tow AUDI A8 2013 Service Manual

214 Trailer towing
• Start the engine.
• Se lect the D selector lever position.
• Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­ mat ic transm ission to P before app lying
the park ing brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.

220 Cleaning and protec tio n
cleaner or with a solvent designed especially
to clean viny l.
Occasionally apply a colo rless v inyl or leather
preservat ive to reta in the material's l uste r
and p liability .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
Q page 215.
Aluminum trim
Use only n eutr al- pH products to remove spots
and depos its from aluminum surfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum surfaces and can dam ­
age them over time .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
Q page 215.
Touch -up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up
immediately .
.. Use either a touch-up pa int stick or spray
paint to cove r minor scratches and nicks .
Your Audi dealer has touch-up paint for minor scra tches and stone chips. Scratches should
be touched up soon after they occur to pre­
vent corrosion .
If a spot starts to rust, however, a simple
touch-up job w ill not be enough. The affected
surface must be sanded smooth and coated
with an anti-rust pr imer befo re the pa inted
finish ca n be restored .
The number for the original vehicle paint can be found on the vehicle ident ificat ion label
Q page 290 .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
Qpage 215.
Windows
Clear vision to all sides .
Clean all windows regula rly to remove road
film and car wash wax buildup.
.. Remove snow from w indows us ing a brush.
.. Use a plastic ice sc raper to remove ice from
w indows and mirrors.
.. Remove other residue on the windows with
a spray-on g lass cleaner .
.. Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.
The best way to remove snow from windows and mirrors is to use a brush . Use a non-abra ­
s ive
plastic ic e scrape r -better st ill, a spray
deicer - to remove
ice from w indows and m ir­
ro rs.
Oil , grease or s ilicone residue can be removed
with
gla ss cleaner or silicon e remover . How­
ever, wax res idue requires the use of a spec ial­
ly formula ted so lve nt. Please contact your
A udi dealer for adv ice on safe products for
wax removal.
Windows should also be cleaned on the inside at regu la r i nte rvals .
Never dry windows with the same chamo is
that you use to dry pai nted surfaces. Wax resi­
due on the chamois can impa ir v is ion through
t h e windows.
A WARNING
- Always re ad and heed a ll WAR NINGS and
other info rmation
Q page 215.
- The windsh ield must no t be treated w ith
water-repellen t materials. They can in­
crease glare unde r poo r vis ibility condi ­
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon . In addi­
tion, they can cause the w indshield w ip­
ers to chatter.
(D Note
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow and ice from windows and mirrors .
Th is could cause the glass to crack. ..,_

224 Cleaning and protection
Car e and handling
Because of the exclusive nat ure of the types of
l eather that Audi uses and their unique prop ­
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soi l­
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
fu l w ith these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, dark clot hing
materials can d iscolor leather seats (especial­
ly if such cloth ing is damp and was not dyed
correctly). Dust and dirt part icles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have an ab ras ive effect
and can damage the leather s urface as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as
n eeded. After having been used for a re latively
l ong t ime, yo ur leather sea ts will acqui re a
rich aged finish. This is a charac teris tic of nat ­
ura l leather and a sign o f true quality .
I n o rder to maintain t he va lue of t his natura l
p rod uct over the life of yo ur vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below :
(D Note
-To keep you r leather from bleaching out,
do not a llow it to be exposed to br ight
sunl igh t for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked o utside
for long periods, cover the leather to
protect it from d irect exposure to sun­
li ght.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip­
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on be lts can
l eave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
- After each t ime you clean the leather and
at regu lar intervals, use a leather preser­
vat ive creme that conta ins UV-blockers
and that works into the leather. This
creme wi ll nourish and moistur ize the
l eathe r, helping it to b reath e and stay
supple.
It also helps to b uild up a prote c­
tive coat ing on the s urfa ce.
- Clean t he leather every 2 -3 mont hs,
and clean any areas that ge t soiled. - Remove
fresh marks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe polish, etc. as
soon as poss ible.
- Preserve the color of the leather as need­
ed by using a specia l co lored leather care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color.
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and a t­
tention .
Normal cleaning
.. Clean soiled areas with a slightly moistened
cotton or woo len cloth .
More stubborn dirt
.. More s tubbor n dirt can be removed using a
clo th sa turated wi th a mild so ap solut ion (2
tablespoons mild liquid soap).
.. Never allow the soap sol ution to saturate
the leather, and make certain that no water
s oak s into the seam s.
.. Wipe off the soap so lution with a soft, dry
cloth .
Cleanin g spot s
.. Remove fresh water-based spots (s uch as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil -based spots
(such as butte r, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent clot h or paper towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
s po t h as no t yet penet rated i nto t he surface
of the leathe r .
.. Use an oil/grease d issolving spray, i f
oil/
grease spot s ha ve dr ied on.
.. Remove specific k inds of spots (ballpoint
pen, fe lt marker, fingerna il polish, water­
based pa int, shoe po lish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formu lated for lea ther.
L e ather care
.. Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your Audi dealer) to
care for the leather . .,.

