ECU AUDI S8 2010 User Guide

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Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving always:
- Make sure that all lights and signals are operating
correctly.
- Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
- Make sure that all windows are clean and afford good visi-
bility to the outside.
- Secure all luggage and other items carefully::::>
page 98.
-Make sure that nothing can interfere with the pedals.
- Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors correctly for your height .
- Instruct passengers to adjust the head restraints according to their height.
- Make sure to use the right child restraint correctly to
protect children ::::,
page 231, "Child Safety".
- Sit properly in your seat and make sure that your passen­ gers do the same::::,
page 76, "General recommenda­
tions".
- Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Also instruct
your passengers to fasten their safety belts properly
=:> page 197. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the
vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's ability to concen­
trate on the road without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and all
of its occupants. If your ability to drive is impaired, safety
risks for everybody in the vehicle increase and you also
become a hazard to everyone else on the road::::,,& . There­
fore:
Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers or by using
a cellular telephone.
NEVER drive when your driving ability is impaired (by
medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
- Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and speed limits
and plain common sense .
- ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and weather
conditions.
- Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
- Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pressure or when
you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Driving Safely -----~ ~'-----------------------------
& WARNING (continued)
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Always make sure that there are at least 4 inches (10 cm)
between the front passenger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat. Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you
properly and can even increase the risk of injury in a crash.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child seats ~
page 231. Special
precautions apply when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat~
page 206. •
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both feet on
the floor consistent with their physical size and be prop­
erly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect seating
position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an
accident, your passengers on the rear bench seat must
always observe the following : -
Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as even
with the top of your head as possible but no lower than eye
level=>
page 191.
- Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts properly=>
page 201.
- Make sure that children are always properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
=>
page 2 31.
& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the rear seat can be seri·
ously injured in a crash.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the safety
belts are properly positioned on the body and securely latched. By
not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger increases the risk of
personal injury from improperly positioned safety belts!
• Always adjust the head restraint properly so that it can give
maximum protection. •

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examples will make you more aware o f seat ing pos itions that are
d ang erou s.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
• never s tand u p in the ve hicle
• never stand on the seats
• nev er knee l on the seats
• never ride with t he se atb ack reclined
• never lie dow n on the rear seat
• neve r lean up agains t th e i nstr ument pane l
• never sit on the edge of the seat
• never sit s ideways
• never le an out the w indow
• never p ut your feet o ut the window
• never p ut your fe e t on th e ins trumen t panel
• never rest your feet on t he se at cushio n or back of the se at
• never ride in t he footwell
• neve r ride in t he cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all veh icle occupants stay
in a proper
seating position and are properly re strained whenever the vehicle
is being used. •
Driver and passenger side footwell
Important safety instructions
& WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without inter­
ference. Objects between yourself and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering w ith the way the airbag
deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag deploys .
• No persons (children) or animals should ride in the footwell in
front of the passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this can result in serious or fatal injuries.
• No objects of any kind should be carried in the footwell area in
front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be thrown through the vehicle if the
airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers. •
Pedal area
Pedals
The peda ls must a lway s be free to move an d must n ever
be interfered with by a floor mat or a ny othe r o bj e ct.
M ake sure that all pedals move freely without interference and that
no thing preven ts them from re tu rning to the ir original pos it io ns.
On ly use floor mats that leave the pedal area free and can be secured
w ith floor mat fas tene rs .
If a brake circu it fails, inc reas ed b rak e pedal trav el is req uired to b rin g
the vehicle to a f ull stop. ...

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& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss of vehicle control
and in crease the risk of serious injury .
• Never place any objects in the driver 's footwell. An object could
get into the pedal area and interfer e with peda l function . In ca se
of sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake
or accelerate!
• Always make su re that noth ing can fall o r move into the
driver' s footwe ll. •
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can b e securely attach ed to
the floor mat fasteners and do not interfere with the fre e
movement of the pe dals.
- Make sure that the floor mats are properly secur ed and
cannot move and i nte rfere with t he peda ls=> &.
Use on ly floor ma ts t hat leave the pe dal area uno bstr ucted and that
are firm ly sec ured so that they cannot slip out of position . You can
obtain s uita ble f loor mats from yo ur authori zed Audi Dealer .
Floo r mat fas teners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached to these fasteners.
P roperly secur ing t he f loor mats wi ll prevent them from s lid ing into
positions that cou ld interfere with the peda ls or impa ir safe opera­
ti on of your veh icle in other ways.
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can re sult in a loss of vehicle
control and inc rease the risk of serious personal injury.
• Alway s make sure that floor mats are properly se cured .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Never place or in stall floo r m ats or other floor coverings in the
vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent them from slipping and interfering with the pedals or the ability to
c ontrol the v ehicle.
• Never place or install floor mat s or other floor coverings on top
of alr eady in stalled floor mats. Additional floor mat s and other
cove rings will reduce the size of the pedal area and interfere w ith
the pedals .
• Always properly rein stall and secure floor mats that have been
taken out for cleaning.
• Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver foot­
well while the vehicle is moving . Obje cts can become trapped
under the brake pedal and accele rator pedal causing a loss of
vehicle control. •
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and oth er objects must be properly stowed
and secured in the lu ggage comp artment.
Loose items in t he luggage compartme nt can s hift suddenly ,
chang ing ve hicle handling c haracteristics. Loose items ca n
also incre ase the r isk of serious pe rsonal i njury in a sudde n
veh icle maneuver or in a co llis io n.
- Distr ibute the loa d eve nly in t he luggage compartme nt.
- Always pla ce and p roperl y se cure heavy it em s in the
l u gg age compar tme nt a s far forwar d as possi ble .
- S ecur e luggag e using t he tie -d ow ns prov id ed =>
page 90,
"Lugga ge com partm ent". 1111-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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in. WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through the
vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggage compartment.
• Always secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie-down hooks and suitable straps.
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles. To help
reduce the risk of a loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
• Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a
change in the center of gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as possible.
• Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the
left door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight standards can cause
the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
• Please observe information on safe driving
=> page 186.
in. WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (continued)
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the
following notes to reduce the risk of poisoning:
-Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
in. WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows, the power roof and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could crawl into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle's seating positions.
(I) Tips
Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to
the outside through vents in the trim panel, on the left side of the
luggage compartment . Be sure to keep these slots free and open.•

