2018 AUDI A4 automatic transmission

Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The I S TAR T ENGIN E ST OP ! button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine.
F ig . 93 Cockp it: START ENGINE S TOP button
Starting the engin e
Applies to: vehicles with manual transmission
.. Press the clutch pedal all the way down and
move the sh ift lever to the neutr al position.
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
.,. Press the brake pedal.
.. Press the I START E NG IN E STOPI button
¢ fig . 93 . The engine will sta rt.
.,. T he re may be a s light de lay w hen start ing the
engine i n diese l vehicles in colder tempera­
tures . Therefore, yo u must con tinue pressing
the clutch pedal (manual transmission) or the
brake pedal (automatic transmission) until the
engine starts. The
Iii indicator light t urns on
whi le the engine is preheating .
Switching the ignition on /off
If yo u wou ld like to swi tc h t he ign ition on wi th­
out starting the engine, fol low these steps:
.,. Press t he I S T AR T ENG IN E ST OPI button with­
o ut press ing the clutch pe dal (for manual
transm iss ions) or the brake peda l (f or au toma t­
ic transmissions). Ve hicles w ithout the S tart/
Stop system *: the needle in the tachometer
moves into the
READ Y position .
.. To switch the ign ition off, press the button
again. The needle in the tachometer moves into
the
OFF posit ion.
D rivi ng
The prewa rming runs automat ica lly in diesel
vehicles when the ign ition is switched on .
E q uipment tha t uses a lot of e lec tricity is sw itch­
ed off temporarily when you start the engine.
If the engi ne does not s tart immediately , the
sta rt ing procedure stops a utomat ica lly af ter a
sho rt time. Repea t the sta rting proced ure.
Start /Stop system*
See the information in c:> page 85, Start/Stop
system .
A WARNING
=
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the eng ine to run in co nfined spaces .
Q) Note
Avoid high engine speed, full th rottle, and
heavy engine load if the engine has not
r eached operat ing temperatu re ye t. You could
damage the eng ine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the e ngin e run wh ile pa rked to
warm up . Beg in dr iving immed iate ly . Thi s
re­
duces un necessa ry emissions.
a) Tips
- Some noise afte r start ing the engine is nor­
ma l and is no caus e for conce rn .
- If you leave t he ve hicle w ith the ignition
switched on, the ig nit ion w ill switch off af­
ter a ce rtain amount of time . Ma ke sure t hat
elec trical e quipment such as the exterio r
ligh ts a re swi tched off .
Starting the eng ine
.. Bri ng the veh icle to a full sto p .
.. Press the !S TAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button
c:>
page 83, fig. 93.
-
83

Driving
St ee ring lock1
)
The stee ring locks when you t urn the engine off
using the
! S T A RT ENGINE ST OP I button and
open the driver 's door. The locked steering helps
prevent v ehicle theft .
Emergency off function*
If it is abso lutely necessary, the engine can also
be turned off while dr iv ing at speeds star ting at
4 mph (7 km/h). To switch the eng ine off, press
the
! S TAR T ENGINE ST OP I button tw ice in a row
briefly or press and hold for longer than two sec­
onds.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine before the veh icle
has come to a comp lete stop . The full func­
t ion of the brake booster and the power
stee ring is not guaranteed. Yo u must use
more force to turn or b rake . Because you
cannot s teer an d brake as you usu ally
would, t his co uld lead to accidents and ser i­
ous in juries.
- Alw ays t ake the key wi th you w henever you
leave you r vehicle . Othe rw ise, the engi ne
cou ld be started o r electrical equipment
s uch as the power windows cou ld be operat­
ed . This can lead to se rious injury.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the se lector lever in the P position
(a u­
tomat ic transmission) or with 1st gear en­
gaged (manual transmission). Otherwise
the vehicle could roll away u nintent ionally .
(D Note
If the eng ine has been under heavy load for
an extended per iod of t ime, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
sw itched off and there is a risk of damaging
the engi ne . For this reason, let the engi ne run
for at idle for approximately two minutes
be­
fore shutting it off.
l) Th is fun ction is not avai la bl e in al l co un tries.
84
(D Tips
Fo r u p to 10 minutes after stopping the en­
g ine, the radiator fan may turn on again auto­
matically or it may continue to r un (even if
the ig nition is switched off) for the following
r easons:
- The coolant temperature is increas ing due
to trapped heat.
