2016 AUDI A8 window

Airbag system
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
c:;, page 166, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec ­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you a re wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
c:;, page 138, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abra ­
s ions can a lso be associated with these airbags
upon deployment. Remember too, these a irbags
will deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of
accidents - your safety belts are always there to
offer protect ion .
The side curtain airbag system ba sically
consists of:
-The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is switched off,
166
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas­
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c:;, page 58, Gen­
eral information .
-If the airbag ind icator light c:;, page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
Fig. 172 Illus trat io n of princ iple: I nflated s ide c urtain a ir­
bags o n the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows in a side collision
¢ fig. 172.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled w ith propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above t he front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
s ide curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with g reat fo rce.
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing position is not proper or upright or if

Child safety
and the installation of child restraint sys­
tems
r::> page 168 , Child safety.
(D Note
On vehicles with power adjustable rear seats*
some criteria must be observed when attach­
ing the child restraint using the
LA TCH sys ­
tem:
- To attach the chi ld restraint securely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear po­
sition, the seat height set to the lowest po­
sition and the head restraint must be ad­
justed to the vertical position
c'.:> page 61.
- If a ch ild safety seat is attached to one of
the rear seats , this seat must not be adjust­
ed using the power controls under any cir ­
cumstances . The
Entr y ass is ta n ce for th is
seat must also be deactivated in the MMI
r::> page 64. The child safety seat as wel l as
the rear seat can be damaged by the adjust­ ment process .
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 18 4 Te ther a nch ors: recess flaps beh ind the rear sea t­
ba cks
The tether anchors for the two* /three rear seat­
ing positions are located in recesses in the rear
window shelf
r::> fig . 184 . Vehicles with two rear
seating positions* are equ ipped w ith two tether
anchors .
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­ taches 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
184
that cou ld be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
r ior.
Forward facing child restra ints manufact ured af­
ter September 1, 1999, a re required by U.S. fed­
eral regu lations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints wi ll
i ncrease the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to install in your Audi .
- Improper use of chi ld restraint anchors (in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision. The anchors are designed to
w ithsta nd only those loads imposed by cor­
rectly fitted ch ild restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild rest raint systems on
one LATC H lower anchor poin t.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether st rap or tethe r anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compa rtment .
- Never use child restra int tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage o r other
items to the LATCH lowe r anchorages or to
the te ther anchors.
- I f a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restra int to the front passenge r seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, tha t it
causes the weight-sensing mat to meas ure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
- The heavier weight reg istered can make the
Advanced A irbag Sys tem wor k as though a n
adu lt were on the seat and deploy the Ad ­
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the
child.
- If you must insta ll a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the

Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with Audi pre se nse
Audi pre sense can initiate steps to help protect
vehicle occupants in certain situations. The func­
tions described depend on equipment installed in
your veh icle:
Audi pre sense basic
The following functions can be triggered in cer­
tain driving situations:
- Tightening of the safety belts (for examp le,
during heavy braking): the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensione rs. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen slightly
and are ready to be t ightened again.
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*: the win­
dows and the sunroof* close leaving a small
open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be triggered at
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h). The deploy­ ment time is adapted in the drive select mode dy­
namic.
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 lim ­
its of the system, the likelihood of a collision
with the vehicle immediately ahead is also calcu­ lated.
If the system senses an imminent collision
the following functions can be triggered:
- Braking guard
~ page 96
- Tightening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leaving
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 likelihood of a
rear-end collision with the vehicle coming from
behind is also calculated.
If the risk of a collision
is detected , the following functions can be trig­
gered:
Audi pre sense
-Tig htening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* ( leaving
a small open gap)
- Adjusting the seats: the settings for the power
head restrains, the upper sections of the backr­
ests and the pneumatic side bolsters* are opti­ mized for the front seats and the outboard rear
seats*. If a co llision does not occur, the previ­
ous seat settings are restored.
Audi pre sense plus
Audi pre sense plus includes the functions in Audi
pre sense front and Audi pre sense rear.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not availa­
ble . See your authorized Audi dealer immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It cannot prevent a collision. Do not
l et the increased safety provided tempt you to
take risks. This will increase the risk of a colli­
sion and serious personal injuries.
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­
jects. This increases the risk of a collision.
-Audi pre sense does not detect people or an­
imals or objects that are crossing the vehi­
cle's path
~ page 90.
-The radar sensor's vision can be reduced by
heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road sp ray and
reflections from guard rails, tunne l entran­
ces, etc. These and similar conditions can prevent vehicles from being accurately de­
tected and in some cases they may not be
detected at all.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of the
Audi pre sense system . Have your authorized
Audi dealer check to make sure that the sys­
tem is work ing properly.
187

