2018 AUDI A4 ESP

Ass is tance sy stems
- The display brightness for the ex it warning
system cannot be adjusted.
- The system is not available when towing a
trailer.
Rear cross-traffic assist
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith rea r cross-tra ffic ass ist
F ig. 1 33 Example d is play
F ig . 134 In fo ta in me nt system : re ar cro ss -tra ffic ass ist dis­
p lay
The rear cross -traffic assis t can warn the drive r of
a po tential collis ion with approaching cross -traf­
f ic when driv ing i n reverse . Within its limits, the
system monitors the areas beh ind and n ext to
the vehicle using the radar sensors when leaving
a park ing space
c::> page 129, fig. 130. Moving ob­
jec ts tha t are approach ing, such as cars, are de­
tected
c::> fig . 133 .
If the system detects cr itical cross traffic when
ba cking out of a parking space, it will react as fol­
lows :
-Visual indicator : an indicator appea rs in the In­
fotainment system display with a red arrow
symbol. The arrow points in the direction from
which the object is approach ing
c::> fig. 134 .
-Audible warning signal : a continuous tone may
sound as an additional indicator when driving in reverse .
132
-Automat ic brake acti vati on: a brief activation
of the brakes may also warn you of a potentia l
co llision w ith an approaching object .
Requirements for using the rear cross -traffic
a ss is t :
-The parking aid must be switched on
<=> pag e 136.
-Reverse gear must be engaged.
- The speed mus t not be higher th an approxi-
mate ly 9 mph (15 km/h) .
&_ WARNING
-The rear cross-traffic assist is an assist sys­
tem and cannot prevent a collision by itself.
The drive r must always intervene. The driver
is always responsible for braking at the cor­
rect t ime .
-Please note that the rear cross-traff ic assist
may activate the brakes unexpected ly. Se­
cure any cargo that you are transporting to
reduce the ris k of damage or injury .
-An add itiona l brake activation may be trig­
ge red w ith in 20 seconds after an automatic
brake activation .
-If there is an acoust ic warning signal from
the rea r cross-traffic assist, then the park­
ing system may no t warn you of detected
obs tacles under certain circumstances.
- The v iew of the radar sensors may be im­
pa ired by leaves, snow, heavy sp ray o r dirt .
C lean the area in front of the sensors
c::> page 129, fig. 130 .
&_ WARNING
The re ar cross- traffi c assist is subject to limi ­
tations and cannot warn yo u before every im­
pending collision:
- I f the ve hicle is too wide for the parking
space and covered by the neighboring
veh icles.
- People, such as cyclists, joggers, inline skat ­
ers and pedestrians, may not be detected
under certain circumstances.
- If you are in a paralle l parking space or diag ­
onal parking space .

Assistance systems
Description
Applies to: vehicl es w ith Aud i drive select
The follow ing systems, among other things, are
influenced by drive select:
Engine and automatic transmission*
Depending on the mode, the engine and auto­
mat ic transmission* respond more quickly or in a
mo re balanced manner to accelerator pedal
movements . In the sporty
Dynamic mode , the
transmission shifts at highe r speed ranges.
Suspension control*
The suspension control* uses sensors to record
information regard ing steering movements ,
braking and acceleration operations by the driv­
er , road surface, driving speed, and load. This
makes it possible to adapt damping to the driv­
ing situation nearly in rea l time. With drive se ­
lect, you can adjust the suspension control to
sporty
( Dynamic ), comfortab le ( Comfort ) or bal­
anced
( Auto ).
Steering
The power steering adapts. Indi rect s teer ing that
moves easily as in
Comfort mode is especia lly
suited to long drives on highways . The
Dynamic
mode provides sporty , direct steering.
The following applies to vehicles with dynamic
steering* : the steering ratio changes based on
vehicle speed in order to maintain optimum
steer ing effort for the driver at all times . This
sets the steering to be less sensitive at higher
speeds in order to prov ide improved vehicle con­
trol. At reduced speeds, steering is more direct in
order to keep the steering effort as min imal as
possible when the driver is maneuvering the vehi­
cle. At low and average speeds, dynamic steer­
ing* additionally provides more responsive steer­
ing performance.
