maintenance AUDI A8 2016 Owners Manual

2016 Audi A8
2016 Audi S8
Foreword
Thank you for choosing an Audi -we value your trust in us.
Your new Audi will allow you to experience the best in groundbreaking technolo­
gy and premium quality equipment a vehicle has to offer. We recommend that
you read your Owner's Manual thoroughly so that you quickly become acquaint­
ed with your Audi and make use of all of its features.
In addition to explaining how the different features work, we provide many use­
ful tips and information concerning your safety, how to care for your vehicle and
how to maintain your vehicle's value. We also give you useful tips and informa­
tion on how to drive your vehicle more efficiently and in an environmentally
friendly manner.
In the Owner's Manual, you will also find the Operating Manual for your Info­
tainment system and the vehicle maintenance schedule.
We hope you enjoy driving your Audi and we wish you safe and pleasant motor­
ing.
AUDIAG

Table of content s
Towing with a tow tr uck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
We ights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Capac ities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Gasoline engi nes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
D iesel eng ines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Consumer information . . . . . . . . . . 281
Wa rranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 1
Operating your veh icle outside the U.S.A.
or Ca nada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 1
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Accessories and technical changes . . . . . . 283
Declaration of Compliance,
Telecommun ication o r Electron ic Systems 284
Index ..... .. .... ........... ....... 285
4

In addition to this Owner's Manual, your Audi
comes with the
- MMI Operat ing Instructions
- Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
If you are missing one of these publications, or if
you believe that the information is not complete,
contact your author ized Audi dealer for assis­
tance.
MMI Operating Instructions
contain detailed description of the Aud i Mu lti
Media Interface (MMI) includ ing the nav igation
system, the sound system and the hand held
phone.
The Warranty & Maintenance booklet
explains how you can keep your Audi in top driv­ ing condition by having it serviced regu larly and
contains detailed information about the warran­
ties covering your Aud i. Always have the booklet
with you when you take your veh icle to an author­
iz ed A udi dealer for serv ice. Your Audi Serv ice Ad­
visor w ill record each scheduled service and can
answer any questions you may have regarding
h ow to maintain your vehicle.
In Canada,
the vehicle literature is also available in French.
To obtain a copy, co nta ct you r dealer or write to:
Au Canada, on peut se procurer un exemplaire en
frarn;ais de ce document aupres du concession­
naire ou de:
Aud i Canada
Client Assistance
Assistance a la Clientele
777 Bayly Street, West,
Ajax, Ontario LlS 7G7
If you sell your Audi
all literature should be left in the vehicle to make
the Warranty terms as well as all operating, safe­
ty and maintenance informat ion ava ilable to the
next owner.
Owner 's Literature
If you change your address or if you bought
this Audi used
be sure to send in a "Notice of Address Change" I
"Not ice of Used Car Purchase" post card. This
card can be found in the Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet or obtained from your authorized
Audi dealer.
It is in your own interest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise.
5

Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate control system
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the veh icle inter ior. It
is the most effective when the windows and sun ­
roof* are closed . If the temperature inside the
parked vehicle becomes very warm, opening the
window briefly will speed up the cooling process.
I n all heating mode functions except
defrost, the
b lower only switches to a higher speed once the
engine coolant has reached a certain tempera­
ture .
Condensat ion from the cooling system can drip
and form a puddle of water under the veh icle.
This is normal and does not mean there is a leak.
P ollutant filt er
The po llutant filte r removes pollutants such as
dust and pollen from the a ir.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at the intervals specif ied in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet, so that the a ir cond it ione r can
properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high air pollut ion, the filter may need to be changed
more frequently than specified i n your Aud i Wa r­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. If in doubt, ask
your author ized Audi Service Advisor for advice.
Key cod ed setting s
The climate control settings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote contro l key
that is in use .
.8, WARNING
Reduced visib ility is dangerous and can ca use
accidents.
- For safe dr iv ing it is very impo rtan t that a ll
windows be free of ice, snow and condensa­
t ion .
76
- Complete ly familiarize yourself with the
proper use and function of the heating and
ventilation system and espec ially how to de­
fog and defrost the wi ndows .
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer sys­
tem in freezing weather until you have
warmed the windshield first, using the heat­ ing and vent ilation system. The washer solu­
tion may freeze on the windshield and re­
duce visibi lity.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has
been damaged, sw itch the system off to
avoid further damage and have it inspected
by a q ualified dealership.
- Repa irs to the Aud i air cond itioner requ ire
special techn ica l know ledge and spec ial
tools. Contact an a uthorized Audi dealer fo r
assistance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reduc ing the amo unt of fuel you use, you
also red uce the amount of pollutants emitted
into the a ir.
(D Tips
- Keep t he a ir intake slots (in front of the
windshield) free from ice, snow and debr is
in orde r to maintain the prope r funct ion of
the climate control system .
- The energy management sys tem may sw itch
the seat heating* o r rea r window defroster
off temporarily. These systems are available
again as soon as the energy balance has
been restored.
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing on
the luggage compartment cover, ensure
that the openings are not covered.

