tow AUDI S8 2008 Owners Manual

Table of contents
Table of contents
Vehicle literature ........ .
About this Owner's Manual ..................... .
Controls and
equipment .. ... ... ..... ... . .
Inst rumen ts and contr ols ..... .
Genera l ill ustration ............. .
Instruments and
warning/indica tor lig hts ....... .
Instruments ................... .
Warning/indicator lights ........ .
Driver informa tio n d isplay ..... .
Introduction ................... .
On-Board Diagnostic system
(080)
Auto Check Control ............ .
Speed war ning system ... ...... .
Trip computer ..... ............ .
Tire pressure monitoring system ..
Opening and closing .......... .
Keys ............ ... .. ... · · · · · · ·
Power locking system .......... .
Rear lid/Trunk lid .......... ..... .
Ch ild safety loc k .... ... .... .... . 5 Advanced Key
................ .
Anti-theft a larm system ..... ... .
Powe r w indows ... ... ... ... .. .
S lid ing/ti lt ing power sunroof ... .
6 Clear vision ... .... .. ... .. ..... .
9
11
1 1
1 2
12
1 6
2 4
2 4
27
28
36
38
40
47
47
49
55 58 Lights
..................... ... .
Interior lights ... ...... .. .. .. .. .
V is ion ........... ........... .. .
W iper and washer system ... ... .
Mirrors .. .. ... ......... ..... .. .
Seats and storage ......... ... .
Genera l recommendat ions ..... .
Powe r seat . ... ... ......... ... .
Head restraints .............. . .
Arm rest ..................... .
Seat memory ... ... ...... ..... .
Rear sea ts . ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .
Ind ividua l rear seats ........ ... .
Luggage compartment ........ .
Roof rack ........ ... .... .... .. .
Cup holder .................... .
As htray . ... ... ... ......... ... .
Cigarette lighter/socket ........ .
Long center console ........... .
Storage .... ...... ............ .
Warm and cold ............... .
Climate controls .............. .
W indshield defogg ing /defrosting .
Rear clim ate controls ..... ..... .
Basic settings ......... ... ... .. .
On the road ... ... . .. ... .. ... .. .
Stee ring .... ... ... ............ .
Ignition lock and ignition sw itch .
Starting and stopping the engine 59
Starting and stopping the engine
61 using t he Advanced Key . . . . . . . . . 131
62 Electromechanical parking brake . 134
65 Cru ise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
69
A dapt ive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . 139
69 Speed and distance control system 139
7 4 Driver informat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
77 Specia l driving si tua tions . . . . . . . . 14 9
80
Audi lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
83 Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
86
A udi side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 4
86
87
91
93
9 4
96
97
100
103
105
106
107
108
109
1 14
11 4
123
125
126
128
128
129
130 Lane Change Assistant ........
. .
No tes ........ ...... ........ .. .
Automatic transmission ...... . .
tiptron ic® (6-speed automatic
transm ission) ................. .
Advanced Parking System .... .
Advanced Parking System with rear
v iew camera .................. .
Specia l parking situations ...... .
Towing hitch .. ....... ......... .
Settings in the MM I ..... ...... . .
Safety t ips .............. ...... .
Adaptive A ir Suspension ...... .
Adaptive Air Suspension and
Damping ..... .. .............. .
Homelink® ................... . .
Universa l remo te control ....... . 154
161
163
163
170
170
178
180
180
183
185
185
191
191

Table of contents
Safety first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . 267 Vehicle care ................ 287
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Intel ligent technology . . . . . . . . . . 268 C leaning and protection ........ 288
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Proper occupant seating positions 200
Driver and passenger s ide footwell 204
Peda l area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Stow ing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . 207
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Genera l notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 O
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 3
Safety belt pretensioners . . . . . . .
216
A irbag system .. . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . 218
Important thing s to know . . . . . . . 218
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
229
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Side a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD™) 240
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Impor tant things to know . . . . . . . 243
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Instal ling a ch ild safety seat . . . . . 253
Addit ional Information . . . . . . . . . . 256
Lower anchorages and tethe r for
children (LATCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
258
Not ice about data recorded by
vehicle contro l modules . . . . . . . . .
268
Electron ic Stab ilizat ion Program
(ESP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
268
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Servotronic® -advanced power
steer ing system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
273
Driv ing w it h your quattro® . . . . . . 273
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Driving and environment . . . . . . . 277
The first 1,000 m iles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
277
Cata lytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . 279
Operate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution . . . . . . . . . .
