2009 AUDI S8 warning

___________________________________________________ A_u_ d_i_ s_ id_e_ a_ s_s _i_s _t _ __.ffllll
Ap plies to vehicle s: with side assist
General information
Side assist has lim its and cannot detect vehic les under all road and
weather conditions. P lease remember system limitations and
never
rely on the system, especially when:
• driving through curves=>
page 763,
• lanes are of different widths=> page 163. •
Applie s to vehicles: with side ass ist
When dr iving through curves
Side assist cannot detect vehicles in curves with a turning radius of
less than 328 feet (100 m).
When driving through a curve , it is possible that side assist may
register a vehicle two lanes
over, and the signal on the outside
m irror will ligh t up .•
A pplies to vehicle s: with side ass is t
Lane width
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
-
Fi g. 183 Lanes o f a
n orm al w idth are in
d etec tion a rea
Fig . 18 4 Narrow l anes:
Si de ass is t m ay d etec t
v ehicle s tw o la ne s
a w ay
Side assist's detection area is designed to cover lanes of standard
width to the le ft and right o f your trave l lane, depending on whethe r
you drive in the center of your lane or c loser to the edge.
If you drive in narrow lanes, side assist's detection area may also
inc lude other lanes -especially if you tend to dr ive on the edge o f
your lane=> fig . 184. Under these conditions, vehicles can also be
de tected tha t are two lanes away, and s ide assist then could switch
between the informational and warning stage signa ls.
When d riving in
very wide lanes, vehicles in the adjacent lane may
not be detected because they are not inside the detection area. •
Notes
Applies to veh ic les : with s ide ass ist
Messages in instrument cluster display
If side assist turns off automatically, the indicator light on the
button will go out and you will see a message in the instr ument
cluster display:
Audi side a ssist not available : sensors po ssibly blocked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear bumper on the left and
right ( not visible on the outside) =>
page 156, fig. 173 . To ensure that
you do not adversely affect the way side assist functions, foreign .,_
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

• .___A_ u_ d_ i_s_ i_ d _e_ a_ s_ s_is _ t __________________________________________________ _
objects (such as stic kers o r bicyc le rac ks) shou ld no t be attach ed to
th e ar ea on the rea r bump er where t he sen so rs ar e loca ted. I f side
assist functions are adve rsely aff ect ed, you will see this m essage in
th e ins trum ent clu ster dis pla y. Remove an ything that may be
blocking the sensors.
If no veh ic le is detected for a longer period of time while d riving,
s id e ass ist w ill a lso sw itc h off aut omat ica lly.
Audi side assist currently not available
If th ere is a tem porary prob le m (such as the veh ic le 's battery char ge
being low), side ass ist cannot be activated tem porar ily .
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the sys te m chec ked by an a uthorize d A udi dea ler o r qua lified
wor ks h op. •
App lies to veh icles : wi th side ass is t
Safety tips
The side ass is t de tect io n m ay be limi ted whe n driving a round
narrow s treet corners, on hilly streets, and under poor w eat he r
condit ions.
It is possibl e that the r ad ar sen so rs may also d etect oth er obje cts,
such as high or staggered guardrails.
Sid e assis t does no t measure ac tual lane w idth. The sys te m
assu mes a fixed lane widt h. D etect ion in the left and right lanes is
based on thi s assumed lane width . When driving on na rrow roads or
when driv ing to th e left or right of the c enter o f a trav el lane, it is
possible that veh ic les wi ll be detected that are
not in the lane next
to the l ane y ou are us ing .
& WARNING
• Improper reliance on the side assist system can cause colli­
sions and serious personal injury:
& WARNING (continued)
- Never rely only on side assist when changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make sure that it is safe to
change lanes .
• Side assist cannot detect all vehicles under all conditions ­
danger of accident !
• Side assist cannot detect vehicles
in time to alert you when
they approach from behind at very high speed , or fall drop back
very quickly.
• The radar sensor's
vision can be reduced or entirely blocked by
rain , snow , and heavy spray. This can result in side assist not
adequately detecting vehicles or, in some cases, not detecting
them at all . Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle .
• Please note that side assist indicates there are approaching
vehicles , or vehicles in your blind spot , only after your vehicle has
reached a driving speed of at least 19 mph (30 km /h) .
