2012 AUDI A8 ECO mode

windshield wipers react to moisture on the
windshield. You can deactivate rain sensor
mode in the MMI, which will then activate in­
termittent mode. Select:
ICARI function but­
ton
> Car systems control button > Driver as­
sist > Rain sensor> Off.
In intermitten t
mode, you can adjust the interval time using
the switch @.
@-Slow wiping
@-Fast wiping
©-Single wipe. If you hold the lever in this
position longer, the wipers switch from slow
wiping to fast wiping.
® -Clean the windshield . The wipers wipe
one time after several seconds of driving to
remove water droplets. You can switch this
function off by moving the lever to position ®
within 10 seconds after the afterwipe. The af­
terwipe function is reactivated the next time
you switch the ignition on.
Cleaning the headlights. The headlight wash­
er system* only functions when the lights are
sw itched on. The headlights and the night vi­
sion system camera* are cleaned automatical­ ly the first time the lever is press in position
® and every 8 times it is pressed after that.
They are also cleaned every time you hold the lever in position @for longer than 8 seconds .
A WARNING
- The rain sensor is only designed to assist
and support the driver.
It remains entire­
ly the driver's responsibility to monitor
outside weather conditions and to man­
ually activate the wipers as soon as rain
or drizzle reduces visibility through the
windshield.
- The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visibility condi·
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi­
tion, they can cause the windshield wip­
ers to chatter.
- Properly functioning windshield wiper
blades are required for a clear view and
Clear vision 49
safe driving ¢ page 50, Replacing
windshield wiper blades.
(D Note
- In the case of frost, check whether the
windshield wiper blades are frozen to the windshield. Switching on the wind­
shield wipers can damage the wiper
blades!
- Prior to using a car wash, the windshield
wiper system must be switched off (lever
in position @). This helps to prevent un­
intentional switching on and damage to
the windshield wiper system.
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window . Using the wipers as a conven­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades.
@ Tips
- The windshield wipers are switched off
when the ignition is off . Activate the
windshield wipers after the ignition is
switched back on by moving the wind­
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
result in streaking. This can affect the
rain sensor function. Check your wind­
shield wiper blades regularly.
- The washer fluid nozzles of the wind­
shield washer system are heated at low
temperatures when the ignition is on.
- When stopping temporarily, e.g. at a
traffic light, the set speed of the wind­
shield wipers is automatically reduced by
one speed.

Adjusting the magnetic zone
Applies to vehicles: with digital compass
The magnetic zone must be adjusted correctly
for the compass to read accurately .
Fig. 49 Magnet ic zo ne map
.,.. Press and ho ld the button @ ¢page 52,
fig. 48
until the number of the magnetic
zone appears in the rearview mirror .
.,.. Press the but to n @ repeated ly to select the
correc t magnetic zone. The selectio n mode
turns off after a few seconds .
Calibrating the compass
Applies to vehicles: with digital compass
You must recalibrate the compass if i t does
not display the correct direction .
.,.. Press and ho ld the button @unti l a C ap·
pears in the rearview mi rror .
.,.. Drive in a circle at abou t 6 mph (1 0 km/h)
u ntil a direction is disp layed in the rearview
mir ror.
A WARNING
To avoid endangering yourself and other
drivers, calibrate the compass in an area
w here there is no traff ic.
Clear vi sion 5 3

