2012 AUDI A8 warning lights

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 2 7
Continue driving with reduced power (avoid­
ing sustained high speeds and/or rapid accel­
erat ions) and have the condition corrected.
Contact your author iz ed Audi dealer.
If the light ill uminates, the electronic speed
limiter may also be ma lfunctioning . For more
information ¢
page 2 7, Electronic speed
limiter .
An improperly closed fuel fi ller cap may also
cause the MIL light to ill uminate ¢
page 217.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 12 Loca tion of Data Li nk Connector (DLC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of yo ur emission control system. Each
mon itored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code. In case of a ma l­
function, the component will be identified and the fault stored as a code in the contro l
module memory.
The MIL light may a lso illuminate if there is a
l eak in the on-board fue l vapor recovery sys­
tem. If the light illuminates after a ref uelling,
stop the veh icle and make sure the fue l filler
cap is properly closed ¢
page 217.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe­
cial diagnostic equipment (gener ic scan tool
for OBD).
In order to connect the special diagnostic
eq uipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the right of the hood release¢
fig. 12.
Your authorized Audi dea ler or a qualified
service station can interpret the code and per­
form the necessary repair.
A WARNING
Do not use the diagnostic connector for
personal use. Incorrect usage can cause
malfunctions, wh ich can increase the risk
of a collision!
Electronic speed limiter
-
Your vehicle may be factory equipped w ith
t ir es that are rated fo r a maximum speed of
130 mph (210 km/h). This is less than the
maximum speed of your vehicle . To reduce the
risk of sudden tire fai lure and loss of control if
the vehicle is operated at excessive speeds,
your vehicle a lso has an e lectronic speed limit­
er . The e lectronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from going faster than the tire speed rating . For more information ¢
page 246.
If the engine contro l unit receives faulty vehi­
cle road speed signa ls, the Ma lfunction Indi·
cator Lamp (MIL)
fllllij w ill illuminate. If this
occurs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
dealer for assistance .
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing road, traffic and weather conditions. Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi­
mum speed rating of the tires installed.

44 Clear vision
Highway light function* (vehicles with LED
headlights) -this function adapts the lighting
for highway driving based on vehicle speed.
.&_ WARNING
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver. They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check
the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions. For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights §.0
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from
the back.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described.
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
@ Tips
- The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount. You should
therefore not apply any stickers to the
windshield in this area in order to pre­
vent malfunctions or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display¢
page 21 .
- You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail
lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They will clear shortly after switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in an emer ­
gency situation.
,--~
,_'
. ;.' --- --~-.sc-
Fig. 35 Center console: emergency flasher switch
.,. Press the switch 11 ¢ fig. 35 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
s ignal ind icator lights
ea in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
11 blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flasher also works when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.

46 Clear vis ion
instrument cluste r illuminates when the
high beams are on.
- T he
headlight flash er works only as long as
yo u hold the lever - even if there are no
l ights turned on . The ind icator light
Bl in
the instrument cluster i lluminates when you
use the headlight flasher.
A WARNING
Do not use the high beam or headlight
flasher if you know that these could blind
oncoming traffic.
Interior lights
Front and rear interior lighting
Fi g. 37 Headl iner: Front in te ri or lig hts
F ig . 3 8 Re ar headli ne r: Rea din g lig ht
Press the appropriate b utton q fig . 3 7:
El -Interior lighting on/off
1!1-Door contac t switch . The inter ior light ing
turns on automatica lly when you unlock the
vehicle, open a door or switch the ignition off.
The interior lighting turns off several seconds after you close the doors , when you lock the
vehicle or when you switch the ignition on .
When a door is open, the light t urns off afte r
a few minutes .
L:!l-Read ing lights on/off
~ - Switching the rear read ing lights on/off
from the cockpi t.
IREAR MODEt* - Sw itch ing the rea r readi ng
lights on/off from the cockpit : pr ess the
I REAR MODE i button and t hen t he appropriate
button
L:!l i n t he cockpit .
Ambience lighting
Applies to vehicles: with ambience lighting
You can select a color profile and br igh tness
for the ambience light ing in various areas of
t h e ve hicle, called zones .
Turning ambience lighting on .,. Sele ct in the
M MI: ICAR lfun ction bu tton>
Car sy stem s control b utton > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interior lighting > On.
Ad justing/turning off the brightness
.,. Select in the
MMI: ICA Rlfunction button>
Car sy stem s control b utton > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interior lighting > Brightne ss .
.,. Tur n the knob to the desired veh icle area
and p ress the knob. The bar that appears in ­
dicates the selected brightness .
.,. To increas e or reduce the brightness, turn
the knob and press it .
Select ing a color p rofile*
.,. Select in the
MMI: ICAR lfunction button>
Car sy stem s control b utton > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interior lighting > Color profile .
T he ambience ligh ting tu rns on when the
f unct ion is act ivated in the
MMI and w hen you
turn the headlights on while the ign ition is
switched on .
Adjusting the brightness
You can adjus t the br igh tness fo r the fou r
zones Front top , Front footwell , Re ar top and
Rear footwell or for All areas at the same
t ime . ..,.

