warning AUDI A8 2012 Owner's Guide

- The buttons for the power sun shades* in
the side windows,
- The buttons for the power sun shade* in the
rear window,
- Front passenger power seat adj ustment *
button.
_& WARNING
- When you leave your vehicle -even if on­
ly briefly- always take the ignition key
with you. This applies particularly when
children remain in the veh icle. Otherw ise
the ch ildren could start the engine or op­
erate electrical equ ipment (e.g. power
w indows) . The power windows are func­
t ional until t he driver's door or passeng­
er's door has been opened.
- Be careful when closing the windows.
Check to see that no one is in the way, or
serious injury could result!
- When lo cking the veh icle from outside,
t he ve hicle must be unocc upied s in ce the
w indows can no longer be opened in an
emergency.
(D Tips
- The dr iver can lower or raise the power
sun shades * in the side windows by us ing
swi tches © and
@.
-After the ignition has been switched off,
the windows can still be opened o r
closed for about 10 minutes . The powe r
windows are not switched off until the
driver's door or passenger's door has
been opened.
What to do after a malfunction
The one-touch open and close function must
be reactivated if the battery hos been discon ­
nected.
• Pull and hold the power window switch un­
ti l the window is fully closed.
• Release the switch and then pull it again for
at least one second .
Openin g an d clos ing 39
Valet parking
The valet parking feature protects the lug­
gage comportment from unauthorized ac­
cess.
F ig. 30 Valet par king button
Wi th "valet parking" a ctivated, the rear lid
cannot be opened.
• Remove the mechanical key
c::;, page 29 .
• Open the glove compartment and activate
c::;, fig. 30 the "valet parking" feature by
pressing the
! VALET I b utton. The indicator
light in the swi tch illuminates.
• Close the glove compartment and lock it
w ith the mechanical key.
• Leave the master key with the se rvice per ­
sonnel for park ing and keep the mechanical
key with you.
When the "valet parking" feature is activated:
- the unlocki ng button fo r the rear l id
c:s in
the dr ive r's door is inactive
- the button
c:s on the mas ter key is inac tive
- the opening handle in the rear lid is inact ive .
The vehicle can be driven and locked and un­
locked with the master key. Access to the lug­
gage compartment is blocked.
When the valet parking function is switched
on, the message
Vale t par king acti vated ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display when
you sw itch the ignition on.

40 Opening and clo sing
Sliding/tilting sunroof
Operation
Fig . 31 Section of the headliner: Slid ing/t ilt ing sunroof
b u tton
@ Tiltin g and sliding
.,. To tilt the sunroof completely, press the
switch briefly to the second leve l~
fig. 31
br iefly.
.,. To close the sunroof comple tely, pull the
swit ch briefly to the second level
Q .&_ .
.,. To select an intermediate position, press/
pull the switch to the first leve l until the de­
sired position is reached.
@ Opening and clo sing
.,. To open the s unroof complete ly, slide the
button back briefly to the second leve l.
.,. To close the sunroof complete ly, slide the
button forward briefly to the second leve l
QA .
.,. To select a partially open position, slide the
button forward/back to the first level until
the roof reaches the desired posit ion .
A w ind deflector integrated into the sliding/
tilt ing su nroof adapts automatically to the
speed and sunroof position . T hi s reduces w ind
noise to a m in imum in all sun roof positions.
You can still close or open the sunroof for up to ten m inutes after you have sw itched the ig­
n ition off . The switch is deactivated once the
d river 's o r front passenger's door is opened .
Solar p rotection
The solar protection opens automatically
when the sunroof opens . Vehicles with a g
lass pane l sunroo f: the sun
shade can be opened and closed by hand
when the sunroof is closed .
Vehicles wi th a solar panel sunroof*: the
cl osed s unshade opens automatically when
t h e sunroof opens.
A WARNING
-
Pay careful attention when closing the
sliding/tilt ing sunroof -otherwise serious
in jury c ould result! Always take t he key
with you w hen leav ing the veh icle.
(D Note
-
A lways close your sliding/tilting sunroof
when leaving y our veh icle. S udden rain can
cause damage to the interior equ ipment of
your vehicle, pa rticularly the e lectronic
equipment.
(D Tips
Information regarding t he solar r oof*
Q poge 78 .
Emergency closing of the sliding/tilting
sunroof
If the s unroof detects an object in its path
when it is clos ing, it w ill open again automati­
ca lly. I n this case, you can close the roof with
t h e power emergency closing function .
.,. Within five seconds a fter the sunroo f opens
automatically, p ull the switc h until the roof
closes.

