light AUDI A8 2012 Owner's Guide

44 Clear vision
Highway light function* (vehicles with LED
headlights) -this function adapts the lighting
for highway driving based on vehicle speed.
.&_ WARNING
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver. They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check
the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions. For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights §.0
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from
the back.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described.
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
@ Tips
- The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount. You should
therefore not apply any stickers to the
windshield in this area in order to pre­
vent malfunctions or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display¢
page 21 .
- You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail
lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They will clear shortly after switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in an emer ­
gency situation.
,--~
,_'
. ;.' --- --~-.sc-
Fig. 35 Center console: emergency flasher switch
.,. Press the switch 11 ¢ fig. 35 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
s ignal ind icator lights
ea in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
11 blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flasher also works when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.

Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings are adjusted in the MMI.
• Se lect: ICARI f u nct ion button> Car systems
control button > Vehicle sett ings > E xterior
lighting .
Automatic headlights
You can a djust the fo llow ing settings in the
Automatic headl ights men u:
Headlight s activation time -You can adjus t if
the hea dlights sw itch on
Early , Med . or Late
according to the sensitivity of the light se nsor .
Audi adaptive light* -You can sw itch adaptive
l ig ht
On a n d Off .
Daytime running lights
USA models :
You can switch the dayt ime ru n­
ni ng lights
on and off .
Canada models:
The function ca nnot be
turned off. It is activated a utomat ica lly each
time the ignition is switc hed o n. This menu
item is shown "gr eyed out" .
Coming home, Leaving home
The coming home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when yo u switc h the
i gn it io n off and open the driver's door. To tur n
the function o n, select
Lights when leaving
car > On .
The leav ing home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when yo u unl ock the
ve hicle. To turn th e f unc tion on, select
Lights
when unlocking car > On .
The com ing home and leaving home fu nctions
only operate whe n it is da rk a nd the light
sw itch is in the
AUTO p os itio n.
Clear vision 45
Turn signal and high beam 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 th e headlight flash­
er.
Fig. 36 Turn signal and high beam lever
The t urn signa l and hig h beam lever has t he
fo llow ing funct ions :
Turn signals ¢ Q ©@
N 0 ,._
± .. a,
• Pu sh t he leve r up as fa r as i t can go t o tur n
on t he righ t turn s igna l or d own to t urn on
t he le ft turn s ignal -=>
fig. 36 .
• Move the leve r br iefly u ntil yo u meet res ist ­
ance and release it to f lash three times.
• Move the lever (up or down) until you meet
resistance and hold it there to determine
the flashing t ime for the tu rn signals.
High beam ~D @
• Push t he leve r forward to sw itch on the hig h
beam.
• Pull the lever bac k towards yo u to sw itch off
the high beam.
Headlight flasher ~D ©
• Pull the lever towar d the stee rin g wheel to
use t he headlight flasher .
Notes on these features
-The turn signals o nl y wor k w ith t he ignition
sw itche d on. T he indi ca tor light s
R or II in
t he inst rumen t cluste r¢
page 11 also blink .
- Afte r yo u h ave t urned a corner, the tu rn s ig -
n al swi tches off au tom atic a lly .
- The
hig h beam wo rks o nly w he n the he ad-
lights a re on . The ind ic a tor ligh t
II in the .,,.

