling. The
brakes have overheated. The vehicle could roll
away even on a small incline .
• (USA models) I. (Canada models)
Please press brake pedal to release parking
brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake pedal and press the~ button at the same
time, or start driving with hill start assist
c::;, page 82, Starting from a stop.
Ill Parking brake!
There is a parking brake malfunction. Drive to
an authori zed Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
Iii Parking brake: limited functionality!
There is a parking brake malfunction. Drive to
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
ll:1;1:tl:j;J:134 (USA models) I mil (Canada mod­
els) Please release parking brake
Release the parking brake if this message ap­
pears.
ll,1;1:tl:j;(;134 (USA models) / mil (Canada mod­
els) Parking brake auto release unavailable
If this message appears, press the brake pedal
first and then release the parking brake .
IJJ,,
•

20 Instruments and indicator lamps
ltJ;):t :1;034 ( USA model s) / ml (Canada mod­
els) Caution : Vehicle parked too steep
When t he i nd ic ator light blinks and th is mes­
sage appears, t here is no t eno ugh braking
power to keep the ve hicl e from rolling . The
b rakes have overheate d. The vehicle cou ld roll
away even on a small incline .
ltJ;)i:j;lJ34 ( USA model s) / ml (Canada mod­
els) Parking brake is applied
I f t his message appea rs, press t he b rake pedal
fi rst and then re lease the par king brake if nec­
essa ry.
@ Tips
F or addit ional info rmation on the pa rk ing
brak e, refer t o¢
page 80.
...L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant lev­
el!
T he coolant leve l is too low or the coolant
temper ature is too high .
D o not cont inue d riving and swi tc h the eng ine
o ff. C hec k the coolant leve l¢
page 225 .
-If the coolant leve l is too low, add coolant
<=> page 226 . O nly con tinue driv ing o nce the
indicator light turns off.
- If the coolant leve l is correct, the problem
may be ca used by a ma lf u nction in the radia­
tor fan . D o not cont inue driv ing . See an au­
t h o rized Aud i dea le r or a uth o riz ed Aud i
Se rv ic e Fa cili ty for ass ist ance.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
Let the eng ine run at id le for a few minutes to
coo l down .
A WARNING
- Never op en the hood if you ca n se e or
h ear st ea m or coo la nt escaping from the
eng ine com pa rtm ent. This in cre ases t he
r isk of burn s. Wai t unti l you no longe r
see o r hear steam o r cool ant esca ping.
-
'
- The engine compa rtment in any vehicle
can be a dangerous area. Stop the engine
a nd allow it to cool befo re working in the
e ng ine compartment. A lways foll ow the
info rmation found in
~ page 217, Work ­
ing in th e engin e compartm ent.
(D Note
Do n ot cont inue dr iv ing if the . indicato r
lig ht tur ns on -this inc reases the r isk o f
engine damage.
"1::::7: Engine oil pressure
• Switch off engine! Oil pres sure too low
St op t he engine and do not cont inue drivi ng.
Check the eng ine oi l level
r=> page 223 .
- If the engine o il level is too low, add eng ine
oil
r=> page 221. Only co nti nu e driving once
the indicator light turns off.
- If the engine o il level is co rrect and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the eng ine off
and do not cont inue driv ing . See an author­
ized Aud i deale r or au tho rized Aud i Service
Facili ty for ass ista nce.
(i) Tips
The oil pressu re war ning is not an oi l level
i ndica to r. For th is reason, c hec k t he o il lev­
e l reg ularly .
' 0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault: battery is not being
charged
The re is a malfunction in the alternator or th e
vehicle e lectr ica l system .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately . Be ­
ca use the v ehicl e batte ry is drain ing , turn off
all unnecessa ry el ectrical eq uipm ent such as
t h e M MI. See yo ur aut ho rized Aud i de aler o r a
qualifie d repa ir fa cili ty if the b attery ch arge
l evel is too low .
(•) low battery charge: Battery will be
charged while driving