(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and the
P ASS ENGER AI R BA G OFF light will
stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing , remov­
ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make su re that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environm ent .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer ­
ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the training and special equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi .
- Never use addi tional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . A fter an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technic ian who has the technical
information, t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new rep lacement
parts des igned and approved especially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be performed by qualified work­
shops only. Ma ke sure that any airbag serv­
ice act ion is en tered in your Aud i Wa rranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE ­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circ uit
interrupter.
- Wo rk on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
dealer -risk of an acc ident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all applicable safe ty p recau tions
mus t be followed.
159

Driving and th e en vironm ent
pollutants in the exha ust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the l ife of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
T he temperature of the exha ust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
-
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic converter or
heat sh ields. During dr iv ing, the substance
used fo r undercoating could overheat and
ca use a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
le aded fuel will already ser iously degrade
the performance of the catalytic co nverter .
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine oil level
<=;> page 225.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this cou ld cause the
cataly tic converte r to overheat.
- Do not sw itch off the ignition while the veh i­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these cond it ions, as otherwise fue l can
r each the catalyti c converte r. This cou ld re­
su lt in overheating of the conve rter, req uir­
i ng its replacement.
- T o assure efficient oper ation of the Emis­
s ion Control Sys tem:
- Have your veh icle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
book let .
198
-Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im ­
proper use of the vehicle wi ll impair the
funct ion o f the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op ­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
su lfu r-li ke exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fi lling the tank
with lead-free super g rade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
App lies to: vehicles with diese l engine
The diesel particulate filter filters nearly all of
the soot part icles out of the exhaus t. The filte r
clea ns itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l dr iv ing
cond it ions. If the fil ter canno t clean i tself (fo r ex­
amp le, because yo u are on ly driving short distan­
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbol for the diese l particu late filter il­
l uminates
¢ page 20.
A WARNING
- Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu­
la te filte r could sta rt a fi re.
-
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer period of time, contact an Audi
or other spec ia lized dealer . They can adv ise you
o n necessary p recautions e .g. corros ion preven­
tion, ma intenance and storage . Pay attention to
additional informat ion concer ning t he battery.
Refer to
<::;> page 2 31.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gent ly reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­ ment.
Fue l consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase d isproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driv ing
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
veh icles with the Start-Stop-System*. It is effi­
cient to switch off the eng ine in vehicles without
the Start -Stop -System when stopped at ra ilroad
crossings and long red lights . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is bu rned by starting the engine aga in.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxio us em iss ions are espec ially high when
the engine is wa rm ing up. So you sho uld drive
away as soon as you start the engine a nd avoid
running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended a fter
starting . If warn ing lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they wou ld go
unheeded. Extended idling a lso produces
heat, wh ich co uld result in overheat ing or
200
other damage to the vehicle or othe r proper ­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
.,. Have you r veh icle serviced at regula r interva ls.
By hav ing your veh icle regularly serv iced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs p roperly
and e conomi cally. The cond ition of you r vehicle
not only affects its safety and ab ility to hold its
val ue, it also affects
fuel con sumption .
Check your oil each t ime you fill your tank .
The amount of oi l used is related to engine load
and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile­
age has been driven .
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 mi les
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly as­
sess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and engine
output .
(D Note
-Have your ve hicle ma intained properly and
in accordance with the se rvice recommenda ­
tions in your Warranty
& M aintenance book­
let. Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the veh icle w ill impair the
function of the em ission control system and
cou ld lead to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Contro l System u nless ap­
proved by the man ufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Contro l System and other
impo rtant ve hicle compone nts.

