2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

Adjusting the temperature
Temperatures between 60 °F ( +16 ° C) and 84 °F
(+28 °C) can be set . Outside of this range,
LO or
HI will appear in the climate contro l system dis­
p lay . At both of these settings, the climate con ­
trol system runs continuously at maximum cool­
ing or heating power. There is no temperature
regulation.
~ Adjusting the amount of air
You can adjust the airf low manually to suit your
ne eds . The blower should always run at a low set ­
ting to prevent the windows from fogging and to
ensure a continuous exchange of air ins ide the
vehicle. To have the airflow regulated automat i­
cally, press the
IAUTO I button.
~ Adjusting the air distribution
You can manually se lect the vents where the air
will flow. To have the a ir distribution regu lated
automatically, press the
IAUTO I button.
Ill/ lil* Adjusting seat heating/ventilation*
Pressing the button switches the seat heating/
venti lation on at the highest setting (level 3). The
LEDs indicate the temperature level. To reduce
the temperature, press the button aga in. To
sw itch the seat heating/ventilation off, press the
button repeatedly until the LED turns off.
After 10 minutes, the seat heating/ventilation
automatically switches from level 3 to level 2.
l The windshield and side windows are defrosted
or cleared of condensation as quickly as possible.
The maximum amount of air flows main ly from
the vents below the windshield. Recirculation
mode switches off. The temperature shou ld be
set to approximately 72 °F (22 °().
The
IAUTOI button switches the defroster off .
IQil REAR I Switching the rear window defogger
on and off
The rear window defogger only operates when
~ the engine is running. It switches off automati-....
~ cally after 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the N
~ outside temperature. 0 :c ' Warm and cold
To prevent the rear window defogger from
switching off automatica lly, press and hold the
loo REAR I button for more than three seconds .
This is stored until the ignition is switched off.
I SYNC! Synchronization*
When synchron ization is switched on, the set­
tings for the driver's side are applied to the front
pass enge r's side (except for seat heating/venti la ­
tion*). The rear is also synchronized in vehicles
with the 4-zone deluxe automatic climate control
system*. Synchronization switches off if the set­
t ings are adjusted on the front passenger's side
or in the rear*.
You can synchronize the sett ings in a row by
pressing and holding a knob. For example, to ap­
ply the sett ings for the front passenger's side to
the driver's side, press and hold the knob on the
front passenger 's side.
Vents
You can open or close the center and rear vents in
the cockpit and the vents in the rear center con­
sole and door pillars using the ridged thumb­
wheels. The levers adjust the direction of the air­
flow from the vents.
Residual heat
You can act ivate the residual heat function when
the ignition is switched off by pressing and hold­
ing the
lj) button. The residual heat from the
coolant is used to heat the vehicle interior . T he
r esidua l heat function switches off automatically
after about 30 minutes .
_&. WARNING
-You should not use the recirculation mode
for an extended period of time since no
fresh air is drawn in. With the air-condition ­
ing switched off, the windows can fog up,
which increases the risk of an acc ident.
- Individuals with reduced sensitivity to pain
or temperature could develop burns when
using the seat heating function. To reduce
the r isk of injury, these individua ls should
not use seat heating .
71