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Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four tie­
downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the t ie-downs to secure yo ur cargo properly ~ page 193,
"Loading the luggage compartment".
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even sma ller items that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy missiles t hat can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy wh ich vary w ith
vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For examp le, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .5 kg) object a re ab out 20 times the
normal weig ht of the item. This means that the weight of the item
wou ld s uddenly be abo ut 20 0 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the inju­
r ies that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely throug h the passenger
compartment could cause in a collision like this .
& WARNING
Weak, damag ed or improper straps us ed to secure item s to tie ­
downs can fail dur ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
s eriou s personal injury.
• Always u se suitable mounting straps and prope rly se cure items
to the tie -downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous missiles. •
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or coul d cause injury
or death, you should immedi ate ly inform the
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
National Highway Traffic S
afet y Admini stration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ce ive s similar complaints, it may
op en a n inve stig ation , and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
indi vidual problem s between y ou, y our dealer,
or Audi of Am erica, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at:
Tel.: 1 -888-32 7-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424 -9153)
or write to:
Admini strator
NHTSA 1200 New Jer sey A venue, SE
Washington, D.C . 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor vehi cle safety from :
http: / /www .safer car.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian customer s who wish to report a
safety-related defect to Tr ansport Canada,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING (continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct
positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 281,
"Safety belts". •
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 207 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 76 , "General recommendations" .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>& .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely => fig. 207 .
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle. _.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-Safety belts -----=-----------------------------------------
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every sa fe ty be lt is equipped wi th an au toma tic be lt r etrac tor on the
shoulder be lt. This feat ure locks t he belt whe n the belt is pull ed out
fast, during ha rd bra king an d in an acc ident . The belt may also loc k
w hen you dr ive up or dow n a s te ep h ill or throug h a sharp curve .
Dur ing norma l driv ing the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
Th e safety belts are e quipped w ith a belt p retensioner that hel ps to
t igh ten the saf ety be lt and remove slac k w he n the p re tensioner is
act ivated . The f unction of t he p retens ioner is monitore d by a warn ing
light=>
pag e 17.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver sea t is equipped with a
switchab le locking feature that
must b e used when the safety belt is
us ed to attach a c hild se at. B e s ure to rea d the i mporta nt info rmation
about th is feature =>
page 241.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious injury in an
accident =>
page 202, "Safety belt position ".
• Safety belt s offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat.
Attaching the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effe ctivene ss and can cause seriou s per sonal injury.
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child seat in the vehicle=>
page 243. •
Safety belt position
Corre ct b elt posi tion is the key t o getting maximum
p ro tec tion fro m sa fety belts .
Fig. 208 Head
restraint a nd safety
belt po sit ion as s een
from the side
Use the height adjustment to change the pos it io n of the s houl de r
be lt of the fron t sa fety be lts.
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belts can cau se serious per sonal
injury in an accident.
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body => fig. 208. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned a s
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen . Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug => fig. 208. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary .
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner-
able , soft tissue and cause serious injury .
~

& WARNING (continued)
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information ~
page 200. •
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 209 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body=:>
page 202.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
::::, page 76, "General recommendations".
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis::::, fig.
209, ::::, /1.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely::::,
page 201, fig. 207.
-Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information ~
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 201. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 210 Releasing
the tongue from the
buckle
Push the red release button on the buckle::::, fig. 210. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle::::,
/1.
Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position .
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

_______________________________________________ C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t..,. Y :...._ __
& WA RNING (c on tinued )
• If you mu st install a booster seat on the front pa ssenger seat
becau se of exceptional circumstance s the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on , whenever the ignition is
switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, perform the checks described=>
page 217, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child re straint off the front pa ssenger seat and install
it p roperly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ign ition i s switched
on.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle i s being used=>
page 197, "Safety belts",
=> page 206, "Airbag sy stem " and => page 231, "Important
things to know ".•
Installing a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S af ety b elts f or the re ar seats and th e fr on t passen ger
can be lock ed wit h the converti ble locking ret ract or to
properly secu re child safety seats.
The safety be lts emergency lo ck ing re trac tors for the rear seats
safety belts and for the front passenge r's seat safety belt have a
convertib le locking retractor for child rest raints . The safety be lt must
be locked so that belt webbing canno t un reel. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loose ning up during normal dr iv ing. A child saf ety sea t can only
be properly insta lled when the safety belt is locked so that t he chi ld
and child s afety seat will stay in pla ce.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Always remember:
Even though yo ur vehicle is equipped w ith a n
Adv anced Air bag system, all ch ild ren, espe cially those 12 ye ars and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of seriou s
personal injury and death in a collis ion.
• Alway s make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
c annot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash .
• Always bu ckle the child safety seat firmly in pla ce even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a colli sion .
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever the
rear cente r safety belt is being used to secure a child restraint.
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child
restraint will be thrown forward together w ith the backrest and
will strike part s of the vehicle interior. The child can be seriou sly
injured or killed .
• Never install rear-facing child safety seat s or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat . A child w ill be seriously injured and can
be killed when the pa ssenger airbag inflates.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers
on the rear seat .
• Forward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers installed on
the front pas senger' s seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause ser iou s injury to the child. .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data