cooling AUDI S8 2010 Owners Manual

Pedal area ... ........ ......... 192
S towing luggage .............. 193
Reporting Safety Defects ....... 195
Safety be lts ................... 197
General notes ................. 197
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Safe ty be lt pretensioners . . . . . . . 204
Airbag system ................ 206
Important th ings to know . . . . . . 206
F ront airbags ......... ........ 210
Mon ito ring the Advanced A irbag
Syst em ...................... 217
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 22
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Child Safety ................... 231
Important things to know ...... 231
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Ins ta lling a ch ild safety seat . . . . 24 1
LAT CH Lower anchorages and
t ethers for chi ldren . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Add itiona l Informa tion 251
Vehicle operation ...... 252
Intelligent tec hno logy ........ 252
Notice about data recorded by
v e hicl e contro l modu les . . . . . . . . 252
Electronic Stab ili z ati on Program
(ESP) ........................ 252
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Servotronic ® -advanced power
steer ing system ............ ... 257
Dr iving with your quattro® ...... 257
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Driving and environment
..... 261
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km)
and afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Avoid damaging the veh icle 263
Dr ivi ng th rough wat er on roads . 263
Operate your veh icle economica lly
and m inimi ze po llution . . . . . . . . 263
Trailer towing ................ 266
Dr iving wi th a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . 266
T railer tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Vehicle care .............. 270
Clea nin g and pro tect ion ...... 270
General information . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank .......................... 283
Gasol ine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
F u el tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Eng ine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Eng ine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 290
Engine oil ............... ..... 291
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . 296
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Bat tery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
W indshield/head light washer
containe r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Tires and wheels .............. 306
Ti res 306
T ir e pressure monitor ing system 326
Table of contents
Do-it-yourself service
What do I do now? .......... .
Trunk escape handle ......... .
Emergency wa rning tria ngle ... .
Jack, tools and spare wheel ... .
Changing a wheel ........... . .
Fuses and bulbs ............. .
Fuses ...................... .
Bulbs ...................... .
Emergency situations ....... .
General ..................... .
Starting by pushing or towing ..
S tarting with jumper cables ... .
Use of j umper cables ......... .
Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck ........ .
Lifting vehicle ............... .
Technical data
General information
Explanat ion of technical data .. .
Vehicle identification ......... .
We ig hts ... ....... ....... ... .
Dimensions ................. .
Data .......... ......... ...... .
350 hp, 8-cylind er engine, with all
whee l dr ive ................. .
Consumer Information ...... .
Warranty coverages .......... .
Ope rating your vehicle outs ide the
U.S.A. or Canada ............. .
Aud i Se rvice Repair Man uals and
Literature ................... . 332
332
332
332
333
335
342
342
346
348
348
348
3
4 8
349
350
353
356
356
356
356
357
357
360
360
361
361
361
361
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

If the indicator goes all the way to the right side inside the coolant
t empe ra tu re ga uge, the n th e eng ine cool ant tempe rature is too high.
Pull off the road to saf e location , turn off the engine and let it cool
down.
If the warning lig ht comes o n aga in after yo u have driven a
short distance, contact a qualified workshop.
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in ::::> page 281 , "Engine compart­
ment ", before opening the hood and checking the engine coolant
l e vel.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
c ould burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant .
0 Note
• Mounting additiona l lights or accessories in front of the a ir in lets
reduces the cooling effect of the radiator. At high outside tempe ra ­
tu res o r high engine load, the e ng ine could ove rheat .
• T he front spoi le r has bee n designed to properly distribu te the
cooling air when the vehicle is moving . If the spoiler is damaged, this
co uld reduce the coo ling effect and the eng ine could then overheat.
Ask your author ized A udi deale r for assistance. •
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tac home te r indicates the engine RPM (revoluti ons
pe r minu tes) .
The tachometer @::::> page 10, fig. 2 is the left of t he two large clock­
type displays .
