headlights AUDI A8 2016 Owners Manual

Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of the instr ume nt cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .. .
@ Tachometer (engine rev counte r) .
@ Turn signals .... .. ...... ..... .
@ Display with
- Driver information system
- Warning/indicator lights
® Tachometer
@ Fuel gauge ..... ........... .. .
(J) Reset button for trip odometer
(D Tips
10
11
48
23
11
11
26
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on and
the vehicle lights are turned off. As the day­
light fades, the illumination of the dials like­
wise dims automatically and will go out com­
pletely when the outside light is very low . This
10
feature is meant to remind you to switch on
the headlights when outside light conditions
become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD~ page 10, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the follow­
ing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, heavy en-
gine loads and heavy throttle applications. .,,_

.... N
0 J:
'SI: .... .... authorized Audi dealer immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
~ .... Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your author­
ized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor inspect­
ed . Until you have this done, check the oil level
each time you refuel just to be on the safe s ide
¢page 224.
f Request to warm engine by driving
0 Please warm up engine
Fuel has entered the engine oil because of low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives. Drive until the engine is warm so that the fuel in
the engine oil will vaporize. Avoid high engine
speeds, full acceleration and heavy engine load
when doing this.
.Bil Fuel level indicator
ID] Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first time
and the message appears, there are about 4 gal­
l ons (15 liters) of fuel left in the tank. Time to re­
fuel
¢ page 214 .
ID] Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and this message
appears, there is a malfunction in the tank sys­
tem .
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
~ Windsh ield washer fluid level
~ Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illuminates, add windshield washer
f luid to the washer system/headlight washer sys­
tem*
¢ page 234 .
<$• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
Instruments and indicator lights
T he re is a malfunct ion with the windshield wip­
ers .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immed iate ly
to have the malfunction corrected .
i§il}0/0$ Defective light bulb warning
1:1-If the indicator light turns on, a bu lb has
failed. The message indicates the location of the
bulb.
fm-if a fog lamp* has failed, the indicator light
turns on to indicate the location on the vehicle.
II-if a rea r fog lamp has failed, the indicator
light turns on to indicate the location on the vehi­
cle.
Vehicle lights: malfunction
If the message appears, there is a malfunction in
the headlights or light switch .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immediate ly
to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
plode wh ile they are be ing changed causing
serious personal injury.
- Work w ith due care when handling the high­
voltage section of gas d ischarge (xenon)
lights . Failure to do so could result in death
. . . or serious inJury.
(D Tips
Have the bulb replaced or the connection re­
paired by your author ized Audi Service depart­
ment.
~{D Headlight range control
II Headlight range control: defective!
If the symbol illuminates, the headlight range
control is no longer working properly . Have the
system checked and repaired at your Audi dealer.
21

Instruments and indicator lights
§0 Adaptive Light
Applies to: vehicles with Adaptive Light
m;J Audi adaptive light : system fault
If the indicator light turns on and th is message
appears, there is a malfunction in the adaptive
light system . The head lights st ill function .
Go to an authorized dea lership to have the head­
lights or the control unit for the Adaptive Light
repaired .
~D Light /rain sensor
!;I Automatic headlights /automatic wipers:
s y stem fault
If the ind icator lig ht t urns on and th is message
appears, the light/ra in sensor is no t funct ioning
correct ly.
For safety reasons the low beams are turned on
permanently with the switch in
AUTO . However,
you can continue to turn the lights on and off us­
i n g the light swi tch. You can still con trol a ll func­
tions th at are in dependen t of t he rain senso r
through t he w indshie ld w iper lever.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer as soo n as
possible to have the prob le m corrected.
I-: Sport differential
1,11 Sport differential : sy stem fault
There is a malfunc tion wi th t he sport differential.
Drive to yo ur authori zed Aud i dea le r i mmediately
to have the malfunct ion corrected.
1,11 Sport differential: overheating
T he t ransm iss ion tempe rature h as increased s ig­
n ificant ly due to the spor ty driv in g manne r. Dr ive
in a less sporty ma nner un til the tem perature re ­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
sw itches o f.
A WARNING
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differentia l is
faulty or malfunctioning . The repair m ust be
22
performed by t rained personnel using the cor­
rect oil in order to ensure safety .
¢ Q Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Wheneve r yo u use the left II or the r ight B
turn s ignal, the indicator light blinks . When you
u se the emergency flashers, both indicator lights
flash.
I f one of the turn sign al light bulb s bu rn o ut, the
turn s ignal will b link twice as fast as no rma l.
Caref ully drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r im ­
med iate ly to have the malfunction corrected. The
i ndicato r light does not indicate a ma lfunction if
a turn signal on the trailer or on the vehicle fails i n trailer towing mode.
(D Tips
Fo r more informati on on the t urn signa ls, re­
fer to
¢ page 48.

