2018 AUDI A8 stop start

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig. 94 Center console: parking brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an electromechani ­
cal parking brake ®
i=)fig. 94. The parking brake
is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
Setting/manually releasing the parking
brake
.. Pull the C®> switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch turns on. The
-(USA mod­
els) . (Canada models) indicator light also
turns on in the instrument cluster display.
.. To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the brake or acce lerator pedal while the igni­
t ion is switched on and press
the(®) switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the
indicator light in the display turn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the driver's safety belt must be latched and the parking brake must be set.
.. To start driving and release the parking brake
automatically, press the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are available when you start driving
i=)page 82,
Starting to drive.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
Driving
.. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold the<®> switch and press the accelerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward .
.,. You can release the<®> switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator
pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.. Pull and hold the<®> switch.
.. As soon as you release the <®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and ho lding
the(®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­
ing effect is similar to heavy braking
i=) ,& .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the
<®l switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the© switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
.. Pull the<®> switch to set the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever position .
.,. Turn the engine off i=) ,&.
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in­
clines so that the wheels w ill roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
8_ WARNING
-Do not press the acce lerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accident.
-Eme rgency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed .
.,.
81

Drivin g
During emergency braking, your vehicle will
brake sim ilar to heavy brak ing. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics . In cor­
ners and when road or weather cond it ions
are bad, a full b rake applicat ion ca n cause
the vehicle to skid o r the rear end to swerve,
wh ic h increases the r is k of an accident.
- If the powe r supply fa ils, you cannot set the
par king b rake if it is re leased. In th is case,
par k the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion . See an authorized Audi dea ler or a u­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving your vehicle, even fo r a short period
of time . This applies particular ly w hen ch il­
dren rema in in the vehicle. Otherwise ch il­
dren could start the engine, release the
park ing brake or operate electrical eq uip­
ment such as powe r windows, which in­
c reases the risk of an acc ident.
- No one sho uld rema in in the vehicle when it
is locked - especially ch ild ren. Locked doo rs
make it mo re diff icu lt fo r eme rgency wor k­
ers to get into the vehicle, which puts lives
at r is k .
0) Tips
When stopping at a traffic s ignal or stopping
in c ity traffic, you can set the parking b rake
manually. The vehicle does no t have to be
he ld w it h t he br ake peda l. The parking b rake
elim ina tes the tendency to creep when a se ­
lecto r lever position is engaged . As soon as
you p ress t he accelerator pedal, the parking
brake releases automat ica lly and your vehicle
starts to move
c::, page 82.
(D Tips
- Occasiona l noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased a re normal and a re not a
cause for concer n.
- The park ing bra ke goes thro ugh a se lf-test
cycle at regular intervals when the ve hicle is
stopped. Any noises associated w ith this a re
normal.
82
- If there is a powe r fail ure, the par king b rake
wi ll not set if it is released, and it wi ll not
re lease if it is
set ~.&. . See an a uth orized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Se rvice Fa­
cility for assistance.
Starting to drive
Various convenience and safety f unct ions may be
available when the vehicle begins dr iving, de­
pendi ng on vehicle equipment .
Starting on hills with th e pa rking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the driver's safety belt must be fastened.
.,. To sta rt driving comfortably when on a h ill, set
the parking brake and begin driving as usu a l.
The braking force of the parking brake does not
release automatically unt il the whee ls build up
enoug h driving force.
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold assis t makes it easier to start on hills.
Requireme nt: the d rive r's doo r must be closed
and t he engine must be runn ing.
.,. To activate h ill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seco nds . The vehicle
m ust be in an uphill d irect io n of t ravel.
After re leas ing the brake pedal, the brak ing pow­
er is maintained for a brief moment
c::, &. to pre ­
vent the veh icle from rolli ng back w hen starting.
Du ring this t ime, you can easily begin to move
yo ur vehicle.
_8. WARNING
Applies to: vehicles with hill hold assist
-If you do not beg in d riving immed iate ly or
the engine stalls after releasing the bra ke
pedal, your veh icle may beg in to roll back­
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park­
ing brake immedia tely.
- The inte lligent technology of hill ho ld assist
cannot ove rcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural p hys ica l laws. The increased comfort
offe red by hill ho ld assist should not cause
you to t ake safety r is ks.

