ABS AUDI A8 2011 Owner's Manual

More stubborn dirt
"' More stubborn dirt can be removed using a
cloth saturated with a mi ld soap so lution (2
tablespoons mi ld liquid soap).
"'N ever allow the soap so lution to saturate
the leather, and make certa in that no water
soaks into the seams .
"' Wipe
off the soap solution with a soft, dry
cloth .
Cleaning spots
"' Remove fresh water-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
"' Remove fresh
grease or oil -based spots
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towel, or use
t h e cleane r from the leathe r care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leather.
"'U se an oil/grease dissolving spray, if
oil/
grease spots have d ried on.
"' Remove spec ific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, felt marker, fingernail polish , water­
based paint, shoe polish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather .
Leather care
"'Every half year use an approved leather care
product (available from your Audi dealer) to
care for the leather.
"' Apply the product very sparingly.
"' Wipe it
off with a damp cloth .
If you have any questions abo ut cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your author ized Audi dealer, who
will be glad to help you and tell you about our
fu ll range of leather care products, suc h as:
- Leather cleaning and care k it
- Creams to care for colored leather
- Spot removers for ballpoint pens, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming prod ucts.
Cleaning and protection 215
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 206.
(D Note
-Never use chemica l so lvents (e.g. lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
similar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn sta ins
removed by a commercial clean ing spe­
cialist.
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to veh icles: w it h Alca nta ra upho lstery
Removing dust and dirt
"' Moisten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Removing stains
"' Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
w ith diluted
ethyl (rubbing) alcohol.
"' Dab at the stain . Start at the outside and
work inwards .
"' Once the stain is no longer visible, use a soft
d ry cloth or tissue to soak up the moisture .
Do not use leather cleaning products on A l­
cantara .
You may use a suitable shampoo for remov ing
dust and dirt.
Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface.
If the car is
left stand ing in the sun for long per iods, the
Alcantara covers should be protected aga inst
direct sunlight to prevent it from fad ing .
Slight color variations will develop in normal
use and are not an indication of mate rial dete­
rioration .
(D Note
-Never use chemical so lvents (e .g. lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
similar products on Alcantara ® surfaces. .,.. •
•

232 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance .
Fig. 181 Engine compartme nt: markings on the brake
flu id reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ .&._ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 222.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 181. The brake fluid
level must be between the "MIN" and
" MAX " markings .
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
c:::,page224 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . T hi s is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light. (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid is 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 . This can seriously affect the effi­
ciency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l
of brake fl uid as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have t he brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ive s we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level shou ld a lso be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 235.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 159.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢ page 195.
Be aw are tha t when you unlock yo ur vehicle ,
some of the conven ien ce f unct ions may no t
Checkin g and fillin g 233
opera te , such as the Conven ience key*, the re­
mote control or the power seat adjustment .
T he convenience functions will be ava ilab le
again when you switch on the ign ition and
start the eng ine.
Winter operat ion
D uring the w inte r mon ths, bat tery capacity
tends to dec rease as temperatures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consum ptio n, pa r­
ticu lar ly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances. Let your autho riz ed Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
te ry before w inter sets in¢
page 235 . A well
c h arged battery will not on ly prevent s tarti ng
problems w hen the weather is cold, but wi ll
also last longer.
(D Tips
If you r vehicle is left s tandi ng for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle ba ttery s hould be removed an d
s to red w here i t w ill not fr eeze . T his w ill
p revent it from be in g damaged and having
to be replaced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
T he battery is lo cated in the l uggage compa rt­
ment unde r the floo r. B efo re you che ck a ny­
thi ng in the luggage com partmen t,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Alw ays heed t he safety warning s, when work­
ing on the vehicle b atte ry or the vehicle e lec -
t rical system to prevent i njury. .,..
•
•

remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­ ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le after replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 189 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 190 Display: System malfu nctio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru-
Tires and wheels 257
ment cluster with a warning symbol [I) and a
message
r::!) fig. 189.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each t ime the pressures are ad ­
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle
r::!) page 258. You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on driver's side 8-pil­
lar
r::!) page 242 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tir e pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
r::!) page 258 .
Warning symbols
[I) Loss of pressure in at least one tire co& .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The indicator light
[I) in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
r::!) page 11.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and resetTPMS via MMI.
lli§ffl (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction.
If llilffl appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving co
fig. 190 and the indica­
tor light
[I) in the instrument cluster blinks
for approximately one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction . See your
authorized Audi dea ler as soon as possible .
A WARNING
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display , one or
more of your tires is significant ly under­
inflated . Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures . In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire .,.

258 Tires and wheels
pressure label~ page 242 . Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter condit ions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
- Ask your author ized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
cou ld also result.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESP/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- To ensure a proper TPMS function use
AUDI Original Tires which are marked
with "AO" or "RO" on the tire sidewall.
~p age 249.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was syntonized using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification. We rec­
ommend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI .
.. Switch on the ignition .
.. Se lect in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
Car systems contro l button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures > Yes, store now.
(D Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of all four tires must correspond
to the specif ied values. Adjust the tire
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying~ page 242.
- Do not store the tire pressures if you are
dr iving with snow chains. Otherwise, a
system malfunction may occur.