warning AUDI A8 2012 Manual Online

-Improper reliance on the side assist sys­
tem can cause collisions and serious
personal injury:
- Never rely only on side assist when
changing lanes.
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un­
der all conditions- danger of accident!
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or vehi­ cles in your blind spot, only after your ve­
hicle has reached a driving speed of at
least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- In certain situations, the system may not
function or its function may be limited.
For example:
- if vehicles are approaching or being left
behind very quickly. The display may
not turn on in time.
- in poor weather conditions such as
heavy rain, snow or heavy mist .
- on very wide lanes, in tight curves or if
there is a rise in the road surface . Vehi­
cles in the adjacent lane may not be de­
tected because they are outside of the
sensor range.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the system .
Have your authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility check their
function.
(D Tips
- If the window glass in the driver's door
or front passenger's door has been tint­
ed, the display in the exterior mirror may be misinterpreted.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions
c::>page 283.
Audi side assist 101
Activating and deactivating
Applies to vehicles: m it s ide ass ist
Fig. 105 Driver 's doo r: Side ass ist button
.,. Press the c::> A in General information on
page 100
button to switch the system on/
off . The LED in the button turns on when
side assist is switched on.
Adjusting the display brightness
App lies to vehicles: wit h side assist
The brightness setting can be adjusted via the
MMI.
.,. Select: I CAR I function button > Car systems
control button
> Driver assist > Audi side
assist .
The display brightness adjusts automatically
to the brightness of the surroundings, both in
the information and in the warning stage . In
very dark or very bright surroundings, the dis­
play is already set to the minimum or maxi­
mum level by the automatic adjustment. In
such cases, you may notice no change when
adjusting the brightness, or the change may
only be noticeable once the surroundings
change.
Adjust the brightness to a level where the dis­
play in the information stage will not disrupt
your view forward.
If you change the bright­
ness, the display in the exterior mirror will
briefly show the brightness leve l in the infor­
mation stage. The brightness of the warning
stage is linked to the brightness in the infor­
mation stage and is adjusted along with the
information stage adjustment .

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.

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

steering angle. The pedestrian warning prompts you to pay even closer attention to
the area in front of the vehicle and to watch
out for pedestrians.
I f another display such as the trip comp uter
replaces the image from the night vision as­
sistant, the indicator light turns red when
there is a pedestrian warn ing
I Q fig. 111.
@ Tips
The pedestrian marking and warning tone can be adjusted in the MMI
¢ page 108.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
N 0
8 :i:
~
Fig. 112 Front of the vehicle: night vision assistant
camera
The following situations may affect the func­
tion of the night vision assistant system:
- poor v is ibility such as snow, rain, fog or
heavy road spray
- dirty lens on the night vision assistant cam- era
Make sure the n ight v ision assistant camera
i::> fig. 112 is not cove red by stickers, deposits
or any other obstruct ions because that can
prevent the camera from working properly.
F or information on cleaning the lens, refer to
¢page 205.
P edestrian detection depends on the differ­
ence in temperat ure between the person and
the background. Pedestrians may not be de­
tected if the temperature difference is too
small. The pedestrian highlighting feature is
deactivated at temperatures above 77 °F (25
0
() and when it is light outside.
N ig ht visi on ass is ta n t 107
A WARNING
Night vision ass istant has limits and can­
not always detect pedestr ians . Always pay
close attention to traffic and the area
around your vehicle even when night vision
assistant is sw itched on.
- Night vision assistant can only warn
about people located within the visual
range of the infrared camera. The vis ual
range corresponds to the image in t he in ­
strument cluster display.
- Night vision assistant may not detect
peop le and highlight them if
- they are not in an upright posit ion, for
example if they are sitt ing, crouching
or lying down and/or
- if the outline in the display is incom­
plete or interrupted, for example be­
cause the person is part ially hidden by
a parked vehicle .
@ Tips
- Pedestrian detection and the pedestrian
warm ing a re limited to objects that are
detected as pedestrians. The system
does not detect an imals. Even though
the shape and warmth radiated by each
object detected is evaluated, the system
does have limitat ions and it can give in­
correct warnings .
- For technical reasons, the image pauses
in split second intervals.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
F ig. 113 Area around the light switch: night v is ion as-
s ista nt button .,.

108 Night vision assistant
• Switch the ignition on and turn the light
sw itch to the
AUTO position or tD .
• To sw itch night vision ass istant on, press
the~ ,, button
c> fig. 113 . The image from
the night vision camera appea rs in the in­
strument cluster display .
• Press the button~ -, aga in to switc h night vi­
s ion assistant off .
Settings in the MMI
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 114 Displa y: examp le of pede strian detect ion and
warn ing tone switc hed off
• Select : I CARI funct ion button > Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Night vision
assist.
Highlight pedestrians -
You can switch pedes­
tr ian detection
on and off . If yo u sw itch pe­
destrian detection off, the pedestr ian war ning
tone also switches off. The symbols
II and~
appear in the upper right area of the instru­
ment cluster display
c> fig. 114.
Warning tone -You can switch the tone for
the pedestrian warning
on and off. When the
warn ing tone is switched off, a yellow symbol
for the deactivated wa rning tone with a line
through it appears in the upper right of the in­
strument cluster display
c> fig. 114 .
Contrast -When the night vis ion assistant is
switched on and the image is visible in the in­
strument cluster display, you can adjust the
contrast in the image from
Min to Max.
Driver messages
Appl ies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Night vision assistant: system malfunction!
The system cannot work properly and is
switched off. See your authorized Audi dealer
for assistance .
Night vision assistant: not available
The system cannot detect properly under cur­
rent cond itions and is switched off tempora ri­
ly.
Night vision assistant: only available in dark­
ness and with lights switched on
Night vision assistant only works when it is
dark outside and the headlights are on .
Night vision assistant: pedestrian detection
not available
The system has deactivated the pedestrian de­
tection function.

