176 Trailer towing
Always app ly bra kes early . When driving
downhill, shift into lower gear to use the en-
gine braking effect to slow down the vehicle.
Use of the brakes alone can cause them to
overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re-
duce speed immed iate ly and/or switch
off the
air cond itioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing
J_ , pull
off the road, stop and let the engine idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov-
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not prope rly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Audi.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle handles different ly when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
weight distribution . Safety, performance and
economy will greatly depend on how carefu lly
you load your trai ler and ope rate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
have comp letely become fam iliar with the way
your vehicle-trai ler comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requ ires
steer ing act ion opposite of that when backing
up your veh icle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your ve-
hicle and t he one in fro nt of you. You will need
mo re room to stop.
To compensate for the trailer, you will need a
larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac-
celerate as fas t as you norma lly would be-
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang -
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a t railer during the break -in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re-
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 2 59.
Parking on a slope
Do not park with a trailer on a slope . If it can-
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol-
lowing:
When parking:
.,. Apply t he foot brake.
.. Have someone place chocks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unti l wheel blocks absorb t he load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Place an automat ic transm ission in
P, re-
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear .
When restarting after parking:
.. Start the engine.
.. Shift transm ission into gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel blocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
blocks .
Ill-
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