AUDI A8 2011 Owners Manual

Night vision assistant
Description
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 110 Display: nightv ision assistant
"Night v ision assistant with pedestrian detec­
tion" uses an infrared camera to mon itor the
area in front of your vehicle at night . Within
the limits of the system, it can display objects
up to about 1000 feet (300 mete rs) away. The
heat image of a pedestrian detected by the
camera is shown in the instrument cluster dis­
p lay
¢ fig. 110. Warm areas appear lighter
and cold areas appear darker.
Pedestrian detection
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 111 Display: yellow pedestrian marking
Fig. 112 Display: symbol when infra red image is not
visib le
Night vision assistant 109
Night vision assistant can detect pedestrians
that are between about 50 and 300 feet (15
and 90 meters) in front of the vehicle, under ideal conditions . If a pedestrian is detected
when it is dark outside and the vehicle head­
lights are switched on, the pedestrian is high ­
lighted in yellow
~ fig. 111, ¢page 110,
General information .
If another display such
as navigat ion replaces the image from the
night vis ion assistant, the symbo l
~11 appears
in a tab
¢fig. 112.
(D Tips
-If the night vision assistant image does
not appear when the system is switched
on, you can access it with the buttons on
the multifunction steering whee l
~page 24.
Pedestrian warning
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig . 113 D isp lay: pedestr ian wa rning
Fig. 114 Disp lay: pedestrian wa rnin g with anot her dis ­
play
If a pedestrian is detected in an area in front
of the vehicle that the system considers criti­
cal, the pedestrian is highlighted in red
¢fig . 113 and a warning tone sounds. This
area is based on the vehicle speed and

110 Night vis ion assis tant
steering angle. The pedestrian warning
prompts you to pay even closer attention to
the area in front of the vehicle and to watch
out for pedestrians.
I f another display such as the tr ip computer
replaces the image from the night vision as­
sistant, the indicator light turns red when
there is a pedestrian warning
I c:> fig. 114.
@ Tips
The pedestrian marking and warning tone
can be adjusted in the MMI
r::!)poge 111.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 115 Front of the vehi cle: night vision assistant
camera
The following s ituations may affect the func­
tion of the night vision assistant system:
- poor vis ibility such as snow, ra in , fog or
heavy road spray
- dirty lens on the night vision ass istant cam -
era
Make sure the night vis ion assistant camera
r::!) fig. 115 is not cove red by stickers, deposits
or any other obstruc tions because tha t can
p revent the camera from working p roperly.
F or information on cleaning the lens, refer to
r::!) page 208.
Pedestrian detect ion depends o n the differ­
ence in temperat ure between the person and
the background. Pedestrians may not be de­
tected if the temperature difference is too
small. The pedestrian highlighting feature is
deactivated at temperatures above 77 °F (25
0
() and when it is light outside.
A WARNING
--
Night vision assistant has limits and can­
not always detect pedestrians . Always pay
close attention to traffic and the area
around your vehicle even when night vision
assis tant is sw itched on.
- Night vision assistant can only warn
about people located within the visual
range of the infrared camera. The visual
ra nge corresponds to the image in the in­
strument cluster display .
- Night vision assistant may not detect
peop le and highlight them if
- they are not in an upright posit ion, for
example if they are sitting, crouching
o r lying down and/or
- if the outline in the disp lay is incom­
plete or interrupted, for example be­
cause the perso n is part ial ly hidden by
a parked vehicle.
@ Tips
- Pedestrian detection and the pedestrian
warm ing are limited to objects that are
detected as pedest rians . The system
does not detect an imals. Even though
the shape and warmth radiate d by each
objec t detected is eval uated, the system
does have limitat ions and it can g ive in­
correct warnings .
- For technical reasons, the image pauses
in split second intervals.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles : with night vision assistant
Fig. 116 Area around the light switch: night vis ion as-
s istant button ..,_

