child seat AUDI S8 2008 User Guide

& WARNING (continued)
• Always adjust the driver's seat and the steering wheel so that
there are at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the
lower part of the instrument panel .
• Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering
wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions
to help reduce the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag inflates .
• Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with
your hands at other positions inside the steering wheel rim or on
the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the
driver's airbag inflates
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the
ability of the supplemental driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion .
• Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or
place any part of your body too close to the area where the airbags
are located.
• Before driving, always adjust the front seats and head
restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are properly
restrained .
• Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving. Your seat
may move unexpectedly and you could lose control of the vehicle.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child seats
=> page 243. Special
precautions apply when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
=> page 218 . •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Driving Safely
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the
seat for the front passenger to the follow ing position:
- Move the front passenger seat back as far as possible.
There must be a minimum of 10 inches (25 cm) between
the breastbone and the instrument
panel=> &.
-Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in an upright
position and your back comes in full contact with it
whenever the vehicle is moving.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as
even with the top of your head as possible but not lower
than eye level and so that it is as close to the back of your
head as
possible => page 203.
-Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts
correctly =:> page 213.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's
seat, see
=> page 86 .
& WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too
close to the airbag can be seriously injured or killed by the airbag
as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury : ..,_
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&, WARNING (continued)
• Passengers must always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches
125 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Always make sure that there are at least 4 inches 110 cm)
between the front passenger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat. Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even increase the risk of injury in a crash.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child seats
=> page 243. Special
precautions apply when installing a child seat on the front
passenger
seat => page 218. •
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both feet on
the floor consistent with their physical size and be prop­
erly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect seating
position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an
accident, your passengers on the rear bench seat must
always observe the following :
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as
even with the top of your head as possible but no lower
than eye level
=> page 203.
- Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat .
- Fasten and wear safety belts
properly => page 213.
-Make sure that children are always properly restrained in
a child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
=> page 243.
& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the rear seat can be
seriously injured in a crash.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the safety
belts are properly positioned on the body and securely latched. By
not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger increases the risk of
personal injury from improperly positioned safety belts!
• Always adjust the head restraint properly so that it can give
maximum protection. •

Driving Safely fflll
---------------------------------------------:::....---=--
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an important part
of your vehicle's occupant restraint system and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.
Fig . 218 Correctly
adjusted head restraint
viewed from the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to achieve
the best protection.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge of the
restraint is level with the top of your head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the back of your
head as
possible ~ fig. 218.
Adjusting head restraints=> page 91.
& WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with improperly adjusted head
restraints increases the risk of serious injuries in a collision. To
help reduce the risk of injury:
• Always drive with the head restraints in place and properly
adjusted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a properly adjusted head
restraint.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
&, WARNING
(continued)
• Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly adjusts
their head restraint. Each head restraint must be adjusted according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even
with the top of the person's head, but no lower than eye level and
so it is as close to the back of to the head as possible .
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any reason,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adjust the head
restraint.
• Children must always be properly restrained in a child restraint
that is appropriate for their age and size
=> page 243. •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce the risk of
injury if vehicle occupants are properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious injury or
death . Safety belts can only work when they are properly
positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body. Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the proper seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect seating posi­
tion when the vehicle is being
used ~& .
The following bulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious injury and death. Our hope is that these
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examp les w ill ma ke you mo re aware of seat ing positions tha t ar e
d an ge ro us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
• ne ver sta nd up in the v ehi cle
• never stand on t he seats
• never knee l on the seats
• n ev e r r id e with th e seatback r eclin ed
• never lie down on the rear seat
• n ever lea n up aga inst t he instrument pane l
• n ever sit on the e dge of the sea t
• never sit sideways
• ne ver le an out t he w indo w
• never put your feet out the window
• never put your feet on t he instrument p anel
• n ever rest your f eet on th e seat cushi on or b ac k of the sea t
• never ride in the footwe ll
• n ever ride i n the cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehi cle occupants stay
in a proper
seating position and are properly restrained whenever the vehicle
is being used. •
Driver and passenger side footwell
Important safety instructions
& WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without inter­
ference . Objects between yourself and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an a ccident by interfering with the way the airbag
deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag deploys .
• No persons (children) or animals should ride in the footwell in
front of the passenger seat .
If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries .
• No objects of any kind should be carried in the footwell area in
front of the driver's or passenger 's seat . Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be thrown through the vehicle if the
airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers. •
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always b e fre e to move and mus t never
b e in terf ere d with by a floor mat or a ny ot her object.
M ake sure that all pedals move free ly w ithout interfe rence and that
n oth in g p reve nts t hem fr om re tu rni ng to t heir or igin a l pos itio ns.
O nly use floor mats that leave the pedal a rea free and can be
se cu red w ith flo or mat fa st ene rs.
If a bra ke circu it fa ils, i ncr eas ed brake pedal trav el is r equ ired to
bring the veh icle to a f ull stop.

