2015 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

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Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
11-Keep the switch© pulled and depress the
accelerator. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from rolling back­
ward .
11-You can release the switch<®> once you are
su re that you a re develop ing enough for­
ward momentum at the wheels as you de­
press the accelerator.
D epending on the weight of the r ig (vehicle
and tra ile r) and the severi ty of the incl ine, you
may roll backwards as you start. Yo u can pre­
vent rolling backwards by holding the parking brake switch<®) p ulled out and acce lerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with
a conventional hand brake.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys­
tem fails or locks.
11-In an emergency, pull the switch(®) and
contin ue to p ull it to slow your vehicle down
with the parking brake.
11-As soon as you release the switch (®) or ac-
ce lerate, the braking process stops.
If you pull the switch<®> and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen­
cy braking function is initiated. The vehicle is
braked at all four wheels by activating the hy­
draulic brake system. Th e brake performance
i s similar to making an emergency stop
~ &..
In order not to activate the emergency brak­
ing by m istake, an audible warning tone (buz­
ze r) sou nds when the switch C®> is pulled. As
soon as the switch(®) is released, or the accel­
e rator pedal is dep ressed, emergency b ra ki ng
stops.
_& WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used i n
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed .
On the ro ad 87
Using the parking b rake to pe rform emer­
gency brak ing will slow your vehicle down
as if you had made a full brake application.
The laws of physics cannot be suspended
even with ESC and i ts associated compo­
nents (ABS, ASR, EDL). In corners and
when road o r weathe r cond itions are bad,
a full brake appl ication can ca use the vehi­
cle to sk id or the re ar end to break away -
risking an acciden t.
Start-Stop-System
' Description
Applies to vehicles: wit h Start -Stop-System
The Start-Stop-System can help increase fuel
economy and reduce CO2 emissions .
In the Start-Stop-mode, the engine shuts off
automat ica lly w hen the vehicle is stopped,
such as at a traffic light. The ignition remains
switched on du ring this stop phase. The en­
gine wi ll be automat ica lly restarted when
needed.
The last Start-Stop-System sett ing (on/off us­
ing the button
I O\l ~I) will be restored when the
i gnition is turned on. The L ED in the
1(7() .. 1 but­
ton turns on when the Star t-Stop-System is
swi tched off man ually.
Basic requirements for the Start -Stop
mode
- The d rive r's doo r is closed.
- The d river ' seat belt is latched .
- The hood is closed .
- The vehicle must have been driven faster
than
2.5 mph (4 km/h) since the last stop.
- A trailer is not hitched to the vehicle.
_& WARNING
-Never let the vehicle roll with the eng ine
sw itched off. You cou ld lose control over
the vehicle. Th is can lead to a collision
and serio us in ju ries.
- The brake booster and the steering sup­ port do not work while the engine is

88 On the road
switched off. More force is required to
stop and to steer the vehicle.
- To reduce the risk of injuries, make sure
that the Start-Stop-System is turned off
when working in the engine compart­
me nt¢
page 89.
(D Note
Always switch off the Start-Stop -System
when driving through water ¢
page 89.
Starting/stopping the engine
Applies to vehicles: with Start-Stop-System
Fig . 91 In strument duster : eng ine switc hed off (stop
phase)
~ Slow the vehicle to a stop using the brake
and keep pressing the brake pedal. The en­
gine w ill switch off. The
11] indicator light
appears in the information line in the instru­
ment cluster display.
~ When you take your foot off the brake ped­
al, the engine restarts . The ind icator light
turns off.
Additional information
The engine w ill switch off in the P, D, N and S
positions as well as in manua l mode. In the P
position, the e ngine will also remain off if you
take your foot off the brake pedal. The engine
starts again when you select another se lector
lever position and take your foot off the brake
pedal.
If you select the R position during a Stop
phase, the engine will start again .
Shift from D to P quickly to prevent the engine
from starting unintentionally when shifting
through R. You
can determine for yourself if the engine
will stop or not by reducing or increasing the
amount of force you use to press the brake
pedal. For example, if you only lightly press
on the brake pedal in stop-and and-go traffic
or when turning, the engine will not switch off
when the vehicle is stationary. As soon as you
press the brake down harder, the engine wi ll
switch off.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Start-Stop-System
The standard Start-Stop-mode can be cancel­
led for different system-related reasons.
Fig. 92 Instrument cluster: eng ine -Stop temporarily
unavailable
Engine will not switch off
Before each stop phase, the system checks if
certain conditions have been met. For exam­
ple, the eng ine will
not be switched off in the
following situations:
- The engine has not reached the minimum
requ ired temperature for Start-Stop-mode.
- The interior temperature selected by the A/C
system has not been reached.
- The outside temperature is extremely high/
low.
- The windshield is being defrosted
¢page 81.
-The parking system* is switched on.
- The battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is sharply turned or
there is a steering movement.
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp incl ines.

