2017 AUDI A8 parking brake

Driving
you can shift past the N and R selector lever positions.
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from select­ ing a position unintentionally, causing the vehicle
to roll. When engaging some selector lever posi­
tions, you must press the button on the selector lever ¢
fig. 96 and/or press the brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a se­ lector lever position when the engine is running
and the vehicle is stationary. The arrows ~
fig. 97
indicate when you need to press the button on
the selecto r lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift from D to R within one second. This allows you to
"rock" the vehicle to free it when it is stuck.
P - Park
This selector lever position prevents the vehicle
from rolling . Only shift into park when the vehi­
cle is stationary ~&. . To engage the P selector
lever position, press the button on the selector
lever and shift into the P position.
You can only shift out of park when the engine is
running and you are pressing the brake pedal. To
release the parking lock. press the button on the
selector lever and select the desired position.
P engages automatically when you switch the en­
gine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in manual
mode.
If you switch the engine off when the N position
is selected, the transmission remains in N for ap­
proximately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the parking lock emergency release
before towing the vehicle~
page 88.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this position. Only
select reverse gear when the vehicle is stationary
and the engine is running at idle speed ~,&. . To
engage the R selector lever position, press the
button on the selector lever, press the brake ped­
al and move the selector lever into the R position.
84
The reverse lights turn on when you select the R
selector lever position while the engine is run­
ning.
N -Neutral (idle)
The transmission is in idle in this position. To en­
gage the N selector lever position, press the but­
ton on the selector lever and shift into the N po­
sition.
If you switch the engine off when the N position
is selected, the transmission remains in N for ap­
proximately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged .
You cannot select the N position when the igni­
tion is switched off. When driving through an au­
tomatic car wash, first select the N position and
then turn the engine off¢
page 306.
For safety reasons, the vehicle cannot be locked
when the transmission is in the N position.
DIS -Driving forward
When the transmission is in the D/S position, it
can be operated either in the normal D mode or
in the S sport mode . Move the selector lever back
to engage the S sport mode. You can only select
the S selector lever position when Dis engaged.
To select the D selector lever position again when
S is engaged, move the selector lever back~&. .
To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds be­
low 1 mph (2 km/h), press the brake pedal and
shift into the D position ~&. .
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio . It de­
pends on engine load , vehicle speed and driving
style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power. Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat­
ing.
The S selector lever position engages automati­
cally when you select dynamic mode in drive se­
lect .
_&, WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' -To reduce the risk of an accident, never se­
lect the R or P posit ions while driving.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all se lector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is ru nning. Do not inadvertent ly
press the acce le ra to r pedal when the vehicle
is sta tionary. Otherwise the vehicle will start
to move immedi ately, even if the parking
bra ke is set . Th is could result in a c rash.
- Before opening the hood, se lect the P selec­
tor lever pos ition and se t the parking bra ke.
T his reduces the risk of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 2 71, Working in the engine com­
partment.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, set the parking brake and move the selector lev­
er to the P position .
If you accidentally se lect N wh ile driving, take
your foot off the acce lerator pedal and wa it
for the engine to s low down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.. The selector lever must be in the P or the N po ­
s it io n.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine¢
page 76.
.. Press the button o n the selector lever and se ­
lect the D, Sor R selector lever position
¢ page 83.
.. Wait a moment unt il the transm ission shifts.
Yo u w ill notice a sl ight movement when the
gear engages.
.. Release the brake pedal and press the acce lera­
tor pedal ¢ ,&. .
Driv ing
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the bra ke pedal to stop the veh icle, for
examp le at a traffic light . Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driv ing, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep inclines¢ ,&..
.. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the acce lerato r pedal.
Stopping /par king
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll. The message
Transmi ssion: selector lever in
drive po sition!
appears.
.. Press and hold the brake pedal¢ ,&. .
.. Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P selector lever position, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
t he P position
¢ page 83 .
Under certain conditions , such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporar ily
and shift manually to adapt to the driv ing cond i­
tions¢
page 86.
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P position¢
page 81 . This prevents
too much stress from being p laced on the loc king
mecha nism .
_& WARNING
-The vehicle can roll even i f the ignit ion is
switched off .
- Do not press the a cce le ra tor pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running . This could result in a crash .
- To reduce the r isk of an accident, neve r se ­
lect the R o r P positions while driving.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is running.
-
85

Driving
-Do not inadvertent ly press the acce lerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, eve n if the parking brake is set. This
cou ld resu lt in a crash .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the dr iver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle .
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control activates when the transmis­
sion is in the Dor S pos ition and you press the
brake pedal. The transmiss ion automatically se­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill . H ill de­
scent control tries to mainta in the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within phys ical and
technical limi tations. If may sti ll be necessary to
adj ust the speed with the b rake pedal.
H ill descent contro l switches off o nce the hill lev­
e ls out o r you press the accelerator peda l.
When operating the cruise contro l system
i::> page 92, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
H ill descent control cannot overcome phys ica l
lim itations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
86
Manual shifting
The shi~ paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 98 Steer ing whee l: s hifting man ually
.., To shift to a higher or lowe r gear temporari ly,
tap the
0 or 0 shift padd le i::> fig . 98 .
.., To switch manua l mode on , press the~ but­
ton. Mand the gear that is currently engaged
@ appear in the instrument cluster display
i::>page 83, fig. 95.
I :i: .. m
.., To shift up one gear, tap the right shift paddle
G) c::>fig . 98.
.., To shift down one gear, tap the left shift pad­
dle
Q .
.., To switch manua l mode off, press the ~ but-
ton again, or
.., Move the se lector lever back and re lease it.
When yo u accelerate or reduce the speed, the
transmission au tomatically shifts into the correct
gear shortly before reaching the RPM limit. If yo u
select a lower gear than the one currently shown
in the disp lay, the automatic transmission will
only shift down once there is no dang .er of ex­
ceeding the maximum RPM.
The eng ine braking effect increases when you
downshift when going downh ill.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When yo u press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the res istance point, the automatic trans­
mission downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
gine ut ilizes its full power, depending on vehicle
speed and engine RPM. It shifts up into the next .,,_

