2017 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

Adjusting the temperature
Temperatures between 60 °F ( +16 °C) and 84 °F
(+28 °C) can be set . Outside of this range,
LO or
HI will appear in the climate control system dis­
p lay . At both of these settings, the climate con ­
trol system runs continuously at maximum cool­
ing or heating power. There is no temperature
regulation.
~ Adjusting the amount of air
You can adjust the airf low manually to su it your
needs. The blower should always run at a low set ­
ting to prevent the windows from fogging and to
ensure a continuous exchange of air inside the
vehicle. To have the airflow regulated automat i­
cally, press the
IAUTO I button.
~ Adjusting the air distribution
You can manually select the vents where the air
will flow. To have the a ir distribution regu lated
automatically, press the
IAUTO ! button.
[il /~*Adjusting seat heating/ventilation*
Pressing the button switches the seat heating/
venti lation on at the highest setting (level 3). The
LEDs indicate the temperature level. To reduce
the temperature, press the button aga in. To
sw itch the seat heating/venti lation off, press the
button repeatedly until the LED turns off.
After 10 minutes, the seat heating/ventilation
automatically switches from level 3 to level 2.
l The windshield and side windows are defrosted
or cleared of condensation as quickly as possible.
The maximum amount of air flows mainly from
the vents below the windshield. Recirculation
mode switches off. The temperature should be
set to approximately 72 °F (22 °().
The
IAUTO I button switches the defroster off .
IQiil R EARI Switching the rear window defogger
on and off
The rear window defogger only operates when
~ the engine is running. It switches off automati-....
~ cally after 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the N
8 outside temperature. 0 :c ' Warm and cold
To prevent the rear window defogger from
switching off automatica lly, press and hold the
llliil REAR ! button for more than three seconds .
This is stored until the ignition is switched off.
I SYNC! Synchronization*
When synchron ization is switched on, the set­
tings for the driver's side are applied to the front
passenger's side (except for seat heating/ventila­
t ion*). The rear is also synchronized in vehicles
with the 4- zone deluxe automatic climate control
system*. Synchronization switches off if the set­
t in gs are adjusted on the front passenger's side
or in the rear*.
You can synchronize the sett ings in a row by
pressing and holding a knob. For example, to ap­
ply the sett ings for the front passenger's side to
the driver's side, press and hold the knob on the
front passenger 's side .
Vents
You can open or close the center and rear vents in
the cockpit and the vents in the rear center con­
sole and door pillars using the ridged thumb­
wheels. The levers adjust the direction of the air­
flow from the vents.
Residual heat
You can act ivate the residual heat function when
the ignition is switched off by pressing and hold­
i ng the ~ button. The residual heat from the
coolant is used to heat the vehicle interior . T he
residual heat function switches off automatically
after about 30 minutes.
_&. WARNING
- You should not use the recirculation mode
for an extended period of time since no
fresh air is drawn in. With the air-condition ­
ing switched off, the windows can fog up,
which increases the risk of an acc ident.
- Individuals with reduced sensit ivity to pain
or temperature could develop burns when
using the seat heating function. To reduce
the risk of injury, these individua ls should
not use seat heating .
71

Warm and cold
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heat ing e lements in
the seats, d o not kneel o n the seats or place
heavy loads o n a small a rea of t he seat.
Basic settings
The climate control system basic settings ore ac­
cessed in the Infotainment system .
.,. Se lect: the ICARI fun cti on bu tto n > Car systems
contro l button > AC .
Rear seat settings*
Wh en th is func tion is selec ted, a ll se tt in gs for
t he rea r can b e adju ste d t hroug h the cli mate co n­
t rol system in the cockpit. The cli mate con trol
sys tem sett in gs cannot be adjus ted in the rear
seat at the same time. This fu nction switches off
after a certa in period of time or when one of the
d ia ls in the cockpit is pressed.
Auto recirculation*
T he sensit iv ity level of the au toma tic r ecircula­
tion mode can be set at various levels from
Off to
Max. Whe n recirculation mode la> I is switched on,
the air rec irculat io n is contro lled automatically.
If the w indows fog up, press t he
I@ FRON T I but­
ton .
Footwell temperature
You can a dju st the footwell temperature so that
it is coo le r or warmer .
Solar roof*
Parking ven tila tion i s co nt rolled a utoma tically in
t he
Auto settin g.
W hen the ig nitio n is swi tched o ff, solar-powered
p ark ing ventil ation may swi tch on, as long as
- there is sufficient sunlight,
- the outside temperature is not too low,
- the sunroof is closed or tilted and
-Auto (I nfo tainment system) is set
72
Steering wheel heating
Applies to: vehicles with steering wheel heating
The steering wheel rim con be heated .
Fig. 88 Steering co lumn : steeri ng w hee l heati ng b utto n
.,. Pres s the [i] butt on to sw itch st eering w heel
he atin g on/o ff. The mess age
Steering wheel
heating on /Steering wheel heating off
ap ­
pears in the instrument cluster disp lay .
The tempe rature is m ainta ined at a constant lev ­
e l when s tee ring wheel hea ting is switc hed on .
The steer ing whee l hea ting sett ings are stored
a utom atically and assig ned t o the rem ote c ontro l
k ey th at is in use.