(D Note
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions for all electrical accessories
you want to use with the electrical sock­
et!
- Do not connect lamps that contain a ne­
on tube. For technical reasons the lamp
may be damaged.
- Do not connect any 230-volt equipment
to the 115-volt socket. The equipment
may be damaged. If necessary, check the
permissible voltage for the equipment
on the mode l label.
- In the case of some power packs, e.g . for
a laptop computer, the bu ilt-in overcur­
rent shutoff prevents it from be ing
swi tch ed on because of excessive start­
up current. In this case, disco nnect the
power pack from the consumer and re­
connect it after about 10 seconds.
(I) Tips
- Unshielded equipment may cause inter­
ference in the radio and the vehicle elec­
tronics.
- Some eq uipment may work properly be­
cause of the reduced power (wattage),
available from the socket.
Folding table in the center console
Applies to vehicles: with fold ing table in the center con·
so le
The folding table is stored in the front area of
the center console .
Fig . 62 Rear center console: opening th e fo ld in g table
Seats and storage 65
Fig. 63 Rear center console: fold ing table inclined po ·
s itio n
Opening
.,. Pull the handle @back q fig. 62. The fold ­
ing table extends out partially by itself
~.&. -
.. Pull the folding table up until it locks into
place @.
.. Fold the tabletop back and down©-
Storing
.. Release the tabletop @to fold it back.
.. You can now move the folding table verti·
cally back into its original posit ion .
A WARNING
-Do not open the folding tab le while driv­
ing. Opening the folding table while driv­
ing increases the risk of injury in the
event of a coll is ion or sudden braking .
- To reduce the risk of pinching, open and
close the folding table carefully and in a
contro lled manner .

68 Seats and storage
& WARNING
- The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis and other light ob ­
jects . To reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal in jury, never t ransport heavy or
poin ted objects in the ski sa ck.
- When brak ing rapidly or during an acci­
dent, the load could be displaced and
cause injury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be cove red
for protect ion. Always fasten the belt
ti gh tly around the sack and its contents
¢ fig. 69.
-For safety reasons, do not t ransport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sac k.
- You m ust sec ure the ski sack with t he
strap after loading.
- Make sure a ll objects that you are trans­
porting in the pass-through are secured.
Otherwise they cou ld slide around during
sudden braking maneuvers and cause in ­
jury.
@ Tips
- Never stow the sk i sack away whe n it is
still wet or damp (for examp le, snow
melt ing from sk is) . Allow it to dry com­
plete ly before stowing it away .
- Position skis in the ski sack with the pointed ends facing t he front and ski
po les w ith the pointed ends facing the
rear.
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried wi th a roof
luggage rack .
Fig . 70 Roo f ra ck attac hment po ints
.,. Always read and follow the instructions pro ­
vided by the roof rack man ufactu rer when
the roof rack system mus t be install ed .
If luggage or cargo is to be ca rried on the
roof, yo u mus t observe the follow ing:
- To enhance the vehicle 's streamlined design,
ra in gutters have been mo lded i nto t he roof .
I t is not poss ible to use normal roof ra cks.
O nl y install a roof ra ck specific ally designed
for your model AB . Contact the nea re st Audi
dea ler for information on approved modular
roof racks for your v ehicle.
- On ly use roof racks approved for your vehi­
cl e. These approved roof racks are the basis
fo r a complete roof rack system. Addition al
a tta chmen ts or carr ier systems are needed
t o transpor t luggage and spor ts equipment.
We recommend using roof rack s from the
Aud i original accessories program.
- When insta lling the roof rack, make sure it
is o nly mounted on the designated locations
on the roof~
fig. 70.
- We recommend that you keep the i nstalla ­
tion instruct ions for your roof rack system
together w ith your Owner's literature in the
ve hicle.
When should the roof rack be removed?
- Before go ing through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the ca r wash operator for
adv ice)
...

