2012 AUDI A8 Front light

than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for the ir s ize and weight
¢fig.156and ¢fig.157.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fro nt seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide. The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward-facing child safe­
ty seat.
It is a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the
wrong chi ld safety seat or improper ly in­
stalli ng a child restraint in creases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
co llision or othe r eme rgency s ituation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advance d Airbags, can be seri­
o usly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inf lates . A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infa nt carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
arm rest, door o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
sea ts on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat be cause of ex cep tional cir cums tan­
c es and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t does no t come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear -facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- The rea r side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the veh icle seat. Ad­
just the rear seat head restraint if it is
difficult to ins tall the child seat w ith the
Child Sa fet y 173
head restra int in place ¢ page 128. Driv­
ing with head restraints that are not
properly adjusted increases the r isk of
serious or fatal neck inju ry dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 134, Safety
b elts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 166, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circ umstances require the
use of a fo rward-facing child res traint on
the front passenge r's sea t, the child's s afe­
ty an d we ll - being req uire that the follow ­
ing spec ial precautions be taken:
- Ma ke s ure the forward- facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its man u­
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions p rov ided with the ch ild safety
seat or in fant carr ier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in ·
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­ ble before installing the ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore an d aft ad justment ra nge.
- Always ma ke sure the backrest is in an
up right pos ition.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time wheneve r the ignit ion is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perfo rm the
checks ¢
page 153, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Take t he chi ld restraint off the fron t pas­
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of t he rear sea t posi tions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ig ht does not stay on
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on . •
•

the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com ­
p letely and provide supplemental protection
in certa in frontal col lisions .
_&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other eme rgency s ituation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious persona l injury
and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt mus t lie as close to the
center of the child's co llar bone as possi ­
ble and must lie flat and sn ug on the up­
per body . It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen . Make sure that the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
t ighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a ch ild's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation ¢
page 134 .
-The rea r side of the child safety seat
sho uld be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the ve hicle seat. Ad­
just the rear se at head res traint if it is
difficult to install the child seat w ith the
head restraint in place¢
page 128. Driv­
ing with head restraints that are not
properly ad justed increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
-Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi­
t io n in any way during an acc ident can be
Child Sa fet y 175
struck by a dep loying a irbag . This will re­
sult in ser ious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because o f excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, pe rform
the checks descr ibed¢
page 153, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take t he chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of t he rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- Always rea d and heed all WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child res tra ine d in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 134, Safety
belts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 166 , Important things to know .
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to loc k the safety belt and prevent
the safety be lt webb ing from loosening up
dur ing norma l dr iving . A ch ild safety seat can
o nl y be properly installed when t he safety bel t
is loc ked so that t he chi ld and child sa fety
seat w ill stay in place.
Always remember: Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equipped wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hil dren, especially those 1 2 years and .,. •
•

176 Child Safety
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision .
-Always make sure that the safety belt re­ tractor is locked when installing a child safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal driving or in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it .
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used to secure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched,
the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­ rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed.
- 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 .
- 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 or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat. -
Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c> page 166. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 144, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c> page 153, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child 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
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
-An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­ ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:

-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 side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint . The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
A WARNING ,..__
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced 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 be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­
bag System. The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child .
Child Safety 177
-Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking
, retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path
¢ _A .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm). .,._
•
•

These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new chi ld safety
seats.
.&_ WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of c hild restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a collision. The anchors are de­
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted ch ild restraints.
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anc hor po int.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tethe r strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
k inds of occ upant restra ints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH lowe r ancho­
rages or to th e tethe r ancho rs.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­ tach a child restraint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
t ight, that it causes the weight -sensi ng
mat to measu re mo re weight than is ac­
t u a lly on the seat.
- T he he avier weig ht reg iste red ca n make
the Advanced Airbag Sys tem work as
tho ugh an adult were on the seat and de ­
ploy the Advanced Airbag w hen it must
be s uppressed causing serious or
even
fatal injury to the child .
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iate ly install the rear-facing chi ld
safety seat in a rear seating posit ion a nd
-
Child S afety 183
have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig . 1 66 Tet her st rap: proper ro uting and mounting
Installing the t eth er strap
.. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
.. Guide the upper tether strap
unde r the rear
head restra int
qfig. 166 (ra ise the head re­
straint if necessa ry) .
.. Center seating position*: Guide the upper
tether strap over the rear head restra int .
.. Til t the recess flap up to expose the an chor
bra cket.
.. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether ancho rage .
.. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.. Tighten the tether strap firmly follow ing
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions .
Relea sing the tether strap
.. Loosen the tension following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the anchorage .
Q) Note
If you leave the child restraint w ith the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, t his could leave a mark on the up­
ho lstery o n the seat cushion and backrest

Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Audi pre sense can initiate steps to help pro­
tect vehicle occupants in certain situations.
The funct ions descr ibed depend on equipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic
The following functions can be triggered in
certain driving situations:
- Tightening of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli ­
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to be tightened again.
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*: the
windows and the sunroof" close leaving a
small open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig­
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Vehicles with Audi drive select*: the deploy­
ment time is adapted in dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli­
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al­
so calculated . If the system senses an immi­
nent collision the following functions can be
tr iggered:
- Audi braking guard
c> page 93
-Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* ( leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi pre sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli­
hood of a rear-end col lision with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calculated. If the
Audi pre sense 185
risk of a collision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered:
- Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
- Adjusting the seats: the settings for the
power head restrains, the upper sections of
the backrests and the pneumatic side bol­
sters* are optim ized for the front seats and
the outboard rear seats*. If a collision does
not occur, the previous seat settings are re­
stored.
Audi pre sense plus
Audi pre sense plus includes the funct ions in
Audi pre sense front and Audi pre sense rear.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail­
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics.
It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks. This will increase
the risk of a collision and serious personal
injuries.
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­
jects . This increases the risk of a colli­
sion.
-Audi pre sense does not detect people or
animals or objects that are crossing the
veh icle's path
c> page 87.
- The radar sensor's vision can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi­
tions can prevent vehicles from be ing ac­
curately detected and in some cases they
may not be detected at all.
Ill-
•
•

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.
•
•

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 ..,.