check engine light AUDI A8 2017 Owners Manual

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Steering lock
¢page 21
Eng ine start system
¢ page22
Brake booster
<=>page23
Electromechanical power steer­
i ng, dynam ic steering*./
<=> page 129
Air suspension
¢ poge22
Sport differe ntia l*
¢ poge 25
Other indi cator lights
-------------
Turn sig na ls
¢ poge25
USA mod els :
Cruise contro l system
<=>page 92
Can ada model s:
Cruise control system
<=>page 92
Adaptive c ruise contro l*
¢ page 96
Adaptive c ruise contro l*
¢ page 96
Adaptive c ruise contro l*
¢page 96
Active lane assist*
¢page 103
Start/Stop system*
¢page 78
Start/Stop system*
<=>page 78
High beam ass istant
<=> poge44
High beams
¢ page 44, <=> page 44
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
I f th is ind icator light tu rns on, there is a malfunc­
tion in the brake system.
Coc kpit o ve rv iew
llll (USA model s) /. (Canada model s) Stop
v ehicle and che ck brake fl uid le vel
Stop t he veh icle a nd check t he b rake fl uid level.
See an author ized A udi dealer or author ized A udi
Service Facility for assistance if necessary.
1111 (USA mod els) ta (Canada model s)
Brakes : malfunction! Plea se sto p vehi cle safel y
If the ABS ind icator light ll.JJJ (USA models) /
~ (Canada models), the ESC ind icator light Bl ,
and the b rake system indicato r light 1111 (USA
models) /. (Can ada models) all turn o n and
t hi s message appea rs, then the ABS, ESC and
braking d istribution are malfunctioning ¢&. .
Do not continue dr iv ing. See a n author ized Audi
dealer or authori zed A udi Se rvice Fac il ity for as­
s istance ¢&. .
1111 (USA mod els) /. (Canada mod els) Park­
ing brake : S ys tem fault! See owner' s manual
- If the ind icator light and the message appear
when the vehicle is stationary or after switch­
ing the ignition on ,
check if you can re lease the
pa rk ing bra ke. If you cannot release the pa rk­
ing brake , see your author ized Audi dealer or
au thor ized Audi Se rvice Fa cil ity. I f you can re ­
lease the parking brake and the message still
appears, see an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Faci lity immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
- If the indicator light and message appear
while
dri ving ,
the hill start ass ist or emergency brak­
ing function may be malfunctioning. It may not
be possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Do not park you r vehicle
on hills. See an authorized Audi dea le r or a u­
thori zed A udi Service Fac ility for assistance.
App lies to: USA mode ls
If the 1111 and Ei1 tur n on at the same time, the
brake pads are worn out
¢ page 2 3 .
.&, WARNING
-Read and fo llow the warnings in
¢ page 2 71, Working in the engine com­
portment
befo re opening the hood and
checking the brake fluid level.
19

Cockpit over view
- If the brake system indicator light does not
turn off or it t urns on while driv ing, the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low,
and this increases the risk of an acc ident .
Stop the vehicle a nd do not continue dr iv­
ing . See an author ized Audi dealer or au­
t h o rized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
- If the brake system indicator light turns on
togethe r with the ABS and ESC ind icator
l igh ts, the ABS/ ESC regula ting func tion may
be malfunctioning. Fu nctions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer ava ilable . This
could cause the vehicle to swerve, whic h in­
creases the risk that the ve hicle wi ll slide.
Do not continue driving. See an author ized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Facili­
ty for assistance.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
If the -(USA models) /. (Canada models)
i n dicator light t urns on, the park ing brake was
set .
- (USA models) /. (Canada models) Cau·
tion : Vehicle parked too st eep
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, the re is not enough brak ing power to se­
cure the vehicle . The b rakes have overhea ted. The
ve hicle could roll away eve n on a small incline.
