2018 AUDI A8 headlights

Cockpit overv iew
CD Note
- Auxiliary headlights and other accessories in
front of the cooling-air intake impair the
cooling effect of the coolant. This increases
the r isk of the engine overheat ing during
high outside temperatures and heavy en-
gine load.
- The front spoiler also helps to distr ibute
cooling air correctly wh ile driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the cooling effect will
be impaired and the risk of the engine over­
heating will inc rease. See an a uthorized
A ud i dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance .
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev ­
olutions per minute
(RPM).
You should shift to the next lowest gea r when
the speed is below 1,500 RP M. The beginn ing of
the red zone in the tachometer ind icates the
maximum permissible engine speed fo r all gears
once the engine has been broken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature . Before
reaching this zone, you should shift into the next
highest gear, select the D selector lever position,
or remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
~ Note
The needle in the tachometer @ c:> page 9,
fig. 3 may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or there is a risk of engine damage. The locat ion where the red zone be­
gi ns varies depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early helps you to save fuel and re­
duces operating noise.
Fuel level
The display @ only works when the ignition is
sw itched on. If the fuel level drops below 4 gal
(15
L), a red L ED will light up and the Ill indica­
tor light will turn on
c:> page 24. The red LED
will blink when the fuel level is very low.
10
The fuel tank capacity of your ve hicle is listed in
the
Techn ical Data section c:> page 334.
CD Note
Neve r drive until the tank is comp letely emp­
ty. The irregu lar supply of fuel th at results
from that can cause engine misfires . Uncom­
busted fuel w ill then enter the exhaust sys­
tem. This can cause overheating and damage
to the catalyt ic converter.
Odometer
Fig. 4 Instru ment cluster: odometer and reset button
Upper odometer
The trip odometer shows the distance driven
s ince it was last reset.
It can be used to measure
short distances.
The trip odometer can be reset to zero by press ­
ing
the ~ reset button.
Lower odometer
The lower odomete r shows the total distance
that the vehicle has driven.
Malfunction indicator
If there is a malfunction in the instrument clus­
ter,
DEF will appear in the trip odometer display.
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possi­
ble.

Cockpit overv ie w
lig ht also turns on. Make sure t hat the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
--... Engine oil sensor
• Oil l evel! Sen sor d efe ctiv e
The sensor to check the engine oil leve l has
fa iled. Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
f Engine warm-up request
0 Plea se warm up engine
Fue l has entered the eng ine oil, either from low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives .
Dr ive unt il the engine is warm so that the fuel in
the eng ine oi l will evaporate . Avo id h igh eng ine
speeds, fu ll acce le rating and heavy eng ine loads
when doing this.
jjl Tank system
Ill Plea se refuel
If t he i nd icator lig ht t urns on fo r the fi rst time
a nd the mess age appears, there a re abo ut 4 ga l­
lons (15 lite rs) of fue l le ft in the tank.
D Fuel tank s ystem malfunction! Plea se con­
tact dealer
There is a malfunction in the fue l tank system .
Drive to an a uthorized Audi dea ler or a uth orized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
(D Tips
For more information on fueling, see
¢page 269 .
~ Washer fluid level
C Please refill washer flu id
24
Fill the washer fluid for the windshie ld washer
system and the head light washer system when
t h e ignit ion is switched
off ¢ page 281 .
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a ma lfunction with the winds hield wip ­
ers .
D rive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
~ /0~ Bulb failure indicator
If the S:$ ind icator light turns on, a bulb has
failed . The message indicates the location of the
bulb.
If the
II indicator light also t urns on, then a rear
fog light has failed. The position of the indicator
li ght corresponds with the location on the vehi­
cle.
Vehicle light s: Malfunction
There is a m alfu nction in the headlights o r the
li gh t sw itch .
D rive to an author ized Audi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Fac il ity immed iate ly to have the
malfunction cor rec ted .
_& WARNING
-Light bulbs are under pressure and can ex ­
p lode when b ulbs a re rep laced, w hic h in­
creases the ris k of in jury.
