towing VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 2017 Owner´s Manual

Headlight settings
Towing a trailer can raise the front end of the vehicle enough for the low beams to blind other road users. Use the headlight range adjustment feature to lower the light cones as required. If your vehicle does not have headlight range adjustment, have the headlights adjusted by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. Vehicles with Xenon headlights self-adjust to vehicle load and do not need manual adjustment.
Special towing considerations
x If the trailer has an overrun brake, apply the brakes gently at first and then firmly. This helps to prevent sudden brake shock and helps prevent trailer wheels from locking up.
x Due to the combined towing weight including the higher gross vehicle weight, the stopping distance is longer.
x Before driving downhill, especially on hills that are long or steep, shift into a lower gear so that the engine helps to brake the vehicle. Otherwise, the brake system could overheat and might fail.
x The vehicle's center of gravity and, in turn, the vehicle's handling, will change because of the trailer load and the increased combined towing weight of the vehicle and trailer.
x Weight distribution is especially bad if the towing vehicle is empty and the trailer is loaded. If you absolutely must drive with this combination, drive with extra care and at a reduced speed.
Starting off with a trailer on hills
Depending on how steep the hill is and the combined towing weight, a parked vehicle with trailer can roll backwards when you first start moving.
When starting off with a trailer on a hill:
x Depress and hold the brake pedal.
x Put the transmission in Drive (D).
x Press the G button once to deactivate the electronic parking brake ⇒ page 411, Braking and parking.
x Pull and hold the G button to hold the vehicle and trailer with the electronic parking brake ⇒  Braking and parking.
x At the same time, release the brake pedal and gradually depress the accelerator. Do not release the G button until the engine starts to move the vehicle forward. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, you can also depress and hold the brake pedal for added braking and then let up on the brake pedal when you feel that the vehicle “wants” to move forward.
x Drive ahead slowly.

WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and serious personal injury.
x Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or bulky items changes the way the vehicle han-dles and increases the distance it needs to stop safely.
x Always watch what is happening up ahead and around you. Brake earlier than you would if you were not towing a trailer.
x Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
x Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or wind conditions.
x Drive especially carefully and accelerate gently. Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
x Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
x Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows even the slightest sign of swaying.
x Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
x Always obey speed limits. In some areas speed limits for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without trailers.
Ball mount

Fig. 108 Dimensions of the ball mount support.

Ball mount dimensions
x The drop height (A) from the center of the ball to the center of the hole for the securing pin on the ball mount must be at least 11 /4 inches (32.3 mm) and at most 27 /8 inches (73 mm).
x The pin-to-ball distance (B) from the center of the ball to the center of the hole for the securing pin on the ball mount must be no more than 61 /8 inches (157.3 mm).
x The ball diameter must be no more than 2 inches (51 mm).
Volkswagen recommends that you have an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility install the electrical system and socket.
A ball mount and ball combination that does not meet these specifications can damage your vehicle
and may even fail in use ⇒ .
Never install a “weight distributing” or “load equalizing” trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle is not
designed for this kind of trailer hitch ⇒ .
WARNING
An improperly installed or unsuitable trailer hitch can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and result in a major accident with serious personal injuries.
x Have any trailer hitch retrofit or other work on a trailer hitch done by a qualified workshop.
CAUTION
The ball mount sticks out behind the rear bumper and can cause injury to pedestrians and cyclists.
x To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end collisions, and the risk to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always remove the ball carrier when you are not towing a trailer.
NOTICE
x Never use a ball larger than 2 inches (51 mm) on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed to tow heavier trailers with a receiver larger than the specified ball. The increased loads can damage the attachment points for the trailer hitch.
x Never use an adapter to increase the size of the trailer hitch receiver to more than 2 inches (50.8 mm) to tow a trailer that is heavier than the maximum permissible trailer weight that your vehicle can tow.
x You can use an adapter if required for the proper installation of a bicycle rack or other similar carrier as long as the maximum weight limits are observed. When using bicycle racks or similar carriers make sure that the rear lights are not blocked.
x Only use trailer hitches that are approved by the hitch manufacturer for your vehicle and model.

