ESP AUDI A8 2013 Owner's Manual
Page 80 of 318
78 Warm and cold
Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the vehicle interior.
It is the most effect ive when the windows and
sunroof* are closed . If the temperature inside
the parked vehicle becomes very warm, open ing the window briefly will speed up the cool
ing process.
I n all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has reached a certain
temperature.
Condensation from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of water under the ve
hicle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak.
Pollutant filter
The pol lutant filter removes pollutants such
as dust and pollen from the air.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the intervals spec ified in you r Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi
tioner can properly work.
I f you drive your vehicle in an a rea with high
a ir po llution, the fi lter may need to be
changed more frequent ly than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. If
in doubt, ask your authorized Audi Service Ad
visor for advice .
Key coded settings
The climate control settings are a utomat ically
stored and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use.
A WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can
cause accidents. -
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con
densation.
- Comp letely familiarize yourself with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
and ventilation system and especially how to defog and defrost the windows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freez ing weather unt il you
have warmed the windshield first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer solution may freeze on the wind sh ie ld and reduce visib ility.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid further damage and have it
inspected by a qualified dealership.
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re
quire special technical know ledge and
special tools. Contact an authorized Aud i
dea ler fo r assistance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reducing the amount of fuel you use,
you also reduce the amount of pollutants
emitted into the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lots (in fro nt of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de
bris in order to maintain the proper func
tion of the climate control system.
- T he energy management system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window
defroster off temporari Ly . These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored.
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing
on the luggage compartment cover, en
sure that the openings are not covered.
Page 93 of 318
The stored speed and the indicator light
A;(l)~i4 (US mode ls) 8 (Canad ian mode ls) ap
pear in the instrument cluster d isp lay
¢ fig. 92. The display may vary, depending on
t he type of d isplay in your vehicle.
The speed is k ept constant via an engine out
put adjustment or act ive brake intervention .
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on . You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between your vehicle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop
and-go traff ic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydro
planing) -risk of accident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporari ly
when entering turn lanes, highway exit lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "rest ing "
yo ur foot on the accelerator peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acce leration.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cruise con
trol system is sw itched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched
off. The other cruise control functions re
main active as long as the indicator light
[~jlQ~i4 (US models) I ii (Canad ian mod
els) is on.
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the brakes decelerate automat ically .
Changing speed
" To increase/dec rease the speed in incre
ments , tap the lever in the
0 10 d irection
¢ page 90, fig. 91 .
On the ro ad 91
" To increase/decrease the speed quick ly,
hold the lever in the
0 10 direction until
the desired speed is displayed.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g . if you want to
pass someone . The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the accele r
ator pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than S minutes,
the cruise contro l wi ll turn off temporari ly.
The green symbol
A;(l )~i4 (US models) 8 i n
the d isplay is replaced with a white symbol.
The saved speed remains the same .
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving .
" Switch on the ignition.
" Pull lever into posit ion
(D ¢ page 90,
fig . 91 .
" Press the lever in the 0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed .
" Release the lever to save that speed.
This function makes it possible, for example,
to save the speed you want before dr iving on
the h ighway. Once on the highway, act ivate
the cru ise con trol by pulling the lever toward
(D .
Switching the system off
T e mpor ary dea ctivat ion
" Press the brake pedal , or
" Press the lever into position @(not clicked
into place)
¢ page 90, fig. 91 , or
" Drive for longer than 5 minutes at more
than 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
S w itching off complet ely
" Press lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
" Switch the ignition off .
Page 95 of 318
Audi adapt ive crui se c ontrol an d bra kin g guard 9 3
Audi adaptive cruise
control and braking
guard
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
The adaptive cruise control system assists the
driver by regu lating vehicle speed and helping
to maintain a set distance to the vehicle
ahead, within the limits of the system . If the
system detects a moving vehicle up ahead,
adaptive cruise control can brake and then ac
celerate your vehicle. This helps to make driv
ing more comfortable both on long highway
stretches and in stop-and-go traffic.
The braking guard system can warn you about
an impending collision and initiate braking
maneuvers ¢
page 99.
Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
have technical limitations that you must
know, so please read this section carefully, un
derstand how the system works and use them
properly at all times.
General information
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 93 Front of the vehicle: sensors and video came ra
The areas that contain the radar and ultrason
ic sensors and the v ideo camera ¢
fig. 93
must neve r be covered by stickers or other ob
jects or obstructed with dirt, insects, snow or
ice that will interfere with the adaptive cruise
control system and braking guard. For infor
mation on cleaning, refer to ¢
page 218. The same applies for any modifications made in
the front area.
T he function of the adaptive cru ise contro l
system and braking guard is limited under
some conditions:
- Objects can on ly be detected when they are
w ith in sensor range
¢page 95, fig. 96 .
-The system has a limited ability to detect
objects that are a shor t distance ahead,
off
t o the side of your vehicle or moving into
your lane.
- Some kinds of ve hicles are hard to detect;
for examp le motorcycles, vehicles with high
ground clearance or overhanging loads may
be detected when it is too late or they may
not be detected at all.
- When driving through curves
¢page 94 .
- Stationary objects¢ page 94.
& WARNING
Always pay attent ion to traffic when adap
tive cruise control is switched on and brak ing g uard is active. As the driver, you are
still respons ible for starting and for ma in
taining speed and distance to other ob
jects . Braking guard is used to assist you .
The driver must always take action to avo id
a collision. The driver is always responsible
for braking at the co rrect time.
- Improper use of adaptive cru ise control
can cause collisions, other acc idents and
serious pe rsonal in jury.
- Never let the comfort and conven ience
that adaptive cruise control and braking
guard offer d istract you from the need to
be alert to traffic condit ions and the
need to rema in in full control of your ve
hicle at all times,
- Always remember that the adaptive
cruise control and braking guard have
limits -they will not s low the vehicle
down or maintain the set distance when
you drive towards an obstacle or some
thing on or near the road that is not
mov ing, such as vehicles stopped in a
traffic jam, a stalled or disabled vehicle .
I f registered by the radar sensors,
Page 96 of 318
94 Audi adapti ve cruise control and bra king gu ard
vehicles or obstacles that are not moving
can trigger a collision warning and if con
firmed by the v ideo camera, an acute col
lis ion warn ing .
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise co ntrol when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condit ion and/or in bad weather
(such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplan ing) . Using the system under
these cond it ions cou ld result in a co lli
sion .
- Swi tch adap tive c ruise control off tempo
rar ily when driv ing in turning lanes, on
expressway exits or in construction
zones . This prevents the vehicle from ac
celerat ing to the set speed when in these
situations.
- The adapt ive cruise control system wi ll
not brake by itse lf if you put your foot on
the accelerator pedal. Doing so can over
ride the speed and d istance regulation .
- When approaching stationary objects such as stopped traff ic, adaptive cruise
co ntrol will not respond and braking
guard w ill have limited function.
- The adapt ive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people, an
imals, objects c rossing the road or on
coming objects .
- The function of the radar senso rs can be
affected by reflective objects such as
guard rai ls , the entrance to a tunnel,
heavy rain or ice.
- Never follow a ve hicle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safe ly. The
adaptive cruise contro l canno t slow or
brake the vehicle safely when you follow
another vehicle too closely. Always re
member that the automatic braking
function cannot br ing the vehicle to a
sudden or emergency stop under these condit ions.
- To prevent unintended operation, always switch ACC off when it is not being used. (D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. That cou ld affect the adaptive
cruise control system and brak ing guard.
Have your authorized Aud i dea ler or au
thorized Audi Service Facility check their
funct ion .
In curves
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cru ise contro l
I
Fig. 9 4 Exampl e: dri ving in to a curve
When d riving into a curve c> fig. 94 and out of
a curve, the ad aptive cruise control may react
to a vehicle in the next lane and apply the
brakes. You can override or prevent the brak
i ng by pressing the acce lerator pedal b riefly .
' Stationary objects
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 95 Exampl e: objec t ch anging l anes and sta tio nar y
object
T he adaptive cru ise control system only reacts
to objects that a re mov ing o r that the system
has already detected as moving . For examp le,
if a vehicle @, which has already been detect-
ed by the adaptive c ruise contro l, tu rns or
ch anges lanes and another stationary vehicle .,.