279
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Driv ing w ith a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Trai ler towing tips . . . . . . . . . • . . . . 284
Genera l info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Care of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank ............................ 301
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . 301
Fuel tank ....................... 302
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 306
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Engin e cooling system . . . . . . . . . . 3 14
Brake fluid .... .... ............. 3 17
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 8
W indshield/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
323
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 324
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Table of contents
Do-it-yourself service ... 347
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Trunk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Emergency warning triang le . . . . . 348
Jack, tools and spare wheel . . . . . . 349
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . 358
Bu lbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Em ergency s ituat ions . . . . . . . . . . 36 4
Gener al . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Sta rting by pushing or towing . . . . 364
Start ing with jumper cab les . . . . . . 364
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Em erge ncy towing with commercia l
t ow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Technical data
General information
373
37 4
Expla nation of technical data . . . . 374
Vehic le ident ificat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Displaying Vehic
le Identifica tion
Number in MMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Dim ensio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 78
350 hp, 8 -cylinder engine, with all
whee l dr ive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
450 hp, 12-cylinder engine , wi th all
whee l drive, long wheel base . . . . 379
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . 380
Warran ty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Operating you r veh icle outs ide the
U.S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Audi Serv ice Repair Manuals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Ad ditional accessor ies,
mod ificat ions and parts
rep lacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Alphabetical index . . . . . . 385

Dipstick reading checks OK
-If the oil pressure warning symbol "e::7: starts flashing
again even though the engine oil level checks OK on the
dipstick,
do not continue driving and do not let the
engine run in idle.
Instead, contact your authorized Audi
dealer for assistance.
[ i] Tips
• The engine oil pressure symbol ~ is not an indicator for a low
engine oil level. Do not rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in your
engine at regular intervals, preferably each time you refuel, and
always before going on a long trip.
• The yellow oil level warning indication
~ requires oil refill or
workshop service without delay. Do not wait until the red oil pres­
sure warning
~ starts to flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
~- -By then, your engine may already have suffered
serious damage. •
Steering malfunction i
If there is a malfunction in the electronic steering column
lock, the steering cannot be unlocked.
If the ~ symbol in the display blinks, there is a malfunction
in the electronic steering column lock. An additional driver
message can also be displayed by pressing the [ CHECK]
button :
Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
-Contact your nearest authorized repair facility.
- Do
not tow your vehicle.
Controls and equip­
ment • I I • • I
Driver information display
& WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the event of a malfunction in the
electronic steering column lock because it cannot be steered due
to the locked steering. If it is towed with the steering locked, there
is the risk of an accident. •
Ignition lock malfunction ~
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be repaired imme­
diately.
If the ~ symbol in the display blinks, there is a malfunction
in the electronic ignition lock. An additional driver message
can also be displayed by pressing the [ CHECK] button:
Ignition lock defective. Contact workshop !
-Do not turn the engine off.
- Drive immediately to an authorized Audi dealer to have
the malfunct ion corrected.
If there is a malfunction in the electronic ignition lock, the ignition
cannot be turned off. Drive immediately to an authorized Audi
dealer to have the cause of the malfunction corrected.
I f your vehicle has an Advanced Key *, then you should not use the
I STOPI button to shut off the engine. You will not be able to start the
engine again once the ignition is switched off. •

Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off -'t/-·
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor automatically
s w itches t he head- and taillights on and off in respo nse to
l igh t con ditions.
Fig . 56 In stru ment
pan el: lig ht sw itch
Switching on automatic headlight control
- T urn th e light switch to AUTO => fig. 56 .
Switching on the side marker lights
- Turn the light switch to ~oo~.
Switching on th e headlights and high beam
- T urn t he light swi tch to io.
- Push the high beam leve r forw ard towards t he instru -
me nt panel
=> page 73 .
Switching off the lights
- T urn t he light switch to 0 .
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
The head lights only work when the ignition is switched on . While
starting the engine or when switching off the ignition, the head ­
lights will go off and only the side marker lights will be on.
After starting the engine, the xenon headlights are automatically
adjus ted to the load and angle of the vehic le (for example, during
acceleration, braking) . This prevents oncoming traffic from experi ­
encing unnecessary headlig ht g lare from your xenon head ligh ts .
If the system is not operating properly, a warning symbol in the
Auto -Check Control is displayed
=> page 36.
With the side marker lights or head ligh ts switched on, the sym bol
next to the light switch illuminates
:oo: .
