steering wheel AUDI A8 2012 User Guide

-If the indicato r light - (USA mod ­
els)
,111 (Canada models) or I.I turns
on, there may be a malfunction in the
parking brake
¢page 15.
@ Tips
-You can apply the parking brake at any
time - even w ith the ignition switched
off. The ignit ion must be on in order to
release the parking brake.
- Occasiona l noises when the park ing
brake is applied and released are norma l
and are not a cause for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any assoc iated noises
are norma l.
Parking
Various rules apply to prevent the parked ve­
hicle from rolling away accidentally.
P a rking
~ Stop the vehicle w ith the foot brake.
~ Pu ll the switch© to apply the parking
brake.
~ Se lect the P selector lever position
¢page 109.
~ Turn the eng ine off ¢,& .
In addition on incline s and grade s
~ Turn the steering wheel so that your vehicle
will roll against the curb in case it should
start to move.
A WARNING
-When you leave your veh icle - even if on­
ly b riefly - always take the ignition key
with you. This applies particu la rly when
children remain in the veh icle. Otherw ise
the ch ild ren could sta rt the engine, re­
lease the parking brake or operate elec­
trical equipment (e .g. power windows).
There is the risk of an accident.
- When the vehicle is locked, no one - par­
t icu larly not ch ildren should remain in
the vehicle. Locked doors make it more
On th e ro ad 83
difficult for emergency workers to get in­
to the vehicle - putting lives at risk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking broke is released automatically upon
starting.
Stopping and appl ying p arking brake
~ Pull the switch(®) to apply the pa rking
brake.
Sta rting and automaticall y releasing the
parking brak e
~ When you start to drive as us ual, the pa rk­
ing brake is automatically released and your
veh icle begins to move .
When stopp ing at a traffic signal or stopping
in city t raff ic, the parking b rake can be ap­
plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The parking brake elimi­
nates the tendency to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged. As soon as you drive off as usua l,
the parking brake is released automatically
and the vehicle starts to move.
St arting on slope s
When starting on inclines, the sta rting assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll­
ing back. The braking force of the parking
brake is not re leased until suff ic ient driving
force has been built up at the wheels.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
l eased automatically on ly when the driv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
~ Keep the switch(®) pulled and depress the
accelerator. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from roll ing back-
ward . ..,.

90 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
• You must also press the brake pedal when
the vehicle is stopped.
Switching adaptive cruise control off
• Push the lever away from you into position
@ until it clicks into p lace. The message
ACC off appears.
@ Indicator lights
II-Adaptive cruise control is switched on . No
vehicles are detected up ahead. The stored
speed is maintained.
I-A moving vehicle is detected up ahead .
The adaptive cruise control system regulates
the speed and d istance to the moving vehicle
ahead and acce lerates/bra kes automatica lly.
f§ . Adaptive cru ise control is switched on . A
mov ing vehicle up ahead was detected. Your
vehicle remains stopped .
I -When automatic braking is not able to
keep enough distance to a p reviously detected
mov ing vehicle up ahead, you must take con­
trol and brake¢
page 92, Prompt for driver
intervention.
© Display
If adap tive cruise control is not shown in the
d isplay, you can call it up with the multifunc ­
tion steering wheel buttons~
page 23.
Based on the symbols in the display , you can
determ ine if the system is maintaining a dis­
tance to the vehicle ahead and w hat that dis ­
tance is.
No vehicle -No vehicle ahead was detected.
White vehicle -A vehicle ahead was detected .
Red vehicle -Prompt for the driver to take ac­
tion ¢
page 92.
Both
arrows on the scale © indicate the dis­
tance to the vehicle ahead . No arrow appears
when the vehicle is on an open road and there is no object ahead. If an object is detected
ahead, the arrow moves on the scale.
The green zone on the scale shows the stored d istance. For information on changing the stored distance, refer to
¢
page 91. If the
distance se lected is too close or may soon be­
come too close, the arrows move into the red
z one on the sca le.
A WARNING
Improper use of the adaptive cruise con­
trol can cause collisions, other accidents
and serious personal injur ies .
- Pressing the
!SET ! button when driving at
speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h), w ill au­
tomatically accelerate the vehicle to 20
mph (30 km/h), which is the minimum
speed that can be set .
(D Tips
-If you switch the ignit ion or the adaptive
cruise control off, the set speed is erased
from the system memory.
- You cannot switch the Electron ic Stabili­
ty Control (ESC) to the SPORT mode
when adaptive cruise control is switched
on .
Changing the speed
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cru ise control
0
f
• 0
Fig. 92 Selecto r lever : chang ing t he spee d
• To increase or reduce the speed in incre ­
ments,
tap the lever up or down.
-
-a)
N
q :r
~
"' To increase or reduce the speed qu ickly,
hold the lever up or down until the red L ED
@ reaches the desired speed ¢ page 89,
fig . 91.
Following any changes, the new stored speed
will be displayed briefly in the display @
¢page 89, fig. 91.

