AUDI S8 2009 Owners Manual

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When you look in the outside mirror, you can clea rly see the infor ­
mational s tage signal.
Ale rt sta ge signal
When you ac tivate the turn signal, and side assist has detected a
vehic le in a notab le location on that particu lar sid e, the signal light
on this side mirror flashes brightly. The repea ted brief and bright
flash ing of the aler t stage signa l reminds you to carefully check
t raffic to the rear in the outside mirror and over your shoulder, so
that you can safely complete the lane change=>
& in "Safety tips"
on
page 164.
[ i ] Tips
T he brightness of the signal light on the outside mirrors can be
adjusted with the
MMI => page 162 . •
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
A pp lies to veh ic les: with s ide ass ist
Driving situation : Fast approaching vehicles
Fig . 177 Si de ass ist : Fas t app roac hing veh ic le s
G) Si gn al o n outs ide mirror doe s not li ght up
No vehicle was detected by the sensors. The signal on the outside
mirror does not light up=>
& in "Safety tips" on page 164.
0 Informa tion al st age s ignal ligh ts up
A fast approaching vehicle -in the left-hand lane for example -was
detected by the sensors. Although this vehicle is still far away, it
shou ld be taken into account if you were to change lanes , due to the
consid erable difference in speed. The informationa l stage s ignal on
the outside mirror lights up=>
page 158 .
© Alert stage signal fl ashe s
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation 0 , the signal
briefly flashes repeated ly . Side assist is aler ting you to a vehicle that
you may not have not iced . _,.
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

• ..__A_ u_ d_ i _s _i_d _e_ a_ s_ s _ is_ t __________________________________________________ _
[ i J Tips
• The faster a vehicle approaches from the rear, the sooner the
s ignal on the outside mirror lights up . Side assist will signal, at the
latest, when a detected vehicle enters your "blind spot".
• When vehicles approach very quickly, changing lanes can be
dangerous even if the signal on the outside mirror does not light
up. •
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Driving situation : Slowly approaching
vehicles
Fig. 178 Side assist: Slowly approaching vehicles and vehicles in your blind
spot
G) Signal on outside mirror does not light up
A vehicle approaching slowly -in the left -hand lane for example -
was detected by the sensors. Because of the small difference in speed and the considerable distance from your vehicle, the signal
on
the outside mirror will not light up
~ & in "Safety tips" on
page 164.
© Informational stage signal lights up
The distance between your vehicle and that of the slowly
approaching vehicle has narrowed. The informational stage signal
on the outside mi rror lights up.
As soon as the difference in speed and distance is registered as notable if you were to change lanes, a signal on the mirror lights up .
Side assis t will signal a t the latest when a detected vehicle enters
your "blind spot".
© Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation©, the signal
light briefly flashes repeatedly . Side assist is alerting you of a
vehicle that you may not have noticed.
[ i J Tips
• The faster a vehicle approaches from the rear, the sooner the
signal on the outside mirror lights up . Side assist will signal , at the
latest, when a detected vehicle enters your "blind spot".
• When veh icles approach very quickly, changing lanes can be
dangerous even if the signal on the outside mirror does not light
up. •

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Ap plies to vehicle s: with side assist
Driving situation : Vehicles dropping back
slowly
Fig. 179 Side assist: Vehicles dropping back slowly
G) Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle that you passed has not yet been detected by side assist.
The signal on the outside mirror does not light up=>
& in "Safety
tips" on
page 164.
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A vehicle dropping back slowly on the right (difference in speed of
less than 9 mph, or 15 km/h) has been detected by side assist . The
informational stage signal on the outside mirror lights up.
G) Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation@, the signal
briefly flashes repeatedly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehicle that
you may not have noticed. •
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment
Ap plies to vehicles: with side assist
Driving situation : Vehicles dropping back
quickly
Fig . 180 Side assist: Vehicles dropping back quickly
G) Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle just passed has not yet been detected by side assist. The
signal on the outside mirror does not light up=>
& in "Safety tips"
on
page 164.
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle dropping back quickly on the right ( difference in speed
of more than 9 mph, or 15 km/h) has been detected by side assist,
but is not considered notable in the event of a lane change, because
it is dropping back so quickly. The signal on the outside mirror does
not light up=>
& in "Safety tips" on page 164. tJ,,,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

