Q7 towing a travel trailer
#11
01-03-2018, 02:45 PM
elec brake
My brake controller is a Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Control. It works excellent. To wire it into my vehicle I bought a VW Touareg Plug and Play Trailer Brake Controller wiring harness, Item ID: 282443666380 on eBay. That made it plug and play instead of trying to adapt to the obscure Audi harness plug.
#12
08-19-2019, 11:17 AM
Advice please
Yes, get a diesel.
My suggestion is to head to the dealer and buy the trailer hitch plug. It is a travesty that we purchase a $70,000 vehicle with tow package but then need to pay $60 for an adapter that should have been installed from the factory. However, it is a plug and play system. Just to the left of the trailer hitch is a black plate with 4 screws. Take the screws out and plug in the factory to 7 pin plug and screw it in. From there, you can easily wire a brake controller. The wires are all pre-installed and there is a four pin plug in the driver's foot well. I did a write up on how to do this on a Touareg here. It is the same as the Q7.
The wireless brake controller has had some issues. Some people like them, but many have had issues over time. I much prefer the safety of a wired system. I have the Prodigy P3, and I I swap it between the Q7 and the Touareg. It takes about 2 minutes to swap, at it is plug and play basically. Follow my easy instructions or PM me if you have problems.
Do you have steel suspension or air? The Weight Distribution (WD) is different from the anti-sway bar. If you have steel suspension (like I do) you should use the WD hitch with sway bar. If you have air, just use the anti-sway. You will not regret it if you plan on towing for more than an hour. Ensure your ball is adjusted correctly so the trailer is level, or just slightly forward low. I have learned the hard way, that most hitch installers/trailer sales don't REALLY know how to set your rig up. Do your own homework...like reading these forums!
The car does know there is a trailer behind you and adjust accordingly. When you connect the trailer wires to the back of the Q, ensure the ignition is off. Then you start the car, it runs a test and recognizes the connection of the trailer and will even tell you what of the trailer lights aren't working. It will also not give you the back up sensor alarm when backing up. One of the slickest differences is it immediately downshifts when you hit the brakes to give extra engine braking, unless it senses the brake controller functioning.
If you plan on towing for long distances, I would suggest a stage 1 tune. There are many out there, but I have been happiest with APR or Malone. The extra torque goes a LONG way. I've set my cruise at 80 with my 26 foot Travel trailer weighing almost 7,000 pounds and there was not one downshift as I drove across South Dakota, and I flew up the mountains in Montana.
Chris
My suggestion is to head to the dealer and buy the trailer hitch plug. It is a travesty that we purchase a $70,000 vehicle with tow package but then need to pay $60 for an adapter that should have been installed from the factory. However, it is a plug and play system. Just to the left of the trailer hitch is a black plate with 4 screws. Take the screws out and plug in the factory to 7 pin plug and screw it in. From there, you can easily wire a brake controller. The wires are all pre-installed and there is a four pin plug in the driver's foot well. I did a write up on how to do this on a Touareg here. It is the same as the Q7.
The wireless brake controller has had some issues. Some people like them, but many have had issues over time. I much prefer the safety of a wired system. I have the Prodigy P3, and I I swap it between the Q7 and the Touareg. It takes about 2 minutes to swap, at it is plug and play basically. Follow my easy instructions or PM me if you have problems.
Do you have steel suspension or air? The Weight Distribution (WD) is different from the anti-sway bar. If you have steel suspension (like I do) you should use the WD hitch with sway bar. If you have air, just use the anti-sway. You will not regret it if you plan on towing for more than an hour. Ensure your ball is adjusted correctly so the trailer is level, or just slightly forward low. I have learned the hard way, that most hitch installers/trailer sales don't REALLY know how to set your rig up. Do your own homework...like reading these forums!
The car does know there is a trailer behind you and adjust accordingly. When you connect the trailer wires to the back of the Q, ensure the ignition is off. Then you start the car, it runs a test and recognizes the connection of the trailer and will even tell you what of the trailer lights aren't working. It will also not give you the back up sensor alarm when backing up. One of the slickest differences is it immediately downshifts when you hit the brakes to give extra engine braking, unless it senses the brake controller functioning.
If you plan on towing for long distances, I would suggest a stage 1 tune. There are many out there, but I have been happiest with APR or Malone. The extra torque goes a LONG way. I've set my cruise at 80 with my 26 foot Travel trailer weighing almost 7,000 pounds and there was not one downshift as I drove across South Dakota, and I flew up the mountains in Montana.
Chris
could you point me in the right direction of brake controller and install and also if I should upgrade my suspension
I’ll be pulling a 5800 pound travel trailer two axel
and was looking at the wd hitch adapter and a Malone tune as well
any advice would be great!!!
#13
08-19-2019, 02:06 PM
Tow With TDI
I got the Malone tune and works incredibly well. Gets better mileage than the Audi "fix" and has more power. We pull about 5,000 travel trailer with ease. It launches on to the freeway and doesn't slow down on hill climbs unless they are extreme, like the I-70 grade up to the Eisenhower tunnel at high altitude. I use the Tekonsha P3 controller which works great. You can get a plug and play wiring harness on eBay from lugnutscalhoun, VW Touareg Plug and Play Trailer Brake Control Harness Audi Q7 Porsche Cayenne.
#15
08-19-2019, 07:04 PM
I just did stage 1, software only. Stage 2 starts to replace mechanical items and Malone did not think it was really necessary on that 3.0 TDI. Its an awesome engine to start with.
Pete
Pete
#17
08-20-2019, 08:15 AM
Yes it improved my mileage. Before the "fix" I got 30-32 mpg on the highway. After the fix it fell off about 3 mpg. After the Malone tune it went back up but the most valuable improvement was more power and more aggressive engine. So mileage isn't a cost justification but the improved power definitively was. Towing mileage didn't change much but acceleration and responsiveness of the vehicle was improved while towing (~5,000 lbs camping trailer for me). I don't understand why Audi would not have made the engine perform like this from the beginning.
Be forewarned Audi may not cover a repair claim under warranty if you tune the engine to improve it. Happened to me with a DEF injector replacement which should have been covered under the EPA or DOT mandated emissions warranty. Had nothing to do with the tune but it gives them an out to not cover it.
Be forewarned Audi may not cover a repair claim under warranty if you tune the engine to improve it. Happened to me with a DEF injector replacement which should have been covered under the EPA or DOT mandated emissions warranty. Had nothing to do with the tune but it gives them an out to not cover it.
Last edited by peter2015Q7; 08-20-2019 at 08:19 AM.
#18
02-06-2020, 04:34 PM
Q7 towing
I have a 2015 AUDI vorsprung TDI I intend using it for towing up to a 21ft travel trailer I have bought the VW hitch ball assembly a brake controller and adaptor cable but have not been able to locate the under dash cable I even asked the dealer to have a look for it he took the lower section of the drivers side dash off but couldnt find it! My car has the factory hitch and plug for the lights etc, has anyone any idea where else the harness could be? Thanks for any comments.
#19
02-16-2020, 01:00 PM
Never tow a trailer that is longer and as heavy as the tow vehicle without a weight distributing hitch. It is dangerous. Not sure why the Audi manual says not to use that type of hitch. I have been towing travel trailers for many years with several different types of vehicles and wouldn't even think about not using a weight distributing hitch.