light AUDI S8 2010 Owners Manual

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0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate
conditions. This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold. If necessary, increase the proportion of
coo lant additive to 60% .
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system, remember:
-We recommend using only coolant additive G12++ (check the
label) for your vehicle. This coolant additive is available at autho­
r iz ed Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can s ignificantly
reduce corrosion protection. The resulting corrosion can cause a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage.
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle 's
eng ine coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Checking the engine coo lant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
.... N
Fig. 247 Engine
compartment: Coolant
expansion tank
Vehicle OP-eration
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 289.
- Turn off the ignition.
- Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expansion
tank=> fig. 247 . With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" markings. When
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the
"max'' marking .
The locat ion of the coolant expans ion tank can be seen in the engine
compartment illustration=>
page 290.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped with an electric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warn ing light in the Auto-Check
System =>
page 29 will blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is an electric coolant
level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant level from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling system. In the event of
coolant loss, the cooling system should be inspected immediately by
your authorized Audi dealer .
It is not enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the boiling point of the
coo lant is exceeded as a result of overheating.
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Redu ce
the risk of scalding from hot coolant
by following these steps.
• Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Protect your f ace, hand s and arms from e scaping fluid and
s team by covering the cap with a larg e, thick rag.
• Turn the cap slowl y and ver y ca refull y in a counter-clockwise
direct ion while applying light, downward pre ssure on the top of
the cap.
• To avoid being burned , do not spill antifreeze or coolant on the
exhaust system or hot engine part s. Under certain conditions, the
ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to yo ur vehicle's engine
coo lant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse ly affect the func­
t ion and perfo rmance of your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
[ i J Tips
On vehicles with the 12-cylinder engine, the expansion tank is located
unde r a cover. •
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the eng ine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
t h e e ngine compar tment" on
page 289 .
-Tur n off the eng ine.
- Let t he engi ne cool down. -
Place a t hick rag over the coolant ex pansio n tank
~ page 297, fig . 247 and carefully twis t the ca p counte r­
clockw ise
~ & .
- Add coo lant.
- Tw ist t he cap on agai n
tightly.
Replacement eng ine coolant must conform to exact specificat ions
=> p age 2 96, "Coolan t". Even in an emergency, if coolan t ad di tive
Gl2 ++, Gl2+ or Gl2 is not available, do
not use a d ifferent addit ive.
Use plain water instead until you can get the correct additive a nd can
restore the correct ratio . This s hou ld be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a conside rable amount of coolant , then you sho uld
add co ld a ntifree ze a nd cold water only when t he e ngine is cold .
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above t he "MAX" mark. Excess coo lant wi ll be
forced out t hrough the p ressure relief va lve in the cap w hen the
eng ine becomes hot.
& WARNING
• The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot.
Reduce the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down .
- Protect your face , hands and arms from escaping fluid and
steam by covering the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise
direction while applying light, downward pressure on the top
of the cap.
- To avoid being burned , do not spill antifreeze or coolant on
the exh aust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi-
tions, the ethylene gly col in engine coolant can catch fire. .,

Checking and filling ------------------------------- ---=.:..:..=.:=~..:::..:.....:..:.;__ ___ _::,______,.J
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Antifreeze is pois onous. Alway s store antifreeze in its original
container and well out of the r each of children.
• If you drain the coolant , it must be caught and safely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poi son ".
0 Note
• Coolant poll utes the environment and could cause an engine fire .
Excess coolant w ill be forced out throug h the pressure re lief valve in
t he cap when the e ng ine becomes hot .
• If, in an emergency, o nly wate r ca n be adde d, the correct ratio
between water and antifreeze=>
page 296 must be restored as soon
as possib le.
W For the sake of the environment
Dra ined coolant shou ld not be reused. A lways dispose of used coo lant
w hile observ ing a ll enviro nment al regul ations . •
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by itself
T he radi ator fa n is d riven by the engine via th e V-bel t. The v iscous
clutch regu lates the speed of the fan accord ing to the temperature of
t he coolant.
An auxiliary e lectr ic rad iator fan* sw itches on and off depend ing o n
coo la nt tempe rat ur e and othe r vehicle ope ra ting condi tions .
After you switch the engi ne off, the auxilia ry fa n can cont inue r unning
for up to 10 minutes - even w ith the ignition off . It can even switch on
agai n lat er by itse lf => & , if
• the tempe rature of the e ngine coolant rises due to the heat build ­
up from the eng ine in t he engi ne comp art ment, or
Vehicle OP-eration
• the engine compartment heats up because the veh icle is parked in
in tense s unlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the ri sk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan.
