engine AUDI A8 2014 User Guide

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge leve l is too low.
(•) Low battery charge: battery will be
c harged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited start ing
ability.
If th is message turns off after a little wh ile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving .
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low.
.. Pull off the road.
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn off the engine.
.,. Check the engine oil level¢ page 236 .
.. If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 237 . Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the d isplay before you start driving again.
.,. If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light st ill turns on, turn the engine off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter·
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the red oil pressure
warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
~"' Engine oil level
• WARNING : Please add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the driver message
appear, add engine o il immed iately
¢ page 234.
II Add oil, max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap ­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ¢
page 234.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ignit ion on .
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professiona l assistance .
!'II Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact deale r
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic stee ring
column lock malfunction.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the elec tron ic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering . If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
©-Engine start system
• Engine start sy stem fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If t h e in dicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not sw itch the ignition off
be cause you may not be able to switch it on
aga in .
D rive to you r autho rized Aud i deale r immedi­
ate ly to hav e th e malfunction corrected.
11111 Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes ­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the en­
g ine start system.
D rive to yo ur autho rize d Au di dea le r immedi­
ate ly to have t he mal function cor rected .
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can cont in­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph .
There is a malfunctio n that can res ult in re­
stricted dr iving stability.
Ca re fully d rive a t a maxim um s peed o f 35
mph ( 60 km/h) to your author ized A udi dealer
or qua lified wor kshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Ca re fully drive to your au thori zed A udi d ealer
or quali fied wor kshop immedi ate ly to have
the servi ce mode deac tiva ted.
l!IJ Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restr icted dr iving stability or red uced
g ro und cleara nce.
Drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have t he malfunction corrected .
l!IJ Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
T he groun d clearance is very low due to a sys ­
tem malfunction. Wa it until the air suspen­
s io n system has resto red no rma l ground clear­
ance. Ot herwise, cond it ions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
tli1!.t Safety systems
T he fl (U SA models)/ El(Canada models) indi­
cator lig ht monitors the safety sys tems e .g.
airbags , p retens ione rs and illuminates fo r a
f ew seco nds ea ch time y ou swit ch t he ign ition
o n .
If th e
I (USA mod els)/ EI (Can ada models)
i ndica to r li ght does no t go o ut, or if it illum i­
n at es while yo u are d riving, o r if it start s to
blink, the n t here is a m alf u nctio n somewhe re
in the sys tem . If the ligh t does no t illumina te
whe n you switch the ig nitio n on, t his also
means there is a mal funct ion .
A WARNING ....._
If yo u have a ma lf u nction in t he safety sys­
tems, contact you r auth orized Audi dea le r
immedia tely. Othe rwise t he safety sys­
t ems may not work properly i n an acc i­
d en t.
~ Central indicator light
If th e indicato r light . or D tur ns o n, check
th e m essage in th e i nstru men t cluster.
F!,J [}; Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the bl indicator light b links w hile d riving,
the ESC or AS R (Anti-Slip Re gulation) is active­
ly reg ulating.
If the
bl indicator light turns on , th e system
has switc hed the ESC off . In t his case, yo u can
switch the ign ition off and then on to switch
the ESC o n aga in. The ind icator lig ht tu rns off
whe n the system is functioni ng fu lly.
If the
fl indicato r light turns on, ESC was re-
stricted using the
[!I button ¢ page 199. ..,.

