transmission AUDI S4 2015 User Guide

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CD Note
If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine
is switched off- there is a risk of damaging
the engine . Allow the engine to run at idle
for about two minutes before switching it
off.
Convenience key
Starting the engine
Applies to vehicles: with convenience key
The I STAR T ENGINE ST OPI button switches
the ignition on and starts the engine.
Fig. 100 Ce nter console: START ENGINE STOP butto n
Starting the engine
.. Manual transmission: Fully depress the
clutch pedal and
move the shift lever to the
neutral position .
.. Automatic transmission: Step on the brake
pedal and
move the selector lever to P or N
~.&. -
.. Press on the I STAR T ENGINE ST OP I button
~fig . 100-the engine will start.
Switching the ignition on/off
If you would like to switch the ignition on
without starting the engine , follow these
steps :
.. Press the
I START ENGINE STOPI button
without pressing the clutch pedal (for man ­
ual transmissions) or the brake pedal (for
automatic transmissions) .
.. To switch the ignition off, press the button
again.
On the road 85
If the engine should not start immediately,
the starting process is automatically stopped
after a short t ime. Repeat starting procedure .
When starting the engine, major electrical
loads are sw itched off temporari ly.
After a cold engine is started, there may be a
brief period of incr eased noise because oil
pressure must first build up in the hydraulic
valve adjusters. This is normal and not a cause
for concern .
A WARNING
-Never allo w the engine to run in confined
spaces - danger of asphyxiation.
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- Always take the key with you whenever
you leave your vehicle. Otherwise, the
engine could be started or electrical
equipment such as the power windows
could be operated . This can lead to seri­
ous tnJUry .
- Never leave children or persons requiring
assistance unattended in the vehicle. The
doors can be locked using the remote
transmitter, preventing people from es­
caping from the vehicle on their own in
the event of an emergency. Depending
on the time of year, peop le inside the ve­
hicle can be exposed to very high or very
low temperatures .
CD Note
-Avo id high engine rpm, full throttle and
heavy engine loads until the engine has
reached operating temperature - other­
wise you risk engine damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run while pa rked to
warm up. Begin driving immediately. This
reduces unnecessary emissions.
(D Tips
-After starting a cold engine, there may
be a brief period of increased noise be-
cause the oil pressure must first bui ld up
II-

86 On the road
in the hy dra ulic valve adjusters. This is
norma l and not a cause for concern.
- If you leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
switched on, the ignition will switch
off
after a certain period of time . Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exter ior lights w ill switch
off as well
when that happens.
Switching engine off
Applies to vehicles: with conven ience key
" Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
"Automatic transmiss ion: Move the selector
lever to the P or N pos it ion.
" Press the
!START ENGINE STOPI b utton
r::!;pageBS, fig.100.
St eering lock
The stee ring locks when you turn the engine
off us ing the I STAR T ENGINE STOP I button
and open the dr iver's door. The locked stee r­
i ng helps preven t vehi cle theft.
Emergency off
If necessary, the eng ine ca n be sw itched off
with the selector leve r in the R or D/S pos i­
tions. To do so, step on the b rake pedal and
p ress a nd hold the
I START ENGINE STOP I but­
ton vehicle speed must be less th an 6 mph
(10 km/h).
_& WARNING
- Never t urn off the eng ine before the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop . The
full function o f the brake booster and the
power steering is not guaranteed. You
must use more force to turn or brake if
necessary . Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usua lly would, this could
lead to crashes and se rious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you s hould always
par k your vehicle with the se lector lever
in P. Ot he rwi se, the ve hicle co uld i nad­
vertent ly roll away.
- T he r adiator fan ca n continue to ru n for
up to 10 mi nutes even after yo u have
tu rne d
off the eng ine and remove d the ignit
ion key. T he radiator fan can a lso
tur n on again if the engine coo lant heats
up because of intense sunlight or heat
bu ild-up in the engine compartment.
- Always take the key w ith you whenever
you leave your ve hicle. Otherw ise, the
eng ine could be sta rted or elect rical
equ ipme nt such as the power windows
could be ope rated. This can lead to seri­
o us injury.
(D Note
If the engine has bee n under heavy load
fo r an extended pe riod, heat bu ilds up in
the engine compartment after the engine
i s sw itched
off -there i s a r is k of damag ing
the e ngine. A llow the eng ine to run at i dle
for about two minutes before switching it
off.
Driver messages
Ignition i s on
This message appears and a warning tone
sounds if you open the d river's door when the
ignition is sw itched on.
No key id entified
This message appears when t he
I S TART ENGI NE STOPI button is pressed if
there is no master key ins ide the veh icle or if
the system does not recognize it . Fo r exam­
ple, the master k ey cannot be recognized if it
is covered by an object (e.g. al uminum b rief
case) which
screens the radio s ignal. Elec tron­
ic dev ices such as cell phones can also inter­
fere with the radio s ignal.
Press brak e pedal to start engine
This message appears if you do not press the
brake pedal to start the eng ine in a veh icle
with an automat ic transm iss ion.
Press clutch pedal to sta rt engine
T his message ap pears if you do not press the
clutch pedal to start the engine in a vehicle
with a manual transmission. .,.