• The auxiliary electri c fan is temperature controlled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine is not running .
• The auxiliary radiator fan switches on automatically when the
engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will cont inue to
run until the coolant temperature drops .•
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
T h e b rake fluid l evel can be ch ecked with a quick glance.
-w ;:;
Fig. 24 8 En gine
compa rtme nt: Brak e
f luid re se rv oi r
Be fore you chec k anyt hin g in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working in
t h e engine compartm ent" on
page 289 . .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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- Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid reservoir
=> fig. 248 . T he brake fluid level mus t be between the
" M IN" and "MAX" markings.
The br ake fl uid re se rvoir is loc ated at the rear pa rt iti on of the engine
compartment on the left side~ page 290.
T he f lu id level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto­
matic adjus tment of t he b rake pads. This is not caus e for alarm.
If the brake flu id leve l falls considerably below the "MIN" mark, t he
br ak e wa rning/ind ic ator lig ht ( U.S . model s:
BRAKE , Can adi an mod els:
«D> ) will come on~ page 20 and~ page 28. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle . The comple te brake system sho uld be thoro ughly
checked by an author ized A udi dealer or ot her qualified facility and
t he ca use correcte d. If the b rake fl uid leve l is too low, the bra ke
wa rning/in dicator light will illu mi nate . Con tact an au thorized Aud i
dealer
immediately .•
Changing brake fluid
H ave the brake flui d changed by an ex perienc ed techni­
cian.
Brake flui d abso rbs mois ture from t he a ir . If t he wa ter con ten t in the
brake fl uid is too hig h, corros io n in the b rake system may res ult afte r
a period of time . The boiling po int o f the bra ke fl uid will also decrease
cons iderab ly and decrease brak ing perfo rmance.
The refore, the brake fl uid m ust be changed
every two years . Always
use new bra ke fluid w hich conforms to Fede ral Motor Veh icle St an­
dard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4" .
Th e b rake fl uid reservoi r ca n be diffi cult to rea ch, there fore, we
recommend that you have the bra ke fluid c hanged by your author ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct tools, the right b rake fl uid
and the know-how to do t his for you .
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the reach of children!
• Brake failure can result from old or inappropriate brake flu id.
Observe these pre cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE specification
J 1703 and
conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always che ck
with your authorized Audi dealer to make sure you are us ing
the correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid i s also
indicated on the brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use of the brakes can
cause a vapor lock if the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . Thi s can seriously affect the efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety . This could result in an accident.
0 Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your ve hicle .
~ For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of brake fl uid as we ll as
the spec ia l too ls req uired and the necessary expe rtise, we recom ­
m en d that you have t he brake fl uid changed by your autho rized Audi
dea ler .•
Battery
General information
Under normal operat ing condit ions, the battery in your Aud i does not
nee d any m ain ten ance. Wi th high outs ide temper atures o r long d aily
dr ives we recommend that yo u have the elect rolyte level checked by .,_

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a service facility . The electrolyte level should also be checked each
time the battery is charged =>
page 303.
Have the batte ry checked when you take your vehicle in for serv ice .
You are well advised to rep lace a battery that is older than 5 years.
With certa in types of a irbag deployment, the ba ttery is disconnected
from the vehicle electrical system for safety reasons=>
& in "Repair,
care and disposal of the airbags" on
page 220.
Di sconne cting th e bat tery t ermina ls
Some vehicle f unct ions (power window regulators, fo r example) are
lost if the battery termina ls are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery termina ls are connected aga in. To
prevent this, t he battery should only be disconnected from the
vehicle e lectr ica l system when absol ute ly necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do no t dr ive your veh icle over a period of severa l days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off. Th is
red uces e nergy consumption and main tains sta rt ing capabili ty ove r a
longer period=>
page 258.
Be aware that when you unlock your vehicle, some of the convenience
functions may not operate, such as the Convenience key*, the remote
control or the power seat adjustment. The convenience functions will
be availab le aga in whe n you tur n on th e ignition and start the eng ine.
Winter operation
Dur ing the winter months, battery capac ity tends to decrease as
temperatures drop. This is because more power is also consumed
while starting, and the headlights, rear w indow defogger, etc., a re
used more often.
Avoid unnecessa ry power consum ption, part ic ula rly i n city traffic o r
when traveling only short distances. Let your authorized Audi dealer check the capacity of the vehicle battery before w inter sets in
=>
page 303 . A well charged battery will not only prevent start ing
prob lems when the wea ther is cold, but will also las t longe r.
