tow AUDI A8 2018 User Guide

Seats and storage
Tie-downs and luggage compartment net
The luggage compartment net* prevents smaller
objects from sliding out of place .
Fig . 79 Luggage compartment: location of the t ie-dow ns
Fig . 80 Luggage co mpartment : ca rgo net stretc hed out
• To secure the luggage compartment net*, fold
the tie-down retainer
upward ¢ fig. 79.
• Attach the hooks for the luggage compartment
net* into the
tie-downs ¢ fig. 80.
Pass-through with ski
bag
Preparing the pass-through
Applies to: vehicles with pass-through and ski bag
Long objects, such as skis, can be transported in
the bag.
Fig. 81 Rear bench seat: removing th e protect ive cove r
66
Fig. 82 Rear center armrest : app ly in g the protective cover
• Fold down the rear center arm rest and the cov­
er behind i t.
• To remove the protective cover, press the but­
ton¢
fig. 81.
• To protect the front area of the center armrest,
position the cover as shown in the image
¢ fig. 82 and press down on its suction cups.
• Push the packed bag* through the opening
from the luggage compartment. The zipper
must face toward the rear .
.,. Secure the bag ¢ page 66.
Securing the ski bag
Applies to: vehicles with pass-through and ski bag
Fig. 83 Luggage compartme nt: secur ing the bag*
Fig . 84 Rear bench se at: secur ing the bag

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig. 94 Center console: parking brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an electromechani ­
cal parking brake ®
i=)fig. 94. The parking brake
is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
Setting/manually releasing the parking
brake
.. Pull the C®> switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch turns on. The
-(USA mod­
els) . (Canada models) indicator light also
turns on in the instrument cluster display.
.. To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the brake or acce lerator pedal while the igni­
t ion is switched on and press
the(®) switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the
indicator light in the display turn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the driver's safety belt must be latched and the parking brake must be set.
.. To start driving and release the parking brake
automatically, press the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are available when you start driving
i=)page 82,
Starting to drive.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
Driving
.. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold the<®> switch and press the accelerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward .
.,. You can release the<®> switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator
pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.. Pull and hold the<®> switch.
.. As soon as you release the <®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and ho lding
the(®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­
ing effect is similar to heavy braking
i=) ,& .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the
<®l switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the© switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
.. Pull the<®> switch to set the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever position .
.,. Turn the engine off i=) ,&.
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in­
clines so that the wheels w ill roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
8_ WARNING
-Do not press the acce lerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accident.
-Eme rgency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed .
.,.
81

Drivin g
you can s hift past the N and R se lector lever
positions.
Selector lever lock
The se lector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
ing a posit ion un intent ionally, causing the vehicle
to ro ll. When engaging some selector lever posi­
tions, you must press the button on the selector
lever ¢ fig. 96 and/or press the brake pedal.
You must p ress t he brake pedal to engage a se­
lector lever posit ion when the engine is running
and the vehicle is stationary . The arrows ¢
fig. 97
indicate when you need to press the button on
the selector lever.
The se lector lever does not lock if you shift from
D to R within one second . This a llows you to
"rock" the vehicle to free it when it is stuck.
P - Park
This se lecto r lever position p revents the veh icle
from roll ing. Only s hift into park w hen the veh i­
cle is
stationary ¢.&. . To engage the P selector
lever position, press the button on the selector
lever and s hift into t he P position .
You can on ly shift out of pa rk when the engine is
running and you are pressing the brake peda l. To
release the parking lock . press the b utton on the
selector lever and select the desired position .
P engages automat ically when you switch the en­
gine
off while D, Sor R is engaged or in manual
mode .
I f you sw itch the engine off w hen the N pos ition
is selected, the t ransm iss ion rema ins in N fo r ap ­
p roximate ly 30 minutes and then Pis engaged .
You must use the park ing lock emergency release
befo re towing the
vehicle¢ page 88.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this pos ition. Only
select reverse gear when the veh icle is stationary
and the eng ine is running at idle
speed ¢.&, . To
e n gage the R selecto r leve r pos it ion, press the
button on the selector lever, p ress the brake ped ­
a l and move the se lector lever into the R pos it io n .
84
The reverse lights turn on when you select the R
selector lever position whi le the engine is run­
ning.
N -Neutral (idle )
The transmission is in idle in th is position. To en ­
gage the N selector leve r position, press the but ­
ton on the selector lever and shift into the N po ­
sition .
If you switc h the eng ine
off when the N pos it io n
i s selected, the transmission remains in N for ap ­
proximately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
Yo u cannot se lect t he N pos it ion when the ig ni­
t ion is switched
off. When dr iv ing t hrough an au ­
tomat ic car wash, fi rst select the N position and
t h en turn the engine off ¢
page 306.
For safety reasons, the veh icle cannot be loc ked
whe n the t ransmiss io n is in t he N pos it io n.
D IS -Driving forward
When the transm ission is in the D/S posit ion, it
can be operated e ither in the normal D mode or
i n the S sport mode. Move the selector lever back
to engage the S sport mode. You ca n only select
t h e S se lector lever position when D is engaged.
To se lect the D selector lever position again w hen
S is engaged, move the selector lever
back¢ &..
To s hift from N to D w hen traveling at speeds be­
l ow 1 mp h (2 km/h), press the br ake pedal and
shi ft into the D
position ¢.&. .
In the normal mod e D, the transmission auto­
matically selec ts the su itable gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load , veh icle speed a nd d rivi ng
sty le.
Se lect the
s port mod e S for spo rty d riving. The
vehicle makes f ull use of the eng ine's power.
S hi ft ing may become no ticeable when acceler at­
i ng .
The S se lecto r lever posit io n engages automat i­
ca lly w hen you sele ct dynamic mode in d rive se­
l ect .
& WARNING
-The vehi cle can roll even if the ignit ion is
switched
off .
-