Storage
(upholder
Fig. 73 Center console: front cupho lder
Fig. 74 Section of the rear bench seat: rear cupholder
Front cupholder
.,. To open the cupholder, tap the cover
¢fig . 73, ¢ &, .
Rear cupholder
.,. To open the cupholder, tap the front strip
¢fig. 14, QA .
In vehicles with a full-length center console in
the rear, the cupholder is located at @
¢ page 64, fig. 61.
A WARNING
Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident
and personal injury .
- Never carry any beverage containers with
hot liquids, such as hot coffee or hot tea,
in the vehicle while it is moving. In case
of an accident, sudden braking or other
vehicle movement, hot liquid could spill, causing scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid
can also cause an accident and personal
injury.
Seats and storage 71
-Use on ly soft cups in the cupholder. Hard
cups and glasses can cause injury in an
accident.
(D Note
Only drink containers with lids should be
carried in the cupholder. Liquid could spill
out and damage your vehicle's electronic
equipment or stain the upholstery, etc.
Cooled glove compartment
The cooled glove compartment only functions
when the AC system is switched on.
Fig. 75 Glove compar tment: switc hing cool ing mode
on/off
.,. Turn the knob ® counterclockwise to
switch cooling on . The symbols on the knob
ind icate the correct position¢
fig. 75 .
.,. Turn the knob ® clockwise to switch cool-
ing off.
The glove compartment cooling mode only
functions when the vehicle AC system is
switc hed on. If the heating is switched on,
switching the glove compartment cooling mode off is recommended .
A WARNING
Always leave the lid on the glove compart­
ment cover closed while dr iving to reduce
the risk of injury.
a) Tips
The glove compartment can be locked us­
i ng the mechanical key¢
page 29.

Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the a ir in the veh icle inter io r.
It is the most effect ive when the windows and
sunroof* are closed. If the temperature inside
the parked vehicle becomes very warm, open­
ing the window briefly will speed up the cool­
ing process.
I n all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has r eached a certain
temperature.
Condensation from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of water under the ve­hicle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak.
Pollut ant filter
The po llutant filte r removes pollutants s uch
as dust and pollen from the air.
The air pollutants filte r must be changed at
the intervals spec ified in you r Wa rra nty
&
Maintenance book let, so that the air condi­
tioner can properly work.
I f you drive you r vehicle in an area with h igh
ai r po llution , the fi lter may need to be
changed more freq uent ly than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Ma intenance booklet. If
i n doubt, ask your authorized Audi Service Ad­
visor for advice .
K ey coded settings
The climate con trol settings are a utomat ica lly
stored and assigned to the remote contro l key
that is in use .
& WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangero us and can
cause accidents . -
Warm and cold 75
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densat ion.
- Comp letely fam iliarize yourse lf with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
and ve nti lation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freez ing weather unt il you
have warmed the w indshield first, using
the heating and ventilation system . The
washer solution may free ze o n the wind­
shie ld and red uce visib ility.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
i n spected by a q ua lified dea lership.
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire specia l techni cal know ledge and
special tools. Contact an autho rized Aud i
dealer fo r ass istance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reduci ng the amou nt of f uel you use,
you also red uce the amount of pollutan ts
emitted into the air .
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lots ( in fro nt of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de­
br is in order to maintain the proper f unc ­
tion of the climate control system.
- T he energy management system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window
defroster off temporar i Ly . These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored .
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing
on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.

76 Warm and cold
Operation
We recommend pressing the IAU TOI button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) .
Fig. 77 Cockp it co ntrols
F ig . 78 fou r zone automat ic cl imate co ntrol: rea r con ­
trols
Press the buttons to t urn the f unctions on or
off . Use the d ials to adjust the temperature,
the blower speed and the air distribution . The
LED in a button will light up when the func­
tion is sw itched on. The settings are show n in
the cl imate co ntrol d isplay a nd are also shown
in the MMI display for a few seconds . The driv­
er and front passenger settings ca n be ad just­
ing separately.
You can a lso adjust the rear left and r ight
sides in the fo ur zone automat ic climate co n­
trol* ~
fig. 78.
IO FF ! Switching the clim ate control
system on/off
The IO FFI b utton switches the climate control
system on or off . It a lso switches on when you
turn the dia l or press any b utton . Airf low from outside is blocked when the c
limate control
system is switched off .
You can a ctivate the residual hea t fu nction
when the ignition is off by p ressing and hold­
i ng the ~ button . The residua l heat from the
coolant is used to heat the vehicle interior.
The residua l heat function switches off a uto ­
matically after about 30 minutes.
IACI Switching cooling mode on /off
T he air is not coo led and h umidity is not re­
moved when cooling mode is switched off.
T his can ca use fog on the windows. Cooling
mode switches off automatically when the
outside temperature is below zero.
1 -1 Switching reci rculation mode on /off
In recircu lation mode, the air inside the vehi ­
cle is c irculated and f iltered. This prevents the
u nfiltered air outs ide the vehicle from enter­
ing the vehicle interior . We recommend
switching recircu lation mode on when driving
t h rough a tunne l or when s itting in traff ic
q &_ .
The !AU TO I button or~ button switches reci r­
cu lation mode off.
IAU TOI Switching automatic mode on
A utomat ic mode maintains a cons tant tem ­
perature inside the vehicle. A ir temperature,
IJli>