20 Instrum ent s a nd w arn in g/i ndic ato r light s
wheels co uld lock up first under hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Aud i dealer or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
[iJ come on togethe r,
the rear wheels could lock up fi rst under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired immedi­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
(0) Worn brake pads
EtJ Bra ke pads!
If the warn ing light illuminates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
f ied workshop to have all brake pads inspect·
ed. On USA models the warning light EtJ
comes on together with the warn ing light
1111 -Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time.
_& WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the wa rning light
EtJ and the wa rning
light
11111> with the message B ra ke
p ads!
comes on in the instr ument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Aud i dealer or qualified work­
shop to have a ll brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
l ) - : USA models only
-
EPC Electronic power control
Applies to veh icles: w ith gasoline engine
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The~ warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
s ible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop.
W Glow plug system
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
The control light illuminates when the glow
plug system is active.
If the Im i ndicator light illuminates, the glow
plug system is act ive. You should start the en­
gine immediately after the ind icator light
switches off. The ind icator light only i llum i­
na tes for approximate ly 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outside temperature is
above 46 QF (8 QC).
(D Tips
-If the glow plug indicator light i llum i­
nates while driving, there is an engine
contro l ma lfunction. The engine should
be checked immed iate ly .
- If the indicator light does not illuminate at a ll when switch ing the ignition on,
there may be a malfunction in the glow
plug system. The engine should be
checked.
' o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
T he symbo l
¢1111ij lights up when the ignition is .,.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at a constant idle
speed . This ind icates that the MIL is working
properly .
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your author ized Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
¢page 225.
For mo re in format ion ¢ page 29.
~. Diesel particulate filter clogged
Appl ies to vehicles: with d iesel e ngine and diese l pa rticu ­
late fi lte r
II Particulate filter : System fault See own­
er's manual
When the Ill symbol illuminates, you can al­
ter your driving style to assist the filter self­
cleaning process. Drive for approximately 15
minutes with the selector lever in the 5 posi­
tion at a minimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/
h) and an engine speed of approximately
2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that
will resu lt from this can burn off the soot in
the filter . The symbol will switch off when the
cleaning is successful. After a successful
cleaning , there is no need to bring the car to
an author ized dealer or qualified workshop
because this is part of normal vehicle ope ra­
tion .
If the symbol
&I does not switch off, see
your author ized dealer or other qualified
workshop to have the prob lem corrected.
For more informat ion on the d iesel particu­
late filter , refer to¢
page 208.
A WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driving recommendations.
-
!'1 Engine speed limitation
App lies to veh icles: w it h e ngine speed lim itat io n
(II Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed d isplayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over·
heating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have re leased the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light
lli also turns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed disp layed.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
~v, Engine oil sensor
Ill Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illum inates, contact your au­
thorized Audi dea le r and have the oil sensor
inspected. Until you have this done, check the
oi l level each time you refue l just to be on the
safe side¢
page 236.
Bu Fuel level indicator
Ii') Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 4 gallons (15 liters) of fuel left in the
tank. Time to refuel
q page 224.
Ii] Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer
If th e indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
tank system.
D rive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
<D Windshield washer fluid level
II Please refill washer fluid

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 23
Drive s low ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
,'I'M Dynamic steering: initializing
If thi s driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the inst rument panel ,
dynamic steering is being reiniti alized . Once
you sta rt the engine after this is finished, the
steering whee l wi ll be easy to move . Re-initi­
alization might be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the veh icle was not moving. The displ ay
goes out as soon as initialization is complete .
A WARNING
-
Have the dynamic steering system mal ­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop - risk of accident!
@ Tips
-The dynamic steering stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
steering, refer to
¢page 110.
I-: Sport differential
Ill Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunct ion with the sport differen ­
tial.
Drive to your authori zed Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
Ill Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has incre ased
sign ificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Dr ive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
pe rat ure returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualif ied workshop if the sport different ial
is faulty or malfunctioning . The repa ir
-
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢¢ Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left II or the r ight II
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency f lashers, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal wi ll blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefu lly drive to your authorized Audi
dealer immed iate ly to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the tra il­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer tow ing
mode .
(D Tips
For more information on the turn s ignals,
refer to¢
page 48.

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 25
caused by the heat being radiated from
the engine.
- You can se lect the un its used fo r temper­
atu re, speed and othe r measurements in
the MML
- Fo r informa tion on the a udio/video and
navigation* functions, refer to the se pa­
r ate MMI ow ner's manual.
Operation
The driver information system is operated us­
ing the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel.
gi g ~------,i
~
F ig . 6 Mult ifu nct io n stee ring wheel: operat ing t he d riv­
er informat ion system
Fi g. 7 Driver informat ion system: ope ning the ve hicle
funct io ns m en u
Operating concept
.. Switch the ign ition on.
.. To sw itch between t he tabs, press th e rocker
switch @to the left or right
c> fig . 6 .
.. To access additional informat ion be low or
above, rotat e the thumbwheel @ dow n or
up.
.. To confi rm a selection, press t he thumb­
whee l@ .
Accessing Vehicle functions
.. Sele ct the first t ab with the ro cker swit ch
@.
.. Press the b utton [jg] _ The Vehicle funct ions
menu appears c> fig . 7.
.. To select a menu item , tu rn and press t he
thumbwhee l@ .
Resetting values to ze ro
.. Select the on-board computer / Efficiency
program
menu item in the Vehicle func­
tions
men u.
.. Yo u can now select between t he long-term
memory and s hort-term memory .
.. To reset the values in a memory, p ress a nd
hold t he thumbwheel @ for one second .
The last function selected d isp lays when you
switc h the ig nition on.
On-board computer
You can ca ll up the followin g in formation in
the on -board computer:
- Date
- Dr iving t ime (h) from the shor t-te rm memo-
ry
- Average consumption in MPG ( l/100 km)
from the short-te rm memory
- Average speed i n mph ( km/h) from the
short-te rm memory
- Distance driven in miles (km) from the
short-te rm memory
- Cur ren t fue l consumption in MPG ( l/100
km)
- Short-term memory overview
- Long-term memory overview
T he short-te rm memory collects driv ing infor­
mation from the time the ign ition is switc hed
on until it is switched off. If you continue driv­
ing within two ho urs after switch ing the ig ni­
tion off, the new values are included when cal­
cu lating the c urrent trip information .
Un like the short -term memory, the long-term
memory is not erased automatically. You can
select the time period for evaluating t rip in­
format ion yourse lf .

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 2 7
-The fuel economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rathe r in in­
terva ls
over a period o f time.
Cylinder on demand System
App lies to vehicles: w ith 4 .0 TFS ! engi ne
F ig. 10 Inst rume nt cluster: fuel consumption
To save fu el, the eng ine automat ic all y t urns
four cylinders o n or
off, de pending on the
amo unt of power needed. This action is not
fe lt by the passengers.
Displaying cylinder mode
Requirement: t he on-bo ard computer is di s­
pl ayed~
page 25.
~ Turn the thumbwhee l until the current fue l
c o nsu mption display is shown in the inst ru­
me nt cl uster.
If the green ba r is d ispl ayed,
yo u a re driving in 4-cylin der m ode.
Basic requirements for 4 -cylinder mode
4-cy linder drive mode is used automatically if
certain basic requir emen ts are fulfi lled. These
in clude:
- A low powe r output requi reme nt.
- Driving in third gear or higher.
- Engine speed between 960 and 3,500 RP M.
-A warm engine .
Odometer
Fig. 11 Instrument cluste r Odo meter a nd reset button
The odometer shows you how many m iles
(k ilometers) you have driven. You can switch
the d isplay from miles to kilomete rs and v ice
versa via t he MMI.
Upper odometer
The trip odometer shows the distance driven
since it was last reset.
It can be used to meas­
ure s ho rt d istances . The last digit indicates
1/10 of a mile (100 meters) .
You can reset the trip odometer to zero by
pressing the Reset button~-
Lower odometer
The lower odomete r shows the tota l num ber
of m iles (kilometers) dr iven.
Malfunction message
I f th ere is a malfunc tion i n the in strumen t
cl us ter,
DEF will ap pear i n the trip odometer
display a rea. Conta ct your author ized Audi
dealer to have the problem corrected.
Time and date display
Fig . 1 2 Ce nter console: ana log clock