- If the eng ine is wa rm and the eng ine com­
partment a lso heats up from strong sun­
light .
- Applies to: vehicles with diesel particulate
filter: The emissions control system is heat­
ed through the regeneration process, even if
the engine has not reached its operat ing
tempe rature yet.
Messages
Engin e running . Warning! Turn off ignition be ­
fore leavin g vehicle
This message appears and a warning tone sounds
i f you open the drive r's door w hen the eng ine is
r un ning .
Applies to: vehicles with manual transmission
Please pres s clutch pedal
This message appears if you do not press the
clutch pedal to start the eng ine. The engine can
o nly be started w hen the clutch pedal is pressed.
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Plea se pres s brake pedal
This message appears if you do not press the
bra ke peda l when sta rting t he eng ine .
Ill Remote control key : key not recognized. Is
the key still in the vehicle ?
This indicator light turns on and this message ap­
pears if the ignition key was removed from the
vehicle when the engine was running . If the igni­
tion key is no longer in the vehicle, you cannot
switch on the ignition or start the engine once

you stop it. You also cannot lock the vehicle from
the outside .
Applies to: vehicles with au tomatic transm issions
Shift to P , otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock if gearshift is not in P
This message appears for safety reasons if the
selector lever is in the N position when you
sw itch the ignition off. Move the selector leve r to
the P position. Otherwise the vehicle is not pro­
tected from ro lling and it cannot be locked .
DJ Remote control key: hold back of key
against the designated area . See owner 's man­
ual
If the indicator light turns on and th is message
appears, there is a malfunction
q page 85 .
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Shift to P before leaving car, otherwise vehicle
can roll away
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened while the ignition is switched on and the
transmission has not been shifted to the P posi­
tion . Sh ift the transmiss ion into the P position
and turn off the ignition if you are leaving the ve­
hicle . Otherwise the vehicle could roll. Also see
c::> page87 .
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 .
Fig. 94 Cente r console/ remote contro l key: starting t he
eng ine if there is a malfunc tion
Driving
Requirement: the message Remote control key:
hold back of key against the designated area .
See owner's manual
must display and the DJ i n­
dicator light must turn on.
.,. Place the remote control key on the location
shown in the illustration
y >l) c::> fig . 94.
Applies to: vehicles with manual transmission
.,. Press the clutch pedal.
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
• Press the brake pedal.
.. Press the !START ENGINE STOP ! button. The
engine will start.
.,. Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or author­
ized Aud i Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
@ Tips
You can view the message again by pressing
the
I S TART ENGINE STOP I button.
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The Start/Stop system can help increase fue l
economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
In Sta rt/Stop mode, the engine shuts off auto­
matically when the vehicle is stopped, such as at
a traffic light. The ignition remains switched on
during this stop phase . The engine wi ll restart
automatica lly when needed .
Th e Start/Stop system is a utomaticall y activated
as soon as the ignition is switched on.
Basic requirements for Start/Stop mode
-The driver's door must be closed .
-The driver's seat belt much be fastened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle must have driven faster than
2 mph
(3 km/h) since the last time it stopped .
- A trailer must not be hitched to the vehicle.
If you leave the vehicle during a stop phase, the
engine can be restarted within approximately 30
seconds if the following requi rements are met:
IJ>
85

Driving
-The driver's door must be closed, the driver's
safety belt must be fastened, and the brake peda l (automat ic transmission) or the clutch
pedal (manua l transmission) must be pressed.
Or:
-The driver's door must be closed, the brake
pedal (automat ic transmission) or the clutch
pedal (manua l transmission) must be pressed,
and a gear must be engaged.
(D Note
Always sw itch the Start/Stop system off when
driving through water
q page 85.
@ Tips
The engine stops shortly before the vehicle
comes to a stop
1) .
Stopping/starting the engine
Appl ies to: ve hicl es w ith Sta rt/Stop system
F ig . 95 Instrument cluste r: e ng ine sw itched off (stop
phase)
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith manu al transmiss ion
• When the vehicle is stat ionary, shift to neut ral
and release the clutch pedal. The eng ine will
switch off . The
II indicator light appears in the
information line at the bottom of the instru­
ment cluster d isp lay. The needle in the tachom­
eter also moves into the
R EADY position .
