2013 AUDI A8 ESP

6 About this Owner's Manual
This owner's manua l contains important infor­
mation, tips, suggestions, and warnings for
the use of your veh icle.
Make sure that this owner's manua l is always
located in the vehicle. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you allow other people to drive the ve­
h icle, or if you sell it.
This owner's manua l descr ibes the
equipment
range
specified for this mode l at the editoria l
deadline date. Some of the equipment descri­
bed here will on ly be available at a later date,
or only in specific markets.
Some sections in this owner's manua l do not
apply to a ll vehicles . In that case, the
range of
applicability
is g iven at the beginn ing of the
section, e.g. "Applies to vehicles: w ith Ad­
vanced Parking System" . In add it ion, optional
or vehicle -specific equipment is indicated by
a n aster isk
" *" .
Illustrations may be different from those in
your vehicle, and are intended to be viewed as
a basic guide .
You will find a
table of contents at the begin­
n ing of this book, which disp lays all topics de­
scr ibed in this manual in order of appearance.
You will find an alphabetical
index at the end
of this book .
All
directions , such as "left", "right", "front",
''back", are relative to the direct ion of travel.
* Optional or vehicle-specific equipment
.,.. This section continues on the next page.
® Registered trademarks are identified with
a®. If this symbol is missing, it is no guar­
antee that the terms can be used free ly .
~ &. Cross-reference to a "WARN ING!" with-
in a section. For indication w ith a page num­
ber, the corresponding "WARNING!" can be
found outside of the section .
A WARNING
Text with this symbol contains important
information on safety and how to reduce
the risk of personal injury or death.
(D Note
Text with this symbo l draws your attention
to potentia l sources of damage to your ve­
hicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Text with this symbo l contains information
abo ut the environment and how you can
help protect it.
{!) Tips
Text with this symbo l contains specia l tips
and other information about gett ing the
most out of your vehicle and its features.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
(USA models): If the warning light 1111 and
the warning light
EiJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 20 .
When t he light comes on, an audible warning
signal is also given.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 226, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
brake fluid .
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- USA models: Ifthe llll warning light,
the
G1 warning light and the firlilJ warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
BJ come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock -up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent . Have your vehicle repaired immedi­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake is released, or lights up
while you are driving, the fluid Level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­ spected. -
Always keep in mind that after several
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
vehicle. Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with maximum stopping power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased braking distances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator light - (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the
ignition is off, the indicator light turns off af­
ter about 20 seconds.
Th e warning/indicator light will go out when
the parking brake is released.
- (USA models) ,. (Canada models)
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
ke ep the vehicle from rolling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could roll away even
on a small incline .
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button
@ii or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
¢page 86 .
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake manually , press
the brake pedal and press the button~ at the
same time. The parking brake only releases
automat ica lly if the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened .
ES Parking brake!
If the ES indicator light turns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction. Drive to your authorized Audi

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
If th is message turns off after a litt le whi le,
the battery charged enough whi le driving.
If the message does not turn
off, have your
authorized Audi dealer or qua lified workshop
correct the malfunction .
'l:::7-: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediat e servic e or repair. Driving
with a Low-oil-pressure indication is Likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low.
.,. Pull
off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check the engine oil level c::> page 23 7.
.,. If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine
o il
c::> page 238. Make sure that the oil p res ­
s ur e warning symbol. appears no longe r
in the display before you start driving again.
.. If the engine oil leve l is correct and the indi­
cator light st ill turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
-The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age .
~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When the symbol and the driver message ap ­
pear, the oil has to be replen ished right now
c::> page235.
If the indicator light and the message appear,
add engine oil immediately
c> page 238 .
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap ­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity
c::>page 235.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professiona l assistance .
