2017 AUDI A8 towing

Table of content s
Other settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
H eadphon es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Media drives/connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Nav iga tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
En te rt ainment sys tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Video playback information . . . . . . . . . . . 2 02
Troubleshoot ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
System settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Sett ing the time and date . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Adjusting the so und . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Ad justi ng the system vo lume . . . . . . . . . . 20 5
Othe r settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Safety .. .. .. ... ... ...... ... .... .. . 207
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Correct passenger seating positions . . . . . 208
D river's and front passenger 's footwell . . 212
Pedal ar ea. ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 212
Storing cargo cor rectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Reporting S afety Defects... ........ .. . 214
Audi pre sense .. ..... ......... .. . 216
Preventative passenger protection 216
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Gene ral information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Why use safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Bel t tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
F ront ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
M on itor ing the Advanced Airbag System . 236
Knee ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 0
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 3
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
I mportant info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Chi ld seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Securing chi ld seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
LATCH system (Lower anchorages and
t ethe rs for children) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Addit io nal information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
4
Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Catalytic converter .. .. ............. .. 271
E ngine compartment ................. 271
E ngine o il . .. .. .. .. .. .... .... ..... .. 274
Cooling sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
B rake fl uid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
B att ery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Windshie ld washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 81
Service interva l display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 2
Wheels .... .. .. .. .. ............. .. 283
Whee ls and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (A8 , 58) 301
Tir e Pressure Monitor ing System (58
pl us) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Car was hes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Cleaning and care i nformation . . . . . . . . . 307
Plac ing your vehicle out of serv ice . . . . . . 311
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Emergency assistance .......... . 312
Genera l info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
E q ui pment .. .. .. .. .. ... ....... ... .. 312
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
S pa re ti res .. .. .. .. .. ............. .. 319
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
El ectr ica l fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Bu lbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Emergency situations ............ 327
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Start ing by pus hing or tow ing . . . . . . . . . . 327
Starting with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . 327
U sing the jump start cabl e . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Towing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Raising the vehicle .. .. ............. .. 331
Technical data and accessories . . 333
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Vehicle specificat ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Notes abo ut technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler o r a uthorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
fi. D Light/rain sensor
El Automatic headl ights / automatic wipers :
System fault
The light/ra in sensor is malfunction ing.
The low beams remain switched on at all times
for safety reasons when the light switch is in the
AU TO position. You can continue to turn the
lights on and
off using the light switch . You can
still control all functions that are independent of
the ra in sensor through the windshield w iper lev­
er .
Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
!-: Sport differential
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with sport differential
Ill Sport differential : System fault
There is a malfunction with the spo rt differentia l.
Dr ive to an authorized Aud i dea le r o r a uthorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
Ill Sport differential : Overheating
The transm ission temperature has increased s ig­
ni ficantly due to the sporty driving manne r. D rive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indic ator light
switches of .
& WARNING
-
Contact your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differentia l is
faulty or malfunctioning. The repair must be
performed by trained personnel using the cor­
rect o il in order to ensure safety.
Coc kpit o ve rv iew
¢ Q Turn signals
If the . or B indicator light blinks , the turn
s ignals a re act ivated. If bot h ind icator lights are
blinking, the emergency flashers are activated.
If an ind icator light blinks tw ice as fast as usual,
a turn signal bu lb has fai led. Carefully d rive to an
autho riz e d Aud i dea le r or authorized Aud i Serv ice
F acility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction co r­
rected . The indicator light does not indicate a
malfunction if a turn signal on the trailer or on
the vehicle fa ils in trailer towing mode.
(D Tips
Fo r more information on the turn signa ls, re­
fer to<=>
page 44.
On Board Diagnostic
System (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MI L) ¢,ij in the
inst rument cluster is part of the On-Boa rd Diag­
nostic (OBD II) system .
T he wa rning/indicator light ill uminates when the
ignition is sw itched on and goes out after the en­
gine starts and the idle has stabilized. This indi­
cates that the MIL is working properly.
If the li ght do es not go out after the eng ine is
sta rted, or i lluminates while you are driving, a
malfunction may exist in the engine system. If
the lig ht illuminates, the catalytic converter
could be damaged.
Cont inue driving
with reduced power (avoiding
s ustained high speeds and/o r rapid accelera­
tions) and have the condit ion corrected. Contact
your authori zed Aud i dea ler .
If the light i llum inates, the elect ronic speed lim­
iter may also be malf unct ion ing. For more infor­
mation
c> page 26, Electronic speed limiter .
An improperly closed fue l filler cap may also
ca use the MIL light to illuminate ¢
page 269.
25

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

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

Trailer mode
Trailer load distribution
Be s ure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p lace to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid.
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label ¢
page 293 . Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
o:,;, page 110, o:,;, 0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ¢ page 112.
([) Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be app licab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
i n a high ly unstable distribution of we ight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail. ..,.