2012 AUDI A8 roof

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.

78 Warm and cold
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating e lements
in the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat .
Setup
The climate control system setup is accessed
through the MMI.
.. Se lect: I CARI function button > Car systems
control button > AC.
Rear cabin settings*
When this function is selected, all settings for
the rear can be adjusted through the climate
contro l system in the cockpit . The climate
control system settings cannot be adjusted in
the rear seat at the same time. This function
switches off after a certain period of time or
when one of the dials in the cockp it is press­
ed.
Auto recirculation*
The sensitivity level of the automatic reci rcu­
l ation mode can be set at various leve ls from
off to sensitive . The recirculation mode 1...,1 is
controlled on automatically. You must press
the ~ button if fog forms on the w indows.
Footwell temperature
You can adjust the footwell temperat ure so
that it is cooler or warmer.
AC mode
The strength of the airflow can be adjusted to
light, med ium or strong .
Windshield heat*
When the defroster~ is switched on and the
Auto setting is selected, the windshield de­
froster is controlled automatically.
Solar roof*
When the ignit io n is off, so lar-powered park ­
ing vent ilation may switch on, as long as
- there is sufficient sunlight, -
the outside temperature is not too low,
- t he center vents are open,
- the sunroof is closed or tilted and
- recirculation mode
1...,1 (climate control sys-
tem) and
Auto (MMI) are selected .
Parking ventilation is contro lled automatically
i n the
Auto sett ing.
~ Steering wheel heating
Applies to vehicles: with heated steering wheel
The steering wheel rim can be hea ted .
Fig . 79 Stee ring column : steeri ng wheel heati ng but ­
t on
.. Press the~ button to switch steer ing whee l
heating on/off. The message
Steering wheel
heating on! /Steering wheel heating off!
appears in t he instrument cluster display.
The temperat ure is maintained at a constant
level when steering wheel heating is switched
on.
T he steering wheel heating settings are stor­
ed automatically and assigned to the remote control key that is in use.

-Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
o page 124 .
A WARNING
-
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
-Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­ dows, the power roof and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used .
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­ pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury .
-
Driving Safely 131
-Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
left side of the luggage compartment. Be sure to keep these slots free and
open .
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
opage 239.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartmen t is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and o ther
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
o page 130, Loading the luggage com­
partment .
In a collision , the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle posses s en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
•
•

as defined in the electronic control unit
¢ page 153, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Always remember, a chi ld seat or infant ca rri­
e r i nsta lled on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly in­
flating passenger's airbag in a frontal colli­
sion. The airbag could greatly red uce the ef­
fectiveness of the child restraint and even se­ riously injure the child during inflat ion.
F or this reason, and because the back seat is
the safest p lace for children -when properly
restra ined accord ing to their age and si ze -we
strongly recommend that children always sit
in the back seat
¢ page 166, Child Safety.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat in­
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child seat
or infant carrier w ith great force and w ill
smash the ch ild seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof .
- Always install rear -facing child seats on
the rear seat .
- If you mus t install a rearward facing
child seat on the front passenge r seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i deale r.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild seats installed on
the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious pe rsonal injury to the
child.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you mus t
install a forwa rd-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
A irbag system 145
-Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­ ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fa cing ch ild restra int. The
backrest mu st be ad justed to an upright
posi tion.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time wheneve r the ignit ion is swi tched
on.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will be displayed whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, perform the checks de­
scribed
¢ page 153, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
-Take t he chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r i mmediately.
- Always carefully follow instr uctions from
child restraint manufacture rs when in­
stalling c hild restra ints.
A WARNING
If, in e xcept io na l circumstances, you must
ins tall a forward o r rearwa rd-facing child
restra int on the front passenger's se at:
- Imp roper install ation of ch ild restrai nts
can reduce their effec tiveness o r even
preven t them from providing any protec­
tion. •
•