Page 101 of 318
Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard 99
Audi braking guard
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 103 Instrumen t cl uste r: ap proac h warn ing
Braking guard uses radar sensors and a video
camera . It a lso functions within the lim its of
the system whe n adapt ive cruise control is
switched off .
What can braking guard do? When detected in time, the system can assess
situations when a vehicle ahead brakes sud
denly or if y our own veh icle is traveling at a
high speed and approaching a veh icle up
ahead that is moving more slowly . Bra king
g ua rd does not react if i t cannot detect th e
si tuation.
The system advises you of va rious situations:
- The distance warning is given if you are too
close to the vehicle ahead for a long time. If
the vehicle ahead brakes sharply, you will not be able to avoid a col lisio n. The indicator
light
I i n the display comes on .
- The approach warning is g iven when a de
tected vehicle up ahead in yo ur lane is mov
i ng much more slowly tha n you are o r if it
b rakes sha rply . When this wa rning is given,
i t may only be possib le to av oid a collision
by swerving or br aking sh arply . Th e ind ic a tor
li gh t
I and indicator in the disp lay will warn
yo u about the danger
c::> fig . 103 . You will al
so hear an acoustic sig na l.
If yo u do not re act fast enoug h or do not re act
at all to the situat io n, braking g uard will inte r-
11
Thi s is not ava ilable in som e coun tri es.
vene by braking and the message braking
guard intervention will appea r.
- If a coll is ion is im minen t, the sy st em w ill
first provi de an acute warning by brie fly and
shar ply a pplying the brakes.
- If you do not re act t o the acu te war ning,
bra king g uard can brake w ith increas ing
force w ith in the lim its of the system. T his
red uces the vehicle speed in the event of a
co llision.
- The system can initiate maximum brak ing
short ly before a co llision
ll. Full dece leration
at high speeds occurs only in vehicles with
adapt ive cr uise control and side assist (pre
sense plus).
- If the brak ing g uard senses that yo u are not
braki ng hard enough w hen a co llision is im
m inent, it can inc rease t he b ra ki ng fo rce .
- The pre sense functions also engage whe n a
col lision is imm inent
c::> page 196 .
Which function s can be controlled?
You can switc h braking guard an d the dis
tance/approach warning on or off in the M MI
c::> page 100, Settings in the MMI.
&_ WARNING
Lack of attent ion can cause collisions, ot h
e r accidents and serio us pe rsonal inj uries .
Th e braking gua rd is an assist system and
ca nnot pr ev en t a collisi on by its elf . T he
dr iver must always in tervene. The drive r is
al way s res pons ible f or br aki ng a t the cor
rect t ime.
- Always pay clos e att ention to traffic ,
e v e n w hen the bra king g uard is swi tched
on. Be ready t o intervene and be ready to
take comp lete contro l whenever necessa
ry. Always keep the sa fe and legal dis
tanc e between your ve hicle an d veh icles
up ahead.
- Braking guard works wi thin limits and
wi ll not respo nd outside t he system lim
its, for e xamp le w hen approaching a
stopped vehicle o r stationary obstacle ..,.
Page 104 of 318
102 Audi la ne ass is t
Audi lane assist
Lane assist
Description
Appl ies to vehicles: with lane assist
Lane assist helps you keep your vehicle in your
lane .
Lane assist detects lane marker lines within
the limits of the system using a camera in the
windshield. If you are approaching a detected
lane marker line and it appears likely that you
will leave the lane, the system will warn you
with a light vibration . Lane assist is operable
when the line marking the lane is detected on
at least one s ide of the vehicle .
The system will not warn you before cross ing
a lane marker line if you have activated the
turn signal. In t his case, it assumes tha t you
a re changing lanes intent ionally.
The system is designed for driv ing on free
ways and expanded highways and thus works
on ly at speeds of 40 mph (65 km/h) o r more.
.&_ WARNING
- Lane ass ist will not keep your vehi cle in
yo ur lane. The system only warns the
dr iver w hen the vehicle is leaving the
lane. The driver is always responsib le for
keeping the vehicle in the lane.
