2012 AUDI A8 tow

100 Audi side assist
General information
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig. 103 Driving s it u at ions
A U D I
• 0
Fig . 104 Rear of th e ve hicle: pos it io n of t he se nso rs
Side assis t fu nctions at speeds above ap prox i­
ma tely 19 mph (30 km/h).
(D V ehicles that are approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change
even if it is still
somewhat far away. The fas ter a vehicle ap­
p ro aches, the sooner the disp lay in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr it ical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assis t are in dicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
@ Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pass a ve hicl e tha t sid e ass ist has
dete cted ( the difference in s peed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/ h), the display in the exterio r mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The disp lay wi ll not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that s ide assist has detected (t he d if ­
f erence in speed between the ve hicle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
T he radar senso rs are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
l anes a re the normal width. In certain situa­
t ions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no ve hicle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical fo r a la ne cha nge.
Fo r example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on the edge of your lane. If this is the case ,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another lane that is
not adjacent to you r
cur rent lane .
- if you a re driving through a c urve . Side assis t
may react to a vehicle that is one lane ove r
from the adjacent lane .
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced gua rd rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
fu nctions are limited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c::> fig. 104 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this wi ll affect the funct io n. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer . For
information on cleaning, refe r to
c::> page 205 .
&_ WARNING
-Always pay a tten tion t o traffic and to the
a rea around your ve hicl e. Side a ssist can ­
no t repla ce a driver's atte ntion. The driv ­
er a lone is always respons ible fo r lane
cha nges a nd similar driving mane uvers.

102 Audi side assist
- Side assist is not active wh ile you are
making the adjus tment.
- Your settings are automatica lly sto red
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itse lf, t he LED in
the butto n tur ns off a nd a message will ap­
pea r in the instr ume nt cl uster d is p lay:
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar se nsors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the senso rs wi th bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c::;, page 100, fig. 104 .
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable
Side assis t ca nno t be swi tched o n tem porar ily
beca use there is a mal function (for exam ple,
the battery cha rge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guara ntee that it w ill de­
t e ct ve hicl es co rrec tly a nd it is sw itche d off .
The senso rs have been displaced o r a re faulty.
H ave the sy stem che cke d by an au thor ized A u­
di d eal er o r aut horiz ed Au di Servi ce Fa cili ty
s o on.
Audi side assist : Unavailable when towing .
Side assist switches off aut omatically whe n a
factory -insta lled trailer h itch is connected to
the el ectrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guara ntee the system will switc h off whe n
usi ng a retrofi tt ed traile r h itch . Do not use
side assis t when towing a tra iler .

104 Audi dri ve sele ct
surface o f the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Securing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or towing eyes is not perm itted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The veh icle
may not be secured suff ic iently if this
happens .
- If you are go ing to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operat ion mode
¢page 199.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
dynamic mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear position engages automati cally.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopp ing the eng ine . Th is does not ind i­
cate a problem.
- In vehicles with sport differential*, the
dynam ic mode is deactivated whe n tow­
i ng a traile r.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose be tween Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fi g. 106 MM!: D rive se lect
.,. To se lect the mode, select the following in
the MMI :
I CARI function button> Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Indi vidu al.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or while driving . If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways.
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
d yna mi c -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style .
individual -¢ page 105.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating Au­
d i drive select to prevent potential risk of
an accide .nt.

110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
• You may need to release the selector lever
l ock depending on which se lector lever posi ­
t ion is selected and which one you would
Like to select ¢
page 110, Selector lever
lock.
• To engage the nearest selector lever posi ­
t ion, move the selector lever forward/back
unti l you feel the first pressure point . The
selector lever will return to its original posi ­
t ion.
• To skip over one (or two) se lector lever posi­
tions, move the selector lever past the first
(and second) pressure point into the desired
pos it ion. The selector lever will return to its
origina l position.
For example, to move directly from the D se­
lector lever position to P when stopping the
vehicle, you can shift past the N and R selector lever positions.
S ele ctor l ever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se ­
lecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever¢
fig. 116 and/or press the
brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a
selector lever position when the engine is run­ n ing while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows¢
fig. 117 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever .
The selector lever does not lock if you sh ift
from D to R w ith in one second . Th is allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck .
P- P ark
The whee ls are locked in th is position. Only
shift into park when the vehicle is stationary
¢ & .To engage the P selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position .
You can only shift out of park when the eng ine
is running and you are press ing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to r
elease the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever position.
P engages automa tica lly when you sw itch the
engine off while D, Sor R is engaged o r in
manua l mode .
If you switch the eng ine off when N is engag­
ed, the transmiss ion remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged .
You must use the emergency release proce­ dure to release the parking lock before towi ng
the vehicle
¢ page 113.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this posit ion .
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta­
t ionary and the eng ine is running at id le speed
¢ & -To engage the R selector leve r pos ition,
press the button on the selector lever, press
the b rake pedal and move the selector lever
into the R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the R selector lever pos it ion wh ile the eng ine
. . 1s ru nning .
N -Neutral
The transm iss ion is in idle in this pos it ion . To
engage the N selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and sh ift into
t h e N pos it ion.
If you switch the eng ine off when N is e ngag­
ed, the transmiss ion remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then P is engaged .
You cannot se lect the N pos ition when the ig­
nition is sw itched off. When dr iv ing th rough
an automat ic car wash, first select the N posi­
t ion and then switch the engine off
¢page 204.
The veh icle cannot be locked when the selec­
tor lever is in the N position.
D - Dri ve
In this pos ition, the transmission sh ifts up
and down automatically depending on eng ine
load, veh icle speed and the dynamic shift pro -
gram (DSP) .
ll-

