2013 AUDI A8 engine

116 Automatic Transmission
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­
l ecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever<=>
fig. 123 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. 124 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift
from D to R within one second . This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck.
P - Park
The whee ls are locked in this 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 pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
release the park ing lock and select the des ired
selector lever posit ion.
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in
manual mode.
If you switch the engine off when N is engag ­
ed, the transmission 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 towing
the vehicle
¢ page 120.
R - Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this position.
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta ­
tionary and the engine is running at idle speed
¢ & .To engage the R se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever, press the
brake pedal and move the selector lever
into the R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the R selector lever position while the engine
is running .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this position. To
engage the N selector lever position , press
the button on the selector lever and shift int o
the N position.
If you switch the engine off when N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 min utes and then Pis engaged.
You cannot select the N position when the ig­
nition is switched off . When driving through
an automat ic car was h, first select the N posi­
tion and then switch the engine off
¢page 216.
The vehicle cannot be locked when the selec­
tor leve r is in the
N position.
D/S - Position for driving forward
In the D/S pos ition, the transmission can be
operated either in the normal mode Dor in
the sport mode S. You can only select the S se­
lector lever position when Dis engaged. Move
the selecto r lever back to engage the S selec­
tor lever position. To select the D selector lev­
er position again when S is engaged, move the
selector lever back¢& . To shift from
N to D
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2km/
h), press the brake pedal and select the D se­
lector lever position ¢
&.
In the normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
T he vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeab le when
acce lerat ing.
The S selector lever position engages auto­
matically when yo u select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select.
...

& WARNING
-Never engage R or P wh ile driving. It
cou ld cause a crash .
-
-Power is sti ll 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 engine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle 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 par king
brake. This reduces the risk of a crash. A l­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
¢page 226, Engine comport­
ment.
- Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
- If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po­
sit ion and apply the park ing brake .
@ Tips
-If you un intentionally shift into the N se­
l ector lever position while dr iving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait for the engine to slow down until it is idling before you shift into Dor S.
Driving tips
The gears shift outomoticolly .
Starting from a stop
"' Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
.,. Start the eng ine
q page 83.
"' Press the button on the se lector lever and
select the D, S or R selector lever position
¢ page 115.
"' Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts. You w ill not ice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"' Re lease the brake pedal and press the accel ­
erato r peda l¢ _& .
Aut omat ic Tr ans missio n 11 7
Stopping temporarily
"' Press the b rake pedal to stop the veh icle,
for examp le 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¢_& .
"' The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the veh icle
could roll. The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park !
appears.
"' Press and hold the brake pedal¢ _& .
"' 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 posit ion ¢
page 115 .
Under certa in conditions such as dr iv ing in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to shift
manually to adapt to the dr iving con­
ditions
¢ page 118.
On slopes, activate the parki ng brake first and
then move the selecto r leve r to the P position .
T his prevents too much st ress from be ing
placed on the locking mechanism.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ¢ .&. in Se­
lecting o selector lever position on
page 117.
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selec tor lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running . This could result in a
crash.
- Never engage R or P while driving . It
could cause a crash.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To ..,.

118 Autom atic Tran smissi on
preve nt the vehicle from "creep ing" , you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lev er positions except P and N
when the e ng ine is r unning. Do not inad­
vertently press the accelerator pe dal
w hen the veh icl e is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will s tart to move immediate­
ly, even if the park ing brake is se t. This
cou ld result in a c rash.
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
peda l too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to ove rheat and s ubstant ially re­
duces braking performance, increases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail­
ure of the brake system.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
H ill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press t he b rake
pedal. The transmission automat ically se lects
a gear that is suitab le for the incline. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­ ieved at the time of brak ing, within physical
and techn ical limitations. If may still be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes .
H ill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
Hill descent control is also activated when the
speed is set by starting the cruise control sys­
tem c:>
page 90.
A WARNING -
Hill descent control ca nnot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
t o maintain a constant speed under all
condi tion s. Alw ays be ready to ap pl y the
bra kes.
Shifting manually
The shift paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig . 1 25 Steer ing whee l: sh ift in g manually
" To shift to a higher or lowe r gear tempo rari ­
ly, tap the
0 or 0 shift padd le c:> fig. 125.
" To switch manual mode on, press the~
button. An M and the gear that is current ly
engaged appear in the instrument cluster
disp lay @ c:>
page 115, fig. 122.
" To shift up one gear, tap the rig ht shift pad­
dle
0 c:> fig . 125 .
" To s hift down one gear, tap the left shift
paddle Q.
" To swi tch manual mode off, press the~
but ton again, or
" Move the se lector lever back and release it .
T he transm iss io n automatically sh ifts up or
down before cr itical engine spee d is reached.
T he transm iss ion only allows manual sh ifting
whe n the eng ine speed is w ith in the pe rmit­
ted range .
The eng ine braking effect increases when you
downsh ift when going downhill .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downsh ifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on veh icle speed and eng ine RPM . It
shifts up into the next higher gear once the
max imum specified engine RP M is reached .
Iii>

