2017 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' higher gear once the maximum spec ified engine
R PM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Applies to: S8 plus
The max imum engine torque is tempo rar ily in­
creased in ove rboost . Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operat ing temperat ure.
A WARNING
Ple as e note th at the wheel s co uld s pin o n
s lick or sli ppery roads when over boost is ac ­
t ive.
Transmission malfunction
Transmission: selector lever in drive!
-
If t h e se lec to r l ever is not in the P posi tion when
you o pen t he dr iver's door, the ve hicle could roll.
Selec t the P se lector lever posi tion.
rm Transmission : Please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Press the brake pedal and se lect t he des ired se ­
lecto r lever pos it io n aga in. You can t hen continue
d riving.
rm Transm ission over heating : Please dr ive con­
servatively
The transm ission temperature has increased s ig­
n ificantly due to the sporty driving manne r. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the ind icator light
sw itches o f.
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving
There is a system malfunct ion in the t ransmis­
sion. Yo u may continue dr iving. D rive to your au ­
thor iz ed Audi dealer or author ized A udi Service
Faci lity soon to have the ma lfu nction co rrected.
D riving
rm Ii) Transmission malfunct ion: You can con­
tinue driving in
D until engine is off
T he re is a syste m malfu ncti on in t he tra ns mis­
s io n. The tran sm ission is swi tc hi ng to eme rge ncy
mode . If you tu rn the engine
off , you w ill not be
able to se lect any othe r se lector lever positions
a fter starting the engine a ga in . Drive to an a u­
t h ori zed Audi dea le r or a uthori zed Audi Service
Fac ility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction cor­
rected .
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving with limited functionality
T he re is a system malfunction in t he transmis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rgency
mode. Th is mode only sh ifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
rm ffl Transmiss ion malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driv ing
T he re is a system malfunction in the transmis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rgency
m ode. Th is mode only shifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Yo u cannot engage the reve rse gear. Dr ive to an
a utho rized Aud i dea le r o r auth orized Aud i Serv ice
Fac ility immed iate ly to hav e the ma lfunction co r­
r ec ted .
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The parking lock was re leased using the emer­
ge ncy release¢
page 88. Or
- The pa rking loc k can no longer be engage d.
Dr ive to an a uth ori zed Audi dea ler or author­
ized Aud i Service Fac ility immediately to have
the ma lfu nction corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue dr iving. Select t he P selector lev ­
er posit io n and contact an authorized A udi dealer
o r authorized Audi Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
87

Driving
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle .
®
Fig . 99 Driver's side footwell: releas ing the parking lock
using the emergency release
Fig . 100 D river 's side footwell: resetting the parking lock
~ N M 0 ± ... a,
The emergency release is located under the floor
mat on the d river's s ide . You operate the eme r­
gency release from the drive r's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the par king brake<®>
q page 81 or
press the b rake peda l.
.,. The re are two s lits o n the cove r. Po sition the
screw driver from the vehicle tool kit in one o f
the slits on t he cover and pry the cover off .
.,. Pu ll the band @ in the direction of the arrow
u nt il the release lever locks in place
qfig. 99 .
.,. Fold the upper section of the release lever
down into the recess.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the b utton @ and the release lever at t he
same time. Yo u can now push the lever back i n­
to its orig inal position. Make su re the lever
locks in p lace
qfig. 100.
88
.,. Install the cover .
When the parking lo ck emergen cy release is
u sed, the
l'i1 indi cator light and the N selec to r
l ever posit io n turn on in the instr ument cluster .
The message
Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P.
Please appl y parking brake
also appears .
A WARNING
-
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure yo ur vehicle with
the park ing brake or the brake peda l if the
parking brake is not wo rking. The veh icle can
ro ll away if it is no t secured and cause a cras h.

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
Gen eral information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance .
T ra iler towing not only p laces more stress on the
vehicle, it a lso calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instr uctions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the tra iler operation mode
<=> page 89, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Tr ailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The h itch must be suitab le
for your vehicle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always chec k w ith the t rail­
er hitch manufac turer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch .
Do not u se a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No mod ifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, check that al l hitch mo un ting
bol ts rem ain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the tra iler hi tch ba ll mount . This preven ts the hitch
from causing damage shou ld your vehicle be
struck from beh ind
C? _&. .
Tr ailer mod e
Trailer brakes
If your trai ler is equ ipped with a b raking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to a ll regu la ­
tions.
T he trai ler hydra ulic bra ke sys tem must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydra ulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the tra iler .
Tra iler lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your Audi dealer for correct wir ing,
switches and relays .
Mirror s
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
A WARNING ,~ -Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hitch, do not sto re
i t in you r vehicle. In case of sudden brak ing,
t he hitch could fly fo rward and inju re you or
your passengers.
Operating instruction s
Fig. 10 1 M MI displ ay: towing mode o n
Maximum tra iler weight
A trailer for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
89

Trailer mode
Trailer load distribution
Be s ure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p lace to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid.
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label ¢
page 293 . Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
o:,;, page 110, o:,;, 0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ¢ page 112.
([) Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be app licab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
i n a high ly unstable distribution of we ight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail. ..,.

