light AUDI S8 2008 Manual Online

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The detection ~ page 155, fig. 174 of the radar sensor detection
area is made up of:
• the approach area (light green area)
G), about 55 yards (50 m)
behind the vehic le, and
• the "blind spot" (dark green
areal@.
The radar sensors cover the adjacent left and right lanes. Other
lanes are
not covered by the radar sensors.
[ i] Tips
S ide ass ist does not measure actual lane width. The system
assumes a fixed lane width. Detection in the left and right lanes is
based on this assumed lane width . When driving on narrow roads or
when driving to the left or right of the center of a travel lane, it is
possible that vehicles wi ll be detected that are
not in the lane next
to the lane you are
using~ page 160 . •
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Operation
Side assist compares the distance and difference in speed of
detected vehicles with the speed of your vehicle . Whenever the
difference in speed and distance is registered as notable if you were
to change lanes, a signal light appears on the respective m irror.
The signal can light up if you are passed by a vehicle or if you are
passing another vehicle.
If you pass another vehicle slowly (difference in speed less than 9
mph, or
15 km/h), the signal light will come on as soon as the other
vehic le is in your b lind spot and is detected by side assist . When the
difference in speed is greater, the signal light wil l not come on.•
Applies to vehi cles: with side assist
Informational and alert stage signals
Side assist has two signa l stages:
• the informational stage signal, and
• th e alert stage signal.
Side assist helps you by using the appropriate signa l stage,
depending on whether or not you have activated the turn signal,
and thus have indicated that you are or are not changing lanes.
Informational stage signal
As long as you have not activated the turn signa l, side assist informs
you of detected vehicles that are registered as being in a notable
location if you were to change lanes. Whenever the detected
vehic le 's difference in speed and distance is registered by side
assist as notable, the signa l light on the respective mirror produces
muted il lumination .
The brightness of the informationa l stage signa l is designed not to
be as intense, so that it does not interfere with your view of the road
when you are driving and have no intention of changing lanes.
When you look in the outside mirror, you can clearly see the infor­
mational stage signal.
Alert stage signal
When you ac tiva te the turn signal, and side assis t has detected a
vehic le in a notable location on that particular side, the signal light
on this side mirror flashes brightly. The repeated brief and bright
flashing of the alert stage signal reminds you to careful ly check
traffic to the rear in the outside mirror and over your shou lder, so
that you can safe ly complete the lane
change~ & in "Safety tips"
on page
161.
[ i] Tips
The brightness of the signal light on the outside mirrors can be
adjusted with the MMI
~ page 159. •

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Ap plies to vehicle s: with side assist
Driving situation: Fast approaching vehicles
Fig. 175 S ide ass ist: Fast a ppro achi ng ve hicles
G) S ig nal on outside mirror do es not l ight up
No vehicle was detected by the sensors. The signal on the outside
m irror does not ligh t
up ~ & in "Safety tips" on page 161.
@ Informational stag e s ignal lights up
A fast approaching vehicle -in the left-hand lane for example -was
detected by the sensors. Although this vehic le is still far away, it
should be taken into account if you were to change lanes, due to the
considerable difference in speed. The informational stage signal on
the outside mirror lights
up ~ page 156 .
© Alert stage signal flashe s
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation @, the signal
b riefly flashes repeatedly. S ide assist is alerting you to a vehicle that
you may not have not iced .
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
[ i ] Tips
• The faster a vehicle approaches from the rear, the soone r the
signal on the outside mirror lights up. Side assist will signal, at the
latest, when a detected vehicle enters your "bl ind spot".
• When vehicles approach very quickly, changing lanes can be
dangerous even if the signa l on the outside mirror does not light
up .•
Ap plies to veh ic les: with side ass ist
Driving situation : Slowly approaching
vehicles
F ig . 1 76 Side a ssist: Slowly a pproa ching v ehi cle s and v ehi cle s in y our b li nd
spot
G) Signa l on out side mirror doe s not light up
A vehicle approaching s lowly -in the left-hand lane for example -
was detected by the sensors . Because of the small differe nce in .._
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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speed and the considerable distance from your vehicle, the signal
on the outside mirror will not light
up::::> & in "Safety tips" on
page 161 .
0 Informational stage signal lights up
The distance between your vehicle and that of the slowly
approaching vehicle has narrowed. The informational stage signal
on the outside mirror lights up .
As soon as the difference in speed and distance is registered as
notable if you were to change lanes , a signal on the mirror lights up.
Side assist will signal at the latest when a detected vehicle enters
your "blind spot".
© Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation 0 , the signal
light briefly flashes repeatedly. Side assist is alerting you of a
vehicle that you may not have noticed .
[ i J Tips
• The faster a vehicle approaches from the rear, the sooner the
signal on the outside mirror lights up . Side assist will signal , at the
latest, when a detected vehicle enters your "blind spot".
• When vehicles approach very quickly, changing lanes can be
dangerous even if the signal on the outside mirror does not light
up.•
App lies to vehi cles : wi th side assist
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping back
slowly
Fig. 177 Side assist: Vehicles dropping back slowly
(D Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle that you passed has not yet been detected by side assist.
The signal on the outside mirror does not light
up::::> & in "Safety
tips" on
page 161.
0 Informational stage signal lights up
A vehicle dropping back slowly on the right (difference in speed of
less than 9 mph, or 15 km/h) has been detected by side assist. The
informational stage signal on the outside mirror lights up.
© Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation 0, the signal
briefly flashes repeatedly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehicle tha t
you may not have noticed. •

