check engine light AUDI S8 2009 User Guide

button, you can bring up a driver message which explains
the malfunction in more detail.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
-Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check the brake fluid level=>
page 319.
- Contact your nearest authorized repair facility if neces-
sary.
Brake fault ! Drive carefully to nearest workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized repair facility
and have the malfunction corrected =>
&.
Parking brake ! Please contact workshop
- If the warning/indicator light flashes when the vehicle is
stationary or after the ignition is turned on, check to see
if the parking brake can be released. Drive to an autho­
rized repair facility as soon as possible and have the
malfunction corrected. If the parking brake cannot be
released, contact your nearest authorized repair facility.
- If the warning/indicator light flashes while you are
driving, it is possible that the traction control or the
emergency brake has malfunctioned. It is possible that
the parking brake cannot be applied. It is also possible
that the parking brake cannot be released after it has
been applied. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer to have
the malfunction corrected.
Controls and equip ­
ment
Driver information display
If the ABS, ESP and the brake force distribution fail , the ABS
warning/indicator light and the ESP warning/indicator light come
on along with the brake system malfunction warning/indicator light
=>& .
& WARNING
• Always observe the warnings in=> page 301, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
• Driving with low brake fluid is
a safety hazard. Stop the car and
get professional assistance .
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light, the. warning light and
the "'L') warning light come on together, the rear wheels could
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 Audi dealer or a qualified work­
shop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models: If the brake warning light <<D>, the warning
light and the ABS warning light
G come on together, the rear
wheels could 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 Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
applications. •
Engine cooling system malfunction -L
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
repaired as soon as possible.
When the -L symbol in the display blinks, then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant level
is too low. An additional driver message can also be
displayed by pressing the [CHECK] button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
I • •

Driver information display
-Pull off the road.
- Stop the veh icle.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check coolant level~
page 317.
-Add coolant if necessary ~ page 318.
-Continue dr iving only after the eng ine coolant
warning/ indicator light goes out .
- Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assistance if
necessary .
If the engine coolant le ve l is correct, then the radiator fan may be
the cause of the malfunction.
If the generator warning/indicator light should also illuminate
~ page 18, then the fan belt may be damaged.
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons, park at a safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights
~ page 73, "Emer­
gency flasher
A".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant escaping.
• The engine compartment of any vehicle is a dangerous area.
Before you perform any work in the engine compartment, turn of
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
~ page 301, "Engine compartment".
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the -~- symbol illuminates. There is a
malfunction in the engine cooling system -you could damage your
engine. •
Engine oil pressure malfunction "t=:?:
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol requires
immediate service or repair. Driving with a low -oil -pres ­
sure indication is likely to inflict severe damage to the
engine.
If the ~ symbol appears in the display and blinks, the oil
pressure is too low. An additional driver message can also
be displayed by pressing the
I CHECK] button:
Switch off engine and check oil level
Immediate actions
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the eng ine.
- Check the engine oil level
with the dipstick~ page 313.
Dipstick readings checks too low
- Top off oil to the proper level~ page 314.
-Make sure that the oil pressure warning symbol~
appears no longer in the display before you start driving
again. .,,,

Driver information display
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig. 18 Display: low
fuel level warning
(priority 2)
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 malfunction -Warning!
When a y ellow warning symbol appears,
one warn ing ton e sounds.
A driver message appears as well to explain the malfunction in more
detail. The dr iver warning goes out after about
5 s e conds, bu t it can
be brought up again at any time by pressing the [
CHECK I button .
Check the displayed function as soon as possible . If
more than one
priority 2 malfunction is detected, all symbols will appear one after
the other for about
2 seconds .
Yellow symbols mean :
Worn brake pads
Electromechanical
parking brake
=> page 34
=> page 136
Check engine oil level => page 35
=> page 313
Engine oil sensor malfunction => page 35
Low fuel level => page 35
Windshield washer fluid => page 35
level low
Battery voltage
=> page 36
-
II Battery in remote control key => page 48
Convenience key * => page 133
Key not in vehicle
USA models: => page26
Defect ive brake light
Canada models: => page26
Defective brake light
Defective light bulb
=> page26
Engine speed limitation* => page 35
-
IIAdaptive Light* defective => page 36
Dynamic headlight range => page 36
control defective
Defect ive light -/rain sensor
=> page 36
Tire pressure monitoring sys-=> page 43
tern*
Loss of air pressure
-Tire pressure monitoring sys -=> page 46
tern*
ll system not ava ilable
•
Worn brake pads r
Brake pads!

