2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­ miss ion downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
g ine utilizes its full power, depend ing on veh icle
speed and engine RPM . It shifts up into the next
h igher gea r once the maximum spec ified eng ine
RP M i s reached .
A WARNING
Please note tha t the wheels could sp in o n
slick or slippery roads when kick -down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Applies to: S8 plus
-
The maximum engine torque is temporarily in ­
creased in overboost. Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operat ing temperature .
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin o n
slick or sl ippery roads when overboost is ac­
t ive.
Transmission malfunction
Tran sm iss ion : selector l eve r in drive!
-
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
Select the P se lector lever position .
rm Transm issio n: Please p res s bra ke pedal and
s e lect ge ar aga in
Press the brake pedal and se lect the desired se ­
lector lever posit ion aga in. You can then continue
driving.
rm T ransmi ssion o verh ea ting : Ple ase d rive con­
servat ively
The t ransm iss ion tempera ture h as increased s ig ­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re -
Driving
turns to the normal range and t he indicator light
switches of .
rm Transmi ssion malfunction : You can continue
driving
T here is a system malfu nction in the transmis­
s io n. You may cont inue d riving. Dr ive to an au­
thorized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized Audi Serv ice
F ac ility soon to have t he malfunct io n cor rected.
[O] liJ Transmission malfunc tion: You can con­
tinu e driving in D un til engine i s off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion . The transm ission is switch ing to emergency
mode .
If you turn the engine off, you w ill not be
able to select any othe r se lector lever positions
after sta rting the engine ag ain. Drive to an a u­
tho rized Aud i de aler or authorized Audi Serv ice
F acility immediate ly to have the ma lfunction cor ­
rected .
rm Transmi ssion malfunction : You can continue
driving with limited functionalit y
There is a system malfu nction in the transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. This mode only sh ifts i nto ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift a t all. T he eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] liJ Tran smi ssio n malfunction : No rev ers e
g ear. You can c ontinue dri ving
T he re is a system malfu nction in t he transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. This mode only sh ifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The engine may sta ll.
You cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to an
authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
[O] Vehicle ma y roll! Cannot sh ift to P. Please
appl y par king brake
-The parking loc k was released using the emer -
gency
re lease ¢ page 88 . Or ..,.
87

Driving
-The park ing lock can no longer be engaged.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immed iately to have
the malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue driving. Select the P selec tor lev­
er position and contact an authorized Audi dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
®
Fig. 99 Drive r's side footwe ll: releasin g t he parking lock
u sin g th e emergency release
Fig . 100 Dr iver's s ide footwell: resett ing the park ing lock
The emergency re lease is located under the floor
mat on the driver 's side. You operate the emer­
gency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the parking brake(®)
¢ page 81 or
press the brake pedal.
88
.,. Th ere are two slits on the cover. Position the
screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit in one of
the s lits on the cover and pry the cover off.
.,. Pull the band ® in the direction of the arrow
until the release lever locks in place
¢ fig. 99 .
.,. Fold the upper sect ion of the release lever
down into th e recess.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the button @ and the release lever at the
same time. You can now push the lever back in­
to its original posit ion. Make sure the lever
locks in
place ¢ fig. 100 .
.,. Install the cover .
When the parking lock emergency release is
used, the
rm indicator light and the N selector
lever posit ion turn on in the instrument cluster.
The message
Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P.
Please apply parking brake
also appears .
.&, WARNING
-
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle with
the pa rking brake or the brake pedal if the
parking brake is not working. The vehicle can
ro ll away if it is not secured and cause a crash.

lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c ' Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­ my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trailer operation mode
c:> page 89, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount. Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the trailer hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from behind
£:=? .&, .
Trailer towing
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Audi dealer for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
.,&. WARNING
-After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instruction s
Fig. 101 MMI display: towing mode o n
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
89

