tow AUDI S8 2010 Owners Manual

Table of contents
Table of contents
Vehicle literature
About this Owner's Manual ............. ...... .
Controls and
equipment .............. .
Instruments and controls ... .
General illustration ........... .
Instruments and
warning/indicator Lights ..... .
Instruments ................ .
Warning/indicator ligh ts ...... .
Driver information display ... .
Introduction ............ ... . .
On-Board Diagno stic system
(OBD) ....................... .
Auto Ch eck Control ........... .
Speed warning system ........ .
Tr ip computer ............... .
Opening and closing ......... .
Keys ........................ .
Power locking system ........ .
Rear lid/Trunk lid ......... ... .
Child safety Lock ............. .
Convenience key ............. .
Anti-theft alarm system ...... .
Power windows .............. .
Sliding/tilting power sunroof .. .
Clear vision .. ................ .
Lights ....... ......... ...... .
Interior ligh ts ........ ....... .
5
6
8
9
9
10
10
14
22
22
25
26
35
36
39
39
41
46
49
so
52
53
57
60
60
65 Vi
sion
Wiper and washer system
Mirrors
Seats and storage ........... .
General recommendations .... .
Power seat ....... ........... .
Head restraint s .... .......... .
Armr est ................. ... .
Seat memory ................ .
Rear seats ............. ..... .
Indiv idual rear seats ......... .
Luggage compartment .. ..... .
Roof rack ................... .
Cupho lder .................. .
Ashtray ..................... .
Cigarette Lighter/socket ...... .
Long cente r console .... ...... .
Storage ............. ....... .
Warm and cold ........... ... .
Climat e controls ...... ... .. .. .
W ind shield defogging/defrosting
Rear climate controls ........ .
Basic settin gs ............... .
On the road ................. .
s . teenng .................... .
I gn ition lock and ign ition switch
S tarti ng and stopping the en gine
Starting and stopping the engine
us ing the Convenience ke y .....
Electromechanical park ing brake
C ru ise control ............... . 68
70
7
4
76
76
77
81
83
8 4
85
87
90
92
9 4
96
97
98
98
103
103
112
114
115
11 7
11 7
118
119
120
123
126
Adaptive Cruise Control ....... 128
Speed and distance control
system
Driver information .......... .. .
System Limitation s ........... .
A d' l . u I ane assist ............. . .
128
135
139
142
Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Audi side assist ............... 145
Lane Change Assistan t . . . . . . . . . 145
No tes ..... ......... .......... 152
Automatic transmission 154
tiptronic ® (6-speed automatic
transmission ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 54
Advanced Parking System ..... 161
Advanced Parking System with
rear view camera .............. 161
Specia l park ing situat ions . . . . . . 169
Tow ing hitch ........... ....... 1 71
Settings in the MMI ......... ... 171
Saf ety tips .... ................ 173
Adaptive Air Suspension 176
Adaptiv e Air Suspens ion and
Damp ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Homelink ® ............. ...... 181
Universal remote control
181
Safety first ............... 186
Driving Safely ................. 186
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Proper occupan t seating
positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Driver and passenger side
footwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

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

- Make sure that the oil pressure warning symbol 't=:1:
appears no longer in the display before you start driving
again.
Dipstick reading checks OK
- If the oil pressure warning symbol 't=:1: 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 i 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.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
-
Do not tow your vehicle.
& 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 ,Pe
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be repaired imme­
diately.
If the 2e 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 malfunction 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.
If your vehicle has a Convenience key*, then you should not use the
[ STOP
l button to shut off the engine. You will not be able to start the
engine again once the ignition is switched off. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Clear vision
Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off ·"ti-·
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor automatically
switches the head- and taillights on and off in response to light condi tions.
Fig . 48 In st rum ent
p ane l: light switch
Switching on automatic headlight control
- Tur n the lig ht sw itch to AUTO => fig. 48 .
Switching on the side marker Lights
-Turn the lig ht sw itch to ;oo~.
Switching on the headlights and high beam
- Tur n th e lig ht sw itch to fD.
- Push th e high beam leve r forward towards the instrument
panel =>
page 64.
Switching off the Lights
- Tur n the lig ht sw itch to 0.
The headligh ts only work when the ignition is switched on. Whi le
starting the engine or when switc hing off the ignition, the headlights
w ill go off and o nly the s ide mar ker lights will be on.
After start ing the eng ine, the xenon headlights are automatically
ad jus ted to the load an d ang le of the vehicle (for examp le, during
acceleration, braking). T his prevents oncom ing traff ic from experi­
encing unnecessary head ligh t glare from your xe non headlights .
If the system is not operat ing properly, a warning symbol in the Auto­
Check Control is displayed~
page 34.
With the side marker lights o r headligh ts swi tche d on, the symbol
next to the light switch i llum inates
oooc .
Daytime running lights
• USA model s: The daytime running lights will come on automati­
cally when the ign it ion is turned on and the light switch ~ fig . 48 is
in the
O position or the AUTO pos ition (only in daylight conditions).
T he
Daytime running lights f u nction can be turned on and off in the
M MI menu
Exterior lighting~ page 61 ~ /.1.
• Canada model s: The day time ru nning l igh ts wi ll come o n auto­
matically when the ignit ion is turned on and the light switch~ fig. 48
is in the
O position or the AUTO position (on ly in dayligh t conditions)
~ & -
Automatic headlight control
In the switch pos ition AUTO t h e automat ic headlight cont ro l is
tu rn ed on. The low beams are tu rned o n automa tically th rough a light
sensor as soon as ambient bright ness (e .g . when driving into a
tunnel) falls be low a val ue preset at the factory . When ambient
brigh tness increases again, the low beams are t urned off again auto­
matically ~
/.1.
In the AUTO pos ition t he low beams a re switched off automa tically
w hen the ign it ion is turned off. If the h igh beams were sw itched on,
th ey will come on again the nex t time the au tom atic headlight .,,_.

