steering AUDI A8 2011 Owners Manual

(!) Door handle
@
@
©
®
®
Audi side assist display
Power locking sw itches
Audi side assist button
A ir vents with thumbwheel
Control leve r for :
- Turn signal an high beam
- Audi lane assist ........ .. .
0 Multifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Drive r's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons . ............... .. .. .
- Audio/video, telephone and
vo ice recogn it ion buttons
- Sh ift padd les ......... ... .
@ Instrument cluste r ..... .. .. .
® W indshield washer system
lever .. .. ... ........... ... .
@ Start ing the eng ine if the re is a
mal function . ... .... ... .. .. .
@ Buttons for:
- MM I display
- Electronic Stab ilizat ion Pro-
gram (ESP) .............. .
- Emergency flashers ....... .
@ Buttons for:
- Steering wheel adjustment
- Steering wheel heating*
@ Lever for:
- C ruise contro l system
- Adaptive cruise cont ro l* .. .. .
(8) Eng ine hood release .. .. .. .. .
@ Data Link Connector for On
Board Diagnostics (O BD II) . ...
@ Light switch and inst rument il-
98
34
98
45
95
149
23
115
1 0
48
80
192
44
78
77
84
86
222
27
l umination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 47
@ Buttons for :
- All-wea ther lights* 43
- Night v ision assistant* . . . . . .
109
- Rear fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
@ Power exter io r mirro r adjust-
ment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
@ Rear lid switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Instrument s and control s 9
@ Powerwindows . .. .. .. ..... .
@ Memory function buttons .... .
@ MMI display
@) Indicator lights/buttons for
- PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF - Parking system ........... .
- Rear window power sun shade
@ Glove compartment ... ..... .
@) Front passenger's airbag .. .. .
@ Analog clock .. .. .......... .
@ Climate controls . .. ........ .
@ MMI controls
@) Se lector lever (automat ic trans-
m1ss1on) ....... ........... .
@ Center conso le with cupholder
@ Elec tromechanical parking
brake ........ .. .......... .
@ I S TA RT ENGINE STO PI button
(D Tips
39
62
156
118
47
71
149
26
75
112
70
81
79
-Some of the equ ipment o r feat ures
show n in the genera l ill ustration may be
stand ard equ ipment on your vehi cle or
may be opt ional eq uipment depending
on your model. Always ask your author­
ized Audi dea le r i f you have a questio n
about your vehicle.
- Operation of the Multi Media Interface
(MMI) is described in a separate manua l.

Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 11
gauge turn on under normal d riving condi ­
tions . The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the eng ine is under heavy load or the exter ior
temperature is high . This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the ind ica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 15.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
page 216, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant.
(D Note
- Mount ing additional lights or accessories
in front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine co uld overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
properly distrib ute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and t he engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea le r for
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the e nd of the sca le indicates maximum
permiss ible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
l ector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
@ Note
The tachometer need le should on ly briefly
be in the red zone: yo u could damage your
engine! The beg inning of the red zone var ­
i es depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upsh ifting early saves fuel and reduces en ­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
o n.
If the fue l level drops below 4 gallons (15
l ite rs), the bottom LED tu rns red and the indi­
cator light
Ill tu rns on ¢ page 20. The bot­
tom LED b link s red when the fue l level is very
l ow .
The possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the ta nk complet ely dry. An ir­
regular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel cou ld enter the exha ust
system. The cata lytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator lights
Description
T he ind icator lights in the instrument clus ter
blink or turn on. They indica te f unct ions or
malfunctions ¢
,&.
Messages may appea r with some indicato r
li ghts. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indica tor lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other disp lays. To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
ing the multifunction steering whee l
¢
page 23. If there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us- ing the thumbwheel. ..,.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Some indicators lights in the disp lay can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
-Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehicle information may result
in serious personal injury or vehicle dam­
age.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
¢ page 44.
- The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when work ing under the hood
¢ page 216, Engine compartment
(D Tips
Ma lfun ctions or faults w ill be identified e i­
ther with a red symbo l (pr io rity 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a ye llow symbo l (pr iority 2 -
Warning).
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ign ition on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the follow ing tables . If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system .
Red indic ator light s
Red symbols indicate a priority malfunction -
Danger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle .
- T urn off the engine.
- Check the ma lfunct ion ing system. Contact
you r authorized Aud i dea le r o r a qua lified
workshop for assistance.
USA m odels:
Brake malfunction
¢page 14
Canada models :
Brake malfunction
¢page 14
- USA mode ls:
I
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Canada models :
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Engine cooling system
¢page 15
Engine oil pressure
¢page 16
Engine oil level
¢page 17
Battery
¢page 16
Safety belt
¢page 16
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 17
Engine start system
¢page 17
Speed warning system
¢page84
Adaptive cru ise control./
¢ page88
Air suspension
¢page 17
Yellow indicator light s
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc­
tion -Warning!
m
U!@
m
USA mod els : Safety systems
¢page 18
Canada model s: Safety systems
¢page 18

Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 13
Jj]
Electronic Stabilization Program
!I
Windshield wipers
(ESP)./ ¢page 21
¢ page 18
~
Remote control key
I
Electronic Stabilization Program
¢page 79
(ESP)./
-¢ page 18
m
Remote control key
~
USA m odel s: ¢page 79
Ant i- lock brak ing system (ABS)
!!
Battery in remote control key
defective ¢page30
¢ page 19
•
Canada models:
I:)
Defective light bulb warn ing
Ant i- lock braking system (ABS) ¢
page 21
defective
--
¢ page 19
II
Fog lights*
¢page 21
•
Worn bra ke pads
¢ page 19
Ii
Rear fog lights*
¢page 21
•
Electromechanical parking brake
I
¢page Bl
II
Headlight range control
¢page 21
g
Tire pressure monitoring system
./
•
adaptive light*
¢ page256 ¢
page 21
11111 Tire pressure mon itoring system --
m
Light-/rain sensor faulty
¢page256 ¢page 21
[m
Electronic power contro l
Audi lane assist
¢ page20
•
¢page95
R
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
./
[i
Transmission
¢ page20 ¢page
115
•
Engine speed limitation
m
Transmission
¢ page20
¢page 115
•
Engine oil level
Im
Electronic steering column lock
¢page17 ¢page 17
--
•
Engine oil sensor
Im
Engine start system
¢ page 20
¢page 17
--
r.
Battery
~~
Dynamic steering*./
¢page 16 ¢page22
~
Tank system
•
Air suspension
¢ page20
¢page 17
Windshield washer fluid level
--
• •
Sport differential *
¢ page 21
¢page22

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
~ Pull off the road.
~ Stop t he vehicle .
~ Turnoff th e engine.
~ Check the engine oil level¢ page 22 7.
~ If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 227 . Make sure that the oil p res ­
s ur e warn ing symbol . appears no longe r
i n t he d is pl ay befo re you start d rivi ng aga in .
~ If the engi ne oil leve l is co rrec t and the ind i­
ca tor lig ht st ill turn s on , tur n the eng ine off
and do not conti nue d riving . Seek professio­
na l assista nce .
@ Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter ­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil p ressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
Ill. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
°'!=: ;. Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When t he sy mbo l and the dr ive r m essage ap­
pear, the oil has to be replenishe d righ t now
¢page 224.
If the indicator lig ht and th e message ap pear,
add engine o il im med iate ly
¢ page 227.
II Add oil, max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbo l and the dr iver message ap­
pear, add the amo unt of o il appeari ng i n the
d isp lay at the next opportunity ¢
page 224.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indica tor light turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, t here is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunct io n. You cannot sw itch
t h e ignit ion on.
D o
not tow yo ur vehicle because it cannot be
stee red. Seek professiona l assistance .
!m Steering lo ck : system fault . Please con­
tact dealer
If th e i ndica to r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, t here is a n electronic stee ring
column lo ck malfun ction.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfunction corr ected .
_&. WARNING
-
Your ve hicle mus t no t be towed i n the
eve nt o f a ma lfunction in t he elec tronic
s teer ing column loc k bec ause i t ca nno t be
steere d due to the locked steerin g. If it is
towe d wit h the steeri ng locke d, there is
the r is k of an accident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, do
not switch the ig nitio n off
because you may not be ab le to sw itch it on
again.
D rive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
I!! Engine start sy stem fault . Please con ­
tact dealer
I f th e indica to r li ght tur ns on and the mes­
sage a ppea rs, t here is a malf unct io n in the en­
gine st art system.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer imm ed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfuncti on corr ected.
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin-
ue slowly with ma x. 35 mph. .,..

