2017 AUDI A8 warning light

Driving
-The interior temperature differs from the tem­
perature se lected in the A/C system.
- The windshield is being defrosted~
page 71.
-The brake pedal is pressed seve ral t imes in a
row.
- The vehicle ba tte ry charge leve l is too low.
- Power consumption is high .
Ignition is switched off automaticall y
To prevent the veh icle battery from drain ing, the
ignit ion will switch off
automatically under the
following conditions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine.
- T he driver's door must be open .
- T he driver's safety be lt mus t be unb uck led.
- The brake pedal must not be p ressed .
- The vehicle must be stationary .
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The parking lights will
sw itch off after app roximately 30 minutes or
when you lock the vehicle .
If the Start/Stop system has not turned off the
engine or if you have sw itched the Start/Stop sys­
tem off manually, the ignition will not be auto­ mat ically switched off and the engine w ill conti n­
ue to ru n ~ & .
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of poisoning, neve r allow
t he engine to r un i n confined s paces.
(D Tips
If you select the D, N or S selector lever posi­
tion after shifting into reverse, the vehicle
m ust be driven faste r than 6 mph (10 km/h)
in orde r fo r the engine to switch off again.
80
-
Manually switching the Start /Stop system
off /on
Appl ies to : vehicles wi th Start/Stop sys te m
If you do not wish to us e th e system, you con
switch i t off manually.
Fig . 93 Ce nte r console: Start/Stop system butto n
.,. To switch the Start/Stop-System off/on man­
ually, press the
l (A) ~I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is switched off.
0) Tips
If yo u switch the system off d uring a stop
phase, the engine will start aga in automati­
cally .
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to : vehicles wit h Start/Stop syste m
Start-stop system deactivated: Please restart
engine manually
This message appears w hen spec ific cond itions
are not me t during a stop phase. The S tart/S top
system will
not b e a ble to re sta rt the eng ine. If
the D or R se lector lever positions were engaged,
P will be selected a utomat ically . The eng ine must
be started with the
I START ENGI NE STOPI but­
ton.
Start -stop system: System fault! Currently
unavailable
There is a ma lfunction in the Start/Stop system.
Drive the vehicle to an authorized Audi dealer or
aut horized Serv ice Facility as soon as possible to
have the malfunction corrected .

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig . 94 Center conso le: park ing brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an e lectromechani ­
cal parking brake@~
fig. 94. The parking brake
is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intentionally and replaces the hand brake.
Setting/manually releasing the parking
brake
.. Pull the<®> switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch illuminates. The -(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) indicator light al­
so turns on in the instrument cluster display .
.. To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake or acce lerator pedal while the igni­
t ion is switched on and press the© switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the
indicator light in the display turn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the dr iver's safety belt must be latched and the
parking brake must be set.
.,. To start driving and release the park ing brake
automatically, press the acce lerator peda l as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­ mat ically, other convenience and safety funct ions
are available when you start driving~
page 82,
Starting from a stop.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
Driving
.. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold the(®) switch and press the accelerator peda l. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward .
.,. You can release the<®> switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by press ing the accelerator
pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.. Pull and hold the(®) switch.
.. As soon as you release the <®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and ho lding the© switch wh ile driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­
ing effect is sim ilar to heavy braking ~_& .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the© switch is pulled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as the© switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle.
.,. Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever position .
.,. Tu rn the engine off~_& .
.,. Turn the steering w heel when parking o n in­
clines so that the wheels w ill roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
& WARNING
-
-Do not press the acce lerator peda l inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accide nt.
- Eme rgency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed . ..,.
81

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

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

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

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

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