- (USA models) /. (Canada models) P ress
brake pedal to release parking b rake
To re lease the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the~ button at the same time
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
¢ page 82 .
Ill Parking brake!
There is a malfunction in the park ing brake . Dr ive
t o a n author ized Audi dealer or au thor ized Audi
Serv ice Facil ity immediately to have t he mal func ­
tion correc ted.
(j) Tips
For add it io na l information on the park ing
brake, see
c::> page 81.
20
_ L Cooling system
• Swit ch off engine and check coolant level!
T he coolant level is too low .
Do not continue dr iv ing and switch the eng ine
off. Check the coolant level
c::> page 2 77 .
- If the coo lant level is too low , add coolant
c::> page 2 78 . Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let en­
gine run with vehicle stationary
Let the engine ru n at idle fo r a few min utes to
cool off, until t he ind icator lig ht t urns off .
- If the ind icator light does not turn off , do not
cont inue driving the veh icle. See an authorized
Aud i dea le r or aut horized Audi Serv ice Facility
for assistance.
.&_ WARNING
- Never ope n the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coo lant escaping from the engine
compa rtment. This increases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see o r hear
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dange rous a rea. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the engine
compa rtment . Always follow the informa­
tion fo und in
c::> page 2 71.
(I) Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . indicator
li ght turns on -this increases the risk of en­
gine damage .
~ Safety belt
The. indicator lig ht stays on unti l the dr iver 's
and front passenge r's safety belts are faste ned .
Above a certa in speed, the re will a lso be a warn­
i ng tone.
@ Tips
Fo r addi tional info rmat ion on saf ety belts,
see
c::> page 218 .

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c - 0 Generator/vehicle battery
• Electrical system: malfunction! Battery i s
not being charged
There is a malfunction in the alternator or the ve­
hicle electrical system .
Drive to an authori zed Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately. Because the ve ­
hicle battery is discharg ing , turn off all unneces­
sary e lectr ica l equipment such as the radio. See
your author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility if the battery charge level is too
l ow .
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving
T he start ing ability may be impaired .
If th is message turns off after a litt le while, the
vehicle battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have an author ­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty repair the malfunction.
~ Engine
• Engine stopped: No power steering and
brake support.
There is a malfunction in the engine or in the fuel
supp ly system .
More force is needed to steer and brake the mov ­
ing vehicle when the engine is stopped . If the ve­
hicle is rolling, try to bring it to a stop off to the
side from moving traffic. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility for as­
sistance .
_& WARNING
-
If the eng ine stops while dr iving, you will
need to use more force to brake the vehicle.
Thi s increases the risk of an accident. There
will still be power steering if the ignition is
switched on while th e vehicle is rolling and
there is sufficient battery charge. Otherwise,
you must use greater force when steering .
Cockpit overview
• Turn off engine and check oil level
Stop the engine and do not cont inue driving.
Check the eng ine oil level
c::;. page 276.
- If the engine o il level is too low, add engine oil
c::;. page 276. Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
- If the engine o il level is correct and the indica­
tor light still turns on, turn the engine off and
do not cont inue driving. See an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance .
(D Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil leve l in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regularly .
~. Engine oil level
.P lease add oil immediately.
Add engine oil immediately c::;. page 2 74.
l!IAdd oil max. x qt
(l) You may continue driv­
ing
Add the displayed amount of oil immedia tely
c::;. page 2 7 4.
~ - Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
There is a malfunction in the electron ic st eering
lock. You cannot turn the ign ition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
stee red. See an author ized Audi dea ler or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
!II Steering lock: System fault Please contact
dealer
There is a ma lfunction in the e lectron ic steering
lock.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected. .,..
21

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' the risk that the vehicle will slide. Drive care­
fully to the nearest authorized Audi dea ler or
authorized Audi Service Fac il ity and have the
malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
For addit ional information on ESC and ABS,
refer to¢
page 126.
ffl;/ !f Safety systems
The II (USA models)/ m (Canada mode ls) indi­
cator light monitors the safety systems.
