2017 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' you into taking risks. This could increase
your risk of a co llision.
- Please note the risk of a co llision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions - there is still a r is k of acci­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully whe n
accele rating on even, s lippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The d rive wheels can spin
Switching on and off
Intellig ent Technology
even when these control systems a re insta l­
led and this can affect driving stability and
increase the risk of a collision.
@ Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function correct ly
when a ll four wheels have a simi la r wear
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 1 53 Center co nso le w it h ESC O FF button
ESC le vels
Sport mode on
The following examples are unusua l situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rock ing the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow o r on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The full stabilization function of the ESC
are lim ited
¢ .&. . and ASR is ava ilable aga in .
Operation Press the [!I button. Press the [!I button again.
Indicator II tu rns on. II turns off .
lights
Messages Stabilization control (ESC ): Off. Warning! Stabilizat ion control (ESC ): On
Reduced stability
A WARNING
On ly switch spo rt mode on when yo ur driv ing
abilities and the traffic s ituation permit, be­
cause t he re is a r is k of s lid ing .
- T he stabilization func tion is limited when
spo rt mode is sw itched on. The driving
w heels co uld sp in and the veh icle cou ld
swerve, espec ially on s lick o r slip pery roa d
su rf a ces .
(D Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched on if the
cruise control system* or adaptive cruise con­
tro l* is switched on .
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Intelligent Technology
Brakes
New brake p ads
New b rake pads do no t achieve the ir full b raking
effect during the firs t 250 mi (400 km) . They
m ust be "broken in" first . The b reak -in period can
be considerably longe r for vehicles with ceram ic
brake rotors* . However, you can compensate for
the slightly reduced braking force by pressing
firm ly on the brake pedal. Avo id heavy braking
during the break-in period .
Wear
Brake pad wear depends largely on the way the
veh icle is driven and on operat ing cond itions.
This is especially true if you are driving frequently
in the c ity and on curves or with a sporty driving
style .
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outs ide cond itions such
as temperature and humidity.
Noises may become more appare nt at lowe r
speeds due to the nature of the materia ls in the
ceramic brake rotors*.
Effect of water and road salt
I n cer tain s ituations, for example a fter driving
through water, in heavy rain, afte r ove rnig ht con ­
densation or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be red uced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and b rake pads . The brakes must be
"dr ied" first w ith a few care ful b rake applica­
tions .
At higher speeds and with the windshie ld wipers
turned on, the brake pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. T his action,
which is no t felt by the driver, happens at regular
i n tervals a nd ensu res a better react ion time for
the bra kes in wet weather.
The braking effect can also be reduced if you are
driving on salted roads a nd you do not apply the
brakes fo r long pe riods of time. The laye r of salt
o n th e brake roto rs and pads mus t be wo rn off
fi rs t when the brakes are app lied.
128
D ue to its s urface, the ce ram ic brake rotor * ab ­
sorbs moisture in ce rtain situations. The refore,
there will tempora rily be less brak ing fo rce than
whe n the brakes are d ry . You can compensate for
th is by press ing the brake pedal harder.
Corrosion
Leav ing the ve hicl e pa rked for long periods of
time , low mileage and avoiding heavy b raking
can contrib ute to corros ion on the b rake roto rs
and to dirty brake pads.
If you usua lly avoid heavy bra king or if there is
cor rosion p resent, occasiona l heavy brak ing at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads
c> ,& .
Brake system malfunction
if you no tic e th at the b rake peda l t ravel has sud­
denly
increase d, then a bra ke circuit in the dua l­
c ir cuit b rake system may have malfunctioned.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
problem corrected . On the way there, drive w ith
reduced sp eed and keep in m ind that you wilt
need a longe r distance to stop and you will need
to press the b rake peda l ha rder.
Low b rake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, malfunctions in
the b rake system may occur . The brake fl uid level
i s e lec tronically moni to red.
Brake booster
The brake booster amp lifies the pressure you ap­
ply to the brake pedal. It only wor ks when the en­
gine is running.
