# Hill hold assist.



## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

What are the advantages as the handbrake automatically releases when moving off and prevents the car rolling back?

Is it something that can be engaged at traffic lights without selecting neutral on the Stronic?

Is it mainly for manual gearbox cars as they don't have the benefit of the Stronic?


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## Quizzical (Sep 6, 2015)

With Hold Hold Assist and Stronic you will never need to select neutral or touch the handbrake switch. At traffic lights, for example, as the car comes to a stop the handbrake automatically engages (with the engine running or not depending on how gently you pressed the brake pedal). The car is held securely - whatever the slope gradient - until you press the accelerator pedal to move off.

Of all the options offered with the TT, Hill Hold Assist would be the first on my list, particularly as it is just about the only one with a sensible price tag.

I cannot speak for how Hill Hold Assist works with manual gearboxes.


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## Alan Sl (Nov 11, 2009)

Quizzical said:


> With Hold Hold Assist and Stronic you will never need to select neutral or touch the handbrake switch. At traffic lights, for example, as the car comes to a stop the handbrake automatically engages (with the engine running or not depending on how gently you pressed the brake pedal). The car is held securely - whatever the slope gradient - until you press the accelerator pedal to move off.
> 
> Of all the options offered with the TT, Hill Hold Assist would be the first on my list, particularly as it is just about the only one with a sensible price tag.
> 
> I cannot speak for how Hill Hold Assist works with manual gearboxes.


I agree completely, best value Audi option and something I use all the time - especially useful in queuing traffic and stop start driving. Saves keeping foot on the foot brake or manually applying the handbrake.


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## KevC (Jul 12, 2016)

There are two different things with similar names.

Hold assist
Hill hold assist

Hill Hold Assist stops the car rolling backwards when you stop on a slope and you go from the brake to the accelerator to get moving again.

Hold Assist applies the handbrake when you stop so you don't have to keep your foot on the brake pedal or move to neutral while stopped at lights to prevent auto creep rolling you forwards.


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## R_TTS (Mar 16, 2016)

Even the configurator is bit confused though










To me Hill hold assist and Audi hold assist are the same thing and a £90 option on the TT. It does seem to be more commonly referred to as Audi hold assist.
https://www.audi.co.uk/glossary/a/audi-hold-assist.html

The other feature (rather than paid option) seems to be called Hill START assist. 
https://www.audi.co.uk/glossary/h/hill- ... ssist.html


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## aw159130 (Feb 27, 2016)

How does the hill hold assist work in conjunction with the engine stop/start feature? Ordinarily as you come to a halt the engine will stop. It will then automatically start again as soon as you lift off the brake pedal. If the idea of hill hold assist is that you don't have to keep your foot on the brake then does the way stop/start works change or does it simply not work?

Personally I didn't bother with hill hold assist. The important bit to me is that the car will hold itself on the brake whilst moving from the brake pedal to the accelerator on a hill start which it does without the option. Having driven an automatic for years, I've always simply held my foot on the brake when stationary anyway so this feels natural to me.

Having said that, the brightness of the brake lights might not be pleasant for the car behind. :twisted:


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## R_TTS (Mar 16, 2016)

Start/stop works in pretty much the same way when hold assist is activated. Engine remains off when you lift off the foot brake, car remains stationary, then restarts when you put your foot on the accelerator.

Also having driven autos for years, and having another auto car (without a hold assist equivalent) as my daily driver, keeping my foot on the brake when stopped is so natural, I never use it. But at £90 FOMO ticked the box.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

R_TTS said:


> Even the configurator is bit confused though
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This has caused endless confusion amongst owners and it does seem that even Audi don't understand the difference. :roll:

As I understand it what KevC is the correct version. I don't have the £90 option (whatever its called) but I do have Hill Hold Assist as we all do - this holds the brakes on for about 1 - 2 seconds when you are on an incline while you switch your foot from the brake to the accelerator. It only works on a hill not on the flat hence the name.

The £90 option Hold Assist works to automatically apply the handbrake as already described - to the best of my knowledge.


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## R_TTS (Mar 16, 2016)

ZephyR2 said:


> I don't have the £90 option (whatever its called) but I do have Hill Hold Assist as we all do - this holds the brakes on for about 1 - 2 seconds when you are on an incline while you switch your foot from the brake to the accelerator. It only works on a hill not on the flat hence the name.