The@j indicator light appears in the informa ­
tion line in the instrument cluster display
<:!)fig. 92 .
Engine automatically restarts
The stop phase is interrupted in the following
situations, for examp le. The engi ne restarts
without any action by the driver.
- Th e interior temperature varies from the
temperatu re selected in the A/C system.
- The windshield is being defrosted
r::!) page 81 .
-The brake pedal is pressed several times in a
row.
- The battery charge level becomes too low.
- High power consumption .
Switching the ignition off automatically
To prevent the battery from draining, the igni­
tion will switch off
automatically when all of
the following conditions have been met:
- The vehicle has al ready been driven.
- The eng ine has been turned off by the Start-
Stop-System*.
- The driver's door is opened.
- The driver's seat belt is removed .
- The brake pedal is not pressed down.
- The vehicle is stationary .
In this case, the activated low beam will be re­
placed by the side marker lights. The side
marker lights will switch off after approxi­
mately 30 minutes or when you lock the vehi­
cle .
If the Start-Stop System has
not turned off
the engine or if you have switched the Start­
Stop system off manually, the ignition w ill
not
be automatically switched off and the engine
will cont inue to run
r::!) .&. .
A WARNING
Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces - danger of asphyxiation.
(D Tips
If you shift into the D, N or S positions af­
ter shift ing into reverse, the veh icle must
On the road 89
be driven faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) in
order for the engine to switch off again.
Switching the Start-Stop-System on/off
manually
App lies to vehicles: wit h Start -Stop -System
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
Fig. 93 Center console: Start -Stop -System button
.,. To switch the Sta rt-Stop-System off/on
manually, p ress the
ICA.> ••I button. The L ED in
the button turns on when the system is
sw itched off.
(D Tips
If you switch the system off during a stop
phase, the engine will start again auto­
ma tically .
Messages in the instrument cluster
display
Applies to vehicles: wit h Start-Stop-Syste m
Start-Stop system deactivated: Please re­
start engine manually
This message appears when specific condi­
tions are not met during a stop phase and the
Start-Stop-System will
not be able to restart
the engine. If the Dor R selector lever posi­
tions were engaged, P will be selected auto­
matically . The engine must be started with
the
I START ENGINE ST OP ! button.
Start-Stop system: System fault! Function
unavailable
There is a malfunction in the Start-Stop-Sys­
tem. Drive the vehicle to an authorized repair .,.

90 On the road
facility for servicing as soon as possib le to
correct the malfunction.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you
are exceeding the maximum speed that you
have set . You will hear a warn ing tone when
your speed exceeds the stored value by ap­ proximately 3 mph (3 km/h). An indicator
light. (USA models) . (Canada models) in
the instrument cluster display also turns on at
the same time. The indicator light./.
turns off when the speed decreases below the
stored maximum speed.
Sett ing a threshold is recommended if you
wo uld like to be reminded when you reach a
certain maximum speed . Situations where you
may want to do so include driving in a country
with a general speed limit or if there is a
specif ied maximum speed for winter tires.
@ Tips
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
a speed warning system, you should still
watch the speedometer to make sure you
are not driving faster than the speed lim it.
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold
in the MMI.
.. Se lect : ICAR lfunction button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Speed warn­
ing.
You can set any threshold between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h). Settings
can each be adjusted in increments of S mph
(10 km/h).
Cruise control
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30kmlh) .
0
•
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0
Fig. 94 Control leve r with set b utton
Fig. 95 Display: Se lected speed
.. Pull the lever to position (D c::> fig. 94 to
sw itch the system on.
.. Drive at the speed you wish to set.
.. Press button @ to set that speed.
T he stored speed and the indicator light
II (US models) ;El (Canadian mode ls) ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display
c::> fig. 95 . The display may vary, depending on
the type of display in your veh icle .
T his information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up Display*.
Th e speed is kept constant via an engine out­
put adjustment or active brake intervent ion.
WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on. You are
a.lways respons ible for your speed and
Ill-