A WARNING
- On ly app ly the brakes for the purpose of
cleani ng the bra ke sys tem w hen road and
t raffic cond itions permit. You must not en­
da nger ot her roa d users . T h is i ncreases the
r isk of an acci den t.
-
- Never le t th e ve hicle roll while t he engi ne is
stop ped bec ause this increa ses the r is k of an
a cciden t. ..,.

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' -New brake pads do not achieve their fu ll
brak ing effect during the first 250 mi
(400 km). They must be "broken in" first.
However, you can compensate for the
sl ightly reduced braking force by pressing
firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak­
ing dur ing the b reak-in per iod.
- Certa in weather and operat ing cond it ions
such as dr iving t hrough water, d riving in
heavy ra in or d riving after washing your ve­
hicle ca n impair the effectiveness of the
bra kes . In the w inter, ice may b uild up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums . Check
these components by braking carefu lly. Ap­
plying the brakes carefu lly several times
dr ies the brakes and removes ice bu ild-up.
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long st retches on roads
cove red w ith salt without using the b rakes.
Yo u can remove sa lt deposits from the
bra ke rotors and pads by caref ully applyi ng
the brakes severa l t imes .
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, ma ke sure the front wheel
bra kes are vent ilated prope rly. O therwise,
the br ake system could overheat, wh ic h re­
duces the ir effectiveness.
- Failure of a brake circui t impai rs b raking
perfo rmance, whi ch incre ases bra king dis­
tance . Avoi d driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest author ized Audi
dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice Facility .
- If the bra ke booster is not wor king, you will
have to press m uch ha rder on the bra ke
peda l to compensate for the lack of the
booster.
(D Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braking is not actually
necessary. This causes the brakes to over­
heat and inc reases braking d istance and
causes wear.
- Before driving downh ill a long distance on a
steep h ill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes . If Intellig
ent Technology
you need to bra ke ad ditiona lly, bra ke in in­
terva ls and not continuous ly .
(D Tips
- If the brake boos ter is not wor king, you
must press the brake peda l with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrof it your vehicle with a front spo il­
er, wheel covers or simi lar items, make su re
that the air f low to the front wheels is not
inter rupted. Otherwise the b rake system
can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering., dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power s teer ing adapts electronically based on
the ve hicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr ive vehicle: Steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos­ s ible. Do
not cont inue drivi ng. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity for
ass ista nce.
l;rj Steering: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be more d iffi ­
cu lt to move or m ore sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driv ing stra ight .
Drive slowly to an a uthorized Audi dea ler or au­
thori zed Audi Serv ice Facility to have the mal­
funct ion corrected .
'T-ij Dynamic stee ring: Initializing
If the indicato r ligh t is blinking and this mess age
appe ars, dynamic steering* is be ing ini tialized. .,.
129

Intelligent Technology
The stee ring wheel will be easy to move after
starting the engine . Re-initialization might be
necessary if the steering whee l was moved hard
t o the lef t and right wh ile the vehicle was not
mov ing. The display turns off if the initialization
was successful.
(D Tips
- If the. or
1;:r- ij ind icator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering stability systems
c> page 126 are not available in the event of
a system ma lfunction.
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
steering, refer to
c> page 110.
All wheel drive (quattro)
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In a ll wheel drive, the driving power is divided be­
tween a ll four wheels . T his happens automatical ­
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
t he current road cond itions. Also see
c> page 126, Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) .
With the sport differential*, power distri­
bution to the rear whee ls is variable and can be
ad ju sted using the dr ive select
c> page 110.
The all wheel drive concept is designed for h igh
eng ine power. Your ve hicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under norma l dr iv ing condit ions and on
snow a nd ice. Always read and fo llow safety pre­
cautions
c> .&. .
Winter tires
By us ing all w heel d rive , yo ur vehicle has good
forward mot ion w ith standa rd t ires in winter con­
d itions . However, in winter we recommend us ing
w in ter o r all season t ires o n all fo ur wheels, be ­
cause this will improve the b raking effect .
Snow chains
If there are snow chai n laws, snow chains must
a lso be used on vehicles with all w heel d rive
c> page 298, Snow chains .
