engine AUDI A8 2013 Repair Manual

drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways app ly brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c:> page 10
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ~
page 16.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your ng .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
Trailer towing 213
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a t railer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re ­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
c:> page 296.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only a~er doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake.
•
•

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.

Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
purchase . Regu lar and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
F u rth ermor e, good c are may be a conditi on
for subs tantiati ng a w arrant y cla im sho uld
c orrosion d amag e or paint d efects oc cur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedic ated veh icle-car e products and can ad ­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ign it ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. w ithout pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
Cleaning and protec tion 215
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 200, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean­
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often t his is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle
body, the more lasting their destructive ef­
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex­
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro­
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
Vehicles with matte finish paint¢
page 218 .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 215.
•
•

216 Cleaning and protec tio n
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sign of the facility, the filte ring of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
I f the pa int has a dull appearance afte r going
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a car wash, be sure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows and power roof . Factory installed an­
tennas must not be removed.
I f you have installed additional accessor ies on
the vehicle - such as spoilers, roof rack, etc. -
it is best to ask the car wash operator if these
should be removed .
When driving through an automatic car wash,
fi rst se lect the N position and then switch the
engine off. If you switch the engine off when N is engaged, the transmission remains in N
for approximately 30 m inutes and then Pis
engaged.
Further information for automatic gearboxes
~ page 115.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
r:::;, page 215.
- Before washing the vehicle in an auto­
matic car wash, p lease make sure to re­
tract the exterior mirrors to prevent
them from being damaged. Power fold­ i ng exter ior mirrors must not be folded
i n or out by hand . Always use the electri­
ca l power control.
- Compare the track of your vehicle with the d istance between the guide rails of the facility - the
re is a risk of damage to
the whee ls and tires .
- Compare the height and width of your
vehicle with the height and width of the tunnel at the facility .
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi ­
cle by hand.
.,. Before yo u start washing, make su re you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
~ A in General information on page 215.
.,. First soak all dried dirt unti l it is soft, then
rinse it off.
.,. As you clean your vehicle, start with the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge glove or a clean brush .
.,. Rinse the sponge o r the sponge g love often,
flushing it clean each time.
.,. Use spec ial car shampoo only for very per­
sistent dirt .
.,. Rinse the car thoroughly with water.
.,. Use a chamois leather to gently wipe the ex-
ter ior dry.
Use a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls , door si lls and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, you will not scratch
the pa int with coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
-- Wash your vehicle only when the ign ition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash.
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­ sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protect ing your
hands and arms . You may cut you rself on
sha rp-edged metal pa rts.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other info rmation
c;, page 215. ~

226 Cleaning and protec tio n
-When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discover dam­
age, see your Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 215.
Cooler
Applies to vehicles: with cooler
A layer of ice or frost in the cooler interferes
with its cooling performance.
Cl ean ing
The refr igerator sho uld be cleaned regularly.
.. Wash the cooler w ith lukewarm water and a
mild cleaning solut ion, if necessary .
.. The n wipe the cooler dry.
.. Dust and dirt will accumu late near the ven­
t il ation openings in the luggage compar t­
ment due to normal cooler usage. This
should be cleaned regularly.
Defrost ing
.. Swi tch the cooler off¢ page 75.
.. Remove any food or beve rages and al low
the cooler to defrost with the door open .
.. Wipe the inside of the cooler dry and clean
the cooler , if necessary .
Defrost the cooler if yo u will not be using it
for extended periods of time .
@ Note
-Do not try to speed up the defrost ing
process by applying heat.
- To reduce the risk of personal injury or
damage to the refrigera to r,
- do not use any abrasive cleaners, sol­
vents, wax, aggressive cleaning solu­
tions, so lutions with strong fragrances,
etc.,
- do not clean the coo ler with cleaning
tools such as stee l wool.
1l Use o nly th e co rrect cle anin g so lu ti on s. Never use gas­
o lin e or d ie se l fu el.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Always switch off the ign it ion before cle an­
i ng th e eng in e¢ .&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel i n front
of the windshield under the engine compart­
ment. This prevents the water drain holes
from becoming b locked, and it prevents de­
bris from entering the vehicle interior through
the heat ing and ventilat ion ducts .
Corrosi on protect ion
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory .
Good anti-corrosion treatment is very impor ­
tant, partic ularly in the winter.
If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and plenum panel
shou ld be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage .
At the same time, the underside of t he veh icle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1>, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
s ion treatment is almost a lways removed as
well . It is therefo re esse ntia l to have a lo ng­
lasti ng corrosion pro te ct ion reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before working in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
¢page 232.

-Before reaching into the front pane l, al­
ways switch off the ignition. Otherwise,
the windsh ield wiper system could un in­
tent ionally be switched on, possib ly
caus ing personal injury from the moving
wiper linkage .
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly- even when the ign it ion is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine w ith
the engine running. Moving or hot pa rts
cou ld inju re you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel cove rs, or other hard
to reach parts w ithout protecting your
hands and arms . You may cut yourse lf on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
other information ~page
215 .
Cleaning and protec tion 22 7
•
•

228 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the righ t fuel helps keep the environ­
ment cle an and preven ts engine dam age .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recomme nded for you r vehicle is un­
lead ed premium
g rade gasoline . See a lso
¢
pag e 292, Doto . Audi recommends usi ng
T OP TIER D eterge nt Gaso line wi th a mini mu m
octa ne ra tin g of 9 1 AKI (95 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the officia l webs ite (www.toptier ­
gas.com).
Th e re commended g asoline oct ane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und on a label loca t­
e d on the ins ide of the fue l filler flap . This rat ­
ing may be specified as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un­
l ea ded regular g asoline with a min imum o c­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 R ON. However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octa ne f ue l w ill slightly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded g aso­
line is availab le th rou gho ut the USA, Canada ,
and in most E uropean countries . We recom­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle t o
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re in format io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see¢
page 229.
Octane rating
Octa ne r ating in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist engine damagin g "knoc k" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Unite d
States a nd Canada has the following octane r
at ings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Pre mium G ra de: 91 -9 6 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock Index= (R+M) /2 = (RO N
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resea rch Octane Numb er
MON = Motor Octane Num ber .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny f ue l w it h octane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
expensiv e engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline . The use of
lead ed gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicl e's catalytic co nve rter a nd its
ability to co ntrol exha ust e mission s.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly re ferred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% me th-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
ve nts .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re than 10%
ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 AKI or high er. ll-

-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 229
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see ¢
page 231.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 292.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 228.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on board refuel­
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
•
•

230 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
AS TM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 190 Right rear vehicle side: Opening the fuel filler
flap
Fig . 191 Fuel filler flap with attached fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
~ Press the left side of the fue l filler flap to
open it
q fig. 190 -arrow-.
~ Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap¢
fig. 191.
Refuelling procedure
~ Insert the fu el nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go .
~ Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After fi lling your tank, twist the fuel filter
cap clockwise as far as it w ill go.
~ Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp¢
page 28
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies.
- Failure to shut the engine
off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filter neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnet ic rad iat ion
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re­
fueling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your veh icle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable

fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fue l container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­ nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
h ighly flammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852 -86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
~ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle sw itches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fue l because fuel may spill out . In
add it ion, the expans ion space in the fuel
tank will be fi lled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
Fu el su ppl y and filling your fuel ta nk 231
@ Tips
- Running your engine while refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spill out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuell ing .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside.
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 192 Rig ht s ide tr im panel in t he luggage compart­
ment : emerge ncy re lease mechanis m
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment .
.,. Loosen the loop
o fig. 192 from the retain­
er and then pull on the loop carefully
o (D.
.,. Press on the left side of the fuel filler door
to open
o page 230, fig . 190 .
(J) Note
Only pull on the loop until you feel resist­
ance . You w ill not hear it release . Other­
wise you could damage the emergency re­
lease mechanism.