2018 AUDI A8 towing

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.
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" 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 .
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" N .... 0 0 :c ' are indicated by the time they enter your "blind
spot", at the latest .
© Vehicles you are passing
If you slowly pass a veh icle that side assist has
detected (the d ifference in speed be twee n the
ve hicle and your ve hicle is less than 9 mph (15
km/h)), the disp lay in the exterior mirror turns
on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot .
The display will not tu rn on if you quic kly pass a
ve hicl e that side assist has detected (the diffe r­
ence in speed is greater t han 9 mp h (1 5 km/h)).
Functional limitations
The rada r senso rs a re desig ned to detect the left
a n d right adjacent lanes when the road lanes a re
the normal wid th . In some s ituat ions, the d isplay
i n the exterior mir ror may turn on even tho ugh
there is no vehicle located in the area that is criti ­
cal for a lane change. For example:
- If the lanes a re n arrow o r if yo u are driv ing on
the edge of your lane . If this is the case, the
system may have detected a vehicle in another
l ane that is no t adjacent to your c urrent lane .
- If you are dr iving through a cu rve . Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the adjacent lane .
-If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or displaced guard rails) .
- In poor weat her condit ions . The side assis t
functions are limited.
D o not cove r the rada r
senso rs ~ fig. 121 with
s tickers, deposi ts, bicycle whee ls o r othe r ob ­
jects , beca use they w ill impair the f unct ion . Do
not use side assist when towing a trailer . For in­
formation on clean ing,
see ~ page 306 .
A WARNING
- Always pay atte ntion to traffic and to the
area around yo ur vehicle. Side assist cannot
replace a dr iver's attention . The dr iver alone
is a lways responsible for lane changes and
s imi lar d riving maneuvers .
- In some situat ions, the system may not
func tion or its funct io n may be lim ited . For
example:
-
A ss istance systems
- if vehicles are approach ing or being left
behind very q uick ly. The disp lay may not
turn o n in time.
- In poor weat her condit ions such as heavy
r ain, snow or heavy m ist .
- On very w ide lanes, in tight curves, or if
the re is a rise i n the road surface. Veh icles
i n the ad jacent lane may not be detected
because they are outside of the sensor
range.
- Aud i side assist cannot detect all vehicles
under all conditions, which can increase the
r isk of acc idents .
- Please note that s ide ass ist only d isp lays ap­
proaching vehicles or vehicles in yo ur blind
spo t if your ve hicle is traveling a t least
19 mph (30 km/h).
- In ce rtain s ituations, the system may not
wo rk or its f unct io n may be lim ited . For ex­
a m ple:
- The display may not turn on at the r ight
time if vehicles are approach ing or pass ing
very quickly.
- In poor weat he r con dit ions, such as heavy
rain, snow or fog .
- In very wide lanes, in tig ht c urves or whe n
there are slopes in the roadway, vehicles
i n the ne ighbor ing lanes may not be de­
tected because they are o utside of the
senso r range.
@ Note
The sensors can be d isp laced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and u nderbody. This ca n impair the system. Have
an a uth or ized Audi dea ler or author ized Audi
Service Fac il ity check the ir fu nct io n.
(D Tips
- If the w indow glass i n the dr iver's door or
fro nt passenger's door has bee n tinted, the
disp lay in the ex ter ior m irro r may be inco r­
rect .
- For an ex plana tion on co nform ity w ith the
FCC reg ulat io ns in the U nited S ta tes and the
Indus try Cana da regulat io ns, see
~page 339.
107

Assistance systems
Switching on/off
Applies to: ve hicles w ith Aud i side ass ist
F ig. 122 Driver's door : side ass ist butto n
• Press the button to switch the system on and
off
c> .&, in General information on page 107 .
The LED in the button turns on when side assist
is sw itched on.
Setting the display brightness
App lies to: ve hicles with Aud i side ass is t
The display brightness can be adjusted in the In ­
fotainment system .
• Select : the ICARI function button > Car systems
control button > Driver assistance > Audi side
assist .
The display brightness adjusts automatically to
the br ightness of the surroundings, both in the
information and in the warning stage . In very
dark or very br ight surroundings, the automat ic
adj ustment will set the disp lay to the minim um
or maximum level. In such cases , you may notic e
no change when adjust ing the brightness, or the
change may only be noticeable once the sur­
ro undings change .
Adj ust the brightness to a level where the disp lay
i n the information stage will no t disrupt your
view ahead.
If you change the brightness, the dis­
p lay in the exter ior mirror wi ll briefly show the
brightness lev el in the information stage . T he
brightness of the warning stage is linked to the
brightness in the information stage and is adjust­
ed along with the information stage.
108
@ Tips
-Side assist is not active while you are mak­
ing the adjustment .
- Your settings are automat ica lly stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used .
Messages
Applies to : vehicles wi th Audi side ass ist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
i nstrument cluster display:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar sensor vision is impaired . Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt or ot her objects . Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if
necessary ¢ page 106,
fig. 121 .
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on at this time be­
cause there is a malfunction (for example, the
battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will detect
vehicles correctly and it has switched off. The
sensors have been moved or are faulty . Have the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
autho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing
Side assist switches off automatically when a fac­
tory- installed trailer hitch is connected to the
electrical connector on the trailer. There is no
guarantee the system will switch off when using
a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use side ass ist
when towing a trailer.

