check engine light AUDI A8 2017 User Guide
Page 269 of 354
Checking and Filling
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: vehicles with gaso line engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead
ed premium
grade gasoline. Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
please go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rating
may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead
ed regular gasoline with a min imum octane rat
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON. However, using 87 AKl/91
RON octane fuel will slightly reduce engine per
formance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European countries . We recommend that
you do not take your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gasol ine may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
~ page 268.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore , buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
h e lp prevent possible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane rat-
~ ings that can usually be found on the filler pump: .... N
~ -Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI .... 0 0 :c '<t
Checking and Filling
-Regu lar Grade: 87 -90 AK I
Exp lanation of the abbreviations:
AK I=
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON= Moto r Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fuel with octane ratings low
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen
sive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not us e leaded gasoline. The use of lead
ed gasoline will severe ly damage your vehi
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al
cohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as oxygen
ates) if the blended mixture meets the following
criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AK I or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es
pecially well for winter or summer dr iving . Dur-
ing seasonal change-over, we suggest that you ..,.
267
Page 275 of 354
C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r <t
(D Note
When filling fl uids, be sure not to mix the flu
ids up. Otherwise severe ma lf u nctions and en
gine damage w ill occur.
@) For the sake of the environment
You sho uld regular ly check the ground u nder
your veh icle in o rder to detect leaks qu ickly. If
there are visible spots from oil or other f luids,
bring your vehicle to an authorized Aud i dea l
er or author ized Audi Service Facility to be
checked.
Opening/closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle.
Fi g. 257 Driver footwell: re lease lever
F ig. 258 Roc ke r switch under t he hood
,-.. ~ co 0 :± ... IX)
Checking and Filling
Make s ure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the windshie ld . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged.
Opening the hood
.,. With the d river 's doo r open, pull the lever be
low the instrument pane l in the d irection of the
arrow
q fig. 257 .
.,. Raise the hood slightly¢_& .
.,. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
q fig. 258 . This releases the catch.
.,. Open the hood .
Closing the hood
.,. Push the hood down until you override the
force of the strut.
.,. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch .
Do not
press it in.
q _& .
A WARNING
--Never open the hood when there is steam or
coo lant escaping from the engine compart
ment, because there is a risk that you could be burned. Wait unt il no steam or coolant is
escapi ng.
- For safety reasons, the hood m ust always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always che ck t he hood afte r closing i t
to make sure it is latched correct ly. The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are driving, stop immediately and
close it, because driving when the hood is not latched increases the risk of an accident.
273
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Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high -quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality engine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Aud i oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine.
Using any o ther oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en
gine damage.
@ Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requ ires, you may add a total of
no more than 0 .5 quart/li ter of a h igh-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoline eng ine: ACEA A3 o r
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- For more information about engine oil that has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither your authorized Audi dea ler
or A udi Customer Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.aud icanada .ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubr ication and coo l
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combustion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en
g ine and may change significant ly over the life of
Ch eck ing and Filling
the engine. Typ ica lly, engines with a specified
break-in period (see ¢
page 73) consume more
o il during the break -in per iod than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient tem
perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of o il dilution from water condensa
t ion or fuel residue a nd the oxidat ion level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase ove r
t ime unt il repla cement of worn components may
become necessary .
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
sta ndard rate of o il cons umption can be estab
l is h ed or spec ified. The re is no alternative to reg
u lar and frequent checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning symbo l in
t h e instr ume nt cl uster
II lights up, yo u should
check the o il level as soon as possible
¢ page 2 76 . Top off the o il at your earliest con
venience
¢ page 276.
A WARNING
-Before you check anyth ing in the engine com-
partment, always read and heed all WARN
INGS
¢ .& in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 271 .
@ Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressu re warning display. is not
an indicator of the o il le vel. Do not rely on
i t. Instead, check the oil level in you r en
g ine at regular inter vals, preferabl y each
time you refuel, and alw ays before go ing
on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine con
sumes excessive amou nts of oil, we recom-
mend that you consult your Aud i dea le r to .,,.
275
Page 279 of 354
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- Pay attention to legal requirements when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta
tion .
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart
ment,
a lways rea d and heed all WARNINGS¢ &
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 271.