28 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
The date and time are shown in the instru­
ment cluster d isplay
c:;, page 24, fig. 4. There
is also an ana log clock in the center console
c:;, fig. 12.
When you open the driver's door, the date and
time appear in the instrument cluster display
for 30 seconds . When the ign ition is switched
on, the time is always displayed in the status
line © regardless of the current display.
You can set the time on both clocks and the date display in the MMI. Refer to the MMI
owner's manual for instructions.
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due.
Fig. 13 Inst rume nt cluster: Serv ice inte rval d isp lay
The schedule for the next oil change or inspec­
tion is calculated automatically and displayed
accordingly. The display works in two stages :
Service reminder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
switch the ignition on
c:;, fig. 13 .
After about S seconds the display switches back to normal. The distance and time re­
maining are updated each time the ignition is
switched on until the date due for service is
reached .
Service due
When the due date for service is reached, the
message
Service due! appears in the instru­
ment cluster immediately after you switch the
ignition on . Additionally, a warn ing tone sounds. After about 5 seconds the disp
lay
switches back to normal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the MMI display by selecting
the service interval display in the car menu.
Select the
ICARI function button > Car sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks >
Service interval displays.
Resetting the service interval display
Your authorized Audi dealer will reset the cor­
responding service schedule after performing
the appropr iate service on your vehicle. You
also have the possibility to reset the oil
change schedule after hav ing performed an
o il change according to Aud i specif ications.
Select the
I CAR I function button > Car sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks >
Service Intervals > Reset oil change interval.
(D Note
If you disconnect the battery term inals, no
calculations can be made for the service
i nterval disp lay during th is time and no
serv ice reminder will appear. Remember
that observing the proper service intervals
i s vitally important to extending the life of
your vehicle, pa rticularly the engine, and
maintaining its value. Even if the mileage
driven is low, the maximum period of one
year from one service to the next must not
be exceeded.
(I} Tips
-Do not reset the display between oil
changes, otherwise the disp lay w ill be in­
correct.
- The information in the Service Reminder
remains stored
even when the vehicle
battery is disconnected .

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights
Open door/hood/rear lid warning
Fig. 14 D isplay: doors and rear lid open
With the ignition switched on, the warning il­
luminates when at least
one door or the hood
or the rear lid is not closed. The symbol also
shows you
which door(s) or lid is not closed.
In the illustration ¢
fig. 14 it is the driver's
door and the left rear door.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ¢4 in
the instrument cluster is part of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light illuminates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the idle has stabilized.
This indicates that the MIL is work ing proper­
ly .
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
ing, a malfunction may ex ist in the engine sys­
tem. If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could be damaged.
Continue driving
with reduced power (avoid­
ing sustained high speeds and/or rapid accel­
erat ions) and have the condition corrected.
Contact your author ized Audi dealer.
If the light illuminates, the electronic speed limiter may also be malfunctioning. For more
in formation ¢
page 30, Electronic speed
limiter.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may a lso
cause the MIL light to illuminate¢
page 225.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 15 Location of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your emission control system. Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case of a mal­
funct ion, the component will be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
The MIL light may also illuminate if there is a leak in the on -board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem.
If the light illuminates after a refueling,
stop the vehicle and make sure the fuel filler
cap is properly closed ¢
page 225.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for OBD).
In order to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the hood release
¢fig. 15.
Your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
service station can interpret the code and per­
form the necessary repair.
A WARNING
Do not use the diagnost ic connector for
personal use. Incorrect usage can cause
malfunctions, wh ich can increase the risk
of a collision!
-
29

30 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Electronic speed limiter
Your veh icle may be factory equ ipped with
tires that are rated for a maximum speed of
130 mph (210 km/h). This is less than the
maximum speed of your vehicle. To reduce the
risk of sudden tire failure and loss of control if
the vehicle is operated at excessive speeds,
your vehicle also has an electronic speed limit­
er. The electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from going faster than the tire speed rating. For more informat ion
c::> page 259.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehi­
cle road speed signals, the Malfunction Indi­
cator Lamp (MIU¢• will illuminate . If this
occurs, contact the nearest authorized Aud i
dealer for assistance.
58
Your vehicle's top speed is electronically limit­
ed to 155 mph (250 km/h).
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehi ­
cle roadspeed signals, the Ma lfunction Indica­
tor Lamp (MIU ¢.id will illuminate. If this oc­
curs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
dealer for assistance.
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing
road, traffic and weather conditions. Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi­
mum speed rating of the tires installed.