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the distance between your vehicle and
other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of acc ident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporari ly
when entering turn lanes, highway exit lanes or in construction zones .
- Please note that inadvertent ly "rest ing"
yo ur foot on the accelerator peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because t he cr uise con trol is overr idden
by the driver's acce le rat ion.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheat ing occurs when the cruise con­
t ro l system is sw itched on, the braking
f unction in the system may be switched
off. The other cr uise control f unctions re­
main active as long as the indicator light
II (US models) !Iii (Canadian mode ls)
is on.
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the brakes decelerate automat ica lly.
Changing speed
.,. To increase/decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever in the
010 d irection
i=> page 90, fig . 94 .
... To increase/dec rease the speed qu ickly, hold
the leve r in the
G) /0 direction unt il the de­
s ired speed is d isplayed.
You can also press the accelerato r pedal down
to increase your speed, e .g . if you want to
pass someone. The speed yo u saved earlier
will resume as soon as yo u release the acceler­
ator peda l.
I f, however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mp h (1 0 km/h) fo r longe r th an 5 mi nutes,
the cruise cont ro l will tu rn off tempor arily.
The green symbo l
II (US models) !Iii i n the
On th e ro ad 91
display is rep laced w ith a wh ite symbo l. The
saved speed remains the same .
' Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving .
.,. Switch o n the ign ition.
.,. Pull lever into posi tion
(D c:> page 90,
fig. 94 .
... Press the leve r in the 0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed.
.,. Release the lever to save that speed.
This function makes it possib le, for examp le,
to save the speed you want before driving on
the h ighway. Once on the highway, activate
the cru ise control by pulling the lever toward
(D.
' Switching the system off
Temporary deactivation
.,. Press the brake pedal, or
... Press the leve r in to position @(not clicked
into place)
~ page 90, fig . 94, or
.,. Dr ive fo r longe r than 5 mi nutes at mo re
t han 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.,. Press lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.,. Switch t he ignit ion off.
T he system retains the saved speed if you de ­
activate the c ruise control temporar ily. To re­
sume t he saved speed, re lease the brake ped ­
al and p ull the leve r to po sition
(D .
Swi tch ing the ignit ion off e rases the saved
speed.
A WARNING
You sho uld only ret urn to the saved speed
if it is not too fast for the cur rent traffic
conditions -ris k of an accident!

92 Audi ad apti ve cruise control and bra king gu ard
Audi adaptive cruise
control and braking
guard
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
The adaptive cruise control system assists the
driver by regu lating vehicle speed and helping
to maintain a set distance to the vehicle
ahead, within the limits of the system.
If the
system detects a moving vehicle up ahead,
adaptive cruise control can brake and then ac­
celerate your vehicle. This helps to make driv­
ing more comfortable both on long highway
stretches and in stop-and-go traffic.
The braking guard system can warn you about
an impending collision and initiate braking
maneuvers
c:::> page 98.
Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
have technical limitations that you must
know, so please read this section carefully, un­
derstand how the system works and use them
properly at all times.
General information
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 96 Front of th e veh icle: senso rs and video camera
II> -m 0 :t
~
The areas that conta in the radar and ultrason­
ic sensors and the v ideo camera
c:::> fig. 96
must neve r be cove red by stic kers or other ob­
jects or obstructed w ith dirt, insects, snow or
i ce that will interfere with the adaptive cruise
control system and braking guard. For infor­
mation on cleaning, refer to
c:::> page 214. The same applies for any modifications made in
the front area.
T he function of the adaptive cru ise contro l
system and braking guard is limited under
some cond itions:
- Objects can only be de tected when they are
w ith in sensor range
c:::> page 94, fig. 99.
- The system has a limited ability to detect
objects that are a short d istance ahead, off
to the side of your vehi cle or mov ing into
your lane.
- Some kinds of veh icles are hard to detect;
for examp le motorcycles, veh icles with high
ground clearance or overhanging loads may
be detected when it is too late or they may
not be detected at all.
-When driving through curves
c!,>page 93 .
-Stat ionary objec ts c:::>page 93.
& WARNING
A lways pay attention to traffic when adap­
tive cruise contro l is switched on and brak­
ing g uard is active. As the driver, you are
still respons ible for starting and for main­
taining speed and distance to other ob­
jects. Braking guard is used to assist you .
The dr iver must a lways take action to avo id
a collis ion . The driver is a lways respons ible
fo r braking a t the co rrec t time.
- Improper use of adaptive cru ise control
can cause collisions, other acc idents and
serious pe rsonal in jury.
- Never let the comfort and convenience
that adaptive cruise control and braking gua rd offer d istract you from the need to
be alert to traffic condit ions and the
need to remain in fu ll control of your ve­
hicle at a ll times,
- Always remember that the adaptive
cruise control and braking guard have
limits -they will not s low the vehicle
down or maintain the set distance when
you drive towards an obstacle or some­
thing on or near the road that is not
mov ing, such as vehicles stopped in a
traffic jam, a stalled o r disabled vehicle.
I f registered by the radar sensors,