Warm and cold
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating elements in
the seats, do not kneel on the seats or place
heavy loads on a small area of the seat.
Basic settings
The climate control system basic settings ore ac­
cessed in the Infotainment system.
,.. Select: the ICARI function button > Car systems
control button > AC.
Rear seat settings*
When this function is selected, all settings for
the rear can be adjusted through the climate con­
trol system in the cockpit. The climate control
system settings cannot be adjusted in the rear
seat at the same time. This function switches off
after a certain period of time or when one of the
dials in the cockpit is pressed.
Auto recirculation*
The sensit ivity level of the automatic recircula­
tion mode can be set at various levels from
Off to
Sensitive. When recirculation mode 1~ 1 is switch­
ed on, the air recirculation is controlled automat­
ically. If the windows fog up, press the
I ® FRONT I
button.
Footwell temperature
You can adjust the footwell temperature so that
it is cooler or warmer .
Solar roof*
Parking ventilation is controlled automatically in
the
Auto setting.
When the ignition is switched off, solar-powered
parking ventilation may switch on, as long as
- there is sufficient sunlight,
- the outside temperature is not too low,
- the sunroof is closed or tilted and
-Auto (Infotainment system) is set
72
Steering wheel heating
Applies to: vehicles with steering wheel heating
The steering wheel rim can be heated .
Fig. 88 Steering column: steering wheel heating button
,.. Press the [il button to switch steering wheel
heating on/off. The message
Steering wheel
heating on/Steering wheel heating off
ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display.
The temperature is maintained at a constant lev­
el when steering wheel heating is switched on.
The steering wheel heating settings are stored
automat ical ly and assigned to the remote control
key that is in use.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new veh icle must be broken in for the first
1,000 m iles ( 1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
that will ex ceed 2/3 of the max imum perm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid full acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
h igher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into p lace with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1 ,500 km) also affects t he engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
engine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new t ires, dr ive pa r­
ticularly ca refu l for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­
mete rs) after fi tting .
A WARNING
New tires tend to be s lippery and must also
be "broken -in" . Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 miles (500 ki lometers).
Brake gently . Avo id following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing .
-
Driving
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
(UJ) Note
When dr iv ing o n poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make sure that low -hanging
components such as the spoiler and exhaust
system do not come into contact with these
or they co uld be damaged. This espec ia lly ap­
plies to vehicles w ith low ground clearance
and vehicles that are heav ily loaded.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of veh icle
damage when dr iving through wate r, fo r example
o n flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the veh icle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
-
After driv ing through water or mud, the effec ­
tiveness of the b rakes may be reduced due to
moisture o n the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few ca refu l bra ke app lications sho uld d ry
off the brakes and restore the fu ll braki ng ef ­
fect.
(UJ) Note
- Vehicle components such as t he e ng ine,
t ra nsmission, suspe nsion or elect rical sys­
t em can be seve re ly damaged by driv ing
throug h water .
- Alw ays sw itch the Start/Stop system off
w hen driv ing th ro ugh water
q poge 78.
(D Tips
- Determine the depth before d riving throug h
wate r.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
sw itch t he e ngine off when d riving through
wate r.
- Keep in mind that o ncom ing vehicles may
cr eate waves that raise the wa ter level and
m ak e it too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.
73

Drivin g
-Avoid driving through sa lt water, because
this can cause corrosion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fuel consumption, the env iron­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and t ires depends mostly on your dr iv ing
style. W it h an anticipatory and economic dr iv ing
style , fu el consumption can be reduced by ap ­
p roximate ly 10 -15% . The following tips wi ll help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A veh icle uses the most fuel when acce le rating.
When you dr ive with ant ic ipat io n, you do no t
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less .
When possib le, let your vehicle coast with a
gear
eng aged ,
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 during decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficientl y
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly . Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly
and avoid "k ick-down" .
Avoid full accel eration
You shou ld rare ly trave l at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately h igh increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic no ise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idlin g 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 eng ine
off when stopped at ra ilroad crossings and long
red l ights . Stopp ing the engine for 30 -40 sec­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
ext ra fuel needed to resta rt the eng ine.
74
It takes a ve ry long time in id le to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. Therefore, you shou ld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this .
Hav e maintenance perfo rmed regul arly
By having maintenance performed reg ularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The maintenance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al­
so impacts fuel consumpt ion. A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consumpt ion that
i s 10% hig he r th an no rma l.
Avoid short trip s
The engine and exhaust cleaning system must
reach their optimal operat ing temperature to ef­
fect ively reduce consumpt ion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fuel. The engine reaches operat ing
temperature and consumption normalizes only
after approximately 2 .5 m iles (4 km) .
Check the tire pressu re
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to the correct pressure
¢ page 291. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres­
sure is only 0 .5 bar too low . Due to the increased
r oll ing resistance, low tire p ressures w ill also
l ead to greater tire wear and will affe ct driv ing
behav ior.
Drive w ith summer tires when poss ible because
t hi s can increase fue l economy by up to 10% .
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every pound of extra weight increases fuel
consumption, it pays to remove any unnecessary
weight.
A roof rack increases the w ind resistance on the
vehicle and shou ld be removed when it is not
needed. You will save approximately 12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph (100-120 km/ h).
.,.