.. Swi tch the ign ition on and turn the lig ht
switch to the
AUTO pos ition or io .
.. To switch night vision assistant on , press the
~ ,, button
~ fig . 116. The image from the
night vision camera appears in the instru­
me nt cluster d isp lay.
.. Press t he button ~,, aga in to swi tc h ni ght vi­
s ion assistant off .
Settings in the MMI
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
F ig. 117 D isp lay: examp le of pedestr ia n detectio n and
warni ng tone switched off
.. Se lect: ICARI f unct ion but ton> Car sy stems
co ntrol b utton > Dr iver assist > Night vision
a ssist.
Highlight pedestrians -
You can switch pedes­
tr ian detection
on and off . If yo u sw itch pe­
destrian detect ion off, the pedestrian war ning
t one also switches off . The symbols
II and !:a
a p pe ar in the upper righ t area of the ins tru­
men t cluster display~
fig. 117.
Warning tone -You can switch the to ne fo r
the pedestrian warning
on a nd off . Whe n the
warn ing tone is swi tc h ed off, a ye llow sym bol
fo r the de activa ted w arning tone with a line
through it appears in the upper right of the in­
strument cluster display ~
fig. 117 .
Contrast -When the nigh t vis ion assis tan t is
switche d on and the ima ge is visible in t he in ­
strument cluster disp lay, yo u can adjust the
contrast in the image from
Min to Max.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with night visio n assistant
Night vision assistant : system malfunction! Night
vision assistant 111
The system cannot work properly and is
switched off. See your authorized Audi dealer
for assistance .
Night vision assistant: not available
The system cannot detect p roperly under cur­
r ent cond itions and is switc hed off tempora ri­
ly.
Night vision assistant: only available in dark­
nes s and with lights switched on
N ight vision assistant only works when it is
dark outside a nd the head lights are on .
Night vision assistant: pedestrian detection
not available
The system has deactivated the pedestrian de­
tection function .

112 Automatic Transmission
Automatic
Transmission
tiptronic (8-speed
transmission)
Introduction
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronically controlled 8-speed automatic transmission .
Upshifting and downshifting take place auto­
matically .
The driver also has the option to shift the
gears manuafly c;,page 115 .
Dynamic Shift Program (DSP)
When a moderate driving style is used , the
transmission selects the most economical
driving mode. The transmission upshifts at a
lower RPM and downshifts at a higher RPM to
improve fuel effic ie ncy .
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac­
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera­
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed .
Selecting the best driving mode is a continu­
ous process . However, the transmission will
also jump to a sporty driving mode if you
press the accelerator pedal quickly. When you
do this, the transmission shifts down into a
lower gear, which makes it possible to acceler­
ate quickly (for example, when passing anoth­
er vehicle) without having to press the pedal
down into the kick-down area . Once the trans ­
mission has shifted up again, it returns to the
original driving mode as long as it matches
the current driving style.
When driving in hills and mountains , the gear
selection adapts to the grade. This prevents
constant upshifting and downshifting when
driving uphill.
Indicator in the display
Fig. 118 Display : selecto r leve r position
@ -The current selector lever position is dis ­
played continuously . The gear is also dis­
played in manual mode
M.
@ -This indicato r appears temporarily if you
ch ange the selector lever position or if you
press the button on the selec tor lever
¢ page 112, fig . 119 . The current selector
lever pos ition is shown with a wh ite back­
ground .
Selecting a selector lever position
Fig. 119 Selector lever
----R----
- -- N- -- -1
- D/S--
Fig. 120 Pressing the button o n the selector leve r
The current selector lever position is displayed
on the selector lever <=;>fig. 119. ..,_

~ You may need to release the selector lever
lock depending on which se lector lever posi­
t ion is selected and which one you would
like to select ¢
page 113, Selector lever
lock .
~ To engage the nearest selector lever posi ­
t ion, move the selector lever forward/back
until you feel the first pressure po int. The
selector lever will return to its original posi ­
tion.
~ T o skip over one (or two) se lector lever posi­
tions, move the se lector lever past the first
(and second) pressure point into the desired
pos it ion. The selector lever will return to its
original position.
F or example, to move directly from the
D se­
lector lever position to
P when stopping the
vehicle, you can shift past the
N and R selec­
tor lever positions.
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­
lecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector
lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever¢
fig. 119 and/or press the
brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a
selector lever position when the engine is run­
ning while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows ¢
fig. 120 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift from
D to R within one second. This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck .
P- Park
The whee ls are locked in this position. Only
shift into park when the vehicle is stationary
¢ & .To engage the
P selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the
P position .
You can only shift out of park when the eng ine
is running and you are pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
Automatic Transmission 113
release the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever position.
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while
D, Sor R is engaged or in
manua l mode .
If you switch the eng ine off whe n N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in
N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the emergency release proce­
dure to release the parking lock before towing
the vehi cle ¢
page 116.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this pos it ion .
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta­
tionary and the engine is running at id le speed
¢ & -To engage the
R selector leve r position,
press the button on the selector lever, press
the brake pedal and move the selector lever
into the
R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the
R selector lever position while the engine
' ' 1s ru nning .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this pos it ion. To
engage the
N selector lever position, press
the button on the selector lever and shift int o
the
N posi tion.
If you switch the engine off whe n N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in
N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
The vehicle cannot be locked when the selec ­
tor lever is in the
N position .
When dr iving through an automat ic car wash,
first select the
N position and then switch the
engine off¢
page 207.
D - Drive
In this position, the transmission shifts up
and down automatically depending on engine load, veh icle speed and the dynamic shift pro-
gram (DSP) .
IJJ,,

