oil AUDI A8 2015 Owner's Manual

234 Checking and filling
@ Tips
The oi l level i ndicator in the MMI Display is
only an in format ion d isp lay .
If the oil leve l
is low, a minim um o il warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oi l
c::> page 234. If the hood has bee n ope ned,
the c urrent oil level is shown in the instru­
men t cluster t he nex t time the ig nition is
s w itche d on .
Checking the engine oil level
Appl ies to vehicles: with oil dipstick
Fig . 202 Oi l di pstick: ma rk ing field s
Before you check any thing in the engine com­
pa rtment,
always read an heed all WARN­
INGS c::> page 2 28 .
Determining the oil level
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Let the engine run in idle briefly while it is at
operating tempe ratu re and then shut the
engi ne off.
.. Wait approxima tely two min utes .
.. Remove the oil d ipst ic k. W ipe off t he oil dip­
st ick with a cle an clot h an d inse rt it all the
w ay in ag ain .
.. Remove the d ipstick again and then rea d the
o il level
c::> fig. 202 . Add engine oi l if neces­
sary
c::> page 234.
Oil level in the G) area
.. Do no t add any oi l.
Oil level in the @area
.. You may add oil. After adding oi l, the leve l
sho uld be in the @ area .
Oil level in the @ area
.. Yo u mu st ad d oil. A fter a dding oi l, the level
should be in the
0 area .
D epend ing on the way the vehi cle is dr iven
and the ope ra tin g con dit ions, oi l consu mption
ca n be up to 1/2 qu art pe r 600 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,00 0 km). Cons umption may be h ig he r
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) . Be ­
ca use of this, the engine oil leve l must be
c h ecked regu la rly. It wo uld be best to check
each time you refue l your veh icle and before
lo ng d rives.
Adding engine oil "l::r.
Fig. 2 03 Engin e compartm en t: cove r on th e e ng in e o il
f ill e r neck
Befo re you c heck a nyth ing in the engin e com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> .&. in Wo rking in the engine compart ­
men t on page 22 8.
"' Shut the eng ine off .
"' Un screw the cap
't=;,1 to the eng ine oil filling
hole
c::> fig. 203, c::> page 230 .
.. Ca refully top off with 0 .5 qu arts ( 0.5 liters)
of t he appropriate oil
c::> page 231 .
"' Check t he oi l level aga in after two m in utes
c::> page 233, Checking the engine oil level or
c::> page 234, Checking the engine oil level.
.. Top off the o il aga in, if necessary.
"' Sc rew the cap back on the filling hole .
_&, WARNING
--W hile topping off, th e oil m ust n ot com e
i n c onta ct w ith hot e ngine parts - fi re
haza rd! ..,.

.... N .... N
0 J:
'SI: .... \!) 1.1'1
.... 1.1'1 ,....,
-The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running - fire hazard!
-If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
@ Note
-Check the oil level. If the message
Please reduce oil level appears, contact
your authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop to have excess oil ex ­
tracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
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 228.
T he engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera-
Checking and filling 235
tu res remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise requir ed, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself,
please note the following important informa­
tion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty .
•
•

236 Check ing and filling
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil , first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a pe rmanent coolant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture of spec ia lly conditioned water and the
manufacturer 's glycol-based coo lant add i-
tive G l3 antifreeze with ant icorrosion addi ­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els). This mixture both assures the nec es­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­ ponents in the engine's cooling sys tem from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coolant .
Do not red uce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add it ive mu st be at
l e a st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and cooling efficien­
cy . If the coolant frost prote ct ion is too low,
the coo lant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle hea ting and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round d riving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for temperatures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada. If
you must add coolant, use a mixture o f wa ­
ter and coolant additive . Mixing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
-
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WAR NINGS
c::, & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 228.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions . This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is ex treme ly cold. If ne cessa ry, i n­
crease the pr opo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 60%.
- Whe n adding coolant additive to yo ur
c ooling sys tem, remembe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad ­
d itive Gl2++ or Gl3 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is availab le at au­
thor ized Audi dealers . Other types of
ant ifreeze can s ignificant ly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The resulti ng cor ro­
sion can ca use a loss o f coolan t and se­
rio us engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
a nt to yo ur vehicle 's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repai r fl ui d may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by yo ur New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
-