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' -To reduce the risk of an accident, never se ­
lect the R or P posit ions w hile d riving.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the w heels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle. To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake i n all se lector
lever posi tions (except P and N) when the
eng ine is ru nning. Do not inadvertent ly
press the acce le ra to r pedal whe n the veh icle
is sta tionary. Oth e rw ise the vehicle will s tart
to move immed iate ly, even if t he pa rking
bra ke is set . This could r esult in a crash.
- B efore open ing the hood, se lect t he P s ele c­
to r leve r pos it ion and se t the pa rk ing br ake.
T his red uces the r is k of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 2 72, Working in the engine com ­
partment.
- Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is ru nning, set
the parking brake and move t he se lector lev­
er to the P pos ition .
(D Tips
If you accidentally se lect N w hile driving, take
your foot off the acce lerato r peda l and wa it
for the engine to s low down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.,. T he selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
s it ion.
St arting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine¢ page 76.
.. Press the button o n the selector lever and se ­
lect the D, Sor R selector lever pos ition
¢ page 83 .
.,. Wait a moment unt il the t ransm iss ion shifts .
Yo u will no tice a slight movement when t he
gear engages.
.. Release t he brake pedal and press the acce le ra­
tor pedal
¢ ,&. .
Driving
Various convenience functions are available for
starting on hi lls
¢ page 82.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Press the bra ke pedal to stop the ve hicle, for
examp le a t a tra ffic lig ht. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro ll ing when you
start driving, set the pa rking brake when stop ­
ping on steep
hills ¢&. and ¢@ .
.. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start movi ng once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /par king
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
The message
V ehicle may roll! Selector le ver not
in P
appears.
.. Press and hold the b rake peda l¢ ,&. .
.. Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P selector lever position, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the P position ¢ page 83 .
Under certain conditions, such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trai ler, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporar ily
and shift manually to adapt to the drivi ng cond i­
tions ¢ page 86 .
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P
position ¢ page 81 . This prevents
too much stress from being p laced on the lock ing
mechan ism .
.&, WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even if t he ignit ion is
sw itche d off .
- D o not press the acce le rato r peda l when
cha ng ing the se lec to r lever posi tion while
t he ve hicle is s ta ti onary and the engi ne is
r u nning . This could result in a crash.
- T o redu ce the r is k of an accident, neve r se ­
lec t the R o r P posi tions while driv ing.
- P owe r is still tr ansmit ted to t he wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle . T o pr e­
vent the vehicle from "creepi ng", yo u must
-
85

Driving
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is running.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could result in a crash.
~ Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­ lected . This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it . Set the parking
brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control activates when the transmis­
sion is in the Dor S position and you press the
brake pedal. The transmission automatically se­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operating the cruise control system
c::> page 93, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
86
A WARNING
, -
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shifting
The shi~ paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually.
Fig. 98 Steering whee l: shi fting manually
.. To shift to a higher or lower gear temporarily,
tap the
0 or 0 shift paddle <=:>fig. 98.
.. To switch manual mode on, press the ~ but­
ton. Mand the gear that is currently engaged
@ appear in the instrument cluster display
c::> page 83, fig. 95 .
.,. To shift up one gear, tap the right shift paddle
G) c::>fig . 98.
.,. To shift down one gear, tap the left shift pad­
dle
0 .
.,. To switch manual mode off, press the ['.fl but-
ton again, or
.. Move the selector lever back and release it.
When you accelerate or reduce the speed, the
transmission automatically shifts into the correct
gear shortly before reaching the RPM limit. If you
select a lower gear than the one currently shown
in the display, the automatic transmission will
only shift down once there is no danger of ex­
ceeding the maximum RPM.
The engine braking effect increases when you
downshift when going downhill.

