starting AUDI A8 2012 User Guide

84 On th e road
• You can release the switch (®) once you are
sure that you are developing enough for­
ward momentum at the wheels as you de­
press the accelerator .
Depending on the weight of the rig (vehicle
and trai ler) and the severity of the incline, you
may roll backwards as you start . You can pre­
vent roll ing backwards by holding the parking
brake switch(®) pulled out and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with
a conventional hand brake .
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys­
tem fails or locks .
• In an emergency, pull the switch(®) and
continue to pull it to slow your vehicle down
with the parking brake .
• As soon as you release the sw itch
C®> or ac-
cele rate , the braking p rocess stops.
If you pull the switch(®) and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen ­
cy braking function is in it iated. The veh icle is
b raked at all four wheels by activa ting the hy­
d raul ic br ake system. The b rake performance
is simi lar to making an emergency stop
c::> & .
In order not to activate the emergency brak­
i ng by m ista ke, an audible wa rning tone (bu z­
z er) sounds when the swi tc h
C®> is pulled. As
soon as the switch(®) is released, or the accel­
erator pedal is depressed, emergency braking
stops .
.&_ WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
Using the parking bra ke to perform emer­
gency braking will slow yo ur vehicle down
as if you had made a fu ll brake applicat ion.
T he laws of physics cannot be s uspended
even w ith ESC and its associate d compo­
nents (ABS, ASR, EDL). In corners and
when road or weather conditions are bad, a full brake application can cause the vehi- cle to sk
id or the rear end to break away -
risking an accident.
Speed warning system
, Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed .
The speed warning system warns you if you
are exceeding the maximum speed that you
have set . You will hear a warning tone when
your speed exceeds the stored value by ap­ proximate ly 3 mph (3 km/h). An ind icator
l ight . (USA
models) ;a (Canada mode ls) in
the instr ument cluster d isp lay also tur ns on at
the same time. The indicator light.,.
turns off when the speed decreases be low the
stored maxim um speed.
Setting a th reshold is recommended if you
would like to be rem inded when you reach a
certain maxim um speed. Situations whe re you
may want to do so include driving in a co untry
with a genera l speed limit or if there is a
specified maximum speed for winter tires.
(D Tips
Even though your vehicle is equipped w ith
a speed warn ing system, you should still
watch the speedometer to make sure you
are not dr iv ing faster than the speed limit.
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold
in the MMI.
• Select: !CAR ! function b utton > Car systems
contro l button > Dri ver ass ist > Speed warn ­
ing .
You can set any threshold between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h). Sett ings
can each be adj usted in increments of 5 mph
(10 km/h).

Cruise control
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph
(30 km/h).
0
f
~
0
Fig . 84 Control lever with set button
Fig . 85 D isplay: Selected speed
.,. Pull the lever to position (D ~ fig . 84 to
swit ch the system on .
.,. Drive at the speed you wish to set.
.,. Press button @to set that speed.
The stored speed and the ind icator light
[lj;(i)~1ij (US models) 1 11 (Canad ian models) ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display
¢ fig. 85. The display may vary, depending on
the type of disp lay in your vehicle. The indica­
tor light
Ill in the instrument cluster also illu­
minates.
The speed is kept constant via an engine out­
put adjustment or active 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.
On the road 85
-For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
plan ing) - risk of accident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily
when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently ''resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration .
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cr uise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched
off . The other cruise contro l functions re­
main active as long as the indicator light
tij;[i)~1ij (US models) 111 (Canadian mod­
els) is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the brakes decelerate automatically.
Changing speed
.,. Press lever in the 0 or 0 direction
¢ page 85, fig . 84 to increase or decrease
your speed .
.,. Release the lever to save that speed.
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/ h) by lightly press ing the lever. If you keep the
lever pressed down , you will alter your speed
in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
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 acceler­
ator pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 m inutes,
the cruise control wil l turn off temporarily.
The green symbol
[ljlIJll (US models) ill in ..,_

Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard 91
Driving in stop-and-go traffic
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
The adaptive cruise control system also as­
sists you in stop-and -go traffic. If a previous
detected vehicle ahead s tops, yo ur vehicle will
brake to a stop, within the limits of the sys ­
tem .
.,. To resume driv ing with adap tive cruise con ­
tro l, tap the accelerator peda l or
.,. Pull the lever toward you into position @
¢ page 89, fig. 90.
(D Tips
-If adaptive cru ise contro l is active and
your vehicle does not start driving as ex­
pected after pulling the lever once, you
can start out aga in by tapping the accel­
erator pedal.
- If an obstacle is detected when your ve­
hicle starts dr iv ing, the system w ill
prompt you to take over
¢ page 92.
Your vehicle w ill drive more slowly when
starting. This may also happen in some
s ituations when there no obstacle is ap­
parent.
Interrupting cruise control
Ap plies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 93 Selecto r level
Requirement: adaptive cruise control must be
switched on .
Overriding crui se control
.,. To accelerate manua lly, pull the lever to­
ward you into position @and hold it there.
The message
ACC override appears. Or
.,. press the accelerator pedal. .,.
To resume cruise contro l, release the lever
or take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Canceling cruise control while driving
.,. Move the lever into position @. The mes­
sage
ACC standby appears . Or
.,. press the brake pedal.
.,. To resume the stored speed, move the lever
into position @ .
Canceling cruise control when stopped
.,. Push the lever away from you into pos ition
@ . Th e message
ACC standby appears.
.,. To resume cruise control, press the brake
pedal and pu ll the lever toward you into po­
sition @.
A WARNING
-
Never resume the stored speed if the
speed is too high for prevailing road, traf­
fic or weather conditions.
Setting the distance
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adapt ive cr uise contro l
Fig. 94 Selector lever: setting th e dista nce
.,. Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance
¢ fig. 94 .
.,. To increase or reduce the distance by incre­
ments, tap the switch again to the left or
right. The distance between the two vehicles
w ill change in the instrument cluster dis ­
play.
When approaching a moving vehicle up ahead,
the adapt ive cruise control system automati­
cally brakes to match that object's speed and
then maintains the stored distance . If the ve-
hicle ahead accelerates, adaptive cruise ..,.

104 Audi dri ve sele ct
surface o f the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Securing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or towing eyes is not perm itted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The veh icle
may not be secured suff ic iently if this
happens .
- If you are go ing to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operat ion mode
¢page 199.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
dynamic mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear position engages automati cally.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopp ing the eng ine . Th is does not ind i­
cate a problem.
- In vehicles with sport differential*, the
dynam ic mode is deactivated whe n tow­
i ng a traile r.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose be tween Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fi g. 106 MM!: D rive se lect
.,. To se lect the mode, select the following in
the MMI :
I CARI function button> Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Indi vidu al.
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 high­
ways.
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
d yna mi c -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style .
individual -¢ page 105.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating Au­
d i drive select to prevent potential risk of
an accide .nt.

To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds
be low S km/h, press the brak e pedal and se­
lect the D se lector lever position
~ .& .
Unde r certain conditions such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer , it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to sh ift
manually to adapt to the driv ing con­
ditions
r:=:> page 112.
S -Sport
The 5 position can be selected fo r sporty driv­
ing. Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use
of the engine's power.
You can only select the S selector lever posi­
tion when Dis engaged . Move the selector
l ever back to engage the 5 selector lever posi ­
tion. To select the D sel ector lever position
again when 5 is engaged, move the selector
lever back
r:=:> .&.
The 5 selector lever position engages auto­
matica lly when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive se lect .
A WARNING
-Never engage R or P wh ile driving. It
could cause a crash.
-
- Power is still transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake 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 vehicle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly. This 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. This reduces the risk of a crash . A l­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
r:=:> page 213, Engine compart­
ment.
- Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
Automatic Transmission 111
-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 while 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 5.
Driving tips
The gears shif t automa tically.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine
r:=:>page 80.
.. Press the b utton on the s elector lever and
select the D, 5 or R se lector lever position
r:=:> page 109 .
.. Wait a moment until the transmiss ion
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"" Release the brake peda l and press the accel­
erator pedal
r:=:> &, .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle,
for example at a traffic light. Do not press
the acce lerator pedal when doing this.
"" To prevent the vehicle from rolling when
you start driving, set the parking brake
when stopp ing on large inclines
r:=:> &, .
.,. Th e parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerato r pedal.
Parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could roll . The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
.. Press and hold the bra ke peda l¢ &, .
"" Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position
r:=:> page 109 .

