towing AUDI S8 2012 Owners Manual

Advanced Parking System . . . . 115
Advanc ed Pa rking System with r ear
view camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Ad justing the display and warning
tones .... .. ................. .. .. 119
E rro r messages
Homelink ® ............ .... .. . .
Universal remote control . .. .. .. .. . . 120
121
121
Safety first
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Prope r occupa nt seating posit ions . . . 125
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 129
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
S towing lugg age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Safety belt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 142
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Mon itoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
S ide curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
I mportant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hil d safety sea ts ......... .... .. . .
I ns tall ing a chi ld safe ty seat .. .. .. . .
L A T C H L ower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Addit io n al Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Preventative passenger protection .. . 166
17
1
175
178
184
185
185
Table of contents 3
Vehicle oper ation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
187
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 187
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
E lectronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . 187
B rak ing ...... ... .. ............. .
Se rvotronic ® - advanced powe r
stee ring system ......... ........ .
D rivi ng with your q uattro ® ...... .. . 189
191
191
E nergy m anagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving and environment . . . . . 194
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
a ft erwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 4
Catalytic conve rter. .. ... ...... ... . 195
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 195
Driving throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 196
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driv ing with a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 203
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Car e of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... .......... ....
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
F uel tank.. .. .. .. ... ............ . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 219
E ngine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine compartmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ire pressure mo nitoring system . . . . 253
•
•

4 Table of contents
Do-it-yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Bulbs .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. 269
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 270
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Start ing by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 270
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 270
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 1
E mergency towing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Lifting vehicle .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... 274
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
General information . . . . . . . . . . 276
Explanation of technical data . . . . . . . 276
Vehicle ident ificat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
372 hp, 8-cylinder engine, w ith all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
500 hp, 12-cyl inder engine, with all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 280
War ranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Addit ional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Declaration of Compliance,
Te lecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Index ..... ..... ..... ...... ..... 285

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and
off using the light switch . You can still
control a ll funct ions that are independent of
the rain sensor through the windshield wiper lever.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the prob lem corrected.
@! Dynamic steering
1;r.ij Steering: system fault. you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slow ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
tT@ Dynamic steering: initialising
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering is being reinitialized. Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the steering wheel w ill be easy to move . Re-initi ­
alization might be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the veh icle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as init ialization is complete .
A WARNING
-
Have the dynamic steering system mal­
function repaired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
@ Tips
-The dynamic steering stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring, refer to
¢page 103.
I-: Sport differential
II Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport d ifferen ­
t ial.
Drive to your authori zed Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
is faulty or malfunct ioning . The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢ 9 Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left B or the right B
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flashers , both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­ mal. Carefu lly dr ive to your authorized Audi
dealer immed iately to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the trail­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer towing
mode.
@ Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
¢ page 45.

44 Clear vision
Highway light function* (vehicles with LED
headlights) -this function adapts the lighting
for highway driving based on vehicle speed.
.&_ WARNING
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver. They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check
the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions. For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights §.0
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from
the back.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described.
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
@ Tips
- The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount. You should
therefore not apply any stickers to the
windshield in this area in order to pre­
vent malfunctions or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display¢
page 21 .
- You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail
lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They will clear shortly after switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in an emer ­
gency situation.
,--~
,_'
. ;.' --- --~-.sc-
Fig. 35 Center console: emergency flasher switch
.,. Press the switch 11 ¢ fig. 35 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
s ignal ind icator lights
ea in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
11 blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flasher also works when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.

