If you have selected a lower gear than the cur
rent one, the transmission will only shift down
when the engine cannot be overspeeded .
If kick-down is actuated, the transmission
shifts into a lower gear independent ly of
speed and engine rpm .
Steering wheel with Tiptronic controls
The selector paddles allow the driver to keep
both hands on the steering wheel when shift
ing gears.
Fig. 94 Sport stee ring wheel with selecto r paddles
Shifting up
.,. Pull the right paddle, marked 0 ¢ fig. 94
briefly towards you .
Shifting down
.. Pull the left paddle, marked 0 ¢ fig. 94
briefly towards you.
The selector paddles on the steering wheel
are activated when the selector lever on the
center console is in D, Sor in the manual posi
tion (Tiptronic mode).
You can also shift gears in the Tiptronic mode
using the selector lever on the center console.
@ Tips
With the gear selector lever in either Dor
S the transmission will switch back to the
automatic mode if you do not use the pad
dles within approx . 30 seconds.
Transmission 85
Kick -down feature
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac
celeration .
If you depress the accelerator pedal fully be
yond the full-throttle position, the transmis
sion automatically downshifts one gear, de
pending on vehicle speed and engine rpm. The
upshift into the next higher gear takes place
as soon as the maximum specified engine
speed is reached.
_&. WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if the kick-down is used on a smooth slip
pery road -risk of sk idding!
Launch Control Program
The Launch Control Program permits maxi
mum acceleration.
In order to use Launch Control, the ASR (Anti
Slip Regulation) must be disabled. When ASR
is disabled, the ESC warning/indicator light
I) in the instrument cluster illuminates. So
that Launch Control can be used, the engine must be at operating temperature and the
steering wheel must not be turned .
.. With the engine running, briefly press the
ESC button . The message "Stabilization pro
gram off" or "Sport control Warning! Re
stricted stability" in the driver information
system display.
.. Shift the gear lever to "S" or the tiptron ic
position .
.. Step on the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep the brake pedal fully depressed for
at least one second .
.. With your right foot, step on the accelerator
to the wide-open throttle position or Kick
down. The engine speed settles at about
3,200 rpm.
.. Take your left foot off the brake.
86 Transmis sion
& WARNING ,-
- Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and
traffic conditions allow it and other driv
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and the acceleration of the
vehicle .
- Make sure that ESC remains enabled.
With the ESC disabled, the vehicle could
brake away, particularly on a slick and
slippery road - risk of skidding!
- Once acce lerat ion is finished, switch ASR
on again by briefly pushing the ESC but
ton.
(j) Tips
- The transmission temperature may in
crease significantly after using the Launch Control Program. If that hap
pens, the program may not be available
for a few minutes.
It will be available
again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the Launch
Control program, all vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads . This can result in
increased wear.
Back-up program
In the event of a system malfunction, there is
a back-up program.
In the event of system malfunction, the auto
matic transmission switches to the fail-safe
mode. Al l of the selector lever position dis
plays for the automatic transmission are high
lighted with a light background in the instru
ment cluster display . In some cases you can
not use reverse gear any more.
If the transmission switches to fail-safe mode, you should take the vehicle to an au
thorized Audi dealership as soon as possible
to have the condition corrected .
Clutch is overheating
• Clutch is overheating! Please stop vehi
cle!
If the symbols are illum inated, the clutch is
overheating and could be damaged if you con
t inu e to drive. Stop the vehicle and allow the
transmission to cool with the se lector lever in
the P position while the engine runs at idle. If
the warning does not turn off, do not continue driving. See your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repair facility for assistance. Other
wise serious transmission damage could re
sult . Once the indicator light has turned off,
drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali
fied repa ir facility immed iately to have the
malfunction corrected .
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
--
-
-
-
-
---Fig. 95 Selecto r lev er: Remov ing the selector le ver
boot
Fig. 96 Selecto r lever : Using the emerge ncy release to
move out of the Park positio n
The emergency release mechanism is located
i n the right front area under the selector lever
shift gate. Using the emergency release can
be complicated. We recommend contacting ..,_