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' -To reduce the risk of an accident, never se ­
lect the R or P posit ions w hile d riving.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the w heels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle. To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake i n all se lector
lever posi tions (except P and N) when the
eng ine is ru nning. Do not inadvertent ly
press the acce le ra to r pedal whe n the veh icle
is sta tionary. Oth e rw ise the vehicle will s tart
to move immed iate ly, even if t he pa rking
bra ke is set . This could r esult in a crash.
- B efore open ing the hood, se lect t he P s ele c­
to r leve r pos it ion and se t the pa rk ing br ake.
T his red uces the r is k of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 2 72, Working in the engine com ­
partment.
- Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is ru nning, set
the parking brake and move t he se lector lev­
er to the P pos ition .
(D Tips
If you accidentally se lect N w hile driving, take
your foot off the acce lerato r peda l and wa it
for the engine to s low down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.,. T he selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
s it ion.
St arting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine¢ page 76.
.. Press the button o n the selector lever and se ­
lect the D, Sor R selector lever pos ition
¢ page 83 .
.,. Wait a moment unt il the t ransm iss ion shifts .
Yo u will no tice a slight movement when t he
gear engages.
.. Release t he brake pedal and press the acce le ra­
tor pedal
¢ ,&. .
Driving
Various convenience functions are available for
starting on hi lls
¢ page 82.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Press the bra ke pedal to stop the ve hicle, for
examp le a t a tra ffic lig ht. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro ll ing when you
start driving, set the pa rking brake when stop ­
ping on steep
hills ¢&. and ¢@ .
.. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start movi ng once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /par king
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
The message
V ehicle may roll! Selector le ver not
in P
appears.
.. Press and hold the b rake peda l¢ ,&. .
.. Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P selector lever position, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the P position ¢ page 83 .
Under certain conditions, such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trai ler, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporar ily
and shift manually to adapt to the drivi ng cond i­
tions ¢ page 86 .
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P
position ¢ page 81 . This prevents
too much stress from being p laced on the lock ing
mechan ism .
.&, WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even if t he ignit ion is
sw itche d off .
- D o not press the acce le rato r peda l when
cha ng ing the se lec to r lever posi tion while
t he ve hicle is s ta ti onary and the engi ne is
r u nning . This could result in a crash.
- T o redu ce the r is k of an accident, neve r se ­
lec t the R o r P posi tions while driv ing.
- P owe r is still tr ansmit ted to t he wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle . T o pr e­
vent the vehicle from "creepi ng", yo u must
-
85