46 Clear vis ion
instrument cluste r illuminates when the
high beams are on.
- T he
headlight flash er works only as long as
yo u hold the lever - even if there are no
l ights turned on . The ind icator light
Bl in
the instrument cluster i lluminates when you
use the headlight flasher.
A WARNING
Do not use the high beam or headlight
flasher if you know that these could blind
oncoming traffic.
Interior lights
Front and rear interior lighting
Fi g. 37 Headl iner: Front in te ri or lig hts
F ig . 3 8 Re ar headli ne r: Rea din g lig ht
Press the appropriate b utton q fig . 3 7:
El -Interior lighting on/off
1!1-Door contac t switch . The inter ior light ing
turns on automatica lly when you unlock the
vehicle, open a door or switch the ignition off.
The interior lighting turns off several seconds after you close the doors , when you lock the
vehicle or when you switch the ignition on .
When a door is open, the light t urns off afte r
a few minutes .
L:!l-Read ing lights on/off
~ - Switching the rear read ing lights on/off
from the cockpi t.
IREAR MODEt* - Sw itch ing the rea r readi ng
lights on/off from the cockpit : pr ess the
I REAR MODE i button and t hen t he appropriate
button
L:!l i n t he cockpit .
Ambience lighting
Applies to vehicles: with ambience lighting
You can select a color profile and br igh tness
for the ambience light ing in various areas of
t h e ve hicle, called zones .
Turning ambience lighting on .,. Sele ct in the
M MI: ICAR lfun ction bu tton>
Car sy stem s control b utton > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interior lighting > On.
Ad justing/turning off the brightness
.,. Select in the
MMI: ICA Rlfunction button>
Car sy stem s control b utton > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interior lighting > Brightne ss .
.,. Tur n the knob to the desired veh icle area
and p ress the knob. The bar that appears in ­
dicates the selected brightness .
.,. To increas e or reduce the brightness, turn
the knob and press it .
Select ing a color p rofile*
.,. Select in the
MMI: ICAR lfunction button>
Car sy stem s control b utton > Vehicle set­
ting s
> Interior lighting > Color profile .
T he ambience ligh ting tu rns on when the
f unct ion is act ivated in the
MMI and w hen you
turn the headlights on while the ign ition is
switched on .
Adjusting the brightness
You can adjus t the br igh tness fo r the fou r
zones Front top , Front footwell , Re ar top and
Rear footwell or for All areas at the same
t ime . ..,.

Selecting a color pr ofile
You can select from the Iv ory , Polar and Ru­
b y/ Pol ar
color profiles .
(D Tips
The settings are automa tically sto red and
assigned to the remote con tro l key that is
in use.
Instrument illumination
You con adjust the brightness of the instru ­
ment and display illumination .
Fig . 39 In strument ill um ination
• Press the knob to release it.
• Turn the knob toward"-" or"+" to reduce or
increase the brigh tness .
• Press the knob again to return it to its or igi ­
nal position .
Q Tips
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) lights on when the ig nitio n is
sw itched on and the vehicle lig hts are
turned off. As the daylight fades, the ill u­
m ina tion of the dials likewise dims auto­
mat ica lly and will go out com plete ly when
t he o utside light is very low . This fea ture is
meant to remind you to switch on the
headlights when o utside light conditions
become poor. Clear vi
sion 4 7
Vision
Sun visors
E J
Fig . 4 0 Sun viso r
The sun visors for the driver and passenger
can be re leased from their bracke ts and
turned toward the doors
c:> fig. 40 (D . They
can a lso be moved back and forth lengthwise
in th is position .
The m irror light switches on when the cover
over the vanity m irror @opens.
T here is a shade between the dr iver 's and pas­
senge r's s un visors that can be used to cover
the gap above the rearview mirror.
. Sun Shade
Fi g. 41 Cock pit: Sun shad e swit c h
Fig. 4 2 Rear doo r: S un s had e butto n

windshield wipers react to moisture on the
windshield. You can deactivate rain sensor
mode in the MMI, which will then activate in­
termittent mode. Select:
ICARI function but­
ton
> Car systems control button > Driver as­
sist > Rain sensor> Off.
In intermitten t
mode, you can adjust the interval time using
the switch @.
@-Slow wiping
@-Fast wiping
©-Single wipe. If you hold the lever in this
position longer, the wipers switch from slow
wiping to fast wiping.
® -Clean the windshield . The wipers wipe
one time after several seconds of driving to
remove water droplets. You can switch this
function off by moving the lever to position ®
within 10 seconds after the afterwipe. The af­
terwipe function is reactivated the next time
you switch the ignition on.
Cleaning the headlights. The headlight wash­
er system* only functions when the lights are
sw itched on. The headlights and the night vi­
sion system camera* are cleaned automatical­ ly the first time the lever is press in position
® and every 8 times it is pressed after that.
They are also cleaned every time you hold the lever in position @for longer than 8 seconds .
A WARNING
- The rain sensor is only designed to assist
and support the driver.
It remains entire­
ly the driver's responsibility to monitor
outside weather conditions and to man­
ually activate the wipers as soon as rain
or drizzle reduces visibility through the
windshield.
- The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in­
crease glare under poor visibility condi·
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi­
tion, they can cause the windshield wip­
ers to chatter.
- Properly functioning windshield wiper
blades are required for a clear view and
Clear vision 49
safe driving ¢ page 50, Replacing
windshield wiper blades.
(D Note
- In the case of frost, check whether the
windshield wiper blades are frozen to the windshield. Switching on the wind­
shield wipers can damage the wiper
blades!
- Prior to using a car wash, the windshield
wiper system must be switched off (lever
in position @). This helps to prevent un­
intentional switching on and damage to
the windshield wiper system.
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window . Using the wipers as a conven­
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades.
@ Tips
- The windshield wipers are switched off
when the ignition is off . Activate the
windshield wipers after the ignition is
switched back on by moving the wind­
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
result in streaking. This can affect the
rain sensor function. Check your wind­
shield wiper blades regularly.
- The washer fluid nozzles of the wind­
shield washer system are heated at low
temperatures when the ignition is on.
- When stopping temporarily, e.g. at a
traffic light, the set speed of the wind­
shield wipers is automatically reduced by
one speed.

