radiator cap AUDI A8 2012 Owners Manual

16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coo lant temperature is too
h igh or the coo lant level is too low.
.,. Pull off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn off the engine.
.,. Check coolant level¢
page 22 7.
.,. Add coolant if necessary¢
page 228 .
.,. Continue driving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warn ing/indicator light goes out.
.,. Co ntact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
s istance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc ­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at idle for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING ,_
- If your veh icle 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 44, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping .
- Th e engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 213,
Engine compartment.
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunct ion in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine .
4'-Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Addit ionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound .
For more Information¢
page 134, ~ Safety
belt warning light .
f::I Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system.
The. warning/indicator light illum inates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the
generator or vehicle electrical system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediate ly . Because the veh i­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
autho rized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.

228 Checking and filling
the level may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 221.
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 warning light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will
illuminate 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 cool­
ing 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 coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
_& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing 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 ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
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 219.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 227, fig . 179 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢,&. .
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications
¢ page 22 7, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G3 or in an emergency G12+ . Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the
"MAX" mark . Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
_& WARNING
-= -- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,_

scalding from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engi ne and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escapi ng fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise dir ect ion while
a pply ing lig ht, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- T o avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifree ze o r coolan t on t he exh aust sys­
tem or ho t engine parts . Un der certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifree ze is poisono us. Always store an­
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con ­
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could ca use a n engine fire . Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres ­
sure re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 22 7 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be re used . Al­
ways dispose of used c oolant while observ­
ing all envir onmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automa tically by
itself
T he radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-be lt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant .
Checkin g and fillin g 229
An auxiliary electric radiato r fan* sw itches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ing con ditions.
After yo u switc h the engi ne off, the aux iliary
f an can con tinue r unning for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢ & , if
- t he temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat b uild -up from the en gine in
the engi ne compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up be cause
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in jury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
contro lled and can switch on sud denly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fa n switches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coo lant temper­
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
qui ck glance.
Fig. 180 En gin e compar tment: cov er o n th e bra ke fluid
r ese rvoir
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment ,
always re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> ,& in Working in the engine compar t-
ment on page 219 . .,..

292 Index .:..:..:..::....::..
...:..._ ___________________________ _
p
Paint
Touch-up ... .. ........ ..... .. .... . 207
Paint No. 276
Pano ramic sunroof .. ....... .. .. .. .. .. 41
Sun shade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Parking ..... ................ ..... .. 83
Valet parking ............. ... .... .. 39
Parking brake .. .... ... .... .. .. .. .. .. 82
also refer to Electromechan ica l park ing
brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Park ing system advanced
Adjusting the display ....... ..... .. . 119
Adjusting the warn ing tones .. .. .. .. . 119
Rear view camera -parking mode 1 .. . 118
Rear view camera -parking mode 2 ... 118
Safety precautions ............ .... . 115
Switching on and
off ...... .. .... .. . 117
Parts replacement ......... .. .. .. .. . 282
Pass-through with ski sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ..... .. . 153
Passenger protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Passive safety system ........ ... .... . 124
Pedals .. .. .. ...... ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 129
Physical principles of a frontal collision . 135
Polishing .... ................ ..... . 206
Pollutant filter (automatic AC system) . . . 7 5
Power locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Locking/unlocking the vehicle from in-
side ... .. .. ... ... ... .... .. .. .. .. .. 33
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Selective unlock feature . ........ .... 31
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Unlock ing and locking veh icle . .. .... .. 32
Power seat adjustment Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Rear seats .. ... ... .... ..... .. .. .. .. 57
Power steering (servot ronic) . .. .. .. .. . 191
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Pregnant women Specia l cons iderations when wearing a
safety belt ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 139
pre sense .. .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 185
Preventative passenger protection .. .. . 185 Programming
the Homelink ® un iversal re-
mote control . ..... ................. 121
Proper occupant seating positions . .... 125
Proper safety bel t position . ....... .... 138
Proper seating position
Front passenger . ................. . 126
Occupants ..... .. .. .............. . 125
Rear passengers .. ....... ...... .... 12 7
Q
quattro ®
refer to All Whe el Driv e .......... ... 191
Question What happens to unbelted occupants? 135
Why safety belts? ................ . 134
R
Radiator fan .. .. .. ...... ....... .... 229
Radio clock . .. .. .. ....... ...... .... . 25
Rain/light sensor
Headlights .... .. ................ .. 43
I ntermittent (windshield wipers) . .. .. . 48
Sensor defective .. ... .... ...... .. .. . 21
Range (fuel level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Reading lights . .. .. .......... ...... .. 46
Rear fog lights .... ................ .. 43
Rear lid Automatic operation .... .... ..... .. . 35
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Escape handle ... ............. .... 256
Mov ement -activated opening ..... ... . 37
Opening and closing .... ....... .... . 34
Rear light
Defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Rear seats Adjusting individual seats ....... .. .. . 57
Entry assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Front passenger seat adjustment . . . . . . 60
Reclining rear seat ................ .. 59
Rear view camera Reverse Parking .. ................ . 118
Rear view mirror . ... ........ ... ... .. . 51
Rear window heat ing . .... .... ..... .. . 77
Recirculat ion mode (automat ic cl imate
control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Reclining rear seat . ............. .... . 59