• The engine will resta rt if you press the clutch
pedal. The ind icator light turns off.
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith a uto mat ic t ra nsmi ssio ns
• B rake the vehicle to a stop . The engine stops
shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop or if
the ve hicle is stationary
l). Keep yo ur foot on
l) Ma rket -spe cifi c
86
the brake peda l. The II indica tor light appears
in the status line at the bottom of the instru ­
ment cluste r display. The need le in the tachom ­
eter also moves into the
READY1> posit ion.
• The engine starts again when you take your
foot off the brake pedal. The indicator light
turns off .
Additional information for automatic
transmissions
The eng ine stops in the P, N and D selector lever
pos itions.
If you se lect the R posit ion du ring a Stop phase,
the engine will start aga in.
Se lect the P position quickly to prevent the e n­
gine from starting u nintent ionally when shifting
through R .
You can determine for yourse lf if the engine wi ll
stop o r not by red ucing or inc reasing the amount
of force you use to press t he brake peda l. For ex­
amp le, if yo u only lightly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and-go traffic or when turning, the en­
gine w ill not switch off when the vehicle is sta ­
tiona ry . A s soon as you press the b rake down
harde r, the engine wi ll swi tch off .
(0 Tips
-Press the brake peda l during a Stop phase
to keep the vehicle from rolling .
-The ignitio n will turn off if yo u press the
! S TART ENGINE STOPI butto n du ring a stop
phase. The needle in the tachomet er moves
into the
OFF position.
General information
App lies to: vehicles wi th Start/S top sys te m
The standard Start/Stop mode can be canceled
for various system-related reasons.
Engine does not switch off
Before and dur ing each stop phase, the system
checks if certain conditions have been met. If the
lilJ.

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
@j indicator light appears in the instrument clus­
ter disp lay, the engine will not be stopped, for
examp le in the following situations:
- T he eng ine has not reached the minimum re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode.
- T he interior temperature selected by the cli-
mate contro l system has not been reached .
- T he outs ide temperature is ext remely h igh/low.
- The windshield is being defrosted.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- The steering whee l is turned at a sharp angle or
is mov ing .
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp inclines.
- At high a ltitudes.
Engine automatically restarts
The standard Start/Stop mode will be cance led
during a stop phase in the follow ing s ituations .
The engine restarts without any action by the
d river.
- The vehicle rolls, for examp le while on a slope.
- The interior temperature differs from the tem-
perature se lected in the A/C system .
- The windshield is being defrosted .
- The brake pedal is pressed several times in a
row.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Power consumption is high.
The engine can t urn off again when the condi­
tions for Start/Stop mode are met.
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the veh icle battery from drain ing, the
ignition will switch off automat ica lly under the
following conditions :
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine .
- The veh icle is stationary.
- You left the vehicle and the engine was not re -
started within approximately 30 seconds .
I f this happens, you wi ll see the message
Igni­
tion turns off automatically
in the instrument
cluster and the activated low beams are replaced by the parking light. The parking lights will
sw itch off after approximately 30 minutes or
when you lock the vehicle .
Driving
The ignition also switches off when you lock the
vehicle from the outside during a stop phase.
If the Start/Stop system has not turned off the
engine or if you have switched the Start/Stop sys­
tem off manually, the ignition will not be auto ­
matically switched off and the engine will contin­
ue to run
¢ .&..
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the eng ine to run in confined spaces .
(D Tips
Applies to : vehicles with auto matic transmissions
-
- If you leave the vehicle with the D/S or R se­
lector lever position engaged, the parking
brake is automatically set.
- If you select the D or N selector lever posi­
tion after shifting into reverse, the vehicle
must be driven faster than 6 mph ( 10 km/h)
in o rder fo r the engine to switch off again .
' Manually switching the Start/Stop system
, off/on
Applies to: vehicles wi th Start/Stop syste m
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
Fig. 96 Cente r console : Start/Stop system button
.,. To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press the
l v'> ~I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is switched off .
(D Tips
If you switch the system off during a stop
phase, the engine will start aga in automati­
cally .
87

a co .... N ..... N .... 0 0
3 co
~ Applies to: automatic transmission: Select the
P selector lever position .
~ Turn the eng ine off ¢,&. .
~ Applies to: manual transmission: Engage 1st
gear.