Mirrors
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
Fig . 46 Fo rwa rd section of d river's a rmrest: power m ir­
ror co nt rols
Turn the knob to the desi red position :
Q/P -In th is position, you can adjust the
driver's and front passenger's exter ior mir rors
by turn ing the knob in t he des ired direction .
® -The m irrors are heated depending on the
outside temperature .
8 -The exterior mirrors fo ld in. In the MMI,
you can select if the m irrors fold in automat i­
cally when you lock the vehicle
9 page 31.
Tilt function fo r th e pa sseng er' s mi rror
To help yo u see the curb when backing into a
parking space, the surface of the mirror tilts
slightly. The knob must be in the P position
for this to happen .
You can ad just the tilted mirror s urface by
turning the knob in the desired direction.
When you move out of reverse and into anoth ­
er gear, the new mirror posit ion is stored and
assigned to the key you are using.
The mirror goes back into its origina l posit io n
once you drive forward faster than 9 mph (15 km/h) or switch the ignition off .
A WARNING
-Curved ( i.e. convex) mirror s urfaces in­
crease your field of view . Remember that
vehicles or other objects will appear
small er and farther away than when seen
in a flat m irror.
If you use this mirro r to
est imate distances of following vehicles
Clear vi sion 51
when changing lanes, you co uld estimate
incorrectly and cause an accident.
(D Note
- If the m irror housing is moved uninten ­
tionally (for examp le, w hile pa rking your
vehicle), then yo u must first fold the mir­
ror electrically. Do not read just the mir­
ror housing man ually. You cou ld damage
the motor which controls the mirror.
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car was h, you must fold the exter ior mir­
rors in to reduce the risk of damage to
the mirrors. Never fold power fold ing ex­
terior mirrors by hand. O nly fold t hem in
and out using the power controls.
(D Tips
- T he exterior m irror set tings are stored
w ith the m emory function*
9 page 62 .
- If there is a malfunction in the elect rical
system, you can st ill adjust the exterio r
mi rrors by pressing the edge of the m ir­
ror.
Dimming the mirrors
Fi g. 47 Auto m atic d immin g rearv iew mirr or
.. To dim the rearview m irror and both exteri ­
or m irrors, press the@ button . The diode
@ tu rns on. The rearview and exterior mir­
rors dim automatically whe n light shines on
t hem, for examp le from headl ights on ave-
hicle to the rear . ..,.

