2017 AUDI A8 sensor

Lights and Vision
detected by the light sensors. So always
switch on the headlights gD under these
weather conditions and when driving in the
dark .
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists . Always turn on the
headlights so that you can see ahead and so
that others can see your car from the back.
- The rear fog lights should only be turned on in accordance with traffic regulation, as the
lights are bright for following traffic.
- Please observe legal regulations when using
the lighting systems described .
(D Tips
-The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount . You should there­
fore not apply any stickers to the windshield
in this area in order to prevent malfunctions
or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunction,
the driver is notified in the instrument clus­
ter display~
page 25.
- You will hear a warning tone if you open the
driver door when the exterior lights are
switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of the
headlights, turn signals and tail lights can
fog over due to the temperature difference
between the inside and outside. They will
clear shortly after switching them on. This
does not affect the service life of the light­ ing .
44
Turn signal and high beam lever
The turn signal lever operates the turn signals,
the high beams and the headlight flasher .
Fig. 45 Turn signal an d high beam leve r
Turn signals¢ Q
N 0 .... 0 :i: .. m
The turn signals activate when you move the lev­
er into a turn signal position when the ignition is
switched on.
© -right turn signal
@-left turn signal
The turn signal blinks three times if you just tap
the lever.
High beams and headlight flasher ~D
Move the lever to the corresponding position:
@ -high beams on (vehicles with High beam as­
sistant* ~
page 44)
@)-high beams off or headlight flasher
T he
Iii indicator light in the instrument cluster
turns on.
A WARNING
High beams can cause glare for other drivers,
which increases the risk of an accident . For
this reason, only use the high beams or the
headlight flasher when they will not create
glare for other drivers .
High beam assistant
Applies to: vehicles with high beam assistant
A camera on the rearview mirror mount can de-
tect light sources from other road users. The high
beams switch on or off automatically depending
ll>

on the position of vehicles driving ahead and on­
coming vehicles, the vehicle speed and other en­
vironmental and traffic conditions.
Activating high beam assistant
Requirement: the light switch must be set to the
AUTO position and the high beam assistant must
be switched on in the Infotainment system
¢page 45.
.,. To activate the high beam assistant , tap the
lever forward @. T he
II indicator light ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display and the
high beam assistant is switched on/off auto­
matically. The
Ill indicator light also turns on if
the high beams are switched on.
Switching the high beams on/off manually
If the high beams did not switch on/off automat­
ically as expected, you may switch them on or off
manually instead:
.,. To switch the high beams on manually, tap the
lever forward @. T he indicator light
Ill turns
on .
.,. To switch the high beams off manually, pu ll the
lever back@. The h igh beam assistant is deac­
tivated.
Operating the headlight flasher
.,. To operate the headlight flasher when the high
beam assistant is activated and high beams are
switched off, pu ll the lever back @. The high
beam assistant rema ins active.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Headlight assist: System fault!
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected. You can still switch the
high beams on or off manually.
Headlight assist: Unavailable No camera view
The camera view is blocked, for example by a
sticker or debris.
o The sensor is located between the interior rear­co
~ view mirror and the windshield. Do not place any ,..._
~ stickers in this area on the windshield.
0 0 :c ' Lights and Vision
A WARNING
High beam assistant is only intended to assist
the driver. The driver is still respons ible for
controlling the headlights and switching
them manua lly depending on light and visibi l­
it y conditions. It may be necessary to operate
them manually in situations such as:
- I n adverse weather conditions such as fog,
heavy rain, blowing snow or spraying water.
- On roads where oncoming traffic may be
pa rtia lly obscured, such as expressways.
- When there are road users that do not have
sufficient lighting, such as bicyclers or
vehicles with dirty tail lamps .
- I n tight curves and on steep hills.
- In poorly lit areas.
- W ith strong reflectors, such as signs.
- If the area of the w indshield near the sensor
is fogged over, dirty, icy or covered with a
sticker .
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The functions ore adjusted in the Infotainment
system .
.,. Select: !CAR ! function button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting .
Automatic headlights
You can adjus t the following settings in the Au­
tomatic headlights
menu:
Headlights activation time -you can adjust if the
headlights switch on
Early, Medium or Late ac­
cording to the sensitivity of the light sensor.
Headlight assist* -you can switch the h igh beam
ass istant*
On and Off .
Daytime running lights*
USA models :
the daytime running lights can be
switched on/off. Select
On or Off.
Canada models:
this function cannot be switched
off. They activate automatically each time the ig -
nition is switched on .
ll>
45

