2017 AUDI A8 light

System settings
System settings
Setting the time and
date
You can set the clock time manually or using the
CPS.
Fig. 215 Sett ing a time zone
.,. Select : the I MENU I button > the upper left Time
control button (D <=> fig . 215.
Time source
GPS
'ti: the Time and Date are set by GPS based
on the
Time zone that was se lected manually. Al­
ways remember to set the new
Time zone i n the
MMI when the vehicle enters a different t ime
zone.
Manual : you can set the Time and Date manually
using the respective function . Press the control
knob. Set the
Time or the Date manually by turn­
ing and pressing the control knob.
Automatic daylight saving time*
When daylight saving time is sw itched On , the
time is moved forward or back automatically by
one hour when daylight sav ing time begins or
ends.
Man. daylight sav. time
When this function is switched On , an hour is
added to the set
Time.
Time zone
When selecting the appropriate time zone, a
sampling of countr ies in this zone will be listed .
204
Time format
If you select 24h , the clock will display, for ex­
amp le,
13:00. If you select AM/PM , the clock
will display, for example,
1:00 PM.
Date format
If you select DD.MM , the date will display, fo r ex­
ample,
31.12 . If you sele ct MM/DD , the date
will display, for example,
12/31.
Adjusting the sound
The sound distribution and volume of the MMI
can be adjusted individually. The settings depend
on vehicle equipment .
Fig. 216 Sound settings
Fig. 217 Adjusti ng the ba la n ce/fader
.,. Select: !T ONEI button.
(D GALA*/ DSP* / DSP [BOSE]*/ DSP [Bang
& Olufsen]*
- GALA (Speed-dependent volume increase) *:
select and confirm Active /Inactive for the ad­
justment of playback volume to the level of
noise inside the vehicle.
-Sound focus (adjusting the sound distribu­
tion) *:
select and confirm All (symmetrical

Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar­
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in­
terest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep the complete Owner's Litera­
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and
passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit­
uations.
~ Your safety and the safety of your passengers
~ should not be left to chance. Advances in tech-,..._
~ nology have made a var iety of features available 0
~ to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident. ' Driving safety
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seat ing pos itions,
- safety belt pretensioners,
- safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
- safety belt height adjustment systems for the
front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a w ide range of accidents . These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside .
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
c:c.> page 65, c:c.> page 63 .
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
¢ page 248, Child
safety. ..,.
207

Driving safety
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
c:> page 54, Seats
and storage.
• Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al ­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts properly
c:> page 218 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver 's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis ­
tracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
hicle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
vehicle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road
c:> Li').. Therefore :
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
• NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
• Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
sure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
208
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 218 Correct seating posit ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following position:
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
c:> .&_ .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a d is­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steering wheel and your breast bone
r::!) fig. 218.
If not possible, see your authorized Audi deal­
ership about adaptive equipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face.
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head .
If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:>poge 221.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all t imes .

Audi pre sense
Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith Audi p re se nse
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect vehicle oc­
cupants in certain dangerous situations. The
fu nctions described a re available depending on
ve hicle equi pment:
Audi pre sense basic
The fo llow ing funct ions can be triggered in cer­
tain driving situations:
- Tighten ing of the safety belts (for examp le,
during heavy braking): the front safety belts
have reversible belt tensioners. If a coll is ion
does not occur, the safety belts loosen slightly
and are ready to trigger again.
- Closing the w indows and the sunroof*
The function of the pre sense basic is activated at
a speed of 20 mp h (30 km/h) or higher. The de ­
p loyment time is adapted in the drive select dy­
namic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with adaptive
cru ise control*)
Pre sense front contains the f unctions of pre
sense basic. In add ition, the likelihood of a rear­
end collis ion with the vehicle ahead is also calcu­
lated, withi n the limits of the system. If the risk
of a collision is detected, the following functions
can t rigge r:
- Audi braking gua rd¢
page 99
- Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof *
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with side
a ss ist* )
Pre sense rear contains the functions of p re sense
basic. In addition, the li ke lihood of a rear-end
col lision from the vehicle be hind is a lso ca lculat­
ed, w ith in the lim its of the system .
If the risk of a
collis ion is detected, the following functions can
tr igger:
- Tens ioning of the safety be lts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof *
216
- Adjusting the seats: the settings for the powe r
head restrains, the upper sections of the backr­
ests and the pne umatic side bolsters* change
on the front seats and the outer rear seats*. If
a collision does not occur, the seat sett ings
that were previously used are restored .
Audi pre sen se plus
Pre sense plus contains the f unctions of p re
sense front and pre sense rear.
Error message
Audi pre sense : Unavailable
Preventative passenger protection is not ava ila­
ble. Drive to yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r o r au­
t h ori zed Aud i Service Facility immedia tely to have
t h e malfunct ion corre cte d.
.&_ WARNING
Pr e sense canno t overcome natura l phys ica l
l aws . It is a system designed to assist and it
cannot prevent a co llision. Do not let t he in­
creased sa fety provided tempt you into tak ing
risks . T his could inc rease your ris k of a colli ­
sion.
- The system can dep loy inco rrectly.
- Please note that the sensors do not always
detect a ll objects. Th is increases the r is k of
a co llision.
- Pre sense does not react to peop le or ani­
mals or objects that a re c rossing the vehi­
cle's path or are difficu lt to detect
¢page 94.
- Ref lective objects such as gua rd ra ils o r the
entrance to a tunne l, heavy rain and ice can
affect the funct io n of the radar sensors a nd
t he system 's ability to de tect a collision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper , wheel housing a nd
underbody . Pre sense can be impaired by this .
Have an autho rized Aud i deale r or autho rized
A udi Service Fac ility ch eck their f unct io n. .,..

