2016 AUDI A8 ESP

adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright posit ion .
- Make sure that the
PAS SEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir­
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi ­
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight registered can make the system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
sta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild safety sea t in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.
Ch ild safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the child sa fety seat manuf actu rer 's
ins truc tions when ins talling a child restraint in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child rest raint on a seat, prefe rably
on the rear sea t.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the w ay out .
.. Route it around or through the child restra int
be lt path ¢,&. .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into th e retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat .
.. You should hear a ''cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on the belt .
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertib le locking re­
t ractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild rest raint or an improp­
e rly installed child restra int can cause se rious
personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tr actor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An un locked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the chi ld safety seat in p lace
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firm ly in
p lace even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash. .,.
179

-Tether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those loads
imposed by correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances can they be used
safely for adult or child safety belts or har­
nesses .
- Never mount more than one child restraint to a s ingle tether or to a lower anchorage
point. Attaching two ch ild restraints to a
s ingle anchorage point can ca use the an­
c horage to fa il and cause serious persona l
injury in a crash.
(D Note
- Remove the g uidance fixtures before fold­
i ng the rear seatback to prevent damaging
the seat cush ion.
- To attach the ch ild restraint securely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rea r po­
s ition, the seat height se t to the lowest po ­
sition and the head restraint must be ad­
j u sted to the vertica l posit ion¢
page 61.
- If you leave the guidan ce fixt ures installed
for severa l days, they could leave a mark on
the upho lstery on t he seat c us h ion and
backrest in the area that the gu idance fix­
tures were installed. The upholstery 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 fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
F ig. 183 Lower anch orages : proper mo untin g
Ch ild sa fety
Mounting
"' Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the up right pos ition and secure ly latched
in place.
"' 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. 183 .
"' Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lowe r ancho rage.
"' Pull straps tig ht following the ch ild restraint
manufac turer 's ins truc tions.
Releasing
"' Loosen the tension on the straps follow ing the
child restra int manufac turer's instructions .
"' Dep ress the spr ing catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tethe r straps to help keep the
child rest raint firmly in p lace.
_&. WARNING
I mp roper use of t he LA TCH system can in­
crease the ris k of serious persona l injury a nd
death in an accident.
- These an cho rs were developed only for child
safety sea ts using the " LATCH" system .
- Never attach othe r ch ild safety seats, be lts
or o ther objec ts to these anchors.
- Always make sure that yo u hear a click when
latching the seat in place.
If you do not hear
a cl ick the seat is not se cure and co uld fly
forward and hit the interior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle.
_&. WARNING
Improper insta llation of child restraints wi ll
i ncrease the risk of injury in an accident.
- Always follow the ch ild restraint system
manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the chi ld restraint system and
proper use of tether straps as we ll as the
lower anchorages or safety belts in your ve­
h icle .
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mat ion and WARNINGS about ch ild safety
183

PASSENGER A IR BAG O FF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rear-fac ing child safety seat in a rear
seating posit ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 185 Tether strap: p roper ro uting a nd moun tin g
In sta ll ing the tether strap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restra int manu ­
facturer's instruct ions.
• Gu ide the upper tether strap
unde r the rear
head restra int ~
fig. 185 (raise the head re­
straint if necessa ry) .
• Center seating position*: Guide the upper teth­
er strap over the rear head restraint .
• Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
• Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage .
• Pullon the tether strap hook so t hat the spring
catch of the hook engages .
• Tighten the tether strap firmly fo llow ing the
c hild rest raint ma nufactu rer's inst ruct ions.
Releasing the tether strap
• Loosen the tens ion following the child restrai nt
manufacturer's instructions .
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap fi rm ly installed fo r several days, this
co uld leave a ma rk on the upholstery on the
Ch ild sa fety
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would a lso be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. T his applies espec ia lly to
leather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently , few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc ­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether .
A WARNING
- -
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
i nstalled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously in jured and can be killed if the front
a irbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier w ith great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and ch ild
against the backrest, cente r a rm rest, or
door.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward­
faci ng chi ld restraint attached to the fro nt
passenger sea t can put too much pressure
on the weig ht-mat in the seat and register a
heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem . The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
A irbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SSEN GER AIR BA G OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safe ty seat in a rear
seating posi tion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
185