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 204 Eng ine compartme nt: cover o n the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lway s read and he ed all WARN ­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 228.
Park your vehicle on a level surface.
~ Switch off the ignition.
~ Read the engine coolant leve l from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢
fig. 204, ¢ page 230.
With a cold engine, the coolant level should
be between the "min" and "max" markings.
When the engine is warm, the level may be sl ightly above the ''max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢
page 230 .
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansio n tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When t he coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will
illuminate unti l yo u add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even thoug h
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-
Checkin g and fillin g 237
ing system shou ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
eno ugh merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Red uce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by follow ing these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id a nd steam by cover ing the
cap with a la rge, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
p lyi ng lig ht, dow nward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze o r coolan t on the exhaust system
or ho t engine parts. Und er certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene gly co l in engine coo l­
an t can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add­
i ng radia to r repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fe ct the fun ct io n and perfor man ce o f you r
coo ling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Vehicle Limi ted
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you che ck a nyt hing in the eng ine com­
partmen t,
alway s re ad and he ed alt WARN­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 228.
~ Requirement: There must be a residua l
a mo unt of coolan t in the expansion ta nk
¢(D.
~Tu rnoff the engine . •
•

- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to th e heat bui ld-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.&_ WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on sudden ly
even when the engine is not runn ing.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­ tomat ically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper ­
at ure drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
N N
-N
i
F ig . 2 05 Eng ine co mpartmen t: cove r on the b rake f lui d
r eservo ir
Before you check anything in th e engine com­
partment,
alwa ys read and he ed all WARN­
INGS c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 2 28.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fl uid reservo ir ~
fig . 205, c::> page 230. The
brake f luid leve l must be betwee n the "M IN"
and "M AX" marki ngs.
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
see n in t he engi ne comp artment illus trati on
c::> page 230.
Checkin g and fillin g 239
The fluid level may d rop slightly afte r some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . T his is not cause for alarm .
If the brake flu id leve l falls considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models) . (Canadian
models) w ill come on
~ page 14 . Do not con­
tin ue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake sys tem should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dea ler or other quali ­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake f lu id leve l is too low, the brake warning/
indica tor ligh t will illumi nate. Conta ct an au­
thorized Aud i de aler
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
en ced technician.
B rake fluid absorbs moisture from the air . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, co rrosion in the brake system may resu lt
after a pe riod of time. The boiling point of the
brake f lu id will also dec rease conside rably and
decrease brak ing performance.
T herefo re , the bra ke fluid must be changed
every tw o year s. Always use new br ake f lu id
which con forms to Federal Mo tor Veh icle
Standard " FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
T he bra ke fluid reservo ir can be d iff icu lt to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the bra ke fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the cor rect
tools, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
---- Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from old or inap­
prop riate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- U se only brake fluid tha t meets SAE
specificat ion
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.

256 Tires and wheels
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see Qpage 202 .
.&_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 212 Tir e specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
t ire
No. Description
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S . DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..

26 2 T ire s and wheel s
chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(D} Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with All Wheel Drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims
are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
¢page 292.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bol ts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the risk of a whee
l loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tighte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
([) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque wrench -pre ferably by an au thor­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a var iety of d riv ing condi ­
t ions . As k your author ized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low -a sp ec t-ratio tires i s
pa rticularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure . It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and th at the inflation pressure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
s u res should be checked at least once a
month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 251, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies .,..

