2014 AUDI A8 towing

the drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control
also responds to the driving behavior of the
veh icle ahead in a more conservative or sporty
manner.
Engine sound*
The sound of the engine is adapted to the se­
l ected mode and ranges from subtle to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the vehicle when park­
i ng. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iv ing modes,
which can affect clearance.
- When transporting the veh icle on a car
carrier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
ly tie the veh icle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or towing eyes is not permitted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport . The vehicle
may not be sec ured s ufficient ly if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
C? poge 212.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
dynamic mode results in
sporty shifting characteristics . The S
gear position engages automatically.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the engine. Th is does not indi­
cate a problem.
Audi drive select 111
-In vehicles w ith sport differential*, the
dynamic mode is deactivated when tow­
ing a trailer.
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fig . 1 13 MMI: Drive select
.,. To select the mode, se lect the following in
the MMI:
I CARI f unction button > Comfort,
Auto , Dynamic
or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented ve hicle
setup and is suited for long drives on h igh­
ways .
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
namic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
use.
dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driv ing style.
individual-¢page 112.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi drive select to prevent potential risk
of an accident.

Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­l ecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever
c:> 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
ning while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows
c:> 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
c:> &. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position .
You can only shift out of park when the engine
is running and you are pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
release the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever pos ition .
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
c:> page 121.
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
c:> &. To engage the R selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever, press
Automatic Transmission 11 7
the brake peda l and move the selector lever
into the R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the R selector lever position wh ile the engine
is running .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this pos it ion . To
engage the N selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the N position.
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 cannot select the N position when the ig­
nition is switched off. When driv ing through
an automat ic car wash, first select the N posi ­
tion and then switch the engine off
c:> table on
page 218.
The veh icle cannot be locked when the selec­
tor lever is in the N position.
D/S - Posit ion for driv ing forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be
operated either in the normal mode D or in
the sport mode S . You can only select the S se­
lector lever position when Dis engaged. Move
the selector lever back to engage the S selec­
tor lever position. To select the D selector lev­
er position again when Sis engaged, move the
selector lever back
c:> .&. . To shift from N to D
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2km/
h), press the brake peda l and select the D se­
lector lever position
c:> .&. .
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.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes f ull use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeab le when
accelerat ing.
The S selector lever position engages auto­
matically when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select.

118 Automatic Transm iss ion
& WARNING
-Never e ngag e R or P w hile driving. It
could cause a crash .
-
-Power is sti ll t ransmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is r unning 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 eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will s tart to move immediate­
ly. This cou ld h appen even if the parking
brake is activa ted .
- Be fore opening the hood, select the P se­
le ctor lever position and set the par king
brake. This red uces the risk of a crash. Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
wa rnings
<=)page 231.
-Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
- If you mus t get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po ­
sit ion an d apply the park ing brake .
(D Tips
-If you u nin ten tio nally shift into the N se­
l ector lever posi tion while dr iv ing, ta ke
your foot off the acce lerator pedal and
wait for the e ngine to slow down until it
i s idling before you shift into Dor S.
Driving tips
The gears shi~ automatically .
Starting from a stop
"" Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
"" Sta rt the eng ine
c:> page 8 4.
"" Press the but ton on the se lector lever and
select the D, S or R selecto r leve r pos it ion
c:> page 116 .
""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
erator pedal¢ ,& .
Stopping temporarily
""Press the brake pedal to s top the ve hicle, for
examp le a t a traffic light . Do not press the
accelerato r peda l when doing this.
"" To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when yo u
start dr iving, set the parking brake when
stopping on large incl ines
c:> ,& .
"" The parking brake will release automat ica lly
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
If the se lector lever is not in the P position
whe n you open the driver's door, the ve hicle
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 leve r and
shift into the P posit ion
c:> page 116 .
Under certa in conditions suc h as dr iv ing in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode tempo rari ly
to shift
manually to adapt to the driving con­
di tions
c:> page 119.
On slopes, activate the parki ng bra ke first and
then move the selecto r leve r to the P position .
T his prevents too much st ress from be ing
pla ced o n the locking mec hanism.
& WARNING
R ead an d fol low all WAR NING S ¢.&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page 118.
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Do not press t he acceler ator pe dal when
chan ging the se lector leve r posi tion
while the veh icle is stationary and t he
engine is running . This cou ld result in a
crash.
- Never engage R o r P while driving .
It
could cause a crash.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
IJJ,,

Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle .
®
Fig. 126 Driver's s ide footwell: re lea sing t he park ing
lock us ing the emergency release
Fig. 127 Drive r's s ide footwell: resettin g th e pa rk ing
lock
The emergency release is located under the
f loor mat on the driver's s ide. You operate the
emergency re lease from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake
«e)) q page 86
or press the brake peda l.
.,. There are two slits on the cover. Position the
screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit in one
of the slits on the cover and pry the cover
off .
.,. Pull the band@ in the direction of the ar­
row until the release lever locks in place
qfig . 126 .
.,. Fold the uppe r section of the re lease lever
down into the recess.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the button @ and the release lever at
t h e same time. You can now push the lever
Automatic Transmission 121
back into its original position. Make sure the
lever locks in place ~
fig. 12 7.
.,. Install the cover .
T he indicator light
[O] and the N position indi­
cator in the instrument cluster turn on when
the parking lock is released using the emer­
gency release. The message
Risk of rolling! P
not possible. Please set the parking brake
al­
so appears .
.&_ WARNING
If you release the park ing lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle
with the parking brake or the brake pedal
i f the parking brake is not working. The ve­
hicle can roll away if it is not secured and
cause a crash .

