2018 AUDI A4 warning light

Sea ts and stor age
-Nets* on the left/right luggage compartment
trim pane l
-Tie-downs * on the left/right luggage compart­
ment trim panel
-Bag hooks* in the luggage compartmen t
A WARNING
-
-Always keep the g love compartment lid
closed w hile d riving to reduce the risk of in­
jury .
-Only use the storage compartments in the
door trim pane ls to store small objects that
will not st ick o ut of the compartment and
impa ir the range of the side a irbags.
-Due to strength reasons, on ly secure objects
up to 11 lbs (S kg) with the tie-downs*.
Heav ier objects are not adequately secured.
The re
i.s risk of perso nal injury.
- Make sure that the view to the rear is not
obstructed by hanging garments.
- Hang only lightweight cloth ing and be sure
that there are no heavy or sharp-edged ob­
jects in the pockets.
- Do not use coat hangers to hang the cloth­
ing because this could impair the effective­
ness of the side curta in airbags.
Luggage compartment
General information
A WARNING
Read and follow the important safety precau­
tions in
q page 259, Storing cargo correctly .
Luggage compartment cover
Applies to: vehicles with luggage compartment cover
F ig . 75 Luggage compa rtment: cove r attached
70
Fig. 76 Luggage compa rtment: remov ing and install ing
the lu ggage compartment cover
Attaching
.,. Pull the cover out and attach it in the mounting
eyelets in the side trim
panel ¢ fig. 75.
Removing
.,. Pull the lever in the direction of the arrow
q fig. 76 and remove the cover upward.
Installing
.,. Place the left and rig ht sides of the cover into
the mounts on the s ide trim panel.
.,. Push the cover downward unt il it clicks into
place .
A WARNING
The luggage compartment cover is not a sur­
face for storing objects. Objects placed on the
cover could endange r all vehicle occupants
d uring sudden b raking maneuvers or in a
crash.
(D Note
Let the luggage compartment cover roll up
slow ly to reduce the risk of damage .

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engaged, for example when you notice that the next traffic light is red . This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con ­
sumpt ion to zero (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fuel unnecessari­
ly.
Applies to: vehicles with manual transmission
Shift as soon as possible from first to second
gear. S hifting to the next highest gear at approxi­
mately 2,000 RPMs if poss ible is recommended.
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Press down on the acce le rator peda l slowly and
avoid "kick -down".
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately
high increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise. Driving more slowly saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* he lps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles without the Start/
Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the engine
off when stopped at railroad cross ings and long
r ed lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the eng ine.
It takes a very long time in idle to warm the en­
g ine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially h igh in the wa rm-up
phase . Therefore, you should begi n driving im­
mediately a fter starting the engine . Avoid high
RPMs while do ing this .
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance performed regu larly on
your veh icle, yo u ca n he lp to reduce f uel con­
sumption before yo u even start to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long-term value but a l-
Driving
so impacts fuel consumption . A poorly main ­
tained engine can lead to fuel consumption that is 10% higher than norma l.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exhaust cleaning system must
reach their optimal operat ing temperatu re to ef­
f ectively reduce consumption and emissions.
A cold engine uses a disproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reaches operating
temperat ure and consumption normalizes on ly
after approximate ly 2.5 miles (4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the tires are always in­
flated to the correct press ure
~ page 344. The
fuel consumption can increase by 5% if the pres­
s u re is only 0.5 bar too low. Due to the increased
rolling resistance, low tire pressures wi ll also
l ead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
S in ce eve ry po und of ext ra weight increases f uel
consumption , a quick inspection of the luggage
compartment may be worth it to avoid unneces ­
sary weight .
When not be ing used , a roof rack should be re­
moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle. This will save you approximately 12% fuel
at speeds from 62 -75 mph (100 - 120 km/h) .
Save energy
The eng ine drives the generator, which generates
electric ity; the fuel consumpt io n also incr eases
with the demand for electr icity. The refore, switch
electrical eq uipment off when you no longer
need it . Examples of equipment that uses a lo t of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating* .
@ Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights shou ld come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
81

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

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@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