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
~ Dynamic steering
t1r- J Steering: system fault. you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi­
cult to move or mo re sensitive than usual. The
steer ing wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight.
Drive slow ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
qual ified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
t 1r J Dynamic steering: initialising
If this driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering is being reinitialized . Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the steering wheel w ill be easy to move . Re-in iti­
a lization m ight be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initialization is complete.
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering system mal­
function repaired as soon as possible by an authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop - risk of accident!
@ Tips
- The dynamic steering stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering, refer to
c> page 106.
I- I Sport differential
l'I Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport differen ­
tial.
Drive to you r authorized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
Ill Sport differential: overheating T
he transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING Co....- -
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
i s faulty or malfunct ioning. The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety .
¢¢ Turn signal s
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left ll or the right rl
turn s ignal, the indicato r light blinks . When
you use the emergency f lashers, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefully drive to your authorized Aud i
dealer immed iate ly to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a ma lfunction if a turn signal on the trai l­
er or on the vehicle fails in trai ler towing
mode.
(D Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
c> page 45.
CRUISE /C'J' Cruise control
The warning/indicator light
f;;(l)~i~ (USA mod­
els)/ . (Canada models) illuminates when
the cruise control is act ivated
c> page 84 .

24 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
to ice on the ro ad ¢ & . If the vehicle is
stationary, o r if you are dr iving at a very
l ow speed, the tempe rat ure shown in the
display might be slightly higher t han the
actua l outside temperature. This is
ca used by the heat being rad iated from
t h e eng ine.
- You can se lect the un its used for temper ­
atu re, speed and other measurements in
the MMI.
- Fo r information on the audio/video and
nav iga tion* functions, refer to the sepa­
r ate MMI owner's manual.
Operation
The driver information system is operated us­
ing the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel.
ffi
------,±.
~
Fig. 6 Multifunct ion steer ing wheel: ope rat ing the driv­
e r info rmation system
Fi g. 7 Driver infor mat ion syste m: opening t he veh icle
functio ns me nu
Operating concept
.. Swi tch the ign itio n on.
.. To switch between the tabs, press the ro cker
swi tch @ to the left o r right¢
fig. 6.
.. To access additional in format io n be low or
above, rotate the thumbw heel @ dow n or
up. ..
To confirm a selec tion, press the thumb ­
wheel @.
Accessing Vehicle functions
.. Sele ct the first tab with the ro cke r swit ch
@.
.. Press the button 1::::L Th e Vehicle function s
menu appears¢ fig . 7.
.. To select a menu item, turn and press t he
thumbwhee l@ .
Resetting values to zero
.. Sele ct the on-board computer / Efficiency
program
menu item in the Vehicle func­
tions
men u.
.. You can now select between the long-term
memory and short-term memory.
.. To reset the values in a memory, press and
hold the thumbw heel @ for one second.
The last function selected d isp lays when you
switch the ignition on .
On-board computer
You can ca ll up the followi ng i nformation in
the on -board computer:
- Date
- Dr iv ing t ime (h) from the short-term memo-
ry
- Average consumption in MPG ( l/100 km)
from the short-te rm memory
- Average speed i n mph (km/h) from the
short-te rm memory
- Distance driven in miles (km) from the
short-term memory
- Current fuel consumption in MPG ( l/100
km)
- Short-term memory overview
- Long-te rm memory ove rview
T he short-te rm memory collects dr iv ing in for­
mation from the time the ignition is switched
on unti l it is switched off. If you continue driv­
ing within two ho urs after switch ing the ign i­
tion off, the new values are incl uded when cal­
cu lating the cu rrent trip information .
Unli ke the short-term memory, the long-term
memo ry is not erased automatically. Yo u can .,..

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 25
select the time period for evaluating trip in­
formation yourself.
For some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the temporary memory
in the line(D¢page23,
fig. 5.
Efficiency program*
The efficiency program can help you to use
less fuel.
It evaluates driving information in
reference to fuel consumption and shows oth­
er equipment influencing consumption as well
as sh ift recommendat ions. ¢
page 25. Fuel
economy messages ¢
page 25 provide tips
for efficient driving . The efficiency program
uses distance and consumption data from trip
computer 1 .
To display the efficiency program, call up
Ve­
hicle functions and select the menu option
Efficiency program. If the data are deleted in
the efficiency program , those values are also
reset in trip computer .
@ Tips
-All stored values will be lost if the vehi­
cle battery is disconnected.
- Fuel consumptions (average and cur­ rent), range and speed are displayed in
metric units on Canadian models.
Other equipment
Applies to vehicles: with efficiency program
Fig. 8 Tri p comp uter: other equ ipment
Requirement : The efficiency program must be
displayed
¢ page 25 .
.,. Turn the thumbwheel until the other equip­
ment appears in the display. Other equipment that is currently affecting
fuel consumption is listed in the efficiency program. The display shows up to three other
items of equipment @. The equipment using
the most fuel is listed first . If more than three
items using fuel are switched on, the equip ­
ment that is currently using the most fuel is
displayed .
A scale @also shows the current total con­
sumption of all other equipment.
Fuel economy messages
App lies to vehicles: with efficiency program
Fig. 9 Display : example o f a fu el econo my m essa ge
Fuel economy messages are displayed when
fuel consumption is increased by certain con­
ditions. If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati ­
cally and are only displayed in the efficiency
program. The fuel economy messages turn off
automatically after a certain period of time .
.,. To turn an economy message off immediate ­
ly after it appears, press any button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
@ Tips
- Once you have turned a fuel economy
message off, it will only appear again af­
ter you turn the ignition on again.
- The fuel economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in­
tervals
over a period of time.