Sport differential*
As a component of the all wheel drive system
(quattro)
~ page 1 SO, the sport differential dis­
tributes the driving power to the rear axle de­
pending on the situation. The distribution of
power varies depending on the selected mode
134
from moderate (Comfort ) to sporty (Dynamic ).
The goal is a high level of agility and ability to ac­
ce lerate on curves . The vehicle is very respons ive
to steering.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC)*
The behavior when accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control also
responds to the driving behavior of the vehicle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner.
Engine sound*
The engine sound adapts to the current mode
and can be subtle to sporty.
@ Tips
The S selector lever position automatically en­
gages when the
Dynamic mode is selected .
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to: vehicles with Audi drive se lect
Fig. 135 Center co nsole: controls for drive se lect
.,. Press the left or right a rrow key ~ fig. 135 until
the desired mode appears in the instrument
cluster/ Infotainment system disp lay. Or
.,. Select in the Infotainment system: IMENU j but-
ton
> Vehicle > Audi drive select.
.,. Select and confirm the desired setting.
You can change the driving mode when the vehi­
cle is stationary or while driving. If traffic per­
mits, after changing modes, briefly take your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently
selected mode is also activated for the engine.
.,.

Parking systems
Parking systems
General information
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith a rea r parking sys te m /pa rking sys ­
tem p lus/rearv iew camera/peripheral ca meras
Depending on your vehicle's equipment , various
parking aids will help you when parking and ma­
neuvering.
The
rear parking system is an audible parking aid
that warns you of obstacles
behind the vehicle
¢ page 137.
The
parking system plus assists you when park ­
ing by audibly and visually indicating objects de­
tected
in front of and behind the veh icle
¢ page 137.
The
rearview camera shows the area behind the
vehicle in the Infotainment system display . The
lines in the rearview camera image help you to
park or
maneuver ¢ page 138. The parking sys­
tem plus functions are also available
¢ page 137.
The
peripheral cameras give various views to
help you when parking or maneuvering
¢ page 140. The parking system plus functions
are also available
¢page 137.
A WARNING ,..__ -
- Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attention. The driver is always
responsible when entering or leaving a park­
ing space and during similar maneuvers.
- Please note that some surfaces , such as
clothing, are not detected by the system .
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
which people and objects cannot be detect­
ed . Be especially cautious of small children
and animals .
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's sur ­
roundings, using the rearview mirror as
well.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park­ ing system may be impa ired as a result.
136
Have an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility check their func­
tion.
(D Note
- Some objects are not detected or displayed
by the system under certain circumstances:
- objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- objects above the sensors such as wall ex ­
tensions
- objects with certain surfaces or structures
such as chain link fences or powder snow
- If you continue driving closer to a low ob­
ject, it may disappear from the sensor
range. Note that you will no longer be
warned about this obstacle.
- Keep enough distance from the curb to re ­
duce the risk of damage to the rims.
{i) Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover ­
age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or when there is tall
grass
- external ultrasonic sources such as from
cleaning vehicles
-in heavy rain, snow, or thick vehicle ex­
haust
- We recommend that you practice parking in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be­
come familiar with the system . When doing
this, there should be good light and weath­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume of the signals
and the display ¢
page 143.
- Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trailer located in
¢page 144.
- What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed.
- Th e sensors must be kept clean and free of
snow and ice for the parking aid to operate .
- Th e rearv iew camera is automatically
cleaned when cleaning the rear window*
¢ page 60 .

General information
Appl ies to: ve hicles with per ip heral cameras
Fig. 145 Loca tion of peripheral c amera s
The four periphe ral cameras are located in the ra­
diator grille, in the luggage compartment lid and
on both exterior mirrors ¢
fig. 145 . Make sure
that the lenses are not covered by deposits or any
other obstructions as this may impair the system.
For information on cleaning, see¢
page 354.
Black corners are shown in the vehicle silhouette
in
Area mode . Objects in these areas are outside
of the camera's field of view and are not detect­
ed.
& WARNING
- Always read and follow the applicable warn­
ings ¢
.&. in General information on
page 136.
- If the position or the installation angle of a
camera was changed, for example after a
collision, do not continue to use the system
for safety reasons. Have it checked by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
- Keep in mind that the image in the display is
incorrect if the exterior mirror housing has
been moved out of place .