Lights and Vision
Retracting the rear door sun sh ades*
.. To re trac t the sun shade from the drive r's s eat ,
press the left/right rear powe r window switc h
~ in the driver's door .
.. To retract the sun shade from the
rear of the
vehicle ,
press the power window switch Q;;; in
the left/right rear door .
You can adjust the settings for the rear sun shade so the shade retracts automatically when you se­
lect the reverse gear. Select:
CAR function button
> Car sy stem s control button > Vehicle settings
> Automatic rear blind > On. The settings are au ­
tomatically sto red and assigned to the remote
con trol key. The sun shade is extended again as
soon as the vehicle is trave ling fo rwa rd a t a speed
g rea ter than 9 mph (15 km/h) if the ignition has
not been swi tched o ff in the mean time .
.&_ WARNING
Always pay caref ul attention when closing the
sunshades . Pinching could ca use serio us inju­
r ies.
@ Tips
- Pressing the l~•~ l b utton several t imes in a
r ow can trigger the overload protection. The
su n shade can only be extended/retracted
again after a br ief waiting period.
- The rear win dow sun shade on ly functions
when the vehicle interior is warmer than
14°F (-10°().
Vanity mirror in the rear
App lies to: veh icles with vanity mirrors in the rear
Fig. 55 Rea r head liner: va nity m irro r
50
.. Press the button to fold the mirror o pen . The
mirror lighting turns on automatically .
.. To change the mir ror's angle, move it forward/
back with your hand.
Windshield wipers
Switching the windshield wipers on
Fig. 56 W indsh ield w iper lever
Move the w indshie ld w iper lever to the co rre­
sponding posi tion:
@ -wipers off
@-Rain sensor mode. The windshield wi pe rs
switch on once the vehicle speed exceeds appro x­
i mately 2 mph (4 km/h) and it is raining. The
higher the rain sensor sensit iv ity is set (switch @
to t he right), the earlier the windshield wipers re­
act to moisture on the windsh ie ld . You can deac­
tivate the rain sensor mode in the I nfota inment
system, which swi tches the intermitten t mo de
o n. Sele ct:
!CARI function button> Car sy stem s
contro l bu tto n > Driver as sist > Rain sensor >
Off . In inte rmitten t mode, you can adjus t the in ­
te rval time using the switch @.
@-slow w iping
@ -fast w iping
@ -single wipe If you hold the lever in this pos i­
t ion longer, the wipers switch from slow wiping
to fast wiping.
® -clean the wi ndshield The w ipers w ipe one
time a fter several seconds of driving to remove
water droplets. You can sw itch this function off
by moving the leve r to posit ion ® within
10 sec­
o nds of the a fterwipe . The afterwipe function is ..,_

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' reactivated the next time you switch the ignition
on.
C leaning the headlights. The headlight washer
system operates only when the low beam head­ lights are switched on.
If you move the lever to
position @, the headlights and the night vision
assist camera* are cleaned at intervals.
A WARNING
- The rain sensor is only intended to assist the
driver. The driver may still be responsible
for manually sw itching the wipers on based
on v is ibility conditions .
- The w indshield may not be treated with wa­
ter-repelling windsh ield coating agents . Un­
favorable conditions, such as wetness, dark­ ness, and when the sun is low, can cause in­
creased g lare, which increases the risk of an
acc ident. W iper blade chatter is a lso poss i­
ble.
- Prope rly f unction ing windsh ield wiper
blades are required fo r a clear view and safe
driving
c:> page 51, Replacing the wiper
blades.
(D Note
- If there is frost, make su re t he windshie ld
wiper blades are not fro zen to the wind­
shield. Sw itching on the windshield wipers
when the blades are frozen to the wind­
shield can damage the wiper blades.
- Prior to using a car wash, the windshield
wiper system must be switched
off (lever in
pos ition
@ ). This prevents the wipers from
switching on un intent ionally and causing
damage to the w indshield w iper system .
- The windshield wipers switch
off when the
i gnition is sw itched off. You can activate the
windsh ield wipers after the ign it ion is
switched back on by moving the winds hield
wiper lever to any posit ion.
- Worn o r dirty windshield wiper blades result
i n streak ing . This can affect the ra in sensor
funct ion. Check you r windshield wiper
blades regu larly.
Light s and Vision
-The washer fluid nozz les for the windshield
washer system are heated at low tempera­
t u res when the ign ition is on .
- When stopping tempo rari ly, such as at a
traffic light, the speed of the windshield
w ipers automatically reduces by one level.
Cleaning the wiper blades
Clean the wiper b lades when you see w iper
streaks . Clean the wiper blades with a soft towel
and glass cleane r.
.. Place the windshie ld w iper arms in the service
position
c:> page 51.
.. Fold the windshield w iper arms away from the
w indshield .
A WARNING
Dirty windshie ld wiper b lades can impa ir vi­
sion, wh ich increases the ris k of an acciden t.
Replacing the wiper blades
The service position is set in the Infotainment
system .
Fig. 57 Removing winds hield wiper b lades
Wind shi eld wiper se rvice po sition /b lade
r epl ace ment po sit ion
~
~
M 0 :i: ... m
.. Switch the ignition off and move the windshield
w iper lever to position @briefly
c::> page 50,
fig. 56. The windshield wipers move into the
serv ice position .
.. To br ing the wiper b lades back into the original
position, switch the ignition on and ope rate the
w indshield w iper lever.
You can also turn the service posit io n on or off in
the Infotainment system: ..,_
51