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" N .... 0 0 :c ' Parking systems
General information
A pp lies to: ve hicles with pa rk in g system p lus/rearview cam ­
era/peripheral camera
Depending on your vehicle 's equipment, various
pa rking aids wi ll help you when parking and ma­
ne uvering.
The
p arki ng sys tem plu s assists you when park­
ing by aud ibly and visua lly indicating objects de­
tected in front of and behind the vehicle
¢ page 116.
The re arv ie w ca mer a shows the area beh ind the
veh icle in the Infotainment system d isplay. This
d isplay assists you when you are cross or parallel
pa rking
¢ page 117 . The park ing system p lus
functions are also available
¢ page 116.
The periph eral ca mera s give var ious views to
h e lp you whe n pa rking or maneuver ing
¢ page 120. T he pa rking system pl us functions
are also availab le
¢ page 116.
& WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it direct ly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attent ion. The driver is always
responsible when enter ing or leav ing 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
wh ich people and objects cannot be detect­
ed . Be especially caut ious of small children
and animals .
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator gr ille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody . The park­
ing system may be impa ired as a result.
Have a n author ized A udi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility check their func ­
tion .
- Make s ure the senso rs a re not obstructed by
stickers, deposits o r other materia ls. If they
are, the sensor function could be impaired.
For additiona l information on cleaning, see
¢ page 306.
Parking syste m s
@ Note
-Some objects are not detected or disp layed
by the system under certain circumstances:
- objects such as barrier cha ins, tra iler draw
bars, vertical po les or fences
- objects above the sensors such as wall ex ­
tensions
- objects with certain surfaces or structures
such as cha in 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
wa rned about t his obstacle.
(D Tips
-The system may provide a warning even
tho ugh the re are no obstacles in the cover­
age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or when there is tall
grass
- externa l ultrasonic sources such as from
cleaning vehicles
- in heavy rain, snow, or th ick vehicle ex ­
haust
- We recommend tha t you practice par king in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be ­
come fami liar with the system . W hen doing
this, there sho uld be good light and weath­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume and pitch of the
signa ls as well as the
display ¢ page 125.
-Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trai ler located in
r:!:> page 125 .
-What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed .
- T he sensors m ust be kept clean and free of
snow and ice for the parking aid to operate .
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0
J: ..
-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­
tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS " on your vehic le 's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 293, fig. 266 .
Wheels
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers
from "XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 293, fig . 266 .
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals
1400 lbs. and there wil l
be five
150 lbs . passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs .)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­
ceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces
.,.
297

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" N .... 0 0 :c ' use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
c ident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on ly
for your vehicle m odel. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you r isk injuring
yourself .
- Never start the en gine when the vehicle is
ra ised, which could cause an accident .
- Support the veh icle secure ly w ith appropr i­
ate stands if work is to be performed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po ­
tent ial risk for in ju ry .
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heav ier
one . The jack is only suitable for use on the
vehicle it came w it h .
(D Tips
The vehicle jack* in your vehicle is mainte­
na nee -free .
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
.,. After yo u experience a tire fail ure, pull the car
we ll away from moving t raffic and t ry to rea ch
level g round before you s top ¢&, .
.,. All passengers sho uld lea ve the ca r and move
to a saf e location (for instance, be hind t he
guardrai l) ¢ &, .
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent you r vehi­
cle from rol ling
unintentionally ¢ A_.
.,. Move selector lever to position P ¢ A_.
.,. If you a re towing a trailer, unh itch the trailer
from your ve hicle.
.,. Take the jack and the spare tire ou t of the lug­
gage compa rtment
¢ page 312.
A WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be inju red wh ile
chang ing a wheel if you do not follow these
safety precautions :
Emergenc y ass is tanc e
-If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road. Turn off the eng ine, turn the
emergency flashers on and use other warn­ ing dev ices to alert other motorists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
p lace away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traff ic .
- To help prevent the veh icle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the jack ,
always fu lly set the par king brake and block
the front and back of the wheel diagonally
opposite the wheel being changed. W hen
one front w heel is li fted off the gro und,
p lacing the Au tom atic Transmi ssion in P
(Park) will
not p revent the vehicle from
mov ing.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
g ro u nd is leve l and firm. If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack .
- Always s tore the vehicle tool ki t, the jack
an d the replaced tire in the luggage com­
pa rtment ¢
page 213 .
(D Tips
Befo re c hangin g the wheel, you mus t activ ate
the jacking mode, so that the a utomat ic con ­
tro ls for the Adaptive Air Suspension do not
make it more di fficult to lift the vehicle with
the jack
¢ page 315 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the sequence
described below step -by-step and in exactly that
order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode ¢ page 315 .
2. Remove the de corative wheel cover *. For
more detai ls see
a lso ¢ page 314, Decora­
tive wheel covers
or ¢ page 314, Wheels
with wheel bolt caps .
3. Loosen the wheel bolts ¢ page 315 .
4. Loca te t he p roper mount ing point for the
jac k and alig n the jack be low that po int
¢page 315 or ¢ page 316.
S. Rai se the ca r wi th the jack ¢ page 315 or
¢page 316 .
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