tow AUDI S8 2011 Owners Manual

Advanced Parking System . . . . 118
Advanc ed Pa rking System with r ear
view camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Ad justing the display and warning
tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
E rro r messages
Homelink ® ............ .... .. . .
Universal remote control . .. .. .. .. . . 123
124
124
Safety first
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Prope r occupa nt seating posit ions . . . 128
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 132
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2
S towing lugg age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Safety belt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 145
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mo nitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 1
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
S ide curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
I mportant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hil d safety sea ts ......... .... .. . .
I ns tall ing a chi ld safety seat .. .. .. . .
L A T C H L ower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Addit io n al Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Preventative passenger protection .. . 169
174
178
18 1
187
188
188
Table of contents 3
Vehicle oper ation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
190
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 190
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
E lectronic stab ilizat ion program (ESP) 190
B rak ing ...... ... .. ............. .
Se rvotronic ® - advanced power
stee ring system .. .. ..... ........ .
D rivi ng with your q uattro ® ...... .. . 192
194
19
4
En ergy m anagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Driving and environment . . . . . 197
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
a ft erwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Catalytic conve rter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 198
Driving throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 199
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imi ze pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driv ing with a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Trai le r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 206
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Care of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... .......... ....
218
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
F uel tan k.. .. .. .. ... ............ . 219
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 222
E ngine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine comp artmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
T ire pressure mo nitoring system . . . . 256
•
•

4 Table of content s
D o-it- yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
259
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 259
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Fuses .. .... ..... ..... ...... ... .. 268
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 273
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Starting by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 273
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . . . 273
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
E mergency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Techni cal d ata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
General information . . . . . . . . . . 279
Explanation of technical data . . . . . . . 279
Vehicle ident ification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
372 hp, 8-cylinder engine, w ith all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 283
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Audi Service Repair Ma nuals and
L it erature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
M ain tenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Addit ional accessories , modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 7

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
~ Pull off the road.
~ Stop t he vehicle .
~ Turnoff th e engine.
~ Check the engine oil level¢ page 22 7.
~ If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 227 . Make sure that the oil p res ­
s ur e warn ing symbol . appears no longe r
i n t he d is pl ay befo re you start d rivi ng aga in .
~ If the engi ne oil leve l is co rrec t and the ind i­
ca tor lig ht st ill turn s on , tur n the eng ine off
and do not conti nue d riving . Seek professio­
na l assista nce .
@ 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
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil p ressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
Ill. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
°'!=: ;. Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When t he sy mbo l and the dr ive r m essage ap­
pear, the oil has to be replenishe d righ t now
¢page 224.
If the indicator lig ht and th e message ap pear,
add engine o il im med iate ly
¢ page 227.
II Add oil, max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbo l and the dr iver message ap­
pear, add the amo unt of o il appeari ng i n the
d isp lay at the next opportunity ¢
page 224.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indica tor light turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, t here is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunct io n. You cannot sw itch
t h e ignit ion on.
D o
not tow yo ur vehicle because it cannot be
stee red. Seek professiona l assistance .
!m Steering lo ck : system fault . Please con­
tact dealer
If th e i ndica to r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, t here is a n electronic stee ring
column lo ck malfun ction.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfunction corr ected .
_&. WARNING
-
Your ve hicle mus t no t be towed i n the
eve nt o f a ma lfunction in t he elec tronic
s teer ing column loc k bec ause i t ca nno t be
steere d due to the locked steerin g. If it is
towe d wit h the steeri ng locke d, there is
the r is k of an accident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, do
not switch the ig nitio n off
because you may not be ab le to sw itch it on
again.
D rive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
I!! Engine start sy stem fault . Please con ­
tact dealer
I f th e indica to r li ght tur ns on and the mes­
sage a ppea rs, t here is a malf unct io n in the en­
gine st art system.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer imm ed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfuncti on corr ected.
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin-
ue slowly with ma x. 35 mph. .,..

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
~ Dynamic steering
t1r- J Steering: system fault. you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi­
cult to move or mo re sensitive than usual. The
steer ing wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight.
Drive slow ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
qual ified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
t 1r J Dynamic steering: initialising
If this driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering is being reinitialized . Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the steering wheel w ill be easy to move . Re-in iti­
a lization m ight be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initialization is complete.
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering system mal­
function repaired as soon as possible 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 information on dynamic
steering, refer to
c> page 106.
I- I Sport differential
l'I Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport differen ­
tial.
Drive to you r authorized Aud i dea ler immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
Ill Sport differential: overheating T
he transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING Co....- -
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
i s faulty or malfunct ioning. The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety .
¢¢ Turn signal s
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left ll or the right rl
turn s ignal, the indicato r light blinks . When
you use the emergency f lashers, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefully drive to your authorized Aud i
dealer immed iate ly to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a ma lfunction if a turn signal on the trai l­
er or on the vehicle fails in trai ler towing
mode.
(D Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
c> page 45.
CRUISE /C'J' Cruise control
The warning/indicator light
f;;(l)~i~ (USA mod­
els)/ . (Canada models) illuminates when
the cruise control is act ivated
c> page 84 .