Clear vision Front fog Lights
}O
Fi g. 49 Ins trume nt
p an el: li gh t s witch
Switching on the front fog lights }D
- Do not turn the light switch ·'t/.· => fig. 49 toward the fog
light sym bol
- Turn the light switch to
;oo~ or to ~D .
- Pull the light switch to the first stop (D.
When the fron t fog lights are on, the symbo l }0 next to the ligh t
switch will i llum inate.
(I} Tips
With the sw itch in AUTO front fog lights and rear fog lights cannot be
turned on in addition. •
Rear fog Lights 0$
Fig. SO Ins tru men t
p an el: l ight sw itc h
- Do not turn th e ligh t switch ·'t/. · => fig. 50 t owar d th e fog
ligh t sym bo l
- Turn th e light switch to
~oo~ or t o ~D.
Pull the light switch to the second stop @.
When the rear fog lights are on, both the }D and symbols next to
t he light sw itch will il luminate.
0 Note
T he rear fog lights can distract drivers be hind yo u, so, they shou ld be
turned on
only in condit ions of very poor visib ility . A lways observe
loca l reg ulations w hen usin g the rear fog lights.
(I) Tips
With the sw itch in AUTO front fog lights and rear fog lights cannot be
tu rned on in addition.•

Clear vision
(I) Tips
You should t urn on the emergency flashe rs 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 yo u 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. •
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.
F ig. 53 Turn s ig nal
a n d hig h beam le ve r
The turn signa l and high beam lever has the following fu nc­
tions:
Turn signals ¢¢
-Lift the lever up all the way~ fig. 53 © to use the right
turn signals, or push the lever down all the way
0 to use
the left turn signals.
Auto -blink
- Move the lever (up or down) just to the point o f resistance
to use the turn signa ls for as long as you need them, for
example wh en changi ng lanes.
- Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resistance
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.
High beam [D
- Push t he 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 steeri ng w heel © to use t he
headlight flasher.
Not es on these feature s
• The turn signals only work with the ignition turned on. T he indi ­
cator lights ¢ or¢ in the inst rument cluster~
page 14 also blink .
• After you have t urned a co rner, the tu rn s ignal switc hes off auto ­
matically.
• T he
high beam works only when the headligh ts ar e o n. Th e 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 there are no lights turned on. The indi cato r light aD in the
instrument cluster illuminates when you use the headlight flasher.
• With the swi tc h in the
AUTO posi tion, the high beams can o nly be
turned on if the funct ion is switched on in MMI
~ page 61. ..,_

Clear vision
Vision
Sun visors
i?l N
J,
\,:...L--------~:-J.1~
Aw""; ;glY
-·-... --
-----..... =- 0- ~-::· -·---... ------_____ .__ 1 ...
------·­___ ., .. _ ~---
~
\;.J.----~---4.:'Ji
-· .. --·-- ·"
___ '"'_ ... __
........ -~ .. ----...
___ .,.. ___ _ ..., __ ., .. ___ ......
Fig. 60 Sun visor
Fig. 61 Sun visor with
two-part vanity mirror
The sun visors for the driver and passenger can be released from their
brackets and turned toward the doors~ fig . 60
(D . They can also be
moved back and forth lengthwise in this position .
The mirror light switches on when the cover over the vanity mirror@
opens.
There is a shade between the driver's and passenger's sun visors that
can be used to cover the gap above the rearview mirror .
Two-part vanity mirror*
When you slide the cover@~ fig. 61 upward, there is a mirror with
high magnification . When you slide the cover@ downward, there is
a mirror with normal magnification. The mirror light also switches on
when the covers slide up or down .•
Applies to veh icles: wit h su n sh ade
Sun Shade
The rear window is equipped with a sun shade.
w ~
-
Fig. 62 Cockpit:
Switch for sun shade
Fig. 63 Rear roof·
lining Switch for sun
shade
The sunshade can be operated with the switch~ in the
driver's area and in the rear.