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break­
in distance should be 1,000 mi les ( 1,500 km). Do
not drive at speeds that w ill exceed
2/3 of the
maximum permitted engine speed
(RPM) for the
first 600 miles (1,000 km) , and avoid full accel­
eration during this period . You may gradually
start increasing the
RPM and the speed between
600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500
km).
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven during the first 1,000
miles (1,500 km) also affects the engine quality.
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icularly when running a cold
engine . This will reduce engine wear and improve
the mileage .
Do not drive at too low of an engine speed (rpm).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­
ly" . Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati ­
cally reduced .
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive pa r­
ticularly careful for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­
meters) after fitting .
.&_ WARNING
-
New tires tend to be slippery and must also
be "broken-in". Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 miles (500 kilometers).
Brake gently . Avo id following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing.
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low-
Driving
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles with low-s lung
chass is (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of vehicle
damage when driving through water, for example
on flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faste r than walk ing speed.
.&_ WARNING
=
After driving through water or m ud, the effec-
tiveness of the brakes may be reduced due to moisture on the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few careful brake applications should dry
off the brakes .
(D Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Always switch off the Start/Stop system
when driving through water r::;,page
78.
{i) Tips
- Determine the depth before driving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncom ing vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water, because
this can cause corrosion .
73

Driving
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l consumption, the environ ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brak es and tir es d epends mostly on your driving
style. W ith an anticipatory and economic driv ing
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap­ proximately 10-15% . The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time .
Anticip atory d riving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when acce lerating.
When you drive with ant ic ipat ion , you do not
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less .
When possible, let your ve hicle coast w ith a
g ear
e ngag ed ,
for example , when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produ ces a n eng ine
b raking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumption to zero (f uel shut-off during decelera ­
tion).
Shift effici ently
An effective way to save f uel is to upshift earlie r.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari ­
ly. Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly
and avoid "k ick-down".
Avoid full acceleration
You sho uld rare ly t ravel at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disp roportiona tely
h igh increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start-Stop system * helps to reduce the id ling
time automatically . In vehicles witho ut the Start­
S top sys tem* , it is efficient to switch the eng ine
off when stopped at ra ilroad cross ings a nd long
red lights . Stopping t he engine for 30 -40 sec ­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the eng ine .
It takes a very long time in idle to wa rm the en­
gine up to operating temperature . Wea r and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. Therefore, yo u should begin driving im-
74
mediate ly after s tarting the engine . Avoid high
RPMs whi le doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance pe rformed regu la rly on
you r vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con ­
s u mption before you even sta rt to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al ­
so impacts fuel consumption. A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consumption that
i s 10% higher than normal.
Avo id short trip s
The engine and exha ust cleaning system must
reach their optima l operating temperature to ef­
fect ive ly reduce consumpt ion and emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reaches operating
temperat ure and cons umption no rmalizes on ly
after approximate ly four kilometers.
Check the tire pre ssure
To save fuel, ma ke sure the tires are always in­
flated to t he corre ct pressure
¢ page 291 . The
fuel consumption can increase by 5% if the pres­
sure is only 0 .5 bar too low. Due to the increased
roll ing resistance, low tire pressures w ill also
lead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
D rive with summer tires when possib le because
th is can increase fue l economy by up to 10%.
Eliminate unnecessary we ight
Since eve ry po und of extra weight increases f uel
consump tion, it pays to remove any unnecessa ry
weight .
A roof rac k increases the w ind resis tan ce on the
vehicle and shou ld be removed when it is not
needed . You will save approximately 12% o f you r
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph (100-120 km/h) .
Save energy
The eng ine d rives the genera tor , which gene rates
e lectric ity; the fuel consumpt ion also increases
with t he demand for e lec tricity . T he refore, switch ..,_