~ Turn the steering wheel when parking on in ­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the veh icle starts moving .
A WARNING
-Never accelerate or release the clutch pedal
carelessly when a gear or a selector lever
posit ion (automatic transmission) is engag­
ed whi le the vehicle is stationary and the en­
gine is running. Otherwise, the vehicle will
start to move immediately and this cou ld re­
sult in an accident.
- Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake peda l
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
During emergency braking, your veh icle will
brake sim ilar to heavy brak ing . ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics,
Around curves and when road or weather
conditions are bad, a full brake application
can cause the vehicle to skid or the rear end
to swerve, which increases the risk of an ac­
c ident.
- If the power supply fails, you cannot set the
park ing brake if it is released . If th is is the
case, stop the veh icle on leve l ground and
secure it by engaging 1st gear (manual
transmiss ion) or select ing the P selector lev ­
er position (automatic transm iss ion). See an
authorized Aud i dealer or autho rized Aud i
Service Facility for assistance .
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving your vehicle, even if for a short pe ri­
od of time. This applies particu larly when
children remain in the vehicle. Otherwise,
children could start the engine, release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip­
ment such as powe r windows, which in­
creases the risk of an acc ident.
- No one, especially children, shou ld remain
in the vehicle when it is locked. Locked
doors make it more difficult for emergency
D riving
workers to get into the vehicle, which puts
lives at risk.
(D Tips
Ap plies to : vehicles with auto matic transmissions
When stopp ing at a traff ic signa l or stopp ing
i n city traffic, you can set the park ing brake
manually . The vehicle does not have to be
held with the brake pedal. The park ing brake
eliminates the tendency to creep when a se­
l ector lever position is engaged. As soon as
you press the a ccelerator peda l, the parking
brake releases automatically and your vehicle
starts to move r=;,
page 89.
(j) Tips
-Occasional noises when the pa rking brake is
set and released are normal and are no t a
cause for concern.
- The parking brake goes through a self-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises assoc iated with this are
normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake
wi ll not set if it is released, and it will not
re lease if it is
set ¢.&. . See an a uthorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­ cility for assistance.
Starting to drive
Various convenience and safety funct ions may be
available when the vehicle begins driving, de­
pending on vehicle equipment .
Starting on hills with the p arking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed .
~ To start driving comfortably when on a hill , set
the parking brake and begin driving as usual.
The braking force of the parking brake does not
release a utomatically until the wheels build up
enough driving force.
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hi ll ho ld assist makes it easier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be running.
89

.. Only drive in terrain that is suitable for the ve ­
hicle and your driving ability. Never take any
unnecessary risks!
.. Drive slowly and carefully.
.. Pay attention to the ground cl eara nce of your
vehicle .
.. Activate the o ffroad mod e as needed
~page 147 .
.,. Use the hill de sce nt ass is t when dr iving down
steep h ills
¢page 148.
Difficult ter rain
When driving in unfamiliar areas and offroad,
drive slowly and keep on the watch for unexpect­
ed obstacles (such as potholes, rocks, tree
stumps, etc.).
To prevent the veh icle from bottoming out and to
reduce the risk of underbody damage, you sho uld
d rive across uneven ground on only one side of
the veh icle so that only two of your wheels cross
the uneve n are a, instead of driving across the
center of the uneven area with a ll four wheels .
Drive quick ly through sandy or marshy off-road
sections and do not stop, if at all possible.
Driving through water
Also read the information found i n¢ page 80.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transm issions
The automat ic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically. The transmission shifts up o r down au­
tomatically depend ing on which drive program is
se lected .
When a
moderate drivi ng style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. The transmiss ion upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency .
The transm ission switches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
s po rty
d rivi ng style
character ized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
D rivi ng
changes in sp eed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If des ired, t he d river can also se lect the gea rs
manually (tiptronic mo de) ¢ page 94 .
S tronic transmission
The S tron ic is a dual-clutch transmission . Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde­
pendent ly from one another. They rep lace the
torque conve rter used in convent io nal automatic
transm issions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeable interruption in traction.
tiptronic transmission
In th e tiptronic transmission, power is t ransfer­
red by a torque conve rter.
Selecting a selector lever position
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Fig. 98 Center console : se lector lever
The current se lector lever position is shown next
to the se lector lever
c::> fig. 98 . The current se lec­
tor leve r position is a lso shown in the instr ument
cl uster disp lay.