Safety belt s
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
.. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
means ava ilable to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protect ion and that of your passen­
gers, always co rrectly wear safety be lts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must a lso use safety belts.
L ik e all vehicle occ upants, they are mo re
likely to be serio usly injured i f they do not
wea r safety be lts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the ent ire pregnancy .
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. In some
veh icles, there are four seating positions: two in
the front and two in the rear . Each seating posi­
tion has a safety belt .
&_ WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts or wearing them im­
properly incre ases the risk of ser io us personal
injury and dea th.
- Never st rap more tha n one person, includ­
ing small ch ild ren, into any be lt .
It is espe­
c ia lly da ngerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap .
218
-Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety be lts available .
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
be lt or ch ild restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up .
F ig. 220 Safety belt wa rning lig ht in the instrument clus·
ter -en larged
Befor e dri ving off , alway s;
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
"' N .,, 0
"' .. m
.. Make sure that your passengers a lso buckle up
and properly wear the ir safety belts.
.. Protect chi ldren with a c hild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age.
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ign ition is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition, you will hear
a war ning tone for a certain period of time.
Faste n your safety belt and make su re that your
passenge rs al so properl y put on thei r safety
b e lts .
&_ WARNING
-
-Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to red uce the risk of ser io us
inj ury and death in a utomobile accidents.
For your protection and that of yo ur passen­
gers, a lways correct ly wear safety belts
when t he vehicle is moving . ..,.

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r -Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that come on, could lead to persona l injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 221 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a wall
Fig. 222 The vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi­
neers call this energy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Veh icle speed is the most significant factor. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts
¢fig. 221, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall¢
fig. 222 .
Safety belts
The same p rinciples apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is invo lved in a fronta l co llision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to the ir vehicle. In a frontal collis ion
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash .
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions .
What happens to occupants not wea ring
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 223 A dr iver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown forward
Fig . 224 A rear passe nger not wearing a safety belt will fly
forwa rd and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves . Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam v iolently into the steering wheel,
Ill>-
219

Safe ty belts
during hard braking and in an accident. The be lt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. Dur ing normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety b elt pr ete nsione rs
The safety be lts are equ ipped with a belt preten ­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
¢
page 224. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light ¢
page 23.
Convertibl e loc king retra ctor
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
¢page 258.
A WARNING
Improperly pos it ioned safety belts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident¢
page 222,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
prope rly positioned on the body.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong b uck le wi ll red uce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not p roper ly restrained
can be serio usly injured by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into cr it ical areas like the abdo ­
men.
- Always lock the convertible lock ing retractor
when you are secur ing a child seat in the ve­
hicle ¢
page 260.
@ Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to
¢ page 224.
222
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 2 27 Safety belt posit ion
Use the height adjus tment to change the posit io n
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned sa fety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it s its as low as pos­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no p ressure
on the abdome n. T he belt sho uld a lways fit
snug ly¢
fig. 22 7. P u ll on the bel t to tigh ten
if necess ary.
- A loose-fit ting safety belt can ca use serious
in ju ries by s hifting its posi tion on yo ur body
from the strong bones to mo re v ulnera ble,
so ft tissue and cause serious in jury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS an d
o ther impor tan t in formation¢
page 220 .

Airbag syste m
seat. It can be a very dangerous place fo r an
infant or a child in a rearward -facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle has
been ce rt ified to comp ly with the requirements
of United States Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standard (CMVSS)
208 as applica ­
b le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
According to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger s ide has been
certified for "suppression " for infants of about
12 month old and younger and for "low risk de­
p loyment " for children aged
3 to 6 years o ld (as
defined in the standard).
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been tu rned off
by the ele ct roni c con trol unit.
Each t ime you sw itch on the ign it ion, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght will come on fo r a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small c hild or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the weight ­
sensing mat¢
page 236, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control unit detects a tota l we ight on
the front passenger seat that requires the front
a ir bag to be turned off.
If the tota l weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year -old child but
less than the we ight of a small adult, the front
a ir bag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t does not come
on) .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
side has not been turned
off by the electronic
control unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the condit ions stor ­
ed in its memory.
For e xample, the airbag may deploy if:
228
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typica l 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of the
child seats listed
¢ page 250), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is t urned
off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
i nstrument cluster and stays on.
The fro nt airbag on the passenge r side m ay
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) even if a small adu lt
or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up­
right with their back against a non-recl ined back­
rest with the ir fee t on the vehicle floor in front of
the sea t is on the front passenger seat
<=> page 208 , Proper seating position for the driv ­
er .
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment cr iteria to reduce the r isk of in ­
j ury th rough interaction w ith the airbag . "low
risk" deployment occurs in th ose crashes that
take place at lowe r decele rations as defi ned in
the e lec tronic co ntro l unit ¢
page 23 7, PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF light.
Always remembe r, a ch ild seat or i nfant ca rr ie r
i nsta lled on the fron t seat may be s truck a nd
k nocked o ut of pos it ion by the rapid ly inflat ing
passenger 's airbag in a frontal co llision . The air­
bag cou ld great ly reduce the effectiveness of the
c hi ld rest raint and even seriously injure the child
during in flat ion.
Fo r th is reason, and beca use the back seat is the
safest place for children - when proper ly restrain ­
ed according to their age and size -we strongly
recommend that children always sit in the back
seat
c> page 248, Child safety .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat will be seri­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
Sys tem.