• ..__A_ u_ d_ i _s _i_d _e_ a_ s_ s _ is_ t __________________________________________________ _
G) Signal on outside mirror does not light up
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation @, the signal still
does not ligh t up on the outside mirror::::;,
& in "Safety tips" on
page 164 . •
A pplies t o vehic les : w it h side assist
MMI settings
The basic brightness setting of the signal on the outside
mirror can be adjusted via the MM/.
- Pressthe!CAR)function button.
Select
Systems in the CAR menu .
Fig. 18 1 MMI Display:
Options menu
Fig . 182 MMI Display :
Ad justi ng signal
brightness
Select Audi side assist.
-Select Warning lamp: brightness .
Rotate the control knob to adjust the displayed bright­
ness of the signal light on the outside mirrors:::::, fig. 182 .
The brightness of the signa l light for both the informational and
alert stages is automatica lly adjusted to ambient light conditions . In
addition, you can adjust the
basic brightness separat ely, via th e
brightness function::::;, fig. 182.
Whi le making the adjustment, the new brightness setting is
displayed briefly. The brightness displayed is that of the informa ­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signa l brightness is linked to the
informational stage signal brightness.
The informational stage signal brightness shou ld be adjusted so
that you notice the signal i llumination wh en you look in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward through the windshield .
In very dark or light surroundings, the automatic brightness setting
adjusts signal light brightness to maximum or minimum intensity,
as needed . In circumstances such as these, you may not notice any
change in the brightness on the outside mirror when adjusting the
basic brightness .
You may not notice the change until lighting conditions are normal
again.
[ i ] Tips
• Side assist is not active when the basic brightness is adjusted.
The signal light comes on briefly to help you make the adjustment .
• Your settings are automatically stored and assigned to the
remote con tro l key being used .•

