2018 AUDI A8 trailer

Ass is tance sy stem s
Side assist he lps you monitor your blind spot and
traffic behind your vehicle. Within the limits of
the system, it warns you about vehicles that are
coming closer or that are traveling with you with­
in sensor
range ©¢ fig. 118: if a lane change is
classified as critical, the display @ in the exter ior
m irror ¢ fig. 119 turns on .
The display in the left exter ior mirror provides as­
sistance when making a lane change to the left,
while the display in the right exterior mirror pro ­
vides assistance whe n mak ing a la ne cha nge to
the right .
Information stage
As long as you do not activate the turn signal,
side assist informs you about vehicles that are
detected and class ified as crit ical. The display in
the mirror turns on, but is dim.
The display remains dim in the information stage so that your view toward the front is not distur­bed .
Warning stage
If the disp lay in a mirror blinks brightly when you
activate a turn signal, side assist is warning you
about detected vehicles that it has classified as
cr itical. If this happens, check traffic by glanc ing
i n the exter ior mirrors and over your shoulder
¢ .& in General information on page 107 .
Applies to veh icles with active lane assist
The display in the m irror can also blink if you
have not activated a turn signal : if you are ap ­
p roaching a detected lane marker line and it ap­
pears you w ill be leaving the lane, side assist will
warn you abo ut detected vehicles that it has clas­
sified as critical.
(D Tips
- You can adjust the br ightness of the display
i n the exte rior
mi rror @¢ page 108.
- Pl ease refer to the instructions fo r tow ing a
trailer located in
r::;, page 107 .
106
General information
Applies to : vehicles with A udi side assist
®
®
©
F ig. 12 0 Driving s it u ations
AUDI
Fi g. 12 1 Rear of the ve hicle: position of t he sensors
Side assist f unct ions at speeds above approx i­
m ately 19 mph (30 km/h) .
@Vehicl es that are approaching
N N
:8 ± .., a,
In certain cases, a veh icle w ill be classified as
critical for a lane change even if i t is st ill some­
what far away. The faster a vehicle approaches,
t h e sooner the display in the ex terior m irro r will
tu rn o n.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling with you are indicated in the
exter io r mirror if they are classified as cr it ica l fo r
a lane change. All vehicles detected by side ass ist
..,.

u. co .... N
" 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.

Parking syste m s
-For objects that do not touch the ground,
such as the bumper of a parked vehicle, a
trailer hitch or the rear of a truck. Do not
use the orientation lines in this case.
- If driven from a level surface onto an in­
cline, or a downward slope.
- If driven toward protruding objects.
- If the vehicle is carrying too much load in
the rear.
- The accuracy of the orientation lines and
blue surfaces decreases when the vehicle is
raised/lowered
¢ page 111.
(D Note
-Always read and follow the applicable warn ­
ings
¢ (D in General information on
page 115.
- The orange -colored or ientation lines in the
Infotainment display show the vehicle path based on the steering wheel angle. The
front of the vehicle swings out more than
the rear of the veh icle. Maintain p lenty of
distance so that an exterior mirror or a cor­ ner of the veh icle does not co llide w ith any
obstacles.
Switching on/off
Ap plies to: ve hicles w ith rearview camera
Switching on
~ Sh ift i nto reverse, or
~ P ress the p, qA bu tton in the cente r console
¢ page 116, fig . 130. A sho rt confirmat io n
tone sounds and the LED in the but ton turns
on .
Switching between the rearview camera and
optical display
~ Press t he Graphic contro l but ton ®
¢ page 118, fig. 135 to see the optica l disp lay.
~ Press the Rear view contro l button to see the
rearview camera image.
Sw itch ing off
~ D rive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h), or
~ Press the p, qA bu tton, or
~ Switch the ignition off.
118
@ Tips
- The visua l display in the left part of the dis ­
play should he lp you detect the crit ica l vehi-
cle areas.
- You can change the vol ume and pitch of the
signals as well as the display¢
page 125.
Perpendicular parking
App lies to : vehicles wi th rearv iew camera
This view may be used when parking in a garage
or in
a parking space.
F ig. 13 S Infota inment system: aim ing at a pa rk in g space
Fig. 1 36 Infota inment system : alig ning the vehicle
~ Turn the Infotainment system on and shift into
reverse gear.
~ The orange orie ntation lines (!) show the vehi­
cle 's direction of travel. Turn the steering wheel
until the orange o rientation lines appear in th e
parking
space ¢ fig. 135. Use the ma rkings @
t o he lp you estima te the dist ance to an obsta­
cle . Each marking represents approximate ly 3
ft (1 m). The b lue area represents an extension
of the vehicle's outline by approximate ly 16 ft
(5 meters) to the rear.
~ Wh ile driving in reverse gear, ad just the steer-
ing wheel angle to fit the park ing space using
..,.