- With H ID headlig hts* (xenon -plus head ­
lights), the high-vo ltage component must
be handled correct ly . Otherwise, there is a
risk o f fatal in jury.
§.0 Headlight range control system
El He adlight range cont rol system: System
fault
There is a ma lfunction in the headlight range
contro l system, which may cause glare for other
drivers.
-

lL t:0 .-,
"' ......
"' .-, 0 0 :c " Lights and Vision
Exterior Lighting
Switching the headlights on and off
F ig . 44 Instrument panel: l ig ht switc h w ith all -weather
l ig hts
The headlights only wo rk when the ignition is
switched on. While sta rting the engine or when
switch ing off the ign ition, the headlights will go
off and only the side marker lig hts will be on .
I f the sys tem is not operating p roperly, a w arning
symbol in the dr ive r informa tion d isplay is dis­
p layed .::>
page 24.
Light switch --r;_-
T u rn the switch .::> fig. 44 to the co rresponding
position . When the lights are switched on, the
:o o:
sym bol turn s on .
0 - The lights a re off or the daytime runni ng
lights are on :
-USA models: The daytime running lig hts will
come on automatically when the ignition is on
and the light sw itch .::>
fig. 44 is in the O posi­
t ion or the
AUTO position (only i n day light con­
di tions). The
Daytime running lights function
c an be turned o n and off i n the MM I
¢ page 45, i=> &..
-Canada model s: The dayt ime runn ing lights
will come on au toma tic ally when the igni tion is
on and the light swi tch .::>
fig. 44 is in the O po ­
s ition, the
:oo: pos ition or the AUTO position
(o nly in daylig ht
conditions) .::>&. .
AUTO -Automat ic head lig hts sw itch on and off
depend ing on br ightness, for example in tw ilight,
d uring rain or in
tunne ls ¢ &. .
Lights and V ision
:oo: -Side marker ligh ts
io -Low beam head lights
~ -All-weather lig hts
lw -Rear fog lights*. When the rear fog lights are
on, the symbol
0$ on the sw itch will i lluminate.
All-weather lights
The front lights are adjus ted au toma tica lly so
that you are less likely to see g lare from your ow n
head lig hts, for example when driving on a wet
road.
Automatic dynamic headlight range control*
Yo ur vehicle is equ ipped with a headlight r ange
contro l system so tha t the head lig hts do not
blind oncoming t raffic if the vehicle load
changes . T he hea dlight range also adj usts auto­
matically when brak ing and acce lerating .
Light functions
The following light funct io ns are available de ­
pending on veh icle equipment and o nly fu nction
whe n the light switc h is in t he AUTO position.
You can deactivate these functions in the MMI
under
Audi adaptive light ¢ page 45.
Static cornering light* -the corne ring light
switches on automatically when the steering
wheel is turned at a certai n angle at s peeds up to
approximately 44 mph (70 km/h) and when the
turn s ignal is activated at speeds up to approxi­
mately 25 mp h (40 km/h) . The area to t he side of
t h e ve hicle is illuminated better w hen turning.
Dynamic curve light * -the curve light adapts it­
self to the curves in the road .
Highway l ight function* -this function adapts
t h e lig hting for highway driving based on vehicle
speed .
A WARNING ~ --Automatic headlights are only intended to
assist the driver. They do no t relieve the
driver of his responsib ility to check the
headligh ts and to turn them on manually
ac co rding to t he cur rent light a nd vis ib ili ty
conditions . Fo r example, fog cannot be
43

Lights a nd Vis ion
detected by the light sensors. So a lways
switch on the headlights
§.D under these
weather conditions and when driving in the
dark .
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists . Always turn on the
headlights so that you can see ahead and so
that others can see your
car from the back.
- The rear fog lights should only be turned on in accordance with traffic regulat ion, as the
lights are bright for following traffic.
- Please observe legal regulations when using
the light ing systems described .
@ Tips
-The light sensor* for automatic dynam ic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount . You should there­
fore not apply any st ickers to the w indshield
i n this area in order to prevent malfunctions
or fail ures .
- In the event of a ligh t sensor malfunct ion,
the driver is not ified in the instrument clus­
ter
d isplay~ page 25.