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& WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through the
vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggage compartment.
• Always secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie-down hooks and suitable straps.
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles. To help
reduce the risk of a loss of control leading to serious personal
injury :
• Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a
change in the center of gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as possible.
• Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the left door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight standards
can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
• Please observe information on safe
driving => page 198.
& WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (continued)
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the
following notes to reduce the risk of poisoning :
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows, the power roof and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked to reduce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could crawl into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle's seating positions.
[ i] Tips
Air circulation helps to reduce windowfogging. Stale air escapes to
the outside through vents in the trim panel, on the left side of the
luggage compartment. Be sure to keep these slots free and open. •

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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts . Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions: two in the front and
three in the rear. Vehicles with power individual rear seats* have
seating for four: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seating
position has a safety belt.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death .
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light ~
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger to remind you about the importance of
buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig . 219 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly.
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___ s_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
-Make sure that your passengers also b uckle up and pro p­
erly wea r th eir sa fety be lts.
Protect children wit h a c hild restraint sys tem appropriate
for the size and age.
The warning light ~ in the instrument cluster lights up when the
ignition is switched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In
addition , you will hear a warning tone.
After the ignition is switched on, the warning light in the instrument cluster will a lways come on for about 6 seconds and if the driver has
not fastened the safety belt, a warning tone will also sound for
about 6 seconds . As soon as the driver has fastened the safety belt,
the warning tone will stop and the warning light will go out .
If the driver or front seat passenger have not buckled -up within
about 10 seconds after the warning tone has stopped and the
vehicle is moving faster than about 15 mph, the warning tone will
sound again for about 6 seconds and then s top for 24 seconds and
then repeat this reminder sequence for a maximum of 2 minutes. At
speeds be low 5 mph, the warning to ne will not sound.
Fa sten your safe ty belt and make su re that your p assengers al so
properl y put on their s afet y belts .
& WARNING
• Safety belts are the single mo st effective mean s available to
reduce th e risk of ser ious in jur y a nd death in aut omobile acci­
dent s. For your prote ction and that of your pas sengers , alway s
c orrectly wear safety belt s when t he v ehicle is moving .
• Failure t o pay attention to th e warning light that come on,
c ould lead to per sonal injur y.•
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal cras hes cre ate very strong forces for people ridi ng
in vehicles.
F ig . 22 0 Unbel te d
occ upants in a ve hicle
h ead ing for a w all
F ig . 22 1 The vehi cle
c ras hes in to th e wa ll
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen­
gers possess energy which varies with vehicle speed and body
we ight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic energy ."
T he higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehic le's
we ight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most signi fican t factor. If the speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
.,

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Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to brace the
body in a min or c ollision . It's simply not true!
Fig . 22 4 Driv er is
c orr ectly r est rai ned in
a su dd en braki ng
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference. Sa fety belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy
levels app lied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the
uncontrolled movement that can cause serious injuries. In addition,
safety be lts re duce the danger of being thrown out of the vehic le .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit
of being s lowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other sa fety features engineered
into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the kinetic energy over a
longer pe riod of time, the sa fety belts make the forces on the body
more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury .
Altho ugh these examples are based on a frontal co llision, safety
belts can a lso substantially reduce the risk of injury in other kinds
of crashes . So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to the
corner store, a lways buckle up and make sure others do, too. Acci­
dent statistics show that vehicle occupants properly wearing safety
belts have a lower ris k of being injured and a much better chance of
surviving an accident. Properly using safety belts also greatly
increases the abi lity of the supplementa l airbags to do their job in a
collision . For th is reason, wearing a safety belt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada. Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you sti
ll have to wear
t he safety belts provided . Fron t air bags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front a irbags are not activated in
a ll fro ntal co llisions, in side and rear coll isions, in ro ll ove rs or in
cases where there is not enough dece leration through impact to the
front of the vehicle . The sa me goes for the other airbag systems in
you r Aud i. So, always wear your safety belt and make sure every ­
body in your vehic le is properly restrained! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi tio ned across
t he strongest bones of your body.
- Al ways wear safety belts as illust rated and described in
th is chapte r.
-Make s ure tha t yo ur sa fety be lts ar e always ready for us e
and are not damage d.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or w earing them improperl y increas es
the risk of serious per sonal injury and death . S afety belts ca n work
onl y when used corre ctl y.
• Alway s fa sten your s afety belt s correctly before driving off and
make sure all p assengers ar e correctly restrain ed.
• For ma ximum protect ion , safet y belts must always be po si­
tioned properly on the body .
• Never strap more than one person , including sm all ch ildren ,
into any belt.
• Never pla ce a safety belt ove r a child sitting on your lap .
• Alway s keep feet
in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven .
.,_

fl::. WARNING (continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat .
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc. , as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position.
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct posi­
tioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems .
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety belts
fl::. WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel
~ page 299, "Safety
belts" .•
Safety belts
Fastening safety be lts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig . 225 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To prov ide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 86, "General recommendations" .
Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and
pelvis =>& .
Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch
securely=> fig. 225.
Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
.,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

-Safety belts
---=---------------------------------
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock
when you drive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driving the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pretensioner that helps to
tighten the safety belt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning
light=> page 19.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with
a switchable locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt
is used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the important informa­
tion about this
feature => page 253.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious injury in an
accident=> page 214, "Safety belt position" .
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat.
Attaching the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child seat in the vehicle
=> page 255. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maximum
protection from safety belts.
., N
8
~
Fig . 226 Head restraint
and safety belt
posi­
tion as seen from the
side
Use the height adjustment to change the position of the shoulder
belt of the front safety belts.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident .
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body
=> fig. 226. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug
=> fig. 226. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary.
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner-
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
...