(!) Windshield/headlight washer con-
tainer
(O) ................. . .
@ Jump start point(-) with hex head
screw . ..................... .
@ Jump start point(+) under a cover
© Engine oil filler cap ("t!:r.) ...... .
® Brake fluid reservoir((();) ...... .
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) .... .
0 Oil dipstick .................. . 234
233,271
233,271 225
230
227
225
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be locat­
ed in a different area depending on the version of
the engine.
A WARNING
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 220.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oil change. We recommend that you hav e your oil changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Advisor.
I f you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oi l quality standard specified in the
table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 50400
Diesel vw 507 00
engine
Using the proper engine oil is impo rtant for the
functiona lity and service life of the eng ine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high-quality oil
;:;:: which can usually be used throughout the entire
0
~ year.
,...., Checking and Filling
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
- Use only a high quality engine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard spec ified for your vehicle's eng ine.
Us ing any other oil can cause ser ious eng ine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the eng ine oi l. Do ing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Aud i oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthetic"oi l that meets the following speci­
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoline engine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE 5W-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 or
API C F with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30
or SAE SW-30.
- For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer
or Audi Customer Relations at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.audicanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. O il consumption varies from eng ine to en ­
gine and may change significantly over the life of
the engine. Typ ically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see ¢
page 197) consume more ""
223

Wheels
_& WARNING
Temperature grades apply to tires that are
properly inflated and not over or underinf lat ­
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
U) General notes
Applies to: vehicles with tire pressure monito ring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflat ion pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
bel, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure fo r those tir es) .
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a t ire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant­
ly under-inflated . Accord ingly, when the low tire
p ressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a signifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over­
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsib ility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunct ion indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is comb ined w ith the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain cont inuous ly
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
254
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal­
function exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illum inated,
the system may not be able to detect or s ignal
low tire pressure as intended . TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
i nstallation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
whee ls allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
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 . 209 Instrument cl uste r: indicator light with me ssage
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread c ircumfer­
ence and v ibration characteristics of the individu­
al tires.
If the pressure changes in one or more
ti res, this is ind icated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicator light
[I] and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the locat ion of that
tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain­
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle ¢
page 255. The tire pressure moni­
tor ing system only monitors the tire pressure you
have stored . Refer to the t ire pressure label for ..,.

Fuses a nd bul bs
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned out
bulbs for you.
It is becoming increasingly more and more diffi­
cult to replace vehicle light bulbs since in many
cases, other parts of the car must first be re­
moved before you are able to get to the bu lb .
This applies espec ially to the light bulbs in the
front of your car wh ich you can only reach
through the engine compartment .
Sheet metal and bulb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause ser ious cuts, and parts
m ust be correctly taken apa rt and then p roperly
put back together to help prevent breakage of
parts and long term damage from water that can
enter housings that have not been properly re­
sealed.
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace any bu lbs for
you, since your dealer has the proper tools, the correct bulbs and the expertise.
G as di sc harg e l am ps (Xe non li ghts):
Due to the high electrical voltage, have the bulbs
replaced by a qua lified technic ian . Headlights
with Xenon light can be identified by the high
voltage sticker.
LED headlights* require no maintenance. Please
contact your authorized Aud i dealer if a bulb
needs to be replaced.
A WARNING
Contact w ith high-voltage components of the
electrical system and improper rep lacement
of gas discharge (Xenon) headlight bulbs can
cause serious personal injury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressurized and can ex­
plode when being changed.
- Changing Xenon lamps requires the special training, instructions and equipment.
- Only an a uthorized Audi dea ler or other
qualified workshop should change the bulbs
in gas discharge lamps .
270
A WARNING
-
There are parts with sharp edges on the open- ings and on the bulb holders that can cause
serious cuts.
- If you are uncertain about what to do, have
the work performed by an authorized Audi
dealer or other qualified workshop. Ser ious
pe rsonal injury may resu lt from improperly
pe rformed wor k.
@ Tips
- If you must replace the light bulbs yourself,
always remember that the eng ine compart­
ment of any vehicle is a hazardous area to
work in. Always read and heed all WARN­ INGS ~
page 220.
-It is best to ask your authorized Audi dealer
whenever you need to change a bulb.