A WARNING 1=
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
act ive.
Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission: please pre ss the brake ped­
al and select the position again
Press the brake pedal and select the des ired
selector lever pos it ion again. You can then
continue dr iv ing .
[O] Transmission hot: please modify driving
style
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
in dicator 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.
l'§J/1;1 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
lever positions after start ing the engine again.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer or quali­
fied repair 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 stall. Dr ive to your authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified repair facility immedi ­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
Automatic Transmission 119
[o];ffl Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
The re is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion. The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer ­
tain gears or will not longer shift at a ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear . Dr ive to your
authorized Aud i dea ler 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 ¢
page 120. Or
- The parking brake cannot engage automati­
cally . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler o r
qualified 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 Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.

132 Homelink®
Homelink®
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Homelink® universal remote
control
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand-held transmitters
from existing equipment.
Using the Homelink universal remote control
you can operate equipment such as garage doors, property gates and house l ights from
ins ide your vehicle . '
Using the Homelink universal remote control '
you can replace up to three separate hand-
held transmitte rs for equipment on your
property with just one universal remote con­
trol. Most of these transmitters a re used to
ope rate ga rage doo rs and property g ates. The
individua l transmitters are programmed at
the front bumper. That is where the control
module is located.
The transmi tters must be p rogrammed first in
orde r to operate systems using the Homelink
universal remote control.
A WARNING
- Never use the Homelink ® transmitter
with any garage door opener that does have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as requ ired by federa l safety stand­
ards . T his includes any garage door open­
er model manufact ured before April 1,
1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety s tandards . Us ing a ga rage doo r
opener witho ut these fea tures increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the Homelink
® remote control is being pro­
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac ­
tivated, th is can overstrain motor and
damage its e lectrica l components - an
overhea ted mo tor is a fire hazard !
- To avo id possib le injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certa in that no persons or ob jects are lo­
cated in the rang e of motion of any
eq uipme nt bei ng ope rated.
(0 Tips
- If you would like add itional information
on the Hom e Link ® Unive rsal Transce iver
'
Home link compatib le p rod ucts, or to
pur chase other acce ssories s uch as the
Homel ink® Light ing Package, please
contact Homelin k at 1-800 -355 -3515 o r
on the Internet at www.homelink .com.
- For Declaration of Comp liance to Unite d
States FCC and Ind ustry Canada reg ula ­
tions ¢
page 299.
'Operation
Applies to vehicles: with Homelink
F ig. 151 Contro l u ni t in the head liner
-"' 8 ± .. .,
Requi rement: The buttons must be program­
med
¢ page 133.
'" Press the p rogrammed button¢&_ in Gen­
eral information on page 132
to open the
ga rage door. The light @will blink or turn
on.
'" Press the b utton again to close the garage
door ¢
&. in General information on
page 132.
~

-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 156 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 157 The vehicle cras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
veh icle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the ene rgy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of th is vehicle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 156, they will keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, unt il something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 157.
Safety belts 145
The same principles apply to people s itting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision.
Even at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these fo rces are even
higher.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle . In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the crash . Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col­
li s ions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
F ig . 158 A driver not wea ring a safety be lt is vio lently
th rown forwa rd
Fig. 159 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt
w ill fly forward a nd strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestra ined .,..

146 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 158. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers
~ fig. 159. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true !
Fig. 160 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement tha t can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags , for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is no t enough decelera tion
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

198 Intellige nt tec hno logy
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by veh ic le
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stab ilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the vehicle back under control by selectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under a ll cond itions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not towing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattent ion. Instead, ESC improves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.