Audi adapt ive crui se c ontrol an d bra kin g guard 9 3
vehicles or obstacles that are not moving
can trigger a collision warning and if con­
firmed by the video camera, an acute col­ lis ion warn ing.
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condit ion and/or in bad weather
(such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplan ing). Using the system under
these cond itions cou ld result in a co lli ­
sion .
- Switch adaptive c ruise control off tempo­
rar ily when driv ing in turning lanes, on
expressway exits or in construction
zones . This prevents the vehicle from ac­
celerating to the set speed when in these
situations .
- The adapt ive cru ise control system w ill
not brake by itse lf if you put your foot on
the accelerator pedal. Doing so can over­ ride the speed and distance regulation .
- When approaching stationary objects such as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise
control will not respond and braking
guard w ill have limited function.
- The adapt ive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people , an­
ima ls, objects crossing the road o r on­
coming objects .
- The function of the radar sensors can be
affected by reflective objects such as
guard ra ils, the entra nce to a tunnel,
heavy rain or i ce.
- Never follow a veh icle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safe ly. The
adaptive cruise cont ro l c anno t slow or
brake the veh icle safely when you follow
another vehicle too closely. Always re­
member that the automatic braking
funct ion cannot bring the veh icle to a
sudden or emergency stop under these
conditions .
- To prevent unintended operation, always
switch ACC off when it is not being used. (D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and underbody. That cou ld affect the adaptive
cruise control system and brak ing guard .
Have your authorized Aud i dea ler or a u­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility check their
funct ion.
In curves
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
I
F ig. 9 7 Exampl e: dri vin g in to a curve
When dr iving into a curve c:> fig. 97 and out of
a cu rve, the ad aptive cruise con trol m ay react
to a vehicle in the next lane and apply the
brakes . You can override or prevent the brak­
i ng by pressing the accelerator pedal b riefly.
Stationary objects
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 98 Ex ampl e: object chang ing l anes and s ta tio nar y
objec t
The adaptive cru ise con tro l system only reacts
to objects that a re mov ing o r th at the system
has a lready detected as moving . For examp le,
if a vehicle @, which has a lready been detect-
ed by the adaptive c ruise contro l, tu rns o r
changes lane s and another stationary vehicle .,._

94 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
@ is located in front of that vehicle, the sys­
tem will not react to the stationary vehicl e.
Audi adaptive cruise
control
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 99 Detectio n range
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise control system uses video,
radar and ultrasou nd . Moving vehicles ahead
can be recognized up to about 650 feet (200 m) away.
On open roads w ith no traffic, adaptive cruise
control works like a regular cruise control sys­
tem . The stored speed is maintained . When
approaching a moving vehicle detected up
ahead, the adaptive cruise control system au­
tomatically s lows down to match that vehi­
cle's speed and then maintains the distance
that the driver previous ly stored. As soon as
the system does not detect a vehicle up
ahead, adaptive cruise control accelerates
back up to the stored speed.
In stop-and-go traffic, adapt ive cru ise control
can brake until the vehicle stops and acceler ­
ate again under certain conditions and if this
is possible within the system's limits and ca­
pabilities ¢
page 96. Adaptive cru ise control
will not make an emergency stop .
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adaptive cruise contro l on,
you can set the current speed as the "control
speed" ¢
page 94, Swi tching on and off.
When driving, you can stop cruise control
¢
poge 96 or change the speed ¢ page 95
at any time.
You can also set the distance to the object
ahead and set the adaptive cruise control driv­
ing program ¢
page 96.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 100 Selector lever: swi tc hin g on/off
Fig. 101 Instrument cl uste r: adapt ive c ruise contro l
You can set any speed between 20 mph and
95 mp h (30 and 150 km/h).
Ind icator lamps and messages in the instru ­
ment cluster d isplay inform you about the cur­
rent system status and settings.
An additional indicator appears in the Head­
up D isp lay* .
Switching adaptive cruise control on
.,. Pull the lever toward you into position (D
¢ fig. 100 . ACC standby appears in the in ­
strument cluster display .
Setting the speed and activating
regulation
.,. To set the current speed, press the ISETI but­
ton ¢
fig. 100 . The set speed is shown in the 1111-