52 Clear vision
& WARNING
Electrolyte fluid can leak from automatic
dimming mirrors if the glass is broken.
Electrolyte fluid can irritate skin, eyes and
respiratory system .
- Repeated or prolonged exposure to elec­
trolyte can cause irritation to the respira­
tory system, especially among people
with asthma or other respiratory condi­ tions. Get fresh air immediately by leav­
ing the vehicle or, if that is not possible,
open windows and doors all the way.
- If electrolyte gets into the eyes, flush
them thoroughly with large amounts of
clean water for at least 15 minutes;
medical attention is recommended.
- If electrolyte contacts skin, flush affect­
ed area with clean water for at least 15
minutes and then wash affected area
with soap and water; medical attention
is recommended . Thoroughly wash af­
fected clothing and shoes before reuse.
- If swallowed and person is conscious,
rinse mouth with water for at least 15
minutes . Do not induce vomiting unless
instructed to do so by medical professio­
nal. Get medical attention immediately.
(D Note
Liquid electrolyte leaking from broken mir­
ror glass will damage any plastic surfaces
it comes in contact with. Clean up spilled
electrolyte immediately with clean water
and a sponge.
@ Tips
-Switching off the dimming function of
the inside rear view mirror also deacti­
vates the automatic dimming function of
the exterior mirrors.
- Automatic dimming for the mirror only
operates properly if the sun shade* for
the rear window is not in use or the light
striking the inside mirror is not hindered
by other objects. -
The automatic dimming mirrors do not
dim when the interior lighting is turned
on or the reverse gear is selected.
Digital compass
Switching the compass on and off
Applies to vehicles: with digita l compass
The compass direction is shown in the rear­
view mirror .
J
Fig. 48 Rearview mirr or: Digi tal compass activated
.,. To switch the compass on or off, press and
hold the button @until the compass dis­
play in the mirror
c::> fig. 48 appears or disap­
pears.
The digital compass only works when the igni­
tion is on. The directions are indicated with
abbrev iations:
N (north), NE (northeast), E
(east), SE (southeast), S (south), SW (south­
west),
W (west), NW (northwest).
A WARNING -
The digital compass is to be used as a di­
rectional aid only . Even though you may
want to look at it while you are driving, you
must still pay attention to traffic, road and
weather conditions as well as other possi­
ble hazards.
(D Tips
To prevent inaccurate compass readings,
do not bring any remote controls, electri­
cal devices or metallic objects near the
mirror.

56 Seats and storage
Multifunction button
App lies to vehicles: wit h memory fu nctio n
You can adjust the massage function, upper
section of the backrest, lumbar support, side
bolsters, seating surface and safety belt
height using the multifunction button.
F ig. 51 MMI display : seat settings
Operating
• The M MI displays the possible seat settings
@ when yo u turn the mu ltifunction button
page 55, fig. 50 to the left or right
c:> fig. 51, c:> .&_.
• To select a seat setting, turn the multifunc­
tion button
is h ighlighted with a red border.
• The arrows @ indicate the possible adjust­
ments . For example, to move the lumbar
support down, press the multifunct ion but­
ton
l ights up .
The following seat settings @are possible:
Mas sage funct ion * -Massage type Wave,
K nock in g, Stretch, Lumbar , Sho ulder or Off .
You can set the massage strength level from 1
to 5 . You can turn the selected massage on/
off us ing the button @
c:> page 55, fig. 50 .
Safety belt h eight adju stment * -Moving the
safety belt up/down
c:> page 139, c:> .&..
Upper backre st -Moving the ang le of the up­
per section of the backrest forward/back
c:> &.
Lu mb ar support -Moving the lumbar support
up/down and making it firme r/softer
c:> .&. .
Side bol ster s* -Increasing/reducing the side
support in the seat using the side bolsters on
the seating surface and backrest
c:> &.
Seat ing surfa ce -Making the seat ing s urface
longer/shorter
c:> A .
A WARNING
-
-Never ad just the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
If you do this while the vehicle is moving,
you will be out of position. A lways adjust
the dr iver's or front passenge r's seat
when the vehicle is not mov ing.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
he ight . Check to see that no one is in the
way, or serious injury cou ld result!
- Because the seats can be electrically ad­
justed with the ignition off, never leave
children unattended in the veh icle. Unsu­
perv ised use of the e lectr ic sea t adj ust­
men ts may cause serious injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden b raking or acc iden t, front pas­
sengers mus t
never ride in a movi ng ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined . Safety
be lts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the backrest
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body . The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly pos i­
tioned safety belts .
@ Tips
-The massage function switches off auto­
matically after approximately 10 mi­
nutes.
- In vehicles w ith the reclining rear seat,
only the safety belt he ight and the seat­
ing surface can be adjusted on the front
passenge r sea t using the mul tifunc tion
butto n.

