Hi All. I literally signed up to ask this question. Glad I was able to find an active thread on the topic. We have been towing a 2800 pound TT with our 2016 Honda Odyssey and tomorrow take delivery of a 2017 Certified Q7 Prestige, with towing package and air suspension.

I am bringing the prodigy P2 brake controller with me from the Odyssey. For the Odyssey I had to have it wired at the TT dealer. Since the Q7 is pre-wired Im hoping to avoid that.

I have two questions.

1. Whats the best way to attach the P2 in a plug in play fashion? Ive seen links to custom harnesses on Ebay but looking for first hand opinions.
2. What OEM part do I need to buy in order to add a 7-pin connector? Is this a proper wired 7pin for electric brakes and not just an "adapter"? Is this user or dealer installed?

TIA!

 

Just did this with my 2012 q7 last week. You need two things. First is the brake controller and controller wiring harness. There is a 4 pin connector under the lower dash panel of the Audi. The panel is held in place by two screws. I looked at the Tekonsha brake controllers but could not find a plug and play wiring harness, so I went with the Curt that was recommended by my dealer. Plugged one end of the harness into the connector under the dash and the other into the controller. Done. There is a harness for the Tekonsha but it has loose wires on the car side and you would have to splice them in. Maybe different for newer Audi’s.
next is the 7 pin adapter for the trailer plug. The part you need is the . If you look to the left of the hitch receiver on the back of the Audi there should be a plastic plate held in place with 4 screws. Remove the 4 screws and you will find that this is a plug place it the Audi 7 pin female socket. You replace the plug with the OEM 7 way socket and screw it back in place. Now your Audi can accept the trailer 7 pin connector.

 

Perfect thanks!

 

I bought a 7-pin adapter and plugged it in. I haven’t tried hooking up a trailer yet, but when I use a meter to test I am not seeing the switching signals. Just a constant 1.2VDC from ground to signal wires.
has anyone else encountered this? Will the lights work when hooked up to a trailer?
i have read some comments and people mention having to have the dealer flash the brain, is that necessary?

 

It may require more current draw than a test light. I watched a hitch professional struggle with this issue and finally discovered the previously mentioned issue. Everything worked when hitched to the trailer.

 

thanks a lot for the suggestion. I plugged it into my trailer and it works perfectly. I’m just used to old school and having a 12V signal regardless of load.
now I’m off to buy a brake controller and the wiring adapter.
I have read many of your comments in this thread and you have been a tremendous help to many. Thanks again!

 

What is everyone using as towing mirrors?
The cheap generic clip on mirror extensions vibrate so much.
Has anyone found something they love??

 

Having junked three previous clip on types, I Purchased a set of McKesh mirrors 10 years ago and found they worked very well. They are easy to mount, don’t vibrate And are adjustable with respect to the length of extension. I advise you to purchase the optional add-on convex mirrors which are great when turning sharp corners or backing into tight spots. A popular ,more current model mirror, is one which has adjustable rod clipped onto the Plastic housing surrounding the mirror. Many people like them but others find that they vibrate too much. I personally stay away from them because I have seen people destroy their expensive tow vehicle mirrors because of these attached rods. Many of these mirrors have cameras built into them and cost about $1400 replace.

 

I hooked my TT up to the 7 pin connector for the first time today after installing it into the "tow package" harness. And NO LIGHTS. At fist I thought it was because I bought the generic 7-pin instead of the $80 dollar OEM one. I went inside to start googling and told my wife and when I looked out they were working. Do they take a minute to "boot up" or "initialize"?

 

Agree with the previous speaker. From what I know, in places like this, I mean, deserts, natural reserves, remote beaches and else, where you can't take a publish bus or taxi, jeeps are essential. Or quad bikes at least. When I was on a Jeep tour in Skye we also used jeeps and moved everywhere like that. As you can imagine, no double-decker bus would make it to the isolated beach.