2012 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and d riving instr uctions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operat ion mode
~ page 199, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitc h co nforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hi tch wit h a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with t he trail er hitch ma nufactur er to
make sure tha t you are using the corre ct
hi tch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitc h must be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfere with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumpe r sys tem. No mod ifica tio ns should
be made to the vehicle exh aust a nd brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolts remain securely fastened.
W hen you are not towing a trail er, remove the
traile r hitch ball mount. Th is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind ¢& .
Trailer towin g 199
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a br akin g sys ­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
r egulations .
T he trailer hy draul ic brak e sys tem mus t not be
direc tly connec ted to the vehi cle' s h ydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all regu lations. Be
su re to check with your Audi dealer for cor rect
wir ing, swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the reg ular o utside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mirrors. It is imp ortant
that you
always have clea r v is ion to the rear.
A WARNING ...__ -
Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
stor e it i n yo ur v ehicl e. In cas e o f sudden
b ra king, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in­
ju re you or your p ass en ger s.
Operating instructions
Fi g. 168 MM I dis pl ay: tow ing mode on
Ma ximum trailer weight
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
ll>

200 Trailer towing
Trail er load dis tr ibut ion
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
N eve r all ow a p assenger to rid e in a trailer
~ .&. in Driving instructions on page 201.
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a tra iler makes the eng ine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the addit ional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
flu id.
Tir e pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
" Full load" on the label loca ted o n the dr iver's
side B-pillar (v is ible when the door is open).
I nflate trailer tires to tra iler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both veh icle and trailer
l ights are wor king p roperly.
Safe ty chain s
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve ­
h icle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separat ion from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface be­
for e
hitching up the tra iler and b efor e adjust ­
ing the tongue weight . The vehicle must be i n
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
~ page 103, ~CD .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered . In Info ­
tainment, select:
I CARI function button> Lo w­
e r
control button . If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
afte r coupling the
trailer or
a fter adjust ing the tongue we ight
~ page 105.
(D Note
-Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle .
- Always select auto or comfort mode .
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
T o obtain the best possible hand ling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llowing:
.. Do not tow a loaded t railer when you r ca r it­
self is not loaded .
.. Be especially carefu l when passing other ve ­
hicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re ­
s ul ts in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble , while keep ing the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the ci rcumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while obse rv ing
tong ue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
1111>

drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c:> page 10
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
i::> page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your ng .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
Trailer towing 201
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a t railer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re ­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
c:> page 280.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only a~er doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake.
•
•

202 Trailer towing
• Start the engine.
• Se lect the D selector lever position.
• Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­ mat ic transm ission to P before applying
the park ing brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.

Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after purchase . Regu lar and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
F u rth ermor e, good c are may be a conditi on
for subs tantiati ng a w arrant y claim sho uld
c orrosion d amag e or paint d efects oc cur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedic ated veh icle-car e products and can ad ­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
.&, WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ign it ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. w ithout pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
Cleaning and protec tion 203
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 189, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean­
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often t his is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle body, the more lasting their destructive ef­
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex­
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro­
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
.&, WARNING ,_
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 203 .
•
•

204 Cleaning and protec tio n
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sign of the facility, the filte ring of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
I f the pa int has a dull appearance afte r going
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a car wash, be sure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and power roof . Factory installed an­
tennas must not be removed.
I f you have installed additional accessor ies on
the vehicle - such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car wash operator if these
should be removed .
When driving through an automatic car wash,
fi rst se lect the N position and then switch the
engine off. If you switch the engine off when N is engaged, the transmission remains in N
for approximately 30 m inutes and then Pis
engaged.
Further information for automatic gearboxes
~ page 109.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
r:::;, page 203.
- Fo ld the exterior mirrors - flat there is a
risk of damaging the exterior mirrors .
Power folding exterior m irrors must not
be folded in or out by hand. Use the pow­
er function!
- Compare the track of your vehicle with
the d istance between the guide rails of
the facility - there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and tires . - Compa
re the height and width of your
vehicle with the height and width of the t u nnel at the facility .
· Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi­
cle by hand.
.,. Before yo u start wash ing, make su re you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
r:::;, A in General information on page 203.
.,. First soak a ll dried dirt unt il it is soft , then
rinse it off.
.,. As you clean your vehicle, start with the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge glove or a clean brush .
.,. Rinse the sponge or the sponge g love often,
flushing it clean eac h time.
.,. Use spec ial car shampoo only for very per­
sistent di rt.
.,. Rinse the car thoroughly w ith water.
.,. Use a chamois leather to gently w ipe the ex-
terior dry.
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls , door si lls and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, you will not scratch
the pa int with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protect ing you r
hands and arms. You may cut yourself on
sha rp-edged metal parts .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rmation
c;, page 203.
(D Note
- Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a d ry cloth or sponge, s in ce this
co uld scratch your vehicle's paint or win -
-
dows. .,.