44 Clear vision
Highway light function*
(vehicles with LED
headlights) -this function adapts the lighting
for highway driving based on vehicle speed.
.&_ WARNING
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver . They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions . For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights §,0
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from
the back .
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
(D Tips
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display
q page 21 .
-You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described .
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in on emer­
gency situation .
Fig. 36 Ce nte r co nso le: em erg en cy flash er sw itch
.,. Press the switch~ c:> fig. 36 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
signal indicator lights¢¢ in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
~ blink likewise.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
@ Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
"'Select: !CARI function button> Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting. ""

Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following settings in the
Automatic headlights menu:
Headlights activation time -You can adjust if
the headlights switch on
Early, Med . or Late
according to the sensitivity of the light sensor.
Audi adaptive light* -You can switch adaptive
light
On and Off.
Daytime running lights
USA models:
You can switch the dayt ime run­
n ing lights
on and off .
Canada models :
The function cannot be
turned off . It is activated automatically each
time the ignition is switched on. This menu
item is shown "greyed out".
Coming home, Leaving home
The coming home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you switch the
ignition off and open the driver's door. To turn
the function on, select
Lights when leaving
car > On .
The leaving home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you un lock the
vehicle. To turn the funct ion on, select
Lights
when unlocking car > On .
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light
switch is in the
AUTO pos ition. Clear
vision 45
Turn signal lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er.
Fig. 37 Tu rn signal and high beam lever
The turn signa l and high beam lever has the
following funct ions :
Turn signals ¢ 9 ©@
.,. Push the lever up as fa r as it can go to turn
on the right turn signa l or down to turn on
the left tu rn s ignal ¢
fig. 3 7.
... Move the lever briefly unti l you meet resist­
ance and re lease it to flash three times.
.,. Move the lever (up or down) until you meet
resistance and hold it there to determine
the flashing time for the turn signals.
High beam ~D @
... Push the lever forward to switch on the high
beam .
.,. Pull the lever back towards you to switch
off
the high beam.
Headlight flasher ~D ©
... Pull the lever toward the steering wheel to
use the headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
-The turn signals on ly work w ith the ignition
sw itched on. The indica tor l ights
R or II in
the instrument cluster
¢page 11 also blink.
-Aft er you have turned a corner, the turn sig-
nal switches
off automatically.
- The
high beam works only when the head-
lights are on. The indicator light . in the .,.

Selecting a color profile
You can select from the Ivory , Polar and Ru­
b y/ Pol ar
color profiles .
(D Tips
The settings are automa tically sto red and
assigned to the remote con tro l key that is
in use.
Instrument illumination
You con adjust the brightness of the instru ­
ment and display illumination .
Fig . 40 In strument ill um ination
• Press the knob to release it.
• Turn the knob toward"-" or"+" to reduce or
increase the brightness .
• Press the knob again to return it to it s or ig i­
nal position .
Q Tips
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) lights on when the ig nitio n is
sw itched on and the vehicle lights are
turned off. As the daylight fades, the illu­
m ina tion of the dials likewise dims auto­
mat ically and wi ll go out com plete ly when
t he o utside light is very low . This fea ture is
meant to remind you to switch on the
headlights when o utside light conditions
become poor. Clear vi
sion 4 7
Vision
Sun visors
E J
Fig . 4 1 S un viso r
The sun visors for the driver and passenger
can be re leased from their bracke ts and
turned toward the doors
c:> fig. 41 (D . They
can a lso be moved back and forth lengthwise
in th is position .
The m irror light switches on when the cover
ove r the vanity m irror @opens.
T here is a shade between the dr iver 's and pas­
senger's s un visors that can be used to cover
the gap above the rearview mirror.
. Sun Shade
Fi g. 42 Cock pit: Sun shade swit ch
F ig. 4 3 Rear doo r: S un s had e butto n

