I am not sure if this is typical Audi, but even if the car is not locked and in a dim area, wrapping your hand around the door handle will turn the lights on.

2) If you stop the car and the gear is still in D, opening the driver's door will automatically turn on the parking brake. Not sure why.

2) If you stop the car and the gear is still in D, opening the driver's door will automatically turn on the parking brake. Not sure why.

That's really interesting. I'd imagine it is a safety feature of some sort. I wonder if the car was designed to engage the parking brake in any position except for park if the door is opened in order to prevent the car from moving. If the driver intentionally wanted the door open while moving the car (to maybe look at something off to the side of the car), he/she could disengage the parking brake and continue on. On the other hand, if an absent-minded driver was chatting away on the phone and attempted to get out of the vehicle with the car in drive or neutral, the car wouldn't drive off or roll backwards down a hill. :)

Does it do the same thing in reverse and neutral?

That's really interesting. I'd imagine it is a safety feature of some sort. I wonder if the car was designed to engage the parking brake in any position except for park if the door is opened in order to prevent the car from moving. If the driver intentionally wanted the door open while moving the car (to maybe look at something off to the side of the car), he/she could disengage the parking brake and continue on. On the other hand, if an absent-minded driver was chatting away on the phone and attempted to get out of the vehicle with the car in drive or neutral, the car wouldn't drive off or roll backwards down a hill. :)

Does it do the same thing in reverse and neutral?

Haven't tried that yet. I will let you know.

Sounds like a safety feature to me. On my CC with auto hold if you take off your seatbelt the car auto puts on the parking brake. Not sure what would happen if you took off your seatbelt while at speed...

on the 7 it puts the car into park if you take off your seatbelt and open the door. A good safety feature.

Just this morning I had my seat belt on, car in reverse, and I opened the door to see where I was in relation to striped lines in my parking garage as I backed into a parking space. The parking brake came on. I just released it and it was fine. Not sure I would have known what was happening if I hadn't read this thread first.

Dang technology!


I dont have this problem in my '63 Cadillac... :)

So it has nothing to do with seat belts...

Here's another one for all of you. When I first start the car and the screen pops up, it always starts the radio, even if I had turned it off before turning off the ignition. Is that a default setting? Any way to change that?

One more thing I noticed today.


The rear spoiler will raise with a push of a button, of course, but if you are stationary, you have to keep pushing the button until it's fully retracted.


But if you are moving, a push of a button will retract the rear wing.

Funny, huh?

Also, you can't pull the front hood release unless the driver door is open - must be some kind of interlock.

The digital speedometer shows your speed in reverse...