Armrest
There is a storage compartment under the
armrest .
Fig. 52 Cockp it: ce nter armrest
Opening the storage compartment
.. Press the button -arrow- and
move the arm­
rest up¢
fig. 52.
Adjusting the armrest
.. To
move the armrest forward and up, press
the button -arrow- while pulling the armrest
into the desired position .
.. To bring the armrest back into its or igina l
position, press the button -arrow- while
pressing the armrest down.
Please note that the driver's arm movements
may be restricted w ith the armrest folded
down. Fo r this reason, the armrest should not
be folded down when driving in city traffic.
Rear seats
General information
Safe transportation of passengers on the rear
seats requires proper safety precautions.
All passengers on the rear seats must be seat­
ed in compliance with the safety guidelines
explained in
¢page 134 and qpage 142.
The correct seating position is critical for the
safety of front
and rear seat passengers alike
¢page 127.
A WARNING
- Occupants in the front
and rear seats
must always be properly restrained.
-
Seats and storage 57
- Do not let anyone ride in the vehicle
without the head restraints provided.
Head restraints help to reduce injuries .
- Loose items inside the passenger com­
partment can fly forward in a crash or
sudden maneuver and injure occupants.
Always store articles in the luggage com­
partment and use the tie-down eyelets.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ page 127, Proper seating positions
for passengers in rear seats.
Adjusting the rear seats
App lies to vehicles: wit h co mfort seats
Fig. 53 Right re ar seat: seat adjustment buttons
@ -Adjust ing the lumbar support: press the
button to the left/right to adjust the lumbar
support curvature¢ &.. Press the button up/
down to adjust the height of the lumbar sup ­
port ¢&,. .
@ -Moving the upper section of the backrest
forward/back. Press the button forward/back
Q &_ .
©-Massage function* : to select the "pu lsat­
ing" massage function, press the button for­
ward. To select the "wave" massage function,
press the button back. If three lights in the
button turn on, the massage is at the stron­
gest level. To reduce the massage level, press
the button again. To turn the massage func­
tion
off, press the button again until all of the
lights turn
off .
@ -Moving the seat forward/back: press the
button forward/back ¢ &,. .
@ -Moving the seat up/down: press the but-
ton up/down ¢ &,. . ..,_

58 Seats and storage
© -Switching front passenger seat adjust ­
ment on/off: this function must be activated
in the MMI ¢
page 60, ¢& .To switch front
passenger seat adjustment on, press the but­
ton. You can now adjust the front passenger
seats us ing the buttons @ and @. If you do
not press the buttons @ or@ , front passen­
ger seat adjustment switches
off automatica l­
ly after approximate ly ten seconds.
& WARNING
- T he power adjustment for the individ ual
seats also works with the ignition . For
this reason, children should never be left
unattended in the vehicle -th ey could be
injured!
- Exercise caution when adjusting the
seats. Uns upervised or careless seat ad­
justment can p inch fingers or hands
causing injur ies.
- Vehicles with a pass through in the cen­
ter console have seat ing for four. The
long center console between the two
Reclining rear seat overv iew
Applies to vehicles: with reclining rear seat
----------------- T ® ------ -
Fi g. 54 Rear doo r: ad justi ng the recli ning posit ion
(D -Adj usting the reclining posi tion
@ -Adjusting the standard position rear seats is
n
ot a seat ing position.
Therefore, a safety belt is not provided.
(D Note
If a child seat is attached to one of the rea r
seats, this seat must not be adj usted using
the power controls under any circumstan­
ces. The easy entry funct ion for this seat
must also be deactivated in the MMI
¢
page 60 . The child seat as well as the
r ear seat can be damaged by the adjust­
ment process.
© Tips
The massage function switches off auto­
matically after approximately 10 minutes.
- If you cannot
move the front passenger
seat, it may be because
- the front passenge r's seat memory
f u nction is swi tched off ¢
page 63 or
- the child safety lock is switched on (the
@ b utton ¢ page 38 or t he righ t t
button ¢ page 38 lights up in the d riv ­
er's door), or
- the front passenger seat adjustment is
switched
off in the MMI ¢ page 60.
@ -Fold ing the leg support up/down
@ -Leg support steeper/flatter
i :c ., a,