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Ap plies to vehicle s: with side assist
General information
Side assist has lim its and cannot detect vehic les under all road and
weather conditions. P lease remember system limitations and
never
rely on the system, especially when:
• driving through curves=>
page 763,
• lanes are of different widths=> page 163. •
Applie s to vehicles: with side ass ist
When dr iving through curves
Side assist cannot detect vehicles in curves with a turning radius of
less than 328 feet (100 m).
When driving through a curve , it is possible that side assist may
register a vehicle two lanes
over, and the signal on the outside
m irror will ligh t up .•
A pplies to vehicle s: with side ass is t
Lane width
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
-
Fi g. 183 Lanes o f a
n orm al w idth are in
d etec tion a rea
Fig . 18 4 Narrow l anes:
Si de ass is t m ay d etec t
v ehicle s tw o la ne s
a w ay
Side assist's detection area is designed to cover lanes of standard
width to the le ft and right o f your trave l lane, depending on whethe r
you drive in the center of your lane or c loser to the edge.
If you drive in narrow lanes, side assist's detection area may also
inc lude other lanes -especially if you tend to dr ive on the edge o f
your lane=> fig . 184. Under these conditions, vehicles can also be
de tected tha t are two lanes away, and s ide assist then could switch
between the informational and warning stage signa ls.
When d riving in
very wide lanes, vehicles in the adjacent lane may
not be detected because they are not inside the detection area. •
Notes
Applies to veh ic les : with s ide ass ist
Messages in instrument cluster display
If side assist turns off automatically, the indicator light on the
button will go out and you will see a message in the instr ument
cluster display:
Audi side a ssist not available : sensors po ssibly blocked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear bumper on the left and
right ( not visible on the outside) =>
page 156, fig. 173 . To ensure that
you do not adversely affect the way side assist functions, foreign .,_
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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objects (such as stic kers o r bicyc le rac ks) shou ld no t be attach ed to
th e ar ea on the rea r bump er where t he sen so rs ar e loca ted. I f side
assist functions are adve rsely aff ect ed, you will see this m essage in
th e ins trum ent clu ster dis pla y. Remove an ything that may be
blocking the sensors.
If no veh ic le is detected for a longer period of time while d riving,
s id e ass ist w ill a lso sw itc h off aut omat ica lly.
Audi side assist currently not available
If th ere is a tem porary prob le m (such as the veh ic le 's battery char ge
being low), side ass ist cannot be activated tem porar ily .
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the sys te m chec ked by an a uthorize d A udi dea ler o r qua lified
wor ks h op. •
App lies to veh icles : wi th side ass is t
Safety tips
The side ass is t de tect io n m ay be limi ted whe n driving a round
narrow s treet corners, on hilly streets, and under poor w eat he r
condit ions.
It is possibl e that the r ad ar sen so rs may also d etect oth er obje cts,
such as high or staggered guardrails.
Sid e assis t does no t measure ac tual lane w idth. The sys te m
assu mes a fixed lane widt h. D etect ion in the left and right lanes is
based on thi s assumed lane width . When driving on na rrow roads or
when driv ing to th e left or right of the c enter o f a trav el lane, it is
possible that veh ic les wi ll be detected that are
not in the lane next
to the l ane y ou are us ing .
& WARNING
• Improper reliance on the side assist system can cause colli­
sions and serious personal injury:
& WARNING (continued)
- Never rely only on side assist when changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make sure that it is safe to
change lanes .
• Side assist cannot detect all vehicles under all conditions ­
danger of accident !
• Side assist cannot detect vehicles
in time to alert you when
they approach from behind at very high speed , or fall drop back
very quickly.
• The radar sensor's
vision can be reduced or entirely blocked by
rain , snow , and heavy spray. This can result in side assist not
adequately detecting vehicles or, in some cases, not detecting
them at all . Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle .
• Please note that side assist indicates there are approaching
vehicles , or vehicles in your blind spot , only after your vehicle has
reached a driving speed of at least 19 mph (30 km /h) .
• Side assist signal does not work around tight corners (turning
radius less than 328 feet , or 100
ml.
• Side assist is no replacement for the driver's full attention. The
driver alone is responsible for lane changes and similar driving
maneuvers . Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle .
0 Note
To ensure that s ide assist is not adversely affected , you s hou ld not
block the area on the rea r bumper where the radar sensors a re
l ocated with fo rei gn ob jec ts (such as w ith sti ckers or b icycl e rac ks!. .,,_

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[ i ] Tip s
If the positions of the radar sensors have been changed as a result
of a rear end -collision, for instance, have side assist checked by an
authorized Audi dealer for safety reasons. •
Controls and equip ­
ment
I • •

• ..__A_ u_t _o _m_ a_ t_ i_c _ t _r_ a_ n_ s_m _ is_ s_ io_ n ___________________________________________ _
Automatic transmission
tiptronic® (6-speed automatic
transmission)
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with an e lectronica lly controlled automatic
transmission. Upshifting and downshifting takes place
automati ­
cally.
The transmission is also equipped with tiptronic®. It allows the driver to shift gears
manually if desired => page 170 . •
Driving the automatic transmission
Start ing the en gin e
- T he selector lever must be in
N or P.
Start ing off
- Press and hold the bra ke pedal.
Fi g. 185 Sh ift gate o n
t h e ce nter c onsole :
selec tor le v er wit h
re lease butto n
- Press and hold the release button in the se lector lever
hand le and move the selector lever from
P or N to D and
release the button
=:> & .
- Wait br iefly u ntil the transm ission has shifted (you will
feel a sligh t movement).
- Remove your foot f rom t he brake pedal and accelerate .
Rocking back and forth to be com e unstu ck
- Sh ift only between
D and R when the ve hicle is at a fu ll
stop and the engine is running at idle speed.
Stopping
- Press and h old the brake pedal unti l the vehicle has come
to a comp lete stop.
Keep the brake pedal depressed so that the vehic le
cannot ro ll forward or backward while it is idling =:>& .
- Once stopped,
do not depress the acce lerator pedal to
rev up the engine=:>&.
Par king
- Press and h old the brake pedal unti l the vehicle has come
to a comp lete stop.
- Set the parking brake firmly=:>
page 135, "Parking" .
- Press and hold the release button in the selector lever
handle, m ove the selector lever i nto
P and then let go of
the release button =:> & . ._