If the
II (USA mode ls)/ m (Canada models) in­
d ic ator light turns on or blinks, there is a mal­
function in a safety system such as the airbag or belt tensioner system .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or a uthori zed
Aud i Service Facility immedia tely to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
A WARNING
Have the malf unct ion in the safety systems
inspected immediately. Otherwise, the re is a
r is k th at the systems may not activate du ring
a co llision, which increases the risk of serio us
injury or death.
& Brake booste r
II Brake servo : limited functionality . You can
continue driving. Contact workshop
-
There is a malfunction in the brake boos ter. The
b ra ke booster is availab le, bu t its effec tiveness is
r educed. Braking behavior may be diffe rent from
h ow it no rmally functions and t he brake peda l
may vibrate.
D rive to an aut ho rize d Aud i dea le r o r au thorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct ion corrected.
(0) Brake pads
llJ Brake pads!
T he br ake pads are wo rn. Cockpit o
verview
Drive to an authori zed A udi dealer or au thorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
brake pads checked.
Applies to USA models
T he llJ indica tor light turns on togethe r wi th the
1111 indicator light
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
~ Engine start system fault . Please contact
deale r
The re is an eng ine contro l ma lf u nction.
Immed iate ly dr ive s low ly to an author ized A udi
dealer or au thor ized A udi Se rvice Fa cility to have
t h e mal func tion corre cted.
a Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
The ma lf u nction indicator lamp ( MIL) is part of
the On Board Diagnostic system (OBD II). The
¢4 c;ymbol turns on when the ignition is sw itched
on and turns off aga in once the engine is started
and ru nning at a steady idle speed . This indicates
t h at the MIL is f unct ion ing cor rectly .
The ind icator light turns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in the engine electronics . See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility to
have t he mal funct ion cor rected . Fo r additional
informa tion, see
¢ page 25 .
The ind icator light can a lso turn o n if the fuel fill­
er cap is not closed correctly¢
page 269.
!?' Engine speed limitation
Applies to : vehicles with engine speed limitatio n
~ Maximum engine speed XXXX RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to the
RPM shown in the instrument cluster d isplay.
This protects the engi ne from overheat ing .
The eng ine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longe r in the critical temperatu re
range and you have re leased the accelerator ped­
al once .
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine cont rol malfunction, the~ indicator ..,.
23

Cockpit over view
light also turns on. Make sure t hat the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
_,.,. Engine oil sensor
• Oil l eve l! Se nsor def ectiv e
The sensor to check the engine oil leve l has
fa iled. Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the malfunction corrected .
r Engine warm-up request
n Plea se warm up eng ine
F uel has entered the engine oil, either from low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives .
Drive unt il the engine is warm so that the fuel in
the eng ine oi l will evaporate . Avo id high engine
speeds, full acce le rating and heavy eng ine loads
when doing this.
Bil Tank system
liD Plea se refuel
If the indicator lig ht t urns on for the fi rst time
and the mess age appears, there are abo ut 4 gal ­
lons (15 lite rs) of fue l le ft in the tank.
II] Fuel tank s ystem malfunction! Pl ea se con­
tact dealer
There is a malfunction in the fue l tank system .
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
(D Tips
More information on ref ue ling is avai lab le on
page
c:> page 268.
~ Washer fluid level
C Please refill washer flu id
24
Fill the washer fluid fo r the windshie ld washer
system and the headlight washer system when
the ignit ion is switched off
c:> page 281 .
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defecti ve
There is a ma lf u nction with the winds hield wip­
ers .
D rive to an authori zed A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
~ /0~ Bulb failure indicator
If the S:i indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed . The message indicates the location of the
bulb.
If the
II indicator light also t urns on, then a rear
fog light has failed. The position of the indicator
li ght corresponds with the location on the vehi­
cle.
