ESP AUDI TT ROADSTER 2008 Owner's Manual

• Do not attach stickers to the windshie ld in front of the sensors as
this can disable the automatic head -and tail light control and the
automatic glare -dimming of the rearview mirror(s) .
• Always o bserve the spec ific loca l regu la tions f or your area when
to use your lights .
• I n the event of a light sensor mal function, the d river informa tion
display will show the symbol . If a light sensor malfunct ion is indi ­
ca te d , you must use the ligh t switch to turn the low beams on and
off .•
Daytime running lights (DRL ) (USA models )
The daytime running ligh ts are tu rne d o n auto maticall y
w hen t he ignit ion is s witche d on.
Activating functions
Fig . 63 Sw itch for
daytime running lights
- Move the right thumbwhee l@ "D RL" ~ fig. 63 to posi ­
t io n
(D .
Deactivating functions
- Mov e th e rig ht thum bwh eel "DR L" to posi tion @ .
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
T he daytime running lights can be turned on or off using this func ­
t ion. If the f unc tion is ac tive, the dayti me r unning ligh ts are turn ed
on automatically when the ignition is switched on .
The daytime running lights are activated
only when the light switch
=> fig . 63 @ is at the O or AUTO* position .
& WARNING
Never use daytime running lights to see where you are going . They
are not bright enough and will not let you see far enough ahead for
s afety , e speci ally at dusk o r when it is dark . Be aware of changes
in outside light conditions when you are driving and respond by
sw itching on your low beams
io.
0 Note
Alway s be aware of change s in outside light conditions while you
a re dr iving. Respond in time to fading daylight by turning the light
s witch to position
io (or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with this
feature)
to turn on your headlights .•
Daytime running lights (Canada models only)
W hen yo u turn on the ig nit io n the daytime running lights
will come on automatically.
The daytime running lights are activated only when the light switch
@ =>fig. 63 is e ither at the
O o r the :oo: position . Whe n the ignition
is switched on, there is a difference between vehicles with bi -xenon
lig hts and ha logen lamps :
• On vehicles with bi -xenon lights only the daytime running lamps
in the headlights will c ome on.
• On vehicles with halogen lights the front fog lights, side marker
lights and tail ligh ts come on automa tica lly
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Clear vision
& WARNING
Never use daytime running lights to see where you are going. They
are not bright enough and will not let you see far enough ahead for
safety , especially at dusk or when it is dark . Be aware of changes
in outside light conditions when you are driving and respond by
switching on your low beams
fD.
0 Note
• With the light switch at the O or ;:oo: position , only your front fog
lights remain turned on when it turns dark outside . Even though
your instruments appear well lit, the road ahead of you is not. The
light pattern provided by fog lights alone is not suffic ient for safe
driving in poor light or darknes s. Therefore:
• Always be aware of changes in outside light conditions while
you are driving. Respond in time to fading daylight by turning the
light swit ch to position @:D (or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with
th is feature) to turn on your headlights.
[ i ] Tips
The day tim e run ning lig ht s fu nct io n c annot b e tur ned off. •
Applies to vehicles: with Adap tive ligh t
Adaptive light
W he n dri vin g around be nds , the r eleva nt area of the road
is b ette r illumin ated.
Fig. 64 Adapt ive light
when driving
T he bene fit of ada ptive lig ht is th at t he cu rve a nd the e dge of the
road are b etter illuminated=> fig. 64 . The adaptive light is controlled
a uto ma tically, de pendin g on ve hicle speed a nd s tee rin g w heel
angle.
When d riving around bends , the headlights are controlled
according t o steeri ng w heel angle. S o that ther e is no blac k ar ea
ahead of the veh icle, the two main beams pivot at different angles.
[ i ] Tips
T he system wor ks above a speed of about 6 mp h (10 km/ h). •

Ignition ON , light swit ch at @ .
With the ignition switched ON, the g low of instrument needles can
be adjusted to appear brighter or dimmer.
Ignition ON , ligh t switch at :oo ; or io.
With the lights switched on , the brightness of instrument cluster
(i .e. needles, gauges and displays) and center conso le i llu m in ation
can be adjusted .
0 Note
The instrument c luster and center console illumination (gauges and
needles) comes on when you switch on the igni tion and the
vehicle
headlights are off .