lL t:0 ....
"" ......
"" .... 0 0 :c ' Save en er gy
The engine drives the generator, wh ich generates
electricity; the fue l consumption also increases
with the demand for electricity. Therefore, switch
e lectrical equipment off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that use a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating*.
CD Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on to
ind icate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, wh ich could result in overheat ing or
other damage to the vehicle or other p roper-
ty.
CD Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly and
i n accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Ma intenance book­
l et. Lack of proper maintenance as well as
i mproper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
-Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­ proved by the manufacturer.
-Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other
important vehicle components .
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions
trip length, etc.
'
D rivi ng
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel position
The steering column can be power adjusted up
and down and forward and back.
F ig . 89 Sw itc h for steering colu mn adjustment
Requirement: the driver's seat is set correct ly.
"' To adjust the he ight, press the sw itch up/down .
The steering co lumn will continue movi ng as
long as you are pressing the switch.
"' To move the steering wheel forwa rd or back,
press the switch forward/back. The steering
column will continue moving as long as you are
pressing the switch.
T he steering wheel can a lso be adjusted when the
ignition is switched off .
In veh icles with memory function*, the steering
co lumn settings are s to red toget her w ith the
seat position.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment
and improper seating position can cause seri­
ous personal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only when
the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
veh icle control.
- Ad just the driver's seat or steer ing whee l so
that the re is a m inimum of 10 in (25 cm)
between your chest and the steering wheel
r::;, page 209, fig . 217 . If you cannot main­
tain this minimum distance, the airbag sys-
tem cannot protect you p roperly.
~
75

Driving
-If physica l limitations prevent you from sit­
t ing 10 in (25 cm) or more from the steer­
ing wheel, check with your authorized Audi
dealer to see if adaptive equ ipment is avail­
able .
-If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supp lemental driver's airbag can­
not prov ide as m uch protection in an acci­
dent. A lways make s ure that the steering
wheel is aligned w ith your che st.
-Always hold the steer ing whee l with your
hands a t the 9 o' clock and 3 o'clock pos i­
t ions to reduce the ris k of person al injury if
the driver 's airbag deploys.
-Never hold the s teer ing whee l at the 1 2
o'clock pos it io n or w ith your ha nds inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steer ing
wheel hub . Holdi ng the steering whee l the
wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head i f the driver's airbag
deploys.
Entry assistance
Easy seat entry makes it easier to enter and exit
the vehicle by adjusting the steering column au­
tomatically.
• In the Infotainment system, select the ! CARI
funct ion b utton > Car systems contro l button >
Vehicle settings > Seats > Drive r's seat > Easy
seat entry > On .
When easy seat entry is switched on, the stee ring
column goes back up into the park position when
the ignition is switched off. After entering the ve­
h icle, the steering co lumn returns to the stored
position once the ignition is sw itched on .
76
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The ! START ENGINE S T OPI button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine.
Fi g. 90 Ce nter conso le: STAR T ENGINE S TOP but ton
Switching the ignition on /off
• To switch t he ign it ion on or off, press the
! S TAR T ENGINE STOPI button . Do not press the
brake pedal while do ing this.
St arting the engine
• Press the brake pedal¢ &_.
• Press the I START ENGINE STOP I button
¢ fig. 90 . The eng ine will start .
If the engine does not start immediately, the
start ing procedure stops automat ica lly after a
sho rt time . Repeat the sta rting process .
Start/Stop syst em
See the information in ¢ page 78, Start/Stop
system.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poison ing, never allow
the eng ine to run in co nfined spaces .
(D Note
Avoid high engine spee d, full throttle, and
h eavy engine load if the engine has not
reached operat ing temperat ure yet . You could
-
damage the eng ine. .,..

