tow VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 2017 Owner´s Manual

The trailer is connected to the anti-theft alarm (if equipped):
x When the vehicle has a factory installed anti-theft alarm and a factory installed trailer hitch.
x When the trailer is not equipped with LED taillights.
x When the trailer is electrically connected to the towing vehicle via the trailer socket.
x When the vehicle and trailer electric systems are functional, fault-free and undamaged.
x When the vehicle is locked with the remote control vehicle key and the anti-theft alarm is active.
When the vehicle is locked, the alarm will be triggered as soon as the electrical connection to the trailer is interrupted.
Always switch off the anti-theft alarm when a trailer is being hitched or unhitched. The tilt sensor could otherwise trigger an alarm unnecessarily.
WARNING
Improper connections to the vehicle electrical system can cause malfunctions that affect the entire vehicle electrical system, which can lead to accidents and serious personal injury.
x Have any work on the electrical system done by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or au-thorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
x Never connect the electrical system for the trailer directly to the electrical connections for the rear lights or to any other unsuitable power sources. Use only a suitable connector to provide power to the trailer.
NOTICE
Never attach a trailer to the vehicle or leave it attached to the vehicle when the trailer is sup-ported by a trailer jack or blocks. Various things (such as a change in trailer or vehicle load or a flat tire) can lower or raise the vehicle. This subjects the trailer hitch and the trailer to strong forces that can damage the vehicle or the trailer.
Any problems with the vehicle's electrical system when attached to a trailer should be checked by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
If the engine is switched off and accessories in the trailer are on and use electricity from the vehicle, the vehicle battery will be drained as long as the electrical systems of the vehicle and the trailer are connected.
For technical reasons, trailers with LED taillights cannot be integrated into the anti-theft alarm system.
Loading the trailer

The trailer load and tongue weight on the type identification plate for the trailer hitch are only test values. The vehicle-specific figures are often lower than these values. In some countries, but generally not in the United States, the vehicle-specific figures are listed in the official vehicle documents. Speci-fications in official vehicle documents always take precedence.
To help ensure optimum handling and driving safety, Volkswagen recommends always using the maximum permissible tongue weight. If the tongue weight is too low, the vehicle and trailer will not handle as well.
Tongue weight increases the load on the rear axle and, in turn, reduces the remaining load your
vehicle can carry ⇒  Determining the correct load limit.
Combined towing weight
Combined towing weight is the weight of the loaded towing vehicle plus the weight of the loaded trailer.
This vehicle has not been designed to tow a Class III trailer and must never be retrofitted to tow a Class III trailer. Always make sure that your vehicle has been designed to tow the trailer you want to use and that is legal to tow the trailer where you will be driving.
Loading the trailer
The weight distribution in the vehicle and trailer must be balanced. Use the maximum permissible tongue weight and make sure that the load in the trailer is evenly distributed and that it is not front-heavy or tail-heavy:
x Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy objects are directly above the axle or as close as possible to the axle.
x Secure loads properly on the trailer.
Tire pressure
Always follow the trailer manufacturer's tire pressure recommendations for the trailer tires.
When towing, inflate the towing vehicle's tires to the maximum permissible pressure listed on the tire
pressure label ⇒  Tires and wheels.
WARNING
Exceeding the gross weight ratings for axle, tongue, vehicle, trailer or combined weight can cause accidents and serious personal injury.
x Never exceed the specified values.
x Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat-ings. Never let the combined front and rear weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
WARNING
Trailer loads that are not properly secured can shift when the vehicle is moving or braking and suddenly change the way the vehicle handles, causing accidents and severe injuries.
x Always load the trailer properly.
x Always secure the load properly with suitable, undamaged straps that can be tightened so that the load cannot shift.
Driving with a trailer

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

WARNING
Never let a passenger, especially a child, ride on the center armrest. Improper seating posi-tion can increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
There may be a 12 Volt-socket, a MEDIA-IN multimedia jack, or an AUX-IN-jack in the front center armrest stowage compartment.
x The MEDIA-IN multimedia jack lets you connect external devices to the Infotainment System ⇒  MEDIA-IN multimedia jack.
Storage compartment in the rear center console

Fig. 122 In the rear center console: Storage compartment.

Function key: Type of destination selection
( Last destinations : Select a destination from the list of recent destina-
tions for which route guidance was started
) Favorites : Select the destination from the list of destinations stored as
favorite destinations
* Directory : Select the destination from the list of manually stored desti-
nations

Address: selecting a destination address

Fig. 170 Selecting addresses.

Fig. 171 Country and town selected: Narrowing down the address.

For further functions in the Address entry menu and if a destination is already displayed
Selecting destination parameters for the destination address
A new destination address must always be selected in the displayed sequence, first the country, then the town, etc. A “town” can be a small village or a zip code area.
The individual destination parameters (country, town, etc.) are selected using input windows
x Press the Country function key and select the desired country.
x Press the City/zip function key and select the town or zip code.
Once a town has been selected, it is already possible to start route guidance to the town center
⇒ fig. 171.
The destination address can be narrowed down further by entering a street and, following that, a house number or intersection.
x Press the Enter/show destination on map function key to select the destination in the map view When narrowing down the destination address, please note that every entry restricts the available range of subsequent selections. For instance, if the street you are looking for is not in the zip code area you have selected in a previous window, you will not be able to find the street at the street selec-tion stage.
Finishing destination input
x Press the Start route guidance function key to start route guidance to the entered destination
x OR: Press the Store in directory function key to store the destination in the destination memory
Address entry menu

Fig. 172 Navigation main menu with destination.

In vicinity of destination9: Area around last destination.
Along the route10: Along the calculated route.
In a new city : Select country and town as center of search area.
Nationwide : Whole of country you are currently driving in.
x Press to select search area ⇒ fig. 174.
x Then press to select the desired point of interest category ⇒ fig. 176.
x Some point of interest categories contain further sub-categories that are revealed upon pressing.
The points of interest found in the search area for the selected point of interest category are displayed in a list
Select point of interest from list and show in detailed view
The nearest points of interest are displayed at the top of the list of points of interest that have been found.
If the immediate vicinity has been selected as the search area, additional distance and direction details will be displayed -.
The distances and directions initially refer to the route as the crow flies. The arrow - is shown “not filled in”.
In the background, the Infotainment System starts to calculate the route to the nearest points of inter-est in the list. Points of interest for which a possible route has been calculated are displayed with a “filled in” arrow. In this case, the actual distance to be driven is displayed.
The selection of points of interest can be narrowed down further by entering a name
x Touching a point of interest in the list shows the point of interest in the detailed view ⇒ fig. 175.
Selection options in the detailed view
'11: Opens a list where you can select other points of interest with the same address.
,: Stores the points of interest in the destination memory
.: Shows the point of interest on the map.
Start : Starts route guidance to the point of interest.
12: Makes a call to a displayed telephone number.
9 Only if a destination has already been set. 10 Can only be selected during route guidance. 11 Only displayed when several points of interest with the same address can be selected. 12 Only active or displayed when a telephone number is included in the point of interest information and a
mobile phone or a SIM card is connected to the Infotainment System ⇒ page 360.