.. You may need to release the selector lever lock
depending on wh ich selector leve r pos ition is
selec ted and which one you would like to se­
lect.
.. To do th is, press the locking button (!) on the
selector
l ever¢ fig. 98.
.,. To engage the nearest se lector lever position,
move the selector lever forward/back until you
feel the first pressure po int. The selector lever
w ill return to its original position .
.,. To skip over one selector lever position, move
the selector lever past the pressure point into .,,.
91

Driving
the desired position . The selector lever will re­
turn to its original position.
F or examp le, you c an skip over the
N posit ion if
you would like to go directly from D into
R.
Selector lever lock
The se lector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
i n g a position un intent ionally, causing the vehicle
to ro ll. Whe n engaging some sele ctor lever posi­
tions , you must press t he locking
bu tton (!) on
the selector leve r and/or press the brake pedal
¢ fig . 98.
You mus t press the brake pedal to engage a se­
lec to r l ever pos it ion when the engine is running
an d the vehicle is stationary .
You do not have to press the brake peda l if yo u
shift from D to
R with in one second. This allows
you to " roc k" the veh icle to free it when it is
s tuck .
P - Park
This se lecto r lever position p revents the vehicle
from rolling . Only s hif t in to par k w hen the veh i­
cle is
s tat ionary ¢.&. . To selec t the P se lector lev­
e r position, press the P bu tton @ on the selec to r
lever ¢ fig. 98 . P appears next to the selector lev ­
er.
Appl ies to veh icles w ith S tro nic t ra nsmission:
t he par king lock can only be released when t he
ignition is switched on and the b rake pedal is
pressed. To release the parking lock, press the
brake pedal, press the lock ing
button (!) on the
selector lever and select the desired position
¢ fig. 98. The engine must a lso be started to en­
gage the Dor R se lector lever posit io n.
App lies to vehicles w ith tiptronic transm iss ion:
the park ing lock can only be released when the
engine is running and the brake pedal is pressed.
To re lease the park ing lock, press the brake ped­
al, press the locking
button (!) on the selector
leve r and se lect t he des ired
posit ion ¢ fig. 98.
P engages automatically if you switch t he engine
off while the selector leve r is in D, E, S, R or man ­
ua l mode .
92
If you swi tc h the engine off when the N selector
l ever position is selected, the t ransm ission re­
mains in
N for approx imately 30 minutes and
then Pis engaged. The vehicle is not secured
from ro lling in the
N selector lever pos ition, so
yo u need to set the parking brake
®l ¢ page 88 .
You m ust use the park ing lock emergency re lease
before towing the
vehicle ¢ page 97.
R- Reverse
The reverse gea r is engaged in th is posi tion . On ly
se lect reve rse gear when t he vehi cle is stationary
and t he engine is running at idle
speed ¢.&, . To
engage the
R se lector lever position, press the
bra ke peda l, press the locking
button (!) on the
selector lever and select the
R pos it ion ¢ fig. 98.
A confi rmation tone will sound when the reverse
gear is engaged.
N - Neutral (idle)
The transmission is in idle in th is po sit ion. To en­
gage the
N selector lever position, press the lock­
i ng
button (!) on the se lector lever and sh ift into
the
N pos ition ¢ fig. 98.
I f you swi tc h t he eng ine off when the N sele ctor
l eve r posit ion is sele cted, the t ransm iss ion re­
mains in
N for approximately 30 minutes and
then Pis engaged.
Yo u c anno t se lec t th e N po sition w hen the ig ni­
tion is swi tched off. When dr iv ing th rough an au ­
tomat ic car wash, fi rst select the N position and
then turn the eng ine off.
Fo r safe ty re asons , the veh icle canno t be lo cked
when the transmiss io n is in t he N pos it ion .
DIS -Driving forward
When the transm iss ion is in the D/S posit io n, it
can be ope ra ted e ither in the no rma l D mode o r
i n the S sport mo de. Move the sele ctor leve r back
to engage the S sport mode. You c an on ly se lect
t h e S selector lever position when the Dor E pos i­
tion is se lected . To select the Dor E position
again w hen S is engaged, move the selector lever
back ¢.&. . To sh ift from N to D when traveling at
speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), p ress the brake
pedal and shift into the D
position ¢.&. . .,.