Th e eng ine tu rns at a speed
1,000 times t h e si ng le dig it in t he
display, e .g. if the need le is pointing at the "2" the engine is tu rning
at 2, 000 R PM.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
If e ngine RPM drops below 1,500, you s hould dow nsh ift to t he next
lower ge ar. T he re d area at t he e nd of the s cale i ndic ates m aximum
permissible e ngine RPM after the break-in per iod . Before reaching
this area, move the selector lever to posit ion "D (Drive)" or ease yo ur
foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
The tachome ter needle s houl d not move in to the red range. If it does,
then only fo r a very short period of time . You could damage your
e n g in e by driv ing at h igh RPM .
c£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel a nd reduces e ngine noise. •
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in MMI.
Fig. 3 Instrumen t
cluster with digital
clock
Th e da te, time o f day , an d time and date form at can be se t in MM I.
You can find out more in the MMI manual. ..,.
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
(I] Tip s
Many fun ct ions a re mon itored by the Auto-Check system=> page 26.
Malf unctions or faults will be identified either with a red symbol
(pr iority
1-Dange r!) or with a ye llow symbo l (prio rity 2 -Warn ing). •
Electronic power control C
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The warn ing/indicator light (Electro nic Power Control) illumi-
nates when you turn on the ignition as a function check .
(I] Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving, then
there is a malfunct io n in the engine electron ics . Have the ma lfunct io n
corrected as soon as possib le by your authori zed Audi dealer or qual­
ified repair fac ility. •
Generator 0
This warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or in the vehicle's electrical system.
T he O warning/ind icator light illum inates when you sw itch on the
ignition and must go out after the engine has started .
If the O warning/indicator light illum ina tes while you are d riving,
you should contact your authorized Audi dea ler. Since the veh icle
bat tery is d ischarging, you shou ld switch off any unnecessary elec ­
trical consumers (for example, the air conditioner) .
0 Note
If the _f_ warn ing/ indicator light (malfunction in the eng ine cooling
system) in the instrument cluster sho uld ill uminate =>
page 29, stop the vehicle and turn off the engine
. The water pump is not working -
t his ca n cause e ngine damage. •
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) ,
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
stabilization program .
The war ning/ indicator lig ht has t he fo llow ing funct ions:
• It blinks while you are driving when the ESP is working .
• It illumina tes when yo u sw itch on the ignition for approximate ly 2
seconds as a funct ion check.
• It ill uminates when the re is a malfunct ion in the ESP. T he
message
ESP fault! See owner's manual a lso appears in the instru­
ment cl uste r display and a w arning tone sounds.
• It illuminates continuously when the ESP is sw itched off.
• It illum inates if the re is a malfu nction in the ABS, s ince the ESP is
part of the ABS system .
If the battery terminals were disconnected and re- connec ted, the
vehicle was jump started or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes thro ugh a learning process for the firs t few yards . The
warning/indicator light illuminates. The warn ing/indicator light goes
out as soon as t he learning process is comp lete.
If the ESP warning/i ndicator lig ht ill uminates and stays on afte r you
have started the engine, t his may mean that the control system has
temporar ily switched off the ESP . If this is case , you ca n react ivate
the ESP by turning the ignition off and then on aga in. The
w ar ning/ind ica tor ligh t shou ld go ou t to show t hat the system is fully
functional again .
For more in formation about the ESP =>
page 252. •

you can bring up a driver message which explains the malfunction in more detail.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid Level
- Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check the brake fluid level~
page 299.
-Contact your nearest authorized repair facility if neces-
sary.
Brake fault ! Drive carefully to nearest
workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized repair facility and
have the malfunction corrected~& .
Parking brake ! Please contact workshop
- If the warning/indicator light flashes when the vehicle is
stationary or after the ignition is turned on , check to see if
the parking brake can be released . Drive to an authorized
repair facility as soon as possible and have the malfunc­
tion corrected. If the parking brake cannot be released,
contact your nearest authorized repair facility.