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 .

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
~

114 Automatic Transmission
one of the sli ts on the cover and pry the cov­
er
off .
.. Pu ll the band @ in the direction of the ar­
row until the release lever locks in place
<=>fig . 119.
• Fold the upper section of the release lever
down into the recess .
Resetting the parking lock
.. Press the button @ and the release lever at
the same time. You can now push the lever
back into its orig inal position . Make sure the
lever locks in place <=>
fig. 120 .
• Install the cover .
The indicator light
[O] and the N position indi­
cator in the instrument cluster turn on when
the park ing lock is released using the emer­
gency re lease . The message
Risk of rolling! P
not possible . Please set the parking brake
al­
so appears .
.&_ WARNING
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle
with the parking brake or the brake pedal
if the parking brake is not working. The ve­
hicle can roll away if it is not secured and
cause a crash.
-

Advanced Parking System
Advanced Parking System with rear view
camera
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with park ing system (rear, with rear
view ca mera)
Fig . 121 Parking mode 1: reverse park ing
F ig . 122 Parking mode 2: parallel park ing
"' s ±
" m
Vehicles w ith the parking system advanced
are equipped with a rear view camera in addi­
tion to the acoustic and visua l parking system .
You can choose between two modes to assist
you with park ing. For example, you can use
"parking mode 1" when parking in a parking
space or garage
c::!;> fig . 121. When you want to
park parallel to the edge of the street, select
"parking mode 2"
¢fig. 122 .
Advanced Parking System 115
General Information
Applies to vehicles: wit h parking system advanced
Fig. 123 Area covered @and area not covered @by
the rear view camera.
AUDl
Fig. 124 Rear lid: Locat ion of the rear v iew camera
Sensors in the bumper
Sensors are located in the front and rear
bumpe rs . If these detect an obstacle, audible
and visual signals warn you. The range at
which the sensors begin to meas ure is approx­
imately :
side 3 ft (0.90 m)
front 4 ft (1.20 m)
side 2 ft (0.60 m)
rear center 5.2 ft
(1.60 m)
The close r you get to the obstacle, the shorter
the interval between the audible signals. A
continuous tone sounds when the obstacle is
less than approximately 1 foot (0 .30 meters)
away. Do not continue driving farther!
If the distance to an obstacle remains con­
stant, the volume of the distance warning
gradually drops after about four seconds (this
does not apply in the continuous tone range) . ..,.

116 Advanc ed Parking S ystem
Rear vi ew cam era co ve ra ge area
The MM I display shows the area covered by
the rear view camera
c::> fig. 123 @ . Objects
that are not in the area covered @are not
shown on the MMI display.
We recommend that you p ractice park ing with
the rear view camera in a t raffic -free location
or parking lot to become familiar with the sys ­
tem, the orientation lines, and their function.
When doing th is, there sho uld be good light
and weather conditions.
In the MMI disp lay, objects or vehicles appear
closer or further away if:
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level
surface onto an incline, or a downward
s lope,
- you are d riving in reverse gear toward pro ­
truding objects,
- the vehicle is carrying too much load in the
rear.
The accuracy of the orientation lines and blue
surfaces dim inishes if:
- the adaptive air suspension/sport* is faulty, the vehicle is lifted or dynamic mode is se­
lected
c::> page 103,
- the rear view camera does not provide a reli­
able image, for examp le, in poor visibility
cond it ions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun glare and reflect ion.
Car in g for the rear view came ra lens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
license plate bracket . For the parking system
to operate, the lens
c::> fig . 124 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a household alcohol­
based glass cleaner, and then wipe the lens
clean with a dry cloth
c::> CD.
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
preferably with a de-icing spray
c::> (D .
A WARNING
,-
- Senso rs have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected . Pay special attention to small children and animals because
the sensors cannot always detect them.
- The parking system cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for parking and similar driving maneuvers.
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle 's
surroundings, us ing the rear view mirror
as well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted
from traffic by the rear view camera p ic­
tures.
- If the position and the installation angle
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rear end col lis ion, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons .
H ave it checked by a qualified dea le rship.
(D Note
- Low obstacles a lready s ignaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and w ill not cont inue to be signaled. Ob­
jects such as ba rr ier chains, trailer draw
bars, thin painted vert ica l poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing risk of damage .
- N ever use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the rear view camera
lens - this could ca use the lens to crack!
- When cleaning the lens, never use prod ­
ucts that are abrasive.