The engine oil must be changed according to the intervals specified in your Warranty
& Mainte
nance booklet . This is very important because the
lubricat ing propert ies of oil diminish gradually
during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l should
be changed more frequently. Change oil more of
ten if you drive mostly short distances, operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly
stop-and-go traffic condit ions, or have your vehi
cle where temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods .
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
look dark after the engine has been running for a
short time . This is normal and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re
qu ired, we strongly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an authorized
A ud i d ea ler or
a qualified service station .
If y ou choo se to change yo ur o il y o urse lf, please
note the following important information:
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your veh icle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection .
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine
o il, let the eng ine cool down to the touch.
-
- When removing the o il drain plug with your
fingers, stay as far away as poss ible. Always
Ch eck ing and Filling
keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
help prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at
least the total amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil is
harmful to your skin. Always protect your
skin by washing oil off thoroughly with soap
and water .
CI) Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adversely affect your Audi limited New Vehi
cle Warranty.
® For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing your oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly d ispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly.
Do not dump it on garden soil, wooded
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains.
- Recycle used engine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oil collection fac ility in your area, or
contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine cooling system is filled with a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac
tory. This coolant must not be not changed .
T he coo lant level is monitored through the. in
dicator light¢
page 20. However, we do recom
mend occasionally checking the coolant leve l
manually.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wate r
and coolant additive . Mixing the coolant additive
with dist illed water is recommended.
ll>
277
Page 280 of 354
Checking and Filling
Coolant addit iv e
The coolant additive is made of anti-freezing and
corrosion protection agents. Only use the fo llow
ing coolant additives .
Coolant additive Sp ecification
G13 TL 774)
G12++ TL 774 G
These additives may be mixed with each other.
The amount of coolant additive that needs to be
mixed w ith water depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated . If the coolant addi
tive percentage is too low, the coo lant can freeze
and damage the engine.
Coolant addi- Freeze protec-
tive tion
Warm regions min
. 40%,
min. -13 °F
max. 45% (-25 °C)
Cold regions min . 50%, max. -40 °F
max. 55% (-40
°C)
(D Note
-Before the start of winter, have your author
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
F ac ility check if the coolant additive in you r
vehicle matc hes the percentage appropriate
fo r the clim ate. This is espe cially important
when driving in colder climates .
-If the appropriate coolant addi tive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other additive for risk of damaging the en
gine. If this happens, only use water and re
store the correct mixture ratio with the
specified coolant additive as soon as possi
ble.
- Only refill with new coo lant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coo lant.
278
Adding coolant
Fig. 261 E n g in e compartment: coolant expansion tank
cover
Observe the safety precautions ¢ .&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 2 71.
Check ing the engine coolant level
.,. Park the vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Switch the ignit ion off.
.,. Read the coolant level on the coolan t expansion
tank
¢page 274. The coolant leve l must be be
tween the M IN and MAX markings when the en
gine in cold . When the engine is warm it can be
slightly above the MAX marking .
Adding coolant
Requirement: there m ust be a residua l amount of
coolant in the expansion t ank
~ CD.
.,. Let the engine cool down .
.,. Place a cloth
over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unsc rew the cap cou nte rclockw ise
~ .&. -
.. Add coolant mixed in the correc t ratio
~ page 277 up to the MAX marking.
.,. Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary .
.,. Close the cap securely .
Coo lant loss usually indicates there is a leak . Im
med iate ly drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
and have the cooling system inspected.
If the
cooling system is not leak ing, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheat ing
and being pushed ou t of the cooling system .
Page 306 of 354
Wheels
@ For the sake of the environment
Low tire pressure inc reases fuel consumption
and tire wear.
@ Tips
- The pressure of the spare tire * is not moni
tored.
- If t ires are re pla ced, the sensors/valves do
not need to be removed or rep laced . Ju st re
placed the valve stem and, if necessary, the
valve and the wheel e lectron ics . If you have
quest ions, see your autho riz ed Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility.
Displaying tire pressures/temperatures
App lies to : 58 plus
Req uirement: the ign ition must be switched on .
.,. Select : the
ICARI function button > C ar s ystems
> Serv icing & checks > Tire pressure mon itor
ing
> Display tire pressures.
