2015 AUDI A8 towing

.... N .... N
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@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatica lly stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster d isplay:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable . No
sensor vision
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the sensors with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c>page 105, fig . 114.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be swi tched on temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de ­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The senso rs have been displaced or are faulty.
Ha ve the sys tem checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer o r autho rized Aud i Service Fac ilit y
soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing.
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a
factory- installed trailer hitch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guarantee the system will switc h off when
using a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use
side assist when towing a trailer .
Audi side assist 107

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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. 124 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. 125 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 it ion .
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in
manual mode .
If you switch the engine off when N is engag ­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the emergency release proce­ dure to release the parking lock before towing
the vehicle
c:> page 119.
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 115
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 eng ine 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 216.
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 fu ll 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.
liJI,

116 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
& WARNING
-Never e ngag e R or P w hile driving . It
could cause a cras h.
-
-Power is sti ll t ransmi tte d to t he whee ls
whe n the e ngine is runni ng at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creepin g", 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 happen even if the parking
brake is activa ted .
- Be fore opening the hood, select the P se­
lector lever position and set the par king
brake. This red uces the risk of a crash. Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
<=)page 228.
-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 ­
sition an d apply the park ing brake .
(D Tips
-If you u nin tentionally 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 83.
"" Press the but ton on the se lector lever and
select the D, S or R selecto r lever pos it ion
c:> page 114 .
""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 lever and
shift into the P posit ion
c:> page 114 .
Under certa in conditions such as dr iv ing in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode tempo rari ly
to shift
manually to adapt to the driving con­
di tions
c:> page 117.
On s lopes, 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 on the locking mec hanism.
& WARNING
Read an d fol low all WAR NIN GS ¢ .&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page 116.
- 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. 127 Driver's s ide footwell: re lea sing t he park ing
lock us ing the emergency release
Fig. 128 Driver'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 85
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 . 127 .
.,. 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 119
back into its original position. Make sure the
lever locks in place ~
fig. 128.
.,. Install the cover .
T he indicator light
mJ 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 .

130 Parking systems
Adjusting the display and the warning tones
App lies to vehicles: with par king system p lus w it h rear
view came ra/ top view came ra system
The display and warning tones can be adjust­
ed in the Infotainment.
.. Se lect : ICAR !funct io n button> Car sy stem s
control button > Driver assist > Parking aid .
Display
On* -
rear view came ra image is s hown fo r
pa rking system pl us with rear view camera *.
Off -when the park ing system is switched on,
on ly audib le signa ls are given.
Warning tones
Front volume -
Volume fo r the fro nt area
Rear volume -Volume for the rear area
Front frequency -Frequen cy 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 new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signa l generator.
@ Tips
- The wa rning tones can a lso be adjusted
directly from the visual display or the
camera image. Simply p ress the
Settings
control b utt on .
- Changed settings are activated when the parking system is switched on aga in.
- The settings a re automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key
that is in use.
Error messages
App lies to vehicles: with pa rk in g system p lus wit h rear
view ca mera/ top view ca mera system
There is an error in the system if the LED in
the
P •1! b utton is bli nki ng and you hear a con­
tinuous alarm for a few seconds afte r switch­
ing on the parking system or when the park -ing system
is already activa ted . If the error is
not co rrected before you switc h off the igni­
t ion, the LED in the
P, g! button wi ll blink the
next t ime yo u sw itch on t he parking system by
shifting into reverse.
If a sensor is fa ulty, the !:l4 symbol will appear
i n front of/behind the vehicle in the Infota in­
ment display . If a rear sensor is faulty, only
obstacles t hat are in the front detection area
are shown . If a front senso r is fau lty, o nly ob ­
stacles that are in the rear area are show n.
Peripheral camera s*
There is also a system error if:
- t he
°C8l" symbol appears in the display and
t he corresponding display area is shown in
b lue. The camera is not working in this area.
- all segments aro und the vehi cles are red or
if no segments are displayed.
Dr ive to your au thori zed A udi dealer or au­
tho rized repa ir facili ty imme diately to h ave
the mal func tion correcte d.
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: wi th parking system pl us with rea r
v iew camera/top v iew camera system
For vehicles us ing the trailer socket, the park­
ing system rear sensors do not tu rn on wh en
yo u shift i nto reverse gea r or whe n you press
the
P' #! bu tton. This res ults in the following re­
strictions:
T he re is no distance warn ing fo r th e rea r. T he
fron t sensors remain ac tivated. The visua l dis­
play sw itches to the trailer towing mode. The
r ear view camera image will no t show the or i­
entatio n lines and the blue surfaces.
(D Tips
Tr ail e r hit ch es th at ar e not in sta lled a t the
fa ctory may ca use the par king system to
malfunction or they may restr ict its func ­
tion .

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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 interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can 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 instal ­
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 139
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: •
•

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@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom­
municat ions provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom ­
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI:
!MENU !
button > Audi connect > About Audi con·
nect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing s ituations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of cont ro l and helps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively brak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine powe r and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in­
dicator light
m 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
phys ics. It will not a lways be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
h elp you master situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of wate r in­
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 197
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations 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.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions . ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
driver ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing t he vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering i nputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in the intended di­
rect ion. 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.
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock braking system
(ABS), brake assist
system, anti -slip regulation (ASR), electronic
differential lock (EDL), dynam ic steer ing* and
selective wheel torque contro l. ESC is switch­
ed on all the time. In cer tain situations when
yo u need less traction, yo u can switch off ASR
by press ing the b utton above ~
page 199,
fig. 188 the se lector lever. Be sure to switch
ASR on again when you no longer need less
traction.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from loc king up
when b rak ing. The vehicle can st ill be stee red
even during hard braking . App ly steady pres­
su re to the brake peda l. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assi st sy stem
T he brake ass ist system can dec rease braking
distance . It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal unti l the situation is over. In
I),
•
•

210 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, please remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
i::> page 210, Operating instructions .
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle 's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. A lways
check with the trai le r hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems. From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind~ &.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direc tly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra iler.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your Audi dealer for correct
wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors. It is important
that you
always have clear v is ion to the rear .
A WARNING ,~ -
After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicl e. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Fig. 189 MMI display : tow ing mode on
Maximum traile r weight
A trai ler for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer. .,.