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.

Armrest
There is a storage compartment under the
armrest .
Fig. 52 Cockp it: ce nter armrest
Opening the storage compartment
.. Press the button -arrow- and
move the arm­
rest up¢
fig. 52.
Adjusting the armrest
.. To
move the armrest forward and up, press
the button -arrow- while pulling the armrest
into the desired position .
.. To bring the armrest back into its or igina l
position, press the button -arrow- while
pressing the armrest down.
Please note that the driver's arm movements
may be restricted w ith the armrest folded
down. Fo r this reason, the armrest should not
be folded down when driving in city traffic.
Rear seats
General information
Safe transportation of passengers on the rear
seats requires proper safety precautions.
All passengers on the rear seats must be seat­
ed in compliance with the safety guidelines
explained in
¢page 134 and qpage 142.
The correct seating position is critical for the
safety of front
and rear seat passengers alike
¢page 127.
A WARNING
- Occupants in the front
and rear seats
must always be properly restrained.
-
Seats and storage 57
- Do not let anyone ride in the vehicle
without the head restraints provided.
Head restraints help to reduce injuries .
- Loose items inside the passenger com­
partment can fly forward in a crash or
sudden maneuver and injure occupants.
Always store articles in the luggage com­
partment and use the tie-down eyelets.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ page 127, Proper seating positions
for passengers in rear seats.
Adjusting the rear seats
App lies to vehicles: wit h co mfort seats
Fig. 53 Right re ar seat: seat adjustment buttons
@ -Adjust ing the lumbar support: press the
button to the left/right to adjust the lumbar
support curvature¢ &.. Press the button up/
down to adjust the height of the lumbar sup ­
port ¢&,. .
@ -Moving the upper section of the backrest
forward/back. Press the button forward/back
Q &_ .
©-Massage function* : to select the "pu lsat­
ing" massage function, press the button for­
ward. To select the "wave" massage function,
press the button back. If three lights in the
button turn on, the massage is at the stron­
gest level. To reduce the massage level, press
the button again. To turn the massage func­
tion
off, press the button again until all of the
lights turn
off .
@ -Moving the seat forward/back: press the
button forward/back ¢ &,. .
@ -Moving the seat up/down: press the but-
ton up/down ¢ &,. . ..,_

58 Seats and storage
© -Switching front passenger seat adjust ­
ment on/off: this function must be activated
in the MMI ¢
page 60, ¢& .To switch front
passenger seat adjustment on, press the but­
ton. You can now adjust the front passenger
seats us ing the buttons @ and @. If you do
not press the buttons @ or@ , front passen­
ger seat adjustment switches
off automatica l­
ly after approximate ly ten seconds.
& WARNING
- T he power adjustment for the individ ual
seats also works with the ignition . For
this reason, children should never be left
unattended in the vehicle -th ey could be
injured!
- Exercise caution when adjusting the
seats. Uns upervised or careless seat ad­
justment can p inch fingers or hands
causing injur ies.
- Vehicles with a pass through in the cen­
ter console have seat ing for four. The
long center console between the two
Reclining rear seat overv iew
Applies to vehicles: with reclining rear seat
----------------- T ® ------ -
Fi g. 54 Rear doo r: ad justi ng the recli ning posit ion
(D -Adj usting the reclining posi tion
@ -Adjusting the standard position rear seats is
n
ot a seat ing position.
Therefore, a safety belt is not provided.
(D Note
If a child seat is attached to one of the rea r
seats, this seat must not be adj usted using
the power controls under any circumstan­
ces. The easy entry funct ion for this seat
must also be deactivated in the MMI
¢
page 60 . The child seat as well as the
r ear seat can be damaged by the adjust­
ment process.
© Tips
The massage function switches off auto­
matically after approximately 10 minutes.
- If you cannot
move the front passenger
seat, it may be because
- the front passenge r's seat memory
f u nction is swi tched off ¢
page 63 or
- the child safety lock is switched on (the
@ b utton ¢ page 38 or t he righ t t
button ¢ page 38 lights up in the d riv ­
er's door), or
- the front passenger seat adjustment is
switched
off in the MMI ¢ page 60.
@ -Fold ing the leg support up/down
@ -Leg support steeper/flatter
i :c ., a,

