towing AUDI S3 2015 Owners Manual

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 126
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 130
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
R eport ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Why safety bel ts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belt p re tens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 1 42
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
I mpor tan t th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 1 44
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 170
C hi ld safety seats ............ .... . 176
Install ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 18 1
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
fo r ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
A ddit io nal Informa tion 184
188
Driver messages
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Smart Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
I nforma tion abo ut data reco rded by
ve hicl e cont ro l mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Electron ic stabilization control (ESC) 189
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electromechanical steering . . . . . . . . . 193
All whee l drive (quatt ro) . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Not ice about data recorded by the
E vent Data Reco rder and ve hicle
con tro l mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Table of contents 3
Driving and the environment
197
T he first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Driving through wate r on roads . . . . . 198
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Plac ing you r vehicle ou t of service . . . 199
Operate yo ur v ehicl e economically and
min imi ze poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Dr iving wit h a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
T rai le r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Operating instructions . . . . . . . . 205
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Gener al infor mation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 206
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . 210
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
F uel tank . ... .. .... . ... ...... ... . 212
Se lective cata lytic reduction . . . . . . . . 215
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
B rake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
W indsh ie ld washer conta iner 232
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
T ire pressu re mo nitor ing syste m 2 64
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 2 67
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
L uggage compartment lid emergency
r elease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Eq uipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
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4 Table of contents
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
27 6
Elect rical fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 280
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Starting by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 280
Starting with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . 280
Using jump start cables . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Eme rgency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Lift ing vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Vehicle ident ifica tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
D imensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Diese l eng ine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 289
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
M aintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Addit ional accesso ries, modifica tions
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 1
D eclaration o f Compliance,
Te lecommunication and E lectronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

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Switchin g th e ig nition on /off or
p rewar ming
~ To switch the ignition on, turn the ignition
key to position
(D .
~ To switch the ignition off, turn the ignition
key to position @.
Diese l vehicles are preheated while the igni­
tion is switched on
II .
Starting th e engin e
Your veh icle is eq uipped with launch cont ro l.
As soon as you have turned the ignition key to position @, the engine will start automatical­
l y.
~ Press the brake peda l and move the se lector
lever to the P or N position.
~ Turn the key briefly to position @. The igni ­
tion key automatically returns to position
(D . Do not press the accelerator peda l when
do ing this.
Major electrical equipment switches off tem­
porarily when starting the engine.
It is poss ible that t here will be a slight delay
when starting the engine in diese l vehicles in
colder temperatures . Therefore , you must
ho ld the brake pedal down unti l the engine
starts . The indicator light turns on while the
engine is preheating
II .
The prewarming time depends on the coolant
temperature and outside temperature. The
glow plug indicator light
II wi ll only turn on
for approximately 1 second when the eng ine
is warm or the outside temperature is higher
than 8
°C. T hat means you can start the en­
g ine
immediately .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
the starting procedure by turn ing the ignition
key to pos ition @and repeat after 30 sec­
onds .
Automatic star t m alfunction
If the ~ (gasoline engine) or II (diesel en­
g ine) indicator light turns on and the message
E ngin e sta rt system m alfunction . P le ase Dri
vin g 75
cont act Se rv ice
appears, there is an automatic
start malfunction.
T o start the engine, hold the ign it ion key in
pos ition @unt il the engine r uns.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
- Never a llow the engine to run in confined
spaces - there is a risk of asphyxiation .
- Never remove the ignit ion key from the
ignition loo k while the vehicle is moving .
Otherwise the steering lock will engage
and you will not be able to steer the vehi­
cle.
- Please note that the b rake booster and
power steering only work when the en­
gine is running. When the engine off, you must use more force to steer or brake
the vehicle. Because the usual steer ing
and brak ing capability is not ava ilable,
the risk of accidents or injur ies increases .
- Always take the vehicle key with you when leav ing the vehicle, even for a
short pe riod of time. This applies part ic­
ularly when children remain in the veh i­
cle. Otherwise the chi ldren could start
the engine or operate electrical equip ­
ment such as power w indows.
(D Note
- Avo id h igh engine speed, full th rottle,
and heavy eng ine load as long as the en­
gine has not reached operat ing tempera ­
t u re yet . You could damage the engine.
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing.
@) For the sake of the environment
Do no t let the eng ine run w hile pa rked to
warm up. Begin dr iv ing immediately. This
reduces unnecessary emissions.
•