The 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.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O];lij Gearbox malfunction: you can contin·
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. If you turn the engine
off, you
will not be able to select any other selector
l ever positions after starting the engine again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or quali­
fied repai r facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving {limited functionality)
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. The
engine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Au­
di dealer or qualified repa ir facility immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
[o]tlij Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
author ized Audi dealer immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The parking lock was released using the
emergency release
r=:> page 113. Or
Automatic Transmission 113
- The parking brake cannot engage automati ­
cally . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualif ied repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not continue dr iving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance .
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
Fig. 119 Driver 's side footwell: releas ing the park ing
lock using the emergency release
.------------------ -~
Fig. 120 Dr iver"s side footwel l: resett ing the parking
l ock
8 ±
~
The emergency release is located under the
floor mat on the driver's side. You operate the
emergency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake©
r=:> page 82
or press the brake pedal.
.,. There are two slits on the cover. Posit ion
the screwdriver from the veh icle tool kit in
Ill-

192 Intelligent technology
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son ti res) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these t ires must be mounted on
all four
w heels .
See also c> page 250, Winter tires.
Snow chains
Where snow cha ins are mandatory on certa in
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with A ll Wheel Driver=:>
page 251, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /t ire s
Vehicles w it h All Wheel Dr ive must always
have tires of the same size . Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c> page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driv ing?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear ­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refe r to
i=>page 195.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Whee l Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the All Whee l Drive is very ef­
fective, a lways remember that b raking
capacity is limited by t ire traction. You
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rf a ces.
- On wet road su rfaces, be careful not to
dr ive t oo fast becau se t he front wheels
co uld beg in to s lide on top of the wa ter
(aquaplaning) .
If this should occ ur, you
wi ll have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ic h are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, t he bat­
te ry is discharged by idling current consume rs
(e.g. immobili ze r). In certa in circumstan ces it
ca n res ult in the re be ing insufficien t energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e ha ndles the dist rib ution o f electr ica l ene r­
gy. Start ing abili ty is m arkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
batt ery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the batte ry. Sensors determine
batte ry voltage, battery cu rr e nt and battery
tempe ratu re. This de termines the cur ren t
state o f cha rge and t he power o f th e battery.
Idling current management
Idli ng current management reduces energy
consumpt ion while the vehicle is standing.
With the ig nition sw itched off, it controls the
energy supp ly to the variou s ele ctri ca l compo ­
nen ts. Da ta from ba ttery d iagnos is is co nsid­
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
i ndivid ual con sume rs a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge o f the battery
and th us main tain starting capabi lity.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being d riven, dynamic en­
ergy ma nagement distr ib utes the energy ge n­
era ted a ccord ing to t he needs of the individ u-
al components.
It r egula tes consumption, so
t h at more e lectrical energy is not being used ..,.

than is being generated and ensures an opti­mal state of charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits o f physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
li mited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi­
cator light
(•i appears ~ page 16, 0
Battery.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-dis tance
d riving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year . Abundant e lectrica l energy is re­
q ui red, but only a litt le is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not runn ing and electri­
cal components are turned on. In th is in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
be ing generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat­
i ng the distribution of energy.
Vehicle sta nds for an ext ended p eriod
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­ nents are grad ually cut back or switched
off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer per iod.
Some of the conven ience f unctions may not
ope rate, such as the inter ior lig hts or the
power sea t adjustment. The conven ien ce
f u nctions w ill be ava ilable again when you
switch on the ignit ion and start the engine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned
off or use other MMI func­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capability is jeopa rdized due to en­
ergy consumpt ion, the fo ll ow ing warning ap­
pears in the MMI display :
Intellig ent technolog y 193
Plea se start the engine soon or the sy stem
will be turned off .
The wa rni ng ind ic ates that the system wi ll be
tu rned
off automatically a fter 3 minu tes. If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trical energy is generated when
t h e ve hicl e is being driven, t he battery can be­
come d ischarged. This happe ns mostly when
little energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
T o b ring the energy ba lance back in to equili ­
brium, consumers which require especially
l a rge amounts of energy a re temporari ly cut
back or sw itched
off. Heat ing systems in par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is normal and not
a cause for concern. By inc reasing engi ne id le
speed the additional e nergy requi red is gene r­
ated and the b attery is charged.
•
•

Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"" Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
mum speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­ tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
g ine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"" Shut the engine off when you are not driv­
ing the vehicle.
"" Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
bu rned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 197
'
heating o r othe r damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"" Have your veh icle serviced at reg ular i nter-
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its sa fety and ability to
hold its value, it a lso affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach t ime you fill your tank .
The amount of o il used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven .
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(U) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss io n cont ro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, swit ches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to p rotec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
•
•

198 Driving and environment
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avo id driving short distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalyt ic converter have to
reach their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effect ively .
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a f uel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a m ile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about
2.5 miles (4 km),
the engine is at its proper operat ing tempera­
ture and fue l economy has reached a normal
l eve l. So you can see that you sho uld avoid
short trips wheneve r possible.
The
outside temperature is also critical in this
r egard. Your car consumes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer.