Trouble Pairing the Tekonsha RF Trailer Brake Controller with an Audi Q7

Question:

I have not been able to pair my Prodigy RF from an Audi Q7. I have now paired it with another vehicle and it works in the Q7 but sometimes the pairing is lost. Does this occur when the power supply to the RF unit mounted on the trailer is disconnected? Is it possible for the units to remain paired after both the hand held and the RF on trailer are disconnected from power such that I need to use another vehicle to pair the units every time they are disconnected from a power source? This will not be practical for me.

asked by: Rob M

Expert Reply:

Pairing problems are not uncommon with any wireless device and the Prodigy RF, # TK94FR, is no exception. At various points in the installation procedure the instructions will tell you that you should see something specific on the display. However sometimes the specific display does not show up. This is where most people stop and start all over. What you should do is keep going on to the next step. My contacts at Tekonsha have stated that for some reason what the instructions say should be displayed do not always show up and to keep going through the steps anyway.

The other possible issue is that the German made Audi does not like RF. On many European vehicles, in order to use the RF you have to use a special adapter in the 7-Way, # 20142, or # C57003 so it will all work together. There is a bulb out sensor on these vehicles that does not allow the RF to pair properly. This is also probably why pairing is lost even if you do it with another vehicle first. The sensor thinks nothing is connected which interrupts the good pairing.

The only other possibility is that the signal is having a hard time getting through the Audi but I find this to be unlikely since it works at distances up to 300 feet and uses an RF signal to communicate.

expert reply by: Michael H