132 Parking systems
Adjusting the display and the warning tones
App lies to vehicles: with advanced park ing system wit h
rea r view camera/top v iew camera syste m
The display and warning tones can be adjust­
ed in the Infotainment.
.. Se lect : ICAR !function button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist> Parking aid.
Display
On* -
optical display is shown for the parking
system plus, rear view camera image is shown
for parking system plus with rear view cam ­
era*.
Off -when the park ing system is switched off,
on ly audible signa ls are given.
Warning tones
Front volume -
Volume for the fro nt area
Rear volume -Volume for the rear area
Front frequency -Frequency for the front area
Rear frequency -Frequency for the rear area
Music volume while parking -When the park­
ing system is turned on, the volume of the au­
d io/v ideo source is lowered .
The newly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator .
(D Tips
-The warning tones can a lso be adjusted
directly from the visual display or the
rear view camera* image . S imply press
the
Settings cont rol button .
- Changed settings are activated when the
parking system is switched on again.
- The settings are automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Error messages
App lies to vehicles: with advanced park ing system with
rea r view camera/top v iew camera syste m
There is an error in the system if the LED in
the
P •1A b utton is blinking and you hear a con- t
in uous alarm for a few seconds after switch ­
ing on the parking system or when the park­
ing system is already activated. If the error is
not corrected before you switch off the ign i­
t ion, the LED in the
P' "A button will blink the
next t ime you sw itch on the parking system by
shifting into reverse .
If a sensor is faulty, the!¾ symbol will appear
in front of/behind the vehicle in the Infota in­
ment display . If a rear sensor is faulty, only
obstacles that are in the front detection a rea
are shown . If a front sensor is fau lty, on ly ob­
stacles that are in the rear area are shown.
Peripheral cameras*
There is also a system error if:
- the
'(l.Q ,, symbol appears i n the display and
the corresponding display area is shown in
blue. The camera is not work ing in this area.
- all segments around the vehicles are red or
if no segments are displayed.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer or au­
thorized repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected .
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: with adva nced parking sys te m with
rear view camera/top view camera system
For vehicles us ing the trailer socket, the park­
ing system rear sensors do not turn on when
yo u shift into reverse gear or when you press
the
P 1JA button. This results in the following re­
strictions:
T he re is no distance warning for the rear. The
front sensors remain activated. The visua l dis­
play switches to the trailer towing mode . The
rear view camera image will not show the ori ­
entation lines and the blue surfaces.
(D Tips
Trailer hitches that are not installed at the
factory may ca use the parking system to
malfunction or they may restrict its func­
tion.

Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
.,. Make sure that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals
9 &. -
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot s lip out of position . You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
iz ed A udi Dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at­
tached to these fasteners. Properly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from slid ing
i nto pos itions that could inte rfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely ca n resu lt
in a loss of vehicle contro l and increase the
risk of serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured .
- Never place or insta ll floo r mats or other
floo r coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering with
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already insta l­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings w ill reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
peda ls .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
Driving S afel y 141
trapped under the brake pedal and acce l­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­ erly stowed and secured in the luggage
com­
partment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing veh icle handling
c h aracteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious persona l injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuve r or i n a collision.
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as possible .
... Secure luggage items using the tie-downs
provided
¢ page 70, Luggage compart­
ment.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the veh icle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal inju ry:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down hooks
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of contro l leading to serious personal
injury :
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling: •
•

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for 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 retr ieval 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.
Although 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 examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l 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 we ll 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 Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 199
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
JjJ 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 all conditions 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 tow ing a trailer.
A lways 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 inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing 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.
•
•

Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applicat ions .
-If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
cr eased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­ est Aud i dea ler or q ualified wor kshop .
- Never let the vehicle rol l to a stop w ith
t he engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works w ith vacuum pres ­
sure which is created only when the engine is
ru nning
9 ,&. .
,&. WARNING
-Never le t the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
t he engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, fo r
ex ample when towing your ve hicl e, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Servotronic - advanced
power steering system
-
The power steering systems use the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic power steering sys­
tem senses the road speed and electron ically
ad ju sts powe r ass istance to provide comfor ta-
Int ellig ent technolog y 203
ble and safe steering response exactly match ­
ed to th e vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be h ard
to tu rn.
T he powe r stee ring fluid level is checked d ur­
i ng t he sched uled maintena nce services.
(D Note
If there is an e lectronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will s till fu nction like a conven­
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering s upport force tha t is no
l onge r proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeab le when t urni ng the
steering wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), -more effort w ill be re­
quired than usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual steering response and adjust your steer­
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right by an Audi dealer as soon as possible.
(D Tips
-When the engine is running, never hold
the steering wheel turned all the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
seconds . The power steering pump will
overheat the hydraulic fluid if yo u keep
holding the stee ring wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering sys tem.
- If the powe r stee ring system should fa il
entire ly, o r if t he engine is not runn ing
(for example, wh ile be ing towed), you
w ill still be able to steer the veh icle .
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so .
- If the powe r steering system sho uld
have a leak, or is not functioning proper­
ly, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immediately.
- The power steering system req uires a
specially formu lated hydraulic fluid. The
power steering fluid reservoir is located
in the engine compartment
9 page 233. IJJ,,
•
•