Lights and Vision
Lights and Vision
Exterior lighting
Switching the headlights on and off
Fig. 42 Instrument panel : lig ht sw it c h with all -weather
l igh ts
The headlights only wo rk when the igni tion is
sw itched on. Whi le sta rting the engine or when
switching off the ignition, the headlights will go
off and only th e side marker lights will be on.
I f the sys tem i s not operating p roperly, a warning
symbo l in the drive r informat ion d isplay is dis­
p layed
c::> page 21 .
Light switch -'t;f;
T urn the switch ~ fig. 42 to the corresponding
position . When the lights are sw itched on, the
:oo:
symbo l turns on .
0 - The l ights are off or the daytime runni ng
lights are on :
-USA mode ls: The daytime running lights will
come on automatically when the ignition is on
and the light sw itch
c::> fig . 42 is in the O posi­
tion or the
AUTO position (only i n daylight con­
di tions). The
Daytime running li ght s func tion
can be turned on and off in the MM I
c::> page 47, c::> &.
- Canada mo del s: T he daytime runn ing lights
will come on automa tically when the ignit io n is
o n and the light switch
c::> fig . 42 is in the O po­
s ition, the
:oo : pos ition or the AUTO position
(on ly in daylight conditions)
c::> & .
AUTO -Automatic head light s switch on a nd off
depending on br igh tness , for example i n tw ilight,
du ring ra in or in tunne ls
c::> & .
46
:oo : -Side marker lights
gD -Low beam headlig hts
~ - All-weather lig hts
@il -Rear fog lights *. When the rear fog lights are
on, the symbol
0$ on the switch will illuminate .
All-weather lights
The front lights a re adjus ted au toma tica lly so
that you are less likely to see g la re from your own
headlights, for example whe n driving on a wet
road.
Automatic dynamic headlight range control*
Yo ur vehicle is equipped wi th a headlight range
contro l system so that the head lights do not
bl ind oncoming t raffic if the vehicle load
changes. The head light range also adjusts auto­
matically when brak ing and acce lerating .
Light functions
The following ligh t fu nct ions are available de­
pend ing on vehicle e quipment and o nly fu nction
whe n the light switc h is in the AUTO position.
You can deactivate these fu nctions in the M MI
unde r
Audi adapti ve light c::> page 47.
Static cornering light* -the corne ring ligh t
switches on automat ically when the steering
whee l is turned at a certain angle at speeds up to
app roximately 44 mph (70 km/h) and when the
turn s ignal is activated at speeds up to approxi­
ma tely 25 mph (40 km/h) . The area to the side of
the ve hicle is illuminated better when turning .
Dynamic curve light* -the curve light adapts it­
self to the curves in the road .
Highway light fun ction* -this funct ion adapts
the lighti ng for highway d riving based on vehicle
speed .
A WARNING
--Automatic headlig hts are only intended to
assist the driver . They do not relieve the
driver of his responsibi lity to check the
headlights and to turn them o n manually
according to the cur rent light and vis ib ility
co ndi tion s. For example, fog cannot be