The current tire pressures are shown in green and
yellow numbers in the Infotainment system:
- Green : the current tire pressure and the speci
fied tire pressure are approximately the same .
-Yellow: the c urrent tire press ure is too low
compared to the specified tire pressure.
The spe cified t ire press ure is the la st tire pres
sure th at was s tored
c::> page 305.
No te that the tire pressure also depends on the
t emperature of the ti re . The ti re pressu re in
creases as the engine becomes wa rmer wh ile
d riving.
& WARNING
R ea d and follow t he important information
and notes
c::> page 303 .
@ Tips
The tire pressure or tem per ature are not dis
pl ayed in ada ptation mode. D ashe s·-.·- are
shown i n place of the press ure and tempera
ture .
304
-
Tire pressure loss
Applies to: 58 plus
Fig. 2 70 Dis pla y: ind icator light w it h a mess age
If the [I] ind icator light turns on, the pressure in
at least one tire is too low or new sensors were
not adapted:
RE indicator light s turn s on after turning the
ignition on
The tire pressure is too low compared to the
spec ified press ure .
.. Check and store the tire press ure(s) the next
time it is possible
c::> page 305.
RE indicator light turns on while dr iving
Wheels with new sensors we re not adapted or
the tire p ressure has reached a critica l level com
pared to the specif ied pressure.
.. Avoid unnecessary s teering and brak ing maneu-
vers .
.. Adapt your driving sty le to the s ituation.
.. Stop as soon as possib le and check the tire(s).
.. If it is possib le to cont inue dr iv ing, see an au-
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility immediately and have your tire(s) re
pai red or rep laced .
& WARNING
Read and f ollow the impo rtant inform ation
and notes
c::>p age 303.
-
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Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec
essary tools and equipment to perform these
ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
CD Note
Veh icles with an automatic transmission can
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con
necting it to the battery of another vehicle.
If the engine shou ld fail to start because of a dis
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of suffic iently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are dis tinct ly marked:
plus (+) cable in most cases colored re d
minus( -) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avo id leaning
over the battery whenever poss ible.
- A dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C). If the vehicle battery is
frozen, you must thaw it before connecting
the jump start cab les. If you do not, this in-
Emergency situations
creases the risk of an explosion and chemi
cal burns. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery ac id to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immed iately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
veh icle may cause an explosion .
- Veh icle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batter ies.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-Volt rat ing. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of different voltage or substantial
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an exp lo
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . T he battery case may have be weak
ened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an exp losion and injury . The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
qpage 271.
CD Note
-App lying a higher voltage booster battery
wi ll ca use expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
327
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Brake fluid
Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . 279
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 79
Electromechanical parking brake . . . . . . . . 81
New brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Braking Brake assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Emergency braking function . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Worn brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Brak ing guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94, 99
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Break-in period
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
B reak ing in
New brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
N ew engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Ne w tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Browsing through album covers . . . . . . . . . 190
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
But tons
Mul tifunc tion steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . 11
C
Cable (Audi music interface)
California Proposition 65 Warning ...... .
Battery specific .............. .. .... .
Call .. .. .. .. .. ............... .. .... . 185
272
280 149
Call list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Call options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Capacities Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Washer fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Car carrier Transporting your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment.. .. ..... 213
Caring for and cleaning leathe r . . . . . . . . . . 309
Catalytic converter
CD 271
refer
to Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 189
Ce ll phone
Playing music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
also refer to Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Index
Center conso le lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Centra l locking sw itch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Em ergency locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Luggag e compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Remote contro l key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Chang ing engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Charging and chang ing the battery . . . . . . . 198
Child restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Danger of using child restraints in the front
seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Child restraint system anchors . . . . . . . . . . 261
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Gu idance fixtures for lower anchorages . . 262
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Child safety seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Child safety seats Convertib le child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Installing a child restraint using the LATCH
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
LATCH system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Lower anchorages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Safety instruc tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Securing ........................... 258
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Cleaning/removing ice from windows . . . . . 308
Cl eaning Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Cleaning art ificial leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Cleaning carbon parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308, 309
Cl eaning controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning decorative parts and trim . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning exhaust tail pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cl eaning tail lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Cleaning textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
341