M N
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-If the warning light EiJ or the warning
light
11111 ) w ith the message B ra ke
pads !
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Aud i dealer or qualified work­
shop to have a ll brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
· ~ Hill hold
Hill h old ass is t: un availabl e
If the II indicator l ight turns on and this
message appears, hill hold is not available.
II Manu al control!
If this message appears, press the brake ped ­
al.
Continue dr iving with the help of the parking
brake .
¢ page 80
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
If the [ID indicator light turns on there is a
malfunct ion in the engine control.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
qua lified repai r facility to have the engine
checked.
If the ~ indicato r ligh t turns on when you
start the engine, there is a mal func tion in the
l aunch cont ro l. To start the engine, follow
these steps:
- Vehicles with a mechanical ignition
¢ page 75, Automatic start malfunction
-Vehicles with a conven ience key
¢ page 77, Automatic start malfunction .
W Engine control (diesel engine)
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The engine is prewarming if the II indicato r
light turns on when the ignition is switched
on.
M
~ 1) - : USA mod els only
In strum ent s an d indicator lamp s 23
If the indicator light blinks while d riving,
there is a ma lfunction in the engine control.
D rive slowly to an authorized Aud i dea ler or
a uthorized Aud i Service Fac ility to have the
malfunction corrected.
If the II ind icator light turns on when you
star t the eng ine, the re is an automa tic start
malfunction . T o start the eng ine , fo llow these
steps: Vehicles with a mechanical ignition
¢ page 75, vehicles with a convenience key
¢ page 77.
a System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (MIL) is part of the
On Board Diagnostic system (OBD II). The
II symbol turns o n when the ignition is
switched on and turns off again once the en­ gine is started and run ning at a steady id le
speed . This indicates that the M IL is function­
ing correct ly.
The ind icator light turns on if there is a mal­
functio n in the eng ine e lectronics. See an au­
tho rized Audi dea le r or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facili ty to have the malf unc tion corrected.
The system indicator light (MIL) may turn on i f the fue l filler cap is not closed co rrectly
¢ page 212.
For additional information, refer to
¢ page 30 .
®-~ Diesel particulate filter
Applies to veh icles: w ith diese l engine and d iese l particu­
late filter
• Particulate filter: s ystem fault! See own­
er's manual
The diese l particu late filter requires regenera­
tion. To assist the filter self-cleaning process:
Drive for approximately lS minutes at
40 mph (60 km/h) or above in the S selector
lever position. Keep the engine speed around
2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that
will result from this can burn off the soot in .,. •

24 Instruments and indicator lamps
the filter. The indicator light will turn off
when the cleaning has completed successful­
ly.
If the indicator light does
not turn off, drive
immediately to an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility to have the
malfunction corrected .
.&_ WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driv ing recommendations .
(D Tips
For additional information on the diese l
particulate f ilter, refer to¢
page 199.
!?i Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles: with engine speed limitation
Ill Max. engine speed: XXXX rpm
-
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­
heating .
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the c ritical tempera­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor pedal.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the
Di indi­
cator light also turns on. Make sure the en­
g ine speed does not go above the speed dis ­
played, for example when downsh ifting . Drive
to an authorized Audi dealer or author ized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
~"' Engine oil level (min.)
l!I Check oil level
You may continue driving for the time being.
Check the oil level as soon as possible
¢page 221.
-If the engine oi l level is too low, add engine
oil
¢ page 223.
-If the engine oi l level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, drive at low engine
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualif ied repair facility .
~w, Engine oil sensor
• Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oi l level has
failed. Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
authori zed Aud i Service Facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
• Oil level sens.: oil change necessary.
Please contact Service
T he eng ine oi l level is too high.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Fac ility imm ediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Bl Tank system
D Please refuel
If the indicator light turns first turns on and
t his message appears, the tan k contains the
following amount of fuel:
- Front wheel dr ive : approximately 1.8 gal­
lons (7 liters)
- All wheel dr ive : approximately 2.2 gallons
(8 .5 liters)
II] Please refuel immediately
If the indicator light turns on the message ap­
pears, the fuel tank is almost empty. Refuel
the vehicle immed iate ly.
D Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact
Service
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs:
- there is a malfunction in the fuel tank sys­
tem, or
- in vehicles with diesel engines, water may
have collected in the fuel fi lter.