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r electrical equipment off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that use a lot of
energy are a ir blowers at a high setting, the rear
w indow defogger and seat heating*.
CD Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting . If warning lights should come on to
ind icate improper ope ration, they wou ld go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, wh ich could result in overheat ing or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty .
CD Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in you r War ranty
& Ma intenance book­
l et. Lack of p roper maintena nce as well as
i mproper use of the vehicle will imp air the
funct ion of the emission contro l system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Em ission Control System un less ap­
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do no t alt er or remove any devi ce, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Em ission Control System and other
i mportant veh icle components .
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by E NVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather condi tions,
t rip length, etc.
D rivi ng
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel position
The steering column can be power adjusted up
and down and forward and back.
F ig . 89 Switc h for steering co lu mn adjus tme nt
Requirement: the driver's seat is set correct ly.
"' To adjust the he ight, pr ess the sw itch up/down .
The stee ring co lumn will continue movi ng as
long as you are p ressing the switc h.
"' To move the steering wheel forwa rd or back,
press the switch forward/back. The steering
col umn wi ll continue mov ing as long as you are
pressing the switch.
T he steering whee l can a lso be adjusted when the
ignition is switched off .
In veh icles with memory func tion*, the steering
c o lumn set tings are s tored toget her w ith the
seat position.
A WARNING
Improper use of stee ring wheel adjustment
and improper seating posit ion can cause seri­
ous persona l injury.
- Ad just the steering wheel column only when
the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
veh icle control.
- Adj ust the driver's seat or steer ing whee l so
that the re is a m inimum of 10 in (25 cm)
between yo ur chest and the steering wheel
r::;, page 208, fig . 218 . If you cannot ma in­
tain this minimum dis tance, the airbag sys­
tem cannot pro tect you p roperly.
-
75

Driving
-If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 in (25 cm) or more from the steer­
ing wheel, check with your authorized Audi
dealer to see if adaptive equipment is avail­
able .
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental driver's airbag can ­
not prov ide as much protection in an acci­
dent. Always make sure that the steering
wheel is aligned with your chest.
-Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury if
the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steer ing wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel the
wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys.
Entry assistance
Easy seat entry makes it easier to enter and exit the vehicle by adjusting the steering column au­
tomatically.
• In the Infotainment system, select the !CAR I
function button > Car systems control button >
Vehicle settings> Seats> Driver's seat> Easy
seat entry> On.
When easy seat entry is switched on, the steering
column goes back up into the park position when
the ignition is switched off. After entering the ve­
hicle, the steering column returns to the stored position once the ignition is switched on .
76
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The ! S TAR T ENGINE S T OPI button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine .
Fig. 90 Cente r conso le: START ENGINE STOP but ton
Switching the ignition on/off
• To switch the ignit ion on or off, press the
!START ENGINE STOPI button . Do not press the
brake pedal while doing this.
Starting the engine
• Press the brake pedal¢.&_.
• Press the
I START ENGINE STOP I button
¢
fig . 90 . The engine will start .
If the engine does not start immediately, the
starting procedure stops automatically after a
short time . Repeat the starting process .
Start/Stop system
Read the information in¢ page 78 , Start/Stop
system.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces .
(D Note
Avoid high engine speed, full throttle, and
heavy engine load if the engine has not
reached operating temperature yet. You could
-
damage the engine. .,..