You mean you have Hill-start assist then!
https://www.audi.co.uk/glossary/h/hill- ... ssist.html

It's Audi hold assist (the £90 option) vs hill-start assist (the free feature). The confusion comes from the fact the configurator also calls Audi hold assist Hill hold assist.


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I have been confused for a while,so the £90 option applies the handbrake everytime you stop until you move off.So its really an automatic handbrake whilst driving.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

Hill hold assist is standard with S-tronic, it keeps the car still on a hill in the mean while you release the brake pedal and move your foot the the accelerator pedal..so it's length time is about few seconds.

Hold assist, optional, keeps the brakes when you stop the car and release them as soon as you press the accelerator.

Both systems use the brakes circuit and not the handbrake circuit.
The car engages the handbrake if you open the door or unfasten your seat belt though.


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

Hold assist, the £90 option works really well on a manual, the only downside is blinding the driver behind with your stop lamps.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

Exactly, they think you keep the brakes with no reaseon!


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## winrya (Feb 22, 2014)

Hold assist is useful. As the later posts state it applies and holds all 4 brakes and not the handbrake. If you notice when pulling off with handbrake it has some resistance as it disengages, the hold assist lets go much more smoothly. It does hold the brake lights on which blinds people behind so in the dark I will often engage the handbrake to be a bit more courteous. It also can be a bit annoying when trying to park so often disengage it


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I have no problem with drivers behind being dazzled as they should not be so close.


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## winrya (Feb 22, 2014)

Tt lights are very bright tbf. Sat in traffic on the m6 when we got it I remember a couple of instances where occupants in cars behind were holding their arms up like they were being blinded by the sun


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

90TJM said:


> I have no problem with drivers behind being dazzled as they should not be so close.


Right!!

And they are lucky that the car is lower than a normal drive position so below the eyes line..otherwise the led direct light would be more!


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

R_TTS said:


> ZephyR2 said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have the £90 option (whatever its called) but I do have Hill Hold Assist as we all do - this holds the brakes on for about 1 - 2 seconds when you are on an incline while you switch your foot from the brake to the accelerator. It only works on a hill not on the flat hence the name.
> ...


Yes you are right. Just had a look in the manual and it is called Hill Start Assist - which is standard on all versions.


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I will have to start using the fogs as well! There are some severe speed humps where I live and I get fed up of other cars
an inch from my bumper.


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Thanks,
I think that well and truly clears things up with the excepotion of sitting at llights. If you have hold assist and press the button does it leave your brake lights on? Not goood for those behind which is why I always use the handbrake and neutral (Stronic)


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## KevC (Jul 12, 2016)

Yes they stay on.

Rather than sweepy indicators I'd like to see the next innovation on the lights be that they dim the brakes to 50% brightness after, say 10 seconds, and then another 50% after another 10 seconds. Plenty long enough for a following vehicle to have seen them and bright enough not to blind but still show your state of being stopped.


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## blaird03 (Nov 9, 2013)

KevC said:


> Yes they stay on.
> 
> Rather than sweepy indicators I'd like to see the next innovation on the lights be that they dim the brakes to 50% brightness after, say 10 seconds, and then another 50% after another 10 seconds. Plenty long enough for a following vehicle to have seen them and bright enough not to blind but still show your state of being stopped.


using the rear parking sensors to identify when a vehicle is behind !


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

I think it's a bit too close when you can see it with your sensors!!


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

moro anis said:


> Thanks,
> I think that well and truly clears things up with the excepotion of sitting at llights. If you have hold assist and press the button does it leave your brake lights on? Not goood for those behind which is why I always use the handbrake and neutral (Stronic)


No need to go to neutral. 
Switch handbrake on in D and let go of the brake - car won't stall or try to set off. 
Touch the accelerator and handbrake releases.


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

R_TTS said:


> To me Hill hold assist and Audi hold assist are the same thing


They're not.


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

They're not. Hold assist means you will never manually operate the parking brake again as it is done for you. The BMW version works the same but forgets the setting every time you turn the ignition off Which is really annoying. The Audi system stays on until you over ride it. IMO the first option to tick on the configurator.