114 Automatic Tran sm iss io n
To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds
be low S km/h, press the brake pedal and se­
lect the
D se lector lever posit ion ¢ & .
Under certain condi tions such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer , it may be
he lpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to sh ift
manually to adapt to the driv ing con­
d itions
¢ page 115.
S · Sport
The S pos it ion can be selected for sporty driv­
ing . Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use
of the engine's power .
You can on ly select the
S se lector lever posi ­
tion when Dis engaged. Move the selector
l ever back to engage the
S se lector lever posi­
tion . To select the
D selector lever position
again when
S is engaged , move the selector
lever back¢ &.
The
S selector lever position engages auto ­
matica lly when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select .
A WARNING
-Never engage R or P while driving. It
cou ld cause a crash.
-
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
when the eng ine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the b rake in all
selector lever positions except
P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly . T his cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activated.
- Before opening the hood, select the
P se­
lector lever position and set the parking
brake. Th is reduces the risk of a crash . Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings¢
page 216, Engine compart­
ment .
-Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is runn ing . -
If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the selector lever secure ly into the P po­
sition and apply the parking brake firmly.
@ Tips
- If you unintentionally shift into the N se­
lector lever position whi le driving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wa it for the engine to slow down until it
is idling before you sh ift into Dor
S.
Driving tips
The gears shif t au toma tically.
Sta rting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake peda l.
.. Start the engine ¢
page 79.
.. Press the b utton on the selector lever and
select the
D , Sor R selector lever position
¢page 112.
.. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
.. Release t he b rake peda l and press the acce l­
erator pedal ¢,& .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle, for
example at a traffic l ight . Do not press the
accelerator peda l when do ing th is .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
s tart dr iving, set the par kin g b rake when
s topping on la rge incl ines ¢
A_.
.. The parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
.. Press and hold the bra ke peda l¢ ,& .
.. Set the parking brake .
.. To engage the
P selector leve r position,
press the button on the selector leve r and
shift into the
P position ¢ page 112.
When park ing on a level su rface, simp ly place
the se lector lever in the
P position. On slopes,
activate the par king brake first and then move
Iii>

the selector lever to the P position. This p re­
vents too much stress from being placed on
the locking mechanism .
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS c> .&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page
114 .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary and the
engine is running . This could result in a
crash .
- Never engage
R or P while dr iving . It
cou ld cause a crash .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels when the eng ine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creep ing", you
must keep your foo t on the b rake in all
selector lever positions ex cept
P and N
when the engine is running . Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the vehicle is stationary. Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate ­
ly, even if the parking brake is set. This
cou ld result in a crash .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, d e­
pending on vehicle speed and engine RPM. It
shift s up into the next higher gear once the
maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
.&_ WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
act ive .
Autom atic Tra nsmi ssi on 115
Shifting manually
T he shift paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig . 1 21 Steer ing w hee l: s hifting man ually
... To shift to a higher or lowe r gear temporari­
ly , tap the
0 or O shift padd le c> fig. 121 .
... To switch manua l mode on, press the~
button .
M and the gear that is current ly en­
gaged @appears in the instrument cluste r
display
c> page 112, fig. 118.
... To shift up one gear, tap the righ t shift pad­
dle
0 c> fig . 121 .
... To sh ift down one gear, tap the left shift
paddle Q .
... To swi tch manua l mode off, press the~
button aga in , or
... Move the selector lever back and release it .
When you accelerate o r reduce the speed, the
transmission automa tical ly shifts into the cor ­
rect gear sho rtly before reaching the RPM lim­
it. If you select a lower gear than the one c ur­
rently shown in the display, the automatic
transmiss ion will on ly shift down once there is
no danger of exceeding the maximum RPM .
T he engine braking effect increases when yo u
downshift when going downhill.
Transmission malfunction
[G) Transmiss ion : please press the brake ped ­
a l and select the po sit ion again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then
continue driving.
[G] Tran smi ssion h ot: plea se m odify driving
~le
~