78 Driving
must use more force to steer or brake
the vehicle. Because the usual steering
and braking capability is not available,
the risk of accidents or injuries increases .
- Avoid high engine speed, full throttle,
and heavy engine load as long as the en­
gine has not reached operating tempera­
ture yet. You could damage the engine .
- The engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run while parked to
warm up. Begin driving immediately. This
reduces unnecessary emissions.
{D) Tips
- After starting a cold engine, there may
be a brief period of increased noise be­
cause the oil pressure must first build up in the hydraulic valve adjusters. This is
normal and not a cause for concern .
- If the . indicator light blinks in the in­
strument cluster before switching the ig ­
nition off, the ignition will not switch on
again.
9 page 193
- If you leave your vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certain amount of time. Make
sure that electrical equipment such as
the exterior lights are switched off.
Turning the engine off using the button
Applies to vehicles: with conven ience key
• Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
• Move the selector lever into the P position .
• Press the
I START ENGIN E STOPI button
9page 77, fig. 71 .
Steering lockll
The steering locks when you turn the engine
off using the
I START E NGIN E STOP t* button,
l) Thi s fun ction is not available in all c oun tries.
move the selector lever into the P position
and open the driver's door.
The locked steering helps prevent vehicle
theft .
Emergency off function
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can al­
so be turned off while driving at speeds lower
than 6 mph (10 km/h). If you press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OPI* button while driving,
the message
Pressing start/stop button
again will switch off engine!
appears. To
switch the engine off, press the
I S TAR T ENGINE ST OPI* button twice in a row
briefly or press and hold for longer than two
seconds.
A WARNING ~
- Never turn off the engine before the ve- hicle has come to a complete stop . The
full function of the brake booster and the
power steering is not guaranteed . You
must use more force to turn or brake if
necessary. Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usually would, this could
lead to crashes and serious injuries.
- Please note that the brake booster and
power steering only work when the en­
gine is running. When the engine off, you
must use more force to steer or brake
the vehicle. Because the usual steering
and braking capability is not available,
the risk of accidents or injuries increases.
- Always take the vehicle key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even for a
short period of time. This applies partic­
ularly when children remain in the vehi­
cle . Otherwise the children could start
the engine or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power windows.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehi­
cle with the selector lever in the P posi­
tion. Otherwise, there is the risk that the
vehicle could roll.

112 Automatic tran smi ssio n
Stopp ing /p ark ing
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. In vehicles with a convenience key*,
the following message appears:
Sh ift to P,
othe rwise veh icle c an roll a way. Door s do not
lock if le ver is not in P.
You will also hear a
warn ing tone.
"' Press and ho ld the brake pedal¢.&_ .
"' Set the parking brake.
"'Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
St opp ing on an incline
• Always press the brake pedal to hold the ve ­
hicle in p lace and prevent it from "rolling
back"
¢ .&_ . Do n ot try to prevent the vehi­
cle from "roll ing back" when a gear is en­
gaged by increasing the eng ine speed
¢ (D.
Starting on an inclin e in vehicl es w it h out
Hill Hold *
"'Set the parking brake.
"' With the driving gear selected, press the ac­
celerator pedal carefully . The parking brake
will release automat ically if your safety belt
is fastened.
St arting on an incline i n vehicle s with Hill
Hold*
"' With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the ac­ cele rato r pedal ¢
page 82, Hill hold.
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving
in the mountains or towing a tra iler), it may
be usefu l to sw itch temporarily to the manual
shift p rogram in order to adjust the gears to
the dr iving condit ions by hand
¢ page 114.
When parking on a level surface, simply place
the selector lever in the P pos ition. On in­
clines , activate the parking bra ke first and
then move the selector lever to the P pos it ion
¢ page 80 . This prevents the locking mecha­
nism from being loaded too heavi ly and will
make it easier to move the selector lever out
of the P position.
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even when the en­
g ine is switched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead
to serious injuries .
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
set the parking brake and move these­
lector lever to the P position .
- Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "c reeping", you
must keep you r foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector lever is in the D, Sor R position or "tip­
tronic" mode is selected . -
-Do not inadvertently press the accelera­
tor peda l when the vehicle is stationary.
Otherwise the vehicle wi ll start to move
immediate ly, even if the parking brake is
set. Th is could result in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level positions while dr iv ing. It could cause a
crash .
- Before driving down a steep slope, re­
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill . Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking pe rformance, increases
b rak ing distan ce or causes complete fa il­
ure of the brake system.
- I f you must stop on an in cl ine, always
hold the vehicle i n place with the foot
brake or park ing brake to p revent it from
rolling back .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto ­
matica lly when it becomes too hot from