Panoramic sunroof
Opening/closing the roof
Applies to vehicles: with panoram ic sunroof
Fig. 32 Section of the front headliner: panoramic sun­
roof button
Fig. 33 Rear doo r: panoram ic sunroof button
@ Tilting the front segment of the roof
• To tilt the sunroof completely, press the
button up br iefly to the second level~-
• To close the sunroof completely, pull the
button
1.,,,1 down briefly to the second level
¢ & .
• To select a tilted position, press/pull the
button
l "'-' I to the first level until the desired
position is reached.
@ Sliding the front segment of the roof
• To ope n the su nroof complete ly, slide the
button
l=I back to just before the second
level
<=>fig . 32.
• To close the sunroof completely, slide the
button
l=I forward brief ly to the second lev­
el<=> &.
• To select a partially open position, slide the
button
l-"'I forward/back to the first level un­
til the desired position is reached.
Opening and closing 41
Tilting the rear segment of the roof
The rear segment of the roof can be operated
both from the cockpit and from the rear seat.
• To tilt the sunroof completely, press the
button[;] in the rear door briefly to the sec­
ond level
c:> fig. 33.
• To close the sunroof completely, pull the
button[;] up briefly to the second level
Q & .
• To select a tilted position, press/pull the
button~ to the first level until the desired
position is reached. Or
• To operate the roof from the cockpit, press
the
I REAR MODE ! button¢ fig. 32. You can
now open/close the rear segment of the roof
using the button
l=I in the headliner. The
LED in the front of the headliner turns on
when the rear roof segment is tilted.
After the ignition is switched off, you can still
operate the panoramic sunroof for about
10
minutes. The switch is deactivated once the
driver's or front passenger's door is opened.
WARNING
Be careful when closing the panoramic
sunroof- otherwise serious injury could re­
sult! For this reason, always remove the ig­
n ition key when leaving the vehicle.
(D Note
A lways close your panoramic sunroof when
l eav ing your vehicle. Sudden rain can cause
damage to the interior equipment of your
vehicle, particularly the electronic equip­ ment.
(D Tips
- Information regarding convenience
opening/clos ing
i=>page 31.
- To prevent both roof segments from col­
liding with one another, you do not need
to
- tilt the rear roof segment if the fron t
roof segment is already open.
- close the front roof segment if the rear
roof segment is already tilted.

42 Opening and closing
Opening/closing the sun shade
Applies to vehicles: with pa noramic sunroof
© Front sun shade
.. To open the sun shade completely, slide the
button
G;J back to just before the second lev­
el¢
page 41 , fig. 32 .
.. To close the sun shade comple tely, slide the
button
G;J forward briefly to the second lev­
el.
.. To select a partially open position, slide the
button ~ to the first level until the desired
position is reached.
© Rear sun shade
.. To open the su n shade completely, press
the button ~ in the rear door briefly to the
second level ¢
page 41, fig. 33 .
.. To close the sun shade completely, pu ll the
button
G;J up to the second level¢.&_ .
.. To select a partially open position, press/
pull the button
G;J to the first level until the
desired position is reached. Or
.. To operate the sun shade from the cockpit,
press the
I REAR MODE I button ¢ page 41,
fig. 32. You can now open/close the rea r sun
shade using the button
r;;J in the headliner.
A WARNING
-
Be careful when closing the panoramic
sunroof - otherwise serious injury could re­
sult! For this reason, always remove the ig­
nition key when leaving the vehicle.
Roof segment/sun shade emergency
closing
A ppl ies to vehicles: with pa noramic sunroof
If the roof segment or sun shade detects an
object in its path when it is clos ing, it will
open again automatica lly. In this case, you
can then close it with the power emergency
closing function .
.. Within five seconds after the roof segment
or sun shade opens automatically, pull the
switch until it closes.

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.

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 . ..,.