.... N .... N
0 J:
'SI: .... \!) 1.1'1
.... 1.1'1 ,-0
Fuse pa nel @ (brown )
No . Equipment
1 Headlight contro l switch
2
Emergency start coil (key
i dentification)
3
Rear door control module
(driver's side)
4 Head-up Display
5 Horn
6 Inter ior lights (head liner)
Steering column lever, mul-
8
tifunction steering wheel
controls, steering wheel
heat ing
10
Electric steering co lumn
lock
11 D river door contro l modu le
12
D iagnostic connector, light/
rain sensor
14
Power steering col umn ad -
justment
15
Power steering, A/C com-
presse r
16 Brake booster
Fu se pa nel © (b la ck)
No . Equipment
1 Front seat heating
2 Windshield w iper
3 Front exterior lighting
4 Sun roof
5 Driver power window
6 Driver seat (pneumat ic)
7 Panoramic sunroof
8 Dynamic steering
9 Front exterior lighting
10 Windshield/headlight
wash-
er system
11
Rear power w indow (driver's
side)
12 Panoramic sunroof
Amps
5
5
7,5 5
15
7,5
10/5
5
7,5 10
25
20
15
Amps
30 30
30 20
30
7,5
20 35
30
35
30
40
Fu ses and bulb s 2 77
Front passenger side cockpit fuse
assignment
Fig . 233 Fro nt passe nger side cockpit: f use pane l with
plast ic brac ket
Fu se panel @ (bl ac k)
No. Equipment Amps
1 Anti-theft alarm system 5
2
Transmission control mod-
15
ule
3 Front climate control fan 40
4 Engine supply 35
6
Engine cont ro l modu le 5
7
Front passenger door con-
7,5 trol module
8
Front passenger power win-
30 dow
9 ESC contro l module
10
10
ESC contro l modu le 25
1 1
Right rear power window 30
1 2
Front passenger seat (pneu-
7,5 matics)
•
•

286 Emergency situations
- When removing heavy components like
these, ancho r vehicle to ho ist o r add cor­
responding weig hts to ma inta in the cen ­
ter of g ravity. Othe rwise, the vehicle
m ight tilt o r slip off t he hoist, causi ng
serious p erson al inju ry .
@ Note
- Be awa re of the following points befo re
li fting the vehicle:
- The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine
oil pan, the transmission housing , the
front or rear axle or the body side membe rs. This could lead to serious
damage.
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the veh icle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist .
-Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear­
ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle.

288 Techni cal Dat a
Gross Ax le Weight R atin g
The Gross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle
c::> &. .
Vehicle capacity weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max. load) is list­
ed eithe r on the dr iver's side B-pillar or inside
the fuel filler flap.
A WARNING
- The actual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles should not ex­
ceed the perm iss ible weights, and their
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing.
Dimensions
I>
-
- Exceeding permissible weight ratings can
result in veh icle damage, acc idents and
personal injury.
(D Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is distributed evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
transport ing a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as poss ible so that the vehi­
cle's handling is not impaired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axle loads or the maximum gross veh icle
we ight. Always remember that the vehi­
cle's handling w il l be affected by the ex­
tra load. Therefo re, adj ust your speed ac­
cordingly.
- Always observe local regulat ions.
AS SS ASL
Length in (mm) 202.2 (5135) 202.6 (5147) 20
7.3 (5265)
Width in (mm)
76.7 (1949) 76 .7 (1949) 76 .7 (1949)
Width (across mir rors) in (mm) 83.1 (2111) 83.1 (2111) 83.1 (2111)
Height (unloaded)a) in (mm)
57.5 (1460) 57 .4 (1458) 57 .9 (1471)
a l The height of the vehicle depends on the tires an d th e suspension.
When driv ing up steep ramps, on rough roads,
over curbs, etc . it is important to remember
that some parts of your vehicle, such as spoil-
Capacities
Fuel tank: total capacity
Winds hield and headlight* washer fluid container ers or exhaust
system components, may be
close to the ground . Be careful not to damage
them .
gal (liters) approx. 21.7 (82.0)
quarts (liters) approx. 5.29 (5.0)