• Side assist signal does not work around tight corners (turning
radius less than 328 feet , or 100
ml.
• Side assist is no replacement for the driver's full attention. The
driver alone is responsible for lane changes and similar driving
maneuvers . Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle .
0 Note
To ensure that s ide assist is not adversely affected , you s hou ld not
block the area on the rea r bumper where the radar sensors a re
l ocated with fo rei gn ob jec ts (such as w ith sti ckers or b icycl e rac ks!. .,,_

_______________________________________________ A_ u_t _o _ m_ a_ t _i_ c_ t_r _a _n _ s_ m __ is_s_ i _o _ n __ !II
T he selector lever must be in Nor P. If one of the driving positions
is engaged a safety switch w ill preven t the eng ine from being
started. See also=>
page 130.
Before you move the selector lever from the P position, you must
a lways apply the brake pedal before and while depressing the
button in the hand le of the se lector lever .
_& WARNING
• Unintended v ehicle movement c an cause serious injury .
- When the selector lever i s in a driving po sition , the vehicle
may creep, even at idle speed . Therefore do not release the
parking brake or foot brake until you are ready to move ,
be cau se power is tran smitted to the wheel s as soon as a
driving po sition i s engaged.
- Do not accelerate while selecting a driving pos ition . At this
time the engine must be at idle speed so that undue stress is
not placed on the clut che s in the t ransmission .
-Remember : - even when stopped briefly with the automatic
transmi ssion in "D" or "R ", engine po wer is being tr ansmitted
to the wheels. Your vehicle could "creep " forward or ba ckward .
When stopped , keep the brake pedal fully depres sed and u se
the parking brake if ne ces sary to keep the vehicle from rolling.
• If the selecto r leve r is unintentionally mo ved into N whi le you
are dr iving, take your foot off the accelerator pedal and wait for
the eng ine to return to idle speed before sele cting a dr iving posi ­
tion .
• Never shift into "R " or "P " when the ve hicle is in motion .
• Never get out of the driver 's seat when the eng ine i s running .
• If you must get out of the vehicle , move the selector lever
s ecurely into the P po sition and apply the park ing brake firmly.
• If the engine must remain running , never have any driving po si­
tion engaged when che cking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in "P" with the
p ark ing br ake firmly set =>
page 301 , "E n gine compart ment ".
Controls and equip ­
ment
& W ARNING (continued )
Otherwise , any in crease in engine speed may set the vehi cle in
motion , even with the parking brake applied. •
Selector lever positions
This section describes the selector lever positi ons and
drivi ng ra nges .
Fig . 18 6 D ispl ay in the
in strument cluste r:
s elec tor lev er in po si­
tion D
The selector leve r posi tion engaged appears next to the selec tor
lever as wel l as in the instrument c luster display . A lso, the current
gear engaged is sh own in positi ons D and S .
P -Park
In this selector leve r pos it ion the transmission is mechanica lly
locked . Engage
P on ly when the vehicle is completely stopped=> &
in "Driving the automatic transm ission" on page 166 .
To shift in or out of position P, you must first press and hold the
brake peda l
and then press the re lease bu tton in t he se lecto r leve r
handle while moving the selector lever to or from
P . You can shift
out of this position only with the ignit ion on.
R -Re ver se
The transmission wi ll au tomatically select the lowest gear ratio
when you shift into reverse .
I • •

• ..__A_ u_ t _o_ m_ a_ t_ i_ c _ t_r _a _n_ s_ m_ is_ s_io _ n ________________________________________________ _
Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop and the engine is
running at idle speed=>
& in "Driving the automatic transmission"
on
page 166.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press both the button in the
handle of the selector lever
and the brake pedal at the same time.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illuminate when the
selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position. Shift to this position
for standing with the brakes applied =>
page 168 .
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the footbrake before and while moving the
lever out of
N.
D -Normal position for driving forward
Position Dis for normal city and highway driving. It ranges from zero
to top speed and all six gears shift automatically, depending on
engine load, driving speed and automatically selected shift
programs.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
D out of N.
In certain circumstances it may be advantageous to temporarily
switch to the manual shift program to manually select gear ratios to
match specific driving conditions=>
page 170.
