Towing a trailer
135
Headlights
The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with
increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when there
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights. Alter
are unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions, particularly near accident black
the setting as necessary with the aid of the headlight beam adjuster page 48.
spots.
Detachable ball head
You must always reduce your speed immediately as soon as you detect even just the
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device. It is
slightest swaying of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from
stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the
“swaying” by accelerating.
luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a trailer brake, apply the
Further information on the towing device page 136.
brakes gently at first and then brake firmly. This will avoid brake jolts resulting from the
trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good time before negotiating a downhill
section to allow the engine to also act as a brake.
Note
We recommend that you also have your vehicle inspected between service inter-
Engine overheating
vals if you tow a trailer frequently.
Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a
The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and decou-
lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engine speed when the outside temperature is
pling the trailer.
very high page 16.
If the needle of the coolant temperature gauge moves into the right-hand area or even
Driving Tips
the red area of the scale, reduce your speed immediately. Stop and switch off the
engine if the warning light in the instrument cluster begins flashing. Wait a few
Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.
minutes and check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle page 153,
– Do not, as far as possible, drive with your vehicle unladen and the trailer laden.
“Inspecting the coolant level”.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in particular to
Please refer to the following guidelines page 28, “Coolant temperature/coolant
downhill sections.
level ”.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
The coolant temperature can be reduced by switching on the heating.
– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside temperature is high.
Any increase in the cooling effect of the coolant fan through shifting down a gear and
increasing the engine speed is not possible since the fan speed is independent of the
Distribution of weight
engine speed. One should also not drop a gear for this reason when towing a trailer as
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trailer is
long as the engine can manage the slope without any drop in speed.
laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this combina-
tion.
Driving speed
Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for countries
in which higher speeds are allowed.
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