116 Automatic Transmission
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty manne r until the tem­
perat ure returns to the norma l range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Gearbo x malfunction: you can continue
driving
T here is a sys tem m alfu nction in the tr ansmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have t he mal function corrected .
[o]tli] Gearbox malfunction: you can contin­
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a sy stem ma lf u nction in t he transmis ­
sion . T he tra nsmi ssion i s sw itch ing t o emer­
gency mo de. If yo u t urn t he eng ine off, you
will not be a ble to se lect any other se lector
leve r positions after starting the engine again .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Audi dealer o r quali ­
f ied repair fac ility immediately to have the
malfunction cor rected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving (limited fun ction ality )
There is a sys tem m alfu nction in the tr ansmis­
sion. The transmission is sw itching to emer ­
gency mo de. Th is mode only shifts into cer ­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all . The
engine may sta ll. Drive to your authori zed Au­
d i dea ler or qualified repa ir facility immed i­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
[ojtli] Gea rbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a sys tem ma lf u nction in t he transmis ­
sion. The transm issi on is sw itchi ng to emer­
gency mode. Th is mode only sh ifts into cer­
tain gea rs or will not longer sh ift at a ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to y our
author ized Audi dealer immed iately to have
the m alfu nct ion co rrected .
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot sh ift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The pa rking lock was released using t he
eme rgency release
c:> page 116. Or -
The parking b rake canno t engage au toma ti­
cally . Drive to yo ur a uth o rize d Audi deale r or
qua lified repair fac ility immediately to have
the ma lfu nction corrected .
[O] Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not con tinue dr iving . S e lect the P sele ctor
l ever p osition and see your auth o riz ed A udi
de aler or qua lifi ed rep air fac ility for ass is ­
tance .
Parking lock emergency release
The p ark ing lock mu st be relea sed using the
emerge ncy release before towing the vehicle .
@)
Fig. 122 Driver 's s ide footwell: releas ing t he pa rk in g
l ock u sin g the eme rge ncy re lease
Fig . 1 2 3 Drive r's side foo twell: rese tt in g t he park ing
l ock
T he eme rgency release is located under the
floor mat on t he driver's side . You operate the
emergency release from t he d river 's seat.
Releasing the parking lock us ing the
emergency release
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake(®)
c:> page 81
or press t he brake pedal.
.. There are two slits on the cover. Posit io n the
scr ewdrive r from the vehicle too l kit i n one
IJI,

of the slits on the cover and pry the cover
off.
~ Pull the band @ in the direction of the ar­
row until the release lever locks in place
¢fig . 122.
~ Fold the upper section of the release lever
down into the recess .
Resetting the parking lock
~ Press the button @ and the release lever at
the same time. You can now push the lever
back into its original position . Make sure the
lever locks in place
¢fig. 123 .
~ Install the cover .
The indicator light
[O] and the N position indi­
cator in the instrument cluster turn on when
the park ing lock is released using the emer­
gency re lease . The message
Risk of rolling! P
not possible. Please set the parking brake
al­
so appears.
_& WARNING
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle
with the parking brake or the brake pedal
if the parking brake is not working. The ve­
hicle can roll away if it is not secured and
cause a crash.
-
Automatic Transmission 11 7

118 Advanced Parking System
Advanced Parking System
Advanced Parking System with rear view
camera
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with park ing system (rear, with rear
view ca mera)
Fig . 124 Parking mode 1: rev erse parking
Fig. 125 Parking mode 2: parallel parking
ID
Vehicles with the parking system advanced
are equipped with a rear view camera in addi­
tion to the acoustic and v isua l park ing system.
You can choose between two modes to assist
you with park ing. For example, you can use
"parking mode 1'' when parking in a parking
space or garage
c::> fig. 124. When you want to
park parallel to the edge of the street, select
"parking mode 2"
<=> fig . 125.
General Information
Applies to vehicles : wit h parking system advanced
Fig. 126 Area covered © and area not covered @by
the rear view camera.
AU Dl
Fig. 127 Rear lid: Locat ion of the rear view camera
Sensors in the bumper
..
-q :r ;lo
\11
q :r .. a,
Sensors are located in the front and rear
bumpers . If these detect an obstacle, audible
and visual signals warn you. The range at
which the sensors begin to measure is approx­
i mately :
side 3
ft (0.90 m)
front 4 ft (1.20 m)
side 2 ft (0.60 m)
rear center 5.2 ft
(1.60 m)
T he closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter
the interval between the audible signals. A
continuous tone sounds when the obstacle is
less than approximately 1 foot (0.30 meters)
away. Do not continue driving farther!
If the distance to an obstacle remains con­
stant, the volume of the distance warning
gradually drops after about four seconds (this
does not apply in the continuous tone range). ..,.