2018 AUDI A4 manual 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

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

In the no rmal mode D, the transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de­
pends on eng ine 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 se lect
Dynamic mode in drive se­
l ect*.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-Power is sti ll transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is running .
-Before opening the hood, select the P selec­
tor lever position and set the parking brake.
This reduces the risk of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 323, Working in the engine com­
partment.
@ Tips
If you accidentally se lect N wh ile d riving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and wa it
for the engine to slow down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Appl ies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Starting the engine
.,. The P or N position must be selected.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ .. Start the engine ¢ page 83 .
;::; .,. Press the lock ing button @ on the selector Lev-,....
:::l er and select the D, E, So r R position 0
3 ¢page 91 .
Driving
.. Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
.. Release the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor
pedal ¢&, .
Various convenience functions are available for
start ing on h ills
¢ page 89.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, for
examp le at a traffic light. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep
hills ¢&, .
.. The parking brake will release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
.. Press and hold the brake peda l¢ &, .
.. Set the parking brake.
.. To select the P selector lever posit ion, press the
P button
@ on the selector lever¢ page 91 ,
fig . 98 .
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
t ions ¢ page 94 .
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P
position ¢ page 88. This prevents
too much stress from being placed on the locking
mecha nism .
A WARNING
--The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
switched off.
-Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
. . . . serious mJunes .
-To reduce the r isk of an accident, do not
press the accelerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running.
93

Driving
-To reduce the risk of an accident, never se­lect the R or P positions while driving.
-Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the risk of an accident increases be­
cause the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re­
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith automat ic tra nsmissio ns
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control activates when the transmis­
sion is in the Dor S position and you press the
brake pedal. The transmiss ion automatically se­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operating the cru ise contro l system*
c:;, page 102, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
94
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode )
Applies to : vehicles wit h automatic transmissions
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 99 Cente r console: sh if ting ma nually with the selecto r
lever
Fig. 100 Steering wheel: sh ift ing manual ly
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driving.
.,. To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S position to the right. As
soon as the transmission switches over, the
M
transmission setting will appear in the instru­
ment cluster display .
.,. To shift up a gear, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 c:;, fig. 99 .
.,. To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0-
11> To switch t iptronic mode off, push the selector
lever back into the D/S position.
Shift ing with the shift paddles
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
selector lever positions .
.,. To shift up a gear, tap the shift paddle 0
c:;, fig. 100.