(E) 21 /16 inches (52 mm)
(F) from 133 /4 inches to 161 /2 inches (350 - 420 mm)
(G) 1315 /16 inches (354.5 mm)
(H) 415 /16 inches (1050 mm)
(I) 467 /16 inches (1180 mm)
WARNING
Improper or incorrect connections to the vehicle electrical system can cause malfunctions that affect the entire vehicle electrical system and cause accidents and serious personal injury.
x Never connect the electrical system of the trailer directly to the electrical connections of the rear lights or other unsuitable power sources. Use only a suitable connector to provide power to the trailer.
x Have any trailer hitch retrofit or other work on a trailer hitch done by a qualified workshop.
WARNING
An improperly installed or unsuitable trailer hitch can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and result in a major accident with serious personal injuries.
Only use trailer hitches that are approved by Volkswagen for your vehicle and model.
Maximum permissible trailer weight

x Avoid high engine speeds, full throttle acceleration and heavy engine loads when the en-gine is cold.
x Do not try to start the engine by pushing or towing the vehicle. Unburned fuel can get into the catalytic converter and damage it. The steering column may also be locked.
Do not let your vehicle warm up while standing; instead, start driving right away after making sure that you have good visibility through all windows. This will help the engine reach operating tempera-ture faster and keep down emissions.
If the battery in the remote control vehicle key is weak or dead, the engine cannot be started with the starter button. In this case, remove the starter button from the ignition switch and insert the remote control vehicle key into the ignition switch to start the vehicle.
Major consumers of electricity are temporarily switched off when the engine is being started.
After starting a cold engine, there may be increased operating noises for a few seconds. This is normal and harmless.
Stopping the engine

Defensive driving and “flowing” with traffic
Frequent braking and acceleration increases fuel consumption significantly. Just by driving defensively and keeping a sufficiently large distance away from the vehicle in front of you can make up for the speed fluctuations caused by taking your foot off the accelerator. Active braking and accelerating is then not necessarily required.
Calm and smooth driving
Consistency is more important than speed. The more smoothly you drive, the less fuel the vehicle consumes.
When driving on the highway or freeway, a constant, moderate speed is more efficient and economical than constantly accelerating and braking. Usually you can reach your destination just as quickly by driving at a moderate, but steady speed.
The cruise control system can assist in maintaining a uniform driving style.
Moderate use of extra electrical loads
Comfort inside the vehicle is nice and important, but it is important to use them in an environmentally conscious manner.
Some devices can increase fuel consumption when activated (examples):
x Climate control system (air conditioner): If the climate control system has to produce starkly con-trasting temperatures, it requires a large amount of energy, which is generated by the engine. The temperature in the vehicle should therefore not be extremely different from that of the outside tempera-ture. It may be helpful to ventilate the vehicle before driving and then to drive a short distance with the windows open. After that, switch on the air conditioner with the windows closed. Keep the windows closed when driving at high speeds. Open windows increase fuel consumption.
x Switch off seat heating once it has served its purpose.
x Switch off the windshield and rear window defroster as soon as the windows are free of fog and ice.
Additional factors that increase fuel consumption (examples):
x Malfunctioning engine control.
x Driving in the mountains.
x Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Never let the vehicle coast or roll down a hill in Neutral (N), especially when the engine is not running. The transmission will not be lubricated and will be damaged.
See additional tips on using your hybrid drive to help reduce fuel consumption.

Vehicles with oversize loads
Under certain circumstances vehicles carrying oversize loads or loads that exceed the vehicle dimen-sions, like flat-bed trailer trucks, can't be recognized correctly by the ACC. Switch off ACC when driving behind such vehicles.
Other vehicles changing lanes
Vehicles that change into your lane within a short distance can only be detected by the radar sensor
once they are within sensor range ⇒ fig. 278 (C). The result is a delayed reaction by the Adaptive Cruise Control.
Stationary vehicles
If a vehicle detected by Adaptive Cruise Control turns or changes lanes and there is a stationary vehicle in front of that vehicle, the system will not react to the stationary vehicle (D).
Narrow vehicles
Narrow vehicles, such as motorcycles traveling ahead, are often detected late or not at all under some circumstances.
Oncoming vehicles
ACC does not detect oncoming vehicles on your lane.
Metal objects on the road
Metal objects on the road, such as tracks, can cause irritations for the ACC due to falsely reflected radar signals and therefore lead to unwanted reactions of the system, such as abrupt braking maneu-vers.
Radar sensor impaired by rain and dirt
If the radar sensor function is impaired by heavy rain, spray, snow or mud, Adaptive Cruise Control switches off temporarily. ACC not available. No sensor view! appears in the instrument cluster display.
When Adaptive Cruise Control is reactivated after this message is displayed, it functions like a “stand-ard” cruise control system. It maintains the set speed but it does not regulate the distance to the vehicle ahead.
Overheated brakes
Adaptive Cruise Control may switch off temporarily if the brakes overheat significantly, for example from braking maneuvers or driving down steep slopes. ACC not available appears in the instru-ment cluster display. Adaptive Cruise Control cannot be activated.
Adaptive Cruise Control can be activated again once the temperature of the brakes decreases suffi-ciently. The message ACC not available in the instrument cluster switches off.
If the message ACC not available does not switch off, there is a malfunction. Contact your au-thorized Volkswagen dealer.
Trailer towing
When towing a trailer, ACC and the Forward Collision Warning system (Front Assist) may work only with limited functionality.
Text messages in the instrument cluster display