1!11 Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic stee ring
column lock malfunct ion.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
.8, WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the elec tron ic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering . If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
If the indicator light DJ and the ABS indicator
light
r.t.1:1:1 (USA models) 1 11] (Canada mod­
e ls) turn on and the message appears, there is
a ma lfunction in the ABS system or e lectronic
d ifferential lock. This also interrupts the ESC.
The brakes still function with their normal power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
If the battery terminals were disconnected
and re -connected, the vehicle was jump start­
ed or the battery is very weak, the ESC sensor
system goes through a learning process for
the first few yards. The warning/ind icator
light illuminates. The warn ing/ indicator l ight
goes out as soon as the learning process is
comp lete.
For more informat ion about the ESC
c::>page 198.
ABS/(@) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light
E (USA mod­
els)
Ill] (Canada mode ls) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
The light will go out after an automat ic check
sequence is completed .
There i s a malfunction in the ABS when:
-The warning/ ind icator light does not illumi­
nate when you switc h the ignition on.
- The warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds.
- The warning/indicator light illuminates
whi le driving.
The ESC indicator light also illuminates if
there is a malfunction in the ABS. The mes­
sage
Stabilizatio n control (ESC /ABS ) Fault !
See owne r's manual
also appears in the in­
strument cluster display and a warning tone
sounds .
The brake s ystem will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS s ystem .
See your authori zed Audi dealer as soon as po
ssible to re store full br aki ng performance.
For more information regarding the ABS
c::> page 198 .
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake war ning l igh t c::> page 14 and the
ABS warning illum inate together th ere may be
a mal function in the ABS, and there may a lso
be a malfunction i n the brake system itself
c::> .& . The ABS will not wo rk and you will no ­
tice a change in b raking response and per ­
formance .
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
s y stem
the warning/indicator light 1111
(USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes
c::> page 14.
Malfunction in th e electronic diff erential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together w ith the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a malfunction in the EDL system¢ page 198 .
See your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ible .
.&_ WARNING
- If the r.t.1:1:1 (USA mode ls)/ [IJ (Canada
models) w arning light does not go ou t,
or if it comes on whi le dr iving, t he ABS
system is not wor king properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only wit h the
standard brakes (without ABS). You w ill
not have the protect ion ABS prov ides.
Contact your Audi dea ler as soon as pos­
sible.
- USA models: If the
1111 warning light,
the:
JjJ warning light and the E warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up f irst under hard
brak ing. Rear wheel lock-up can ca use
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehi cle repaired immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer or a quali ­
fied workshop . Drive slow ly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models:
If the brake warning
light ., the
D] warning light and the
ABS warning light
[I] come on together, ~

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 23
@ Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
c::> page 47.
Driver information
display
Overview
Fig. 4 Driver information system in t he instr ument
cluste r
Fig. 5 Display: exa mple of th e in forma tion line
The driver information system contains infor­
mation
® that is displayed on tabs ®
c::;, fig. 4. The following content is possible de­
pending on vehicle equipment:
®
Tab
1
®
Content
Vehicle functions :
On-board computer c::;, page 24
Digital speedometer
Cruise control*
c::;, page 90
Adaptive cru ise control and braking
guard*
c::> page 93
Audi lane assist* c::;,page 102
Display darkened
-
® ®
Tab Content
2 Indicator lights and messages
Warn ing when a door, the hood or
the rear lid is not closed
c::;, page 2 8
Service interval display c::;, page 2 7
Speed warning system
c::;, page 90
3 Night vision assistant* c::;, page 112
~
I
4 Audio/video
5 Telephone*
6 Navigation*
The second and third tabs are only visible if at
least one indicator light or message is shown
or if that system is switched on .
The status line © is located in the bottom
part of the disp lay
c::;, fig. 4. It displays the ex­
terior temperature, time, selector lever posi­
tion, trip odometer and odometer .
For some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the temporary memory
c::;, page 24 in the line (!)¢ fig. 5.