- If the warning/indicator light flashes while you are driving, it is possible that the traction control or the emer­
gency brake has malfunctioned. It is possible that the parking brake cannot be applied . It is also possible that
the parking brake cannot be released after it has been
applied. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer to have the malfunction corrected.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
I
f the ABS , ESP and the brake for ce distribution fail, the ABS
warning/indicator light and the ESP warning/indicator light come on
along with the brake system malfunction warning/indicator light
~ & -
& WARNING
• Always observe the warnings in ::::> page 281, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
• Driving with low brake fluid is a safety hazard. Stop the car and
get professional assistance.
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light, the ~ warning light
and the warning light come on together, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applica­
tions.
• Canada models: If the brake warning light(())), the r-warning
light and the ABS warning light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up
can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
applications. •
Engine cooling system malfunction -1-
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
repaired as soon as possible.
When the - L symbol in the display blinks, then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant level ~
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver information display
is too low. An additional driver message can also be displayed
by pressing the [CHECK) button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
-Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check coolant level=>
page 297.
-Add coolant if necessary=> page 298.
-Continue driving only after the engine coolant
warning/indicator light goes out.
- Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assistance if
necessary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the
cause of the malfunction.
If the generator warning/indicator light should also illuminate
=>
page 16, then the fan belt may be damaged .
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons, park at a safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights=>
page 63, "Emer­
gency flasher A".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping.
• The engine compartment of any vehicle is a dangerous area.
Before you perform any work in the engine compartment, turn of
& WARNING (continued)
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
=> page 281, "Engine compartment".
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the -~-symbol illuminates. There is a
malfunction in the engine cooling system -you could damage your
engine. •
Engine oil pressure malfunction "t':::7':
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol requires
immediate service or repair. Driving with a low-oil-pres­
sure indication is likely to inflict severe damage to the
engine.
If the ~ symbol appears in the display and blinks, the oil
pressure is too low. An additional driver message can also be
displayed by pressing the [CHECK] button:
Switch off engine and check oil level
Immediate actions
-Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine .
-Check the engine oil level with the dipstick=> page 293.
Dipstick readings checks too low
- Top off oil to the proper level=> page 294.

_________________________________________________ W_.;,. a_r _m __ a_n .;,. d:.;__ c::.. o.::..:. ld.:.:..._fflll
Warm and cold
Climate controls
Description
The air conditioner is fully automatic and is designed to
maintain a comfortable and uniform climate inside the
vehicle.
We recommend the following settings:
- Set the temperature to 75
°F (+23 °C).
- Press the
[AUTO] button.
With this setting, you attain maximum comfort in the least amount
of time. Change this setting , as desired , to meet your personal needs.
The climate controls are a combination of heating, ventilation and cooling systems, which automatically reduce humidity and cool the
air inside your vehicle .
The air temperature, air flow and air distribution are automatically regulated to achieve and maintain the desired passenger compart­
ment temperature as quickly as possible.
The system automatically compensates for changes in outside
temperature and for the intensity of the sunlight entering the
vehicle. We recommend you use the
Automatic mode ~ page 106
for year-round comfort .
Please note the following:
Turn on the air conditioner to reduce humidity in the vehicle. This also
prevents the windows from fogging up.
When the outside temperature is high and the air is very humid,
condensation from the evaporator may drip under the vehicle . This is
normal and does not indicate a leak.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
If the outside temperature is
low, the fan normally only switches to a
higher speed once the engine coolant has warmed up sufficiently .
The air conditioner temporarily switches off when you drive off from
a standstill using full throttle to save engine power.
The compressor also switches off if the coolant temperature is too
high, so that the engine can be adequately cooled under extreme
loads.