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

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
-With stationary objects ¢ page 97.
A WARNING
Always pay attention to traffic when adaptive
cruise control is switched on and braking
guard is active. As the driver, you are still re­
sponsible for starting and for maintaining
speed and distance to other objects. Braking
guard is used to assist you . The driver must
always take action to avoid a collision. The
driver is always responsible for braking at the
correct time.
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condition and/or in bad weather (such
as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydroplan­
ing). Using the system under these condi­
tions increases the risk of an accident.
- Switch adaptive cruise control off tempora­
rily when driving in turning lanes, on ex­
pressway exits or in construction zones. This
prevents the vehicle from accelerating to
the stored speed when in these situations .
- The adaptive cruise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac­
celerator pedal. Doing so can override the
speed and distance regulation.
- When approaching stationary objects such
as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise control
will not respond and braking guard will have limited function.
- The adaptive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people, ani­
mals, objects crossing the road or oncoming
objects.
- The function of the radar sensors can be af­
fected by reflective objects such as guard
rails, the entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice.
A WARNING
- Improper use of adaptive cruise control can
cause collisions, other accidents and serious
personal injury.
- Never let the comfort and convenience that
adaptive cruise control and braking guard
96
offer distract you from the need to be alert
to traffic conditions and the need to remain
in full control of your vehicle at all times,
- Always remember that the adaptive cruise
control and braking guard have limits -they
will not slow the vehicle down or maintain the set distance when you drive towards an
obstacle or something on or near the road
that is not moving, such as vehicles stopped
in a traffic jam, a stalled or disabled vehicle.
If registered by the radar sensors, vehicles
or obstacles that are not moving can trigger
a collision warning and if confirmed by the
video camera, an acute collision warning.
- Never follow a vehicle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safely. The adap­
tive cruise control cannot slow or brake the
vehicle safely when you follow another vehi­ cle too closely. Always remember that the
automatic braking function cannot bring the
vehicle to a sudden or emergency stop un­
der these conditions .
- To prevent unintended operation, always
switch ACC off when it is not being used .
@ Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. That could affect the adaptive
cruise control system and braking guard .
Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility check their function.
© Tips
For an explanation on conformity with the
FCC regulations in the United States and the
Industry Canada regulations, see
¢page 339.

Ass is tance sy stem s
Switch ing adaptive cruise control off
.,. Push the lever away from you into position @
until it clicks into place . The message
ACC: off
appears.
@ Indicator lights
It -adaptive cruise cont rol is switched on . No
objects a re detected ahead . T he stored speed is
main tained.
• -an object ahead was detected. The adaptive
cru ise control system regulates the speed and
d istance to the object ahead a nd accelerates/
b rakes a utomatically .
(ii-adaptive cruise control is switched on . An
object ahead was detec ted . Your vehicle rema ins
stopped and w ill not start dr iv ing a utomat ically .
•-The automatic braking is no t enough to
maintain a sufficient distance to an object ahead .
You must
i nte rvene ~ page 100, Driver interven­
tion request.
© Instrument cluster display
If adaptive cruise control is not shown in the in ­
strument cluster display, you can call it up usi ng
the multifunction stee ring wheel b uttons
~ page 12.
Based on the graphics in the d isplay, you can de ­
termine if the system is ma inta ining a distance to
the object ahead and what that distance is .
No vehicl e -no object was detected ahead.
White vehicle -an ob ject was detected ahead.
Red vehicle -request for driver intervention
~ page 100 .
Both arrow s on the scale © indicate the distance
to the object ahead. No arrow appea rs when the
ve hicl e is o n an open road and there is no obje ct
ahead. If an object is de tected ahead, the arrow
moves on the scale.
The green zo ne on the scale indicates the sto re
d istance. For information o n chang ing the d is­
tance, refer to
Q page 99 . If the distan ce se­
lected is exceeded or not reached, the a rrow
moves into the red zone on the sca le .
98
A WARNING
If you press the !SET ! button when driving at
speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h), the veh icle
accelerates automatically up to 20 mph (30
km/h), wh ich is the minim um speed that can
be set .
(D Tips
-If you switch the ign it ion or the adaptive
cruise control sys tem off, the set speed is
erased fo r safety reasons .
-The electronic stabilization control (ESC)
and the an ti-slip-regulat ion (ASR) are auto­
matically switc hed on when the adaptive
cruise cont rol is swi tched on.
Changing the speed
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
0
f
•
0
Fig. 10 9 Operat ing leve r: ch ang ing the speed
.,. To increase or reduce the speed in increments,
ta p the lever up or down .
.,. To increase or decrease t he speed q uickly, hold
t he lever up o r down un til the red LED @ reac h­
es the desired
speed ~ page 97, fig. 108 .
After each change, the new stored speed appea rs
briefly in the information
li ne @ ~ page 97,
fig . 108 .
Driving in stop-and-go traffic
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
The adapt ive cru ise control system also assists
you in stop-and-go traffic . If an object ahead
stops, your vehicle will brake and stay at a stop,
within the limits of the system.
..