S -Sport position
Select this position for sportier performance. In this position, the
transmission will not upshift as soon, allowing the vehicle to use the increased power available at higher engine speeds to achieve live ­
lier acceleration.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the lever to
S out of N.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS => & in "Driving the automatic
transmission" on
page 166.
0 Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N and the engine not
running will result in damage to the automatic transmission and
possibly the catalytic converter. •
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Automatic shift lock prevents you from accidentally
shifting into a forward gear or into reverse, thus causing the vehicle to move unintentionally.
Fig. 187 Shift gate
selector lever lock
positions and interlock
button highl ighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
- Turn the ignition on.
Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time press and hold
the lock button on the side of the gear selector knob
=> fig. 187 with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
~

_______________________________________________ A_ u_t _o _ m_ a_ t _i_ c_ t_r _a _n _ s_ m __ is_s_ i _o _ n __ lfflll
Autom ati c selec to r l eve r lock
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N positions when the igni ­
tion is turned on. To move the lever from these positions the driver
must depress the brake pedal. As a reminder to the driver, the
follow ing warning appears in the instrument cluster disp lay when
the selector is in
P and N:
When stationary app ly foot brake while s electing gear
A time delay e lement prevents the selector lever from locking when
it is moved through the
N position (going from R to Dl. The locking
e lement will lock the selector lever if the lever is left in N (Neutral)
for more than approximately 1 second, without the brake peda l
being pressed.
At speeds above about 3 mph (5 km/h) the Automatic Shift Lock is
automatically deactivated in the
N posi tion .
Interl ock button
The lock button on the selector lever prevents the lever from being
accidentally shifted into certain positions. Pressing this button
deactivates the selector leve r lock. Dependi ng on the direction of
the shift, the selector lever locks at different positions. The positions
are highligh ted in the illus trati on =>
page 168, fig . 187.
Igniti on k ey saf ety in te rlo ck
The key canno t be removed from the ignition un less the selector
lever is in the
P park position. When the ignition key is removed, the
selector lever wil l be l ocked in the
P posi tion .•
Kick -down
T he kick-down feature allows the vehicle to genera te
maximum accelera tion.
When you press the acce lerator pedal beyond the resistance point
that is reached at ful l throttle, the transmission wi ll select a lower
gear ratio based on vehic le speed and engine RPM . The engine RPM
wil l be control led to produce maximum vehic le acceleration as long
Controls and equip ­
ment
as you continue to press the acce lerator pedal beyond this resis ­
t ance poin t.
& WARNING
Be careful when u sing the ki ck -down feature on slippery road s.
Rapid acceleration ma y cause the vehicle to skid . •
Dynamic shift program (DSP)
T he aut omatic tr ans mission is electro nically c ontrolle d.
The transmission is se lf adapting and will automaticall y select the
b est shi ft program su ited to the driving conditio ns and driving style.
The transmission will select one of the
e conomy programs when
you drive at a s teady speed or a g radually changing speed without
heavy acceleration. This achieves optimum fuel efficiency, with ear ly
upshifting and delayed downshifting .
The trans mission will au tomatically select the
sporty shift progra ms
when you drive at higher speeds, or with heavy acce leration and
frequent ly cha nging speeds . Upshifts ar e delayed t o make f ull use
of engine power . Downshifting takes place at higher engine speeds
than in t he ec onomy p rograms .
The selection of the most su itable shift program is a continuous,
automatic process . The driver can a lso make the transmission
sw itch to a sporty progra m by
quickly pressing down the gas peda l.
This causes the transmission to shift down to a lower gear to
achiev e rapid acc elerati on, e.g . fo r q uickly pass ing another vehicle .
You do not need to press the gas pedal into the kick-down range.
After the transm ission has upshifted, the original progra m is
selected according to your driving sty le.
An additiona l shift program allows the automatic transmission to
select the proper gear fo r uph ill and downhi ll gradients.
This prevents the transmission from upshifting and downshifting unnecessa rily o n hills . The transm ission wi ll shift down to a lower _,.
I • •

• .___A_ d_v_ a_ n_c_ e_ d_ P _a_r_k _i_ n -=g,_ S-=y"- s_ t_ e_ m __________________________________________ _
-Press the sw itch PJJJ! in the cente r console ~ page 173,
fig . 194 t o activate the A udi pa rking system m anually .
