emergency towing AUDI A8 2012 Owners Manual

4 Table of contents
Do-it-yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Bulbs .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. 269
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 270
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Start ing by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 270
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 270
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 1
E mergency towing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Lifting vehicle .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... 274
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
General information . . . . . . . . . . 276
Explanation of technical data . . . . . . . 276
Vehicle ident ificat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
372 hp, 8-cylinder engine, w ith all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
500 hp, 12-cyl inder engine, with all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 280
War ranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Addit ional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Declaration of Compliance,
Te lecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Index ..... ..... ..... ...... ..... 285

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and
off using the light switch . You can still
control a ll funct ions that are independent of
the rain sensor through the windshield wiper lever.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the prob lem corrected.
@! Dynamic steering
1;r.ij Steering: system fault. you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slow ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
tT@ Dynamic steering: initialising
If th is 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-initi ­
alization might be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the veh icle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as init ialization 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 informat ion on dynamic
stee ring, refer to
¢page 103.
I-: Sport differential
II Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport d ifferen ­
t ial.
Drive to your authori zed Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly 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
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
is faulty or malfunct ioning . The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢ 9 Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left B or the right B
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flashers , 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. Carefu lly dr ive to your authorized Audi
dealer immed iately to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the trail­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer towing
mode.
@ Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
¢ page 45.

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.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described.
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
@ Tips
- The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount. You should
therefore not apply any stickers to the
windshield in this area in order to pre­
vent malfunctions or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display¢
page 21 .
- You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail
lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They will clear shortly after switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in an emer ­
gency situation.
,--~
,_'
. ;.' --- --~-.sc-
Fig. 35 Center console: emergency flasher switch
.,. Press the switch 11 ¢ fig. 35 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
s ignal ind icator lights
ea in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
11 blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flasher also works when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D 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.

The 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.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O];lij Gearbox malfunction: you can contin·
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. If you turn the engine
off, you
will not be able to select any other selector
l ever positions after starting the engine again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or quali­
fied repai r facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving {limited functionality)
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. The
engine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Au­
di dealer or qualified repa ir facility immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
[o]tlij Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
author ized Audi dealer immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The parking lock was released using the
emergency release
r=:> page 113. Or
Automatic Transmission 113
- The parking brake cannot engage automati ­
cally . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualif ied repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not continue dr iving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance .
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
Fig. 119 Driver 's side footwell: releas ing the park ing
lock using the emergency release
.------------------ -~
Fig. 120 Dr iver"s side footwel l: resett ing the parking
l ock
8 ±
~
The emergency release is located under the
floor mat on the driver's side. You operate the
emergency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake©
r=:> page 82
or press the brake pedal.
.,. There are two slits on the cover. Posit ion
the screwdriver from the veh icle tool kit in
Ill-

Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 1 95 Luggag e compartment: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 195.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart ­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 195 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 130 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 259
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 257,
c:> page258 .
& WARNING
You or you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
- After insta lling the spare wheel , make
sure that you replace t he f lat t ire/wheel
-

2 70 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
page 213, Engine com­
partment.
«I) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, rad io, etc .
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,_

272 Emergen cy sit uat ions
-When connecting jumper cables, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the engine compart­
ment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> page 213, Engine com­
partment.
(D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru­ in the generator.
-Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI­ TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery term inal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
nect ing a jumper cable as desc ribed
above applies spe cifically to the case of
you r vehicle being j ump started. When
you are giving a jump star t to anothe r ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative (-) ca ­
ble to the negat ive(-) term inal on the
discharged battery ©
c:> fig. 209. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(-)
cable to either a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to the engine block itself. If the bat­
te ry that is being charged does not vent
to t he outside, es caping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
tng.
The follow ing information is to be used by
commercia l tow tr uck operators who know
h ow to operate the ir equipmen t safe ly.
- Never t ow your Audi. Towing will cau se
da mage to the engine and tr ans mi ssion .
- Ne ver wrap th e safet y chain s or winch c a­
ble s around the brake lines.
- To prevent unne ce ssa ry damage , your Aud i
must be t ran spo rted with a flat bed truck.
- To load th e vehi cle on to the fl at bed, use
the towing l oop found in the vehicle t ools
and attach to the front o r rear anchorage
c:>page 272 and c:>page 273.
.&_ WARNING
=
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas-
sengers. Never allow a nyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Only install the front towing loop when it is
needed.
C7
0
F ig. 210 Fr ont bumpe r: cove r
Fig. 211 Fro nt bu mpe r: sc rew ing in the towing loop
-
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo ­
cated on the right s ide of the front b umpe r
and covered by a sma ll cove r when not in use.
.,. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
tool kit.

