2017 AUDI A8 trailer

Table of contents
About this Owner's Manual ... .. .
Cockpit ... .. ............... .... .. .
Cockpit overview ................ .
Controls at a glance ... .......... .. .. .
Instrument cluster .. .......... .. .. .. .
Multifunction steering wheel ... .. .. .. .
Driver information system ............ .
Time and date display ...... ... .. .... .
H ead-up Display .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .
Indicato r lights . ................ ... .
On Board Diagnostic System (OBD) .... .
Starting and driving ............ .
Opening and closing .. .... .... .. .
Central locking .... ........... .... .. .
L uggage compartment lid ...... .... .. .
Child safety lock ........... ..... .. .. . 6
7
7
7
9
11
12
16
16
17
25
27
27
27
33
36
Power
window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Sunroof. .. ... ... .. .......... .. .. .. . 38
Panorama glass roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Valet parking function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
40
Garage door opener (Homelink) . . . . . . . . 41
L ights and Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
V1s1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Windshield wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
Digital compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
58
Memory function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
12 volt sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
llSvoltsocket .............. .... ... 61
Full-length center console. . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Sto rage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Pass-through with ski bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Refrigerator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Warm and cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Deluxe automatic climate control . . . . . . . 69
2
Driving ..... .. .. .. .. ... .......... . .
General information . .... .......... . .
Steering .......... .. .. . .......... . .
Start ing and stopping the eng ine ..... . .
Start/Stop system .. .. ............. . .
E le ctromechanical parking brake ...... .
Start ing from a stop .. ........ ..... . .
Automat ic transmission
Trailer mode .. .. .. ........ ..... . .
D rivin g with a trailer .. .............. .
T raile r mode notes .. .. ............. . .
Driver assistance .. .............. .
Assist .... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ... ... .. . .
Speed warning system ... ........... . .
Cruise control system .... .......... . .
Audi adaptive cruise control .......... .
Audi active lane assist (lane departure 73
73
75
76
78
81
82
83
89
89
91
92
92
92
92
94
assist) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Audi side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
N ight vision assist w ith pedestrian and
wild animal detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
107
Audi drive select (drive settings) . . . . . . . . 110
Parking systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Parking system plus ........ ....... ... 115
Rearv iew camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Peripheral cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Adjus ting the display and the warning
tones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
124
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
T railer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 126
E lectronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . . . . 126
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
E lectromechanical steering, dynamic
steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
129
All wheel drive (quattro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Notice about data recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and vehicle control
modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
132

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

Driving
This driver message appears for safety reasons if
the transmission has not be en shifted to the P
position when you switch the ign ition off. Move
the selector lever to the P posit ion. Otherwise the
ve hicle is not protected from ro lling and it cannot
be locked .
II Key is not re cognized. Hold ba ck of ke y
aga inst marked area. See owner's manual
If t he indicator light t urns on and this message
appears, there is a malfunction ~
page 78.
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appea rs if the dr iver 's door is
opened while the ignition is switched on . A lways
sw itch off the ignition if you are leaving the vehi­
cle.
Shift to P and turn off ignition befor e leaving
car, otherwi se vehicle c an roll away
This message appears if the driver 's door is
ope ned while the ignition is switched on and the
transmission has not been shifted to the P posi­
tion . Sh ift the t ransm iss ion into the P posit io n
a nd turn off the ignition if yo u are leav ing the ve­
h icle. O therwise t he vehi cle co uld rol l.
Starting the engine when there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine under
certain circumstances, for example if the battery
in the vehicle key is drained, if interference is af­
fected the key or if there is a system malfunc­
tion.
N
c::==== =~
±
- ------- ~
Fig . 9 1 Cente r conso le/ re m ote cont ro l key: sta rt ing the
eng ine if t here is a malf u nction
Requirement: the message K ey is not recog ­
nized . Hold back of key against marked area.
78
See owner's manual must appear and the II in­
dicator light must tu rn on .
.,. Hold the remote cont rol key vertically in the lo ­
ca tion i ndicated
t1>) ~ fig. 91.
.,. Press the brake pedal.
.,. Press the I S TAR T
ENGINE ST OP I button . The
eng ine will start.
.,. Drive to an authori zed Audi dealer or author ­
ized Aud i Service Facility immediately to have
the malfu nction corrected .
(D Tips
You can view the message aga in by pressing
the lS TAR T
ENGI NE ST OP I button .
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The S ta rt/Stop sys tem can help increase fue l
eco nomy and reduce CO2 emissions .
In Sta rt/S top mode, the eng ine s huts off auto­
ma tically when the vehicle is stopped, such as a t
a traffic light . The ignition rema ins switched on
duri ng th is stop phase . The engine w ill restart
automat ica lly when needed .
The last Start/S top system setting is restored
when the ignition is sw itched on .
Basic requirements for Start /Stop mode
- Th e driver 's doo r must be closed .
- Th e driver 's seat belt much be fas tened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle m ust have driven faster than
2.5 mph (4 km/h) since the last t ime it stop­
ped.
- A trailer m ust not be hitched to the vehicle .
A WARNING
-Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func ­
t ion of the bra ke booster and the power
steer ing is not guaranteed. You must use
mo re fo rce to tu rn o r bra ke. Be cause you
canno t stee r and bra ke as y ou usually

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

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

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. ..,.

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