2012 AUDI A5 COUPE mirror

118 Audi side assist
The signal can light up i f you are passed by a
vehicle or if yo u are passing another vehicle.
If you p ass another vehicle slowly (difference
in speed less than 9 mp h, or 15 km/h), the
signal light will come on as soon as the other
ve hicle is in your blind spot and is detected by
side assist . When the difference in speed is
greater, the signa l light will not come on.
Informational and alert stage signals
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assist has two s ignal stages:
- the informationa l stage signal, and
- the a le rt stage signa l.
Side assist helps you by using the appropriate
signal s tage, depending on whethe r or not
you have activated the turn signal, and thus
have indicated that you are or are not chang­
ing lanes.
Informational stage signal
As long as you have not activated the turn sig­
nal, side assist informs you of detec ted vehi ­
cles that are registered as being in a notable
l ocation if you were to change lanes. Whenev ­
er the detected vehicle's difference in speed
and distance is registered by side assist as no­
table, the signal light on the respective m irror
produces muted illum ination.
The brightness of the informational stage sig­
na l is designed not to be as intense, so that it
does not interfere with your view of the road
when you are driving and have no intention of
changing lanes . When you look in the outside
mirror, you can clearly see the informat ional
stage signa l.
Alert stage signal
When you activate the turn signal, and side
assist has detected a vehicle in a notable loca­
tion on that part icular side, the signal light on
this side mirror flashes bright ly . The repeated
brief and b right flashing of the alert stage
signal reminds you to carefully check traffic to
the rea r in the outside mirror and over you r shou
lder, so that you can safely complete the
lane change
Q .&. in Safety tips on page 122.
(D Tips
The brightness of the s ignal light on the
outside mirrors can be adjusted with the
MMI* ¢page 121.
Driving situation: Fast approaching
vehicles
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Fig . 134 Side assist: Fast approac hing veh icles
(!) Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
No vehicle was dete cted by the sensors. The
s ignal on the outside mirror does not light up
~ .&. in Safety tips on page 122.
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A fast approach ing vehicle - in the left-hand
l ane fo r example - was detected by the sen­
sors. Although th is vehicle is still fa r away, it
shou ld be taken into account if you were to
change lanes, due to the considerable differ­
ence in speed. The informationa l stage signal
on the outside mirror lights up ¢
page 118. ..,.

@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signa l briefly f lashes repeated­
ly. Side assist is a lerting yo u to a vehicle that
you may not have noticed.
@ Tips
- The faster a vehicle approaches from the
rear, the sooner the signa l on the outside
mirror lights up. Side assist will signa l,
at the latest, when a detected vehicle en­
ters your "blind spot".
- When vehicles approach very quickly,
changing lanes can be dangerous even if
the signal on the outside mirror does not
light up.
Driving situation: Slowly approaching
vehicles
A ppl ies to vehicles : wit h side ass is t
®
F ig . 135 Side assist: Slowly approac hing veh icles and
veh icles in you r b lin d spo t
@Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
A vehicle approaching slowly -in the left-hand
lane for examp le -was detected by the sen­
sors. Because of the small difference in speed
and the considerab le distance from your vehi-
Audi side assist 119
cle, the signal on the outside mirror wi ll not
light up~.&
in Safety tips on page 122.
@ Informational stage signal lights up
The distance between your ve hicle and that of
the slowly approaching vehicle has narrowed.
T he informational stage signal on the outside
mirror lights up.
As soon as the difference in speed and dis­
tance is registered as notable if you were to
change lanes, a signal on the m irror lights up.
Side assist will signal at the latest when a de­
tected vehicle enters your "blind spot".
@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
u ation @, the signal light briefly fla shes re­
peatedly. Side assist is alert ing you of a vehi­
cle that you may not have noticed.
(D Tips
- Th e faster a vehicle approaches from the
rear, the soone r the signal on the outside
mirror lights up. Side assist will signal,
at the latest, when a detected vehicle en­
ters your "blind spot".
- When vehicles approach very quickly,
changing lanes can be dangerous even if
the signal on the outside m irror does not
light up.