Vehicle OP-eration
(I) Tips
If your vehicle is left standing fo r seve ral weeks at extremely low
temperatures, the vehicle battery should be removed and stored
w here it will not free ze. This will preven t it from being damaged and
having to be replaced. •
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near the
battery.
Vehicle care
Fi g. 2 49 Lugga ge
co mp artme nt: Righ t·
s ide stor age co mpar t·
me nt
Fig. 25 0 Lug gage
comp art me nt: Batt ery ~
Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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The battery is located in the luggage compa rtment on the
right side beh ind a cover. Before you check anything in the
luggage compa rtmen t, read and heed all WARNINGS=>& .
- To open the side sto rag e com part me nt, turn the tw o pins
@ =>fig . 24 9 to th e vert ical position .
The positive( +) battery termina l is p rotected by a plastic cov er. This
cover must be removed to access the positive( +) terminal when
c onnect ing jumpe r cab les to sta rt the engine.
Always heed the safety warnings, when working on the vehicle
bat tery or the vehicle e lect ric al system to p revent injury .
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre­ cautions when working on the battery.
-
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contain s sulfuric acid. Always wear
gloves and eye protection .
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking .
When a battery is charged, it p roduces hydrogen
gas which is explosive and could cause personal
injury .
Always keep the battery well out of reach of chil­
dren .
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system,
there i s the ri sk of injury, a ccident and even fire. Read and heed
the following WARNINGS:
• Alway s wear eye protection . Do not let batt ery acid or any lead
part icles get on your skin or clothing. Shie ld your eyes. Explosive
ga se s can cause blindnes s or other in jury.
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can cause
blindne ss and severe burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protection . Do not tilt the
battery becau se acid could leak out of the ventilation open­
i ngs.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi­
a tely rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid , see k medical attention
immediately.
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame, elect ric sparks or
an open light .
• Do not smoke.
• Do not interchange the positive and negative cables.
• When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the
term inals with tools or other metal objects. This would cause the
battery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or
e x plos ion and personal injury.
• When a battery is charged, it produce s hydrogen ga s wh ich is
e xplos ive and could cause pe rsonal inju ry.
• Alway s keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
• Before work is done on the ele ctrical system , disconnect the
negative ground cable.
• Before performing any work on the electrical sy stem , switch
off the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equipment.
The negative cable on the battery mu st be disconnected. If you are
~

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
just going to replace a light bulb , then it is enough to switch off
the lights .
• Before disconnecting the battery , switch off the anti-theft
alarm system! Otherwise you will set off the alarm.
• When disconne cting the battery, first disconnect the negat ive
cable and then the po sitive cable.
• Before reconnecting the b attery, make sure all electrical
consumer s are sw itched off. Reconnect the positiv e cable fir st and
then the negative cable . Never inte rchange the cables -this could
start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out battery.
It could
explode! If a battery has frozen, then it must be replaced . A
di scharged batter y can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °C ).
• Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the opening on
the side of the battery .
• Never use batteries which are damaged. There is the danger of
an explosion! Alway s replace a damaged battery.
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts , terminal s and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• Do not disconnec t the vehicle batte ry when t he ignit ion is
switched on o r when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
d amage e le ctro nic c ompone nts in t he ele ctrica l sys tem.
Safety first
• If your ve hicle is go ing to sta nd for a long per iod of time w it h out
bein g driven, protec t th e battery fro m "freezi ng", o therw ise i t wi ll be
damaged and will then have to be replaced .•
Battery charging
Sta rting t he e ng in e req uires a well c harged battery.
Always read and heed all WARNINGS b elo w =:> & and=:> &
i n "W orki ng on t he batt ery" o n
page 3 01.
- Turn off th e igni tio n and all electr ica l co nsum ers.
- Make su re the area is well vent ilated w hen you charge the
batte ry .
- Attach the red (posi tive
(B) c la m p of the charging equip­
me nt to the posit ive te rmin al o f th e bat tery and t he b lac k
( n eg at ive(:)) clam p to t he jumper term inal.
- Only now plug t he m ain s lead for the c harg ing e quip ment
i n to t he wa ll outlet a nd tu rn it on=:> &.
- Make sure the charging rate is not over 30 amps/14.8
Volt.
- When the b attery is fully c harg ed: Turn t he ch arging
equ ip m ent off and remo ve t he mains l ead fr om the wall
ou tlet.
- Now remove the clamp s for the cha rging eq uipment .
A discharged ba ttery can freeze a t temperat ures of on ly O 0C. Allow a
frozen batte ry to thaw comp letely before attempting to charge it
=> & . However, we recomme nd not usin g a thawed battery aga in
because the battery casing can be cracke d due to ice formation and
c a n l eak battery a cid. .,._
Vehicle care Technical data

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of properly in compliance with all environmental regulations .
