2018 AUDI A8 automatic transmission

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' -Hill hold assist cannot hold the vehicle in
place on all h ills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stat ionary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
The automat ic transmission is controlled e lec­
tron ica lly. Power is transferred using a torque
converter.
The transm ission shifts up or down automat ically
depending on wh ich drive program is selected.
When a
mod erate driving s tyle is used, the
transmission selects the most e conomical d riving
mode. The t ransm iss ion upsh ifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a highe r RPM to imp rove fuel
efficiency.
The transm ission switches to a spor ty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sp o rt y
driving style
c haracterized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the dr iver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode)
c::> page 86.
Indicator in the display
F ig . 95 Inst rument cluster: selector lever positio n
@ -The current selector leve r position is d is­
p layed continuously. In manua l mode, an Mis
displayed in addition to the gear.
D rivi ng
@ -This display appea rs briefly if you change the
selector lever position or if you press the button
on the selector lever
c::> page 83, fig. 96. The
current selector lever position is shown with a
white background.
Selecting the selector lever position
F ig. 96 Selector lever
-- p- -
----R--- --1
----N--- -i;
-01s*
Fig. 97 Pressing the button on the selector leve r
The current selector lever posit ion is disp layed on
t h e selecto r lever
c::> fig. 96 .
.,. You may need to release the selector lever lock
depending on wh ich selector lever pos ition is
selected and which one you wou ld like to select
c::> page 84, Selector lever lock .
.,. To engage the nearest selector lever position,
move the selector lever forward/back until you
fee l the first pressure point. The selector lever
wi ll return to its original position .
.,. To skip over one (or two) selector lever posi ­
tions, move the selector lever past the first
(and second) pressure point into the desired
position . The selector lever will return to its
or ig inal position .
For example, to move directly from the D selec-
tor lever position to P when stopping the vehicle,
II>
83

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 ' Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­ miss ion downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
g ine utilizes its full power, depend ing on veh icle
speed and engine RPM . It shifts up into the next
h igher gea r once the maximum spec ified eng ine
RP M i s reached .
A WARNING
Please note tha t the wheels could sp in o n
slick or slippery roads when kick -down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Applies to: S8 plus
-
The maximum engine torque is temporarily in ­
creased in overboost. Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operat ing temperature .
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin o n
slick or sl ippery roads when overboost is ac­
t ive.
Transmission malfunction
Tran sm iss ion : selector l eve r in drive!
-
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
Select the P se lector lever position .
rm Transm issio n: Please p res s bra ke pedal and
s e lect ge ar aga in
Press the brake pedal and se lect the desired se ­
lector lever posit ion aga in. You can then continue
driving.
rm T ransmi ssion o verh ea ting : Ple ase d rive con­
servat ively
The t ransm iss ion tempera ture h as increased s ig ­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re -
Driving
turns to the normal range and t he indicator light
switches of .
rm Transmi ssion malfunction : You can continue
driving
T here is a system malfu nction in the transmis­
s io n. You may cont inue d riving. Dr ive to an au­
thorized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized Audi Serv ice
F ac ility soon to have t he malfunct io n cor rected.
[O] liJ Transmission malfunc tion: You can con­
tinu e driving in D un til engine i s off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion . The transm ission is switch ing to emergency
mode .
If you turn the engine off, you w ill not be
able to select any othe r se lector lever positions
after sta rting the engine ag ain. Drive to an a u­
tho rized Aud i de aler or authorized Audi Serv ice
F acility immediate ly to have the ma lfunction cor ­
rected .
rm Transmi ssion malfunction : You can continue
driving with limited functionalit y
There is a system malfu nction in the transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. This mode only sh ifts i nto ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift a t all. T he eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] liJ Tran smi ssio n malfunction : No rev ers e
g ear. You can c ontinue dri ving
T he re is a system malfu nction in t he transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. This mode only sh ifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The engine may sta ll.
You cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to an
authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
[O] Vehicle ma y roll! Cannot sh ift to P. Please
appl y par king brake
-The parking loc k was released using the emer -
gency
re lease ¢ page 88 . Or ..,.
87