Opening and closing Keys
Key set
Fig. 15 Key set
@ Remote control key with mechanical
key
You can centrally lock and unlock your vehicle
and start the engine with the master key with
remote control. A mechanical key is integrat­
ed in the remote control key¢
page 30.
® Emergency key
The emergency key is not intended for con­
stant use.
It should only be used in an emer­
gency. Keep it in a safe place and do not carry
it on your key ring .
Key replacement
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Audi
dealer immediately to have the
lost key disa­
bled. Be sure to bring all your keys with you.
Personal comfort settings
If two peop le use one vehicle, it is recom­
mended that each person always uses "their
own" master key . When the ignition is switch­
ed
off or when the vehicle is locked, personal
conven ience settings for the follow ing sys­
tems are stored and ass igned to the remote
master key.
- Automatic climate control
- Central locking system
- Rear window sun blind
- Amb ient lighting
- Seat memory
- Parking system*
Opening and closing 29
- Adaptive cruise control*
- Audi lane assist*
-Audi side assist*
-Audi drive select
- Night vision assistant*
- Heated steering wheel*
The stored settings are automatically recalled
when you unlock the vehicle, when you open
the doors or when you switch the ignition on.
A WARNING
---Do not leave your vehicle unattended. Al-
ways take your ignition key with you and
lock your vehicle . Entry by unauthorized
persons could endanger you or result in
theft or damage the vehicle.
- Do not leave ch ildren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportunity to start
the engine and/or activate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows, etc.
Unsupervised operation of any vehicle
system by children can result in serious
injury.
(!} Tips
- Th e operation of the remote control key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfer­
ence from transm itters in the vic inity of
the vehicle working in the same frequen­
cy range (e.g. a cell phone, radio equip­
ment).
- For security reasons, replacement keys
are only ava ilable from Audi dealers.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United States FCC and Industry Canada regu la­
tions¢
page 286.

Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following settings in the
Automatic headlights menu:
Headlights activation time -You can adjust if
the headlights switch on
Early, Med . or Late
according to the sensitivity of the light sensor.
Audi adaptive light* -You can switch adaptive
light
On and Off.
Daytime running lights
USA models:
You can switch the dayt ime run­
n ing lights
on and off .
Canada models :
The function cannot be
turned off . It is activated automatically each
time the ignition is switched on. This menu
item is shown "greyed out".
Coming home, Leaving home
The coming home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you switch the
ignition off and open the driver's door. To turn
the function on, select
Lights when leaving
car > On .
The leaving home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you un lock the
vehicle. To turn the funct ion on, select
Lights
when unlocking car > On .
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light
switch is in the
AUTO pos ition. Clear
vision 45
Turn signal lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er.
Fig. 37 Tu rn signal and high beam lever
The turn signa l and high beam lever has the
following funct ions :
Turn signals ¢ 9 ©@
.,. Push the lever up as fa r as it can go to turn
on the right turn signa l or down to turn on
the left tu rn s ignal ¢
fig. 3 7.
... Move the lever briefly unti l you meet resist­
ance and re lease it to flash three times.
.,. Move the lever (up or down) until you meet
resistance and hold it there to determine
the flashing time for the turn signals.
High beam ~D @
... Push the lever forward to switch on the high
beam .
.,. Pull the lever back towards you to switch
off
the high beam.
Headlight flasher ~D ©
... Pull the lever toward the steering wheel to
use the headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
-The turn signals on ly work w ith the ignition
sw itched on. The indica tor l ights
R or II in
the instrument cluster
¢page 11 also blink.
-Aft er you have turned a corner, the turn sig-
nal switches
off automatically.
- The
high beam works only when the head-
lights are on. The indicator light . in the .,.