- The camera is not able to detect all lane
boundary lines and in some cases might
also detect lane structures or objects as
boundary lines. This can lead to incorrect
warnings or warnings that fail to go off
at all.
- The camera's visibility can be impaired by
vehicles ahead of you, for instance, or by
rain, snow, heavy spray or light shin ing
in to the camera lens. This can cause lane
assist to fa il to detec t bou ndary lines.
- Activating and deactivating
Applies to
vehicles: with lane assist
Fig. 104 Turn s igna l lever: Lane assist button
Fig . 105 Windsh ield: Lane assist camera viewing win
dow
"' Press the q fig. 104 button to activate or
deactivate t he system. The • or. ind ica
t or l ight in the instrument cluster will il l u
m inate or go o ut.
Instrum ent cluster indicator light
• Re ady:
The green indicator light shows
that th e system is ready to use . Th e system
can now warn you if yo u are about to cross a
known lane mar ker line.
• Not ready: The yellow indicator light
shows that the system is t urned on bu t unable
to send a warning . This can be due to the fol
lowing :
- There is no lane boundary line .
- The relevant lane marker lines are not de-
tected (for example, markings in a construc
tion zone or because they are obst ructed by
snow, d irt, water or backlighting) .
- The vehicle's speed is below the speed need·
ed to activate it, wh ich is about 40 mph (65
km/h).
- The lane is narrower than about 8
ft. (2.5
m) .
Page 107 of 318
Audi side assist Lane Change Assistant
Description
App lies to vehicles: with si de assist
Fig . 108 Sensor detection range
Fig . 109 Disp lay on the exterior mirror
Side assist he lps you monitor your blind spot
and traffic behind your veh icle. W ith in the
limits of the system, it warns you about
vehicles that are coming closer or that are
traveling w ith you within sensor ra nge
(D
c::, fig . 108: if a lane change is class ified as crit
ical, the display @ in the exterior mirror
c::> fig. 109 turns on.
The display in the left exterior mirror provides
assistance when making a lane change to t he
l eft, while the display in the right exter ior mir
r or p rov ides assistance when making a lane
change to the right.
Information stage
As long as you do not activate the turn signal,
side assist
informs you about vehicles that are
detected and class ified as crit ical. The display
i n the respec tive mirro r turns o n, but is d im .
Aud i side assist 105
The display remains d im intentionally in the
information stage so that your view toward
the front is not disturbed .
Warning st age
If you activate the turn signal, s ide assist
warns you about veh icles that are detected
and classified as critical. The display in the re
spective mirror blinks brightly . If this hap
pens, check traffic by glancing in the rearview
mirror and over your shoulder ¢
A in General
information on page 106.
@ Tips
- You can adjust the brightness of the dis
play @¢
page 107.
-Please refer to the instructions fo r tow
ing a trailer located in¢
page 106.
Page 108 of 318
106 Audi side assist
General information
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig. 110 Driving s it u at ions
A U D I
• 0
Fig . 11 1 Rea r of th e ve hicle: pos it io n of t he se nso rs
Side assis t fu nctions at speeds above ap prox i
ma tely 19 mph (30 km/h).
(D V ehicles that are approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change
even if it is still
somewhat far away. The fas ter a vehicle ap
p ro aches, the sooner the disp lay in the exteri
or m irror will t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr it ical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assis t are in dicated by the time they en
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
@ Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pass a ve hicl e tha t sid e ass ist has
dete cted ( the difference in s peed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/ h), the display in the exterio r mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The display wi ll not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that s ide assist has detected (t he d if
f erence in speed between the ve hicle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
T he radar senso rs are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
l anes a re the normal width. In certain situa
t ions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no ve hicle locat
ed in the area that is cr itical fo r a la ne cha nge.
Fo r example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on the edge of your lane. If this is the case ,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another lane that is
not adjacent to you r
cur rent lane .
- if you a re driving through a c urve . Side assis t
may react to a vehicle that is one lane ove r
from the adjacent lane .