To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds
be low S km/h, press the brak e pedal and se­
lect the D se lector lever position
~ .& .
Unde r certain conditions such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer , it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to sh ift
manually to adapt to the driv ing con­
ditions
r:=:> page 112.
S -Sport
The 5 position can be selected fo r sporty driv­
ing. Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use
of the engine's power.
You can only select the S selector lever posi­
tion when Dis engaged . Move the selector
l ever back to engage the 5 selector lever posi ­
tion. To select the D sel ector lever position
again when 5 is engaged, move the selector
lever back
r:=:> .&.
The 5 selector lever position engages auto­
matica lly when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive se lect .
A WARNING
-Never engage R or P wh ile driving. It
could cause a crash.
-
- Power is still transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions except P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the vehicle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly. This cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activated .
- Before opening the hood, select the P se­
lector lever position and set the parking
brake. This reduces the risk of a crash . A l­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
r:=:> page 213, Engine compart­
ment.
- Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
Automatic Transmission 111
-If you must get out of the vehicle , move
the selector lever secure ly into the P po­
sition and apply the parking brake firmly.
@ Tips
- If you unintentionally shift into the N se­
lector lever position while driving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wa it for the engine to slow down until it
is idling before you sh ift into Dor 5.
Driving tips
The gears shif t automa tically.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine
r:=:>page 80.
.. Press the b utton on the s elector lever and
select the D, 5 or R se lector lever position
r:=:> page 109 .
.. Wait a moment until the transmiss ion
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"" Release the brake peda l and press the accel­
erator pedal
r:=:> &, .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle,
for example at a traffic light. Do not press
the acce lerator pedal when doing this.
"" To prevent the vehicle from rolling when
you start driving, set the parking brake
when stopp ing on large inclines
r:=:> &, .
.,. Th e parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerato r pedal.
Parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could roll . The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
.. Press and hold the bra ke peda l¢ &, .
"" Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position
r:=:> page 109 .

The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O];lij Gearbox malfunction: you can contin·
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. If you turn the engine
off, you
will not be able to select any other selector
l ever positions after starting the engine again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or quali­
fied repai r facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving {limited functionality)
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. The
engine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Au­
di dealer or qualified repa ir facility immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
[o]tlij Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
author ized Audi dealer immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The parking lock was released using the
emergency release
r=:> page 113. Or
Automatic Transmission 113
- The parking brake cannot engage automati ­
cally . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualif ied repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not continue dr iving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance .
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
Fig. 119 Driver 's side footwell: releas ing the park ing
lock using the emergency release
.------------------ -~
Fig. 120 Dr iver"s side footwel l: resett ing the parking
l ock
8 ±
~
The emergency release is located under the
floor mat on the driver's side. You operate the
emergency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake©
r=:> page 82
or press the brake pedal.
.,. There are two slits on the cover. Posit ion
the screwdriver from the veh icle tool kit in
Ill-

116 Advanc ed Parking S ystem
Rear vi ew cam era co ve ra ge area
The MM I display shows the area covered by
the rear view camera
c::> fig. 123 @ . Objects
that are not in the area covered @are not
shown on the MMI display.
We recommend that you p ractice park ing with
the rear view camera in a t raffic -free location
or parking lot to become familiar with the sys ­
tem, the orientation lines, and their function.
When doing th is, there sho uld be good light
and weather conditions.
In the MMI disp lay, objects or vehicles appear
closer or further away if:
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level
surface onto an incline, or a downward
s lope,
- you are d riving in reverse gear toward pro ­
truding objects,
- the vehicle is carrying too much load in the
rear.
The accuracy of the orientation lines and blue
surfaces dim inishes if:
- the adaptive air suspension/sport* is faulty, the vehicle is lifted or dynamic mode is se­
lected
c::> page 103,
- the rear view camera does not provide a reli­
able image, for examp le, in poor visibility
cond it ions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun glare and reflect ion.
Car in g for the rear view came ra lens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
license plate bracket . For the parking system
to operate, the lens
c::> fig . 124 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a household alcohol­
based glass cleaner, and then wipe the lens
clean with a dry cloth
c::> CD.
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
preferably with a de-icing spray
c::> (D .
A WARNING
,-
- Senso rs have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected . Pay special attention to small children and animals because
the sensors cannot always detect them.
- The parking system cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for parking and similar driving maneuvers.
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle 's
surroundings, us ing the rear view mirror
as well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted
from traffic by the rear view camera p ic­
tures.
- If the position and the installation angle
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rear end col lis ion, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons .
H ave it checked by a qualified dea le rship.
(D Note
- Low obstacles a lready s ignaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and w ill not cont inue to be signaled. Ob­
jects such as ba rr ier chains, trailer draw
bars, thin painted vert ica l poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing risk of damage .
- N ever use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the rear view camera
lens - this could ca use the lens to crack!
- When cleaning the lens, never use prod ­
ucts that are abrasive.

126 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
r:::> page 55.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect- edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi ­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
r:::> page 166. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat¢
page 142.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possibl e, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible¢
page 128.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
r:::> page 13 7.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
r:::> page 54 .
A WARNING
-
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury: