2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

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" N .... 0 0 :c ' Intelligent Technology Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
The ESC increases driving safety. It reduces the
risk of slipping and improves driving stability.
ESC detects critical situations such as when the
vehicle is oversteering and understeering or the
wheels are spinning. The vehicle is stabilized by
applying the brakes or reducing engine torque .
When the ESC engages,
the G1 indicator light
b links in the instrument cluster.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when brak­
ing. The vehicle can still be steered even during
hard braking. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quickly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the brake pedal
until the dangerous situat ion is over . In veh icles
w ith adaptive cruise contro l*, the brake assist
system is more sensitive if the distance detected
to the vehicle dr iv in g ahead is too small. On
ve hicl es w ith activated and functioning night vi­
sion assist*, the brake assist system can respond
more sensitively if there is a warning .
Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive wheels
begin spinning and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler­
ate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
EDL applies the brakes to a wheel that starts
sp inn ing and transfers the drive power to the
other driving wheels. This functio n is not availa­
ble at higher speeds.
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In extreme cases, EDL automatica lly switches off
to keep the brake on the braked whee l from over ­
heating. The vehicle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switch on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
T he ESC he lp s to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque .
In veh icles with dynamic steer ing*, ESC also
helps to stab ilize the steer ing in crit ica l situa­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when driv­
in g on curves.
The front wheel on the inside of the curve or both
wheels on the inside of the curve are braked se­
lectively as needed. This allows more precise driv­
in g in curves . The applicable system may not acti­
vate when dr iv in g in wet or snowy conditions .
Automatic post -collision braking system
Th e "automat ic post-collis ion braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of addi­
t iona l co llisions after an acc ident. If the airbag
control module detects a co llision above a certa in
vehicle speed, the veh icle is braked by the ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if :
- the dr iver presses the acce lerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri ­
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
,--
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the lim its imposed by natural
p hys ical laws. This is especially important
on slippery or wet roads. If the systems be­
g in 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
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Intelligent Technology
you into taking risks. T his could increase
your risk of a co llision.
- Please note the risk of a co llision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions - there is still a risk of acc i­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
acce lerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
Switching on and off
even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- Th e ABS and ASR only function correct ly
when a ll four wheels have a simi lar wear
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig . 152 Center conso le wit h ESC O FF but ton
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in order to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the ve hicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iv in g with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited
¢ .&. . and ASR is ava ilable aga in .
Operation Press th e @ button. Press the@button again.
Indicator II turns on. II turns off .
lights
Messages Stabilization control (ESC): Off Warning! Stabilization control (ESC): On
Reduced stability
A WARNING
Only switch sport mode on when your driving
abilities and the traffic s ituation permit, be­
cause there is a risk of s liding.
- The stabilization function is l im ited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
whee ls could spin and the veh icle could
swerve , espec ially on slic k or slippery road
s urfac es.
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0) Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched on if the
cruise control system* or adaptive cruise con­
trol* is switched on .

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New brake pads
New brake pads do no t ac hieve t heir f ull b raking
effect during the firs t 25 0 mi (4 00 km). They
must be "b roken
in" fi rst . The b rea k-in per io d can
be considerably longe r for vehicles with ce ram ic
brake roto rs*. However, yo u can compensate for
the slightly reduced br aking fo rce by p ressing
firm ly on the brake pedal. Avo id heavy braking
d uring the brea k-in period .
Wear
Brake pad wear depends largely on the way the
ve hicle is driven and on operat ing cond itions.
This is especially true if you are driving frequently
i n the c ity and on curves o r with a sporty driving
style .
Operating noise
Noises may occur when bra king depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outs ide cond itions s uch
as temperature and humidity .
Noises may become more appare nt at lowe r
speeds d ue to the nature of the mater ia ls in the
ceramic brake rotors*.
Effect of water and road salt
I n ce rtain s it u at ions, for ex ample a fter dr iving
throu gh water, in heavy ra in, afte r overnig ht con ­
densat io n or after washing your car, the bra king
effect can be red uced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and b ra ke pads. The brakes must be
"dr ied" fi rst w it h a few careful brake applica­
tions .
At highe r speeds and with the windsh ie ld w ipers
turned on, the brake pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a sho rt amount of time. T his action,
which is not felt by the d rive r, happens a t regular
in te rvals a nd ens ures a bette r reac tion time fo r
the bra kes in wet weat her.
The braking ef fect can also be reduced if you are
d riving on salted roads and you do not apply t he
b rakes fo r long pe riods of time . The laye r of sa lt
on the br ake ro to rs and pads must be wo rn off
fi rs t when the br akes are app lied.
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Du e to its s urface, the ceram ic b rake rotor * ab ­
sorbs moistu re in ce rtain s ituations. The refore,
t h ere w ill tempora rily be less brak ing fo rce t han
whe n the brakes are d ry . Yo u can compensate for
t hi s by press ing t he b rake pedal harder.