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Air suspension*
When driv ing with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving. Select in the MMI:
ICARI function button > (Ca r)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 9 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
i mmed iately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to. ¢
page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
de nt. Never let anyone ride in you r car who is
not properly wearing the restraints p rovided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know -
Your veh
icle handles differently when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and d if ­
ferent weight distr ibut ion. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly yo u load you r trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in a n area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely fami liar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat io n behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice.
Backing up with a trailer gene rally requires steer­
ing action opposite to tha t when backing up your
ve hicl e without a trailer .
Maintain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You w ill need more
Trailer mode
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally wo uld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again .
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may requ ire
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 336.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
" Apply the foot brake .
" Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
"W ith chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
" Tur n the whee ls towards the curb.
" App ly the parking brake.
" Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
"App ly the foot brake.
" Start the engine .
"S elect the D selector lever position .
" Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
" Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P before applying the park­
in g brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
lever out of the P posit ion.
91

Ass is t
Assist
Speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set.
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly.
The . (USA models)
I. (Canada models) indi ­
cator light and a message appear in the instru­
ment cluster display at the same time. The./
• indicator light and the message turn off if the
speed falls back below the stored maximum
speed.
Setting a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a ge ner ­
al speed limit or if the re is a specified max imum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system .
.,. Se lect :
!CAR I function button > Car s ystems
control button > Dri ver assi st > Speed warning .
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed wa rning system, you
should always monitor yo ur speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
92
Cruise control system
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h) .
0
f
®l
0
Fig. 102 Ope rat ing leve r: cru ise co ntrol sys tem
g M 0 ±
~
.,. To switch the cr uise control on, pull the lever
into position
(D ¢ fig . 102.
.,. Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.,. To store the speed, press the button @.
The stored speed and the
[t!jl!)~i~ (USA models) I
&I (Canada models) ind icator light are d isp layed
in the instrument cluster.
This information is also shown briefly in the Head-up d isp lay* .
The speed is mainta ined by modifying engine
power or through a n active brake interven tion.
_& WARNING
-Always pay atten tion to the traffic around
you when the cruise contro l system is in op­
erat ion. You are always respons ible for your
speed and the distance between your ve hi­
cle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traff ic, on
w inding roads and when road conditions are
poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplaning), because this increases the
r is k of an a ccident.
- Switch t he cruise control off temporarily
when dr iving in turning lanes, highway exits
or in construction zones.
...

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' -Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be­
cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system .
- If a brake system malfunction such as over­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system may be switched off. The rest of
the cruise control system functions remain
active as long as the
(tj;(IM@ (USA models) /
ii (Canada models) indicator light is on.
@ Tips
The brake lights turn on when the brakes are
applied automat ically .
Changing the speed
.. To increase or decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever toward
010 q page 92,
fig . 102.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
010 direction until the de­
sired speed is displayed.
You can a lso press the accelerator pedal down to
increase your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you set earlier will re­
sume as soon as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
However, if you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cru ise control system turns off temporarily .
The green
ltj;(i )~i@ (USA models) 1 '11 (Canada mod­
els) indicator light in the speedometer turns off
and the stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting a speed
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.. Switch on the ignition .
.. Pull the lever into position
(D q page 92,
fig. 102.
.. To increase or decrease the speed, push the lev­
er toward
010 .
Assist
.. To store the speed displayed, release the lever.
T his function makes it possible, for example , to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway , activate the
cruise control by pulling the lever toward @.
Switching off
Temporary deactivation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position @ (not clicked into
place)
9 page 92, fig. 102, or
.. Drive for longer than S minutes faster than 5
mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed .
Switching off completely
.. Press the lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.. Switch the ignition off .
The speed you stored will be maintained if the
cruise contro l has been switched off temporarily .
To resume the stored speed, release the brake
pedal and pull the lever into posi tion (D .
Switching the ignition off will erase the stored
speed.
A WARNING
- -
You should only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traffic conditions.
Otherw ise you can increase the risk of an acci­
dent .
93

Assist
Audi adaptive cruise
control
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adapt ive cruise control
F ig. 103 Detection range
The adaptive cruise control system is a combina­
tion of speed and distance regulation. It assists
the driver by both regulating the speed and
maintaining a distance to the vehicle driving
ahead, within the limits of the system .
If the sys­
tem detects and object ahead, adaptive cruise
control can brake and acce lerate your vehicle.
This makes driving more comfortable both on long stretches of highway and in stop-and-go
traffic .
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise control system uses video, ra­
dar and ultrasound . Objects driving ahead can be
recognized up to 650 feet (200 m) away.
On open roads with no traffic, it functions like a
cruise control system . The stored speed is main­
tained. When approaching an object ahead, the
adaptive cruise control system automatically
brakes to match that object's speed and then
maintains the stored distance . As soon as the
system does not detect an object ahead, adaptive
cruise control accelerates up to the stored speed .
In stop-and -go traffic, adaptive cruise control can
brake until the vehicle is stat ionary and then be·
gin driving again under certain conditions
¢page 97.
Audi braking guard can warn you about an im ­
pending collision and initiate braking maneuvers
¢ page 99.
94
Which functions can be controlled?
When yo u switch adaptive cruise control on, you
can set the current speed as the "contro l speed"
¢ page 96, Switching on/off.
When driving, you can stop cruise control
¢page 98 or change the speed ¢page 97 at
any time.
You can also set the distance to the object mov­
i ng ahead and set the driving mode of the adap­
tive cruise control¢
page 98.
General information
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 104 Front of the vehicle: sensors and video came ra
The areas that contain the radar and ultrasonic
sensors and the video camera ¢
fig. 104 must
not be covered by stickers, deposits o r other ob­
jects because they can interfere with the function
of the adaptive cruise control system and braking guard . For information on clean ing, refer to
¢
page 306. The same applies for any modifica­
tions made in the front area.
The function of the adaptive cruise control sys­
tem and braking guard is limited under some
conditions.
- Objects can only be detected when they are
with in the sensor range
¢page 94, fig. 103.
-The system has a limited ability to detect ob­
jects that are a sho rt distance ahead, off to the
side of your vehicle or moving into your lane.
- Objects that are difficult to detect such as mo­
torcycles, vehicles with high ground clearance
or an overhanging load are detected late or not
detected at all.
- When driving through curves ¢
page 95. ll>