- Use the
Rear mode and the corner view
(rear)
mode only when the luggage com­
partment lid is completely closed. Other­
wise the image in the display will be incor­
rect.
- The vehicle surroundings are shown using
the camera images . The vehicle image is
shown by the system. Objects and obstacles
above the camera are not displayed.
Parking systems
-Camera lenses enlarge and distort the field
of vision. The objects appear both altered
and inaccurate on the screen.
(D Note
- Always read and follow the applicable warn­
ings
¢ (Din General information on
page 136.
- The Infotainment display shows the direc­
tion in which the rear of the vehicle is travel­
ing based on the steering wheel angle. The
front of the vehicle swings out more than
the rear of the vehicle . Maintain plenty of
distance so that an exterior mirror or a cor­
ner of the vehicle does not collide with any
obstacles.
(D Tips
If the 8/fl;!J/c::5 symbol appears in the dis­
play and the respective display area is grayed
out, then the power exterior mirrors were
folded in or the driver's door/front passeng­
er's door/luggage compartment lid was
opened.
Switching on/off
Applies to: vehicles wi th peripheral ca meras
Fig. 146 Center co nsole: button P. a
Fig. 147 In fo tai nment syste m: select the mode
141

Parking sy stem s
Enterta inment fade r -the volume o f the audio/
video source is lowered when the parking system
is turned on
The newly selected level is demons trated briefly
by the sound generator.
Vi ew * -switch betwee n an optical d isplay
( Graphi c) and camera image (C amera ) in the
right section of the disp lay.
Trail er view * -show trailer view
*Auto. front /rear camera ch ange * -the view be­
h ind the veh icle
( R ear mode) is displayed auto­
mat ically when you shift into reverse gear. The
view in front of the vehicle
( Front mode) is d is­
p layed automatically when you shift into the for­
ward gea rs. When first activat ing in a forward
gear with the
P,, 1A button, the front s ide v iew is
d isp layed
( Corner view (front) mode).
I f you do not set the../, the view behind the vehi ­
cle
( Rear mode) is a lways d isplayed and it does
not swi tch to the
Front mode when a forward
gear is se lected.
(D Tips
- Seve ral menus can be accessed w it h t he
right contro l butto n only whe n the park ing
aid is active.
- T he settings for volume and automatic act i­
vation* are au tomatically sto red and as­
signed to the remote control key being
used .
Error messages
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith a rea r parking sys te m /pa rking sys­
tem plus/rearv iew camera/p eripheral ca meras
Ill Rear park a ssis t: malfunction! Obstacles
c anno t be d etec ted
Ill Front park assist: m alfunction! Obstacle s
cannot be d ete cted
Ill Park a ssist: mal function! Obstacles cannot
be d ete cted
When one of these messages appears, there is a
system ma lf u nction. The LED in the
P11.A. button al­
so blinks when switching it on. The relevant mes-
144 sage on
ly appears again when you manually acti­
vate the parking aid with the button.
[II Rear parking aid: ob stacl e detection re str ict­
ed
The rear c ross-traffic ass ist* ¢ page 132, Rear
cross-traffic assist
i s no t available. Either the ESC
i s sw itched off, or the rada r senso rs may be cov ­
ered by a bike rack, stickers, leaves, snow or oth­
er objects . Switch the ESC on, or clean the area in
front of the sensors if necessary ¢
page 129,
fig . 130.
If this message cont inues to be d is­
played, drive immed iate ly to an authori zed Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service F acility to have
the malfunct ion repaired .
Parking sy stem plu s*
If a sensor or speaker is faulty, the 94 symbo l
will appea r in front of/behind the vehicle in the
Infotainment system d isplay. If a rear sensor is
faulty, only obstacles that are in areas @and @
are
shown ¢ page 137, fig . 136 . If a front sensor
i s faulty, o nly obstacles that are in a reas © and
@ are shown .
Peripheral cameras*
There is a system malfunction if the% symbol
appears and the corresponding area of the dis­
play is shown in black . The camera is not working
i n th is area .
