2018 AUDI A8 tow

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.

Ass is tanc e system s
In the sporty dynamic mode, the transmission
shifts at higher speed ranges.
Air su spen sion
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air suspen­
sion spo rt* is an e lectron ica lly contro lled a ir sus ­
pens ion and damping system . The adjustment
depends on the driving mode selected, steering movements, the driver's braking and accelera­
tion , and as the road surface, vehicle speed and
load . A sporty sett ing is generally used in vehicles
with adap tive a ir suspension sport*.
The vehicle ground clearance depends on the mode se lected and the speed . When you are in
the auto or dynamic mode, the h ighway sett ing is
activated when you dr ive above 75 mph (120 km/
h) for more than 30 seconds . The ground clear­
ance is increased automatically if the speed
drops below 44 mph (70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds .
Stee ring
The power steer ing adap ts . Indirect steer ing that
moves easily as in comfort mode is especially
suited to long drives on a h ighway . The dynam ic
mode p rovides spo rty , d irect steering.
Applies to: vehicles with dynamic steering
The steering ratio changes based on vehicle
speed in order to ma intain optimum steering ef­
fort for the dr ive r at all times . This sets the steer­
i n g to be less sensit ive at hig he r speeds in o rder
to p rovide imp roved vehicle contro l. At reduced
speeds, steer ing is more direct in order to keep
the steering effort as minima l as possib le when
the driv er is maneuvering the v ehicl e. At low and
average speeds, dynamic steering* addit ionally
provides more responsive steering performance.
Sport diff ere ntial *
As a component of the all wheel drive system (quattro)
¢ page 131, the sport differential dis ­
tributes the driving power to the rear axle de ­
pending on the situation. The distribution of
power va ries from balanced (comfort) to sporty
(dynamic) depending on the selec ted mode . The
goal is a high level of agility and ab il ity to accel ­
erate on curves . The ve hicle is very respons ive to
steer ing .
112 Corn
ering light *
The co rnering ligh t adapts the hig h beams to the
direction of the curve depending on the speed.
The pivoting action and the lighting also adapt to
the mode.
Adaptive cruise cont rol*
The be hav io r whe n accelerat ing ca n be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control also
responds to the driving behavior of the vehicle
ahead in a more cons ervative or sporty manner.
Engine sound *
The eng ine sound adapts to the c urrent mode
and can be subtle to spo rty.
{[» Note
- Make s ure there is enough clearance above
and be low the vehicle when pa rk ing . T he
heig ht of t he ve hicle can change on ce it is
parked d ue to temperature fluctuations,
changes to the load conditions and changes
to the driv ing modes, which can affect clear­
ance .
- When transporting the vehicle on a car car ­
rier, train, ship or by other means, on ly tie
the vehicle down at the runn ing surface of
the tires, which is the outer c ircumference.
Securing the vehicle at the axle compo­
nents, suspens ion struts o r tow ing eyes is
not pe rm itted because the p ressure i n the
air suspe nsion s truts ca n change d uring
t ra nspo rt. The vehi cle may not be secu red
sufficiently i f th i s happens.
(D Tips
- In some mo dels, the max imum ve hicle
speed can only be reached in t he auto and
dynamic modes.
- Th e S se lector lever posi tion a utomat ic all y
engages if the dynami c mode is selected.
- In ve hicl es tha t h ave dynam ic stee rin g*, op ­
erat ing no ise is he ard when sta rting o r stop ­
ping the engine . This does no t indi ca te a
prob lem.

u. co .... N
" 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 .
115

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
Corner view (front)/corner view (rear)
Applies to: vehicles with peripheral cameras
F ig . 143 Infotainment system: Corner view (front)
F ig. 144 Infotainment system: Corner view (rear)
This view can assist you for examp le, when you
are exiting from an area with poor visibility. The
area at the front and rear sides of the vehicles is
d isplayed .
.,. To show the side view toward the front, select
the symbo l@ ¢
fig. 143 with the contro l knob
and press the control knob .
.,. To show the side view toward the rear, select
the symbol ®¢
fig. 144 with the control knob
and press the control knob.
122
Front
Applies to: vehicles with peripheral cameras
Fig. 145 Infot ainment system: front mode
This view assists you for example, in using the
full maneuvering range in front of the vehicle.
The area in front of the vehicle is displayed. The
vehicle surround ings are shown in the left area of
the display . You can switch between the optical
display and camera image
¢page 121 .
.,. Select the© symbol with the control knob. The
orange-colored or ientat ion lines denote the
projected direct ion of travel. Stop the vehicle
when the red o rientation line* borders an ob­
ject¢
8. in General information on page 120.
Rear
Applies to: vehicles with peripheral cameras
Fig. 146 Infota inmen t system: rear mode
This view assists you for example, in using the
full maneuvering range behind the vehicle. The
area beh ind t he veh icle is displayed. The veh icle
s ur roundings are shown in the left area of the
display . You can switch between the optical dis­
play and camera image
¢page 121 .
.,. Select the symbol @with the contro l knob. ..,.

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.

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
130
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>-