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the overload. The ml indicator light
turns on and a message appears
Q page 115 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
-If the engine must run while you are
working in the eng ine compartment with
the hood open, make sure a gear is not engaged . T he selecto r leve r must be
firmly in the P pos ition and locked in
pla ce and t he pa rking brake must be set
Qpage217. Otherwise, the veh icle
cou ld beg in moving when the eng ine
speed is high, even with the parking
brake set.
W Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l w hile a dr iving gear
i s selected. This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Set the parking b rake or press the
brake pedal to p revent the veh icle from
ro lling .
- Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
i n the N position will damage the auto­
matic transmission beca use it is not lu­
b ricated unde r tho se c ircumstances.
- The t ransm ission can overheat and be
damaged under certa in d riving and traf­
fi c condition s suc h as frequent s tarts ,
creeping for a long time , or s top-and-go
traff ic. W hen the
ml or . indicator
light turns on, stop the vehicle at the
next oppo rtunity and let the t ransmis ­
s ion coo l
Qpage 115.
-Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped w ill damage the S tron ic
transmission because it is not lubricated
Q page 282 , Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake re­
leases automatically only when the driver's
door is closed and dr iver 's safety belt is
fastened.
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 113
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th 5 tronic tra nsmi ssio n
Hill descent control assists the driver when
driving down hills .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
l ector lever is in the D or S position and you
press the brake peda l. The transmission auto ­
matically selects a gear that is suitable for the
i ncl ine. Hill descent cont ro l t ries to ma inta in
t h e speed ac hieved a t the t ime of b raking,
within physic al and tec hnical lim it a tions. If
may sti ll be ne cessa ry to adju st the speed
with t he b rakes . Because hi ll descent control
cannot sh ift down farthe r than 3rd gear, it
may be necessary to sh ift into t iptronic mode
in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st
o r 2nd gear in tiptro nic mode to use the en­
gine's brak ing force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the hi ll
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise contro l system*
Q page 83, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set .
A WARNING
-
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a co nsta nt speed unde r all
conditions . A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes .
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Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
u nobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot sli p out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
ized Audi Dealer .
F loor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Fl oor mats used in your vehicle must be a t­
tached to these fasteners. Properly securing
the floor mats will p revent them from slid ing
into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can resu lt
in a loss of veh icle control and increase the
risk of serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the veh icle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering w ith
the pedals or the ability to control t he
vehicle .
- Never place o r insta ll floor mats or other
floo r coverings on top of already insta l­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings wi ll reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
peda ls.
-Always proper ly reinstall and secure f loor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwe ll wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal caus ing a loss of veh icle
control.
Dri ving sa fety 13 1
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
AIL luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com ­
partment.
Fig . 116 Safe load pos it ion ing: pla ce heavy ob jects as
low and as far fo rward as poss ible .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can a lso increase
the risk of serious persona l injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a col lis ion.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compa rtment .
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as possible .
.. Secure luggage using the tie -downs p rov id­
ed
~ page 64.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the veh icle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident . To help reduce the risk
of ser ious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compa rtment using the t ie-down hoo ks
a nd sui tab le strap s.

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>

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"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 ..,.
•
•
•

204 Trailer towing
different weight distribution. Safety, perform ­
ance and economy wi ll greatly depend on how
carefu lly you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in a n area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have become comp letely fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d iff icult and requires practice.
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steering action opposite to that when back ing
up your veh icle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
h icle 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 yo u cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as you normally would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
p lenty of room for your tra iler before chang­
ing lanes aga in.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler dur ing the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the ext ra load
¢ page 289.
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:
Wh en park ing:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels. ..
With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unti l the whee l chocks absorb the
load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re starting afte r park ing :
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Select the D/S se lector lever position.
.. Release the parking brake and s lowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto­
matic transmission to P befo re applying
the pa rking brake and before bloc king the
whee ls, you may h ave to use more force
la ter to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion .