maintenance AUDI S8 2008 User Guide

Checkin g and fillin g 1111
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•
the form of Service or Repair Ord ers that all scheduled maintenance
was perfo rmed in a t imely man ner. •
Engine oil consumption
The engin e in your vehicle d ep ends on an adequate
amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of its moving parts.
In order to provide effect ive lubrication and cool ing of internal
engine components, all internal combustion engines consume a
certain amount of o il. Oil consumption varies from engine to eng ine
and may change significantly over the life of the engine . Typically,
eng ines wi th a specif ied break -in period
(see => page 2771 consume
more oil during the break -in period than they consume after oi l
consumption has stabi lized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil consumption depends on
the quality and viscosity of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute)
at which the engine is operated, the ambient temperature and road
conditions. Further factors are the amount of oil dilution from water
co ndensation or fue l residue and the oxidation level of the o il. As
any engine is subject to wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump ­
t io n may increase over time until rep lacement of worn components
may become necessary .
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of oil consu mption can be estab lished or specified. T here is no a lternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil level, see
Note .
If the yellow eng ine o il level warni ng symbol in the instrume nt
cluster ~ lights up, you should check the oil level as soon as
poss ible
with the oil dipstick => page 311 . Top off the oil at your
earliest
convenience=> page 312.
& WARNING
Bef ore you che ck anything in the eng ine comp artment , alw ay s
read and heed all WARNINGS
=> & in "Working in the engine
c ompartment " on
page 307 .
0 Note
Driving with an insuff ic ie n t o il level is l ikely to cause severe damage
to the engine.
[ i ] Tip s
• The oil pr es sure warning displ ay level . Do not rely on it. Instead , check the oil level in your engine at
regular inter vals, preferably ea ch time you refuel , and al ways before
going on a long trip.
• I f you have the impression your engine consumes excessive
amounts of oi l, we reco mmend that you consult your Audi dealer to
have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed . Keep in mind
t hat t he acc urate measureme nt of oil consump tion requ ires g reat
care and may take some time. Your Audi dealer has instructions
about how t o measure oil consumpt ion accurately. •
Checking the engine oil level
Vehicle care
Fig. 26 3 Illu stration of
prin cipl e 1: Mar ker s on
o il dip sti ck ...

Checkin g and fillin g -
-----------------=-----------"'---
•
-Unsc rew the oil filler cap f rom the cylinde r head cover
=>
page 312, f ig . 265 or=> page 312, fi g. 266 .
-Carefully top off with the appropriate o il in 0.5 liter doses.
-Check the oi l level again after two minutes => page 311 .
-Top off the oil again, if necessary .
-Screw the cap bac k on the filling hole and slide the oil
dipstick in as fa r as i t will go .
& WARNING
• Whil e topping off , the oil mu st not com e in c ontact with hot
e ng ine p art s
-fire h azard!
• The oil filler cap mu st be prop erly se cur ed to pr even t oil from
be ing spr aye d on the hot en gi ne a nd exha ust sys te m when the
engin e is running
-fir e haza rd!
• If your skin h as c ome in cont act wi th the engine oil , you mu st
s ubs equen tly c leanse it thoroughl y.
0 Not e
• The o il level must not be above range @- da nger of converter or
engine damage! Contact an authorized dealership to draw off oi l, if
necessary.
• Audi d oes no t re commend the u se of o il a ddit ives. The y m ay
damage th e engine and adv erse ly a ffect y our New Vehicle Warr ant y.
<£> For the sake of the environment
• Under no circumstances can the o il come i n contact w ith the
sewage network or the soil.
• Observe and fol low legal regulat ions when d ispos ing of empty
oi l containers. •
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an auth o­
rized Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, always rea d
and heed all
WARNING S=> & in "Working in the engine co mpart­
ment" on
page 307.
The engine oi l must be changed according to the interva ls specified
in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oi l diminish gradua lly during
normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil shou ld be changed more
frequently . Change oil mo re often if you drive most ly short
distances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predomi­
nantly stop -and -go traffic conditions, or have your ve hicle where
temperatures remain below freezing for extended periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oi l look dark after the
eng ine has been runn ing for a short t ime . Th is 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 spec ial
tools and necessary expertise required, we strong ly recommend
that you have your oi l ch anged by an authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified service station .
If you choo se to ch ang e y our oil your self, please note the following
important information:
& WARNING
To r edu ce the ri sk of per son al inju ry if you mu st change th e engine
oil in your v ehicl e your self :
• Wear eye prote ction .
• To r educ e the ri sk of burn s from hot en gine oil , le t the engine
c ool do wn t o th e tou ch . .,_
Vehicle care

___ C_ h_e _c _ k_ i_ n ~g~ a_ n_ d_ f_ i_ll _in _g~--------------------------------------------
-Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid reservoir
=> fig. 268. The brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear partition of the engine
compartment on the left
side~ page 308.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto­
matic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls considerably below the "MIN" mark, the
brake warning/indicator light (U.S. models:
BRAKE , Canadian models:
«D>l will come on~ page 22 and~ page 30. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thor­
oughly checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified
facility and the cause corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator light will illuminate. Contact an authorized
Audi dealer
immediately. •
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced techni­
cian.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the 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 Stan­
dard "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 autho­
rized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct tools, the right brake
fluid and the know-how to do this for you.
& WARNING
• Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stored only in the closed
original container out of the reach of children!
• Brake failure can result from old or inappropriate brake fluid .
Observe these precautions:
-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 efficiency of the brakes as
well as your safety . This could result in an accident .
0 Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your vehicle .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of brake fluid as well as
the special tools required and the necessary expertise, we recom ­
mend that you have the brake fluid changed by your authorized Audi
dealer. •
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery in your Audi does
not need any maintenance. With high outside temperatures or long
daily drives we recommend that you have the electrolyte level .,,_

Tires and wheels -
-----------------'
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of different things
including proper installation and balancing, correct tire
pressure and driving style .
Tread Wear Ind icator (TWI)
Fig. 274 Tire tread:
tread wear indicators
(TWII
Fig . 275 Rotating tires
for more even wear
The origina l tires on your vehic le have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear
indicators"::::, fig. 274 running across the tread. Depending on the
make, there will be six to eight of them evenly placed around the
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols)
indicate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tires must
be rep laced. Different figures may apply in other
countries::::, &-
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this reason, tire pressure must be checked
at least once a
month ::::, page 331.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy accele ration and hard braking
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the same service life, we
recommend that the front and rear tires are rotated according to the
tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals. Please
remember the following:
• Tire rotation intervals may differ from the vehicle service inter­
vals outlined in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
• The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle, the
more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rotation intervals .
• Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread wear on
the front wheels compared to all -wheel drive (quattro®l .
• Please rotate tires as shown
~ fig. 275.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific tires
::::, page 357.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various situa ­
tions during everyday driving can cause them to become unbal ­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can usually feel through the
steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tires. A whee l must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
...
Vehic le care I I Technical data

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General information
Explanation of technical data
Some of the technical data listed in this manual requires
further explanation .
The technical data for your vehicle is listed in the charts starting on
=> page 378. This section provides general information, notes and
restrictions which app ly to this data. •
Vehicle identification
The key data is given on the vehicle identification number
(VIN) pla te and the vehicle data st icker.
F ig. 306 V ehicle Iden ti­
f ic ation Numb er (VIN )
p la te: locatio n on
dri ver's s ide das h
p anel Fig
. 307 The vehi cle
i d e ntifi cat ion la bel -
i n side the lugga ge
com partme nt
The Vehicle Ident ification Numb er (V IN)
is located on the driver's side so that it is visible from the outside
through the
windshie ld => fig . 306 .
The veh icle i de ntifi cation l ab el
is located in the luggage compartment in the spare whee l well.
The
l abel=> fig . 307 shows the following vehic le data :
0 Production contro l No.
G) Vehicle identification No.
G) Type code number
© Type designation/engine output in Ki lowatts
© Engine and transmission code letter
© Paint No./lnterior
0 Optiona l equipment No.'s
Vehicle data 2 to 7 are also found in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet.
Th e s afety c ompliance sticker
is your assurance that your new vehicle complies with all app licable
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standards which were in effect at the
time the vehicle was manu factured. You can find this sticker on the
left door jamb . It shows the month and year of production and the .,_

___ C_ o_n_ s_ u_m _ e_ r_ ln_ f_
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Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Yo ur Au di i s cov ered b y the foll owing war ra ntie s:
• New Vehicle Limited Warranty
• Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perforation
• Emissions Control System Warranty
• Emissions Performance Warranty
• California Emissions Control Warranty (USA vehicles only)
• California Emissions Performance Warranty (USA vehicles only)
Detailed information rega rding your warrant ies can be found in
your
W arr anty & Maint enan ce booklet .•
Operating your vehicle outside the
U.S.A. or Canada
Government regu lations in the United States and Canada require
t hat auto mobiles meet specif ic em ission regulations and safety
standards . Therefore, vehic les bui lt for the U .S .A . and Canada differ
from vehicles sold in ot her countries .
If you plan to take your vehic le outside the continental limits of the
United States or Canada, there is the possibi lity that
• unleaded fue ls for vehicles w ith cata lyt ic converter may not be
available;
• f uel m ay have a considerably lower octane rat ing . Improper fuel
may cause engine damage;
• service may be inadequate due to lack of proper service fac ilities,
tools or testing equipment;
• replacement parts may not be readi ly avai lable . •
Navigation systems for vehicles built for the U.S.A . and Canada
wil l not necessarily work in Europe, and may not work in other coun ­
tries outs ide North Amer ica.
0 Note
Aud i cann ot be responsible for mec hanica l damage that could
result from inadequate fuel, service or parts avai lability .•
Audi Service Repair Manuals and
Literature
Audi Officia l Factory Service Manuals ar e pub lished as soon as
possible after model introduction . Service manua ls a re availab le
from :
Audi Technical Literature Ordering Center
Call tol l-free:
Tel. : 1 (800) 544-802 1
(from 8 :00 AM to 8 :00 PM, EST, Monday through Friday)
or access their webs ite
www .audi .dd sltd .com on the Internet to
order repair manua ls and ot her Audi literature .•
Maintenance
General
You r ve hicle has been des igned to help keep mainte nance requ ire ­
ments to a minimum. However, a certain amount of regu lar mainte ­
n ance is sti ll necessary to assure yo ur veh ic le's safety, economy and
.,,.

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re liabi lity . For detailed vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
Maintenance book le t.
Und er diff icult oper ating conditi ons, for example at extreme ly low
outside temperatures, in very dusty regions, when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc ., some serv ice work shou ld be performed
between the intervals specified. This applies particu lar ly to :
• oil changes, and
• cleaning or replacing the air filter.
c£> For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you help make sure that emis ­
sion s tandards are maintained, thus minimizing adverse e ffec ts on
the environment. •
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticated fue l injection and
emission contro l systems, and the genera lly increasing techn ica l
complexity of today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the scope
of maintenance and repairs which can be carr ied out by veh ic le
owners.
Also , safet y and env ironmental concerns p lace very strict
l im its on the nature of repairs a nd adjustmen ts t o engine and trans ­
mission parts which an owner can perform.
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually require special tools,
testing devices and other equipment availab le to spec ia lly trained
workshop personne l in order to assure proper performance, reli ­
abil ity and sa fety of the vehicle a nd its many systems.
I mproper maintenance, adjustments and repairs can impair the
operat ion a nd rel iabil ity of your vehicle and even vo id your vehicle
warranty. Therefore , proof of servicing in accordance with the main ­
t enance sched ule may be a cond ition fo r uphold ing a p ossi ble
warranty claim made within the warranty period.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Above all, operational safety can be adverse
ly affected, creating
unnecessary risks for you a nd yo ur passengers .
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done by your authorized Audi
dea ler or any other properly equipped and qualified workshop. We
strongly urge you to give your authorized Audi dea ler the opportu ­
nity to perform all scheduled maintenance and necessary repairs.
Your dealer has the fac ilities, origina l parts and trained spec ialists
to keep your vehic le running proper ly.
P e rforming limited maintenan ce yourself
The following pages describe a limited number of procedures which
ca n be performed on your vehicle with ord inary tools, should the
need arise and trained personne l be unavailab le. Before performing
any of these procedures, a lways t hor oughly read all o f the app li­
cable text and carefu lly fo llow the instruct ions given. Always rigor ­
ously observe t he
WARNINGS provided .
Before you che ck anything in the engine comp artment , alwa ys re ad
and heed all
WARNING S=> & and => & in "Working in the engine
compartment" on
page 307.
& WARNING
• Serious personal injury may occur a s a result of imprope rly
performed maintenance , adju stments or repair s.
• Always be e xtremely careful when working on the vehi cle .
Always follow commonly accepted safety practice s and general
c ommon sen se . Ne ver risk per sonal injur y.
• Do not attempt any of the maintenance , checks or repairs
de scribed on the following pages if you are not fully familiar with
these or other pro cedures with re spe ct to the vehicle , or are uncer ­
tain how to pro ceed .
• Do not do any work without the proper tools and equipment.
Have the ne ce ssary work done by your authorized Audi dealer or
another properly equipped and qualified workshop .
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_____________________________________________ .:..A ..:; l~ p :.:h.:.. a== b:.:e :.: t:.:.ic == a.:..l .:.. in :..:.:: d:.::e :.: x::..... _IIIII
Location ...... .... .... .... .... .. 258
Mounting and releasing the anchorage hook .......................... 262
Leather ............................ 296
Cleaning ........................ 297
Level adjustment
See Adaptive Air Suspension ....... 185
Lifting jack ... .... .... ... .. .... ..... 354
Lifting points .... ........ .... .... ... 369
Lifting vehicle ... ... .... ........... . 369
Light sensor defective ................ 36
Lights ........ .... .... .... .......... 69
Coming home ..................... 70
Daytime running lights ... .... .... .. 70
Emergency flashers ................ 73
Exterior lights ..... ....... ........ . 70
Front fog lights ...... .... ...... ... 71
Headlights .. ... ... .. .... .... .... . 69
High beam ... .... .... ..... .. .. 69, 73
H igh beam warning/indicator light ... 19
Leav ing home .. ...... .... ...... ... 70
Rear fog lights .................... 71
Side marker lights ................. 69
Turn signals .. .... .... .... .... .... 73
Xenon headlights ....... ... .. .... .. 69
Lo ading the luggage compartment . ... 205
Load ing the roof rack .... ....... .... . 104
Locking Pow er lock ing switch .... .... .... .. 53
Rear lid/trunk lid ...... ............ 55
Remote control .... .... .... .... ... 51
Using the key ..................... 52
Lower anchorage locator button ....... 258
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Lower
universal anchorage bars (Canada) ..
258
Lower universal anchorages (Canada) .. 258
Luggage Stowing .................. ....... 205
Luggage compartment
Cargo net .. ...... .... .... .... ... 101
DVD p layer for navigation system . .. 112
Side Compartment ............... 112
Side compartment ................ 113
Ski sack ......................... 102
Tie -down eyelets .. ........ ....... 100
See also Loading the luggage
compartment ...... .... ... .. .... 205
L umbar support .... ....... .... .... ... 90
M
Maintenance .......... .... .... .... . 380
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIU .... 20, 27
Massage function .... ........ ....... . 89
Master key ...... .... ......... ...... . 48
Mi leage
Average .......................... 38
Ins tantaneous ... ...... .... ... .. .. 38
Mirrors Automatic anti-g lare adjustment . .... 83
Automatic dimming for the outside mirrors .... ....... .... .... ... .. . 84
In terior mirror .... .... .... ....... . 83
Outside mirrors ................... 84
Recalling position of outside mirrors . 94
Storing position of outside mirrors .. . 94 Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
229
N
Natural leather .... .... ... .. .... .... . 296
New tires and whee ls . .... .... .... ... 336
NHTSA Contacting ...................... 207
Number of seats ...... ... .. .... .... . 209
0
Occupant seat ing positions .. ... .. .... 200
Octane rating ...... .... .... .... .... . 301
Odometer ..... ...... .... ... .... ..... 14
Oil
See Engine oil .. ... .... ....... .... 309
Older children and safety belts .... .... 252
On -Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
Data Link Connector (DLC) ........ .. 28
Electron ic speed limiter . ...... ..... 28
Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIU .... 27
Open door or rear lid warn ing ..... ..... 26
Opening Power sunroof .................... 66
Operate your vehicle economically and mini -
mize pol lution .... ... .... .... ... 279
Outside air pollution How to prevent from entering the vehicle
121
Outside mirrors .. .. .. .... ...... .... .. 84
Outside temperature display ........... 25
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data