Be aware of the followin g difference be tween
models built to US o r Canadian specifications :
• USA models : illumination of the in strument cluster (gauges and
needles), dash and center console around the gearshift lever is
controlled by a light sensor located in the instrument panel. The
instrument panel illum ination will automatically become dimmer
as the daylight fades away and eventually will go out completely
when outside light is very low . This is to remind you , the d river , to
s witch on the headlight s before it gets too dark.
• Canada models : instrument panel illum ination will stay br ight
regardle ss of the inten sity of ambient light . Always be aware of
c hanges in outside light conditions while you are driving . Respond
in time to fading dayli ght by turning the light switch to position
iD
(or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with this feature) to turn on your
headlights. •
Bi-Xenon headlights*
Afte r starting the engi ne, the b i- xeno n headlights are au tomatical ly
adjusted to the load and angle of the vehic le (for example, during
acce lera tion and braking). This prevents oncoming traffi c from
experiencing unnecessary headlight g lare from your bi -xenon head ­
lig hts .
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
I f the system is not operating properly, a warning symbo l in the
Au to-Check C ontr ol is displayed
=> page 35 . •
Emergency flasher tfft,,.
T he e mergency flasher m akes other motor ists aware that
y o u or yo ur vehicle are i n an e merge ncy si tuation.
Fig . 68 Center
co nsole : emergency
fla sher sw itch
Press the sw itch ~=:,fig. 68, to s witch t he emergency
flasher on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four turn signal blink at the
same time . The tu rn signal indi cato r lights
¢i Q in the instrument
c luster, as well as the light in the emergency flasher switch
J:&. b link
likewise.
The eme rgency flashe r will automat ically switch on i f you are in an
accident where the airbag has deployed .
[ i ] Tips
You should switch on the emergency flasher when:
• you are the last vehicle standing in a traffic jam so that any other
vehicles coming can see you, or when
• your vehicle has broken down or you are in an emergency s itua -
tion, o r when _,,,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Activating /re ac tiv ating auto dimming
- Press button @
briefly, -the green indicator light ®
goes on.
Aut om ati c dimmin g fun ction
The automatic dimming function is activated every time the ignition
is turned on. The green indicator light is lit to indicate auto dimming
is active .
When dimming is activated, the inside mirror will darken
automati ­
cally
in response to the amount of light striking the mirror (such as
headlights from rearward approaching vehicles). Even in dimming
mode, the mirror surface turns bright when :
• the interior light is switched on
• reverse gear is engaged .
Sensors for automati c headligh ts *
With the help of the sensors in the mirror, when the light switch is
in the
AUTO posi tion, the low beams are switched on and off auto ­
matically depending on the ambient light conditions=>
page 70.
& WARNING
The glass of the inside rearview mirror is l ayered and contain s an
e lectrolyt e to a chieve its pr opert ie s . Be aware of liquid electr olyte
le aki ng fr om a broken mirror glass . This l iquid can cause irritation
to skin , eyes , and r espiratory sy stem .
• If you get ele ctrolyt e in your e yes or on your sk in , immediately
rin se with p lenty of water . If irritation per sists, s eek medical atten ­
tio n.
0 Note
Liquid electrolyte leaked from a broken mirror glass wi ll damage any
p lastic surfaces it comes in contact with. Clean up spilled electrolyte
immediately wi th clear wa ter and a sponge .
Contro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
[ i ] Tip s
• If you switch off the automatic di mming function on the in side
mirr or, automatic dimming of the outside mirrors w ill like wise be
di sabled .
• Check to make sure there are no objects preventing light from
reaching t he inside mirror.
• Do no t attach any stickers to the windshield in front of the two
light sensors, as this would interfere with both the automatic oper­
ation of the headlights and the automatic dimming of the inside
mirror(sl. •
Outside mirrors
The outside mirrors are electrically adjusted.
Adjusting the outside mirrors
Fig. 77 Fo rw ar d
s e ctio n of dri ver's
arm rest: pow er m irr or
co ntr ols
Tu rn th e adjust ing knob to pos iti on Q => fig . 77 to adjust
t h e outs ide mirror on t he driver's side .
Tu rn the adjusting knob to position @to adjust the
o utside m irror o n the passenger side .
Press the knob in the appropr iate d irection to
move the
m irror surface so that you have a good view to the rear .
1)1,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Clear vision Heated mirrors
- T urn th e kn ob to posi tio n @ .