Drive to an authori zed Audi dealer or authori zed
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
Trailer hitch
App lies to : vehicles wi th a rear park ing system/ parking sys­
t e m plus/ rea rview ca mera /pe riph eral cameras and traile r
hi tc h
When the trailer socket is i n use, the parking sys­
tem rear se nsors are not a ct ivated when you sh ift
into reverse gear or when you press the
? #A but ­
ton. This resu lts in the following restrictions .
Rear parking system*
There is no distan ce warning .

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic stabilization control (ESC) supports
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves driving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as when the vehicle is oversteering
and understeering or the wheels are spinning.
The vehicle is stabilized by applying the brakes or reducing eng ine torq ue. When the ESC engages,
the hJ ind icator light blinks in the instrument
cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Ant i-loc k bra king system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when brak­
ing. The vehicle can sti ll be steered even during
hard brak ing. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis­
tance . It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the b rake pedal
until the dangerous situat io n is over . In veh icles
with adapt ive cr uise control*, the bra ke assist
sys tem is more sensitive if the d ista nce detec ted
t o the vehicle dr iv ing ahead is too small.
Anti -Slip Regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin sp inning a nd adapts the force to the road
conditions . This makes it easie r to start, acceler­
a te and dr ive up h ills.
Electron ic differenti al lock (EDL )
The EDL applies the brakes to a wheel that starts
spinning and transfers the drive power to the
other driving wheel or wheels ( if the veh icle is
eq uipped w ith all whee l dr ive*) . T his function is
not available at higher speeds.
146 In extreme cases,
ED L automat ically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over­ heating. The veh icle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switch on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering r ecommendat ion
The ESC he lps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque.
In veh icles with dynamic s teer ing*, ESC a lso
helps to stab ilize the steering in cr it ica l situa ­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Se lective whee l torque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng on curves. The front whee l on the inside of
t h e curve or both whee ls on the i nside of the
curve are braked se lectively as needed. This al­
l ows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post -collision b raking system
The "automat ic post-collis io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of addi­
tiona l collisions after an acc ident. If the a irbag
contro l modu le detects a collision, the ve hicle is
braked by the ESC.
The veh icle does not bra ke automatically if:
-the dr iver presses the accelerator pedal, or
-the ESC, the brake system or the veh icle electri-
cal system are not functioning.
&_ WARNING
-The ESC and its integrated systems cannot overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
phys ica l laws. This is espec ially important
on sl ippery or wet roads. If the systems be­
gin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately alter your speed to match the road and traffic conditions. Do
not let the increased safety provided tempt
you into taking risks. This could increase
your r isk of a coll is ion.
-Please note the r isk of a coll is ion increases
when dr iv ing fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead . The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always

Intelligent Technology
Applies to: allroad
Offroad mode on
ESC/ASR off Offroad mode off or
ESC /ASR on
Beha vior
T he ESC and ASR stabiliza -The stabi lization f unction is The f ull stabilization tune -
tion functions are limited not available
¢ .&. . ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ & . ASR are sw itched off . available aga in .
Operation Press the l~ m l button b rief- Press an d ho ld the l~ "'' I but- Press the l~ "" I button again .
ly. ton longer than three sec-
onds.
Indicator II turns on. Iii and lf'tii•)H turn on. II turns off or II and
light s li'tii•)H turn off .
Message s Stabilization cont
rol (ESC ): Stabiliza tion control (ESC ): Stabilization cont rol (ESC ):
offroad . Warning! Redu ced off . Warning! Restricted
on
s tability stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport/offroad mode
on or switch ESC/ASR off if you r drivi ng abili­
ties and road cond it ions permit .
- The stabilization function is lim ited w hen
sport mode/offroad mode is swi tched on.
T he driving w heels could sp in and the veh i­
cl e could swerve, especi ally o n slick or slip­
pery road sur faces.
- T here is no vehicle sta biliz at ion when ESC/
ASR a re swi tched off.
Hill descent assist
Applies to: allroad
Hill descent assist makes it possible to drive
down a hill at a constant speed.
F ig. 1 56 Center co nso le: hil l desce nt ass ist button
~ To switc h hill descent assist on, press the !"~I
button. The LED in the button t urns on.
~ Press the button again to switch it off. The LED
in the button turns off.
148
Hill descent assist brakes a ll four wheels auto­
matically in order to limit speed when d riving ei­
ther forward or reverse on hills with a grade from
approximately 6 to 60%. The wheels will not lock
u p because the ABS remains activated.