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Shift to N or P to start engine
This message appears when attempting to
start the engine if the selector lever for the
automatic transmission is not in the P or N
position. The engine can only be started with
the selector in these positions .
!!I Is the key in the vehicle?
This message appears if the master key is re­
moved from the vehicle with the engine run­
ning.
If the master key is no longer in the ve­
hicle, you cannot switch on the ignition after
stopping the engine and you also cannot start
the engine again. Moreover, you cannot lock
the vehicle from the outside with the key.
Shift to P otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock if lever is not in P.
This message appears for safety reasons
along with a warning signal.
It appears if the
selector lever for the automatic transmission
is not in the P position when switching off the
ignition. Move the selector lever to the P posi­
tion, otherwise the vehicle is not secured
against rolling away. You also cannot lock the
vehicle using the locking button* on the door
handle or using the remote key.
Convenience key defective! Use ignition lock
This message appears if the engine must be
started or stopped using the ignition key and
not the
I START ENGINE STOP! button.
On the road 87
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking broke replaces
the hand broke.
Fig. 101 Center co nsole: Parking b rake
.,. Pull on the switch@¢ fig. 101 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator lights in the
switch and • (USA models) . (Cana-
da models) in the instrument cluster illumi­
nate .
"'With the ignition switched on, step on the
brake pedal or the accelerator pedal and
press the switch @at the same time to re­
lease the parking brake. The indicator lights
in the switch and. (USA models)/ . (Can­
ada models) in the instrument cluster go
out.
Your vehicle is equipped with an electrome­
chanical parking brake. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
In addition to the normal functions of a tradi­
tional hand brake, the electromechanical
parking brake provides various convenience
and safety functions .
When starting from rest
- The integral starting assist helps you when
driving by automatically releasing the park­
ing brake ¢
page 88, Starting from rest.
-When starting on inclines , the starting as-
sist prevents the vehicle from unintentional-
ly rolling back. The braking force of the
parking brake is not released until sufficient
111>

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Cruise control
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30 km/h).
0
f
~
0
Fig . 103 Contro l lever wi th push-but ton
Fig . 104 Display: Se lected speed
.,. Pull the lever to position(!)~ fig. 103 to
swit ch the system on.
.,. Drive at the speed to be controlled.
.,. Press button @ to set that speed .
.,
;1; 9 a: .,
"'
The stored speed a nd the green symbol
[ij;(i )~14 (US model)/ .. (Canadian model) are
shown in the display~
fig. 104 . The display
may vary, depending on the type of display in
your vehicle.
The speed is kept constant by modifying en­ gine power or through an active brake inter­
vention.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to the traffic around you when the cruise control is in
operation . You are always responsib le for
your speed and the distance between
your vehicle and other vehicles.
On th e road 91
-For reasons of safety, cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy ra in and hydro­
plan ing) -risk of accident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently ''resting" your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's accelera tion.
- I f a brake system malfunction such as
overhea ting occurs when the cruise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched
off . The other cruise contro l functions re­
main active as long as the indicator light
lij;(i )~14 (US models) ;a (Canad ian mod­
els) is on.
(D Tips
- Vehicles with manual transmission: You
can attain the set speed only if the gear
that is currently engaged will allow it, or
if it does not tax the engine and allows it
to run smoothly . Therefore shift into a
higher or lower gear in a timely manner .
- The brake lights illuminate as soon as
the brakes apply automatically.
Chang ing speed
.,. To increase/decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever in the
0 10 direction
~ page 91, fig.103 .
.,. To increase/decrease the speed quick ly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction until the de­
sired speed is displayed.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g . if you want to
pass someone . The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you let off of the acce l-
erator pedal. .,..