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' @ Tips
-Some noise after starting the engine is nor­
mal and is no cause for concern.
- If you leave the vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off af­
ter a certain amount of time. Make sure that
electrical equipment such as the exterior
lights are switched off.
Stopping the engine
"'Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
"'Select the P or N selector lever position.
"'Press the
I START ENGINE STOPI button
r::?v page 76, fig. 90.
Steering lock
The steering locks when you turn the engine off
using the
I START ENGINE STOPI button and
open the driver's door. The locked steering helps
prevent vehicle theft.
Emergency off function
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can also
be turned off while driving in the R, Dor S selec­
tor lever position at speeds below 6 mph (10 km/
h). To stop the engine, press and hold the
I START ENGINE STOPI button and also press the
brake pedal.
& WARNING
-Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You must use
more force to turn or brake. Because you
cannot steer and brake as you usually
would, this could lead to accidents and seri­
ous injuries .
- Always take the key with you whenever you
leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the engine
could be started or electrical equipment
such as the power windows could be operat­
ed. This can lead to serious injury.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the selector lever in the P position.
Driving
Otherwise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally.
@ Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off and there is a risk of damaging
the engine. For this reason, let the engine run
at idle for approximately two minutes before
shutting it off.
(D Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to 10
minutes -even with the ignition switched off .
It can also switch on again after some time if
the coolant temperature rises as the result of
heat buildup or if the engine is already warm
and the engine compartment is also heated
by the sun's rays.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appears and a warning tone sounds
if you open the driver's door when the ignition is
switched on.
Press brake pedal to start engine
This message appears when you press the
I START ENGIN E STOP ! button to start the engine
and do not press the brake pedal while doing so .
The engine can only be started when the brake
pedal is pressed.
= Key not in vehicle?
This indicator light turns on and this message ap­
pears if the ignition key was removed from the
vehicle when the engine was running. If the igni ­
tion key is no longer in the vehicle, you cannot switch on the ignition or start the engine once
you stop it. You also cannot lock the vehicle from
the outside.
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock if lever is not in P.
77

Driving
This driver message appears for safety reasons if
the transmission has not be en shifted to the P
position when you switch the ign ition off. Move
the selector lever to the P posit ion. Otherwise the
ve hicle is not protected from ro lling and it cannot
be locked .
II Key is not re cognized. Hold ba ck of ke y
aga inst marked area. See owner's manual
If t he indicator light t urns on and this message
appears, there is a malfunction ~
page 78.
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appea rs if the dr iver 's door is
opened while the ignition is switched on . A lways
sw itch off the ignition if you are leaving the vehi­
cle.
Shift to P and turn off ignition befor e leaving
car, otherwi se vehicle c an roll away
This message appears if the driver 's door is
ope ned while the ignition is switched on and the
transmission has not been shifted to the P posi­
tion . Sh ift the t ransm iss ion into the P posit io n
a nd turn off the ignition if yo u are leav ing the ve­
h icle. O therwise t he vehi cle co uld rol l.
Starting the engine when there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine under
certain circumstances, for example if the battery
in the vehicle key is drained, if interference is af­
fected the key or if there is a system malfunc­
tion.
N
c::==== =~
±
- ------- ~
Fig . 9 1 Cente r conso le/ re m ote cont ro l key: sta rt ing the
eng ine if t here is a malf u nction
Requirement: the message K ey is not recog ­
nized . Hold back of key against marked area.
78
See owner's manual must appear and the II in­
dicator light must tu rn on .
.,. Hold the remote cont rol key vertically in the lo ­
ca tion i ndicated
t1>) ~ fig. 91.
.,. Press the brake pedal.
.,. Press the I S TAR T
ENGINE ST OP I button . The
eng ine will start.
.,. Drive to an authori zed Audi dealer or author ­
ized Aud i Service Facility immediately to have
the malfu nction corrected .
(D Tips
You can view the message aga in by pressing
the lS TAR T
ENGI NE ST OP I button .
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The S ta rt/Stop sys tem can help increase fue l
eco nomy and reduce CO2 emissions .
In Sta rt/S top mode, the eng ine s huts off auto­
ma tically when the vehicle is stopped, such as a t
a traffic light . The ignition rema ins switched on
duri ng th is stop phase . The engine w ill restart
automat ica lly when needed .
The last Start/S top system setting is restored
when the ignition is sw itched on .
Basic requirements for Start /Stop mode
- Th e driver 's doo r must be closed .
- Th e driver 's seat belt much be fas tened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle m ust have driven faster than
2.5 mph (4 km/h) since the last t ime it stop­
ped.
- A trailer m ust not be hitched to the vehicle .
A WARNING
-Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func ­
t ion of the bra ke booster and the power
steer ing is not guaranteed. You must use
mo re fo rce to tu rn o r bra ke. Be cause you
canno t stee r and bra ke as y ou usually