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Ap plies to vehi cles: w ith side ass is t
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping back
quickly
Fig . 178 Side assist: Vehicles dropping back quickly
0 Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle just passed has not yet been detected by side assist. The
signal on the ou tside mirror does not light
up => & in "Safety tips"
on
page 161 .
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light up
The vehicle dropping back quickly on the right ( difference in speed
of more than 9 mph , or 15 km/h) has been detected by side assis t,
but is not considered notable in the event of a lane change, because
it is dropping back so quick ly . The signal on the outside mirror does
not light
up => & in "Safety tips " on page 161.
Controls and equip­
ment
G) Signal on outside mirror does not light up
If you activate your turn signal in driving situation @, the signal still
does not ligh t up on the outside
mirror=> & in "Safety tips" on
page 161. •
Applies to veh ic les: w it h side ass ist
MMI settings
The basic brightness setting of the signal on the outside
mirror can be adjusted via the MM/.
I
W arn in g lam p: brightn ess
' •

12 :oo~M • <: ''·,.I,,
Press the [CAR ] function button.
Select
Systems i n the CAR menu.
Vehicle care I I
-
Fig . 179 MMI Display :
Options menu
Fig . 180 MMI Display :
Adjusting signal
brightness
irechnical data

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-Select Audi sid e ass is t.
-Select W arning l amp : brightn ess.
-Rotate the control knob to adjust the displayed bright -
ness of the signal l ight on the outside mirrors
=> page 159, fig. 180 .
Th e brightn ess o f th e signal light for both th e informational and
a lert stages is automatica lly adj usted to ambient light conditions. In
addition, you can adjust the
basic brightness separately, via the
brightness function
=> page 159, f ig. 180.
While mak ing the adjustment , the new br ig htness setting is
displayed briefly. The brightn ess disp layed is that of the informa ­
tiona l stage s ignal. The alert stage signal brightness is linked to the
in formational stag e signal brightness .
The infor mationa l stage signal br ightness should be adjusted so
that you notice the signa l illumination when you look in the outside
m irror, but not when you look forward through the windsh ield.
In very dark or light surround ings , the automat ic brightness setting
adjusts signal light brightness to maximum or minimum intensity ,
as needed . In circumstances such as these, you may not not ice any
change in the brightness on the outside m irror wh en adjusting the
basic brightness .
You may not notice the change until ligh ting conditions are normal
aga in .
[ i ] Tip s
• Side assist is not active wh en the basic brightness is adjusted .
The signal l ight comes on briefly to help you make the adjustment.
• Your settings are automatically s tored and assigned to the
remote contro l key being used. •
App lies to ve hicles: w ith s ide assis t
General information
Side assist has lim its and cannot detect vehicles under all road and
weather conditions. Please remember system limit ations and never
rely on the system, especia lly when:
• driving through
curves=> page 160,
• l anes are of different widths => page 160. •
Applies to ve hicles : w ith sid e as sist
When driving through curves
Side assist cannot detect vehic les in curves with a turning radius of
l ess than
218 yards (200 m) .
When driving through a curve , it is poss ib le that side assist may
register a vehicl e two lanes over, and the signal on the outside
m irror w ill light up .•
A pplies to vehicle s: w ith sid e ass is t
Lane width
w cl,
Fig . 18 1 L an es of a
norma l widt h are i n
d etec tion area