Corrosion
L eaving t he vehi cle pa rked fo r lo ng p eriods o f
time, low mileage and avoidin g heavy b raking
can contrib ute to corros ion on the b rake roto rs
and to dirty brake pads.
If you usu a lly avoid heavy bra king or if the re is
cor rosion prese nt, occasiona l heavy bra king at
high speeds is recommended to clean the b ra ke
r oto rs and pads
c:> ,& .
Brake system malfunction
If
you notice that the br ake pe dal trave l has sud ­
denly in crease d, then a brake circuit in the dua l­
c ir cuit b rake system may have malfu nctioned .
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
prob lem cor rected . On the way there, drive w ith
red uced speed and kee p in mind that you will
need a longer dis tance to stop an d you will need
to press the bra ke pe dal harder.
Low brake fluid level
When the bra ke fluid level is low, malfu nctions in
the b rake system may occur . T he b rake fl uid level
i s e lec tron ically moni to red .
Brake booster
The brake booster ampli fies t he p ress ure you ap ­
ply to the brake pedal. It on ly works w hen the en­
gine is runn ing.
A WARNING
-
- Onl y app ly the brakes for the purpos e of
cleani ng the bra ke sys tem when road and
t raffic cond ition s permi t. You mu st not en ­
dan ger oth er r oad users . T hi s incr ea ses the
r isk of a n accid ent.
- N eve r let t he ve hicle roll wh ile th e e ngi ne is
st opp ed bec au se this incr eas es th e risk o f an
a ccide nt.
ll),
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Intellig ent T echn olo gy
- New brake pads do not achieve their full
braking effect during the first 250 mi
(400 km). They must be "broken in" first.
However, you can compensate for the
sl ightly reduced brak ing force by pressing
firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak­
i ng dur ing t he break- in per iod.
- Certa in weather and operat ing cond it ions
such as dr iv ing through water, driving in
heavy ra in or driving after washing your ve ­
hicle can impair the effectiveness of the
brakes . In the winter, ice may build up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums . Check
these components by braking carefu lly. Ap­
plying the brakes carefully severa l times
dr ies the brakes and removes ice bu ild-up.
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long stretches on roads
covered w ith salt w ithout using the brakes.
You can remove salt deposits from the brake rotors and pads by carefully applying
the b rakes severa l t imes .
- If the front spo iler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, make sure the front wheel
bra kes are vent ilated properly. Otherwise,
the brake system could ove rheat, w hich re ­
duces the ir effectiveness.
- Failure of a b rake circuit impa irs b raking
perfo rmance, which inc reases brak ing dis ­
tance . Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility .
- If the brake booster is not working, you will
have to press m uch harder on the brake
peda l to compensate for the lack of the
booster.
@ Note
- Never let the brakes " rub" by pressing the
pedal light ly when braking is not actually
necessary. This causes the brakes to over­
heat and increases braking distance and
causes wear.
- Before driving downhill a long distance on a
steep hill, decrease your speed and select a l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes. If
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you need to brake add itiona lly, brake in in­
terva ls and not continuous ly .
(D Tips
- If the bra ke boos ter is not wor king, you
must press the brake peda l with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrof it your vehicle with a front spoi l­
er, wheel covers or simi lar items, make sure
that the air flow to the front wheels is not interrupted. Otherwise the brake system
can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechonicol steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not drive vehi cle: S tee rin g defect ive
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
th is message appears, the power steering may
have failed .
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos­
s ible. Do
not conti nue driving. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity for
ass istance.
l;rfl St ee ring: System faul t You ca n cont inue
dr ivi ng
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be more diffi­
cu lt to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when driv ing stra ight .
Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thori zed Audi Serv ice Facility to have the mal­
funct io n corrected.
'-r-ij Dynamic stee ring: Init ializing
If the indicato r light is blinking and this message
appears, dynamic steering* is being initialized.
IJ>-

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" N .... 0 0 :c ' The steering wheel will be easy to move after
starting the engine. Re-initialization might be
necessary if the steering whee l was moved hard
to the left and right while the vehicle was not
moving . The display turns off if the initia liz ation
was successful.
(D Tips
- If the . or l;:r-ij indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
-The dynamic steering stability systems
<=>page 127 are not available in the event of
a system malfunction.
-For additional informat ion on dynamic
steering, see
<=> page 111.
ALL wheel drive (quattro)
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In all wheel drive, the driving power is divided be­
tween a ll four wheels . This happens automatical ­
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
the current road conditions. Also see
<=> page 12 7, E lectronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) .
With the sport differential*, power distri­
bution to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted using the drive select
<=>page 111.
The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Your vehicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and follo w safety pre ­
cautions<=>.&. .
Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward mot ion with standard tires in winter con­
ditions. However, in winter we recommend using
winter or all season tires on all four wheels, be­
cause this will improve the braking effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow cha in laws, snow chains must
a lso be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
<=> page 298, Snow chains .