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced gua rd rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
fu nctions are limited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c::> fig. 111 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob
jects, because this wi ll affect the funct io n. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer . For
information on cleaning, refe r to
c::> page 218 .
&_ WARNING
-Always pay a tten tion t o traffic and to the
a rea around your ve hicl e. Side a ssist can
no t repla ce a driver's atte ntion. The driv
er a lone is always respons ible fo r lane
cha nges a nd similar driving mane uvers.
Page 111 of 318
Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i drive select makes it possible to experi
ence different types of vehicle settings in one
veh icle. The driver can select th ree
Comfort,
Auto
and Dynamic modes in the MMI to
switch between a sporty and a comfortable
driving mode.
You can also adjust the setting according to
your preferences in the
individual mode. For
examp le, you can combine settings such as a
sporty engine tuning with comfortab le steer
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the Audi drive select can
cause collisions, other acc idents and seri
ous personal injury .
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. The engine, transm is
sion, steering, reve rsible safety belt tension
ers and adaptive air suspension are always in
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
tra nsmission respond quicker or in a more bal
anced manne r to acce lerator pedal move
ments. In the sporty dynamic mode, the
transmission shifts at higher RPMs .
Air suspension
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air sus
pension sport*
( Air suspension in the MMI) is
an electronically con trolled air suspension and
damping sys tem. They are adjusted depend
ing on the selected driving mode, the drive r's
steering, braking and acceleration input and
the road s urface, vehicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in vehicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*.
Audi drive select 109
The vehicle clearance varies depending on the
selected mode and the speed .
T he hig hway setting is activated automatically
when you drive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than 30 seconds in the
auto or dynamic
mode. The ground clearance is increased auto
matically if the speed drops below 44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steering in comfort
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high
way . In contrast, dynamic mode provides
sporty, direct steer ing .
The following applies to vehicles with dynamic steering* : the steering ratio changes based on
vehicle speed in order to ma inta in optimum
steering effort for the driver at all times. This
sets the steering to be less sens itive at higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle
control. At reduced speeds, however, steer ing
is mo re direct in order to keep the steering ef
fort as minimal as possible when the driver is
maneuvering the vehicle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic steering additiona lly pro
vides more responsive steering performance.
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l dr ive system
(quattro ®)
<:!) page 203, the Sport differen
tia l* distributes the driving power to the rear
axle depending on the situation . The distribu
tion of power varies depending on the select
ed mode, from balanced (comfort) to agile
(dynamic). The goal is a high level of agility
and ability to accelerate on curves . The vehicle
is very responsive to steering.
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves.
The pivoting act ion and the lighting are also
adapted to the mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
The behavior when accelerating can be adjust
ed from comfortab le to sporty, depending on .,..
Page 112 of 318
110 Audi drive select
the drive se lect mode. Adaptive cruise control
a lso responds to the driving behavior of the
vehicle ahead in a more conservative or sporty
manner.
Engine sound*
The sound of the engine is adapted to the se
lected mode and ranges from subtle to sporty .
Q) Note
-Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the vehicle when park
ing. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i
tions and changes to the dr iv ing modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When transporting the vehicle on a car
carr ier, tra in, ship or by other means, on
l y tie the veh icle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
ci rcumfe rence . Securing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension str uts
or towing eyes is not pe rmitted because
the press ure in the air suspension s truts
can change during transport. The vehicle
may not be sec ured s ufficient ly if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you must activate the trailer ope ration mode
c:> page211.
(D Tips
-In some mode ls, the maxim um vehicle
speed can on ly be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Se lecting the
dynamic mode results in
sporty shifting characteristics. The S
gear position engages automatically.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the eng ine. This does not ind i
cate a problem. -
In vehicles w ith sport different ia l* , the
dynamic mode is deactivated when tow
ing a tra iler.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto , Dy
namic and Individual.
Fig. 11 3 MMI : Drive select
.,. To select the mode, se lect the following in
the M Ml :
I CAR I function button > Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic
or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve
hicle is stationary or while driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on h igh
ways.
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy
nam ic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
dynamic -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style.
individual-c:> page 111.
A WARNING ,...___ -
Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi drive select to prevent potential risk
of an acc ident.