Driving
"'T o activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake peda l for several seconds. The vehicle
must be in an uph ill direction of travel.
Afte r releasing the bra ke pedal, the brak ing pow­
er is ma intained for a brie f
moment¢ A to pre­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting .
During this time, you can eas ily beg in to move
your veh icle.
A WARNING
- If you do not begin dr iving immediately or
the engine stalls after releas ing t he brake
peda l, yo ur vehicle may begi n to roll back­
ward . Press t he b rake pedal o r set the park ­
i ng bra ke immed iate ly.
- The intelligent techno logy of hill hold assist
c annot overcome the lim itations imposed by
n atu ral physical laws. The incre ased comfo rt
offered by h ill hold assist sho uld not cause
yo u to take safety risks .
- Hill ho ld assis t can not hold the veh icle in
place on all h ills ( for example, i f the gro und
is slippery or icy) .
- T o reduce the risk of an ac cident, always
make sure the vehicle is si tuated safely
whi le stat ionary.
Driving offroad
General information
A ppl ies to: a ll r oad
The electro nic stabilization co ntrol (ESC) func­
tions were e nhanced for dr iv ing offroad. Offroad
mode c an be ac tivated whe n driving in situat ions
where slipp age or a different ia l loc k func tion is
necessary ¢ page 147. The h ill descent ass ist is
a lso available, which automatica lly brakes the
ve­
h icle and mainta ins a constant speed as a result
¢ page 148. In add ition, your Audi prov ides con­
tinuous all wheel drive.
However , you r Audi is not an offroad vehicle.
Only drive in terrain that is su itable for the vehi ·
cle and your driving abilit y. Never take an y un·
neces sary risks!
90
Afte r driving offroad
- After driving off road , remove b ranches and
other debris from the rad iator grille, under ­
body, and wheels . Look especially fo r foreign
objects (such as stones) that may be st uck in
the t ire tread.
- Clean the vehicle body and underbody and
in­
spect the vehicle for possible damage.
- Clean the windows, headlights, tail lights and
the license p late if they are dirty.
- Per form a brake test (especia lly after d riving
throug h water) .
A WARNING
-Be especially aware and attentive when d riv ­
ing under diff icu lt cond itions. Vehicle dam­
age and in juries may occur when driving at
excess ively high speeds or with incorrect
driving maneuvers.
- Always ad just yo ur speed and driving sty le
to the roads, terrain, traffic and weat her
conditions . Drive especially slowly if there is
low visibility when off road.
- Please note that t he wheels can sp in mo re
and the vehicle can swerve when in offroad
mode, espe cially when the road is slippery
or h as loose s urfa ce mate rial.
- D riving stability is reduce d when in offroad
mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avo id harm ing the env ironmen t and show
conside ration fo r nat ure.
(D Tips
Only drive where it is permitted and always
stay on the prov ided roads and paths .
Driver messages
Applies to : allroad
There is only one right way to drive in difficul t
conditions: slowly and with caution!
Observe the following when driving on unpaved
r oads :
1111>

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

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.,. To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
.. To engage the lowest gear, hold the 0 shift
paddle.
.. If you do not press a shift button within a short
time while in the D/S position, the transmission
will return to automatic mode. To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move the selector lever
to the right out of the D/S position .
.,. When you want to shift out of tiptronic mode,
press and hold the
0 shift paddle for a longer
period of time or move the selector lever back
and release it.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permitted
range.
@ Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shift if the engine will
not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle speed and
engine speed.
- tiptronic does not work if the transmission
is running in emergency mode.
Kick-down
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transm issions
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans ­
mission downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
gine utilizes its full power , depending on vehicle
speed and engine RPM. It shifts up into the next
higher gear once the maximum specified engine
RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive .
-
Driving
Launch control program
Applies to: vehicles with S tronic transmission
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop .
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
.. Deactivate the Start/Stop system* c> page 87 .
The LED in the ICA> ~I button turns on .
.. Applies to: seda n: Press the I.B OFFI button
briefly while the engine is running
c> page 147.
The II indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC): sport. Warn·
ing! Restricted stability
appears in the instru­
ment cluster display .
.. Applies to: allroad: Press the i.i, O FF I button
briefly while the engine is
running ¢ page 147.
The II indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC): offroad.
Warning! Reduced stability
appears in the in­
strument cluster display .
.. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position or select the
Dynamic driving mode in drive se-
lect* ¢ page 134 .
.,. Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
.. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal within
five
seconds ¢,,&. .
A WARNING ~
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use the Launch control program when
road and traffic conditions allow it and oth­
er drivers will not be endangered or both­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel­
eration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode/offroad mode is switched on, espe­
cially when the road is slippery.
95