Activation of the acoustic parking system is confirmed by
a brief acknowledgement sound . The indicator lig ht in
the switch lights up.
D ea ctivation
If you drive forwards faster tha n approx. 6 mph (10 km/h),
or
- if you switch the ign ition off, the entire acoustic parking
assist is automatically deactivated, or
- you can press the sw itch
P111! i n the center console
=> page 173, fig. 194 to deact ivate the Audi parking
system. The indicator light in the switch goes out.
You have to turn on the acoustic parking assist m anuall y if you wish
to park the vehicle forwards or if you w ish to approach an obstacle
forwards and want a distance warning .
The range at which the sensors start to measu re is
about:
Front
Rear
W arning ton es side
cen
te r
side
cen ter 3 ft (0
.90 ml
4ft
(1.20 ml
2 ft (0.60 ml
5 .2 ft (1.60 ml
Distance warning is given by chimes which are generated by a
signal generator . The volume and the pitch of the chimes can be
adjusted in the MMI => page
183.
Mute
In the case of vehic les with automa tic transmission, an acoustic
distance warning is discontinued when the transmission selector l
ever is moved to the P position. However, the system remains
active . As soo n as the selector lever is moved from the
P posi tion
and the vehicle approaches an obstacle, the acoustic distance
warning resumes .
Dri ving fo rward/ba ckvv ard
Distance warning when driving forward/backward is based o n
detection of an obstacle in the range of the parking assist . As the
distance dec reases, the time interval between the audible tones
becomes shorter.
When the distance is less than approx . 1 ft (0.30 m), the tone
becomes continuous. At this point you shou ld s top backing up or
driving forward .
If the distance to an obstac le remains the same, the vo lume of the
distance warning is gradually reduced after about
4 seconds (does
not app ly to the zone for the cont inuous tone). If you sta rt to
approach the detected obstacle again, the distance warning will
sound at the normal volume again .
P a rk ing
When you selec t ano ther gear when parki ng (e .g . reverse/forward),
the warning tones are temporarily suppressed, but the visual display remains on the MMI display . If you start approaching a
detected obstacle again, the distance warning wi ll sound at the
normal vo lume again .
Visual disp lay
T he segments on the MMI display indicate a change in the distance
between the vehicle and an obstacle . The number of segments
displayed depends on the obstacles in front of or behind the
vehic le. The c loser the vehic le comes to the obstacle, the closer the
segments approach the vehic le => page
173 , fig. 195. When the
segment before last is disp layed, the veh icle has reached the colli­
sion zone. At this point you should stop backing up or driving
forward =>
&,. ..,.

Advanced Parking Syst em -
---------------=--=--
The image in the visua l display can be switched off on the MMI
display ::::> page
185. The acoustic distance warning remains active.
If you press a function button on the MMI termina l, the visual
display disappears . Manually switching the parking assist on again
via the
p ,y 1 switch shows the visual image on the MM I display aga in.
Further information regarding the MMI terminal is included in the
MMI user's manual.
R ear-view camera (rear view )
The rear-view camera picture::::> page 178, fig. 200 appears on the
MM I display as a mirror image. The rear -view camera picture has
orientation lines and marked s urfaces projected into it as an aid to
the parking process ::::> page
176. The red line in the picture
::::> pag e
176, fig. 196 or ::::, page 176, fig. 197 indicates th e collis ion
area . You shou ld stop backing up, preferably before you reach this
point ::::>
&.
If your vehicle is close to an obstacle, the visual distance display
a lso appears in the picture from the rear -view camera . This superim ­
posed display is intended to help d isplay the relevan t critica l vehicle
area.
I f the visual d isplay is shown on the MMI display and you press the
control button with the Rear view function::::> page
173, fig. 195, the
pictu re from the rear -v iew came ra is displayed.
If the picture from the rear -view camera is s hown a nd you press the
control button w ith the Graphic function ::::, page
178, fig. 200, the
visual display is shown.
T he picture from the rear -view camera can be switched off on the
M MI display ::::, page
185 . The acoustic distance warn ing re mains
active.
I f you press a function button on the MMI te rmina l, the rear-view
camera p icture disappea rs. The rear -v iew came ra picture reappears
the next time you park. But the picture from the rear -view camera
can also be shown aga in on the MM I display by ma nually sw itch ing
off and on with the
P •1A switch . Further information regarding the
MMI terminal is i ncluded in the MM I user's ma nual.