-Never w ash your ca r in bri ght sunlight.
Drops of water act as magnifying lenses
and may damage your paint.
- When yo u wash your car in the winter : if
you rinse your vehicle with a hose , be
careful not to aim the stream of water
direct ly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings -they can freeze shut.
- Never use sponges des igned to remove
i nsects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products . They can damage
you r paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches . It is best
to use soapy water.
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headligh t lenses on a
regular basis , fo r example when refuel­
i ng yo ur vehicle. Never clean the he ad­
l ights w ith a dry clo th or sponge. Use a
wet cloth or sponge . It is best to use
soapy water.
@ For the sake of the environment
I n the interes t of the envi ronment, the ve­
hicle sho uld only be washed in specia l
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exter ior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you observe a few simple rules.
~ Befo re using the power washe r, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN­
INGS
c> A in General information on
page 203 .
~ Always follow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
~ Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray ".
~ Do not hold the spray no zzle too close to
soft materia ls.
W hen clea ning the vehi cle w it h a powe r wash­
e r
always fo llow the operating instruc tions.
Cleaning and protec tion 205
This applies particu la rly to the operating
pre ssure and the spraying di stance. Keep a
distance from soft materia ls such as rubber
hoses or insulating material as we ll as sensors
and camera lenses.
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a direct
stream or one that has a rotating jet.
Water tempera ture sho uld no t exceed 140 ° F
(60 °().
A WARNING
N eve r wash t ires with a jet that sprays wa­
ter in a direct stream . T hi s could cause in ­
v isib le damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even i f the spray is from a re lative ly
long distance and for a sho rt time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal i njury .
(D Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, a lways
make sure that the re is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materials
li ke rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound­
deaden ing ma ter ia ls as well as sensors
and camera lenses. Never a im th e sp ray
head at the same point for a long time .
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bum pers. Remembe r: the
cl oser the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ia l, the greater the stress on the ma­
terial.
Sensoren und Kameralinsen
- Entfernen S ie Schnee m it einem Handfeger
und Eis bevo rzugt mit einem losungsm ittel­
fre ien Enteisu ngsspray .
- Reinigen Sie die Sensoren (adaptive cruise
cont ro l*, Einparkhi lfe*) mit losungsm itte l­
fre iem Re inigungsmi tte l und einem weiche n
t ro ck enen Tuch .
- Befeuchten Sie die Kameralinse m it handel­
si.iblichem Glasrein ig ungsm ittel a uf Al ko­
holbasis und reinigen Sie die Linse mi t ei­
nem trockenen Tuch . Beim lane assist* wird
de r Bereich vor der Linse im Normalfall .,..
•
•

206 Cleaning and protec tio n
durch den Scheibenwischer und beim Nacht­
sichtassistent* durch die Scheinwerferreini ­
gungsan lage gereinigt. Bei starker Versch­
mut zung ki::innen Sie den Bere ich mit Glas­
reiniger und einem weichen trockenen Tuch
reinigen .
@ Note
- Wenn Sie Ihr Fahrzeug mit e inem Hoch­
druckrein iger waschen,
- halten Sie geni.igend groBen Abstand
zu den Sensoren, die s ich im vorderen
oder hinte ren StoBfanger befinden.
- rein igen S ie Kameralinsen und den Be­
reich um diese nicht mit dem Hoch­
druckre iniger .
- Entferne n Sie niemals Schnee und Eis
von de r Kameralinse m it warmem oder
heiBem Wasser -Gefahr einer Rissbi l­
dung in der Linse!
- Verwenden S ie bei der Re inigung der Ka­
meralinse niemals Pflegemittel mit
Schleifwirk ung.
Waxing and Polishing
Wa xing
A good wax coating protects t he vehicle paint
to a large extent aga inst the environmental
factors listed under ¢page 203, Washing and
even against slight scratches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your
pa int as soon as one week after your veh icle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
w ax ing process in
automatic car washes, we recommend that
you manua lly app ly a coat of wax to give the
pa int extra protection, particular ly if water no
longer beads o n the clean paint .
Protect p lastic body parts with car wax in the
same way as the vehicle body.
During warm weather dead insects tend to
collect on the front bumper and on the for­
ward area of the hood. They are much easier
to remove from paint that is waxed often.
Polishing
Polish yo ur vehicle only if the paint has lost its
shine and the gloss cannot be brought back
with wax .
If the pol ish used does not conta in p reserva­
t ive compounds, the pain t must be waxed a f­
te rwards.
A WARNING ~
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rmation
¢ page 203.
(D Note
Do not use car wax on
- matte o r anodized meta l trim
- rubber or rubber-like t rim.
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care .
For environmental reasons, Audi fabricates
the bright trim strips and trim p ieces from
pure chromium-free aluminum.
Dirt and ma rks on the trim st rips sho uld be
removed with a
pH -balanced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner). Audi dealers
carry clea ning products which have been tes t­
ed fo r use on your vehicle and are not harmful
to the environment.
To avoid corrosion on the exter ior trim strips,
only a pH-ba lanced solution should be used
for the windsh ield washer .
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other i nformation
¢ page 203.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care .
U se a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dir t. For other soil, use
a lukewa rm all-purpose cleaning so lution or a
mild saddle soap for v inyl tr im . Remove water
spots and traces of soap with a clean, damp ..,.