48 Clear vis ion
Extending /retracting th e re ar window
s h ad e*
• To extend or retract the sun shade from the
cockpit ,
press the rn button in the center
console
c> fig . 41 .
• To extend or retract the sun shade from the
r e ar of th e vehicle,
press the liiil button in
the door
c> fig . 42 .
Extending the re ar door sun shade s*
• Close the window in the rear door.
• To extend the sun shade
from the d rive r's
s eat ,
pull the left/right rear power window
switch~ in the driver's door .
• To extend the sun shade from the
rear of
th e v ehi cle,
pull the power window sw itch
~ in the left/right rear door.
Re tra cting the re ar doo r sun shades*
• To retract the sun shade from the driv er's
sea t,
press the left/right rear power window
switch~ in the driver's door .
• To retract the sun shade from the
re ar of
th e vehi cle,
press the power window swit ch
~ in the left/ right rear door .
You can adj ust the settings for the rear sun
shade so the shade ret ra cts automa tically
when you selec t the reve rse gear. Select:
CAR
function button > C ar sys tems control button
> Vehicle set tings > Aut omatic rear blind >
On. T he sett ings are automat ica lly stored and
assigned to the remote control key . The sun
shade extends again as soon as the veh icle be­
g ins traveling forward at a speed greater than
9 mph (1S km/h), as long as the ignition has not been switched off in th e mea ntime .
& WARNING
When lowe ring or raisi ng the sunshade,
make s ure there is no thing in its way and
t ha t it has a free path to trave l. This could
cause personal injury.
{D) Tips
- Pressing the b utton rn several times
consecutively can tr igger the overload
protection . The sun shade can only be ex- tended/retracted again after a brief wait­
ing period.
- The rear window sun shade on ly func­
tions when the vehicle interior is warmer
than 14°F (-10°C) .
Vanity mirror in the rear
Applies to vehicles: with vanity mirrors in the rear
Fig. 43 Rear hea dliner: van it y m irror
• Press the b utton to fold the m irror open.
The mir ro r li ght ing turns on automatically.
• To c hange the mir ro r's ang le, move it for ­
ward/back with your hand .
Wiper and washer
system
Switching the windshield wipers on
Fig . 44 Winds hield w iper leve r
Move the windshie ld wiper lever to the corre­
sponding posit ion :
@ -Windshield wipers off
(D -Rain sensor mode. The windshield wipers
switch on once the vehicle speed exceeds ap­
proximate ly 2 mph (4 km/h) and it is raining.
The higher the rain sensor sensit ivity is set
(sw itch @ to the right), the earlier the

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.

50 Clear vis ion
Replacing windshield wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the
windshield clear .
Fig. 45 Remov ing wi nds hield w ipe r blade s
Service p osition
"" Switch the w indshield wipe rs off (posit io n
@ ¢ page 48, fig . 44).
"" Se lect in the M MI:: !CAR !f unc tion button>
Car system s contro l button > Se rvicing &
checks > Wip er service position > On . The
windshield wipers move into the serv ice po­
s it ion.
O r
"" Switc h the ignition off and move the wind­
shield wiper lever to posit ion © ¢ page 48,
fig.
44.
Removing the wiper blade
"" Fold the windshield wiper arm away from
the windshie ld .
"" Press the locking knob
(D ¢ fig . 45 on the
wiper blade . Hold the wiper b lade firm ly.
"" Remove the w iper blade in the direction of
the arrow.
Installing th e wiper blade
"" Inse rt the new wiper b lade into the mount
on the wiper arm @until you hea r it latch
into place .
"" Place the wiper arm back on the windshie ld.
"" Switc h the ignition on .
"" Se lect : ICARI funct ion button >
Car sy stem s
control button > Servicing & checks > Wiper
servic e po sition
> Off .
Or
"" Press the w indshield wiper lever .
A WARNING
-If the windshie ld w ipers smear the wind­
sh ie ld, clean the wiper b lades w ith wind­
shie ld washer fluid .
If the wiper blades
are ext reme ly dirty, you can a lso clea n
them wi th a s oft sponge o r clo th.
- For your safety, you should replace the
wiper blades once o r twice a yea r. See
your author ized A udi de aler for re place­
men t blad es.
([) Note
-The windshield wip er b lades must only
be folded away when in the service pos i­
ti on! Ot herwise, you ris k damaging the
p aint on the hood o r th e windshie ld w ip­
er motor.
- Yo u should no t move your veh icle or
press the windsh ie ld wiper lever when
t he wipe r arms are folded away from the
w indshield. The windshie ld wipers wou ld
move back into their or iginal position
and co uld damage the hood and wind­
shield.
- To help prevent damage to the w iper sys­
tem, always loosen blades wh ich are fro­
zen to the windshield before operating
w ipers .
- To help prevent damage t o wiper blades,
do not use gasoline, kerosene, paint
thinne r, or o ther solven ts on o r near the
w iper blades .
- To help prevent damage to the w iper
arms or other components, do not at­
tempt to move the wipe rs by hand .
(j) Tips
- Comme rcial hot waxes appl ied by a uto­
matic ca r washes affect the cleanability
of t he windshie ld.
- Yo u can also use the se rv ice posi tion, for
example, if yo u want to p rotec t the
w indshield from icing by using a cover.
- Yo u cannot activate the se rv ice position
w hen the hood is ope n.

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 . ..,.