Depending on the outside tem perature , the mirror surfaces are
h eate d unt il th e ig nitio n is s witche d off -eve n if t he k no b is no
longer in position
@ .
0 Note
• C urved (i .e. convex) mirror surfac es increas e your field of view .
Reme mber that ve hicles or other ob jec ts w ill appear smalle r and
farther away than when seen in a flat mirror . If you use this mirror to
e stimate d istances of fo llowing vehicles when changing lanes, yo u
cou ld estimat e in correc tly and cause a n acc id en t.
• I f the mirr or housing is moved uninten tionally (for e xample,
wh ile par king your veh icle), then you must first fold the mirro r elec ­
t rically. Do n ot readjust the mi rror housing man ually. You co uld
da mag e the motor w hic h con trol s the mirr or.
[ i ] Tips
If the re s hould be a malfu n ct ion i n th e electrical syste m, you ca n
sti ll adjus t the outside mirrors by pressing the edge of the mirror. •
Applies to vehicles : w ith aut oma tic dimming for ou ts id e mir ro rs
Automatic dimming for outside mirrors
The outsi de m irr or s are d immed t ogether w it h the au toma tic
dimming of the inside mirror. When the ignition is sw itched on, the
mi rrors dar ken automat ica lly depe nd ing on t he ligh t stri kin g th em
(e.g. headl ights from the rear) .
When the in te rior lighting is switched on and when reve rse gear is
engaged, the mi rrors a re switched back to their or iginal b rightness
(not dimmed) .
& WARNING
The glass of the inside rear view mirror is layered and contains an
electrolyte to achieve its properties. Be aware of liquid electrolyte
leaking from a broken mirror glass . This liquid can cause irr itation
to skin , eyes, and respiratory system . If you get electrolyte in your
eyes or on your skin , immed iately rinse with plenty of water . If irri ­
tation persists, seek medical attention .
0 Note
Electrolyte leaking from a bro ken mi rror glass attacks t he vehic le
p aint and plast ic su rfaces. Clea n up sp illed e lect ro lyte im med iately
with clear water and a sponge .
[ i ] Tips
• If automatic dimming for the inside mirror is switched off , the
outside mirrors are also not dimmed automatically.
• Automatic d imming for the mirror only operates properly if the
suns hade* fo r the rear w indow is re tr acted, or the l ig ht str iking the
inside mirror is not hindered by other objects .•

Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front seats to provide safe
and comfortable support for the driver and the front passenger.
Adjust your seat properly so that:
• you can easily and quickly reach all the switches and controls in
the instrument panel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing physical stress
and fatigue
• the safety belts and airbag system can offer maximum protec­
tion
~ page 146.
In the following sections, you will see exactly how you can best
adjust your seats.
There are special regulations and instructions for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always heed the informa ­
tion regarding child safety provided in~
page 168, "Child Safety".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and all other passengers
can result in serious personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in motion
- never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the
window or on top of the seat cushion! This applies especially to
the passengers. If your seating position is incorrect you increase
the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an accident. If
Controls and equip ­
ment
Seats and storage
& WARNING (continued)
the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect this could
result in personal injury or even death.
• It is important for both the driver and front passenger to keep
a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cml between themselves and
the steering wheel and/or instrument panel. If you're sitting any closer than this, the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition to this, the front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they can give you maximum
protection.
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your­
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger's seat while the
vehicle is moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly, causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury. If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving, you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe and relaxed
driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's seat in the
following manner:
- Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so that you can
easily push the pedals to the floor while keeping your
knee slightly bent:::>
& in "Why is your seat adjustment
so important?".
Adjust the seatback so that when you sit with your back against the seatback, you can still grasp the top of the
steering wheel. _..
I • •

Applies to vehicles : wit h m anua l seat a djustment
Adjust ing the m anu al se ats
Position, angle and shape of the manual seats can be
adjusted to provide safe and comfortable seating.
Reed and heed all WARNINGS=:> & before you adjust your
seat.
Moving the front seats forward or backward
- Lift the lever (D =:> page 88, fig. 80 and slide the seat to
the desired position.
- Release the lever and then move the seat further until
you feel and hear it engage.
Adjusting the seat height
- Pull
the lever 0 up and pump it to raise the seat.
-Push the lever down and pump it to lower the seat.
Adjusting the seatback angle
-Lean forward to take your weight off the seatback.