detected by the light sensors. So always
switch on the headlights
io u nder these
weather cond itions 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.
- The rear fog lights should only be turned on in accordance with traffic regulat ion, as the
lights are br ight for following traffic.
- Please obse rve legal regulations when using
the light ing systems described .
@ Tips
-The light sensor* for automatic dynam ic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount . You should there­
fo re not app ly any st icke rs to the windshie ld
i n this area in order to prevent malfunctions
or fail ures.
- In the event of a light sensor malfunction,
the driver is not ified in the i nstr ument clus­
ter display
~page 22.
-You w ill hear a warning tone if yo u open the
driver door when the exter io r lights are
switched on .
- In coo l o r damp wea ther, the inside of the
headlig hts, turn s ignals and tai l ligh ts can
fog over d ue to the temperature d if f erence
between the inside and outside. They will
clear short ly after switch ing them o n. This
does not affect the serv ice life of the light­
i ng .
Lights and V ision
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in on emer­
gency situation .
~ ~
~ ·--==-..-,-.,..= ..... ·=- -,
I
Fig . 43 Cen te r console: emergency flas her swi tch
• Press the switch~ ~fig . 43 to turn the eme r-
gency flashers on or off .
When the emergency flasher is on, a ll fo ur turn
signals blin k at the same time. The turn signal in­
dicator lights
II B in the instrument cluster, as
well as the light in the emergency flasher switch
~ b link likew ise. The emergency flasher also
works when the ign ition is turned off .
The emergency flashers will turn on automatical­ ly if you are in an accident where the airbag has
deployed .
(l') Tips
You should turn on the eme rgency flashers
when:
- you a re t he last vehicle standing in a traffic
jam so that any other vehicles coming can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are in
an emergency situat ion, or when
- your vehicle is be ing towed by a tow truck or
if you a re towing another vehicle behind
yo u.
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
• Select: I CAR I function button > Car s yste ms
control button > Vehicle settings > Exte rior
lighting .
47

Lights and Vision
Autom atic headli ghts
You can adjust the follow ing settings in the Au ­
tomatic headlight s
menu:
Headlights activation time -You can adjust if the
headligh ts switch on
Early , M ed . or Late accord ­
i n g to the sensitivity of the light se nsor.
Audi adaptive light * -You can switch adaptive
light
On and Off .
Autom atic high beams *
You can switch the high beam ass ist on and off .
Daytime running lights
USA models:
You can switch the daytime r unning
lights
on and off .
Canada m odels:
The function ca nnot be tu rned
off.
It is activ ated au tomatically each time the ig­
n ition is switched on . This menu item is shown
"greyed out" .
Coming home, Leaving home
The com ing home func tion illum ina tes the area
ou tside the ve hicle when yo u sw itch the igni tion
off and ope n the driver's door . To tu rn the f unc­
t ion on, select
Lights when leaving car > On .
The leav ing home function illuminates the area
ou tside the ve hicl e when yo u un lock the vehicle .
T o tur n the function on, select
Lights when un­
locking car > On.
The com ing home and le aving home f unctions
only operate w hen it is dark and the lig ht sw itch
is in t he
AUTO position.
48
Turn signal and high beam lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
is used to operate the turn signals and the high
beam as well as the headlight flasher .
Fig. 44 T urn signa l an d hi gh beam lev er
The turn signa l and hig h beam lever has the fol­
l owing functions:
Turn signals¢ Q ©@
N 0
9 :I:
~
.,. Push the leve r up as f ar as it ca n go to t urn on
t he rig ht tu rn signa l or down to tur n on t he left
turn signa l
r:!>fig. 44 .
.,. Move th e lever br ie fly u ntil yo u meet r esistance
and release it to flash three times.
.,. Move the lever (up or down) unt il y ou meet re­
sistance and ho ld it there to determine the
flashing time for the turn sig nals .
High beam gD@
.,. Push the lever fo rward to sw itch on the high
beam (vehicles wit h high beam assist*
r:!> page49).
.,. Pull the lever back towards you to switch off
the high beam .
Headlight fla sher gD ©
.,. Pull the lever toward the steering whee l to use
the headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
- The turn signals on ly wor k w it h the ignition
sw itc hed on. The ind icator lights
II or H in
the instrument cluster ¢ page 11 also blink.
- After you h ave t urned a corner, the turn signa l
sw itches o ff automat ica lly.
- Th e
high beam works only when the head ligh ts
are on. The ind icator light
Bl in the instrumen t Iii>