If the warning light illuminates, immediate ly contact your autho ­
ri zed Aud i dealer or qualified workshop to have a ll brake pads
inspected . On USA models the warning light
.1 comes on together
with the warni ng light
BRA KE. Both set s of brake pads on an axle must
a lways be replaced at the same time .
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cau se a colli sion and serious personal
injury.
• If the warning light and the warning light
BRAKE11 with the
mes sage Brake pads ! come s on in the in strument clu ster display ,
immediately conta ct your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if nece ssary .•
Checking the engine oil level ~
.... ,. Plea se check oil le vel
When the symbo l illuminates, chec k the eng ine oi l leve l as so on as
possible=>
page 313 . Add oil if necessary=> page 374 . •
Engine oil sensor defective
~ Oil level ! sen sor defective
If the symbo l il luminates, contact your authorized Audi dea ler and
have the oi l sensor inspecte d. Until you have this done, check the o il
level each time you refuel just to be on the safe side=>
page 373. •
11 BRAK E: USA mode ls on ly
Controls and equip ­
ment
Driv er information display
Ap plies to vehic les: wit h eng ine s peed limita tio n
Engine speed limitation
!-1 Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The _-symbo l illuminates when there is an engine control malfunc ­
t io n. The indica to r light "in the instrument clus te r also illumi ­
nates . The engine speed is limited to the speed displayed in the
driver info rmation system . Keep in mind that the engine speed wil l
not e xceed the va lue d isplayed in the dr ive r info rm ation system, fo r
examp le when downshifting.
Please go to an au thorized Audi deale r or other qua lif ied workshop
to have the ma lfunction repaired .•
Fuel supply too low l
A Please refuel
When the symb ol i llu minates, this means there are abo ut 2.4
gallons
(9 l itres) of fuel left in the fuel tank . Time to refuel.
=>
page 304 .
If the symbo l lig hts up, eve n w hen there is ample fuel in th e tank,
and the text
Tank system malfunction ! Conta ct workshop appears
i n the d isp lay, t here is a fault in th e sys tem. C ontac t a q ua lified work ­
shop to have the fault rectified .•
' Windshield washer fluid level too low ~
Plea se top up washe r fluid
If t he symbo l illum inates, add windshie ld washe r fluid to the washe r
system and a lso to the headlight washer system=>
page 325. •
I • •