&_ WARNING
--
- Never rely exclusively on the outside
temperature display to determine if a
road surface is icy or not. Keep in mind
that road surfaces, especially bridges
and overpasses, could be ice cove red and
slippery even at an outside temperatu re
above 41
Of (+5 °().
-Always remember, even if the "snow­
f la ke" symbo l (ice warning) does not ap­
pear in the disp lay, black ice could be on
the road.
-Always reduce your speed and drive with
special care in cold weather cond itions
when the chance of encountering icy road surfaces increases.
(j) Tips
- At temperatures below 14 °F (+ 5 °() a
snowf lake symbol appears ahead of the
temperature display.
It is intended to re-
mind the driver to pay special attention
~

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 2 7
The date and time are shown in the instru ­
ment cluster display ¢
page 23, fig. 4. There
is also an ana log clock in the center conso le
¢fig. 12.
When you open the drive r's door, the date and
time appear in the instrument cluster display for 30 seconds. When the ign ition is switched
on, the time is always displayed in the status
line © regard less of the current d isp lay.
You can set the time on both clocks and the
date display in the MMI. Refer to the M MI
owner's manual for instructions.
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fi g. 1 3 In st rume nt cluster: Service interva l d isp lay
The schedule for the next oil change o r inspec­
tion is calculated a utomatically and displayed
according ly. The display works in two stages:
Service reminder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
switch the ignition o n
r:::;,fig. 13.
After abo ut 5 sec onds the display sw itches
back to n ormal. The d istance and time re­
maining are updated each time the ignition is
switched on until the date due for serv ice is
reac hed.
Service due
W hen the due date for service is reached, the
message
Service due! appea rs in the instru­
ment clus ter immediately after you switch the
i gnit io n on . Additionally, a war ning tone sou
nds. After about 5 seconds the disp lay
switc hes back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or w hen an oi l change or inspection is due,
c a n be shown in the M MI di spl ay by selec ting
t h e service in terval d isplay in the c ar menu .
Se lect the
I CAR I function button > Car s ys­
tems
control button > Ser vicing & checks >
Service interval d isp lays.
Resetting the service interval display
Your auth ori zed Audi de aler will reset the cor­
responding service sc hedule a fter pe rforming
t h e a ppropriate service o n your vehicle. You
also have t he possibility to reset the oil
change schedule after hav ing performed a n
o il change according to Aud i specifications.
Se lect the
ICAR I function button > Car sys­
tems
con trol button > Servicing & che cks >
Service Intervals > Reset oil change interval.
(D Note
If you d isconnect t he battery te rm inals , no
ca lculat ions can be made fo r the service
i nte rva l disp lay dur ing th is time and no
se rv ice rem inde r will appear. Remem ber
th at obs erving the prop er servi ce inte rva ls
i s vi tally imp ortant t o extending the lif e of
you r ve hicl e, p articu larly the engine, an d
maintain ing its val ue. Eve n if the milea ge
dr iven is low, the maximum period of one
year from one service to the next m ust n ot
be exceeded.
(D Tips
- Do not reset the display between oil
chan ges, otherwise the disp lay wi ll be in­
co rrect.
- The i nfo rmation in the Service Reminder
remains stored eve n when t he ve hicle
battery is disconnected.

30 Opening and clo sing
Opening and closing
Keys
Key set
Fig . 16 Key set
@ R emot e control k ey with mechan ical
ke y
You can centrally lock and unlock your vehicle
and start the engine with the master key with
remote control. A mechanical key is integrat­
ed in the remote control key
r:::;, page 31 .
@ Eme rgency ke y
The emergency key is not intended for con­
stant use.
It should only be used in an emer­
gency. Keep it in a safe place and do not carry it on your key ring .
Key replac em ent
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Audi
dealer immediately to have the
lost key disa­
bled. Be sure to bring all your keys with you.
P er sonal c omfo rt se ttin gs
If two peop le use one vehicle, it is recom­
mended that each person always uses "their
own" master key . When the ignition is switch­
ed off or when the vehicle is locked, personal
convenience settings for the follow ing sys­
tems are stored and ass igned to the remote
maste r key.