66 Seats and storage
Luggage compartment
Tie-downs and luggage compartment
net
The luggage compartment net prevents small
objects from sliding.
Fig. 64 Locat ion of the faste ning eyes in the luggag e
compartment
Fig. 65 Luggage compartment net unhooked
" To secure objects with the luggage com­
partment net*, fold the t ie-down bracket
upward
9 fig . 64 .
" Insert the hooks on the luggage compart­
ment net* into the tie-downs
9 fig. 65.
" Read and heed all WARNINGS 9page 130,
Stowing luggage.
In a collis ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will turn into heavy missiles that can cause
serio us injury . Items in the vehicle pick up ki­
netic energy which varies w ith the vehicle and
the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the
most signif icant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collis ion 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 we ight of the item would suddenly be the equivalent of about
200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easily imagine the injuries that an item of that
weight flying freely through the passenger compartment can cause in a collision at a
speed considered relatively low.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
in g hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always use su itable retaining straps and
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the lu ggage compartment to help pre­
vent it ems from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- Never attach a child seat tether strap to
a tie-down.
- Fo r strength-related reasons, the mount­
ing hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weighing up to 10 lb. (5 kg) . Heavi­
er objects will not be adequately secured
- there is a risk of injury.

68 Seats and storage
& WARNING
- The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis and other light ob ­
jects . To reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal in jury, never t ransport heavy or
poin ted objects in the ski sa ck.
- When brak ing rapidly or during an acci­
dent, the load could be displaced and
cause injury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be cove red
for protect ion. Always fasten the belt
ti gh tly around the sack and its contents
¢ fig. 69.
-For safety reasons, do not t ransport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sac k.
- You m ust sec ure the ski sack with t he
strap after loading.
- Make sure a ll objects that you are trans­
porting in the pass-through are secured.
Otherwise they cou ld slide around during
sudden braking maneuvers and cause in ­
jury.
@ Tips
- Never stow the sk i sack away whe n it is
still wet or damp (for examp le, snow
melt ing from sk is) . Allow it to dry com­
plete ly before stowing it away .
- Position skis in the ski sack with the pointed ends facing t he front and ski
po les w ith the pointed ends facing the
rear.
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried wi th a roof
luggage rack .
Fig . 70 Roo f ra ck attac hment po ints
.,. Always read and follow the instructions pro ­
vided by the roof rack man ufactu rer when
the roof rack system mus t be install ed .
If luggage or cargo is to be ca rried on the
roof, yo u mus t observe the follow ing:
- To enhance the vehicle 's streamlined design,
ra in gutters have been mo lded i nto t he roof .
I t is not poss ible to use normal roof ra cks.
O nl y install a roof ra ck specific ally designed
for your model AB . Contact the nea re st Audi
dea ler for information on approved modular
roof racks for your v ehicle.
- On ly use roof racks approved for your vehi­
cl e. These approved roof racks are the basis
fo r a complete roof rack system. Addition al
a tta chmen ts or carr ier systems are needed
t o transpor t luggage and spor ts equipment.
We recommend using roof rack s from the
Aud i original accessories program.
- When insta lling the roof rack, make sure it
is o nly mounted on the designated locations
on the roof~
fig. 70.
- We recommend that you keep the i nstalla ­
tion instruct ions for your roof rack system
together w ith your Owner's literature in the
ve hicle.
When should the roof rack be removed?
- Before go ing through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the ca r wash operator for
adv ice)
...

CD Note
-Avoid high engine rpm, fu ll throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperature -other ­
wise you risk engine damage.
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the veh icle.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the en­
gine is switched off -there is a risk of
damag ing the engine . Allow the eng ine
to run at idle for about 2 m inutes befo re
swit ching it off.
@ Tips
- If you open the dr iver's door w ith the ig­
nit ion on, a buzzer sounds and the mes­
sage
Igniti on i s on appears in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay. Switch the ign it ion
off .
-If you leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
swi tched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certain period of time. Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exter ior lights wi ll switch off as well
when that happens .
Stopping the engine
... Bring your vehicle to a comple te stop .
... Move the selector lever to the P or N posi ­
t ion .
... Press the !START E NGIN E STOPI button
Q page 80, fig. 81 .
Emergen cy off
If necessary, the engine can be swi tched off
with the selector lever in the R, Dor S posi ­
tions . The eng ine stops if you press the
I START E NGIN E STOP I button at speeds be low
6 mph (10 km/h).
_& WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unt il the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
On th e road 81
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking . Because
you cannot s teer and brake as you usual­
ly would, th is could lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
- For safety reasons , you sho uld a lways
park your vehicle with the selector lever
in P . Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away.
- After the eng ine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can cont in ue to run for
up to 10 minutes -even with the igni tion
switched off .
It can also switch on again
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat b uildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays .
~
CD Note
Do not stop the eng ine immediately after
hard or extended driving. Keep the engine
running for approximate ly two minutes to
prevent excess ive heat bu ild -up .
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances , for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter ­
ference is affected the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
ij
:c
---- -~
Fig . 82 Center co nsole/m aste r key : star ting the engine
I
if th ere is a malfun ction Ill>