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.

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

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Settings in the Infotainment system
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
.,. Se lect: t he I CAR I fu nction bu tton > Car systems
co ntro l bu tton > Driver a ssist > Audi braking
guard .
System -
Switch the bra kin g g ua rd On/ Off. When
you swit ch the ig nition on, the message
Braking
guard: Off
appears if t he sys tem is switched o ff.
Early warning -The distance and approac h warn­
i ngs i n the display can be sw itched
On/ Off.
@ Tips
- Your settings are automatically stored and
ass igned to the remote cont rol key bei ng
used.
- If you restric t or sw itch off the ESC, the
braking gua rd also sw itches itself off
¢ page 12 7.
- Switch braking guard off when yo u are load­
i ng t he ve hicle on to a vehicle ca rr ier, t rain,
shi p or other type o f transportation. This
c a n p reven t undesired w arnings from the
br akin g guard system.
Messages
Applies to: veh icles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Braking guard: Off
This message appea rs if the sys tem is switc hed
off through the In fota inme nt system . Otherwise ,
if the system is tur ned off, the informa tion ap ­
pears every time shortly after the start of t he
tr ip.
The message also appears if the system is not
avai la bl e d ue to a ma lfunction or if the ESC is
switched off~
page 127. If this is the case, the
system w ill not prov ide warnings about a possi ­
b le co llision.
Braking guard : engaged
This message appea rs if a sha rp bra ke press ure
was applied due to an ac ute wa rn ing.
ACC: unavailable
ACC and Audi braking guard: Unavailable Assist
T
he system cannot gua rantee that it will detect
objects co rrectly and is sw itched off . The sensors
have been moved or are faulty. The p re sense
funct ions may a lso be affected . D rive to an au­
t h ori zed Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction cor ­
rected .
ACC: Currently unavailable. No sensor vis ion
ACC and Audi braking guard: Cu rrently unavail­
able. No sensor vision
Th is mess age appears if the senso r view i s ob ­
str ucted, for examp le by leaves, snow , heavy
spray or dirt. Clean the sensors¢
page 94 ,
fig . 104.
ACC : Currently unavailabl e. Gradient too steep
The road exceeds the maximum poss ible angle
fo r safe adaptive c ruise cont rol operat io n. Adap­
t ive cr uise control is sw itched off.
ACC: only available in D, Sor M
Se lect the D, Sor M selector leve r pos ition.
ACC : Currently unavailable. Parking brake ap •
plied
The ad apt ive cr uise cont rol system sw itches off
a utoma tica lly if the parking brake is se t.
ACC: Currently unavailable . Stability control
( ESC) input .
This message appears if the Electronic Stab iliza­
t ion Control (ESC) is taking action to stab ilize the
vehicle . In t his case, adaptive cruise control
switches off automatically .
ACC off: manual control!
This message appears when adaptive cruise con­
trol cannot set the parking brake. P ress the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from ro lling.
• ••
T h ree white do ts appear if a setting canno t be se­
l ecte d w it h t he oper ati ng leve r. For ex ample, this
h appens if a daptive cr uise con trol c annot sta rt
driv ing a utomat ica lly in stop -and -go traff ic be ­
ca use the dr iver has not fastene d their safety
belt . ..,.
101

Checking and Filling
-Set the parking brake.
- Select the P selector lever position.
- Let the engine cool down.
- Never open the hood when there is steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that you could
be burned. Wait until no steam or coolant is
escaping.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on a hot engine. These flu­
ids (such as the anti-freezing agent con­
tained in the coolant) can ignite.
- Avoid short circuits in the electrical system.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm. The
cooling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed with the en­
gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed
belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
the high-voltage ignition system .
- Do not under any circumstances activate the
throttle inadvertently (for example, by hand
from the engine compartment) if the vehi­
cle is stationary but the engine is running
and a gear is engaged. Otherwise, the vehi­
cle will start to move immediately and this
could result in an accident.
- Pay attention to the following warnings list­
ed when work on the fuel system or on the
electrical equipment is required.
- Do not smoke .
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi-
272
cal burns, accidents or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed
only by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility .
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components when the engine is running or is being start­
ed:
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­ tor lever in the P (park) position first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not
become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into contact with hot compo­
nents . Tie back long hair before beginning
work and do not wear clothing that can
hang down into the engine .
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
c:> ,&. .
.&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling.