Headrest Adjustment
 

Will the headrest adjust forward and backward?

I thought I read that the the Q5 and A8L adjusted to allow for a ponytail etc.

I'm hoping we didn't just buy an Audi that won't do that. I wear hair clips on a daily basis and the headrest in our 2002 kills my neck. I never had that problem with my other older Audi's. :( We're picking up the car this weekend and I'd like to know how to adjust the headrest for the drive home.

Back up...2002? Or, 2012?

2002 would be back to D2 era. Back then ,and a la Gen 1 Q5 we have or 2000 A6 4.2 I used to drive, you probably physically grab the headrest cushion and twist bottom portion of it forward or back in order effectively to change the angle your head rests against. By 2012, all motorized, and no similar adjustment. In an accident with D4 some small explosive charges drive the headrest forward, while seatbelt similarly cinches up.

Just bought a 2014 A8L. We were not able to figure out how to adjust to heard rest to accommodate my hair clips. This is big problem with the car I am currently driving, a 2002 A6 Wagon. I never had this problem in my older Audi's (1979 5000, 1984 4000, 1997 A6 wagon). I really am hoping that I can adjust the head rest to allow for the hair clips, since my neck is killing me after driving this car. I tried to research the issue and thought I read the A8L and Q5 did adjust forward and backward but now I am thinking, sadly, it may only be the Q5.

I wanted to ask on the forum which models allow for this adjustment but I couldn't see a way to do that with the topics structured like they are. Like where would that question be appropriately posted?

By way of background I have owned virtually every Audi you have mentioned (Q5, 5000, C5 A6, C4 A6, etc.) and these seats are way better designed in general and with better adjustability.

So I got in my D4 in past hour and my reaction candidly huh, must be a really big hair clip. My admittedly mostly bald head is probably 4" from the headrest. Way farther than it used to be for example in the not that well made 2000 A6 4.2 seat I owned and rode for 100K miles. Then I realized to play with the UPPER seat adjustment. That isn't even a concept or adjustment in any other Audi I have owned prior to an A8/S8. So, I noticed if I started to adjust the UPPER part of the seat back forward, that does in fact bring the seat headrest forward along with it. Correspondingly, if you relax that upper seat back, the headrest moves backward a lot. That control is independent of the lower seat back which is where the basic rake/angle of the seat back is changed. That is the only adjustment available on the other Audi's you mentioned. My D4 has the top level front seats available, as did my D3. Apologies btw if maybe your seats don't have a few adjustability items I mention here.

Thus, try moving the upper setback all the way back to its relaxed position, then adjust the lower setback main angle to your liking. Then try to use the lumbar support adjustment to get it best settled for your lower and mid back, plus the side bolsters. Finally, dial that upper seat back in (and with it the headrest) to support your shoulders on the one hand comfortably, but not so much as to create the headrest interference you are having. Moving the steering wheel in or out also overlaps some of these adjustments if you push the shoulder related setting or back angle either in or out for a given adjustment of the seat base/leg room.