Driver information display
Battery voltage ~
If the battery's state of charge is not in the optimal range, the
symbol is shown in the display and the driver message
Low battery
charge: battery will be charged while driving
appears.
While this driver notification is displayed, you have to be prepared
for limited starting capability.
Driver message appears and goes out again
If this driver message appears after the ignition is turned on or
while driving and it goes out again after a while, the battery has
been adequately recharged.
Driver message appears and does not go out again
If this driver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
while driving and does not go out again, the battery's state of
charge is not in the optimal range. Starting capability is restricted.
Have the battery checked at a dealership as soon as possible.•
Applies to vehicles: w ith Conven ience key
Key not in vehicle
Key not in vehicle
This message appears together with the symbol when the
remote control key is removed from the vehicle while the engine is
running. This is to remind you that you should not continue your trip
without your key.
If the remote control key is no longer in the vehicle, you will not be
able to start the engine again after you have switched off the igni ­
tion. In addition to this, you will not be able to lock the vehicle from
the outside. •
Applies to vehicles: with Adap tive ligh t
Adaptive Light defective== ~
.. c; Adaptive light defective
When this symbol L illuminates, it means that Adaptive Light is
defective. Go to an authorized dealership to have the headlights or
the control unit for the Adaptive Light repaired. •
Headlight range control defective '.:1
T<. Headlight range control defective !
If the symbol illuminates, the dynamic headlight range control is no
longe r working properly. Have the system checked and repaired at
your Audi dealer. •
Defective light /rain sensor jf:>
.... Automatic headlights/automatic wipers defective
If the symbol illuminates, the light/rain sensor has failed. For safety
reasons the low beams are turned on permanently with the switch
in
AUTO. However , you can continue to turn the lights on and off
using the light switch. If the rain sensor fails, the functions of the
windshield wiper lever will still work. Contact your authorized Audi
dealer as soon as possible to have the problem corrected. •

Battery operation in the master key is monitored by a check light .
The check light flashes when one of the buttons on the master key
is pressed . If the check light does not flash, the battery is dead and
has to be replaced .
In addition, when the battery is dead the symbol appears in the
instrument cluster display as well as the message :
Please ch ange key battery
We recommend having the battery changed by an Audi Dealer .•
Electronic immobilizer
T he immob ili z er helps to prevent unauthorized use of
y o ur vehicle.
A computer chip inside your key automatically deactivates the e lec­
tr onic im mob ilizer when you insert the key in the ign iti on lock, or on
vehic les with Convenience key*, when the key is inside the vehicle .
When you remove the key from the ignition lock, or on vehicles with
Convenience key, when you remove the key from the vehicle, the
e lectronic immobilizer is automatica lly activated once again.
If an unauthor ized key was used,
SAFE is disp layed continuously in
the odometer disp lay field.
& WARNING
Always take the key w ith you when you leave the vehicle. The key
c an disarm the electronic engine immob ilizer and permit an unau ­
thori zed person to start the engine and enable oper atio n of the
vehicle sy stem s such a s power window or power sunroof leading
to s eriou s personal injury .
[ i ] Tip s
• Your engine can on ly be started using the factory-equipped key.
Controls and equip ­
ment
Opening and clo sing
• You may not be ab le to start your vehic le if an ignition key of a
different ve hicle make is a lso l oca ted on your set of keys .
• F or Dec laration of Comp liance to United States FCC and Industry
Canada regulations =>
page 385 . •
Power locking system
General description
T he power locking system locks or unlocks all doors and
the rear lid simultaneousl y.
The power loc kin g system in your veh ic le incorporates the following
functions:
• Central locking function
• Selective unlock feature=>
page 52
• Remo te contro l fea ture => page 48
• Convenience key*=> page 58
• Ant i-theft a larm system => page 60
All the doors and the rear lid are locked by the central locking
system when you lock the v ehicle. You can set whether general ly
only the driver's door or all doors and the rear lid should be
unlocked when you open t he vehic le in the MM I menu
Central
loc king
to suit your individua l desires=> page 52.
Unlocking the vehicle
You can un lock the vehic le from outside either by using the remote
co ntrol
or by tur ning the key i nside the driver's door lock. When you
unlo ck your vehic le:
• The anti -theft ala rm system is deactivated briefly .
• The vehicle interior lights i lluminate for approximately 30
sec ond s.
• All turn signal lights wi ll flash twice when the car is unlocked. .,,_
I • •