98 Audi lane assist
Setting the warning point and steering
wheel vibration
Applies to vehicles: with lane assist
You can adjust individual settings in the MMI.
.. Se lect: ICARI funct ion button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Audi lane
assist .
Setting the warning point
Early: With this setting, a warning is provided
before a wheel touches the detected lane
boundary line . The warning depends on the
angle in which the veh icle is approaching the
line. The distance at which the warning is giv­
en increases as the angle becomes sharper. If
you dr ive towa rd a bounda ry line at a very
sha rp angle, the warning will come just before
a wheel touches the line.
Medium : With this setti ng, the warn ing po int
is adapted to the course of the road, the lane
width and the speed. You wi ll sti ll be warned
if you cross slightly over a dotted line when
driving on curves.
Late : This setting has the same properties as
medium. You will only be warned once a
wheel crosses a detected line.
Setting the steering wheel vibration
The steering wheel v ibration can be set to
Low , Medium or Strong . Selecting each of the
settings will cause the steering wheel to vi­
b rate so you can check the strength of the vi­
bration in that setting.
(D Tips
Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote contro l key being
used .

106 Night vision assistant
Night vision assistant
Description
Applies to vehicles: with night v isio n ass istant
Fig. 107 Display: n ight vis ion assistant
"Night vis ion assistant with pedestrian detec­
tion" uses an infrared camera to monitor the
area in front of you r vehicle at night. Within
the limits of the system, it can display objects
up to about 1000 feet (300 meters) away. The
heat image of a pedestrian detected by the
camera is shown in the instrument cluster dis­
p lay ¢
fig. 107. Warm areas appear lighter
and cold areas appear darker.
Pedestrian detection
Applies to vehicles: with nig ht v isio n ass istant
Fig. 108 Display: yellow pedestr ian marking
Fig . 109 D isplay: symbol when infrared image is not
visib le
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 pedestr ian is detected
when it is dark outside and the vehicle head­
lights are switched on, the pedestrian is high­
lighted in yellow¢
fig. 108, ¢ page 107,
General information. If another display such
as navigation replaces the image from the
night vision assistant, the symbol
~11 appea rs
in a tab
¢fig . 109.
(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 wheel
¢pa ge 24.
Pedestrian warning
Applies to vehicles: wit h night vision assistant
Fig. 110 D isp lay: pedestrian warning
Fig . 111 D isp lay: pedestr ian warning w ith another dis­
play
If a pedestr ian is detected in an area in fron t
of the vehicle that the system considers criti­
ca l, the pedestrian is highlighted in red
¢fig . 110 and a warning tone sounds. This
area is based on the vehicle speed and

112 Automatic Transmission
When parking on a level surface, simply place
the selector lever in the P position. On slopes,
activate the parking brake first and then
move
the selector lever to the P position. This pre­
vents too much stress from being placed on
the locking mechanism.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS Q .&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page
111.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
wh ile the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is ru nn ing. This could result in a
crash .
- Never engage R or P while driving.
It
could cause a crash .
- Power is still transmit ted 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 engine is running. Do not inad­
vertently press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly, even if the parking brake is set. This
could 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, de­ pending on vehicle speed and engine RPM.
It
shifts up into the next h igher gear once the
maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slic k or slippery roads when kick-down is
active.
Shifting manually
The shift paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 118 Steering whee l: sh ift in g manually
" To shift to a higher or lower gear temporari ­
ly, tap the
0 or 0 shift paddle Q fig. 118.
" To switch manual mode on, press the~
button. M and the gear that is currently en­
gaged @appears in the instrument cluster
display
Q page 109, fig. 115.
" To shift up one gear, tap the right shift pad­
dle
G) ¢ fig . 118 .
" To shift down one gear, tap the left shift
paddle Q.
" To switch manual mode off, press the~
button again, or
" Move the selector lever back and release it .
When you acce lerate or reduce the speed, the
transmission automatically shifts into the cor­
rect gear shortly before reaching the RPM lim­
it. If you select a lower gear than the one cur­
rently shown in the display, the automatic
transmission will only shift down once there is no danger of exceeding the maximum RPM .
The engine braking effect increases when you
downsh ift when going downhill.
. Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission: please press the brake ped­
al and select the position again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
se lector lever position again. You can then
continue driving.
[O] Transmission hot: please modify driving
~le
~