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' (D Tips
-Some noise after starting the engine is nor­
mal and is no cause for concern.
- If you leave the vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition will switch off af­
ter a certain amount of time. Make sure that
electrical equipment such as the exterior
lights are switched off.
Stopping the engine
.,. Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
.,. Select the P or N selector lever position .
.. Press the I START ENGI NE STOPI button
~ page 76, fig. 90.
Steering lock
The steering locks when you turn the engine off
using the lSTART
ENGINE STOPlbutton and
open the driver's door. The locked steering helps
prevent vehicle theft.
Emergency off function
If it is absolutely necessary, the engine can also
be turned off while driving in the
R, Dor S selec­
tor lever position at speeds below 6 mph (10 km/
h). To stop the engine, press and hold the
I START ENGINE STOPI button and also press the
brake pedal.
& WARNING
-Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You must use
more force to turn or brake. Because you
cannot steer and brake as you usually
would, this could lead to accidents and seri­
ous injuries .
-Always take the key with you whenever you
leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the engine
cou ld be started or electrical equipment
such as the power windows could be operat­
ed. This can lead to serious injury.
-For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the selector lever in the P position .
Driving
Otherwise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally.
@ Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off and there is a risk of damaging
the engine. For this reason, let the engine run
at idle for approximately two minutes before
shutting it off .
(D Tips
For up to 10 minutes after stopping the en­
gine, the radiator fan may turn on again auto­
matically or it may continue to run (even if
the ignition is switched off) for the following
reasons :
- The coolant temperature is increasing due
to trapped heat.
- If the engine is warm and the engine com­
partment also heats up from strong sun­
light.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appears and a warning tone sounds
if you open the driver's door when the ignition is
switched on.
Press brake pedal to start engine
This message appears when you press the
I START ENGINE STOP ! button to start the engine
and do not press the brake pedal while doing so.
The engine can only be started when the brake pedal is pressed .
Ill Is key 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 .
.,.
77

Driving
Shift to P, otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock if lever is not in
P.
This driver message appears fo r safety reasons if
the transmission has not been shifted to the P
position when you switch the ignition off. Move
the selector lever to the P position . Otherwise the
veh icle is not protected from ro lling and it cannot
be locked.
(I Key is not recognized. Hold back of key
against marked area. See owner's manual
If the i ndicator light turns on and this message
appears, there is a
malfunction ~ page 78.
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appears if the driver's door is
ope ned while the ignition is switched on . Always
sw itch off the ignition if you are leavi ng the vehi­
cle .
Shift to P and turn off ignition before leav ing
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 . Shift the transm iss ion into the P posit ion
and turn off the ign ition if you are leaving the ve­
h icle . Otherwise the vehicle could roll.
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 .
c:====== ~
~ _____ ___ ci5
Fig . 91 Cente r console/remote cont ro l key : sta rt ing the
eng ine
if t here is a malfunc tion
78
Requirement: the message Key is not recog­
nized. Hold back of key against marked area .
See owner's manual
must appear and the (I i n ­
dicator light must turn on.
.,. Hold the remote control key vertically in the lo ­
cation indicated
y >l) ~ fig. 91 .
.,. Press the brake peda l.
.,. Press the I START ENGINE STOPI button. The
engine will start.
.,. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author ­
ized Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected .
(0 Tips
You can v iew the message aga in by pressing
the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOP I button.
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop syste m
The Start/Stop system can help increase fuel
economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
In Start/Stop mode, the eng ine s hut s 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 w ill restart
automat ically w hen needed.
The last Start/Stop system setting is restored
when the ignition is switched on.
Basic requirements for Start/Stop mode
- Th e driver's door must be closed.
- The driver's seat belt much be fastened.
- The hood must be closed .
- The vehicle must have dr iven faster than
2.5 mph (4 km/h) since the last t ime it stop ­
ped .
- A trailer must not be hitched to the vehicle .
A WARNING
-Never turn off the eng ine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop . The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You must use
more force to turn or brake. Because you