©-Leg support forward/back
@ -Adjusting the display
Operating the reclining rear seat
Ap plies to vehicles : wit h recl in ing rea r seat
Fig. 55 Rear ce nter console : seat adjustment buttons
R eclining po sition on /off
@ -Adjusting the reclining position: press
and hold the button@c:>
page 58, fig . 54 un­
til your seat and the front passenger's seat
reach their end pos itions ¢
page 58, fig. 54.
Depending on the last setting, the leg support
may fold out at the same time. The front pas­
senger seat 's can no longer be used in the re­
clining position
¢ & .
@ -Adjusting the standard position: press
and hold the button @ unt il the front pas­
senger's seat reaches its end position and its
head restra int is upr ight . The leg s upport
folds in at the same time
¢ .&, .
You can adjust the leg support or fold the dis­
p lay forward in the reclining position:
Adju sting th e leg support
@ -Folding the leg support out/in: press and
hold the left/right button@¢
fig. 55 unt il
the leg support reaches the des ired posit ion .
@ -Leg support steeper/flatter: Activate
front passenger's seat adjustment with the
button
(Z) . To adjust the front passenger's
seat backrest and the leg support, press the button ®forwa rd/back.
© -Leg support forward/back: Activate front
passenger's seat adjustment w ith the button
. To adjust the front passenger's seat and
Sea ts a nd s to rage 59
leg support fo rward/back, p ress the button @
forward/back.
Adju sting the d ispl ay
@ -Tilting the display forward/back: press
and hold the left/right b utton @ unti l the d is­
play reaches the desired position.
You can fold the display forward so that you have a clear view of the roadway. With the
seat in the recl ining posit ion, press and hold
the right button @ unti l the display is folded
forward . Make sure the driver has a clear view
of the exterior mirrors. If so, confirm the
question in the MMI with Yes. If you answer
No or do not respond to the question, the dis­
play will return to the upright position.
.&_ WARNING
Do not use the front passenger 's seat for
seating when it is in the reclin ing pos ition .
This increases the risk of serious injury or
death.
- Never adjust the recl ining posit ion when
the front passenger's seat is occupied.
This inc reases the r isk of injury.
- Do not t ilt the display if the driver's view
of the right exter io r mirro r will be ob­
s truc ted .
- Ma ke sure the a rea between the leg sup­
port and the front passenger's seat back­
rest is clear before fo lding the leg sup­
port in so that you are not pinched.
(D Tips
If you cannot move the seat into the re­
clin ing position, it may be because
- the front passenger's seat memory func­
tion is switched off c:>
page 63 or
- the ch ild safety lock is switched on (the
~ button c:> page 38 or the right t but­
t on¢
page 38 lights up in the dr iver's
door), o r
- t he front passe nger seat adjustment is
switched off in the MM I c:>
page 60.

CD Note
-Avoid high engine rpm, fu ll throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperature -other ­
wise you risk engine damage.
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the veh icle.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the en­
gine is switched off -there is a risk of
damag ing the engine . Allow the eng ine
to run at idle for about 2 m inutes befo re
swit ching it off.
@ Tips
- If you open the dr iver's door w ith the ig­
nit ion on, a buzzer sounds and the mes­
sage
Igniti on i s on appears in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay. Switch the ign it ion
off .
-If you leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
swi tched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certain period of time. Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exter ior lights wi ll switch off as well
when that happens .
Stopping the engine
... Bring your vehicle to a comple te stop .
... Move the selector lever to the P or N posi ­
t ion .
... Press the !START E NGIN E STOPI button
Q page 80, fig. 81 .
Emergen cy off
If necessary, the engine can be swi tched off
with the selector lever in the R, Dor S posi ­
tions . The eng ine stops if you press the
I START E NGIN E STOP I button at speeds be low
6 mph (10 km/h).
_& WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unt il the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
On th e road 81
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking . Because
you cannot s teer and brake as you usual­
ly would, th is could lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
- For safety reasons , you sho uld a lways
park your vehicle with the selector lever
in P . Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away.
- After the eng ine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can cont in ue to run for
up to 10 minutes -even with the igni tion
switched off .
It can also switch on again
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat b uildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays .
~
CD Note
Do not stop the eng ine immediately after
hard or extended driving. Keep the engine
running for approximate ly two minutes to
prevent excess ive heat bu ild -up .
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances , for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter ­
ference is affected the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
ij
:c
---- -~
Fig . 82 Center co nsole/m aste r key : star ting the engine
I
if th ere is a malfun ction Ill>