Daytime running lights
• USA models : The daytime running lights wi ll come on automati­
ca lly when the ig nition is turned on and the ligh t
switch=> fig. 56 is
in the
O position or the AUTO position (only in day light conditions).
The
Daytime running lights function can be turned on and off in the
MMI menu
Exterior lighti ng => page 70 => & .
• Canada models: The dayti me ru nn ing lights wi ll come on auto ­
matically when the ignition is turned on and the light switch
::::> fig. 56 is in the O position or the AUTO p o siti on (only in daylight
conditions)
=> & .
Automati c headligh t control
In the switch position AUTO the a utomatic headligh t cont rol is
turned on . The low beams are turned on automa tica lly through a
light sensor as soon as ambient brightness (e.g . when driving into a
tunnel) fa lls below a value preset at the factory . When ambient
brightness increases again, the low beams are turned off again
automatically =>& .
In the AUTO pos it ion the low beams are switched off automatically
when the ignition is turned off. If the high beams were switched on,
they w ill come o n again the next time the automatic head ligh t
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Le avi ng hom e
The Leaving home functions ensures that when unlocking the
vehicle periphery is i lluminated in the dark . In addition, the fron t fog
lights, the tai l lights and the license plate light a re turned on. Th is
function can be turned on and off .
High beam
With the switch in the AUTO position, the high beams can be turned
on only if the function is turned
on.
D aytime ru nning l ight s
USA models:
The daytime running lights can be turned on or off
using this function .
Canada models: The function cannot be tu rned off . It is activated
automatically each time t he ignition is turned on. This menu item is
shown "greyed out" .•
Front fog lights }0
Fi g. 58 Ins tru men t
pan el: lig ht swit ch
Switching on the front fog lights }D
- Do not turn the light switch -r:;_ -=> fig. 58 toward the fog
l ight symbol
- Tu rn t he light switch to
~oo: o r to fD .
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
- P ull the ligh t switch to th e fi rst st op G) .
When the front fog l ights are on, the symbo l }D next to the ligh t
switch will illuminate .
[ i ] Tips
With the switch in AUTO front fog lights and rear fog lights cannot
b e turned on in addition .•
R ear fog lights 0$
Fig . 59 In strument
p an el: lig ht sw itc h
- Do not turn the light sw itch -r:;_ -=> fig. 59 toward the fog
light symbol
- Turn the light sw itch to
~oo: or to fD.
- Pull the light swit ch t o th e second stop 0-
W hen the rear fog lights are on, both the }D and
the light switch will i llum inate. symbols next to
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Emergency flasher ~
The emergency flasher makes other motorists aware that
you or your vehicle are in an emergency situation.
I
Fig . 61 Center
console : emergency
flasher switch
- Press the switch ~=>fig. 61 to turn the emergency
flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four turn signals blink at the
same time . Th e turn signal indi cator
ligh ts ¢¢ in th e instrum en t
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency flasher
switch~ blink
likewise .
The emergency flashers will turn on automatically if you are in an
accident where the airbag has deployed.
[ i] Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers when:
• you are the last vehicle standing in a traffic jam so that any other
vehicles coming can see you , or when
• your vehicle has broken down or you are in an emergency situa ­
tion , or when
• your vehicle is being towed by a tow truck or if you are towing
another vehicle behind you .•
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
Turn signal
¢ ¢ and high beam [D lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column is used to
operate the turn signals and the high beam as well as the
headlight flasher.
Fig . 62 Turn signal and
high beam lever
The turn s ignal and high beam lever has the following func­
tions:
Turn signals ¢ ¢
- Lift the lever up all the way=> fig. 62 to use the right turn
signals, or push the lever down all the way to use the left
turn signals .
Auto-blink
-Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resis­
tance to use the turn signals for as long as you need
them, for example when chang ing lanes.
- Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resis­
tance and then release it right away to make the turn
signals blink
three times. You can use this feature for
example when changing lanes on highways.
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Clear vision
High b eam
~D
Push the lever forward to switch on the high beam.
- Pull the lever back towards you to switch off the high
beam .
Headlight flasher ~D
- Pull the lever toward the steering wheel to use t he head­
light flasher .
Notes on the se feature s
• The turn signals only work with the ignition turned on . Th e indi­
cator
l ights ¢ or¢ in the instrument cluster ~ page 16 also blink .
• After you have turned a corner, the turn signal switches off auto ­
matical ly .
• The high beam works only when the head lights are on . The indi ­
cator light
~D in the instrument cluster illuminates when the high
beams are on.