120 Audi side assist
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping
back slowly
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
i:i N 9 J:
-------::~
®
Fig. 136 Side ass ist: Veh icles dropp ing back s low ly
CD Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
The vehicle that you passed has not yet been
detected by side assist . The signal on the out­
side mirror does not light up¢
A in Safety
tips on page 122 .
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A vehicle dropping back slowly on the right
(difference in speed of less than 9 mph, or 15
km/h) has been detected by side assist. The
informational stage signal on the outside mir ­
ror lights up.
@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation@, the signal briefly flashes repeated­
ly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehicle that
you may not have noticed .
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping
back quickly
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
Fig. 137 Side assist: Ve hicles dropp ing back quickly
CD Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
The vehicle just passed has not yet been de­
tected by side assist. The signal on the out­
s ide mirror does not light up
Q A in Safety
tips on page 122.
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
The vehicle dropping back quickly on the right
(difference in speed of more than 9 mph, or
15 km/h) has been detected by side assist ,
but is not considered notable in the event of a
lane change, because it is dropping back so
quick ly. The signal on the outs ide mirro r does
not light up¢
A in Safety tips on page 122 .
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal still does not light up on
the outside mirror ¢
A in Safety tips on
page 122.

Setting the signal brightness on the
outside mirror
Applies to vehicles: with s ide assist
The signal brightness can be set in the radio
orMMI* .
~ Select: Function button ICARI > Audi side
assist -lamp .
~ Rotate the control knob to adjust the dis­
played brightness of the signal light on the
outside mirrors.
The brightness of the signal light for both the informational and alert stages is automatical­
ly adjusted to ambient light conditions . In ad­
dition, you can adjust the
basic brightness
separately, via the brightness function.
While making the adjustment, the new brightness setting is displayed briefly . The
brightness displayed is that of the informa­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signal
brightness is linked to the informational stage
signal brightness.
The informational stage signal brightness
should be adjusted so that you notice the sig­
nal illumination when you look in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward
through the windshield .
In very dark or light surroundings , the auto ­
matic brightness setting adjusts signal light
brightness to maximum or minimum intensi­
ty, as needed. In circumstances such as these,
you may not notice any change in the bright­
ness on the outside mirror when adjusting the
basic brightness.
You may not notice the change until lighting
conditions are normal again .
@ Tips
-Side assist is not active when the basic
brightness is adjusted . The signal light
comes on briefly to help you make the
adjustment .
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used .
Audi side assist 121
General information
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assist has limits and cannot detect vehi­
cles under all road and weather conditions.
Please remember system limitations and nev­
er rely on the system , especially when :
- driving through curves
~page 121,
-lanes are of different widths ¢ page 121.
When driving through curves
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
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 mir­
ror will light up.
Lane width
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Fig. 138 Lane s of a normal wid th are in detectio n area
Fig. 139 Narrow la n es: S ide assist may detect vehicles
two lanes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cov­
er lanes of standard width to the left and
right of your travel lane, depending on ..,.

122 Audi side assist
whether you drive in the center of your lane or
closer to the edge.
If you d rive in narrow lanes, side assist's de­
tection area may also incl ude other lanes -es­
pecia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane¢
fig. 139. Under these conditions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
signals .
When dr iv in g in very w ide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be­
cause they are not inside the detection area.
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist turns off automatically, the indi­
cator light on the button wi ll go out and you
will see a message in the instrument cluster
d isplay:
Audi side assist not available : sensors
blocked
The s ide assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and right (not visible on
the outside)
¢page 116, fig. 130. To ensure
that you do not adversely affect the way side
assist funct ions, foreign objects (such as st ick­
e rs or b icycle racks) should not be attached to
the area on the rear bumper where the sen­
sors are located. If side assist functions are
adversely affected, you will see this message
in the instrument cluster display. Remove any ­
thing that may be blocking the sensors .
If no ve hicl e is detected for a longer period of
time while driving , side assist will also switch
off a utomatica lly.
Audi side assist currently not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the
vehicle's batte ry charge being low), s ide ass ist
cannot be activated temporarily .
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the system checked by an authorized Au­
di dealer or qualified workshop.
Safety tips
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
The side assist detection may be limited when
driving aro und narrow street corners, on hilly
streets, and under poor weather conditions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may a lso
detect other objects, such as high or stag­
gered guardrails.
Side assist does not measure actual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane width.
Detection in the left and right lanes is based
on this assumed lane width. When driving on
narrow roads or when driv ing to the left or
right of the center of a trave l lane, it is poss i­
ble that vehicles will be detected that are
not
in the lane next to the lane you are using.
A WARNING
-
- I mproper reliance on the side assist sys-
tem can cause collis ion s and serio us per­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on s ide 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 un­
der all conditions- danger of accident!
- Side assist cannot detect vehicles in time
to a lert you when they approach from
behind at very high speed, or fall drop
back very qu ickly.
- The radar sensor's
vision can be reduced
or entire ly 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.

