2012 AUDI A8 snow chains

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.

192 Intelligent technology
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son ti res) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these t ires must be mounted on
all four
w heels .
See also c> page 250, Winter tires.
Snow chains
Where snow cha ins are mandatory on certa in
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with A ll Wheel Driver=:>
page 251, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /t ire s
Vehicles w it h All Wheel Dr ive must always
have tires of the same size . Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c> page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driv ing?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear ­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refe r to
i=>page 195.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Whee l Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the All Whee l Drive is very ef­
fective, a lways remember that b raking
capacity is limited by t ire traction. You
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rf a ces.
- On wet road su rfaces, be careful not to
dr ive t oo fast becau se t he front wheels
co uld beg in to s lide on top of the wa ter
(aquaplaning) .
If this should occ ur, you
wi ll have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ic h are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, t he bat­
te ry is discharged by idling current consume rs
(e.g. immobili ze r). In certa in circumstan ces it
ca n res ult in the re be ing insufficien t energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e ha ndles the dist rib ution o f electr ica l ene r­
gy. Start ing abili ty is m arkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
batt ery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the batte ry. Sensors determine
batte ry voltage, battery cu rr e nt and battery
tempe ratu re. This de termines the cur ren t
state o f cha rge and t he power o f th e battery.
Idling current management
Idli ng current management reduces energy
consumpt ion while the vehicle is standing.
With the ig nition sw itched off, it controls the
energy supp ly to the variou s ele ctri ca l compo ­
nen ts. Da ta from ba ttery d iagnos is is co nsid­
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
i ndivid ual con sume rs a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge o f the battery
and th us main tain starting capabi lity.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being d riven, dynamic en­
ergy ma nagement distr ib utes the energy ge n­
era ted a ccord ing to t he needs of the individ u-
al components.
It r egula tes consumption, so
t h at more e lectrical energy is not being used ..,.

The speed rating letter code (c::> page 23 7) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 246.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@l For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
-
Tires and wheels
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch
(10,S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> (]) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING ,..__
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow ..,.
251
•
•

252 Tire s and wheel s
chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(D} Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­hicles with All Wheel Drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims
are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
¢page 282.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bol ts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the risk of a whee
l loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tighte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
([) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque wrench -pre ferably by an au thor­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a var iety of d riv ing condi ­
t ions . As k your author ized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low -a sp ec t-ratio tires i s
pa rticularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure . It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 241, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies .,..

pressure label¢ page 239. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability .
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the correct tire pressures. You must check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­ ty driving style, winter conditions or un­paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
-Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could also result.
@ Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- To ensure a proper TPMS function use
AUDI Original Tires which are marked
with "AO" or "RO" on the tire sidewall.
¢page 246.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was syntonized using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification. We rec­
ommend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring syste m
If the tire pressure is adjusted , wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
~ Switch on the ignition.
~ Select in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
Car systems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures> Yes, store now .
Tires and wheels 255
(D Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of all four tires must correspond
to the specified values. Adjust the tire
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying ¢
page 239.
-Do not store the tire pressures if you are
driving with snow chains. Otherwise, a
system malfunction may occur .
•
•

2 58 What do I do n ow ?
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)*
Applies to vehicles: with space-saving spare tire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
Fig. 194 Spare tire
Tak ing out th e spar e tir e
• Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
¢fig. 194.
• Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
• Turn the large screw¢
fig. 194 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire .
• Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the repla ced ti re in the l uggage com­
partment~
page 130.
• Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as poss ible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare t ire
has been des igned specifically for your type of
vehicle.
It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare tire from another type of vehicle .
Snow chains
Fo r technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compa ct spare tire is
not p ermitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare whee l w ith ti
re instead of a rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defect ive front t ire.
A WARNING
=
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
d icators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as poss ible with the
normal whee l and tire.
-Afte r mounting the compact spare tire,
the t ire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire must be 4. 2 bar; oth­
e rwise, you risk having an a cciden t.
- D o not dr ive faste r th an 50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u ris k havi ng a n accident.
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
b rak ing, and fast corne ring. You risk hav­
i n g a n accident.
- Neve r d rive using more than one spa re
wheel and ti re. You r is k having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or win ter t ires must not
be mou nte d on the compa ct spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of t ire
chains on the spare tire is not permit ted .
If it is necessary to drive with t ire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
must then be installed in place of the
rear whee l with the flat tire. Installing
the t ire chain before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause se rious personal injury
du ring hard b raking or in an accident.
Never store the i nflatable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
men t.