• The headlight flasher works only as long as you hold the lever -
even if ther e are no lights turned on. The indicator light
~D in the
instrument cluster illuminates when you use the headl ight flasher.
• With the switch in the
AUTO position, the high beams can only
be turned on if the function is switched on in MM I
=> page 70.
0 Note
Do not use the high beam or headlight flasher if you know that these
could blind oncoming traffic .•
Interior lights
Front interior lights
T he in terior lights include rea ding ligh ts for b oth the
d river and the fr ont passenge r.
--
1111
, I I, . II
-
~
•
'
'.(ZW
ro ,1@1
111111111
0
Interior lights
-
®
111111111
...
/!
111111111
0 Fig . 6 3 Rooflining:
Fr ont inter ior light s
Fi g. 64 Rooflining:
F ront readin g ligh ts:
- Press the @J button to tur n off the interior lights
~ fig . 63. If you pre ss the butt on a secon d time, the inte­
ri o r ligh ts in the rear ar e also t urned off .
- Press the
(ID butto n to turn on the door contact circui t.
Press the button a second time to tur n on the door
contact circ uit for the rear doors .

-Rotate the control knob clockwise to increase the bright­
ness, and
Rotate the control knob
counterclockwise to reduce the
brightness.
When the vehicle is unlocked, the standard lighting turns on auto­
matically and dims after approx. 2 minutes, and when the ignition is
turned on it switches off immediate ly.
A background lighting profile can be switched on manually using
the light profile
switch ~ page 76, fig. 68. This wi ll turn off automat ­
ically after 30 minutes when the ignition is off. To reac tivate , press
the lighting profile switch.
Lighting profiles that were selected while driving remain active
during the course of travel.
The following lighting profiles can be adjusted and
dimmed in the MMI:
Driver's side footwell
Passenger's side foot -
well
Rear footwell
Rear door trim panel
Front interior lighting
Rear interior lighting
[ i J Tips
Highway
X
X
X
X X
X X
X
X
Cockpit Rear
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Lighting profiles are stored on the remote control key being used. •
Controls a nd eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
Vision
Sun visors
Using the sun visors makes driving safer.
] ~
J_~---~..r-:::Jli
WAANINO ..,
f,":a(S) ::-,....= ~ =­
=:.:=-..:GJ
- -, - ~~ ,.. __ ..... _ ... -----__ ..., ______ ---
~
,l,
\,;....l--------:.:r.::Jli
WAANINO ATTENTIOH
-- ---­
_____ ,.. ..
-----··
___ .. _
-·- ------------- ·----·---... -------------·-----
Fig . 69 Sun visor
Fig. 70 Sun visor with
two-part vanity mirror
The sun visors for the driver and front passenger can be removed
from their center mountings and moved toward the door windows
G) ~ fig. 69 to protect against side glare. After you have moved the
sun visors so that they are parallel to the door windows, you can pull
out the extensions.
Between the visors for the driver and the passenger there is a
folding visor which can be used to cover the space above the rear
view mirror.
Vehicle care I I Technical data

Clear vision
Fig. 75 Left rear roof­
lining: Vanity mirror
folded down
-To fold down, tap the rear edge of the mirror as indicated
by
arrow~ page 79, fig. 74.
As the mirror folds down, it automatically il lumina tes.•
Wiper and washer system
Windshield wiper ~
The windshield wiper lever controls both the windshield
wipers and the washer system.
Fig. 76 Windshield
wiper lever
The windshield wiper lever~ fig. 76 has the following posi ­
tions:
One-touch wiping
-Move the lever to position G) , when you want to wipe the
windshield
briefly.
Intermittent wiping <:S;)l (activating rain sensor)
-Move the lever up to position ®·
-Move switch © up or down, to adjust the sensitivity of
the rain sensor.
Low wiper speed
-Move the lever up to position G).
High wiper speed
-Move the lever up to position @.
Automatic wiper/washer
-Pull the lever to position© (toward the steering wheel)
and hold.
-Release the lever. The washer stops and the wipers keep
going for about four seconds.
Turning off the wipers
-Move the lever back to position @.
The windshield wipers and washer only work when the ignition is
turned on.
The rain sensor is only activated with the wiper leve r set to position
G) . When it starts to rain, the rain sensor will automatically activate
the intermittent wiping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move switch
@ down. To
increase the sensitivity, move the switch up. The higher you adjust
the sensitivity, the faster the sensor will react when it senses mois-
.,_