- Automatic climate control
- Central locking system
- Rear window sun blind
- Amb ient lighti ng
- Seat memory
- Parking system* - Adaptive cruise control*
-
Aud i lane assist*
- Aud i side assist*
-Aud i drive select
- Night vision assistant*
- Heated steering wheel *
T he stored settings are automatically recalled
when you unlock the vehicle, when you open the doors or when you switch the ignition on.
A WARNING
-- Do not leave your vehicle unattended. A l­
ways take your ignit ion key with you and
lock your vehicle. Entry by unauthorized
pe rsons could endanger you or result in
theft or damage the vehicle.
- Do not leave ch ildren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportun ity to s tart
the engine and/or ac tiva te vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows, etc.
Unsupervised operation of any vehicle
system by children can result in serious
inj ury.
(D Tips
- The ope ration of the remote con trol key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfe r­
ence from transm itters in the vic inity of
the vehicle working in the same frequen­
cy range (e .g. a cell phone, radio equ ip­
ment).
- For security reasons, rep lacement keys
are only avai lable from Audi dealers.
- For Declaration of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions
<=> page 299.

A WARNING ,~
- When you lock your vehicle from outside,
nobody - especially children - should re­
main inside the vehicle. Remember,
when you lock the vehicle from the out­
side the windows cannot be opened from
the inside.
- When you leave the vehicle, always take
the ignition key with you. This will pre­
vent passengers (children, for example)
from accidentally being locked in the ve­
hicle should they accidentally press the
power locking switch in the doors.
- Do not leave children inside the vehicle
unsupervised. In an emergency it would
be impossible to open the doors from
the outside without the key.
- Applies to vehicles with power side door
closer*:
- When closing a door, make sure noth­
ing can interfere with the door. This
could cause serious personal injury.
- You can stop the door from closing at
any time by pulling on the inside or
outside door handle.
@ Tips
-In the event of a crash with airbag de­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to give access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside.
- If the power locking system should mal­
function, you can lock the driver's door
using the mechanical key¢
page 36.
- If
the power locking system should fail,
you can still open the fuel tank flap in an
emergency¢
page 231.
-You are well advised not to keep valua­
bles inside an unattended vehicle, visible
or not. Even a properly locked vehicle
cannot provide the security of a safe.
- If the LED in the upper edge of the driv­
er's door panel comes on for about 30
seconds after the vehicle is locked, there
is a malfunction in the power locking or
the anti-theft warning system. Have the malfunction corrected by an authorized
Opening and closing 33
Audi dealership or qualified repair facili­
ty.
· Setting power locking
The driver can determine the functions for
power locking in the MMI.
.. Select: !CAR !function button> Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > (Central
locking).
Lock when driving -
If you select On, the vehi­
cle locks automatically when driving. All of
the doors and luggage compartment lid lock.
Central locking
Unlock doors -
You can decide if All doors or
only the
Driver should unlock. The luggage
compartment lid also unlocks when
All is se­
lected. If you select
Driver in a vehicle with a
convenience key*, only the door whose handle
you pull will unlock.
If you select
Driver, all the doors and luggage
compartment lid will unlock if you press the@
button on the remote control master key
twice.
Lock exterior trunk handle -If you select On,
the luggage compartment lid handle is
locked. In this case the luggage compartment
lid can be opened with the button
c:s on the
master key or with the
c:s button* in the driv­
er's door. In vehicles with a convenience key*,
you can still open the luggage compartment
lid using the handle if an authorized master
key is near the proximity sensor .
Fold mirrors* -If you select On, the exterior
rearview mirrors fold in automatically when
you press the
/fJ button on the remote control
master key or touch the sensor* in the handle.
Tone when locking -When you select On, a
confirmation tone sounds when you lock the
vehicle .