- Fig. 1 Luggage compartment: Knob for releasing towing bracket
- Fig. 2 Rear bumper: Engaging towing bracket and opening socket
- Fig. 3 Area below rear bumper: Removing bumper cover
Applies to Audi Q3s: with towing bracket
Special care is required when extending and retracting the towing bracket.
Extending towing bracket
Apply the parking brake.
Open the boot lid.
Fold down the left-hand side trim in the luggage compartment.
Pull out the knob -1- in the direction indicated (arrow) Fig. 1 WARNING!. The towing bracket is released and swivels downwards. The LED -2- will change from green to a flashing red light.
Swivel the towing bracket -3- by hand further in the direction indicated (arrow) until you hear and feel it engage Fig. 2. The LED will light up in green.
Before hitching up a trailer, pull off the dust cap -4- and stow it away in the Audi Q3.
Connect the cable for the trailer to the socket -5-.
When you hitch a trailer up to your Audi Q3, hook the safety cable into the eye -6- on the towing bracket.
When you switch on the ignition, make sure the message Check towing bracket! and the warning lamp 
do not appear.
do not appear.Retracting towing bracket
After unhitching a trailer, press the dust cap -4- back on.
Pull out the knob -1- in the direction indicated (arrow). The towing bracket is released and swivels downwards. The LED -2- will change from green to a flashing red light.
Swivel the towing bracket under the bumper as far as possible by hand until you hear and feel it engage WARNING!. The LED will light up in green.
If necessary, insert the bumper cover Fig. 3 with the retaining tabs first and turn both fasteners 90° until the bumper cover engages securely.
When you switch on the ignition, make sure the message Check towing bracket! and the warning lamp do not appear.
do not appear.- Make sure that no people, animals or objects of any kind are in the path of the towing bracket.
- If the LED is flashing red, or the indicator lamp or the message Check towing bracket! appear, you must not operate the towing bracket as this could potentially result in an accident. Extend or retract it again. Please contact a qualified workshop in the event of a technical fault.
- Never attempt to interfere with the movement of the towing bracket, for example with tools, while it is swivelling. This can cause damage to the towing bracket, in which case the trailer can no longer be towed safely.
- Do NOT operate the release knob when there is a load on the towing bracket.
Caution!
Do NOT hold a high-pressure cleaner directly at the seal of the towing bracket or the socket. This may cause damage to the seal, which can lead to moisture entering and causing rust and other damage to the system.
Note
- The eye -6- on the towing bracket is intended only for securing the safety cable of the trailer.
- The swivel mechanism of the towing bracket is filled with a lubricant. If you have not used the towing bracket for a relatively long time or have used it constantly without retracting or extending it, the swivelling movement may be stiff because the lubricant is no longer distributed evenly, or the towing bracket may no longer swivel downwards automatically when the handle is operated. In this case we recommend that you extend and retract the towing bracket several times or loosen it by jogging it up and down repeatedly.
- It is advisable to retract the towing bracket when you are not towing a trailer.