Parking systems
,.. Turn the Infotainment system on and shift into
reverse gear. The parking system is turned on
and the
Cross parking view is displayed.
,.. Press the control button on the Infotainment
unit @ Q page 119, fig . 13 7. The Parallel park­
ing
view is displayed .
,.. Back up and align your vehicle so the blue area
@ borders on the rear end of the vehicle be­
hind yo u or on the parking space line
Q .&. in
General information on page 120,
Q (Q) in Gen­
eral information on page 120 .
The blue area
rep resents an extension of the vehicle's out line
by approximately 16 ft (5 meters) to the rear.
The long s ide of the blue area should be on the
curb . The entire blue area must f it into the
parking space.
,.. With the vehicle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the right as far as it w ill go .
,.. Back into the parking space until the b lue curve
Q fig. 150 touches the curb-=?.&. in General in­
formation on page 120, ¢@ in General infor­
mation on page 120.
Stop the vehicle .
,.. With the vehicle stopped, turn the steering
whee l to the left as far as it will go.
,.. Continue to back into the parking space until
the vehicle is parked parallel to the
curb¢ &.
in General information on page 120, ¢@ in
General information on page 120 .
® repre­
sents the rear bumper. At the very latest, stop
the vehicle when the red orientation
line ©
borde rs an object . Keep an eye on the front of
your vehicle while doing this.
Parking next to obstacles
If there is an obstacle (such as a wall) next to the
parking space, position the vehicle so there is
mo re space on that side. Position the long side of
the blue area so that there is sufficient space
from the object. The area must not be on the
ob­
stacle. You will a lso need to start turning the
steering whee l earlier. The blue curve
¢ page 119, fig . 138 must not touch the obsta ­
cle , but rather there should be enough distance.
@ Tips
The left or right orientation lines and surfaces
will be displayed, depending on the turn
sig­
nal being used.
124
Trailer mode
Applies to: vehicles with peripheral cameras and trailer hitch
This view assists you in positioning the vehicle in
front of a trailer .
Fig. 151 In fota inment system: rear mode
Requirement: the trailer mode must be selected
¢ page 122, Rear.
.,. Now you can posit ion your veh icle in front of
the trailer
c::;, .&. in General information on
page 120,
c::;, (Q) in General information on
page 120.
The orange or ientation line indicates
the expected path toward the trailer hitch. Use
the blue lines to help you estimate the d istance
to the trailer hitch.
Setting the mode
Applies to : vehicles with peripheral cameras
,.. Select: !CAR ! function button> Car systems
control button > Driver assistance > Parking
aid > Change to front/rear > Auto or Manual.
Auto
-this view behind the vehicle ( Rear mode) is
displayed automatically when you shift into re­
verse. The view in front of the vehicle
(Front
mode) is d isplayed automat ically when you shift
i nto the forward gears .
Manual -When you switch the system on, the
view beh ind the veh icle
( Rear mode) is always
displayed and it does not switch to the
Front
mode when a forward gear is se lected.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Adjusting the display and the warning tones
A ppl ies to : ve hicles w ith parkin g system plus/rearv iew cam­
era/peripheral ca mera
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
~ Se lect : the ICARI fu nction button > Car systems
contro l button > Driver assistance > Parking
aid .
Display
On * -
an op tical d isp lay is shown for the par kin g
system plus, a rearv iew camera image is s hown
for the rearview camera *.
Off -when the p arking sys tem is sw itche d off,
on ly audib le sign als are give n.
Signal tones
Front volume -
volume for the front area
Rear volume -volume for the rear area
Front frequency -frequency for the front area
Rear frequency -frequen cy fo r the rea r area
Music volume during nav . prompts -the volume
of the a udio/video so urce is lowe red when t he
pa rking system is turned o n
The new ly selected leve l is demonstrated briefly
by the sound generator .
(D Tips
-The wa rning tones ca n also be ad justed d i­
r ectly by the vis ual d isp lay or the pictu re
from the camera. Simply p ress the
Settings
control bu tton.
- Changed sett ings are ac tivated whe n the
p arking system is switched o n aga in.
- The settings for volume and frequency are
a utomat ica lly saved and ass igned to the re­
mo te con trol key be ing used.
Error messages
A pp lies to: ve hicles with parking system plus/rearview cam­
era/per ipheral ca mera
There is an erro r in the system if the LED in the
Pw , button is b link ing and yo u hear a continuous
Parking systems
alarm for a few seconds after sw itch ing on the
par king system or w hen the pa rking system is a l­
r eady activated. If the erro r is not cor rected be ­
fo re you switch off the ignition, the
LED in the Pw ,
button w ill blink the next time you switch on the
park ing system by shifting into reverse.
Parking system plus*
If a senso r is fa ulty, the~ symbo l will appear i n
front of/beh ind the vehicle in the Infotainment
display. If a rear sensor is faulty, on ly obstacles
t h at are i n areas @and @ are shown
Q page 116, fig . 129 . If a front se nsor is faulty,
o n ly obs tacles tha t are in a reas © and @are
shown. The re is a lso a sys tem ma lf u nct ion if all
seg ments arou nd the veh icle are red or if no seg­
me nts are disp laye d.
Peripheral cameras*
The re is a system malfu nction if t he 00 • symbol
appea rs and the co rresponding d isp lay area is
s h own in bl ue. The camera is not wo rking in t his
are a.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
Trailer hitch
App lies to: vehicles wit h parking system pl us/rea rv iew cam ­
e ra/peri phe ra l cameras an d tra ile r hitc h
When the trailer socket is in use, the par king sys­
tem rear sensors are not act ivated when you sh ift
into reverse gear or when yo u press t he
p, ,1 A but­
ton. This res ults in the following rest rict ions.
Parking system plus*
The re is no distance warning for the rear. The
front senso rs remain activated. T he v isua l disp lay
switches to trailer mode.
Rearview camera*/peripheral cameras*
T he re is no distance warning for the rea r. The
front senso rs remain activated . The visua l disp lay
switches to trailer mode. The rearview came ra
i mage will not s how the orie ntation lines and t he
bl ue surfaces.
IJJ,-
125

Parking systems
(D Tips
Trailer h itches t hat are not i nsta lled at t he
factory may cause the pa rking system to mal­
functi on o r they may restrict its funct ion .
126

Wheels
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any
l uggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
296
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as l uggage .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 293,
fig. 266.
_& WARNING ~
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to
carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.