2014 AUDI A8 warning

-Never mount more than one child re­
straint to a sing le tether or to a lower an­
chorage point. Attaching two child re­
straints to a single anchorage point can cause the anchorage to fail and cause se­
rious persona l injury in a crash.
(D Note
- Remove the guidance fixtures before
fo lding the rear seatback to prevent
damag ing the seat cushion .
- To attach the child restraint secure ly, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear pos ition, the seat height set to the low­
est posit ion and the head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical position
¢page 61.
-If you leave the guidance fixtu res instal ­
l ed for seve ral days, they could leave a
mark on the upholstery on the seat cush ­
i on and backrest in the area that the
guidance fixtures were insta lled . The up­
ho lstery would also be permanently
stretched around the guidance fixtures.
This applies especially to leather seats.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
Fig . 18 5 Lower anchorages: proper mounting
Mounting
.,. Make su re the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright position and sec urely
latched in place.
Child S afety 193
.,. Attach both hook -on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connectors lock into place¢
fig. 185.
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are proper ly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.,. Pull straps tight fo llow ing the child restraint
manufac ture r's instruct ions .
Releasing
.,. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the child restra int manufacturer's inst ruc ­
tions.
.,. Depress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower ancho rag­
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
c hi ld restra int firmly in place.
.&, WARNING
I mproper use of the LATCH system can i n­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death in a n accide nt.
- These an chors were deve loped on ly for
child safety seats using the " LA T CH" sys ­
tem .
- Never at tach o ther ch ild safety sea ts,
be lts or o ther objects to these anchors.
- Always ma ke s ure that you hear a click
when latch ing the sea t in place . If you do
not hear a click the seat is not sec ure and
could fly forward and hit the interior of
the vehicle, or be e jected from the vehi­
cle.
A WARNING
Improper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the risk of injury in an acci­
dent.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufacturer's instruct ions for proper
installation of the ch ild restra int system
and p roper use of tether straps as well as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your veh icle.
~

194 Child Safety
-Always read and heed the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
straint systems ~
page 177, Child Safe­
ty.
d) Note
On vehicles with power adjustable rear
seats* some criteria must be observed
when attaching the child restraint using
the
LATCH system:
- To attach the child restraint securely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
position, the seat height set to the low­
est position and the head restraint must be adjusted to the vertical position
~ page 61.
-If a child safety seat is attached to one of
the rear seats, this seat must not be ad­
justed using the power controls under
any circumstances . The
Entry assistance
for this seat must a lso be deactivated in
the MMI
r¢ page 64. The child safety seat
as well as the rear seat can be damaged by the adjustment process.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 186 Tet her ancho rs: r ece ss fla ps b ehin d th e re ar
sea tback s
The tether anchors for the two* /three rear
seating positions are located in recesses in the
rear window shelf~
fig. 186. Vehicles with
two rear seating positions* are equipped with two tether anchors .
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that attaches the top part of a child restraint to
special anchorage points in the vehicle. The
purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by st riking the ve­
hicle in ter ior.
Forwa rd facing child restra ints manufactured
after September 1 , 1999, are required by U.S .
federal regulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats .
_&. WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a collision. The anchors are de ­
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho ­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tach a child restraint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is ac­
tually on the seat .
- The heavier weight registered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as though an adult were on the seat and de -
-
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must ~

be su ppressed causing serious o r even
fatal injury to the child.
- If you must i nstall a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF
light does not come on an d stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 187 Tether strap: prope r rout ing and mounting
Installing th e tether strap
• Release or dep loy the tether strap on the
child restra int according to the child re­
stra int manufacturer's inst ruct ions .
• Gui de the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint
r=> fig. 187 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary) .
• Center seating position* : Guide the upper
tether strap over the rear head restraint.
• Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
• Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the open ing of the tether anchorage .
• Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spri ng catch of the hoo k engages.
• Tighte n the tet her st rap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's inst ruct ions .
Releasing the tether strap
• Loosen the tension following the ch ild re­
stra int manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the sp ring catch on the hook and re­
l ease it from the anchorage.
Child S afety 195
(D Note
If you leave the c hild restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, th is could leave a mark on the up­
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
i n the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery would also be per­ manently stretched around the tether
strap. This app lies especia lly to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint sys­
tems come with a tether. Please read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING ,.;; -
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety
seat installed on the fron t passenger seat
will be ser io usly injured and ca n be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- The infla ting air bag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or i nfant carrier with great
force a nd will smas h the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too
muc h pressure on the weight-mat in the
seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced A irbag System. The heavier
weight regis tered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult we re on the seat
an d deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be s uppressed causing ser ious or
eve n fata l injury to the chi ld .
- If you must insta ll a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF

Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Audi pre sen se can ini tiate steps to help pro­
t ect vehicle occupants in certain situations.
The funct ions descr ibed depend on equipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic
The following functions can be triggered in
cert ain driving situations :
- Tightening of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli ­
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to be tightened again .
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* : the
windows and the sunroof" close leaving a
small open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig­
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h) .
Vehicles with Audi drive select*: the deploy­
ment time is adapted in dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli­
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al­
so calculated . If the system senses an immi­
nent collision the following functions can be
tr iggered:
- Braking guard
¢ page 100
-Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* ( leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi pre sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli­
hood of a rear-end col lision with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calculated. If the
Audi pre sense 197
risk of a collision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered :
- Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
- Adjusting the seats: the settings for the
power head restrains, the upper sections of
the backrests and the pneumatic side bol­
sters* are optim ized for the front seats and
the outboard rear seats*. If a collision does
not occur, the previous seat settings are re­
stored.
Audi pre sense plus
Audi pre sense plus includes the funct ions in
Audi pre sense front and Audi pre sense rear.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail­
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics.
It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks. This will increase
the risk of a collision and serious personal
injuries.
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­
jects . This increases the risk of a colli­
sion.
-Audi pre sense does not detect people or
animals or objects that are crossing the
veh icle's path ¢
page 94.
- The radar sensor's vision can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi­
tions can prevent vehicles from be ing ac­
curately detected and in some cases they
may not be detected at all.
Ill-
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200 Intellig ent technol ogy
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake assist
system, anti-slip regulat ion (ASR), electronic
d ifferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and
electronic interaxle differential lock*. ESC is
switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less tract ion, you ca n sw itch
off ASR by pressing the button above
~ page 201, fig. 188 the se lector lever. Be
sure to sw itch ASR on aga in when you no lon­
ger need less traction.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even du ring ha rd b raking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
a l. A pulsing in the brake peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Br ake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d istance. It increases braking power when the
d river p resses the brake pedal q uick ly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and hold the brake peda l until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake assist system is more sensitive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti- slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
El ectronic diff erential lo ck (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all whee l drive*. This funct ion is available up
to about 7S mph (120 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL will switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Dynamic ste ering *
On vehicles with dynamic s teering, ES C helps
stabilize the steering in certain situations.
Electronic interaxle differential lock
function*
T he electronic interaxle differentia l lock f unc­
tion activates when driving thro ugh curves.
Braking is targeted toward the wheels on the
inside of the curve as needed . This he lps to
minimize front whee l skid, improves traction
and allows for more precise driving through
curves .
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, dynamic steering*
and the electronic interaxle differential loc k function* cannot overcome the laws
of physics. This is espec ially impo rtant
on slippery o r we t roads.
If the systems
begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately change yo ur speed
to match the road and traffic conditions .
Do not let the increased safety provided
by these systems tempt you to take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle control, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
-Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and weather conditions. The risk of los­ing control of the vehicle increases when
d riving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys ­
tem, EDL, ASR, dynamic steering * and
the electron ic interaxle differential lock
function* cannot prevent collisions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve­
h icle control.
-

@ Tips
-ABS and AS R on ly wor k co rrectly when
a ll fo ur wheels are eq uipped w ith identi­
ca l tires . Different tire s izes can lead to a
r educt io n in eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the sys tems
desc ribed are working.
Switching on and off
Intelligent technology 201
- If the ind ica tor li ght DJ o r til1 (U SA
mo dels)/ [!] (Canada models) appea rs,
there may be a malfunc tion
r:::> page 19,
¢page 18.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig . 188 Center co nsole with ESC O FF bu tton
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following si tua tions are exceptions whe re
it may be usefu l to switch o n sport mo de to
allow the w heels to spi n:
- Rockin g the vehicle to free it when i t is st uck
- Dr iv ing in deep s now o r on loose g ro un d
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
T he E SC and AS R sta bilization f unct io ns The fu ll sta biliz ati on f uncti on o f the ES C
are limited¢ ,&.
Operation Press the [ru button .
Indicator II turns on .
lights
Driver mes· Stabilization control (ESC): Sport
sages Warning! Reduced stability
A WARNING
Yo u should o nly sw itch sport mo de on i f
your dr iv ing abili ties and road cond itions
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on. The
dr iv ing whee ls co uld spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve , especially on slick or slip ­
pery road surfaces.
(D Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched o n when
adapt ive cr uise c ontrol* is sw itched on.
-
and AS R is availab le again .
Press the
[ru button again .
II tur ns off.
Stabilization control (ESC): On
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra ke s on today's au to m obiles a re s till
sub ject t o wear, depe nding la rgely o n ope rat ­
i ng con dit ions and d riving habits¢
A . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop­
and-go city traff ic or are driven hard , the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specif ied in
t h e
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure .,..

202 Intellig ent technol ogy
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, yo u shou ld use the b rak ing
effect of the engine. Th is way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. P ump the brakes at inter ­
vals.
Operating nois e
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
E ff ect of water and road salt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water , in heavy ra in , after overn ight
condensation or after washing your car, the braking effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wip­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for bet ter brake
response time under wet condit ions .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likew ise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caut ious ap­
plications of the brake
9 .&, .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short t rips with little use of the
b rakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently , or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firm ly a few times from a mode rately high
speed
9 .&, .
Faults in the brake syste m
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
circuits may have fai led
9 & .
Low bra ke fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the bra ke system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electro nica lly.
Brake lining we ar statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
th rough the open ings in the wheel. If neces ­
sary, the wheel may be removed for t his i n­
spect ion
9 page 2 72, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . This could cause the
b rakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foo t on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Unde r certain cl imatic and operat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, linings,
d iscs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­ ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can a lso affect bra king efficiency.
~

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,,
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