.... N
cluster illuminates when the high beams are
on.
- The
headlight flash er works only as long as you
hold the lever -even if there are no lights
turned on. The indicator light
& in the instru­
ment cluster illum inates when you use the
headlight flasher.
A WARNING
Do not use the high beam or headlight flasher
if you know that these could bl ind oncoming
traffic.
High beam assist
App lies to: vehicles with high beam assist
The high beam assist automatically switches the
high beams on or off, depending on the sur­
roundings and traffic conditions.
Fig. 45 Turn s ignal and h igh bea m lever : Turning on and
off the high beam assist
Activating high beam assist g
,.._ 0 ± .,. a,
Requirement:
The light switch must be in the AU­
TO pos ition, the low beam headlights must be on
and the high beam assist must be switched on in
the Infota inment ~
page 47 .
.. Press the lever forwards (Din order to activate
the high beam assist. The indicator light
II
turns on in the instrument cluster display and
the high beams switch on or off automatically.
T he ind icator light
B turns on if the high
beams were switched on.
Switching the high beams on/off manually
a Requirement: High beam ass ist is activated . J:
'SI: .... .... Lights and Vision
If the high beams did not switch on/off automat­
ica lly when expected, you may instead switch
them on/off manually:
.. To switch the high beams on manually, press
the lever forwards (D. The indicator light
II
turns on.
.. To switch the high beams off manually, pull the
lever backwards @. The high beam assist is de­
activated.
Operating the headlight flasher
.. To operate the flashers while the high beam as­
sist is active and the high beams are switched
off, pull the lever into position@. The high
beam ass ist will remain active.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Headlight assist: System fault
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immediate ly
to have the malfunction corrected. You can still
switch the high beams on or off manually .
Headlight assist: Unavailable . No camera view
The camera view is blocked, for example by a
sticker or debris.
The sensor is located between the interior rear­
view m irror and the windshield. Therefore, do not
place any stickers in this area on the windshield .
Service setting
There is a different sensitivity setting for servic­
ing. This setting can be activated by pressing and
ho lding the button on the interior rearview mir­
ror for more than 18 seconds. The LED next to
the button blinks three times. If you have acci­ dentally selected th is service function, the origi­
nal sens itiv ity will be automat ically restored the
next t ime you sw itch the ignition on.
A WARNING
High beam assist is only intended to assist
the driver. The driver is still responsible for
controlling the headlights and switching the
high beams on and off manua lly depending
on traffic, lighting and visibility conditions.
Fail ure to intervene manually may lead to r isk
Ill>-
49

Lights and Vision
of accident . It may be necessary to operate
the high beams manually in the following sit­
uations, e.g.:
- For adverse weather conditions such as fog,
heavy ra in, blow ing snow or spraying water.
- On roads where oncoming traffic may be
partially obscured such as expressways.
- If there are individuals on the road with no
lighting or poor light ing, s uch as cyclists.
- In tight curves and on steep slopes .
- In poorly lit areas .
- Wi th stro ng reflecto rs such as signs.
- If the area of the windsh ield near the sensor
is fogged ove r, dirty, icy or covered with a
s ticker.
(D Tips
- The high beam ass ist is active above a speed
of app rox.
25 mph (40 km/h).
- If after activation, your speed fa lls below
approx.
15 mph (24 km/h), the hig h beams
will automatically be switched off.
Interior lighting
Front and rear interior lighting
Fig. 46 Headliner : Front interior lights
Fig. 47 Rear headli ner: Read ing light
50
Press the appropriate button ~ fig. 46:
§]-Inter io r l ight ing on/off
~ -Door contact switch on/off . The inter io r li ght­
i ng is controlled automatically.
~ -Reading lights on/off
~ -Switching the rear readi ng lig hts on/off from
the cockpit .
I REAR MODEi* -Sw itch ing the rear reading lights
on/off from the co ckpit: press the I REAR MODE!
button and then the approp ria te button ~ in the
cockpit.
Ambience lighting
Applies to: vehicles with ambience lighting
You can select a color prof ile and brightness for
the ambience lighting in various areas of the ve­
hicle, called zones.
Turning ambience lighting on
.. Select in the MM I: ICAR !fu nction button> Car
sy stems
control button > Vehicle settings > In ­
terior light ing
> On .
Adjusting /turn ing off the brightness
.. Select in t he M MI: ICAR !f unc tion bu tton > Ca r
sys tems
control button > Vehicle settings > In­
terior light ing
> Brightness .
.. Turn the knob to the desired vehicle area and
press the knob. The bar that appears indicates
the selected brightness .
.. To increase or reduce the brightness, turn the
knob and press it .
Selecting a color profile*
.. Select in the MMI: ICAR ! function button > Car
systems
control button > Vehicle settings > In­
terior lighting > Color p rofile .
The ambience lighting tu rns o n when the fu nc­
tion is activated in the MMI and when you turn
the headlights on while the ignition is switched
on.