Vehicle light s: system fault!
There is a m alfu n ction in the headlights o r the
li ght sw itch .
D rive to an author ized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immediate ly to have the
malfunction correc ted .
_& WARNING
-Light bulbs a re under pressure and can ex­
plode when b ulbs are replaced, whic h in­
creases the risk of inj ury.
- With H ID headlights * (xenon -plus head ­
lights), the high-vo ltage component must
be handled correct ly . Otherwise, there is a
risk of fatal in jury.
~(i) Headlight range control system
II He adlight ra nge cont rol system: system
f a ult!
There is a ma lfunction in the headlight range
contro l system, which may cause glare for other
drivers.
-

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r Lights and Vision
Exterior Lighting
Switching the headlights on and off
Fig. 44 I nstrument pane l: l ig ht sw itc h w ith all -weather
li g hts
The headlights only wo rk when the ignition is
sw itche d on. While sta rting the engine or when
switching off the ignition, the headlights will go
off and only the side marker lig hts will be on .
I f the sys tem is not operati ng p roperly, a warning
symbol in the dr ive r informa tion d ispl ay is dis­
p layed
.::> page 24 .
Light switch --r;..-
T u rn the swi tch ~ fig . 44 to the co rresponding
position . When the lights are switched on, the
:o o:
symbol turns on .
0 - The lights a re off or the daytime runni ng
l ights are on :
-USA models: The daytime running lig hts will
come on automatically when the ignition is on
and the light sw itch
c:> fig . 44 is in the O posi­
t ion or the
AUTO position (only i n day light con­
di tions). The
Daytime running lights function
can be turned o n and off i n the MM I
c:> page 45, i=> .&,.
-Canada models : The dayt ime runn ing lights
will come on au toma tically when t he igni tion is
on a nd the light swi tch
c:> fig . 44 is in the O po ­
s ition, the
:oo : pos ition or the AUTO position
(o nly in daylig ht conditions)
c::> &. .
AUTO -Automat ic he ad lights sw itch on and off
de pend ing on br igh tness, for example in tw ilight,
d uring rain or in tunne ls
c:> &. .
Lights and V ision
:oo: -Side ma rker ligh ts
iD -Low beam hea dlights
~ -All-weather lig hts
l2!l -Rear fog lights*. When the rear fog lights are
on, the symbol
O* on the sw itch will i lluminate .
All-weather lights
The front lights a re adjus ted au toma tic a lly so
that you are less likely to see g lare from your ow n
head lig hts, for example when d riving on a wet
road.
Automatic dynamic headlight range control*
Yo ur vehicle is equ ipped wi th a headlight r ange
contro l system so tha t the head lig hts do not
blind oncoming t raffic if the vehicle load
c h anges . The hea dlight range also ad justs auto­
matically when brak ing and acce lerating .
Light functions
The following light funct ions are available de ­
p ending on veh icle equipment and o nly fu nction
whe n the light switch is in t he AUTO position.
You can deactivate these functions in the MMI under
Audi adaptive light c:> page 45 .
Static cornering light* -the cornering light
switches on automatically when the steering
whee l is turned at a certai n angle at s peeds up to
app roximately 44 mph (70 km/h) and when the
turn s ignal is activated at speeds up to approxi­
mately 25 mph (40 km/h) . The area to t he side of
t h e ve hicle is illuminated better w hen turning.
Dynamic curve light * -the curve lig ht adapts it­
self to the curves in the road .
Highway l ight function* -this function adapts
the lig hting for highway driving based on vehicle
speed .
A WARNING
---Automatic headlights are only int ended to
assist the driver. They do no t relieve the
driver of his responsib ility to check the
headligh ts and to turn them on manually
ac co rdi ng to t he cur rent light a nd v is ib ili ty
condi tio ns . Fo r example, fog c annot be
43

Driving
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l consumption, the environ ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brak es and tir es d epends mostly on your driving
style. W ith an anticipatory and economic driv ing
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap­ proximately 10-15% . The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time .