- Turn the hand wheel© in the direction you want the
seatback to tilt .
& WARNING
• Never adjust the driver's or front passenger's seat while the
vehicle is moving. If you do this while the vehicle is moving, you
will be out of position . Always adjust the driver's or front
passenger's seat when the vehicle is not moving.
• Be careful when adjusting the seat height. Check to see that no
one is in the way, or serious injury could result!
Controls and equip ­
ment
Seats and storage
& WARNING (continued)
• To reduce the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or
accident, front passengers must never ride in a moving vehicle
with the seatback reclined . Safety belts and the airbag system
only offer maximum protection when the seatback is upright and
the safety belts are properly positioned on the body. The more the
seatback is reclined, the greater the risk of personal injury from an
incorrect seating position and improperly positioned safety
belts! •
Power seats
Applies to ve hicles: w ith power sea ts
Adjustment switches
The operating logic for the switches corresponds to the
construction and function of the seat.
Fig. 81 Adjustment
switches: locations on
driver seat
Push or pull either switch in exactly the same direction you like the
corresponding part of the seat to move.
@ Adjusting the lumbar support~ page 91
@ Seat adjustm ent ~ page 90
© Adjusting the angle of the seatback ~ page 91 ..,_
I • •

• ..__O_ n_ t_h _ e_ r_ o_ a_ d ____________________________________________________ _
Ignition lock and ignition switch
Ignition lock
The igniti on key starts or s tops the eng ine.
Ignition off G)
Fi g. 1 01 Ign it io n lock
po sition s
In posit ion => fig. 101 G) both the ignition and engine are off, and
t he steering is locked.
To
lo ck the steering after you have removed the ignition key, turn
the steering whee l in either direction until you hear it lock into
place . You should always lock the steering whenever you leave your
vehic le. This makes a vehicle theft even more difficult =>& .
Ignition on 0
If it is difficult to turn the key after you have inserted it into the igni ­
tion lock, turn the steering wheel back and forth. This will take the
load off the steering lock mechanism and you wil l be able to turn the
key freely and start the engine.
Starting the engine ®
In this position the engine starts . Whi le the engine is starting, the
power supply to the headlights and other electrical consumers is
temporari ly interrupted to conserve battery power . After the engine
has started, release the key and it will return to position
G) .
Before the starter can be operated again the key must be turned
back to posi tion
G) . The non -repeat lock prevents you from
damaging the starter when the engine is running.
& WARNING
• Never remove the key from the ignition lo ck while the veh icle is
moving. The steering wheel will lo ck causing lo ss of control .
• If you have to leave your vehicle -even for just a minute -always
remove the ign ition key and take it with you . This i s especially
i mportant if you are going to l eave children behind in the vehi cle .
The children could start the eng ine or u se other vehi cle control s.
Unsupe rv ised use of vehicle controls (for e xample , power
window s) can cau se serious per sonal injurie s.
[ i ] Tips
If the veh icle ba ttery has been disconnected a nd then reconnected,
then you must leave the key in position
G) for about 5 seconds
bef ore you can start the engine .•
Appl ies to vehicles: with automat ic trans miss io n
Ignition key safety lock
The ig nition ke y can only be rem oved when the selec tor
le ver i s in the "P" (Par k) p osition.
After switching off the ignition, the ignition key can only be
r emoved from the igni tio n lock w hen the se lector leve r is in the "P"
(Park) position . After you have removed the key, the selector lever is
l ocked and cannot be moved. •

_________________________________________________ O .=.:.n.:....: t~h :.::e ::....:.. r.::o :.::a :.:d::...__lfflll
- Wit h a manual transm issi on, engage 1st gea r, or with a n
a utomatic transmission place the se lector lever in P
=> & .
- Remove the ignition key from the ignit io n lock.
Wha t el se you should do wh en parking yo ur v ehi cle on
a n incli ne or d ecline
Turn the steering whee l so that if the vehicle shou ld start to rol l, it
wi ll roll into the curb.
I f you are park ing on a
decline (the front of you r ve hicle facing
downhill) , turn the front wheels to the right so that they poin t
toward the curb .
If you are park ing on an in cline (the font of your vehicle facing
uphill!, turn the front whe els to the left so that they point
away from
the curb .
& WARNING
This is how you can reduce the ri sk of injury when le avi ng your
vehicle .