Text message Meaning

Function key: Actions
Automatic activation of mini-OPS : If the check box in the function key is
checked =, the small screen OPS display is automatically switched on
when you slowly approach an obstacle. To switch off this feature, tap Au-
tomatic activation of mini-OPS . After deactivation, there will not be any
warning when you approach an obstacle.
Reset settings : Resets all settings to the factory settings.

When towing a trailer
On vehicles with a factory-installed trailer hitch and an electrically connected trailer, a corresponding graphic is displayed on the screen. Distance values behind the vehicles will not be displayed.
Muting the Park Distance Control volume
You can mute the PDC beeping signals by tapping the  function key on the Radio or Navigation system screen. Tap the function key again to reactivate the acoustic signals.
Muting is cancelled by switching Park Distance Control back on after it was switched off. The warning messages cannot be switched off.
If the display has been switched off manually and PDC remains active, the mute setting is also can-celled.
Switching Park Distance Control back on after it was switched off reactivates the volume. System malfunction warning signals cannot be switched off.
WARNING
Never rely completely on the OPS for information about people and objects that might be in the way of the vehicle and could be struck by the vehicle causing serious personal injury.
x The OPS sensors have blind spots where they cannot detect persons or objects.
x Never pay so much attention to the OPS and the graphics shown on the screen that you fail to notice what is going on around you.
x Always watch for people, especially small children and animals, because the sensors may not always be able to detect them.
NOTICE
Automatic activation of OPS when approaching an obstacle works only when your speed falls below a threshold of about 5 - 10 mph (10 - 15 km/h). If you then close the display, you must either switch the ignition off and back on or exceed the speed threshold and then reduce speed to under the threshold a second time in order for it to activate automatically again.
Volkswagen recommends practice parking with Park Distance Control and the Optical Parking System on a parking lot or other place where there is little traffic to get used to how the system works.

Description Possible causes
among others Possible remedy
Fuel consumption
higher than indi-
cated.
– Short hauls.
– “Jumpy accelerator
pedal”.
– Avoid traveling short dis-
tances
– Drive defensively.
– Accelerate smoothly.
Electrical loads
switched on.
Switch off unnecessary
loads.
Engine control mal-
functioning.
Have the malfunction cor-
rected.
Tire pressure too low. Adjust tire pressure
Driving in the moun-
tains.
No direct corrective action
possible.
Towing a trailer or roof
rack.
– Check use.
– Remove if not in use.
Driving with heavy
payload.
No direct corrective action
possible.
Driving at high engine
speed. Select a higher gear.

Checklist
Carry out the following steps in the order listed before starting to inflate a tire ⇒ :
1. If you have a flat tire, move it as far away from traffic as possible. Park the vehicle on a flat, level surface at a safe spot.
2. Apply the electronic parking brake
3. Automatic transmission: Shift the transmission into Park (P).
4. Stop the engine and remove the key from the ignition switch
5. Have all passengers exit and go to a safe place, such as behind the guard rail.
6. Switch on emergency flashers and put up the warning triangle. Observe all legal requirements.
7. Check whether a repair with the tire mobility set is possible
8. If towing a trailer: Unhitch the trailer from the vehicle and park the trailer properly.
9. If the luggage compartment is loaded: Remove the luggage.
10. Remove the tire mobility set from the luggage compartment.
11. Affix the label ⇒ fig. 343 (2) from the tire mobility set on the dashboard in the driver's field of vision.
12. The foreign object (screw or nail, for example) should not be removed from the tire!
WARNING
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may lead to accidents and serious injuries.
x Always review and follow the checklist. Follow accepted safety practices and use common sense.
Sealing and inflating the tire

Fig. 344 In the engine compartment: Compressor connection terminals.