airflow and air distribution are controlled au ­
tomatically.
Adjusting the temperature
Temperatu res between 60 °F (+16 °() and
84 °F (+28 °C) can be set. O uts ide of this
range,
lo or hi will appear in the climate con­
trol system disp lay. At both of these settings,
the climate control system runs continuously
at maximum coo ling or heating power. There
is no temperature regulation.
[!] Adjusting the airflow
You can ad just the airf low manually to suit
your needs . To have the airflow regulated au­
tomatically, press the
! AUTO ! button.
~ Adjusting the air distribution
You can manually se lect the vents where the
air will flow. To have the air distribution regu­
l ated automatically, press the
!AUTOI button.
~ I lil* Adjusting Seat heating/
ventilation*
Pressing the button switches the seat heat­
ing/ventilation on at the highest setting ( level
3). The LEDs indicate the temperature leve l.
To reduce the temperature, press the button
again . To switch the seat heating/ventilation
off, press the button repeatedly until the LED
turns off.
After 10 minutes, the seat heating/ventilation
automatically switches from level 3 to level 2.
I n vehicles without the four zone automat ic
climate contro l*, buttons in the rear center
console control the seat heating for both out­
er rear seats*.
~ Switch the defroster on/off
The windsh ield and sid e windows are defrost­
ed or cleared o f condensation as quickly as
possible. The maximum amount of air flows
mainly from the vents be low the windshield.
Recirculation mode switches off . The tempera­
ture is controlled automatically.
The
IAU TOI button switches the defroster off.
Warm and cold 77
~ Switching rear window heater on/off
The rear window heater only operates when
the engine is running. It switches off auto­
matically after 10 to 20 minutes, depending
on the outside temperature.
T o p revent the rear window heater from
switching off automatically, press and hold
the ~ button for more than 2 seconds . This
remains stored until the ignition is switched
off .
I SYNC I Synchronization*
When synchronization is switched on, the set­
tings for the driver's side are applied to the
front passenger's side (except for seat heat­
i ng/venti lation*) . The rear seat is also
synchronized in vehicles with the 4-zone de ­
luxe automatic climate control system* . Syn­
chronization switches off if the sett ings are
adjusted on the front passenger's side or in
the rear* .
You can synchronize the settings in a row by
pressing and holding a knob. For example, to
apply the settings for the front passenger's s ide to the driver's side, press and hold the
knob on the front passenger's s ide.
Air vents
You can open or close the center and rear
vents in the cockpit and the vents in the rear
center console and door pillars us ing the
ridged thumbwheels. The levers adjust the di­
rection of the airflow from the vents.
,&. WARNING
-Do not use the recirc ulation mode for ex­
tended periods of time. The windows
could fog up since no fresh air can enter
the vehicle. If the windows fog up, press
the air recircu lation button again imme­
diately to switch off the air recirculation
function or select defrost .
- Individuals w ith reduced sensitivity to
pa in or temperature could deve lop burns
when using the seat heating function . To
reduce the risk of injury, these indiv idu-
als shou ld not use seat heating. ..,.