Intermittent wiping ~l (acti vating rain
sensor )
- Move the lever up to position (D.
- Move switch @up or down , to adjust the sensitivity of the
rain sensor.
Low wip er sp eed
- Move the lever up to position@.
High wiper speed
- Move the lever up to position ®·
One-touch wiping
- Move the lever to position@, when you want to wipe the
windshield
briefly .
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 positio n@ .
The windshield wipe rs and washer only work when the ignition is
turned on.
T he rain sensor is only activated with the wiper leve r set to position
@ . When i t starts to rain, the rain sensor will automatically activate
the intermittent wiping mode .
T o red uce the sensit iv ity of the senso r, move sw itch @down. To
increase the sensitivity, move the switch up . The higher you adjust the
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Clear v
ision
sensitivity, the faster the sensor will react when it senses mo isture on
t he windsh ie ld. T he rain senso r wiper inte rvals depend on the sensi­
tiv ity setting as well as vehicle speed . During brief stops, w iper
motion will adj ust in relation to the amount of rain on the winds hield.
Dur ing b rief stops, e .g . at a red light , w iper motion will automatically
be reduced to the next lower speed. Wipers already turn ing at low
speed. c hange to intermittent w iping.
When the ign ition is turned on, the washer jets are heated.
With the low beam headlights switched on, pull the wiper lever
towards you o nly
briefly to clean the w indshield . Holding the wiper
lever would also engage the headlight washer system each time you
clean the w indshield and would d rain the washer fluid rese rvoir
prematurely .
& WARNING
• Wiper bl ade s a re cruci al for safe dri ving! Only when the y are in
good condition are th ey able to clear the wind ows properly to
pro vide uncompr omi sing visibilit y. Worn or damaged wipe r
blade s ar e a safet y hazard =>
pag e 73, "In stalling new wiper
blades "!
• The rain sensor i s only des igned t o assist and support the
dri ver. It rem ain s entirely the d river's re spon sibility to m onito r
out side weather condition s and to manually a ctivate the wipers as
soon a s rain or dr izzle reduce s visibil ity th rough the windshield.
• The win dshield mu st not be treated with wat er- re pellent
m aterial s. They c an in crease gla re under po or visibilit y condit ions
s u ch as wetn ess, darkne ss, or when the sun i s low on the horizon .
In addition , they can cause the wi ndshield wipers to chatter.
0 Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
• Always check that the wiper blades a re not frozen to the glass
before you turn the wipers on. Loosen a wiper blade which is fro zen in ..,
Vehicle care Technical data

Seats and storage
Fig. 80 A dju sti ng th e
co mfort head r estrai nt
s ide suppor ts
The head restraints on the front seats can be adj usted to
provide safe support to head and neck at the optimum he ight
and angle . When optimally adjusted, the top of the restraint
should be level with the top of the head=>
page 191, "Proper
adjustment of head restraints" .
Height adjustment
-Push the switc h up or down to adjust t he head restraint to
your height =>
page 81, fig. 79 .
- Adjus t the head restraints so that the top of the head
restraint is
at least level with your eyes or higher .
Adjusting the angle
-Grasp the side of t he head restraints w ith bot h hands and
push them forward or bac kward.
Adjusting the side supports
- Pull or press the side supports into th e desir ed position
=> fig . 80 .
Refe r to ~ page 191, "P roper adjustment of head restrain ts" for
guidelines on how to adjust the height of the front head restra ints to
sui t the occupant's body size.
& WARNING
• Driving w ithout h ead r estraints or with head restraint s that are
not properl y adju sted increa se s the ri sk of serious or f atal n eck
i njury dramati cally .
• Read and he ed all WARNING S~
page 191 .
[ i ] Tips
• Correct ly adjusted head restra ints and safety be lts are an
extremely effective combinat ion of safety features.
• Powe r adjustable head rest raints ca n only be removed by an
author ized repair fac ility.
• When you adjust the sea t towa rd the front o r upward, the head
restraints are automatically lowered to keep them clea r of the roof
liner. Be aware that after you move the sea t ba ck agai n toward the
rear or lower it again, the head res train ts will
not automa tically
resume the ir origi na l position and have to be readjusted .•
Rear head restraint (center seating
position)
C: Fi g. 81 Center rea r
hea d restrai nt:
ad justin g the h eig ht ..

Seats and storage
Luggage compartment
Tie-down eyelets
The luggage compartment is equipped with four tie-down
eyelets to secure luggage and other items.
Fig. 93 Luggage
compartment tie­
down eyelets
Use the tie -down eyelets to secure your cargo properly
=> fig. 93 -arrows-.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS=>
page 193, "Stowing
luggage" .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even smaller items that
are loose in the vehicle will turn into heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury . Items in the vehicle pick up kinetic energy wh ich varies
with the vehicle and the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20
times the
normal weight of the item . This means that the weight of the item
would suddenly be the equivalent of about 200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easily imagine the injur ies that an item of that weight flying freely through the passenger compartment can cause in a collis
ion at a
speed considered relatively low.
& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to tie­
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
• Always use suitable retaining straps and properly secure items
to the tie-downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward.
• Never attach a child seat tether strap to a tie-down . •
Elastic cargo net
The cargo net prevents light objects from sliding around
in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 94 Luggage
compartment cargo
net ...