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ,....,
moment after re leasi ng the b rake peda l. Dur­
i n g this time, you can easily be gin to move
your veh icle.
A WARNING
- The intelligent technology of Hill Hold
cannot overcome the lim itations im­
posed by natural phys ica l laws . The in­
c reased comfort offered by Hill Hold
sho uld not cause you to ta ke safety risks .
- Hill Hold cannot hold the veh icle in all
hill start situat ions (for examp le, if the
ground is slippery or icy).
- If you do not begin movi ng immediately
after releasing the b rake pedal, the vehi­
cl e could begin to roll backwa rd under
c ertai n circumst ances. Press the bra ke
peda l or set the par king b rake immed i­
ately .
-If the engine "sta lls", p ress the brake
peda l or set the par king b rake immedi ­
ately .
- Star ting on in cli nes in s top-and-go traf­
fic: To hel p prevent the vehicle from roll ­
ing back when starting, press and hold
the brake pedal for several seconds when
the vehicle is stationary.
@ Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is equipped
wit h Hill Hold by check ing at an authorized
Aud i dea le r or q ualified repa ir facility.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed.
-
The speed warning system warns you if you
are exceeding the max imum speed that you
h ave set . Yo u will hea r a warn ing tone when
your speed exceeds the stored va lue by ap­
p rox imately 3 mph (3 km/ h). The . (USA
models)/ . (Canad a mo dels) indicator l igh t
and the message
Speed limit e xceeded! ap­
pear in the instr ument cluster disp lay at the
same time. The./. indicator light turns
Drivin g 83
off when the speed dec reases be low the stor ­
ed maximum speed .
Setting a t hreshold is recommended if you
would like to be rem inded when you reach a
ce rtain maxim um speed. S ituations whe re you
may want to do so incl ude driving in a co untry
with a genera l speed limit o r if the re is a
specified maximum speed for winter tires .
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system,
you should a lways monitor your speed us­
i ng the speedometer and make sure yo u
are follow ing the lega l speed limit .
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold
in the MMI.
.,.. Select: the
I MENU I button > Car > Systems*
cont ro l button > Driver assistance > Speed
warning .
You can set any threshold between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h) . Settings
can each be adj usted in increments of 6 mph
(10 km/h).
Cruise control system
Description
Applies to veh icles: w ith c ruise control system
The cru ise con trol system makes it poss ib le to
drive at a cons tant speed start ing at 15 mph
(20 km/h).
T he speed is kept const ant by modifying en­
gine powe r or throug h an ac tive brake inte r­
vention .
.&_ WARNING
-Always pay attention to the t raffic
around you when the cruise contro l is in
operation. You are always responsible for
your speed and the distance between
your veh icle and other vehicles .
llll-
•

....,
N
ci > co
rl I.O
"' ....,
"' rl
position longer than approximately 2 seconds
when the brake pedal is not pressed.
Interlock button
The interlock button in the selector lever han­
dle prevents you from moving the selector
l eve r inadvertently while in some selecto r lev­
er positions. The positions that require the in­
terlock button to be pressed are marked in
color in the illustration
c::;, fig. 97.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition
after switching the ignition off if the se lector
lever is in the P position. The selector lever
will be locked in the P position as long as the
key is not in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::;, &. in
Selector lever positions on page 109.
{D) Tips
- If the selector lever does not engage,
there is a malfunction. The engine is dis­
abled to prevent the vehicle from driving
off unintentionally . Press the brake pedal
briefly to allow the selector lever lock to
engage again.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or
i n reverse even though a drive position is
se lected, proceed as follows:
- > If the veh icle does not move in the de­
sired direction, the system may not have
engaged the dr ive position correctly.
Press the brake pedal and select the
drive position again.
- >If the vehicle still does not move in the
desired direction, there is a system mal­
function. See an authorized Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance to have the system checked.
Autom atic transm ission 111
Driving tips
Applies to veh icles: w it h S tronic transm iss ion
T he transmission shifts up and down auto­
matically when in the driving gears.
Fig. 98 Section of the center co nsole: Selector lever
w ith interlock b utto n
The engine will only be able start when these­
lector lever is in the P or N positions. At low
temperatures (below 14 °F (-10 °C)), the en ­
gine can only be started when the selector
lever is in the P position.
Starting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and hold the interlock button in the
selector lever handle, select the desired se ­
lector lever position such as D
c::;, page 109
and re lease the lock button.
.,. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts . Yo u will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages.
... Release the brake peda l and press the accel ­
erator pedal
c::;, .&_ .
Stopping temporarily
.,. Keep the vehicle stationary using the brak­
ing pedal, for example at traffic lights.
.,. Do not press the accelerator peda l when do­
ing this.
.,. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c::;, .&_ .
.,. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal. Requ irement:
The driver's safety belt must fastened and
the driver's door must be closed.
IJll,,