• Never p ark the vehi cle w here it can come
in cont act w ith dry
gra ss, s pilled fuel or any other flammable mater ial s.
• Never allow anyone -espe cially small ch ildren -to remain
in the
vehicle when it is locked . Locked doors make it more difficult for
re scu ers to ac ce ss the pa ssenger compartment in the e vent of an
emergency . Danger to life!
• Never lea ve childr en un super vis ed in the vehicle . Children
c ould release the parking brake or move the gearsh ift l ever out of
gear . The vehicle could start to r oll away a nd cau se an a ccident .
• No matter what the season i s, the temperature
in a parked
v ehi cle can reach dangerou s level s. •
Controls and equip ­
ment
Acoustic parking system
A pplies to veh ic les : wit h 4 -ch anne l a cou stic park ass is t
Rear acoustic park assist
Acoustic park assist gives a warning a bout o bstacles
behind the vehicle.
Description
The rear acoustic park assist (4 -channel acoustic park assist) deter ­
mines the d istance of the vehic le from an obstac le using u ltrasonic
sensors. The sensors are in the rear bumper. The volume and the
pitch of the chimes can be adjusted through the menu display
=> page 27.
The range at which the sensors start to m easure is about :
To the side
Center rear
Acti v atio n
2 feet (0 .60 m)
5 feet (1.60 ml
The pa rking assist is activated when rever se ge ar is engaged . A brief
tone confirms that the system is activated .
Backing up
Distance warning when backing up starts when an obstacle is
detec ted in the range of the park ass ist system . As the distance
decreases, the time interval between the aud ible tones becomes
shorter .
When the distance is less than 1 foot (0.30 m) , the tone becomes
continuous . At this point you should stop backing up.
Please note that low objects a lready signalled by a warning can
disappear from the sys tem's detection range and wil l not continue
t o be signa lled . ..,
I • •

On the road -
----------------
CRUISE (US mod ell/ f-f (Canadian mod ell will a lso light up in the
instrument cluster .
& WARNING
• Always pay att enti on to traffic ev en whe n the c rui se control is
swi tched o n. Yo u are alway s resp onsi ble for your spe ed and the
di stanc e betw een your veh icle and other ve hic le s.
• Fo r sa fet y re as on s, th e c ruise control shou ld not be u sed in the
c it y, in stop -and -go traffic , on twi sting road s and when road condi­
t ion s a re poor (such as ice, fog, gra vel, hea vy ra in and hydro­
planing ) - risk of accid ent.
• Turn off the cr uis e control t empor arily when e nte ring turn
lane s, highwa y ex it lane s or in con stru ctio n z one s.
• Please note that inad vertentl y "re sting " your foot on the a ccel­
er ato r ped al ca use s t he crui se control not to br ake . Thi s is because
the cru ise control i s overridden b y the dri ve r's acc eleration .
[ i] Tip s
• Vehicles w ith manua l transmission : You can at tain the set speed
only if the currently engaged gear allows it and the engine is not
stressed. Shifting to a higher or lower gear promptly will allow the
engine to run smooth ly .
• The cruise control cannot maintain a constant speed when
driving downhi ll. The vehicle will acce lerate under its own weight .
Downshift to a lower gear or use the brakes to s low down. •
Changing speed
-Press lever © in the 0 or O direction ~ page 110,
fig. 103 to increase or dec rease your speed.
- Release the lever to save that speed .
Controls and equip­
ment
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/h) by lightly pressing
the lever . If you keep the lever pressed down, you will a lter your
speed in 5 mph (10 km /h) increments .
You can a lso press the acce lerator 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 release the accelerator pedal.
I f , however, you exceed your saved speed by 5 mph (10 km/h) for
longer than 5 minutes, the cruise control will turn off temporarily .
The symbol will go ou t but the saved speed will be retained. •
Presetting your sp eed
You can preset your desired speed while the vehicle is not
moving.
Turn on the ignition.
P ull lever @into position
0 ~ page 110, fig. 103.
Press the lever in the
0 or O direction to increase or
decrease your speed.
- Release the lever to save that speed .
This function makes it possible, for 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 the system off
Tempor ary d ea ctiv ati o n
Press the brake pedal, or
- Keep the c lutch pedal pressed down
longer, or
- Press t he lever © into positio n
0 (n ot c licked i nto pla ce)
~ page 110 , fig. 1 03 , or ~
I • •