Disposing of vehicle batter ies improperly is
very dangerous to the
environment .•
Windshield/headlight washer
container
F ig . 251 E ngine
compa rtme nt: W ind·
sh iel d and h eadlight
w asher flu id con tainer
The washer fluid container is marked wi th the symbol ~ on
its cap.
- Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Working
in the engine compartment" on page
289.
- Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer fluid. You can fill
the container to the top.
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck a fter filling the
container.
You can find the reservoir capacity i n the table in~ page 360 .
To p revent lime residue from bui ld in g up on the spray jets, use
distilled wate r when refilling . Always add a glass cleaner solution
(with frost p rotection in the winter) .
Vehicle OP-eration
0 Note
Do not mix engine coo lant antifreeze o r any other additives to fill up
the w indshield wash er reservoir .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
sure label lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures for the
vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 occupants), you can adjust tire pressures to
those specified for normal vehicle load. Before operating the
vehicle at maximum load, you must increase the tire pressures to
those specified for maximum vehicle load~& .
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring system* can only
mon itor the tire pressures you have stored . The system does not
recognize the load condition of your vehicle.
Th e effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system* will be
impaired if you store normal load pressures but then operate the
vehicle at its maximum load~.&, . See the
illustration
~ page 310, fig. 2 52 for the locat ion of the label
either on dr iver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap (color of the
actual label and exact location on the vehicle will vary slightly) .
Note that the following tab le is accurate at the time of going to press
and is subject to change. In the event of discrepancies , the tire pres­
sure label (On USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on the
dr ive r's side B -pillar . On Canada veh icles, the tire pressure label is
located either on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or inside the fue l f ill er flap)
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold t ire inflation pressures
for the Audi model covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehicle's
capacity weight and the tire sizes insta lled on the respective models
as original equipment, or as a factory option .
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load full load normal load
full load
ment in conditiona> condition conditiona> condition
liter)
PSI kPA PSI kPA
a -cylinder 255/45 Rla 99H All Season
33 230 36 250 30 210 35 240
4.2
255/40 Rl9 l0OV XL All Season 36 250 39 270 33 38 260
255/40 Rl9 l00Y XL High Performance 33 230 36 250 30 210 35 240
265/35 R20 99V XL High Performance 35 240 38 260 32 220 36 250
275/35 R20 102V XL High Performance 38 260 41 280 35 240 44 300
a-cylinder 255/45 Rla 99H All Season 33 230 36 30 210 35 240
4.2 L
255/40 Rl9 l00V XL All Season 36 250 39 270 33 230 38 260
255/40 R19 l00Y XL High Performance 33 230 36 250 30 35 240
275/35 R20 102V XL High Performance 38 260 41 280 35 240 44 300
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
• The tire pr ess ure s sho uld o nly be c hecke d an d adjusted wh en the
t ire s ar e cold . Th e slightly rais ed pr ess ure s of war m tir es mu st not b e
r e d uced .
• Adjust th e tire p re ss ur e to t he load yo u a re ca rr yin g.
• Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire press ure is especia lly imp orta nt at high speeds . T he
pr essu re s hou ld t here fo re b e ch ec ked at least onc e a mo nth an d
always be fore sta rting a jo ur ney. Do not fo rget to check the tire pres­
su re for th e s pare wheel~
page 33 4.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjus t the tire pr essur e to th e load yo u are carrying . A ft e r changi ng a
w heel
or replac ing w heels yo u have to adjust the ti re pressures on all
w heels. In addi tio n, yo u mu st then stor e the new tir e press ures in the
tire pressu re monitoring system*~
page 326.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, los s of control, collision, serious personal injury or even
death.
• When the warning symbol appears in the instrument
cluster , stop and inspect the tires.
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control.
• The dr iver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all
tires on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on
a sticker on the driver 's side 8-pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap .
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure, the tire pressure monitoring* system can work correctly .
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents or
other damage. Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the
specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres­
sure before driving off .
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more , letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and/overloading can cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add ai r as required.
0 Note
Dr iv ing witho ut valve stem caps can caus e damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, alw ays m ake s ure th at facto ry installe d valv e st em
caps o n all whee ls a re securely mo unted o n the valve.
<i' For the sake of the environment
Under infla ted tires will a lso inc rease t he f uel cons umption .•
Tires and vehicle load limits
T here a re lim its to the amount of load or we ight that any veh icle a nd
a ny t ire c an car ry. A veh icle th at is overloade d wi ll not ha n dle we ll an d ...