Controls and equip ­
ment
& WARNING
• Sensor s have dead spaces in which obje cts cannot be
detected. Be e spe cially careful to check for small children and
an imals before ba cking up . Small children and animals will not
always be detected by the sensors.
• The Audi parking system is not a substitute for being careful
and alert when backing up. Be e spe cially careful during parking
and similar maneuvers . Always watch where you are dri ving and
make sure that nothing is in the way.
• Remember that low ob sta cles which have already been
s ignaled may pass below the system' s sen sing zone when the
v ehi cle is ba cking up . The fa ct that the signal stops doe s not mean
that you have cleared the obstacle . When the signal stops , impact
is imminent . Obje cts su ch as trailer hit che s, chain s, narrow posts
or fences covered by a thin l ayer of paint may not always be
detected by the sy stem. They can still damage your vehicle
without warning .
• Alway s make sure that the volume and frequency of the chime s
is adjusted so that you can eas ily hear the acoustic distance signal
even if the radio is playing , the air -conditioner blower is on High or
there is a high level of out side noise .
- Check the setting s whenever someone else has dri ven the
vehicle before you.
• Improper relian ce on the Aud i parking sy stem can cau se colli ­
sions and serious per sonal injury .
- Never rely only on parking assi st when ba cking up .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make sure it is safe to back
up .
[ i ] Tips
• The rear -view camera picture is available as soon as the MMI
Disp lay or the MMI is swi tch ed o n, or the start -up phase is
completed.
I • •

__________________________________________ A_ d_v _a_ n ___ c...;.e ...;.d _ P_a_ r_ k_ i_n ..::g :::..- S~y~ s::.. t::.. e::.. m:..:...:.._...J_
& WARNING
• The rear -view camera has blind spots , in whi ch objects cannot
be detected . Be especially careful to check for small children and
animals before ba cking up . S mall children and animals will not
always be detected by the sensors .
• The Audi pa rking system is not a substitute for being careful
and alert when backing up. Be especially careful during parking
and similar maneuvers . Always watch where you are driving and
make sure that nothing is in the way.
• Remember that low obstacles which have already been
signaled may pass below the system's sensing zone when the
vehicle is backing up . The fact that the signal stops does not mean
that you have cleared the obstacle . When the signal stops , impact
is imminent . Objects such as trailer hitches , chains , narrow posts
or fences covered by a thin layer of paint may not always be
detected by the system. They can still damage your vehicle
without warning .
• Always make sure that the volume and frequency of the chimes
is adjusted so that you can easily hear the acoustic distance signal
even if the radio is playing , the air -conditioner blower is on High or
there is a high level of outs ide noise .
- Check the settings whenever someone else has driven the
vehicle before you.
• Improper reliance on the Audi parking system can cause colli ­
sions and serious personal injury .
- Never rely only on parking assist when changing backing up .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make sure it is safe to back
up .
[ i ) Tips
• B efore park ing with the rear -vi ew ca mera , the Adaptive Air
S uspe nsi on s tand ard or automatic m ode mus t be switc h ed on
=>
pa ge 21 .
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment • T
he rear -view camera picture is avai lable as soon as the MMI
Di spl ay or the M MI is swi tch ed on, or the sta rt-up p hase is
completed.
• In order for th e rear-view ca mera to func tion pr operly, the
camera lens=>
page 173, fig . 193 must be k ept clean, and free of
sno w an d ice . Please follo w t he ad dit io nal no tes on=>
pag e 186.
• T he came ra cove rag e angle chang es when the trunk lid is op en.
There fore , th e rear-vi ew came ra picture is dis play ed wit hout o rien ­
ta tion lines and withou t blue surfaces .
• O bserve a nd follow th e notes o n to wi ng m ode on =>
page 183 . •
A pplie s to veh ic les : w it h Adva nce d Park in g Sy ste m w it h re ar view c amera
Rear -view camera coverage area
0
-- ·---.... __ --
Vehicle care I I
®
Fig . 198 Top view :
Re ar-v iew came ra
coverage area
Fig . 199 Side view:
Covered area
G) and
uncovered a rea
© of
the rea r-view camera ...
irechnical data