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T he selector lever must be in Nor P. If one of the driving positions
is engaged a safety switch w ill preven t the eng ine from being
started. See also=>
page 130.
Before you move the selector lever from the P position, you must
a lways apply the brake pedal before and while depressing the
button in the hand le of the se lector lever .
_& WARNING
• Unintended v ehicle movement c an cause serious injury .
- When the selector lever i s in a driving po sition , the vehicle
may creep, even at idle speed . Therefore do not release the
parking brake or foot brake until you are ready to move ,
be cau se power is tran smitted to the wheel s as soon as a
driving po sition i s engaged.
- Do not accelerate while selecting a driving pos ition . At this
time the engine must be at idle speed so that undue stress is
not placed on the clut che s in the t ransmission .
-Remember : - even when stopped briefly with the automatic
transmi ssion in "D" or "R ", engine po wer is being tr ansmitted
to the wheels. Your vehicle could "creep " forward or ba ckward .
When stopped , keep the brake pedal fully depres sed and u se
the parking brake if ne ces sary to keep the vehicle from rolling.
• If the selecto r leve r is unintentionally mo ved into N whi le you
are dr iving, take your foot off the accelerator pedal and wait for
the eng ine to return to idle speed before sele cting a dr iving posi ­
tion .
• Never shift into "R " or "P " when the ve hicle is in motion .
• Never get out of the driver 's seat when the eng ine i s running .
• If you must get out of the vehicle , move the selector lever
s ecurely into the P po sition and apply the park ing brake firmly.
• If the engine must remain running , never have any driving po si­
tion engaged when che cking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in "P" with the
p ark ing br ake firmly set =>
page 301 , "E n gine compart ment ".
Controls and equip ­
ment
& W ARNING (continued )
Otherwise , any in crease in engine speed may set the vehi cle in
motion , even with the parking brake applied. •
Selector lever positions
This section describes the selector lever positi ons and
drivi ng ra nges .
Fig . 18 6 D ispl ay in the
in strument cluste r:
s elec tor lev er in po si­
tion D
The selector leve r posi tion engaged appears next to the selec tor
lever as wel l as in the instrument c luster display . A lso, the current
gear engaged is sh own in positi ons D and S .
P -Park
In this selector leve r pos it ion the transmission is mechanica lly
locked . Engage
P on ly when the vehicle is completely stopped=> &
in "Driving the automatic transm ission" on page 166 .
To shift in or out of position P, you must first press and hold the
brake peda l
and then press the re lease bu tton in t he se lecto r leve r
handle while moving the selector lever to or from
P . You can shift
out of this position only with the ignit ion on.
R -Re ver se
The transmission wi ll au tomatically select the lowest gear ratio
when you shift into reverse .
I • •

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Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop and the engine is
running at idle speed=>
& in "Driving the automatic transmission"
on
page 166.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press both the button in the
handle of the selector lever
and the brake pedal at the same time.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illuminate when the
selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position. Shift to this position
for standing with the brakes applied =>
page 168 .
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the footbrake before and while moving the
lever out of
N.
D -Normal position for driving forward
Position Dis for normal city and highway driving. It ranges from zero
to top speed and all six gears shift automatically, depending on
engine load, driving speed and automatically selected shift
programs.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
D out of N.
In certain circumstances it may be advantageous to temporarily
switch to the manual shift program to manually select gear ratios to
match specific driving conditions=>
page 170.
S -Sport position
Select this position for sportier performance. In this position, the
transmission will not upshift as soon, allowing the vehicle to use the increased power available at higher engine speeds to achieve live ­
lier acceleration.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the lever to
S out of N.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS => & in "Driving the automatic
transmission" on
page 166.
0 Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N and the engine not
running will result in damage to the automatic transmission and
possibly the catalytic converter. •
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Automatic shift lock prevents you from accidentally
shifting into a forward gear or into reverse, thus causing the vehicle to move unintentionally.
Fig. 187 Shift gate
selector lever lock
positions and interlock
button highl ighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
- Turn the ignition on.
Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time press and hold
the lock button on the side of the gear selector knob
=> fig. 187 with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
~