Air pollutants filter
The air pollutants filter (a combined particle filter and activated char­
coal filter) reduces or prevents outside air pollution (dust, or pollen)
from entering the vehicle.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at the intervals specified in
your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet, so that the air conditioner can
properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high air pollution , the filter
may need to be changed more frequently than specified in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. If in doubt, ask your authorized
Audi Service Advisor for advice.
Key coded settings
The air conditioner settings selected are automatically stored and
assigned to the key being used. When the vehicle is started, the air
conditioner automatically selects the settings assigned to that key.
This way every driver will maintain his/her own personal settings and
does not have to reset them manually.
If a different driver uses your key and changes the air conditioner
settings, the latest adjustments will erase and replace the settings
you have stored.
Energy management
To prevent the battery from being discharged and to restore the
balance of energy, components which require large amounts of
Vehicle care Technical data

1111....__w __ a _r_ m __ a_n_ d_ c_ o _ l_d _______________________________________________ _
energy are temporarily cut bac k or sw itched off~ page 258. Hea ting
s ys te m s in p artic ula r re quir e a gre at d eal o f energy. If yo u not ic e, f or
example, t hat the s eat *, w indshield* or r ear w indow heat ing is not
heating, they have been temporar ily c ut back or sw itche d off by
energy management. These systems ar e available again as soon as
the e ner gy ba la nce has been restore d.
& WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can cause accidents.
• For safe driving it is very important that all windows be free of
ice, snow and condensation.
• Completely familiarize yourself with the proper use and func­
tion of the heating and ventilation system and especially how to
defog and defrost the windows.
• Never use the windshield wiper/washer system in freezing
weather until you have warmed the windshield first, using the
heating and ventilation sy stem. The washer solution may freeze
on the windshield and reduce visibility.
0 Note
• If yo u su spect that the air cond itio ner has bee n damaged, turn on
ECON and co nta ct an aut horized Audi d eale r t o h ave t he sy st em
inspected.
• Rep airs to th e Audi air con dition er re qu ire speci al te chnical k now l­
edge and special tools. Co ntact a n au thor ized A udi dealer for assis­
t an ce.
[ i ] Tips
• Keep the a ir in take slots (in fron t of the w ind shield) free from ice,
snow and debris i n order to ma inta in the pro per function of the
climate contro l system. •
Air escapes t hrough vents under t he rear w indow. Whe n placing
i t e m s of cl othi ng on t he lug ga ge c ompartm ent c ove r, ensure th at t he
open ings are not cove red .
• Clima te cont rol w orks mos t effe ctively i f th e wind ow s a nd t he
power roof are closed . H owever, if the inter io r of a par ked ve hicle is
ex trem ely ho t from th e sun' s ra ys, briefly o pening t he windows c an
speed up t he cooling process .•

Warm and cold ------------------J
Air outlets
Air distribution determines the air flow to the individual
vents.
Fi g. 1 24 In str um ent pan el: a ir outl et locatio ns and a irflo w dir ections
Air outlets ® and ©
- Turn the vertical thumbwheel beside the ou tlet to
increase , reduce or shut down t he airflow from that
outlet .
- To adjust the direction of the airflow from the outlet,
move the tab in the center of the outlet in the des ired
direction. The direction of the air de livered from t he vents
ca n be adjusted horizontally and vertically.
The air outlets are actuated e ither automatically or manually
depending on t he operat ing mode selected . Heated or unheated
fresh air, or cooled air flows from the vents .
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
(I) Tips
• Whe n climate contro l is working, coo led a ir will flow p rimarily
from outlets @ and @. To assure adequate cooling, outlets@ and
@ should never be completely closed.
• T he airflow com ing from the vents@ can be adjusted to be colder
or wa rmer than the sele cted set temperatu re. •
Air outlets in the rear
Outlets in the center console
- Rotate the thumb whee l located nex t to the outlet to open
o r close it.
- To adjust the direction of the a irflow f rom the outlet,
move t he tab in t he cen ter o f th e outlet in the des ired
direction . T he direction of the a ir delive red from the vents
can be adjusted horizontally and ver tica lly.