Anticip atory d riving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when acce lerating.
When you drive with ant ic ipat ion , you do not
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less .
When possible, let your ve hicle coast w ith a
g ear
e ngag ed ,
for example , when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produ ces a n eng ine
b raking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumption to zero (f uel shut-off during decelera ­
tion).
Shift effici ently
An effective way to save f uel is to upshift earlie r.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari ­
ly. Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly
and avoid "k ick-down".
Avoid full acceleration
You sho uld rare ly t ravel at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disp roportiona tely
h igh increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start-Stop system * helps to reduce the id ling
time automatically . In vehicles witho ut the Start­
S top sys tem* , it is efficient to switch the eng ine
off when stopped at ra ilroad cross ings a nd long
red lights . Stopping t he engine for 30 -40 sec ­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the eng ine .
It takes a very long time in idle to wa rm the en­
gine up to operating temperature . Wea r and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. Therefore, yo u should begin driving im-
74
mediate ly after s tarting the engine . Avoid high
RPMs whi le doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance pe rformed regu la rly on
you r vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con ­
s u mption before you even sta rt to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al ­
so impacts fuel consumption. A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consumption that
i s 10% higher than normal.
Avo id short trip s
The engine and exha ust cleaning system must
reach their optima l operating temperature to ef­
fect ive ly reduce consumpt ion and emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reaches operating
temperat ure and cons umption no rmalizes on ly
after approximate ly four kilometers.
Check the tire pre ssure
To save fuel, ma ke sure the tires are always in­
flated to t he corre ct pressure
¢ page 291 . The
fuel consumption can increase by 5% if the pres­
sure is only 0 .5 bar too low. Due to the increased
roll ing resistance, low tire pressures w ill also
lead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
D rive with summer tires when possib le because
th is can increase fue l economy by up to 10%.
Eliminate unnecessary we ight
Since eve ry po und of extra weight increases f uel
consump tion, it pays to remove any unnecessa ry
weight .
A roof rac k increases the w ind resis tan ce on the
vehicle and shou ld be removed when it is not
needed . You will save approximately 12% o f you r
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph (100-120 km/h) .
Save energy
The eng ine d rives the genera tor , which gene rates
e lectric ity; the fuel consumpt ion also increases
with t he demand for e lec tricity . T he refore, switch ..,_

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r would, this could lead to accidents and
serious injuries.
- To reduce the risk of injuries, make s ure that
the Start/Stop system is turned
off when
working in the eng ine compartment
c:>page80.
(D Note
Always sw itch off the Start/Stop system when
driving through water
c:> page 80.
Starting /stopping the engine
App lies to: ve hicles with Sta rt/Stop system
Fi g. 92 Instrument cluster: eng ine switched off (stop
p h ase)
~ S low the vehicle to a stop us ing the b rake and
keep pressing the brake pedal. The engine w ill
switch off. The
rt] indicator light appears in the
infor mation li ne in the ins trumen t cluster dis­
play.
~ When you take your foot off the b rake peda l,
t h e engine restarts. The ind icator light turns
off.
Additional information
The engine w ill swi tch off in the P, D, N and S po­
sitions as we ll as in manu al mode. I n the P pos i­
tion, the engine will also remain o ff if you take
your foot
off the brake pedal. The engine starts
again when you se lect another selector lever po­
sition and take your foot
off the brake pedal.
If yo u select the R pos ition dur ing a Stop phase,
the eng ine will start agai n.
Shift from D to P quickly to p revent t he engine
from sta rting unintentionally whe n shifti ng
through R .
Drivi ng
You can de termine for yourse lf if the engine w ill
stop or not by red ucing or increasing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex ­
amp le, if you only lightly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and-go traffic or when turning, the en­
gine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta ­
t io nary . As soon as you press the b rake down
harder, the engine w ill switch off.