92 On the road
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cruise contro l will be turned off tempora­
rily. The green symbol in the display turns
white. The saved speed remains the same.
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving .
.. Switch on the ignition .
.. Pull lever into position @¢
page 91,
fig. 103 .
.. Press the lever in the 0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed .
.. Release the lever to save that speed .
This funct ion makes it possible, for example,
to save the speed you want befo re driving on
the hig hway . Once on the hig hway, activate
the cruise cont ro l by pull ing the lever towa rd
@ .
Switching off
Temporary deactivation
• Press the bra ke peda l, or
• Manual transmission : Keep the clutch ped al
pressed down
longer , or
.. Press the lever into position @ (not clicked
into p lace)
c:> page 91, fig . 103, or
.. Drive for longer than 5 minutes at more
t h an 6 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press leve r into position @(clicked into
place), o r
.. Switch the ign ition off.
The speed yo u saved w ill be re tained if the
cr uise control has bee n switched off tempora ­
rily. To resume the saved speed, let up on the
brake or cl utch peda l and pull the lever to po­
si tion @.
Switching the ignition off erases the saved
speed.
A WARNING
You shou ld only return to the saved speed
i f it is not too fast for the current traffic
conditions - r isk of an accident!

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Transmission Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
App lies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine.
T he manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
~ Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
~ Start the eng ine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears . Do not hold the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de­
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage .
@ Tips
-Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you shift
into Reverse w ith the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission
Fig. 105 Gearshift pattern : 6-speed manual transmis­
sio n
Engaging reverse gear (R)
~ Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it forward . Transmission
93
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehi­
cle completely, shift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever br iefly in Neutral before shift ing in­
to
Reverse.
multitronic., S tronic.,
tiptronic
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/S tronic/tiptronic
The automatic transmission is controlled elec ­
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down­
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is selected .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical
driving mode. It will then change up early and
delay the downshifts to give better fuel econ ­
omy .
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac­
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera­
t ion, frequent changes in speed and trave ling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode)~ page 93 .
Various automatic transmissions may be in­
stalled, depending on the model:
multitronic transmission
The multitronic transmission is a continuously
variable transmission. Power is transferred us­
ing a multidisk clutch. In contrast to conven­
tional automatic transmissions using shifting
operations, the transmission ratio in the con­
tinuously var iable transmission is changed
continuously . This optimizes the comfort level
and conserves fuel.
S tronic transmission
The S tronic is a dual-clutch transmission .
Power is transferred using two clutches that
work independently from one another_ They
replace the torque converter used in conven­
tiona l automatic transmissions and allow the ..,_

94 Transmi ssion
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable in­
terruption in traction.
tiptronic tran smission
In the tiptronic transmission, power is trans­
ferred by a torq ue converter.
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
Fig. 106 D isplay in the instrume nt duste r: selector
lever in position P
The se lector lever position engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in­
strument cluster display.
P - Park
In th is selector lever pos it ion the transmis­
sion is mechanically locked. Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped ¢ &
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 96.
To shift in or o ut of pos ition P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release button in the selector lever handle
while moving the se lector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of this position only with the ignition on .
R-Re verse
Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed ¢ & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 96.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the release button in the handle of the
selector lever
and the brake pedal at the same
time. When the
ignition is on, the backup lights i llu ­
minate when the selector lever is moved into
R .
N -Neutral
The transm iss io n is in neut ral i n this pos ition.
S hi ft to this position fo r standing with the
brakes applied ¢
& in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 96.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or a t speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), yo u must always app ly
the footbrake before and whi le moving the
lever o ut of N .
D/S - Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S pos ition, the transmission can be
opera ted ei ther in the norma l mode D or in
the sport mode S . To select the sport mode S,
pull the selector lever back briefly. P ulling the
lever back again will se lect the normal mode
D. The instrument cluster disp lay shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style.
Se lect the
s port mode S for sporty dr iving.
T he vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeable when
acce lerating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always app ly
the foot brake before and while moving the lever to D/S out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ¢ .& in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 96 .
(D Note
Coasting downhill with the transm ission in
N and the engine not running will result in
damage to the automatic transmission
and possibly the cata lytic conve rter. .,..