Opening and closing
Switches for front door windows
@ operates the window in the driver's door.
@ operates the window in the front passenger's door.
Switches for rear windows
© operates the left rear window.
@ operates the right rear window .
Safety switch
© Safety switch for rear window operation.
& WARNING
• Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, especially with
access to vehicle keys. Unsupervised use of the keys can result in
starting of the engine and use of vehicle systems such as power
windows, etc. which could result in serious injury.
• Remember -you can still open or close the power windows for
about ten minutes after the ignition is switched off. Only when
either of the front doors are opened are the power windows
switched off.
• Be careful when closing the windows. Check to see that no one
is in the way, or serious injury could result!
• Always remove the ignition key whenever you leave your
vehicle.
• If you lock your vehicle from the outside, no one, especially chil­
dren, should remain in the vehicle.
• Do not stick anything on the windows or the windshield that
may interfere with the driver's field of vision.
[ i] Tips
• In addition to the switches in the driver's door there is a separate
switch in each door for the power window in that door=>
page 63,
fig.
50 .
• The driver can lower or raise the power side blinds * in the side
windows by using switches © and
@. •
Switches in the driver's door
The driver can operate all windows.
If the respective switch is pushed or pulled the window will
open or close. The power window switches have a
two-posi­
tion function:
Opening the windows
- Push the switch to the first stop and hold it there until the
window has lowered to the desired position.
- Push the switch briefly to the
second stop: the window
will automatically open all the way.
Closing the windows
-Pull the switch up to the first stop and hold it there until
the window has risen to the desired position.
- Pull the switch quickly to the
second position: the
window will automatically close all the way=>
& in
"Controls" on
page 61.
Activating/deactivating rear windows
- Push the switch ®=> page 61, fig. 48 to the depressed
position to activate the rear windows - the light in the
switch will go out.
- Briefly press the switch ® to
deactivate the rear
windows - the switch will return to the safety position
and the light
I will illuminate.

Opening and closing
-In position @, briefly press the control to tilt the roof up
completely.
- To tilt the roof open to any intermediate position press
and hold the switch until the roof reaches the desired
position.
Sliding the roof open
- Turn the switch to position (D to open the roof all the
way.
- Turn the switch to any other position to open the roof to
any intermediate position.
When the glass roof opens, the sun visor, which is designed to ward
off strong sunlight, opens along with it. The visor can be closed
manually when the sunroof is closed.
[ i J Tips
• Be aware that the sunroof may actually be open when the sun
visor is closed. Check and make sure that the sunroof is shut when
parking the car or if it suddenly starts raining.
• If the sunroof is not fully closed but you have pressed and held
the switch for the tilt position, the sunroof will not tilt. •
Closing the power sunroof
Sliding the roof shut
- Turn the rotary switch to position®=> page 65, fig. 53
=> & .
Tilting the roof shut
-Briefly pull the rotary switch to close the roof. -
To tilt the roof down to any intermediate position pull and
hold the switch until the roof reaches the desired posi­
tion.
& WARNING
Improper use of the power sunroof can cause serious personal
injury.
• Be careful when closing the power sunroof. Not paying atten­
tion could cause you or others to be trapped and injured as the
roof closes.
• Always take the key with you when you leave the vehicle to
prevent injuries caused by the roof closing.
• Never leave children or persons requiring assistance alone in
the vehicle, especially when they could access the vehicle keys. Unsupervised use of the keys can result in the engine being
started or use of vehicle systems such as the power windows, etc.
which could result in serious injury. The doors could be locked
with the remote key, delaying help in an emergency.
• The power sunroof will continue to operate until the ignition
key has been removed and one of the front doors has been
opened. •
Power emergency closing
The sunroof can still be closed electrically if for some
reason the overload protection function becomes acti­
vated.
The power sunroof is equipped with an overload protection
feature. If, under normal conditions, the power sunroof will
not close, you can close it using this feature.
- Turn the rotary switch to position ®=>page 65, fig. 53 . .,_

Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off ·'t!-·
In the "AUTO " position, a light sensor automatically
s w itches t he head- and tailligh ts on and off in response to
l ight con ditio ns.
Fig . 56 Instrument
p an el: light switch
Switching on automatic headlight control
- T urn th e lig ht switch to AUTO => fig. 56 .
Switching on the side marker lights
- T urn the light switch to ~oo~.
Switching on the headlights and high beam
- T urn th e li ght swit ch to fD.
- Pu sh the high beam leve r forw ard towa rds t he instru -
m ent panel
=> page 73 .
Switching off the lights
- T urn t he light switch to 0 .
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
The headlights only work when the ignition is switched on . While
starting the engine or when switching off the ignition, the head ­
lights will go off and only the side marker lights will be on.
After starting the engine, the xenon headlights are automa tically
adjus ted to the load and a ngle of the vehic le (for example, during
acceleration , braking) . This prevents oncoming traffic from exper i­
encing unnecessary headl ig ht g la re from your xenon head ligh ts .
If the system is not operating properly, a warning symbol in the
Auto -Check Contro l is displayed => page
36.
With the side marke r lights or head ligh ts switched on, the sym bol
next to the light switch illuminates
:oo:.
Daytime running lights
• USA models : The daytime running lights wi ll come on automati­
ca lly when the ig nition is turned on and the ligh t swi tch => fig. 56 is
in the
O position or the AUTO position (only in daylight conditions).
The
Daytime running lights func tio n can be tur ned on and off in the
MMI menu
E xterior lighting => page 70 => & .
• Canada models: The dayti me ru nn ing lights wi ll come on au to ­
matically when the ignition is turned on and the light switch
=> fig. 56 is i n the
O po sitio n or the AUTO po siti on (only in dayligh t
condi tions) => & .
Automatic headligh t control
In the switch posi tion AUTO the automatic headlight cont ro l is
t urned on . The low beams are turned on automa tica lly through a
light sensor as soon as ambient brightness (e .g . when driving into a
t unnel) fa lls below a value preset at the factory . When ambient
brightness increases again, the low beams are turned off again
aut omatically =>& .
I n the
AUTO posit io n the low beams are switched off automatically
when the ignition is turned off. If the high beams were switched on,
they w ill come o n again the ne xt time the a utomatic head ligh t
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

_________________________________________________ O_ n_ t_h _e _ ro_ a_d _ __._
0 Not e
If the warning/indicator light (U.S. models : BRAKE, Canadian models:
CCD) ) flashes in the instrument cluster, there is a brake system
malfunction. By pressing the
I CHECK] button, you can bring up a
driver m essage which explains the malfunction in more detail. If the
message
P arking br ake ! Plea se contact work shop appears, there is
a parking brake malfunction which you should have repaired imme ­
diate ly by an au thorized dealership ~
page 30. •
Cruise control
Switching the system on
The cruise control system makes it possible to drive at a
constant speed starting at 20 mph (30 km/h).
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
F ig . 149 Contro l le v er
w ith set butt on F
ig . 150 D ispla y:
Se lecte d sp ee d
Pull the lever to positi on G) => fig. 149 to swi tc h the
system on .
Drive a t th e speed yo u w ish to set .
Press button
© to set that speed.
The display ~ fig. 150 will show the set speed. The display may vary
depe nding on the type of display in your vehic le. The indicator light
CRUISE (US model)/ 0" (Canadian model) will a lso light up in the
instrument cluster.
The speed is kept constant via an engine output adjustment or active brake intervention .
& WARNING
• Alway s pa y attention to traffic even when the crui se control is
s w itched o n. You are alwa ys respo nsible f or your speed and the
d is tan ce bet ween your vehicl e and other vehi cle s.
• For safety reason s, the cruise con trol s hould not be used in the
c ity , in stop -and -go tra ffi c, o n twi sting road s and when road condi ­
tion s are po or (s uch a s ice, fog, gr avel , he avy rain and h ydro ­
pl anin g) -ris k of a ccident.
• Turn off the crui se co ntro l te mpo rarily whe n ente rin g turn
lan es, highwa y exit la ne s or in con stru ction zon es.
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data