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 ' Selecting the driving mode
.,. To se lect t he mode , se lect the following in the
Infota inment : ICAR !f u nct io n button>
Comfort ,
Auto , D ynami c or Individual.
You can change t he d riving mode when the vehi­
cle is stat ionary o r w hil e d riving. If traffic per­
m its, after cha ng ing modes, br iefly take yo ur
foot off the accelerator peda l so that t he recen tly
se lected mode is a lso activated for the engine.
Comfort -provides a comfort-o rie nted ve hicle
setup and is su ited for long dr ives on hig hways .
Adjusting the Individual mode
Ass istance systems
Auto -provides an overa ll comfortab le yet dy ­
namic driving feel and is suited for everyday use .
Dynamic -gives the dr ive r a spo rty d riving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driv ing style .
Individual -~page 113 .
A WARNING
Pay attention to t raff ic w hen ope rating the
dr ive sele ct to redu ce the r is k of a n accident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,. Select : the !CA RI fu nction button > Set individ­
ual
control button . Once you select the me nu,
you w ill automatically d rive in t he
Individual
mode.
comfort
Engine /transmission
balan ced
Air suspension comfortable
Steering co mfo rtable The equ
ipment in you r vehicle will determ ine
wh ich sett ings you can adjust . The follow ing ta­
ble g ives a n overv iew of t he cha racte ristics.
auto dynamic
balan ced sporty
b alanced sporty
ba lan ced sporty
Dynamic steering * comfortable/ ind i- balanced/direc t sporty/direct
rect
Sport differential * balanced
Adaptive cruise control * comfortable
Engine sound* subtle
a> Sub tle in t he se lector leve r po sit io n D and sporty in S.
(D Tips
Your Individual mode settings are automati ­
cally stored an d assigned to the remote con ­
trol key be ing used.
Raising/lowering the vehicle
Raising the vehicle
.,. Se lect the following in the Infota inment sys­
tem : the
!CAR! function button> Raise control
button .
.,. Wait for the arrows in the display to stop blink ­
i ng and the vehicle to reach its fi nal posit ion . ag
ile sporty
balanced sporty
subt le/spor ty al
sporty
Lowering the vehicle
.,. To lower the vehicle, se lect t he follow ing in the
I nfota inment system: the
ICAR! f u nct ion bu tto n
>
Lower cont ro l button .
.,. Wait for the a rrows i n the display to stop blink ­
ing and the veh icle to lower comp letely .
@ Note
-Remember t hat yo ur vehicle is not s uitab le
for driving offroa d eve n when it is ra ised.
There is not enough ground clearance.
- If the vehicle is raised, it wi ll lower auto ­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/h)
o r faster.
113

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
~ Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission can­
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING -
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery .
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C) . If the vehicle battery is
frozen, you must thaw it before connecting
the jump start cables. If you do not, this in-
Emergency situations
creases the risk of an explosion and chemi­
cal burns. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­ ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion .
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases .
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-Volt rating . The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah " rating may cause an explo­
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen. The battery case may have be weak­
ened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub­
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c>page 272.
@ Note
- Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
( + ) terminals are connected.
327