- You w ill hear a wa rning tone if you open the
driver door when the exter ior lights are
switched on .
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of the
headlights, turn s ignals and tail lights can
fog over due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside . They will
clear short ly after switching them on . This
does not affect the service life of the light­
i ng .
44
Turn signal and high beam lever
The turn signal lever operates the turn signals,
the high beams and the headlight flasher .
Fig. 45 T urn signa l an d high beam leve r
Turn signa ls¢ Q
N 0 .... 0 :i:
"' m
The t urn signa ls act ivate when you move the lev­
er into a turn signa l position when the ignit ion is
switched on.
(D -Right turn signal
@ -Left turn signal
The turn signa l blinks three times if you just tap
the lever.
H igh be ams and h eadlight fla sh er ~D
Move the lever to the corresponding position:
@ -High beams on (vehicles with High beam as­
sistant* ~ page 44)
@-High beams off or headl ight flasher
T he
El indicator light in the instrument cluster
turns on.
A WARNING
High beams can cause glare for other drivers,
which increases the risk of an accident . For
this reason, only use the high beams or the
headlight flasher when they will not create
g la re for othe r drive rs .
High beam assistant
App lies to: vehicles with high beam ass istant
A camera on the rearv iew mirror mount can de-
tect light sources from other road use rs. The high
beams switch on or off automatically depending
IJI>

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' on the position of vehicles driving ahead and on­
coming vehicles, the vehicle speed and other en­
vironmenta l and traffic conditions.
Activating high beam assistant
Requirement: the light switch must be set to the
AUTO position and the high beam assistant must
be switched on in the Infotainment system
~ page 45 .
.,. To activate the high beam assistant , tap the
l ever forward @. T he
II ind icator light ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display and the
high beam headlights are switched on/off auto­
matically. The
ii indicator light also turns on if
the high beams are switched on.
Switching the high beams on/off manually
If the high beams did not switch on/off automat­
ica lly as expected, you may switch them on or off
manually instead:
.,. To switch the high beams on manually, tap the
lever forward @. T he
ii indicator light turns
on .
.,. To switch the hig h beams off manua lly, pull the
lever
back @. The high beam assistant is deac­
t ivated.
Operating the headlight flasher
.,. T o operate the headlight flasher when the high
beam assistant is activated and high beams are
switched off, pull the lever
back @. The high
beam assistant rema ins active.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Headlight assist: System fault
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Fac ility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected. You can still switch the
high beams on or off manually.
Headlight assist: Unavailable No camera view
The camera view is blocked, for example by a
sticker or debris .
The sensor is located between the interior rear­
view mirror and the windshield. Do not place any
stickers in this area on the windshield.
Lights and Vision
A WARNING
--
High beam assistant is only intended to assist
the driver. The driver is still respons ible for
controlling the headlights and switching
them manually depend ing on light and visibil­
it y conditions. It may be necessary to operate
them manually in situations such as:
- I n adverse weather conditions such as fog,
heavy rain, blowing snow or spraying water.
- On roads where oncom ing traffic may be
pa rtiall y obscured, such as expressways.
- When there are road users that do not have
sufficient lighting, such as b icyclers or
vehicles with dirty tail lamps.
- I n tight curves and on steep hills.
- In poorly lit areas.
- With strong reflectors, such as signs.
- If the area of the w indshield near the sensor
is fogged over, dirty, icy or covered with a
sticker .
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The functions are adjusted in the Infotainment
system.
.,. Select: I CAR ! function button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting .
Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following sett ings in the Au­
tomatic headlights
menu:
Headlights activation time -you can adjust if the
headlights switch on
Early, Medium or Late ac­
cording to the sensitivity of the light sensor.
Auto-dimming high beams* -you can switch the
high beam assistant*
On and Off .
Daytime running lights*
USA models :
the daytime running lights can be
switched on/off. Select
On or Off.
Canada models:
this function cannot be switched
off. They activate automatically each time the ig -
nition is switched on .
IIJ>-
45

Lights and Vision
Q/P -Adjusting the left/right exterior mirror.
Move the knob in the desired direction.