In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on aga in a utomati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Ste ering recommendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by chang ing
the s teering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
h e lps to s tabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Selective wh eel torqu e control
Select ive whee l torque control is used when driv­
in g on curves . T he front wheel on the inside of
the cu rve or both wheels o n the inside of the
curve are br aked selec tively as needed . This al ­
l ows more precise driv ing in curves . The applica­
b le system may not activate when driving in wet
or snowy conditions.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-co llision bra king system"
can help to reduce the ris k of slid ing and of other
coll is ions after an accident. If the airbag contro l
module detects a col lision above a certain vehicle
speed, the vehicle is b raked by t he ESC.
The vehicle does not b rake automatica lly if :
- the driver p resses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greate r than the brak ing force
that wou ld be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri ­
ca l system are not f unction ing .
Sma rt Technology
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural physi­
cal laws . This is especia lly important on s lip­
pe ry o r we t roads .
If the systems beg in act­
i n g to stab iliz e your ve hicle, yo u should im­
mediately change yo ur speed to ma tch the
road and traffic con dit ions . Do not let the
increased safety provided by these systems
tempt you to take r isks. Do ing so will in­
crease the r isk of a loss of vehicle contro l,
coll is ion and serious pe rsonal in juries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con­
trol of the vehicle increases when driving too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehi cles up ahead. The ESC and its
i n teg ra ted systems ca nnot alw ays preven t
coll is io ns -the re is s till a risk of accide nts!
- Always accelerate w ith specia l care on even,
smooth s urfaces su ch as those that are wet
or covere d wi th ice and snow. The d rive
whee ls can spin eve n wit h these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle contro l.
(D Tips
-ABS a nd ASR only wo rk cor rec tly when all
four wheels a re equipped wi th identi cal
tires. Diffe rent tire s izes can lead to a red uc­
tion i n engine power .
- You may hear noises when the systems de ­
scribed are working .
191

Smart Technology
Switching on and off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 186 Center console w it h ESC O FF but ton
ESC level s
Sport mode on
The following situations are exceptions where it
may be useful to switch on sport mode to allow
the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited ¢
A:,.. and ASR is ava ilable again .
Operation Press the 00 button. Press
the[!] button again.
Indicator II turns on. II turns off .
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC): Sport Warn- Stabilization control (ESC): On
sages ing! Reduced stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if your
dr iv ing abilities and road condit ions perm it .
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
wheels cou ld spin and the vehicle could
swerve, espec ially on s lick o r sli ppery road
s urfac es.
Sport mode cannot be sw itched on if t he
cruise cont rol system* or the adaptive cru ise
cont rol* is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first ¢
.1:,.. The break-in pe­
riod can be considerably longe r fo r vehicles with
192
ceramic brake rotors*. You can compensate for
this slightly reduced braking power by push ing
harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy braking
lo ads during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub ­
j ect to wear, depending large ly on operating con­
ditions and driving habits¢,& . On vehicles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of ­
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result in reduced brake perform­
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing ef­
fect of the engine. T his way, you prevent unnec­
essary wea r on the brake system. If you mus t use
your brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin-
u ously. Pump th e brakes at intervals. ..,.