200 Driving and the environment
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerati ng. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, accelerate less. let the vehicle coast
whenever poss ible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well be low your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
gine noise increase disproportionately at hig h
speeds . If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never dr ive faster
tha n the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
.. Sh ut the engine off when you are not dr iving
the vehicle.
.. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
It is efficient to switc h off the engine when
stopped at railroad crossings and long red
lights. Turning the engine off for just 30-40
seconds saves mo re fuel than is burned by
start ing the eng in e again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
d rive away as soon as you sta rt the eng ine and
avoid ru nning a t high RPM wh ile the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine i dling unattended af­
ter start ing. If wa rning lights sho uld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat , w hich could result in over­
hea ting o r othe r damage to the veh icle or
othe r property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
.. Have your ve hicle serviced at regu lar inter-
vals.
Having your veh icle regu larly serviced by an
authorized Aud i dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ica lly. The cond it io n
of your veh icle not on ly affects its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, i t also affects
fuel
c onsumption .
Check your oil each t ime you fill your tank.
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
l oad and speed.
It is normal for the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven .
You m ust drive your ve hicle abou t 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion .
T his also ap plies to fue l consumption and en ­
gine o utp ut.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta in ed properly
and i n acco rdance with the service rec­
ommendations in you r W arranty
& Main­
t enance boo klet. l ack of proper ma inte ­
nance as well as im proper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion cont ro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.

202 Trailer towing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, always fo llow the operating
and drivi ng i nstr uctions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and mu st be
mounted secure ly on the ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
h itch with a removab le ball mount. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch manu fac tur er to
make sure tha t you are using t he cor rect
hitch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way t hat
it does not interfe re with t he impact-absorb­
ing bumper syst em . No mod ifications should
be made to the vehi cle exhaust and brake sys ­
tems . From time to time, check th at a ll hit ch
mo unt ing bo lts remain secure ly fastened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount. This prevents the
hi tch from causing d amage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ A .
Trailer brakes
If you r tra ile r is eq uipped w ith a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r egulat ions . T
he trailer hyd raulic brake system mus t not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r li ghts must meet all regulations. Be
su re to c hec k w ith your Audi dea le r fo r cor rect
wiring, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regular o utside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mirro rs . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rea r.
,8. WARNING
-
Afte r removing t he trailer hit ch, d o no t
s tore it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
br aking, t he h itch cou ld fly forward an d in­
j ur e you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r weight
A trai le r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typi cal
class 1 or class 2 trai le r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the load in the t ra ile r is held secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
backw ard or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instru ctions on page 203.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system 's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make su re that the coo ling system has enough
fl uid .
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under
ll>

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ,....,
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer t ires to tra iler and t ire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, p lease note the following:
~ Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
~ Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles.
~ Observe speed limits .
~ Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
~ Always apply brakes early.
~ Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults 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 poss ible and permiss i­
ble, wh ile keeping the trailer as light as poss i­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi-
Trailer towing 203
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
T he higher the speed, the mo re difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissib le speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce veh icle 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 trai lers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhi ll, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge <=> page 12
must be observed carefu lly. The coolant tem ­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to .<=>
page 20.
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
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
a trailer because of the additional weight and ..,.
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