4lll -Heats the mirror glass depending on the out­
side temperature.
8 - Folds the exterior mirrors* . In the Infotain­
ment system, you can select if the mirrors fold in
automatically when you lock the vehicle
¢page 32.
Front passenger's exterior mirror tilt
function*
To help you see the curb when back ing into a
parking space, the surface of the mirror tilts
slightly. For this to happen, the knob must be in
the position for the front passenger's exterior mirror.
You can adjust the tilted mirror surface by turn­
ing the knob in the desired direction. When you
move out of reverse and into another gear, the
new mirror position is stored and assigned to the
key you are using.
The mirror goes back into its original position
once you drive forward faster than 9 mph
(15 km/h) or turn the ignition off .
A WARNING
Curved mirror surfaces (aspheric or convex*)
enlarge the field of vision. However, they
make objects in the mirror appear smaller
and farther away . You may estimate incor­
rectly when you use these mirrors to gauge
your distance from the vehicles behind you
when changing lanes, which increases the risk
of an accident.
(D Note
- If the mirror housing was moved by outs ide
forces (such as an impact when maneuver­
in g), you must use the power folding func­
tion to fold the mirror all the way out. The
mirror housing must not be moved back in-
to place by hand because this would impair
the function of the m irror mechanism.
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior mirrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
48
Never fold power fold ing exterior mirrors by
hand . Only fold them in and out using the
power controls.
(D Tips
-If the power adjusting function malfunc­
tions, the glass in both mirrors can be ad­
justed by pressing on the edge of it by hand.
-The exterior mirror settings are stored with
the memory function* ¢
page 59.
Dimming the mirror
Fig. 51 Automat ic d imming rearv iew m irro r
0
~ 0 :i: ~ m
.. To dim the interior rearview mirror and both ex­
terior mirrors*, press the button @. The LED @
turns on. The interior rearview mirror and exte­
rior mirrors* dim automatically when light
shines on them, for example from headlights
on a vehicle behind you.
A WARNING
Electrolyte fluid can leak out from broken
mirror glass. This liquid can irritate the skin,
eyes and respiratory system. If there is con­
tact with the fluid, flush immediately with
p lenty of water . Consult a physician if neces­
sary.
-
-Repeated or long-term exposure to electro­
lyte fluid can lead to irritation of the air­
ways, especially in people with asthma or
other respiratory conditions. Take deep
breaths immediately after leaving the vehi­
cle or, if this is not possible, open all of the
doors and w indows as wide as possible.
-If electrolyte fluid enters the eyes, flush
them thoroughly with a large amount of

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' reactivated the next time you switch the ignition
on.
C lea n the head lights. The headlight washer sys ­
tem operates only when the low beam headlights
are switched on . If you move the lever to position
@ , the headlights and the night vision assist
camera* are cleaned at intervals .
A WARNING
-The rain sensor is only intended to assist the
dr iver. The driver may still be responsible
for manually sw itching the w ipers on based
on v is ib il ity conditions.
-The w indshie ld may not be treated with wa­
ter-repell ing windsh ield coating agents . U n­
favorable conditions, such as wetness, dark­ ness, and whe n the s un is low, can cause in­
cr eased g la re, which in cre ases the risk of a n
acc iden t. W iper blade ch atter is also poss i­
ble.
-Prope rly f unct ion ing winds hield wiper
blades are require d fo r a clear view and s afe
driving¢ page 51, Replacing the wiper
blades.
(Llj) Note
-If there is frost, make s ure t he windsh ie ld
wiper b la d es are not frozen to the wind ­
s h ield. Switching on the windshield wipers
when the blades are frozen to the wind­ s h ield can damage the wiper blades.
-Prior to using a car was h, the windshield
wiper system must be switched off (lever in
pos ition @). This prevents the wipers from
switching on un intent ionally and causing
damage to the w indshie ld w iper system .
(D Tips
-The windshield wipe rs switch off when the
i gnition is sw itched off. You can act ivate the
winds hield wipers after the ig nition is
switched back on by moving the winds hield
wiper leve r to any pos it ion .