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## R_TTS (Mar 16, 2016)

In Audi's current terminology they are the same. The 'other' feature Audi now call Hill-*START* assist. Look at the configurator, the words "hill hold assist" are clearly used to describe Audi hold assist.

People may be further confused by the fact that what Audi now call Hill-*START* assist, is still called Hill hold by VW, and fairly generically in the car industry. However Audi are clearly selling Audi hold assist with the exact wording "Hill hold assist" in their configurator.


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Omychron said:


> moro anis said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks,
> ...


Hi,
Yes, I had sussed this but it seems alien to me to have the car in D with the hand brake on hence neutral.


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

I looked at this thread to help clarify my confusion on Hold Assist and Hill Hold Assist after reading the manual. It hasn't! I don't have the car yet to just try it. My current Golf with DSG is essentially a TTS Stronic, but it seems to come as standard with the £90 option. That is, you stop at lights, press the brake, the brakes come on and stay on (along with brake lights to blind the people behind and embarrass me) and the engine switches off. To pull away you dab the throttle and the engine starts, the brakes release and off you go.

I think I now understand that I should have ticked the £90 option to get this familiar operation? But because I haven't, I will have to keep my foot on the brake at the lights unless I put the handbrake on... just like I did for over 30 years before the Golf! With the added bonus of not upsetting the driver behind me!

Have I finally understood it please?

If this is the case, it would appear that Audi are charging £90 for a tiny bit of firmware though? Or even just a setting? Are there any hardware differences?


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## KevC (Jul 12, 2016)

You are correct in how it works and what the £90 pays for.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

ttsser said:


> Are there any hardware differences?


Yes; an on/off switch in front of the handbrake 'lever'.


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

It's useful on a manual car, on the x5 I drive it forgets the setting every time you turn the ignition off and on again. The TT fortunately remembers.


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

KevC said:


> You are correct in how it works and what the £90 pays for.





brittan said:


> ttsser said:
> 
> 
> > Are there any hardware differences?
> ...


Thanks for confirming that. Yes, I have the switch on the Golf, but EVERY TT interior pic I have seen also shows the switch! So everybody coughs up £90... for a switch and a tiny tweak to the firmware!

Thanks for clearing that up


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## Rumney (Feb 7, 2017)

Still a bit confused how this relates to the TT with its electronic parking brake and why any of this Hill Hold stuff is required (sorry to be dense guys). Every vehicle that I have ever driven (manual or automatic) that has had an electronic parking brake follows basically the same process as below:

1 Bring vehicle to a stop with foot brake.
2 Push or pull electronic parking brake button (depending on vehicle make/model) to apply electronic parking brake.
3 Release foot brake and wait until ready to proceed.
4 Drive off (electronic parking brake automatically releases when sufficient forward pressure is recorded by braking system).

No need for any type of Hill Hold option and no dazzling of vehicles behind by keeping pressure on foot brake.

Is this the same process for the TT manual?

nb Still waiting for delivery of mine so can't physically check


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## Jannerman (Nov 19, 2016)

Hold assist is over and above that, when it is switched on, you just have to come to a halt and the parking brake is applied automagically without you having to pull up on the electronic handbrake switch. It also releases automagically as you drive off.

I'm still trying to retrofit it to my car, I've fitted the hold assist switch and run the wiring to the ABS module. I just can't get VCP (Vag Can Pro) to let me add the UH2 option to module 19.

It was on an A3 demonstrator that I tried and I really liked it, so If I ever get it working on my car I'll be a happy bunny.


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

I am regretting not ticking that option now I understand what it is. It came as standard on my Golf and after three years of taking it for granted, I am somewhat worried I am going to forget that I don't have it in the TTS and bash something. I made the assumption that the TTS would come with most of what a Golf has at least. Oh well, the car is much prettier and has fantastic leather seats even if it is the same car with a lesser specification that cost 15k more!


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## Rumney (Feb 7, 2017)

Jannerman said:


> Hold assist is over and above that, when it is switched on, you just have to come to a halt and the parking brake is applied automagically without you having to pull up on the electronic handbrake switch. It also releases automagically as you drive off.


Thanks for your reply Jannerman - I get that this is an optional addition to the standard functionality of the braking system for the TT (my wife has a similar function in her BMW X3 automatic but BMW call it Auto Hold).