(0 Tips
-Press the brake pedal during a Stop phase
t o keep the vehicle from rolling.
- The ignit ion w ill tur n
off if you press the
!S T ART ENGINE STOPI button d uring a stop
phase.
General information
Applies to: vehicles w ith Start/Stop system
The standard Start/Stop mode con be canceled
for various system-related reasons.
Eng ine does not sw itch off
Befo re each stop phase, the system checks if cer­
ta in conditions have been met. If the
r,J indica­
tor light appears in the instrument cluster dis­
play, the eng ine will not be stopped, for examp le
i n t he following situat ions :
- The engine has not reached the minim um re­
quired tempe rature for Start/Stop mode .
- The interior temperature selected by the A/C
system has not been reached.
- The outside temperature is extremely high/low.
-The winds hield is being defrosted
c:> poge 71.
-The pa rking sys tem* is be switched on.
- The ve hicl e battery cha rge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is t urned at a sha rp angle or
is moving.
- After engaging the reve rse gear .
- On sharp inclines.
Engine automat ically restarts
T he standard Start/Stop mode wi ll be canceled
during a stop phase in the following sit uat ions .
The engine restarts without any action by the driver .
79

Trailer mode
Trailer load distribution
Be s ure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p lace to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid.
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label ¢
page 293 . Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
o:,;, page 110, o:,;, 0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ¢ page 112.
([) Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be app licab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
i n a high ly unstable distribution of we ight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail. ..,.

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' -New brake pads do not achieve their fu ll
brak ing effect during the first 250 mi
(400 km). They must be "broken in" first.
However, you can compensate for the
sl ightly reduced braking force by pressing
firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak­
ing dur ing the b reak-in per iod.
- Certa in weather and operat ing cond it ions
such as dr iving t hrough water, d riving in
heavy ra in or d riving after washing your ve­
hicle ca n impair the effectiveness of the
bra kes . In the w inter, ice may b uild up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums . Check
these components by braking carefu lly. Ap­
plying the brakes carefu lly several times
dr ies the brakes and removes ice bu ild-up.
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long st retches on roads
cove red w ith salt without using the b rakes.
Yo u can remove sa lt deposits from the
bra ke rotors and pads by caref ully applyi ng
the brakes severa l t imes .
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, ma ke sure the front wheel
bra kes are vent ilated prope rly. O therwise,
the br ake system could overheat, wh ic h re­
duces the ir effectiveness.
- Failure of a brake circui t impai rs b raking
perfo rmance, whi ch incre ases bra king dis­
tance . Avoi d driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest author ized Audi
dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice Facility .
- If the bra ke booster is not wor king, you will
have to press m uch ha rder on the bra ke
peda l to compensate for the lack of the
booster.
(D Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braking is not actually
necessary. This causes the brakes to over­
heat and inc reases braking d istance and
causes wear.
- Before driving downh ill a long distance on a
steep h ill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes . If Intellig
ent Technology
you need to bra ke ad ditiona lly, bra ke in in­
terva ls and not continuous ly .
(D Tips
- If the brake boos ter is not wor king, you
must press the brake peda l with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrof it your vehicle with a front spo il­
er, wheel covers or simi lar items, make su re
that the air f low to the front wheels is not
inter rupted. Otherwise the b rake system
can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering., dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power s teer ing adapts electronically based on
the ve hicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr ive vehicle: Steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos­ s ible. Do
not cont inue drivi ng. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity for
ass ista nce.
l;rj Steering: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be more d iffi ­
cu lt to move or m ore sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driv ing stra ight .
Drive slowly to an a uthorized Audi dea ler or au­
thori zed Audi Serv ice Facility to have the mal­
funct ion corrected .
'T-ij Dynamic stee ring: Initializing
If the indicato r ligh t is blinking and this mess age
appe ars, dynamic steering* is be ing ini tialized. .,.
129