Smart Technology
ignition switched off, it controls the energy sup­
p ly to the various electrical components. Data
from battery diagnosis is considered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge, indi­
vidual consumers are gradually turned off to pre ­
vent excessive discharge of the battery and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy
management distributes the energy generated
according to the needs of the individual compo­
nents.
It regu lates consumption, so that more
electrical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an optimal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg­
ate the limits of physics . Cons ider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica­
tor light (•) appears
9 page 15, Cl Battery.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start­
ing capability .
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time of
year. Abundant electrical energy is required, but
only a little is generated . It is also crit ica l if the
engine is not running and electrical components
are turned on . In this instance energy is be ing
consumed but none is being generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will no­
tice energy management actively regulat ing the
d istr ibut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not driv e your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca­
pability over a longer period . Some of the con­
ven ience funct ions may not operate, such as the
interior l ights or the power seat adjustment. The
196
convenience functions will be availab le again
when you switch on the ignition and start the en­ gine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned off or use other MMI funct ions,
the battery is being d ischarged .
If starting capab ility is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis­
play .
The message indicates that the system will be
switched off automat ically in a moment . If you
wish to cont inue using the functions, you have to
start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrica l energy is generated when the
vehicle is being driven, the battery can become
discharged. This happens mostly when little en­
ergy is being generated and a great deal con ­
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
opt imal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibr i­
um, consumers wh ich require espec ially large
amounts of energy are temporarily cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in particular re­
quire a great dea l of energy. If you notice , fo r ex­
amp le, that the heated seats* or the heated rear
window are not heating, they have been tempo­
rarily cut back or switched off. These systems will
be available aga in as soon as the energy balance
has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slig htly. This is norma l and not a
cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the additional energy required is generat­
ed and the battery is charged.

Care and cleaning
Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi­
cle's value.
It can also be a requirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The required cleaning and care products can be
obtained from your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Read and follow the instruc­
tions for use on the packaging.
A WARNING
-Using cleaning and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health .
- Always store cleaning and care products out
of reach of children to reduce the risk of poi­
soning.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents.
- Do not dispose of leftover cleaning and care
products with household trash.
Car washes
The longer deposits remain on the vehicle, the
more the surface can be damaged. High temper­
atures such as those caused by sunlight increase
the damaging effects .
Before washing, wet heavy deposits with plenty
of water.
Stubborn deposits such as bird droppings or tree
sap are best removed with plenty of water and a
microfiber cloth.
Also, wash the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stops being used for the season.
Pressure washers
When washing your vehicles with a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instructions
provided with the pressure washer. This is espe­
cially important in regard to the pressure and
spraying distance . Do not aim the spray directly
at seals on side windows, doors, the hood, the
206
rear lid or the sunroof* or at tires, rubber hoses,
insulating material, sensors* or camera lenses*.
Keep a distance of at least 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles.
The water temperature must not be above 140 °F
(60 °C).
Automatic car washes
Spray off the vehicle before washing.
Make sure that the windows and roof* are closed
and the windshield wipers are
off . Follow instruc­
tions from the car wash operator, especially if
there are accessories attached to your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes.
Only use car washes where the vehicle remains
stationary and the washing equipment moves
around the vehicle when washing and drying. Car
washes that move the vehicle through the car
wash using a chain are not recommended.
Washing by hand
Clean the vehicle starting from the top and work­
ing down using a soft sponge or cleaning brush.
Use solvent-free cleaning products.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint by
hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing, first
remove dust and large particles from your vehi­
cle. Insects, grease spots and fingerprints are
best removed with a special cleaner for matte
finish paint.
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft micro­
fiber cloth .
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly again and let it air
dry. Remove any water residue using a sham my. ..,..