Can you confirm, as a *standard* build, that the electronic parking brake on the Mk3 TT having been manually applied *automatically* releases when you start to move forward. I think you are saying that when you replied "Hold assist is over and above that" to my original post but can you please confirm.

Grateful for your help


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## Jannerman (Nov 19, 2016)

On an s-tronic the standard electric parking brake releases as you start to move off provided the doors are closed and your seatbelt is fastened, sorry I originally missed that yours will be a manual I presume it is the similar but I haven't driven one.


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## Rumney (Feb 7, 2017)

Jannerman said:


> On an s-tronic the standard electric parking brake releases as you start to move off provided the doors are closed and your seatbelt is fastened, sorry I originally missed that yours will be a manual I presume it is the similar but I haven't driven one.


Thanks Jannerman - much appreciated


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

The manual is the same it will release as you move off.You will get the hang of it once you get the car.If you want to release the handbrake without moving off you need to have your foot on the brake and will get a message on the screen to do so.


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## Rumney (Feb 7, 2017)

90TJM said:


> The manual is the same it will release as you move off.You will get the hang of it once you get the car.If you want to release the handbrake without moving off you need to have your foot on the brake and will get a message on the screen to do so.


Thanks 90TJM - I always use my parking brake whenever I stop anyway so I don't regret not ordering the Hill Start stuff. Each to their own I know but auto release of the electronic brake will do fine for me


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I tend not to use the handbrake when driving as there is also a around a 2 second delay when releasing the footbrake so you dont roll back.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

I always use my handbrake, even on the level. Means your car isn't going to move and you can take your feet off the pedals and relax. 
Also if someone hits you while you're stopped with your foot on the brake, and worst still on the clutch while in gear, your instinct is to lift your foot off the pedal and then you could end up anywhere.


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## Jannerman (Nov 19, 2016)

ZephyR2 said:


> I always use my handbrake, even on the level. Means your car isn't going to move and you can take your feet off the pedals and relax.
> Also if someone hits you while you're stopped with your foot on the brake, and worst still on the clutch while in gear, your instinct is to lift your foot off the pedal and then you could end up anywhere.


I think that's exactly the point of the "Hold Assist" though... the handbrake gets engaged every time you stop, you just don't have to do it yourself


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

Jannerman said:


> ZephyR2 said:
> 
> 
> > I always use my handbrake, even on the level. Means your car isn't going to move and you can take your feet off the pedals and relax.
> ...


Exactly my point. I have had this assistance for the last three years, having never had it before, but I worry that I have become reliant on it now. I just expect it to happen. If I had never had it, it wouldn't be an issue, but I wish I had ticked the box now!


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## Jannerman (Nov 19, 2016)

ttsser said:


> Exactly my point. I have had this assistance for the last three years, having never had it before, but I worry that I have become reliant on it now. I just expect it to happen. If I had never had it, it wouldn't be an issue, but I wish I had ticked the box now!


That'll be the "buyers remorse" setting in.... It'll be fine, yr getting as new TT for goodness sake, I'll all be gravy for you from now on! 8)


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

90TJM said:


> I have no problem with drivers behind being dazzled as they should not be so close.


What! If you had a driver 10 feet behind at night it would be unsociabley dazzling to leave your brake lights on. The highway code says you should leave a 6 foot space in a queue, or at least it did 35 years ago when I last read it!


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

Jannerman said:


> ttsser said:
> 
> 
> > Exactly my point. I have had this assistance for the last three years, having never had it before, but I worry that I have become reliant on it now. I just expect it to happen. If I had never had it, it wouldn't be an issue, but I wish I had ticked the box now!
> ...


Haha. Good point! And I used your quote to my wife today... she is picking up her new car on Friday and thinks she has chosen the wrong colour :roll:


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## Arbalest (Feb 27, 2015)

ttsser said:


> Haha. Good point! And I used your quote to my wife today... she is picking up her new car on Friday and thinks she has chosen the wrong colour


How so - what colour has she gone for?


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## ttsser (Feb 27, 2017)

Arbalest said:


> ttsser said:
> 
> 
> > Haha. Good point! And I used your quote to my wife today... she is picking up her new car on Friday and thinks she has chosen the wrong colour
> ...


Pearl Merlot Red


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Wow that's a bit different. Get some pics up on here when you get it.

Sent from my iPhone so this is what Autocorrect thinks I mean.


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