130 Replacing tires
Fo
r vehicles wi th a ll wheel d rive, o nly wheels with
the same ro ll ing circ umfe rence sho uld be used .
Avo id using tires with different tread depths
c> page 290, New tires or wheels .
Offroad vehicle?
You r A udi is not an off road vehicle -there is not
enough ground clearance. For th is reason, avoid
difficult terrain .
A WARNING
- Also, in ve hicles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driving sty le to the current road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking r isks,
because this increases the risk of an acc i­
dent.
- The braking ab ility of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels . In this way, it
is not different from a two wheel d rive vehi­
cle. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a high speed when the road is s lippery, be ­
c a use th is i ncreases the r is k of an accident.
- Note that on wet st reets, the front wheels
c a n " hydroplane " if driv ing at speed s tha t
are too high. Unlike front wheel drive
vehicles, t he engine does not rev higher sud ­
de nly when the vehicle begins hydroplan ing.
For this reason, adapt yo ur speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci­
dent.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle with a conventiona l energy sys­
tem is no t drive n for a long t ime, the veh icle bat­
te ry is drained by equ ipment (fo r example, the
i mmob ilizer). In certa in circ umstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the en ­
gine.

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent ene r­
gy management system for distributing electrici­
ty. This s ignif icantly improves the starting abi lity
and increases the vehicle battery life.
The energy management system Is made up of
batt ery diagno sis , idling current management ,
and dynam ic energ y man agement.
Battery diagnosis
The batte ry diagnosis de termines the vehicle bat ­
tery charge level. The sensors determ ine the bat ­
tery voltage, the battery current, and the battery
temperature. The current charge level and the performance of the vehicle battery are deter­
mined based on th is.
Idling curr ent manag ement
The idling current management decreases the
energy used whi le parked . With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribution
to the different electrical components. Data from
the battery diagnosis is taken into account for
this .
Depending on the vehicle battery charge level,
e lectrical equipment is sw itched off one item af ­
ter the other to prevent the vehicle battery from
draining and to maintain the starting ability .
Dynamic en erg y manag ement
While driving, dynamic energy management dis­
tr ibutes the appropriate amount of energy to the
e lectrical equipment. It controls the battery
charge level so that the amount of energy is not
greater than the amount being generated in or­
der to ma inta in an optimal veh icle battery charge
l evel.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the vehicle battery life a re
limited .
- When the start ing ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light turns on
9 page 21.
Intellig ent Technology
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of stress is placed on the veh icle battery
when driving short distances, during city driving, and at cold times of the year . A lot of energy is
used but little is generated. It is also critical
whe n the eng ine is not r unni ng but elect rical
equipmen t is switched on . In this case, energy is
u sed but none is generated.
In situat ions like th is, energy management w ill
active ly regulate the distrib ution of energy.
Long period s without use
If you do not drive your vehicle for severa l days or
weeks, electrical equ ipment is gradually scaled
back or sw itched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be ab le to start after long
per iods of time. Some conven ience f unctions,
s u ch as interio r lig hting or power seat adjust­
ment, may no t be av ailable under certain circum­
stances . These conven ience f unctions wi ll be
available again once you sw itch the ignition on
and start the engine.
With the engine switched off
T he veh icle ba tte ry w ill dr ain if you use Info tain­
ment functions such as listening to the radio
whi le the engine is switched off.
If the sta rting abili ty is impaired by the energy
u se, the following message will appear in the In ­
fotainment system display:
Please start the engine , otherwi se the system
will turn off shortl y.
This message indicates that the system will
switch off automatically after 3 m inutes . If you
would like to continue us ing the funct ions, you
must start the engine.
With the engine running
Although e lectr ica l energy is generated while
driv ing, the ve hicle battery can drai n. This can
happen if litt le energy is generated b ut much is
used , and the charge level of the vehicle battery
is not optimal. .,.
131

Intelligent Technology
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­
rarily scaled back or switched off. Heating sys­
tems in particular require a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating"
or rear window defogger is not working, then it has been temporarily reduced or switched off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
energy supply has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased. That is normal and no
cause for concern . By increasing the idling speed,
the additional requ ired energy will be generated
and the vehicle battery will be charged.