Care and cleaning Component Situation Solution
Decorative parts/
Dirty Mild soap solutiona>, a cleaning solution suitable for stain-
trim less steel, if necessary
Paint Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the vehicle data label, repair
with touch up paint
¢page 277
Spilled fuel Rinse with water immediately
Rust film Rust film remover, then protect
with hard wax; for ques-
tions, refer to an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop
Corros ion Have it removed by an authorized Aud i dea ler or a qua lified
wo rkshop
Water no longer Protect with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean pa int
No shine even though Treat with suitable polish; then apply paint protectant if
paint has been pro- the polish that was used does not contain any protectant
tected/paint looks
poor
Deposits such as in-Dampen with water immediately and remove w ith a micro-
sects, bird droppings, fiber cloth
tree sap and road salt
grease-based con- Remove immediately with a m ild soap solutiona> and a soft
taminants such as cloth
cosmetics or sunblock
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as painted parts¢ page 206, Car
washes
a l Mild soap so lution: maxim um two tablespoo ns neu tra l soap in 1 quar t Cl lite r) of water
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Windows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decorative parts/ Dirty Mild soap so lutiona>
trim
Plastic parts
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutiona>, solvent-free p lastic clean ing solution,
if necessary
Displays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Controls Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a m ild soap solutiona >
Safety belts Dirty Mild
soap solutiona>, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
208
...

Care and cleaning
-Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens. This
could cause the lens to crack .
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials or
alcohol to clean the camera lens . This
could cause scratches and cracks .
-Windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terior mirrors with a plastic scraper. To
avoid scratches, move the scraper only in
one direction and not back and forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from windows
and mirrors using warm or hot water be­
cause this could cause cracks to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window de­
fogger, do not apply any stickers on the heating wires on the inside of the window.
- Decorative part .s/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning prod-
ucts.
-Paint
-To reduce the risk of scratches, the vehicle
must be free of dirt and dust before pol­
ishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish or
wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do not
polish away rust film .
- Remove cosmetics and sunblock immedi­
ately. Otherwise, the paint could be dam­
aged.
-Trim
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not treat
the trim around the panorama sunroof
with paint polish.
- Decorative decals
-To reduce the risk of damage, do not use
any rough powder or abrasive cleaning
products .
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not pol­
ish decorative parts that have a matte fin­
ish .
-Displays
- To avoid scratches, do not use dry cleaning
methods on displays.
-Controls
210
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con­
trols, because this could cause damage.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them .
- Never clean safety belts or their compo­
nents chemically or with corrosive fluids
or solvents and never allow sharp objects
to come into contact with the safety belts.
This could cause damage to the belt web­ bing .
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections , the retractors or the buckles,
have them replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop.
- Textiles/Vinyl/ Alcantara
- Never treat Vinyl/ Alcantara with leather
care products, solvents, floor polish, shoe
polish, stain remover or similar products .
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains re­
moved by an authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes, hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
-Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers,
rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam­
age to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners , for exam­
ple on clothing, can damage seat covers .
Make sure hook and loop fasteners are
closed .
-Natural leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or simi­
lar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zippers,
rivets on clothing or belts can cause dam­
age to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes , hard
sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry the
seat .
- To help prevent the leather from fading,
do not leave the vehicle in direct sunlight
for long periods of time. If leaving the

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of
brake fluid as we ll as the special toots re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your authorized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any maint enance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend tha t you have the electro­
lyte level checked by a service facility. The elec­
trolyte level should also be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 233.
Have the battery checked when you take your ve­
hicle in for serv ice. You are well advised to re­
place a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the batte ry is disconnected from the vehicle electri­
cal system for safety reasons¢
& in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 159 .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu la­
tors, for example) are lost if the battery te rmi ­
nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent th is, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system when abso lutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. This reduces
ene rgy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca­
pability over a longer period ¢
page 195. Some
of the convenience functions may not operate,
such as the interior lights or the power seat ad­
justment. The convenience funct ions will be
ava ilable again when you switch on the ignition
and start the engine.
Checking and Filling
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop . This is be­
cause more power is also consumed while start­
ing, and the headlights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, particu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
distances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter
sets in ¢
page 233. A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it w ill not freeze . This will prevent it
from be ing damaged and having to be re­
placed.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor . Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
&-
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the veh icle electrical
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
231