-Worn or dirty w indshield wiper blades result
i n streak ing . This can affec t the ra in se nsor
f u nct ion . Check yo ur windsh ield wipe r
b lades regu lar ly.
Light s and Vision
-The washer fluid no zz les for the windshield
washer system are heated at low tempera­
tures when the ign ition is on .
-When stopping temporari ly, such as at a
traffic light, the speed of the windshield
w ipers automatica lly reduces by one level.
Cleaning the wiper blades
Clean the wiper b lades when you see w iper
streaks. Clea n the wiper blades with a soft towel
and glass cleaner .
.. Place the windshie ld w iper arms in the service
position
¢ page 51.
.. Fold the windshie ld wiper arms away from the
w indshield .
A WARNING
Dirty windsh ie ld w iper b lades can impa ir vi­
sion, w hich in creases the r is k of an acc ident.
Replacing the wiper blades
The service position is set in the Infotainment
system .
Fig. 57 Remov ing w indsh ield wiper b lades
Windshield wiper s erv ice position /blade
repl ace ment posit ion
-
~ ~ M 0 :i: ... m
.. Switch the ignit ion off and move the windshield
w iper lever to
position @) briefly¢ page 50,
fig. 56. The windshield wipers move into the
serv ice position .
.. To bring the wiper blades back into the o rig inal
position, sw itch the ignition on and ope rate the
w indshie ld w iper lever.
You can also turn the se rvice posit ion on or off in
the Infotainment system:
.,.
51

Assistance systems
critical, the system will direct your attention to
this :
- Pedestrians or wild animals are highlighted in
red and the corresponding
symbol . or.
turns on c::> fig. 125.
- There is also an audible signal.
The area classified as critical is based on the vehi­
cle speed and the steering wheel angle. Pedes­
trian and wild animal warning encourages you to pay more attention.
If the night vision assist image is replaced by an­
other display (such as the on-board computer),
the
red . or. indicator light c::> fig. 126 will
appear if there is a pedestrian or wild animal
warning.
If the head-up display* is switched on and the
night vision assist content is activated, .
or.
will appear in the head-up display*.
Marking light*
To direct the driver's attention to a pedestrian,
the headlights can flash on the pedestrian three
times in a row when there is a pedestrian warn­
ing.
This occurs at speeds above approximately 35 mph (60 km/h) if you are outside of illuminat­
ed areas and no detected vehicles are shown . The
high beam assistant* controls the marking light*
c::> page 44, High beam assistant .
The marking light is not used for wild animals .
General information
Applies to: vehicles with night vision ass ist
Fig. 127 F ront of th e vehicl e: nigh t visio n as sist c amer a
110
The following situations may affect the function
of the night vision assist system:
- Poor visibility such as snow , rain, fog or heavy
spray
- Dirty lens on the night vision assist camera
Make sure the night vision assist camera
c::> fig . 12 7 is not covered by stickers , deposits or
any other obstructions because that can affect
the camera function . For information on clean­
ing, see
c::> page 306.
The pedestrian and wild animal recognition de­
pends on the temperature difference between
the person/wild animal and the background. Peo­
ple/wild animals may not be detected if the dif­
ference is too small. The pedestrian/wild animal
marking and the marking light* deactivate at
temperatures above approximately 77 °F (25 °C)
and during daylight . If the night vision assist im ­
age is selected in the inst rument cluster display,
then the
II symbol appears a t the top on the
right side .
,& WARNING
,-
Pay attention to traffic and the area around
your vehicle when night vision assist is switch­
ed on. The driver is always responsible for as­
sessing the traffic situation.
- Night vision assist can only warn about peo­
ple and wild animals located within the visu­
al range of the infrared camera. The visual
range corresponds to the image in the in­
strument cluster display .
- Night vision assist may not detect people or
wild animals and mark them if
- they are not in an upright position, for ex­
ample if they are sitting or lying down
and/or
- the silhouette in the display appears in­
complete or interrupted, for example be­
cause the person is partially covered by a
vehicle or an animal by tall grass . This
could increase the risk of an accident.
- Never try to swerve around animals if doing
so will endanger you or other road users, be­
cause this increases the risk of an accident.