2018 AUDI A8 warning

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'"" .... 0 0 :c ' Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­ my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trailer operation mode
c:> page 89, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount. Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the trailer hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from behind
£:=? .&, .
Trailer towing
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Audi dealer for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
.,&. WARNING
-After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instruction s
Fig. 101 MMI display: towing mode o n
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
89

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 ....
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"' .... 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).
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Fig. 102 Operating lever: cruise control system
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.. 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
-Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be­
cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system.
- If a brake system malfunction such as over­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system may be switched off. The rest of
the cruise control system funct ions remain
active as long as the
@;\IM~ (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights turn on when the brakes are
applied automatically.
Changing the speed
.,. To incr ease or decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever toward
010 ¢ page 93,
fig . 102.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction until the de­
s ir ed speed is displayed.
You can a lso press the accelerator pedal down to
increase your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you set earlier w ill re­
sume as soo n as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
However, if you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cru ise control system turns off temporarily.
The
green@;\1)~1~ (USA mode ls) !l'I (Canada mod ­
els) indicator light in the speedometer turns off
and the stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting a speed
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Pull the lever into position (D i::> page 93,
fig. 102 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed, push the lev­
er toward
0 10 .
94
.. To store the speed displayed, release the lever.
This function makes it possible , fo r example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway , activate the
cruise contro l by pulling the lever toward
(D.
Switching off
Deactivating temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position @(not clicked into
place)
¢ page 93, fig. 102, or
.. Dr ive for longer than 5 minutes faster than 5
mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press the lever into position@(clicked into
place), or
.. Switch the ignition off .
The speed you stored will be maintained if the
cruise contro l has been switched off temporarily .
T o resume the stored speed, release the brake
pedal and pull the lever into position
(D.
Switching the ignition off will erase the stored
speed.
A WARNING
You sho uld only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traffic conditions.
Otherwise you can increase the risk of an acc i­
dent.

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
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•
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.
..

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' • To resume driving with adaptive cr uise control,
tap the accelerator peda l or
• P ull the lever toward you into position @
Qpage 99 , fig. 110 .
@ Tips
If an obstacle is detected when your vehicle
starts moving, the driver intervention request
appears
Q page 100. Your veh icle w ill drive
more s low ly when start ing . This may also
happen in some situations when there is no
apparent obstacle.
Interrupting cruise control
App lies to: veh icles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 1 10 Se lecto r leve r
Requiremen t: adaptive cruise control mus t be
switched on .
Overriding c rui se control
• To accelerate manually, pull the lever toward
you into pos ition @and ho ld it there . The mes­
sage
A CC: over rid e appears. O r
• Press the a ccelerator pedal.
• T o resume cru ise control, release the lever or
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal.
Canceling cruise control while driving
• Move the lever into posit ion @. The message
AC C: standb y appears . Or
• Press the brake pedal.
• To resume the stored speed, move the lever in­
to posit ion
@ .
Canceling crui se control when stopped
• Push the lever away from you into position @.
The message
A CC: standby appears .
A ssi st a nce systems
• To resume cruise contro l, press the brake peda l
and pu ll the lever toward you into position @.
A WARNING
It is dangerous to activate cruise control and
resume the stored speed when the current
r oad, traffic or weather cond itions do not per­
mit this . This increases the risk of an accident .
Setting the distance
Applies to: vehicles with Aud i adaptive cru ise control
F ig . 11 1 Operat ing leve r: sett ing th e d is tan ce
• Tap the switch to display the current set d is­
tance
Q fig . 111.
N (X) N 9 :I:
~
• To increase or reduce the d istance in incre­
ments, tap the switch aga in to the r ight or left .
The distance between the two vehicles will change i n the inst rumen t cluste r display .
When approaching an object ahead , the adaptive
c ruise contro l system brakes to match that speed
and then adjusts to the set d istance .
If the object
ahead accelerates, adaptive cruise co ntro l w ill al­
so accele rate up to the stored speed.
The higher the speed, the g reater the distance
Q ,& . The Distance 3 sett ing is recommended .
T hat is eq ual to the gene ral recommendation of
" ha lf the speed shown on the speedometer ".
The distances provided are spec ified values. De­
pending on the driv ing s ituation and the way the
obje ct ahead is dr iv ing, the actual d istance may
be more or less th an these ta rge t distances.
The various symbo ls for the time inc remen ts ap­
pears briefly in the info rmation line @
Q page 97, fig. 108 when you change the set-
t ings.
.,.
99

Ass is tance sy stem s
~-~ ---Di sta nce 1: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 92 ft (28 m) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), for example (time between: 1
second) .
~-- ~--Di stan ce 2: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 118
ft (36 m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), for example (time between:
1.3 seconds) .
~--- ~-Distance 3: this setting corresponds
to a distance of
164 ft (SO m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), for example (time between:
1.8 seconds) .
~--- -~ Distance 4 : This setting corresponds
to a distance of 210
ft (64 m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), (time d istance of 2.3 sec­
onds).
A WARNING
Following other vehicles too closely increases
the risk of collisions and ser ious personal in­
jury .
- Setting short distances to the traffic ahead
reduces the time and distance available to
br ing your vehicle to a safe stop and makes
it eve n mo re necessary to pay close atten­
t ion to traffic.
- Always obey applicable traffic laws, use
good judgment, and select a safe following
distance fo r the traffic, road and weather
cond itio ns.
(D Tips
-Distance 3 is set automatically each time
you switch the ignit ion on.
-Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
.. Se lect the des ired driving mode in dr ive se lect
¢ page 111 .
100
@ Tips
Your settings are automatically stored and as­
signed to the remote contro l key being used.
Driver intervention request
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig . 112 Instrument cluster : request for driver interven·
t ion
In certain situations, the system will request you
to take action:
- If the braking from the adaptive cru ise control
system is not enough to ma inta in enough dis­
tance to the object ahead.
The danger is indicated by
the . indicator light
¢fig. 112. An audio signal will also sound.
- Press the brake peda l to slow yo ur vehicle
down .
Audi braking guard
Applies to: vehicles with Aud i adaptive cruise control
F ig . 113 In strume nt cl us ter: approach warning
The brak ing guard uses radar sensors and a video
camera .
It also functions within the limits of the
system when adaptive cru ise cont rol is switched
off.
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