Outlets in the door pillars
- R otate the t humb whee l located next to the outlet to open
o r close it.
- To adjust the direction of the a irf low f rom the o utlet ,
move t he tab in t he center o f the out let in the des ired
direction. The d irection of the air delivered from the vents
can be adjusted horizontally and vertica lly.
Th e air outlets are actuated either automatically or manually
depend ing on the ope rat ing mode se lected . Heated or unheated
fresh a ir, or cooled air flows from the vents .
Th e ai r outle ts to heat the rea r footwell are loca ted under the fro nt
seats.
tJl>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-Warm and cold .,.,..__ ______________ _
(I) Tips
If the climate control system is operating in cooling mode , air flows
p rima rily from th e outlets in the center console and in the door
pillars . T o ach ieve adequa te cooling, you should never close the
ou tle ts completely. •
Using climate controls economically
Using the climate controls prudently can help save fuel.
When you use the a ir conditioner, e ngine power is reduced
and fuel consumption increa ses. To save fu el, you should use
the air co nditioner o nly when necessary. Also please note the
following points :
If you want to save fuel , activate ECON .
If you are going to drive with the wi ndows open, use ECO N.
~ For the sake of the environment
By reducing t he amount of fuel you use, you also reduce the amou nt
of pollutants emitted into the air .•
A ppli es to vehicl es : w ith sola r sliding /til tin g sunroof
Solar blower fan /solar roof
With sufficient sunlight, the blower fan continues to
operate with solar energy to bring in fresh air after the
ignition has been switched off
The fan motor is operated by solar energy throug h the solar roof after
t he ignition is tur ned off . P lease make certai n that vents @ and ©
are ope n to ach ieve op timal ventilation =:,
page 111, fig. 124.
The venti lation operates on ly with the sunroof closed or in the ti lted
position. If the veh
icle was switched off in the rec irculat ion mode, the air
condi tioning au tomatically sw itches to fresh a ir operation .
Solar operation is not activated at low outside temperatures .•
Windshield defogging/defrosting
A pp lie s t o v eh icles: w it h win dshie ld defo gger/ defrost er
Windshield defogger/defroster ®
The windshield defogger removes humidity from the
windshield .
Fig. 12 5 Wi ndshie ld
def ogger switch
- Press the~ button to turn the wi ndsh ield defogger on
and off=> fig. 125.
T he windsh ield defogger works only when the engine is runn ing . T he
ind icator light in the button illum inates when the windshield
defogger is turned on.
With a cold engine at outside temperatures below 41 °F (+5 °C) and i n
( AU TO] operation, the windshield defogger turns on automati­
cally . Depend ing o n outside temperat ure, the w indshie ld is heated
for a maximum of 4 m inutes. The temperature for the climate control
must be selected so tha t it is ope ra ting in the heat ing mode . .,_

Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in place to prevent it
from shifting forward, backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer=>
& in "Driving instruc­
tions".
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It is important that
the cooling system's performance is up to the additional load. Make
sure that the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your vehicle to the cold tire
pressure listed under "Full load" on the label located either on the
driver's side B -pillar (visible when the door is open) or inside the fuel
filler flap. Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' spec­
ifications .
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with the trailer attached
before driving off. Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connected from the trailer
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit
turning corners . When you install safety chains, make sure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the hitch .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Trailer
towingL_,1!:::!:·~-
0 Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must activate the trailer opera­
tion mode =>
page 179, "Towing a Trailer". •
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care and
consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle and trailer,
please note the following:
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded.
- Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
- Observe speed limits.
- Do not drive at the maximum permissible speed.
- Always apply brakes early .
- Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissible,
while keeping the trailer as light as possible under the circumstances.
Whenever possible, transfer some cargo to the luggage compart­
ment of the tow vehicle while observing tongue load requirements
and vehicle loading considerations.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data