294 Index
Seats Comfort seat side view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seat symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seats (number) .......... .. .. .. .. .. . 134
Selective unlock feature ........... .. .. 31
Selector lever .............. ... .... . 109
Service and disposal Saf ety belt pretens ioner ... .. .. .... . 141
Service interval display ................ 25
Servotronic (power steering system) ... . 191
Shift paddles . .............. ... .. ... 112
Ship (transporting your vehicle) . .. .... . 274
Side airbags Description ............... ... .... . 160
How they work ............ ... .... . 161
side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Adjust ing the brightness . .. .. .. .. .. . 101
Sensor range . ........... .. .. .... . 100
Side assist Activating and deactivating ... .. .. .. . 10 1
Sensoren reinigen ............ .. ... 205
Side curtain airbags ........ .. .. .. .. . 163
Description ................ .. .... . 163
How they work ............ .... ... . 164
Safety instructions ............. ... . 164
Side marker lights .......... ... .... .. 43
Ski sack
refer to Pass-through with ski sack . .... 67
Sliding/tilting sunroof
E l . mergency c osing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
E t· mergency opera ,on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Opening and clos ing ................ 40
Panoramic sunroof ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. 41
Snow chains ................ .. .. ... 251
Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 70
Solar operation (automatic climate con-
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Sources of information about c hild re-
straints and their use ........... .. ... 184
Space-saving spare tire ....... .... ... . 2S8
Spare wheel ... ........... .... .... . 259
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Speed rating letter code ....... ... ... . 247
Speed warn ing system ........... ..... 84
Sport differential ............ .. .... . 103
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 START ENGINE S
TOP button ...... .. .. . 80
Starting from rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Starting off with a trailer .............. 83
Starting the engine ............. .... . 80
Steering wheel Adjusting steering column ........... 79
Easy entry feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 22
Shift paddles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Steering wheel heating .......... ... . 78
Steps for determining correct load limit . 243
Stopping the engine . ................. 81
Storage .. .. .... .. ............. .... . 71
Sunroof ............................ 40
Sun shades Emergency closing (roof) ............. 42
Panoramic sunroof ............... .. . 42
Rear doors .... .. ............. .... . 47
Rear window . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 47
Sun visors . ..... .. ............. ..... 47
Symbols
refer to Warn ing/Ind icator lights . .... . 11
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 23
T h . l d'f ' .
ec nrca mo , ,cations .......... .... 283
T emperature display ............. .. .. . 23
Tether anchors ... . ... ... .... ... .. .. 182
T ether strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and after-
wards ............................. 194
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 131
T ips for th e environment
Sav ing fuel . ..... ................ .. 69
t iptron ic (automat ic transmission) . .... 109
Tire pressure .... .. ............. .... 241
T ire pressure monitoring system ....... 253
Loss of air pressure ................ 254
Malfunction ..... ............. .... 254
Resetting tire pressures ............. 255
T ires .............................. 235
Service life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
speed rating letter code ............ 247
Ti re manufacturing date ............ 247
r ·f · ·
rre spec, 1cat1ons ............. .... 247
Tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Index 295
Uniform tire quality grading . ... .. .. . 2 49 Unfastening safety belts . ..... ... .. .. 139
Winter tires . ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 250
Unidirectional tires .................. 235
•
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. .. . 24 3
Uniform tire quality grading ...... .. .. 249 •
Tires and wheels
Unl ocking
Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 241
Power locking switch . ... .... ... .. .. . 33
Cold tire i nflat ion pressure ..... ... .. 239
Rear lid ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 34
Dimensions . ................ ... ... 246
Remote contro l .. .. . ... ...... ... .. . 32
Gene ral notes ............ .... .. .. . 235
Using the key .. .. .... ............. . 33
Glossary of t ire and load ing te rm ino lo-
gy .. .. .. .. ............... .. .. .. . 236
L ow aspect ratio t ires ... ... .. .. .. .. . 2 52
V
New tires and wheels ... ... .. .. .. .. . 246 Valet pa
rking . ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 39
Replacing . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 247 Vanity mirrors .
.. .. .. . ... ...... .. 47,48
Snow chains ............. .... .. .. . 251 Vehicle-care products ................ 203
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 243
Vehicle electr ical sys tem . ..... ... .. .. . 16
Wheel bolts .............. ... ... .. 252
Vehicle identification label . .......... . 276
W inte r tir es .............. ... ... .. 250
Vehicle Identificatio n Number (VIN) . ... 276
Tire service life ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 245
Vehicle jac k ... .. .. ............ 257, 262
Tools . .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 257
Vehicle literature .. .... ............. .. S
Torn or frayed safety belts ... .. .. .. .. . 137
Vehicle transport .. .. . ... ...... ... .. 274
Touch -up paint ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 207
Ventilation ....... .. ................ 75
Towing
Tow truck pro cedures ...... .. .. .. .. . 27 2
W
TPMS
Tire pressure monitoring system 254
Trailer towing . .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 199
Operating instructions .. ... .. .. .. .. . 199
T echnical req uirements . . . . . . . . 199, 200
Trailer towing tips ........ .. .. .. .. . 201
Train (transporting your vehicle) . ... ... 274
Transm ission malf unct io n (ind icator
light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Transport Canada .......... .... .. .. . 132
Transport ing your vehi cle .... .. .. .. .. . 274
T read Wear Indicato r (TWI) ...... . ... . 245
T rip odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
What does it mean when D EF appears in
the trip odometer d isplay? . .. .. .. .. .. 25
T runk
refer to Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Trunk escap e hand le ........... .. .... 256
Turn signa ls .. ............. .... .. .... 45
War ning/ indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. .. 22
u
Undercoat ing ............. .... .. ... 208 Warning/indicator lights
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Airbag system ... .. ... ....... ...... 18
Anti- lock b raking system (ABS) . . . . . . . . 19
Br ake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
El ectromechani ca l p ar king brake . .. .. . 15
El ec tronic power contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
El ectronic Stability Co ntrol (ESC) ... .. . 18
Generator ....... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 16
Instrument cluster .... ............. . 10
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL) .. .. . 20
Safety be lt .. .. .. ................. . 16
Turn signals . .. .. .. ... ....... ...... 22
Warning/Indicator lights
Airbag system . .. ................. 153
Dynam ic steering . ................. . 22
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ....... .... 153
War ranty coverages . .. .. .. ..... ... .. 280
Washe r reservo ir .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 234
Washing . .. .. .. .. .. ............... 203
Automat ic car wash ............ .. .. 204
by hand . .. .. .. .. .. . .. ....... ... .. 204
with a power washer ............... 205
Waxing . ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Wea r indica to r .. .. .... ........... .. 245