148 Airbag sys tem
an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory .
I f the tota l weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-o ld,
but less than the weight of a small adu lt, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on).
For e xample , the a irbag may depl oy if :
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front p assenger seat
(regardless of whe ther the child is in one of
the chi ld seats listed
¢ page 168),
- a ch ild who h as o utg rown child rest raints is
on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight in the cente r
of the inst rument panel w ill come on and stay
on.
The front a irbag on the passeng er side may
not dep loy (the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not ill umin ate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is o n the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upright wit h
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front
of the seat is on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires the a irbag to meet
the " low risk" deployment criteria to help re­
d uce the risk of inj ury through inter action
with the airbag. " Low r isk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the e lectronic control
un it
¢ page 153.
Alwa ys remember : Even though yo ur vehicle
is equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest
p lace for children is properly restrained on the
bac k seat . Please be sure to read the impor­
tant information in the sect ions that follow
and be sure to heed a ll of the WARNINGS.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an a irbag
i nflates, always wear safety be lts properly.
- If you are unrestra ined, leaning forward,
sitt ing s ideways or out of pos ition in any
way, your risk of injury is much h igher.
- You will a lso receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even w ith an Advanced A irbag
¢ page 142.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild seat in­
stalled on the front pa ssenger se at will be
se riously in jured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Al tho ugh the Advan ced Airbag Sys tem in
your veh icle is designe d to turn off the
front airbag when a rearward-facing
child restraint has been installed on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso­
lutely g uarantee that dep loyment is im­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen dur ing the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild seat
or infant car rier with g reat force and will
smash the child seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door, or
roof.
- Always inst all rearward-fa cing ch ild re­
s traints on the rear seat.
- I f you must ins tall a rearwa rd fa cing
child sea t on the fron t passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstan ces
an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, imme di­
ately insta ll the rear-facing child seat in a
rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must
i nstall a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r's seat:
-

152 Airbag sys te m
electronic contro l uni t (the PAS SENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi ­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
<=?page 144.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -facing child sea t in­
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-The inflating ai rbag will hit the child seat
or infant carrier with great force and will
smash the ch ild seat and child against
the backrest , center armrest, door or
roof .
- Always install rear-facing child seats on
the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front passenger seat
because of except iona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately i nstall the rea r-facing chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the ai rbag
system inspected by your Au di dealer.
A WARNING
Objects be tween you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a c rash by in ­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inf lates. -
Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transpo rt items on or in t he a rea
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangero us projec ­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in­
jury if the a irbags inf late .
- Never p lace or attach accesso ries o r oth ­
er objects (such as cup hold ers, te le­
phone b ra ck ets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r ne ar the are a
marked "AIRBAG" on the s teer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, sea t bac krests o r be ­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could ca use in jury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag during braki ng or in a
sudden maneuve r. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in jur y, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
The fine dus t create d when air bags deploy
c a n cause breathing p rob lems fo r people
wi th a history of as thma or other breath ­
i ng cond itions.
- T o reduce the risk of breath ing pro blems,
those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut o f the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith water.

Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants .
Fig. 1 53 Side cur ta in airbags, d river 's side: side curta in
ai rb ag location
The s ide curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side w indows
r=:> fig . 153 . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG " on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof p illar.
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struc k
i n a side collision . Th e side curta in a irbag in­
flates in s ide impacts and on ly when the veh i­
cle acce leration reg istered by the cont ro l u nit
is high enough . If th is rate is be low the refer ­
ence va lue programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision .
It is not possible to de­
fine an a irbag trigger ing range that w ill cover
eve ry possible angle of impact , since the ci r­
cumsta nces wi ll vary conside rably between
one co llision and ano ther. Import ant factors
include, for e xamp le, the nat ure ( hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicle speed, etc .
r=:> page 164, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the dr iver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli-
A irba g sy stem 163
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
v ide protection.
T he airbag system is no t a subs titu te for your
sa fe ty be lt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
c u pant restra int system in your vehicle . A l­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
yo ur safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety be lts, not just because the law re ­
quires you to do so
r=:> page 134, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
s ide curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injur ies, for examp le, swelling, bru is ing, and
minor abrasions can also be associa ted wi th
these airb ags upon deployment. Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of acc idents -your sa fety
belts are always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the fron t and
rea r side windows
- The airbag i ndicator light in t he instr ument
pane l
T he airbag system is mo nitored e lectronically
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each t ime you sw itch on the ign ition,
the ai rbag system indicator light will come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the accele ration
measu red by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end coll is ions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-,
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants

1 70 Child Safety
&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil ­
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child can be injured or killed by be­
ing thrown against the inside of the ve­
hicle or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact .
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube -like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
-Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat . -
Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child. Al­
ways install forward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well-being require that the
following special precautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
-Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas­
senger seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as far away from the airbag