136 Park assis t
- the rear view camera does not provide a reli ­
able image, for examp le, in poor visibility
condit ions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun g lare and reflection .
Caring for th e rear view came ra l ens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
l icense pla te bracket . For the parking assist to
ope rate, the lens
r::!;> fig . 154 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcohol­
b ased glass cleaner , a nd clean the lens wi th
a dry cloth
¢ CD .
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
prefe rably wi th a de-icing sp ray
¢ (D .
_& WARNING
- The pa rking aid cannot replace the driv ­
er's attention. The driver a lone is respon­
sible for parking and similar driving ma ­
neuvers.
- Always keep your eyes on the veh icle's
surround ings, using the rear view mirror
as well.
- Do not a llow yourse lf to be d istracted
from traffic by the rear view camera pic­
tures.
- If the posit ion and the installat ion ang le
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rea r end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons .
Have it checked by a qualified dealership.
{[) Note
-Low obstacles already signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's
detection range as they are approached
and will not contin ue to be signaled . Ob­
j ects such as bar rier cha ins, trailer draw
bars, thi n pa inted ve rtical poles or fen­
ces may no t be detec ted by t he sys tem ,
pos ing risk of damage.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the came ra lens - dan­
ger o f crack formation on the lens! - When cleaning the lens, never use prod
­
ucts that a re abrasive.
Switching on /off
Applies to vehicles: with parking system (rear, with rear
view camera)
The rear view camera switches on automati­
cally together with the acoustic park assist when you put the vehicle in reverse.
Switching on
.,. Put the veh icle in reverse gear, the acoust ic
park ing system with rear view camera is ac­
tivated automatica lly. Act ivat ion of the
acoust ic par king system is confirmed by a
b rief ac knowledgement sou nd.
Switching off
.,. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) , or
.,. take the vehicle out of reverse gear . The
acoust ic park ing system is immediate ly d e­
ac tiva ted, and the rea r view came ra p icture
is deact ivated a utomat ic all y afte r a period
of about 1 5 seconds , or
.,. sw itch off the ignition.
T he de lay in deac tivat ing the came ra provides
an unin ter rup ted view behind the ve hicle es ­
pecially when maneuvering in tight par king
spaces and p revents the picture from t urning
off the every time you shift out of reve rse.
If the warning message appears in the display
but not the rear view came ra picture, read and
co nfirm the wa rning message. The acoustic
distance signal is always active.
If you press a function button on the M MI
control console, the rear view came ra p icture
disappea rs . The rear v iew camera picture reap ­
pears the next t ime yo u park.
F urther informa tion on the warning message
and the MMI control conso le can be fo und in
the MMI instruction boo klet.
(D Tips
- T he rear view camera picture is available
as soon as the M MI Display or the MMI is .,..

switched on, or the start-up phase is
completed.
- Keep the sensors in the rear b umper and
the rear view camera lens clean and free
of snow and ice, so that the parking sys­
tem can work properly. Please follow the
additional notes on
c:;, page 139.
Reverse Parking
A ppl ies to vehicles: with parkin g system (rear, with rea r
view ca mera)
Parking mode 1 can be used when parking in
a garage or parking space.
F ig . 155 MMI Disp lay: Aiming at a parking spot
Fi g. 156 MMI Display: Aligning the vehicle
.,. Switc h the MMI on and se lect the reverse
gear.
.,. Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot
c:;, fig. 155. Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking corresponds to 3
ft (1 m). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle's outline by approx imately 16
ft (5 m)
to the rear.
.,. While driving in reverse gear, adj ust the
steering wheel angle to fi t the park ing space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines
Par k ass ist 137
c:;,G)_ @ marks the rear bumper. You should
stop driving in reverse as soon as and no lat­
er than when the red orientat ion line ©
abuts an object
c:;, _&. !
A WARNING
- The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
c:;, page 135, fig. 153. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and anima ls. The
rear view camera ca nnot always detect
them, posing r is k of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
g rou nd can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you shou ld not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
- Low obstacles a lready signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and w ill not continue to be signaled. Ob­
jects such as barrier chains, trailer draw bars, th in painted vert ica l poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing risk of damage.
- In the MMI display, the di rection of trav­
el of the vehicle rear is represented de­
pend ing on the s teering wheel angle.
The vehi cle front swings out mo re than
the vehicle rear. Maintain plenty of dis ­
tance from an obstacle so that your out ­
side mirror or a corner of your vehicle
does not co llide w ith any obstacles -dan­
ger of accident!

218 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations . The trailer
hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trai le r.
Trailer lights
T railer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors . It is important
that you
always have clear vis ion to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
-
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instructions on page 219.
Engine cooling system
T owing a trailer makes the engine work hard ­
er. It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid . .,..