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re­
corder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa­
tions , such as an airbag deployment o r hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a vehicle 's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle dy­
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as :
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
ating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help prov ide a better understand­
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in­
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs ;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g.,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re­
corded. However, other parties, such as law en-
132
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac­
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equ ip­
ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed . In addition to the vehicle manu­
facturer, other part ies, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can read the in­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR .
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by ED Rs installed in a vehi­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af­
ter an accident or crash event without the own ­
er 's consent .
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi lar data
or give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehi ­
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial
discovery process.
- Audi may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
provide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identifying the specific vehi­
cle or information about the identity of its own ­
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emission control, airbags, and safety belts.
These electronic control modules record data during normal vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capability of these
modules is limited to data (no sound is record­
ed) . Only a small amount of data is actually re­
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor­
ed when a system fault is detected by a contro l
module . Some of the data stored may relate to .,._

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' vehicle speed, direct ion, or braking, as well as re­
straint system use and performance in the event
of a crash. Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded with special equipment that is di­
rect ly connected to the vehicle.
Your veh icle may be equipped with Audi con­
nect. Your use of ce rtain Audi connect fea­
tures requires w ireless services that are pro­
vided by a third party wire less telecommuni­
cations provider. For deta ils regard ing how in­
formation obta ined th rough Audi conne ct is
co llected, processed, t ransmitted, used, and
sh ared, please see your con tra ct wi th the
w ireless te lecommunications p rovi der and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
M MI:
!ME NUI button> Aud i connect > About
Audi connect .
Intelligent Technology
133

Multi Media Interface
Multi Media Interface
Traffic safety information
Audi recommends performing certain Infotain­
ment system functions, such as entering a desti­ nation, only when the vehicle is stationary . Al ­
ways be prepared to stop operat ing the Infotain­
ment system in the interest of your safety and
the safety of other road users.
_& WARNING
Only use the Infotainment system when traf­
fic cond itions permit and always in a way that
allows you to maintain complete control over
your vehicle.
Introduction
The Multi Media Interface, or MMI for short ,
combines various systems for communication ,
navigation and entertainment in your Audi. You
can operate the MMI using the MMI control pan­
el, the multifunction steering wheel or the voice
recognition system*.
F ig. 154 MMI control panel with MMl touch control pad
MMI control panel overview
(D MMI touch control pad . . . . . . . . . 136
@ Buttons for open ing menus
directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
@ On/Off knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
@ Arrow buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
® Control buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
@ Control knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
(J) IBACK!bu tton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
134
Switching the MMI on
and off
The MMI switches on and off automatically with
the ignition. It can also be switched on or off
manually .
-Switching on manually : press the On/Off knob
@ briefly
c;, page 134, fig. 154. Or: press the
! MENU ! button or one of the buttons to directly
open the menus @,=;,
page 135, fig . 155.
When the system is switched on, the last menu
that was selected is displayed and the last audio
source that was selected begins play ing .
-Switching off manually: press and hold the
On/Off knob @
c;, page 134, fig. 154 until the
MMI switches off. If the MMI has been switch­
ed off manually, it does
not switch on again au­
tomatically the next time the ignition is switch­
ed on .
The MMI can still be operated for approximately
ten minutes after switching the ignition off. If
you do not press any buttons or the control knob
on the MMI control panel with in this t ime, the
MMI switches off automatically.
(D Tips
-The MMI switches off automatically if the
engine is not running and the vehicle bat­
tery is low.
- There may be delays when extending or re­
tracting the display.
Adjusting the volume
The volume of an audio source or a system mes­
sage (for example, from the voice recognition
system) can be adjusted directly while the sound
is ploying using the On/Off knob.
- Increasing or decreasing the volume: turn the
On/Off knob@¢
page 134, fig. 154 to the
right or left .
-Muting or pausing: press the On/Off knob@
c;, page 134, fig. 154 briefly . Or: turn the On/
Off knob to the left . ..,.