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Replacing tires
For vehicles with all wheel drive, only wheels with
the same rolling circumference should be used.
Avoid using tires with different tread depths
<=> page 2 90, New tires or wheels.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle -there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficu lt terrain .
A WARNING ~ -
-Also, in vehicles with all whee l drive, adapt
your driving style to the current road and
traffic cond itions. Do not let the increased
safety prov ided tempt you into taking r isks,
because this increases the risk of an acci ­
dent.
- The braking ability of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels. In this way, it
is not different from a two wheel drive vehi­
cle. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slipp ery, be­
cause this incr eases the risk of an accident.
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydrop lane" if dr iv in g at speeds that
are too high . Unlike front wheel drive
vehicles, the engine does not rev higher sud­
den ly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning.
For this reason, adapt your speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci­
dent.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle with a conventiona l energy sys­
tem is not driven for a long t ime, the vehicle bat­
te ry is drained by equipment (for example, the
immobilizer). In certain circumstances, there
cou ld may not be enough energy to start the en-
gine.
.,.
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Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent ener­
gy management system for distributing electrici­
ty. This significantly improves the starting ability
and increases the vehicle battery life.
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagnosis, idling current management,
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
The battery diagnosis determines the vehicle bat­
tery charge level. The sensors determine the bat­
tery voltage, the battery current, and the battery
temperature. The current charge level and the
performance of the vehicle battery are deter­
mined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used while parked. With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribution
to the different electrical components. Data from
the battery diagnosis is taken into account for
this .
Depending on the vehicle battery charge level,
electrical equipment is switched off one item af­
ter the other to prevent the vehicle battery from
draining and to maintain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driving, dynamic energy management dis­
tributes the appropriate amount of energy to the
electrical equipment. It controls the battery
charge level so that the amount of energy is not
greater than the amount being generated in or­
der to maintain an optimal vehicle battery charge level.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the vehicle battery life are
limited.
- When the starting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light turns on ~ page 21.
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What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority.
A lot of stress is placed on the vehicle battery
when driving short distances, during city driving,
and at cold times of the year . A lot of energy is
used but little is generated. It is also critical
when the engine is not running but electrical
equipment is switched on. In this case, energy is
used but none is generated.
In situations like this, energy management will
actively regulate the distribution of energy.
Long periods without use
If you do not drive your vehicle for several days or
weeks, electrical equipment is gradually scaled
back or switched off . This reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
periods of time . Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust­
ment, may not be available under certain circum­
stances. These convenience functions will be
available again once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
With the engine switched off
The vehicle battery will drain if you use Infotain­
ment functions such as listening to the radio
while the engine is switched off.
If the starting ability is impaired by the energy
use, the following message will appear in the In­
fotainment system display:
Please start the engine, otherwise the system
will turn off shortly.
This message indicates that the system will
switch off automatically after 3 minutes. If you
would like to continue using the functions, you
must start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated while
driving, the vehicle battery can drain. This can
happen if little energy is generated but much is
used, and the charge level of the vehicle battery
is not optimal.
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" N .... 0 0 :c ' To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­
rari ly scaled back or switched
off. Heating sys­
tems in particular require a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear window defogger is not working, then it
has been temporar ily reduced or switched
off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
e n ergy supp ly has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased. That is normal and no
cause for concern . By increasing the idling speed,
the add itiona l required e ne rgy w ill be generated
and the vehicle battery w ill be charged.
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re­
corde r (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa ­
tions, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand ­
ing how a vehicle 's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data re lated to vehicle dy ­
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as :
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
ating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
acce lerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp prov ide a better understand­
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in­
ju ries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivia l crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e.g.,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re­
corded. However, other parties, such as law en-
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forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac­
quired during a crash investigation.
T o read data recorded by an EDR, special equip­
ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu­
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can read the in ­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR .
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by ED Rs installed in a vehi­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af­
ter an accident or crash event without the own ­
er's consent .
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi lar data
or give it to others -
- un less the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehi ­
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law o r a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial
discovery process.
- Aud i may also use the data for resea rch about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
provide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identifying the specific vehi­
cle or information about the identity of its own­
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emission
control, airbags, and safety belts .
These electronic control modu les record data
during normal vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capability of these
modules is limited to data (no sound is record­
ed) . Only a small amount of data is actually re­
corded over a very lim ited period of time, or stor­
ed when a system fault is detected by a control
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
.,.
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Intellig ent T echn olo gy
vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as re ­
straint system use and performance in the event
of a crash. Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded with special equipment that is di­
rectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con­nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea­
tures requires wireless services that are pro­
vided by a third party wireless telecommuni­ cations provider . For details regarding how in­
formation obtained through Audi connect is col lected, processed, t ransmitted, used, and
shared, please see your contract with the
w ireless te lecommunications provider and the
"About Audi connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect > About
A udi conn ect.
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