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@ Tips
-On vehicles with drive select*, you can
adjust the sporty shift characteristics in
the
Dynamic driving mode.Swill appear
i n the instrument cluster display instead
ofD.
- If you accidentally select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal
i mmediately and wait for the engine to
s low down to idle before selecting D/S.
- If there is a power failure , the selector
l ever will not move out of t he P position .
The eme rgency release can be used if
th is happens ~
page 100.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptron ic
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or
the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
F ig. 10 7 Sh ift gate: selecto r lever lock posit io ns and
release butto n highlighted
The selector lever lock is released as fo llows:
... Turn the ign ition on .
... Step on t he brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the
side of the gea r se lector knob ¢
fig. 107
with yo ur t hu mb until you have moved the
sele ctor lever to the des ired position .
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po·
sitions when the ignition is turned on . You
must press the brake pedal and the release
button to select another posi tion. As a re·
m inder to the driver, the fo llow ing warning
Transm ission 95
appears in the ins trument cluster display
whe n the selector is in P and N:
When stationary appl y brake pedal while se ­
lec ting gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only funct ions when
the ve hicl e is stationary or at speeds be low
1 m ph (2 km/h) .
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the
Automat ic Shift Lock is automatically deact i­
vated in the N position .
A time delay element prevents the selector lever from lock ing when it is moved through
the N pos ition (going from R to D/S) . The lock­
ing element w ill lock t he selec to r l ever if the
lever is left in N (Neutr al) for more than ap­
proximate ly 2 seconds, wi tho ut the brake ped­
al being pressed.
Release button
The release button on the se lector lever pre­
vents the lever from be ing acciden tally shifted
in to certa in positions. Depending on the d irec­
t ion of the shift, the sele ctor leve r locks at dif­
ferent positions. The positions are highlig hted
in the illust ration¢
fig . 107.
Ignition key safety interlock
T he key cannot be removed from the ign ition
u nless the selector lever is in the P par k posi­
tion . When the ignit ion key is removed, the
selector lever will be loc ked in the P position .
Driving the automatic transmission
Applies to vehicles; with mult itronic/S tronic/tiptronic
Fig. 108 Sh ift gate on the ce nter console: selector lev-
er w it h re lease butto n ..,_

96 Transmission Starting the engine
.. The selecto r lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Press and hold the release button in these­
lector lever handle, se lect t he des ired selec­
tor lever position such as D/S and release
the button .
.. Wait briefly unti l the transmission has shift ­
ed (you will feel a slight movement) .
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
acce lerate.
Stopping temporarily
.. Keep the vehicle stationary usin g the brak­
ing peda l, for examp le at traffic lights .
.. Do not press the accelerator pedal when do­
ing this .
.. To prevent the veh icle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c> _& .
.. The parking brake will release automatically
and the vehicle w ill start moving once you
press the accelerator pedal.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the dr iver's door, the vehicle
could roll. The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears.
.. Press and hold the brake pedal until the ve-
hicle has come to a complete stop .
.. Apply the parking brake
c> page 88, Parking .
.. Select the P selector lever position c> _&.
Stopping on an incline
.. Always press the brake pedal to hold the ve­
hicle in place and prevent it from "rolling
back"
c> _& . Do not try to prevent the vehi­
cle from "roll ing back" when a gear is en­
gaged by increasing the eng ine speed
c> (D.
Starting on an incline
.. Activate the parking brake.
.. With the driving gear se lected, press the ac­
celerator pedal carefully. The park ing brake will release automatically if your seat
belt is
fastened .
Under certain circumstances, such as driving
in the mo untains, it may be usefu l to switch
temporarily to the manual shift program in or­
der to adjust the gears to the driving cond i­
tions by hand
c> page 98.
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position .
This prevents too much stress from being
placed on the locking mechanism .
Vehicles with multitronic transmission: Your
vehicle is equipped with
hill hold assist allow­
ing you to start while on an incline. The sys­
tem is activated when the brake pedal is
pressed down and he ld
for a few seconds . The
brake pressure will hold for
a moment after
the brake pedal loosens to prevent the vehicle
from roll ing backwards wh ile starting up .
A WARNING
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
r un ning while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
activate the parking brake and move the
selecto r lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected .
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the selector lever position
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep s lope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".

"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases
braking distance or causes complete fail­
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
mJ illu­
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 99 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
¢ page 212. Otherwise, any increase in
engine speed may set the vehicle in mo­
tion, even with the parking brake ap­ plied .
0 Note
-S tronic- and tiptronic transmission:
When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission: Al­
lowing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is in N will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated under those cir­
cumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driv ­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Transmission 97
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th mult itronic/ S tro nic/tiptro nic
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill de­ scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical
and technical limitations. It may still be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
¢ page 91 , hill descent control is also activat­
ed when the speed is set.
.&_ WARNING
-
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the brakes .