118 Advanced Parking System
Reverse Parking
Applies to vehicles: with park ing system advanced
Parking mode 1 con be used when parking in
a garage or into a parking space.
Fig. 127 MMI display: aiming at a parking spot
Fig. 128 MMI display : al igning the vehicl e
• Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot
c::> fig . 12 7 . Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle. Each marking represents 3
ft (1 meter). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle's outline by approximately 16
ft (5 me­
ters) to the rear.
• While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines
¢(D. @ marks the rear bumper. Stop the
vehicle when the red orientation line © bor­
ders an object
c::> ,& !
_& WARNING
-The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
¢page 115, fig. 123. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and animals. The rear view camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you should not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the M MI dis play , the direction of travel
of the vehicle rear is represented depend­
ing on the steering wheel angle . The vehi­
cle front swings out more than the vehicle
rear. Maintain plenty of distance so that
your outside mirror or a corner of your ve­
hicle does not collide with any obstacles.
This can damage to your vehicle.
Parallel Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system adva nced
Use parking mode 2 to help you parallel pork
along the side of a street.
Fig. 129 MMI display: blue surface in the park ing spot
Fig. 130 MMI disp lay: Blu e curve on the curb

The following steps app ly only when there is
no obsta cle such as a wa ll near the parking
spot. Otherwise, please read the information
provided in the "Parking Next to Obstacles"
section
c::> page 119.
~ Activate the turn signal.
~ Position your vehicle parallel to the edge of
the street, approximately 3 ft (1 meter)
from a parked vehicle .
~ Switch the MM I on and se lect reverse gear .
The parking aid tu rns o n and parking mode
1 appears on the display .
~ Press the contro l bu tton (D c::> fig. 129 on
the MMI contro l conso le. Parking mode 2
appea rs .
~ Back up and align yo ur vehicle so t he b lue
area @ borders on the rear end of the vehi­
cle or on the parking spot line. The bl ue area
represents an extension of the veh icle's out­
line by approximate ly 16 ft (5 meters) to the
rear . The long side of the blue area should
be o n the curb . The entire blue area must fit
i nto the parking spot .
~ With the vehicle stopped, turn the steer ing
whee l to the right as far as it w ill go.
~ Back into the park ing spot until the blue
cu rve to uches the curb
c::> fig. 130. Stop the
vehicle.
~ With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
wheel to the left as far as it will go .
~ Continue to back into the park ing spot until
the vehicle is parked para llel to the curb .@
marks the rear bumper. Stop the vehicle
when the red orientation line@ borde rs an
object
c::> .&, . Keep an eye o n the fron t of
yo ur vehicle while do ing this
c::> (j) .
Parking next to obstacles
When t here is an obstacle (such as a wall)
next to the pa rking spot, choose a spot w ith
mo re space on t he sides. Position the long
side of the b lue a rea so that there is sufficient
space from the curb. The a rea m ust no t be on
the c urb. You w ill also need to start turn ing
the steering wheel much earlie r. T he re should
be a suffic ient amo unt of space between the
curb and the blue curve, and the blue c urve
c::> fig. 130 must not touch the curb.
Ad vanced P arking S ystem 119
A WARNING
-The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
c::> page 115, fig. 12 3 . Watch out espe­
cially fo r small children and anima ls . The
rea r view came ra ca nnot alway s de te ct
them, posing r is k of an a ccident!
- P lease note that objects not touching the
g rou nd can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trai ler
hitch, or the rea r of a truck) . In this case,
you shou ld not use the help lines to help
with parking, wh ich poses danger of an
accident!
(D Note
In the MMI display, the direction of travel
of the vehicle rear is represented depend­
i ng on the steering wheel angle . The vehi­
cle front swings out more than the vehicle
rear. Maintain ple nty of d istance so that
your outside mirror or a corner of your ve­
hicle does not col lide with any obstacles.
T his can damage to your ve hicle.
(0 Tips
The left o r right orientation lines and su r­
faces will be disp layed, depending on the
turn s ignal being used .
Adjusting the display
and warning tones
App lies to v ehicl es: wi th parkin g sys tem advanced
The display and warning tones can be adjust­
ed in the MMI.
~ Select: I CAR I function b utton > Car sy stem s
contro l button > Dri ver a ssist > Parking aid
> Setting s control b utton .
Display
On -when the parking system is switched on,
either the vis ual d isp lay or the picture from
the rea r view camera is disp layed .
IJI>

.. Make sure to use the right child restraint
correct ly to protect children
Q page 166,
Child Safety.
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 54,
General recommendations .
.. Faste n your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 134 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver 's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
veh icle and all of its occupants.
If your ability
to drive is impai red, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢ _&. .
Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be dist racted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im ­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 125
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 133 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢ _&. .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
Q fig. 133. If not possible, see your au ­
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive
equipment .
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
.,. Grasp the top of the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not poss ible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 137.

126 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
r:::> page 55.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect- edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi ­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
r:::> page 166. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat¢
page 142.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possibl e, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible¢
page 128.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
r:::> page 13 7.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
r:::> page 54 .
A WARNING
-
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:

136 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 138. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers ~
fig. 139. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true !
Fig. 140 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement tha t can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags , for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is no t enough decelera tion
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!