Driving
-The park ing lock can no longer be engaged.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immed iately to have
the malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue driving. Select the P selec tor lev­
er position and contact an authorized Audi dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
®
Fig. 99 Drive r's side footwe ll: releasin g t he parking lock
u sin g th e emergency release
Fig . 100 Dr iver's s ide footwell: resett ing the park ing lock
The emergency re lease is located under the floor
mat on the driver 's side. You operate the emer­
gency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the parking brake(®)
¢ page 81 or
press the brake pedal.
88
.,. Th ere are two slits on the cover. Position the
screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit in one of
the s lits on the cover and pry the cover off.
.,. Pull the band ® in the direction of the arrow
until the release lever locks in place
¢ fig. 99 .
.,. Fold the upper sect ion of the release lever
down into th e recess.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the button @ and the release lever at the
same time. You can now push the lever back in­
to its original posit ion. Make sure the lever
locks in
place ¢ fig. 100 .
.,. Install the cover .
When the parking lock emergency release is
used, the
rm indicator light and the N selector
lever posit ion turn on in the instrument cluster.
The message
Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P.
Please apply parking brake
also appears .
.&, WARNING
-
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle with
the pa rking brake or the brake pedal if the
parking brake is not working. The vehicle can
ro ll away if it is not secured and cause a crash.

lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c ' Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­ my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trailer operation mode
c:> page 89, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount. Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the trailer hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from behind
£:=? .&, .
Trailer towing
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Audi dealer for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
.,&. WARNING
-After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instruction s
Fig. 101 MMI display: towing mode o n
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
89

Trailer towing
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p la ce 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 engine work harder . It
is important that the coo ling system's perform­
ance is up to t he 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 ma nufactu rers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are proper ly 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 we ight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not ra ised
~ page 111, ~0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function butto n> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the ve hicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ~ page 113.
@ Note
-Changes in temperature or load can aff ect
the height of the vehicle .
-Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tong ue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a hig hly unstable distribution of we ight. If th is
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle s hould be loaded
to
the extent possible and permissib le, w hil e
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 difficu lt 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 whe n
go ing down hill.
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.
A lways 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.
ll-

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Air suspension*
When driv ing with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer . This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving. Select in the MMI:
ICARI function button> (Car)* systems control
button >
Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 9 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you dr ive on long inclines in a low
gear at h igh engine speeds . Reduce your speed
i mmed iately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about ind icator lights, re­
fer
to . ¢ page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
veh icle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
de nt. Never let anyone ride in you r car who is
not properly wearing the restraints p rovided
by Audi.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
-
Your ve hicle handles different ly when towing a
tra ile r because of the additiona l we ight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy wi ll greatly depend on how careful­
l y you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep practicing until you have be­
come comp letely familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Trailer towing
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
c h anges.
(D Tips
-Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your ve hicle.
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex ­
tra load
¢ page 336 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load .
.,. Tur n the whee ls towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake .
.. Start the engine .
.,. Select the D selector lever position.
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P befo re applying the park-
in g brake and before blocking the wheels, you
.,_
91

Trailer towing
may have to use more force late r to move the
lever out of the P position .
92

Assistance systems
-Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be­
cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system.
- If a brake system malfunction such as over­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system may be switched off. The rest of
the cruise control system funct ions remain
active as long as the
@;\IM~ (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights turn on when the brakes are
applied automatically.
Changing the speed
.,. To incr ease or decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever toward
010 ¢ page 93,
fig . 102.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction until the de­
s ir ed speed is displayed.
You can a lso press the accelerator pedal down to
increase your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you set earlier w ill re­
sume as soo n as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
However, if you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cru ise control system turns off temporarily.
The
green@;\1)~1~ (USA mode ls) !l'I (Canada mod ­
els) indicator light in the speedometer turns off
and the stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting a speed
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Pull the lever into position (D i::> page 93,
fig. 102 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed, push the lev­
er toward
0 10 .
94
.. To store the speed displayed, release the lever.
This function makes it possible , fo r example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway , activate the
cruise contro l by pulling the lever toward
(D.
Switching off
Deactivating temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position @(not clicked into
place)
¢ page 93, fig. 102, or
.. Dr ive for longer than 5 minutes faster than 5
mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press the lever into position@(clicked into
place), or
.. Switch the ignition off .
The speed you stored will be maintained if the
cruise contro l has been switched off temporarily .
T o resume the stored speed, release the brake
pedal and pull the lever into position
(D.
Switching the ignition off will erase the stored
speed.
A WARNING
You sho uld only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traffic conditions.
Otherwise you can increase the risk of an acc i­
dent.