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>

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r - With stationary objects ~ page 96.
A WARNING
Always pay attention to traffic when adapt ive
cruise control is switched on and braking
guard is active . As the dr iver, you are still re­
sponsible for starting and for maintaining
speed and d istance to other objects. Braking
guard is used to assist you . The driver must
always take action to avoid a collision . The
driver is always responsib le for brak ing at the
co rrect time .
- For safety reasons, do not use adapt ive
cruise co ntro l when driv ing on ro ads w ith
many curves, when the road su rface is in
poor condit ion and/or in bad weather (s uch
as ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydrop la n­
ing). Using the system under these condi­
t ions increases the risk of an accident.
- Switch adaptive cruise contro l off tempora­
rily when driving in turning lanes, on ex­
pressway exits or in construction zones. This
prevents the vehicle from accelerating to
the stored speed when in these situations .
- The adapt ive cru ise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac­
celerator pedal. Doing so can overr ide the
speed and distance regulation .
- When approaching stat ionary objects such
as stopped traffic, adapt ive cru ise control
will not respo nd and braking gua rd will have
l imited func tion .
- The adapt ive cru ise control system and
bra king g uard do not react to people, ani­
mals, objects crossing the road or oncom ing
objects.
- T he function of the radar sensors can be af­
fec ted by reflec tive objects s uch as guard
rai ls, the ent rance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice.
& WARNING
- Improper use of adaptive cruise control can cause collisions, other accidents and serious
persona l injury.
- Never let the comfort and convenience that
adaptive cruise cont rol and braking guard
A ss ist
offe r dist ract you from the need to be alert
to traffic cond itions and the need to remain
in full control of your vehicle at all times,
- Always remember that the adaptive cruise
control and braking guard have limits -they
will not slow the vehicle down or maintain
the set distance when you dr ive towa rds an
obstacle or something on or near the road
that is not moving, s uch as vehicles stopped
in a t raff ic jam, a stalled or disab led vehicle.
If r eg istered by the radar sensors, vehicles
or obsta cles that are not moving ca n trigger
a co llision wa rning and if confirmed by the
video came ra, an acute co llision wa rning .
- Never fo llow a vehicle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safely . The adap­
tive cruise contro l cannot slow or brake the
veh icle safely w hen you follow another vehi­
cle too closely. A lways remember that the
automatic braking function cannot bring the
veh icle to a sudde n or emergency stop u n­
der these conditions .
- To prevent unintended operat ion , always
sw itch ACC off when it is not being used .
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. That could affect the adaptive
cruise contro l system and braking gua rd .
Have an au thorized Audi dealer o r autho rized
A udi Service Fac ility check the ir funct ion.
In curves
Applies to: vehicles wit h Aud i ada ptive cru ise control
I
F ig. 105 Example: d rivin g i nto a c urve
95

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r ~-- -~ -Di st a nce 3: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 164
ft (SO m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), for examp le (time between :
1.8 seconds).
~-- --~ Dist a nce 4: This setting corresponds
to a distance of 210
ft (64 m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), (time distance of 2.3 sec­
onds).
A WARNING
Following other vehicles too closely increases
the risk of coll isions and ser ious personal in ­
jury.
- Setting short distances to the traffic ahead
reduces the t ime and distance available to
br ing your vehicle to a safe stop and makes
it even mo re necessary to pay close atten­
t ion to traffic.
- Always obey applicable traffic laws, use
good j udgment, and select a safe following
distance for the traffic, road and weather
condit ions .
@ Tips
- Di stance 3
is set automatically each time
you switch the ignition on.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Selecting the driving mode
A pp lies to: ve hicles with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
.,. Se lect the des ired driving mode in dr ive se lect
c> page 110 .
@ Tips
Your se ttings a re au toma tical ly s to red and as­
signed to the remote control key being used.
A ss ist
Driver intervention request
App lies to : vehicles wit h Aud i ada ptive cr uise control
Fig. 112 Instrume nt cl uster : request fo r drive r in terven ­
tio n
In certain situa tions, the system will request you
to take action:
- if the braking from the adap tive cruise contro l
system is not enough to ma intain eno ugh dis­
t ance to the object ahead.
The da nger is indicated by the. indicator light
r:!> fig . 112. An audio signal will a lso sound .
- Press the brake pedal to slow your vehicle
down.
Audi braking guard
Appl ies to: vehicles wit h Audi ada ptive cr uise control
Fig. 113 Instrument cluster : approach wa rnin g
The braking guard uses radar sensors and a v ideo
camera. It also functions within the limits of the
system when adaptive cru ise control is switched
off .
Wh at can the b raking guard do?
When detected in time, the system can assess
dangerous situations where an object ahead
brakes suddenly or if your own vehicle is traveling .,..
99

Ass is t
at a high speed and approaching an object that is
moving more slowly. The braking guard does not
react if it cannot detect the s ituation.
The sys tem advises you of various dangerous si t­
uations :
- T he
distan ce warning occurs if you drive too
closely to t he object ahead for a long period of
time . If the ob je ct ahead b rakes strongly, you
would not be able to avoid a collis ion . The .
indicator light appears as an indication for this.
- T he
app roach wa rning occurs when an object
ahead is traveling more slow ly or brakes
strongly . When this warning occurs, it may on ly
be possib le to avoid a co llision by swerv ing or
braking strong ly. The danger is indicated by the
• indicator light
c> fig. 113. An audio signal
will also sound.
If you do not react early enough or at a ll to a dan­
gerous situation, the braking guard supports you
with a brak ing intervention. The approach warn­
ing indicators and the message
Braking guard :
e n gaged
also appear .
- If a collision is imminent, the system will first
provide an
ac ute wa rni ng by braking sharply.
- If you do not react to the acute warning, the braking guard can increase the braking force
within the limits of the system. This reduces
the vehicle speed in the event of a co llision.
- The system can init iate comp lete deceleration
sho rtly before a collision
ll . Full decele ration at
high speeds occurs only in vehicles with adap­
tive cru ise cont rol and s ide assist (pre sense
pl us).
- If the braking guard determines that you are
not brak ing strongly enough when there is an
impending co llision, it can increase the bra king
f o rce .
- T he pre se nse functions also engage when
the re is an impend ing collision
c:> page 216.
Which functions can be controll ed ?
You can switch the braking guard and the dis ­
tance/approach warn ing on or off in the lnfotain-
l ) Ma rket -spe cific
100
ment system c:> page 101, Settings in the Info­
tainment system.
A WARNING
Lack of attent ion can cause collisions, other
accidents and ser ious personal inju ries. The
braking guard is an assist system and cannot
p revent a collision by itself . The driver must
a lways inte rvene . The driver is always respon­
sib le for braking at the co rrect t ime .
- Always pay close attention to traffic, even when the b raking guard is sw itched on. Be
ready to intervene and be ready to take
comp lete contro l whenever ne cessa ry . Al­
ways keep the sa fe and legal dist ance be­
t ween your vehi cle and veh icles up ahead .
- Br ak ing g uard works w ithin limits and will
no t respond o utside the system limits, for
examp le when approaching a stopped vehi ­
cle or stationary obstacle (en d of a traffic
jam or vehicle that has broken down in traf­
fic).
- Always remember that the radar sensor for
the brak ing g uard works only within def ined
detection and range limits that may prevent
the prope r detection o f other vehicles.
- The radar sensor 's function and range can
be reduced by rain, snow and heavy spray.
Moving vehicles up ahead may not be
promptly detected or may not be detected
at al l.
- Reflective surfaces including crash barr iers
or tunnel entrances may impair the function
of the radar sensor.
(D Tips
- You can cancel the braking with increas ing
force that is initiated by the system by bra k­
ing yourself, by acce le ra ting not iceably or
by swerving.
- Keep in mind that braking gua rd can brake
unexpectedly. Always secure any cargo or
objects tha t you are transpo rting to redu ce
t h e risk of damage or injury.