-Only when a ll tires on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring* system can work cor­ rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the d river
observe the specif ied tire pressure values
for the tires and the co rrect p ress ures for
the f un ct ion of t he tire pressure mo nitor­
ing sy stem*.
- Always inflate ti res to the recommended
and co rrec t tire pressu re befo re dr ivi ng
off.
- Driv ing wi th under infla ted ti res bend
more, letti ng them get too ho t res ulting
in t read separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- Excessive spee d and/ove rloading can
ca use heat bui ld -up, sudden tire fa il ur e
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematu rely an d the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
-If the t ire is no t flat and you do no t have
to change a w heel imme diate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Driving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this,
always make s ure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re secure ly
mounted on the va lve .
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry .
A vehicle that is ove rloaded w ill not ha ndle
well and is more difficult to stop . Overload ing
can no t on ly lead to loss o f vehi cle con tro l,
Tire s an d wheel s 257
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and ca n lead to sud den tire fai lure, in ­
clud ing a b lowout and s udden def lation that
can cause the vehicle to cras h.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
("GVWR ") .
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load . The max imum load includes
the number of passenge rs that th e vehicle is
i n tended to car ry ("seat ing capa city") wi th an
ass umed we igh t of 150 lbs (68 kg) fo r each
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and t he tota l weight of any luggage i n the ve­
hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar. Your Audi has 5 seat ing
pos itions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rea r fo r
total seating capacity of 5 . Vehicles with pow­
er ind iv idual rea r seats* have 4 seat ing pos i­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rea r fo r total
seat ing capac ity o f 4. Each seating position
has a safety belt~
page 144, Safety belts.
The fact that there is a n uppe r limit to you r
vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight Rating means
t h at the to tal weig ht of whatever is bei ng car ­
ried in the vehicle ( in cl ud ing t he weight of a
trai ler hitch and the tongue weigh t of t he
loa ded trai le r) is limite d. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
•
•

2 70 What do I do now ?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle.
Fi g. 2 11 Trunk escape handle: View from inside the
closed trunk
To open r ear lid
.. Pull the hand le down towards the bumper
r=;,fig. 211.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency re lease leve r shou ld never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
Emergency warning
triangle
Applies to vehicles: wit h emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig . 2 12 Trunk lid: Warn ing triangle
.. To remove the warning triangle, press the
retainer in the direction of the arrow
r=;, fig . 212 and fold the holder down .
T he rea r lid is only des igned to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program . If you wou ld like to retrofit yo ur ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your authorized Audi dea ler.

Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover.
Fi g. 213 Luggage compartme nt: cargo floor cover
folded upward
Fig. 214 Trunk lid: Vehicle too l kit
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip¢
fig. 213.
.. Remove the spare wheel to reach the veh i-
cle tool kit .
.. Remove the foam p iece.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers* or whee l
hub covers
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Al ignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Towing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
What do I d o now ? 271
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injur ies.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for yo ur vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances sho uld it be used to lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in­
ju ring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied wit h your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional ext ras .
- Before yo u can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode ¢
page 2 76 .

Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 21 6 Luggag e compartme nt: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 216.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart ­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 216 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 140 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 273
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 271,
c:> page
272 .
& WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
-

284 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
page 226 , Engine com­
partment.
«I) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, rad io, etc .
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,_

286 Emergency situations
-When connecting jumper cables, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the engine compar t­
ment .
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> page 226 , Engine com­
partment.
(D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru­
in the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI­
TIVE( +), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies specifically to the case of
your vehicle being jump started. When
you are giving a jump start to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative(-) ca­
ble to the negative(-) terminal on the
discharged battery ©
c:> fig. 230. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(-)
cable to either a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to the engine block itself . If the bat­
tery that is being charged does not vent
to the outside, escaping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
tng.
The following information is to be used by
commercial tow truck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safely.
-Never tow your Audi. Towing will cause
damage to the engine and transmission.
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch ca­
bles around the brake lines.
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use
the towing loop found in the vehicle tools
and attach to the front or rear anchorage
c:> pag e 286 and c:> page 287.
.&_ WARNING
=
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas-
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle being towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Only install the front towing loop when it is
needed .
C7
0
Fig. 231 Front bumper: cover
Fig. 232 Front bumper : sc rewing in th e towin g loop
-
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo ­
cated on the right side of the front bumper
and covered by a small cover when not in use.
.,. Remove the towing loop from the veh icle
tool kit.

.. Press in ward strongly on the left side of the
cap to remove it from the bumper
e::>fig . 231 .
.. Screw the towing loop in the threaded
opening and tighten it until it stops
e::> fig . 232 .
Remove the towing loop when you are done
using it and place it back in the vehicle tool
kit. Install the cover in the bumper. Always
keep the towing loop in the vehicle .
..&_ WARNING
If you do not sc rew the tow ing loop com­
pletely, it cou ld come out of the threaded
hole while the vehicle is bei ng towed caus ­
ing damage to the vehicle and possib le se­
r ious perso nal injury .
Rear towing loop
Only install the rear towing loop when it is
needed.
0 0
Fig . 233 Rear bumper: cover
0 0
Fig. 2 34 Rear bumper : screw ing in towing loop
There are threads located be hind the right
side of the rear bumper w here a towing loop
can be installed. The threads are located be­
hind a cover.
-
Emergenc y situ ation s 287
.. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
too l kit .
.. Press inward strongly on the left side (AB)/
upper s ide (58) of the cap to remove it from
the bumper
e::>fig. 233.
.. Screw the towing loop in the threaded
open ing and t ighten it unt il it stops. The in­
dicator ma rking must be f lush with the
bumper
e::> fig. 234 .
Remove the towing loop when you are done
using it and plac e it back in the ve hicle too l
ki t. Always keep the towing loop in the vehi­
cle.
..&_ WARNING
If yo u do not screw the towing loop com ­
p letely, i t could come ou t of the t hreaded
hole while the vehicle is be ing towed caus­
ing damage to the vehicle and possible se­
rious pe rsonal injury.
loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Fi g. 235 Vehicle on flat bed tru ck
Front hook up
.. Align the vehicle wi th the centerline of the
car car rier ramp .
.,. Attach the winch hook to the front tow line
eye prev iously insta lled .
Rear hook up
.,. Align the vehicle with the c enter line of the
car earner ramp .
.. Att ach the winch hook to the re ar towli ne
eye prev ious ly insta lled .