288 Index
Doors
M echanical child safety lock .. .... .. .. 37
Power child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Driver information system
CD/radio display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Door/r ear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Exterior temperature display ....... .. 23
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Driver seating position ............... 125
drive select .. .. . .......... .. .. .... . 103
adaptive a ir suspension/sport ........ 103
Adaptive dampers ................. 103
Cornering light ........... .. .. .... . 103
Dynamic steering .................. 103
Safety belt tensioner ............... 103
Sport differential .......... ... .... . 103
Driving safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driving through water ............... 196
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Dynam ic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 103
E
Easy entry feature .......... .... .... .. 79
Einparkhilfe Sensoren/Kamera reinigen ...... .... 205
Elect rical accessories (sockets) . . . . . 64, 70
E lectromechanical park ing brake
Emergency braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Parking .................... ..... .. 83
Releasing and closing ..... .. .. .. .. . . 82
Starting assist ........... .. .. .... .. 83
Starting from rest .......... .. .... .. 83
Starting
off with a tra iler . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Warning/indicator lights ..... .. .. .. . . 15
E lectronic different ial lock ( EDL) .. .... . 187
Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. . . 19
Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 29
Electronic power control (EPC)
warning/indicator light ..... .... ..... 20
Electronic speed limiter ......... .... .. 27
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) .. ..... 187
Warn ing/indicator lights ....... .. .. .. 18 Emergency
actuation
Doors ... ..... .. .. .............. .. 34
Parking lock ... .. ................. 113
Power sunroof . .. ............. .... . 40
Rear lid ... .... .. ............. .... . 37
Emerg ency braking ................... 84
Emergency flasher ................. .. 44
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 22
Emergency operation Panoramic sunroof ... .......... .. .. . 42
Sun shade (roof) ................... 42
Emergency starting ................ . 270
Emergency towing .. ............ .. .. 272
Emergency warning triangle .......... 256
En ergy management ................ 192
Engine Compartment ..................... 221
Coolant ... .. .. .. .. ... ........ .. .. 227
Data ..... .... .. ............. .... 278
starting ......... .. .............. .. 80
Starting with jumper cables ......... 270
Stopping . ..... .. .. .............. .. 81
Engine compartment ................ 221
Closing the hood . ... .......... .. .. 220
Opening the hood ............. .... 219
Safety instructions ................ . 219
Working in the engine compartment .. 219
Engine coolant ..................... 22 7
Adding coolant . .. ... .......... .. .. 228
Check ing the engine coolant level ..... 227
Expansion tank ... ................. 227
Malfunction symbol ................. 15
Radiator fan ... .. ............. .... 229
Temperature gauge ............ .... . 10
Engine oil ...... .. .. .............. . 222
Adding ......... .. .............. . 225
Additives . ..... .. ............. .... 225
Changing . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 226
Checking oil level .... .......... .. .. 225
Checking the engine oil level ....... .. 224
Consumption .. ................... 225
I ndications and conditions requiring ex-
tra checking . ...... .. ...... ....... 224
Indicator light ... ............. .... . 17
Oil consumpt ion .. ............. .... 223
Oil grad es ..... .. ................ . 222
Oil level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20