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Fig . 182 Narr ow lane s:
Si de ass is t m ay detec t
vehi cle s two la ne s
a w ay
Side assist's detection area is designed to cover lanes of standard
width to the left and r ight of your travel lane, depend ing on whethe r
you drive in the center of your lane or c loser to the edge .
I f you drive in narrow lanes, side assist's detection area may also
include other lanes - especially if you tend to dr ive on the edge of
your
lane~ fig . 182. Under these conditions, vehicles can also be
de tec ted tha t are two lanes away, and side ass ist then c ould switch
between the informational and warning stage signa ls.
When d riving in very wide lanes, vehicles in t he adjacent lane may
not be detected because they are not ins ide the detection area. •
Notes
Applies to vehicles: with side ass is t
Messages in instrument cluster display
If side assist turns off automatically, the indicator light on the
b utton wil l go out a nd you w ill see a message in the i nstrument
cluster disp lay :
Audi side a ssist not available : sen sor s pos sibly blocked
T he side assist sensors are bui lt into the rear bumper on the left and
r ight ( not visi ble on the
ou ts id e) ~ page 154, fig. 171 . To ensure t hat
you do not adverse ly affect the way side assist functions, foreign
Controls and equip­
ment
objects (such as stickers or bicyc le racks) should not be attached to
t he area on the rear bumper where the sens ors are loca ted. If s ide
assist functions are adversely affected, you will see this message in
the instrument cluster display. Remove anything that may be b locking the sensors .
I f no vehic le is detected for a longer period of time while driving,
s ide assist wil l also switch o ff automatica lly.
Audi side a ssist currently not available
If there is a temporary prob lem (such as the vehic le's battery charge
being low), side assist cannot be activated temporarily .
Audi side assis t : sy stem fault
Have t he system chec ked by an autho rized Audi dealer o r qualified
workshop. •
Applies to vehic les: with side assist
Safety tips
The side ass ist detec tion may be li mit ed when dr iv ing a round
narrow street corners, on hilly streets, and under poor weather
conditions.
I t is possible that the radar sensors may a ls o detec t other objects,
such as high or staggered guardrails.
Side ass ist does not measu re actual la ne w idth. The system
assumes a fixed lane width. Detection in the left and right lanes is
based on this assumed lane width. When driving on narrow roads or
when driv ing to the left or right of the center of a travel lane, it is
possible that vehicles wi ll be detected that are
not in the lane next
to the lane you are using.
& WARNING
• Improper relian ce on the side assi st system c an cau se colli ­
sions and serious personal injury:

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Automatic transmission
tiptronic ® (6-speed automatic
transmission)
Gener al information
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronically controlled 6-speed
automatic transmission. Upshifting and downshifting takes place
automatically.
The transmission is also equipped with tiptronic®. It allows the
driver to shift gears
manually if desired ~ page 167. •
Driving th e autom ati c transmission
Starting the engine
- The selector lever must be in Nor P.
Starting off
-Press and hold the brake pedal.
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
Fig . 183 Shift gate on
the center console:
selector lever with
release button
- Press and hold the release button in the selector lever
handle and move the selector lever from
P or N to D and
release the button
=> & .
- Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted (you will
feel a slight movement).
- Remove your foot from the brake pedal and accelerate.
Rocking back and forth to become unstuck
- Shift only between D and R when the vehicle is at a full
stop and the engine is running at idle speed.
Stopping
- Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle has come
to a complete stop.
Keep the brake pedal depressed so that the vehicle
cannot roll forward or backward while it is
idling=>& .
-Once stopped, do not depress the accelerator pedal to
rev up the
engine=> &.
Parking
- Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle has come
to a complete stop.
- Set the parking brake
firmly=> page 135, "Parking".
- Press and hold the release button in the selector lever
handle, move the selector lever into
P and then let go of
the release button
=> &. ._
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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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 763 .
Before you move the selector lever to R, press both the button in the
handle of the selector lever
and the brake peda l at the same time .
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illuminate when the selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position. Shift to this position
for standing with the brakes applied =>
page 165.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the footbrake before and while moving the lever out of
N.
D -Normal position for driving forward
Position Dis for normal city and highway driving. It ranges from zero
to top speed and all six gears shift automatically, depending on
engine load, driving speed and automatically selected shift
programs.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
D out of N .
In certain circumstances it may be advantageous to temporarily
switch to the manual shift program to manually select gear ratios to
match specific driving
conditions => page 167.
S -Sport position
Select this position for sportier performance. In this position, the
transmission will not upshift as soon, allowing the vehicle to use the increased power available at higher engine speeds to achieve live ­
lier acceleration.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
S out of N.
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS => & in "Driving the automatic
transmission " on
page 163.
0 Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N and the engine not
running will result in damage to the automatic transmission and
possibly the catalytic converter. •
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Automatic shift lock prevents you from accidentally
shifting into a forward gear or into reverse, thus causing
the vehicle to move unintentionally.
Fig . 185 Shift gate
selector lever lock
positions and interlock
button highlighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows :
Turn the ignition on.
Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time press and hold
the lock button on the side of the gear selector knob
=:> fig. 185 with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
~
Vehicle care I I Technical data