Trailer towing
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p la ce to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder . It
is important that the coo ling system's perform­
ance is up to t he additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid .
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label
~ page 293. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e ma nufactu rers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are proper ly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the
tongue we ight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not ra ised
~ page 111, ~0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function butto n> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the ve hicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ~ page 113.
@ Note
-Changes in temperature or load can aff ect
the height of the vehicle .
-Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tong ue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a hig hly unstable distribution of we ight. If th is
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle s hould be loaded
to
the extent possible and permissib le, w hil e
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be ­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly whe n
go ing down hill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
A lways apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
ll-

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Air suspension*
When driv ing with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer . This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving. Select in the MMI:
ICARI function button> (Car)* systems control
button >
Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 9 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you dr ive on long inclines in a low
gear at h igh engine speeds . Reduce your speed
i mmed iately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about ind icator lights, re­
fer
to . ¢ page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
veh icle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
de nt. Never let anyone ride in you r car who is
not properly wearing the restraints p rovided
by Audi.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
-
Your ve hicle handles different ly when towing a
tra ile r because of the additiona l we ight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy wi ll greatly depend on how careful­
l y you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing until you have be­
come comp letely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Trailer towing
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
c h anges.
(D Tips
-Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your ve hicle.
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex ­
tra load
¢ page 336 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load .
.,. Tur n the whee ls towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake .
.. Start the engine .
.,. Select the D selector lever position.
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P befo re applying the park-
in g brake and before blocking the wheels, you
.,_
91

Trailer towing
may have to use more force late r to move the
lever out of the P position .
92

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' Assistance systems Speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set.
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly.
The. (USA models)/ . (Canada models) indi­
cator light and a message appear in the instru­
ment cluster display at the same time. The
•
• indicator light and the message turn off if the
speed falls back below the stored maximum
speed.
Setting a threshold is recommended if you would like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a gener­
al speed limit or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system.
.. Select: I CARI function button > Car systems
contro l button > Driver assistance > Speed
warning.
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system, you
should always monitor your speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
Assistance systems
Cruise control system
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h).
0
f
®t
0
Fig. 102 Operating lever: cruise control system
g M 0 :i: ;A
.. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into position
(D ¢ fig. 102.
.. Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.. To store the speed, press the button @.
The stored speed and the
(ij;ji)M~ (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light are displayed
in the instrument cluster.
This information is also shown briefly in the
head-up display* .
The speed is maintained by modifying engine
power or through an active brake intervention.
_.&. WARNING
-
-Always pay attention to the traffic around
you when the cruise control system is in op ­
eration. You are always responsible for your
speed and the distance between your vehi­
cle and other vehicles.
-For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traffic, on
winding roads and when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplaning), because this increases the
risk of an accident.
-Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when driving in turning lanes, highway exits or in construction zones.
~
93

Assistance systems
-Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be­
cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system.
- If a brake system malfunction such as over­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system may be switched off. The rest of
the cruise control system funct ions remain
active as long as the
@;\IM~ (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights turn on when the brakes are
applied automatically.
Changing the speed
.,. To incr ease or decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever toward
010 ¢ page 93,
fig . 102.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction until the de­
s ir ed speed is displayed.
You can a lso press the accelerator pedal down to
increase your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you set earlier w ill re­
sume as soo n as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
However, if you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cru ise control system turns off temporarily.
The
green@;\1)~1~ (USA mode ls) !l'I (Canada mod ­
els) indicator light in the speedometer turns off
and the stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting a speed
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Pull the lever into position (D i::> page 93,
fig. 102 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed, push the lev­
er toward
0 10 .
94
.. To store the speed displayed, release the lever.
This function makes it possible , fo r example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway , activate the
cruise contro l by pulling the lever toward
(D.
Switching off
Deactivating temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position @(not clicked into
place)
¢ page 93, fig. 102, or
.. Dr ive for longer than 5 minutes faster than 5
mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press the lever into position@(clicked into
place), or
.. Switch the ignition off .
The speed you stored will be maintained if the
cruise contro l has been switched off temporarily .
T o resume the stored speed, release the brake
pedal and pull the lever into position
(D.
Switching the ignition off will erase the stored
speed.
A WARNING
You sho uld only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traffic conditions.
Otherwise you can increase the risk of an acc i­
dent.