Lights and Vision
and farther away. Your may estimate incor­
rectly when you use these mirrors to gauge
your distance from the vehicles behind you
when changing lanes, which increases the risk of an accident .
CD Note
-If the mirror housing was moved by outside
forces (such as an impact when maneuver­
ing), you must use the power folding func­
tion to fold the mirror all the way out. The
mirror housing must not be moved back in­
to place by hand because this would impair
the function of the mirror mechanism.
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior mirrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Never fold power folding exterior mirrors by
hand. Only fold them in and out using the
power controls.
@ Tips
- If the power adjusting function malfunc­
tions, the glass in both mirrors can be ad­
justed by pressing on the edge of it by hand.
- The exterior mirror settings are stored with
the memory function"~
page 65.
Dimming the mirrors
Fig. SO Automa tic dimming rearview mirror
0 ... M 9 :x:
~
~ To dim the rearview mirror and both exterior
m irrors, press th e@ button. The diode ®
turns on. The rearview and exterior mirrors dim
automatically when light shines on them, for
example from headlights on a vehicle to the rear .
52
A WARNING
Electrolyte fluid can leak from automatic dim­
ming mirrors if the glass is broken. Electro­
lyte fluid can irritate skin, eyes and respirato­
ry system .
- Repeated or prolonged exposure to electro ­
lyte can cause irritation to the respiratory
system, especially among people with asth­
ma or other respiratory conditions. Get
fresh air immediately by leaving 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 wa­
ter for at least 15 minutes; medical atten­
tion is recommended .
- If electrolyte contacts skin, flush affected
area with clean water for at least 15 mi­
nutes and then wash affected area with
soap and water; medical attention is recom­
mended. Thoroughly wash affected 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 professional. Get medical
attention immediately.
CD Note
Liquid electrolyte leaking from broken mirror
glass will damage any plastic surfaces it
comes in contact with . Clean up spilled elec­
trolyte immediately with clean water and a
sponge.
(0 Tips
- Switching off the dimming function of the
inside rear view mirror also deactivates the
automatic dimming function of the exterior
mirrors.
- Automatic dimming for the mirror only op­
erates properly if the sun shade* for the
rear window is not in use or the light strik­
ing the inside mirror is not hindered by oth-
er objects.
II>

Lights and Vision
_&. WARNING
When lowering or raising the sunshade, make
sure there is nothing in its way and that it has
a free path to travel. This could cause person­
al injury .
{!) Tips
-Pressing the button Ii.!.) several times con­
secutively can trigger the overload protec ­
tion . The sun shade can only be extended/
retracted again after a brief wa iting period .
- The rear window sun shade only functions
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. 54 Rear he ad lin er : vanity mirro r
• Press the button to fold the m irror open. The
mirror lighting turns on automat ically .
a, N
i
• To change the mirror's ang le, move it forward/
bac k with your hand .
Windshield wipers
Switching the windshield wipers on
Fig. 55 Windshield wip er le v er
54
Move the windshield wiper lever to the corre­
sponding position:
@ -Windshield wipers off
(D -Rain sensor mode . The windshield w ipers
switch on once the vehicle speed exceeds approx­
i mately 2 mph (4 km/h) and it is raining. The
higher the rain sensor sensit iv ity is set (switch @
to the right) , the earlier the windshield wipers re­
act to moisture on the windshield . You can deac­
t ivate rain sensor mode in the MMI, which will
then activate intermittent mode . Select:
!CAR I
function button > Car systems control button >
Driver assist> 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 posi­
tion longer, the wipers switch from slow wiping
to fast wiping.
® -C lean the windshield . The wipers wipe one
time after several seconds of driving to remove
water droplets . Yo u can sw itch this function off
by moving the lever to position ® within 10 sec­
onds after the afterwipe . The afterwipe function
is r eactivated the next time you switch the igni­
tion on .
Cleaning the headlights. The headlight washer
system* only functions when the headlights are
on . If you move the lev er to position ®, the
headlights and the night v ision system camera*
are washed in intervals.
_&. WARNING
-The rain sensor is on ly designed to assist
and support the dr iver . It remains entirely
the driver's responsibility to monitor out­
side weather conditions and to manually ac­
tivate the wipers as soon as rain or drizzle
reduces vis ibility through the windshield.
- The windsh ield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can increase
glare under poor visibility cond itions such as
wetness, darkness, or when the sun is low