Luggage compartment
Tie-downs and luggage compartment net
The Luggage compartment net prevents small
objects from sliding .
Fig. 63 Location of the fastening eyes in the luggage
compartment
Fig. 64 Luggage compartment net unhooked
~ To secure objects with the luggage compart­
ment net*, fold the tie-down bracket up­
ward ¢
fig. 63 .
~ Insert the hooks on the luggage compart­
ment net* into the tie-downs ¢
fig. 64.
~ Read and heed all WARNINGS¢ page 133,
Stowing Luggage.
In a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will turn into heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury . Items in the vehicle pick up ki­
netic energy which varies with the vehicle and
the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the
most significant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collis ion at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about
20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the we ight of the item would suddenly be the
Seats and storage 65
equivalent of about 200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easily imagine the injuries that an item of that
weight flying freely through the passenger
compartment can cause in a collision at a
speed considered relatively low.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­ ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Al ways use su itable retaining straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- Never attach a child seat tether strap to
a tie-down.
- For strength-related reasons, the mount­
ing hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weighing up to 10 lb. (5 kg) . Heavi­
er objects will not be adequately secured
- there is a risk of injury.

A WARNING
-The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis and other light ob­
jects. To reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal injury, never transport heavy or pointed objects in the ski sack.
- When brak ing rapidly or during an acci­
dent, the load could be displaced and
cause i njury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be covered
for protect ion. Always fasten the belt
ti ghtly around the sack and its contents
~fig. 68.
-For safety reasons, do not t ransport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sack .
- You must secure the ski sack with the
strap after loading.
- Make sure all objects tha t you are trans­
porting in the pass-th rough a re secured.
Otherwise they cou ld slide around during
s u dden braking maneuvers and cause in­
jury.
(D Tips
- Never stow the sk i sack away when it is
still wet or damp ( for example, snow
melting from skis). Allow it to dry com­
plete ly before stowing it away.
- Position skis in the ski sack w ith the
pointed ends facing the front and ski
po les w ith the pointed ends facing the
rear.
S ea ts a nd s to rage 67
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof
luggage rack.
Fi g. 69 Roof r ack attac hment po ints
.,. Always read and follow the instructions pro­
vided by the roof rack man ufacturer when
the roof rack system must be installed.
If luggage or cargo is to be carr ied on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- To enhance the vehicle's streamlined design,
rai n gutters have been molded i nto the roof.
It is not poss ible to use normal roof racks.
On ly ins tall a roof rack specifically designed
for your model AB. Contact the nearest Audi dea ler for information on approved modular
roof racks for your vehicle.
- On ly use roof racks approved for your vehi ­
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi orig inal accessories program .
- When installing the roof rack, make sure it
is o nly mounted on the des ignated locations
on the roof
Q fig . 69 .
- We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
veh icle.
When sh ould the roof rack be rem oved?
-Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
adv ice)
..

80 On the road
(D Note
-Avoid hig h engine rpm, fu ll throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperat ure -other­
wise you risk eng ine damage.
- The engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period, heat b uilds up in
the engine compartment after the en­
gine is switched off - there is a risk of
damaging the engine . Allow the eng ine
to run at idle for about 2 minutes before
switching it off.
@ Tips
If you open the driver's door with the igni­
tion on, a buzzer sounds and the message
Igniti on is on appears in the instrument
cluster display. Sw itch the ignition off .
Stopping the engine
• Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
.. Move the se lector lever to the
P or N pos i­
t ion .
.. Pre ss the I STAR T ENGINE ST OP I button
r:> page 79, fig. 80 .
Emergency off
If necessary, the engine can be switched off
with the selector lever in the
R , D or S posi­
tions . The engine stops if you press the
I S TAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button at speeds be low
6 mph (10 km/h).
A WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unti l the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and power steer ing
only work when the engine is runn ing .
If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usua l­
ly wo uld, this could lead to crashes and
serious injuries. -
For safety reasons, you should a lways
park your vehicle w ith the selector lever
in P . Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away .
- After the engine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can cont inue to run for
up to 10 minutes -even with the ignition
sw itched off. It can also sw itch on again
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result ofa heat bu ildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays .
(D Note
Do not stop the eng ine immedia tely after
hard o r extended driving. Keep the engine
running for approximate ly two minutes to
prevent excessive heat bui ld-up.
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances, for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter­
ference is affected the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
"' ij
:c
-- --- -~
Fig . 81 Ce nter co nsole/master key: start ing the e ngin e
i f there is a malfunct ion
Requirement: The message K ey not recog­
niz ed . Hold back of ke y again st ma rked are a.
See o wner's manual.
must appear and the in ­
dicator light
m must switch on .
.. Hold the master key vertically in the loca­
tion indicated
y >>) <=> fig . 81.
• Press the brake pedal r=> & in Starting the
engine on page 79 .
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