Operating noi se
Noises may occur when braki ng depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outside cond itions s uch
as temperature and humidity.
Due to the na ture of t he mate ria ls used in ce ram­
ic bra ke rotors*, noises m ay become mo re appa­
ren t at low speeds.
Effect of wat er and road salt
In ce rtain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, afte r ove rnig ht con­
densat ion or after washing your car, the braking
effe ct can be red uced by moisture or ice on the
b rake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
dried first w ith a few careful brake applications .
At highe r speeds and with t he windsh ie ld wipers
turned o n, the bra ke pads p ress against the bra ke
rotors for a short amount of time . This occ urs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better bra ke response time under
wet conditions.
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. L ikewise, you clean
off accumu lated salt coat ing from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the
brake
c::> ,& .
Due to their sur face characteristics, ceramic
brake rotors* absorb mo isture in such condit ions.
This can cause a temporary reduction in braking
force compared to dry brakes. You can compen­
sate for this by pressing the brake peda l harder.
Cor rosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to b uild up on
the brake pads and corros ion to form on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
tr ips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable to
clean off the pads and discs by brak ing firmly a
few t imes from a moderately high speed
c::> ,& .
Sma rt Technology
Faults in the brake system
If you s hou ld notice a sudden increase in br ake
peda l travel, then one of the two bra ke circu its
may have fai led
c::> ,& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions ca n occu r in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low . T he brake flu id leve l
is monitored elect ronically.
Brake boost er
The brake booster works w ith vacuum pressure
wh ich is created only when the engine is runn ing
c::> ,& .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visua l in­
spect ion of the cond ition of the brake pads
t hr ough the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for t his inspection
c::> page 259, Replacing wheels .
.8_ WARNING
-New b rake p ads don't h ave the bes t stop­
p ing power an d must be "broken-in" during
the initial 250 miles (400 km) . The break-in
pe riod can be considerably longer for
veh icles with ceramic brake rotors*. You can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal more firmly. This also applies late r
when new pads are installed.
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system only i f road co ndit ions pe rmit . Other road
users m ust not be put at r is k -you may
cause an ac cident!
- Before descending a steep g rade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower dr iving range. Do not r ide the
b ra kes or hold the pe dal down too long or
too often. This cou ld cause the b rakes to ge t
hot and dimin ish b raking effic iency .
- Do not " ride the bra kes" by rest ing you r foot
on the pedal when you do no t intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over­
heat, premature wear and increased stop­
p ing distance.
193

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.

Driving and the
environment
Breaking in
New eng ine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km).
For the first 600 miles (1 ,000 kilometers):
"' Do not use full throttle .
"' Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
"' Avoid high eng ine speeds.
From 600 to 1 ,000 miles (1,000 to 1,500
kilometers ):
"' Speeds can gradually be increased to the maxi­
mum pe rm issib le road or e ngine speed.
During and after b reak-in period
"' Do not rev the engine up to high speeds when it
is cold . This applies whether the transmission is
in N (Neutral) or in gear .
After the bre ak-in period
"' Do not exceed maximum engine speed under
any circumstances .
"' Upshift into the nex t higher gear
before reach­
ing the red area at the end of the tachometer
sca le
c:::;, page 10.
During the first few hours of driving , the eng ine's
internal friction is higher than later when all the
mov ing parts have been broke n in. How well this
b reak-in process is done depends to a considera­
b le exte nt o n the way the veh icle is d rive n du ring
the first 1,0 00 miles (1,500 kilome ters).
(D Note
E xtremely high eng ine speeds a re au toma ti­
cally reduced. However, t hese rpm li mits are
p rogr amme d fo r an eng ine well run-in, not a
new engine .
Driving and the envir onment
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high engine
spe eds -upshifting early saves fuel, red uces
no ise and protects the environment.
New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive par­
t icularly careful for the first 3S0 m iles (500 kilo ­
meters) after fitting .
_&. WARNING
New tires tend to be slippe ry and mus t also
b e "bro ken- in". Be sure to remembe r th is dur­
i ng the first 350 m iles ( 500 k ilome ters).
Brake gent ly . Avoid following closely behin d
other vehicles or other s ituations that might
require sudden, hard braking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are dr iv ing on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certai n that low ­
ly ing parts such as spo ile rs and exhaust system
parts do not bottom o ut and get damaged .
This is espec ially true for veh icles with low-s lung
chass is (sports c hass is)* and fully loaded
vehicles .
Catalytic converter
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop ­
erly to ensure that y our vehicle is running in an
environmen tally sound manner.
"' Always use lead-free gasoline c:::;, page 212,
F uel supply .
"' Never run t he tank down all the way to emp ty.
"' Never put too much motor o il in yo ur engine
c:::;, page 225, Adding engine oil ce:r..
"' Never try to push- or tow-start your vehicle.
T he ca talytic co nverter is an efficient "cle an-up"
device built into the exhaust sys tem o f th e vehi -
-
cle. The catalytic converter b urns many of the .,.
197