Emergency situations
@ Tips
The discharged battery must be properly con­
nected to the vehicle's electrical system .
When jump starting or charging the battery,
never connect the negative ground cable to
the battery negative post because the battery
manager system must be able to detect the
battery's state of charge. Always connect the
negat ive g round cable to the negative ground
post of the battery manager control unit.
Using the jump start
cable
Both jump start cables must be connected in the
correct order!
Fig. 289 E ngin e compartme nt: co nn ectors for jump start
cables and a charger
Fig. 290 Jump starting using a battery in anot her vehicle:
A
-p rov id in g current, B -drai ned
The procedure for connecting jump start cables
that is descr ibed next is designed to help jump
start your vehicle.
Vehicle with discharged battery:
~ Turn off lights and accessories, move automatic
transmission lever to N (Neutral) or P (Park)
and set parking bra ke.
328
Connecting the positive cable (red) to the
positive terminal
~ Open the cover on the positive terminal
qfig . 289.
1. Secure one end of the pos itive cable (red) to
the jump start pin
(D q fig. 290 (pin under
the cover =
"plus") on the vehicle that needs
to be started @.
2. Secure the other end of the positive cable
(red) to the posit ive terminal @on the bat­
tery provid ing the cur rent @.
Connecting the negative cable (black) to the
negative terminal
3. Secure one end of the negative cable (black)
to the negative terminal @ on the battery
that is providing the current @.
4. Secure the other end of the negative cable
(black) to the jump start
pin @ (hex head pin
= "negative") on the vehicle that needs to be
started @.
Starting the engine
~ Sta rt the eng ine on the vehicle providing the
jump start @and let it run at idle.
~ Now start the engine on the vehicle with the
drained battery @.
~ If the engine does not start, stop the starting
procedure after 10 seconds and then repeat it
after approx imately 30 seconds.
~ Remove the cables when the engi nes are run­
ning. Remove them in reverse order from the
way they were installed.
~ Close the cover on the posi tive terminal.
The battery is vented to the outside to prevent
gases from enter ing the vehicle interior. Make
sure that the jumper clamps are well connected
with their
metal ports in full contact with the
battery terminals .
A WARNING
-To avoid serious personal injury and damage
to the vehicle, heed all warnings and instruc­
tions of the jumper cable manufacturer. If in
doubt, call for road service.
-Jumper cables must be long enough so that
the vehicles do not touch.
..,.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by veh icle owners.
Al so , sa fet y a nd
en vironmental
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en­
g ine and transm ission parts wh ich a n owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
qu ire special tools, test ing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work ­
shop personnel in order to assure proper per­
formance, re liability a nd safety of the veh icle and
its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliab il ity of your
ve hicle and even void your veh icle warranty .
Therefo re, proof of se rvicing in accordance w ith
the ma intenance schedule may be a condition fo r
upho ld ing a possib le warranty claim made within
the warranty period.
Above all , ope rational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessa ry risks fo r yo u and
your passengers.
I f in do ubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other prope rly
eq uipped and qua lified workshop. We strongly
u rge yo u to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opportunity to perform a ll scheduled mainte ­
nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, original parts and trained specialists to keep your veh icle running properly .
Pe rforming limit ed maint enanc e yourself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited number of
procedures which can be performed on your ve hi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personnel be unavailable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
oug hly read a ll of the app licable text and careful­
ly follow the instructions g iven . Always rigorously
observe the
W ARNINGS prov ided .
Before you check an ything in the eng ine com ­
partment , alw ays read and he ed all WARNINGS
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 2
72 .
Con sum er In form ation
A WARNING
--
- Ser ious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad ­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extremely careful when work ing
on the vehicle . Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never risk pe rsonal inj ury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fu lly famil iar with these
or other proced ures with respec t to the ve­
h icle, or are uncerta in how to pro ceed.
- Do not do any work without the proper tools
and eq uipment. Have the necess ary wo rk
done by your authorized Audi dealer or an­
other proper ly equipped and qualified work­
shop.
- The engine compartment of any motor vehi ­
cle is a potentially hazardous area . Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan.
It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
g ine is off . The radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the coolant reaches a cer­
tain tempe rature and will cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack suppl ied with the veh i­
cle is no t adequate for this pu rpose and
could collapse caus ing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you must wor k unde rne ath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels a re always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic transmiss ion) is in
"P"
(Park position) and the pa rk brake is ap­
plied.
337