When hill descent assist is on, the speed your ve ­
hicle was traveling when it entered the hill is
maintained. It is only possib le to sw itch on the
ass ist when driving slower tha n 37 mph (60 km/
h) . The ass ist beg ins shortly af ter you start dr iv­
i ng and cont inues up to app roxima tely 19 mph
(30 km/h). The d rive r ca n in crease o r de crease
t h e ve hicle spee d wit hin these lim its by press ing
t h e accelerator or brake pedal.
However, there must be enough t ract ion . Hill de­
sce nt assist
cannot function as e xpec ted, if fo r
ex ample the h ill is icy o r if t he surface is loose
¢ &.
Active regulat io n of a speed up to approximate ly
19 mp h (30 km/h) is s ignaled in the instr ument
cl us ter by an ind ic a tor light
• . The in dica tor
li gh t tur ns on when i n the ready mode.
II.
The system does not work at speeds between ap­
prox imately 19 and 37 mph (30 and 60 km/ h).
The system is the n in ready-mode. This is indica t­
ed by the L ED in the b utton t urnin g on. The sys­
tem a utomatica lly switched o ff when you drive
faster than 37 mph (60 km/h). The LED w ill also
turn off in this scenar io.
Hill descen t assis t is au tomatically ac tiva ted un-
der the fo llowing cond itions:
.,.

a co .... N ..... N .... 0 0
3 co
-the LED in the button turns on
-the vehicle speed is lower than 19 mph (30 km/
h)
-the h ill angle is at least app rox imately 6%
_& WARNING
-Always adapt yo ur speed to the weather,
road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
tak ing risks, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
-
-T he hill descent assist system cannot over­
come the laws of physics. Your driving style
must a lways be adapted to the current road
and traffic conditions.
- Hill descent assist may not be able to hold your vehicle at a constant speed under a ll
condit ions while driving on a hill (for exam­
ple if ground under the veh icle is loose) .
Brakes
New brake p ads
New brake pads do not ach ieve the ir full braking
effect during the first 250 mi (400 km). They
must be "broken
in" first. However, you can com­
pensate for the slightly reduced brak ing fo rce by
p ressing firmly o n the brake pedal. Avoid heavy
b raking during t he b reak-in per iod.
Wear
B rake pad
wear depends largely on the way the
veh icle is driven a nd on operat ing cond itions.
This is especia lly true if you are d riving frequently
in t he c ity and on c urves or wi th a sporty driving
style.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outs ide cond itions such
as temperature and humidity .
Wet conditions or road salt
In certain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in or after washing
your car, the brak ing effect may be reduced due
to moisture or ice on the brake rotors and brake
Intellig ent Technology
pads. The brakes m ust be "dried" first with a few
carefu l brake app lications.
At higher speeds and w ith the win dshield wipe rs
tu rned on, the brake pads press agains t the b rake
roto rs fo r a short amount of time. This action,
which is not felt by the driver, happens at regu lar
i nterva ls and ensures a better reaction t ime for
the b rakes in wet weather.
T he brak ing effec t can a lso be reduced if yo u are
driving on salted roads and yo u do not app ly the
brakes for long per iods of t ime. The layer of sa lt
on the brake rotors and pads m ust be worn off
first whe n the brakes are applied.
Corrosion
Leaving the vehi cle parked for long periods o f
time, low mileage and avoiding heavy b raking
can contrib ute to corros ion on the brake rotors
and to dirty brake pads.
If you usu a lly avoid heavy bra king or if there is
corrosion present, occasiona l heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
roto rs and
pads ¢~ -
Brake system malfunction
If you notice that the bra ke pedal trave l has sud­
denly increased, then a brake circuit in the dua l­
ci rcuit brake system may have malfunctioned.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
problem corrected. On the way there, drive w ith
reduced speed and keep in mind t hat you will
need a longer distance to stop and you will need
to press the bra ke ped al ha rder.
Low brake fluid level
When the bra ke fluid level is low, malfunctions in
the brake system may occur. The brake fluid level is elec tronically monitored.
Brake booster
The brake booster ampli fies the p ressure you ap-
ply to the brake pedal.
.,..
149