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Aut om at ic se lec tor l ever lock
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N pos itions when the ign i­
tion is turned on. To move the lever from these positions the driver
must depress t he brake peda l. As a reminder to t he driver, the
follow ing warn ing appears in the instrument c luster disp lay when
the selector is in
P and N :
When stationar y appl y foot brak e while selecting gear
A time de lay e lement prevents the selector lever from lock ing when
it is moved through the
N position (going from R to D l. The locking
e lement will lock the selector lever if the lever is left in N (Neutral)
for more than approximate ly 1 second, without the brake peda l
being pressed.
At speeds above about 3 mph (5 km/h) the Automatic Shift Lock is
automatically deactivated in the
N pos ition .
Interlock button
The lock button on t he se lector lever prevents the lever from being
accidentally shifted into certain positions. Pressing this button
deactivates the selector lever lock. Depending on the direction of
the shift, the selector lever locks at different positions . The positions
a re h igh lighted in the
il lustration => page 165, fig. 185.
Igniti on k ey sa fe ty in te rlock
The key cannot be removed from the ignition un less the selector
lever is in the
P park position. When the ignition key is removed, the
selector leve r wil l be locked in the
P posi tion .•
Kick-down
T he kick-down feature allows the vehicle to generate
maximum acceleration.
When you press t he accelerator peda l beyond the resistance point
that is reached at ful l throttle, the transmission will select a lower
gear ratio based on vehic le speed and engine RPM. The engine RP M
wi ll be control led to produce maximum vehicle acce leration as long as you continue to press the accelerator pedal beyond this resis
­
t ance po int.
& WARNING
Be careful when u sing th e kick -down feature on slippery road s.
R apid ac cel erat ion m ay ca use th e ve hic le to skid . •
Dynamic shift program (DSP)
T he aut omatic transmission is electronically controlled.
T he transmission is self adapting and wi ll autom ati ca lly select the
best shift program suited to t he driving condi tions and drivi ng s tyle.
The transmission will se lect one of the
eco nom y programs when
you drive at a steady speed or a gradual ly changing speed without
heavy acce leration . T his achieves optimum fuel efficiency, with ear ly
upshifting and delayed downshifting .
T he trans mission wil l automat ica lly select the
s porty shift programs
when you drive at higher speeds, or with heavy acce leration and
frequen tly changing speeds . Upshifts are de layed to make full use
of engine power. Down shifting takes place at higher engine speeds
t han in the economy programs .
The selection of the most suitab le shift program is a continuous,
automatic process . The driver can also make the transmission
switch to a sporty program by
quickl y pressing down the gas peda l.
T his causes the transmission to shift down to a lower gear to
achieve rapid acceleration, e.g . for quickly passing ano ther veh ic le .
You do not need to press the gas pedal into the kick-down range .
After the transmission has upshifted, t he original program is
selected according to your driving style.
An additional shift program allows the automatic transmission to select the proper gear for uph ill and downh ill gradients.
T his prevents the transmission from upshifting and downshifting
unnecessa rily on hi lls. The transmiss ion will shift down to a lower
~

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gear when the driver presses the brake pedal on a downhill
gradient. This makes use of the braking effect of the engine without
the need to shift down manually. •
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can manually select
gears.
Fi g. 186 Center
console: shifting the
tiptr onic ® manually
Fig. 187 Display:
man ual shift pr ogra m ,
selected gear high­
li ghted
Switching to manual shift program
With the se lector lever in D, push the lever to the right.
The display will show
6 5 4 3 2 1 as soon as the selector
lever is
moved. The gear you select will also be high­
lighted~ fig. 187.
Controls a nd eq uip­
ment
To upshift
Push the selector lever forward to the plu s position 0
~ fig. 186.
To downshift
- Push the lever to the minus position Q.
When accelerating, the transmission will automatically shift into
gears
1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 before the engine reaches its maximum RPM.
If you apply a light thrott le when accelerating, tiptronic® will auto ­
matically shift from 1st to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you app ly a heavy
throttle, the transmission will stay in 1st gear until near maximum
RPM is reached, or until the driver shifts into 2nd gear.
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l when driving down a
steep inc line, tiptronic® wi ll downshift from the selected gear into
the next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear, based on road speed
and engine RPM. Automatic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the throttle again.
[ i ] Tips
• When you shift into the next lower gear, the transmission will
downshift only when there is no possibi lity of over -revving the
engine.
• When the kickdown comes on, the transmission will shift down
to a lower gear, depending on vehicle and eng ine speeds.
• Tiptronic® is inoperative when the transmission is in the fai l-safe
mode .•
Vehicle care I I irechnical data