100 Audi side assist
General information
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig. 103 Driving s it u at ions
A U D I
• 0
Fig . 104 Rear of th e ve hicle: pos it io n of t he se nso rs
Side assis t fu nctions at speeds above ap prox i­
ma tely 19 mph (30 km/h).
(D V ehicles that are approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change
even if it is still
somewhat far away. The fas ter a vehicle ap­
p ro aches, the sooner the disp lay in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr it ical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assis t are in dicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
@ Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pass a ve hicl e tha t sid e ass ist has
dete cted ( the difference in s peed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/ h), the display in the exterio r mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The disp lay wi ll not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that s ide assist has detected (t he d if ­
f erence in speed between the ve hicle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
T he radar senso rs are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
l anes a re the normal width. In certain situa­
t ions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no ve hicle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical fo r a la ne cha nge.
Fo r example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on the edge of your lane. If this is the case ,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another lane that is
not adjacent to you r
cur rent lane .
- if you a re driving through a c urve . Side assis t
may react to a vehicle that is one lane ove r
from the adjacent lane .
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced gua rd rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
fu nctions are limited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c::> fig. 104 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this wi ll affect the funct io n. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer . For
information on cleaning, refe r to
c::> page 205 .
&_ WARNING
-Always pay a tten tion t o traffic and to the
a rea around your ve hicl e. Side a ssist can ­
no t repla ce a driver's atte ntion. The driv ­
er a lone is always respons ible fo r lane
cha nges a nd similar driving mane uvers.

102 Audi side assist
- Side assist is not active wh ile you are
making the adjus tment.
- Your settings are automatica lly sto red
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itse lf, t he LED in
the butto n tur ns off a nd a message will ap­
pea r in the instr ume nt cl uster d is p lay:
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar se nsors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the senso rs wi th bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c::;, page 100, fig. 104 .
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable
Side assis t ca nno t be swi tched o n tem porar ily
beca use there is a mal function (for exam ple,
the battery cha rge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guara ntee that it w ill de­
t e ct ve hicl es co rrec tly a nd it is sw itche d off .
The senso rs have been displaced o r a re faulty.
H ave the sy stem che cke d by an au thor ized A u­
di d eal er o r aut horiz ed Au di Servi ce Fa cili ty
s o on.
Audi side assist : Unavailable when towing .
Side assist switches off aut omatically whe n a
factory -insta lled trailer h itch is connected to
the el ectrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guara ntee the system will switc h off whe n
usi ng a retrofi tt ed traile r h itch . Do not use
side assis t when towing a tra iler .

104 Audi dri ve sele ct
surface o f the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Securing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or towing eyes is not perm itted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The veh icle
may not be secured suff ic iently if this
happens .
- If you are go ing to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operat ion mode
¢page 199.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
dynamic mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear position engages automati cally.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopp ing the eng ine . Th is does not ind i­
cate a problem.
- In vehicles with sport differential*, the
dynam ic mode is deactivated whe n tow­
i ng a traile r.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose be tween Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fi g. 106 MM!: D rive se lect
.,. To se lect the mode, select the following in
the MMI :
I CARI function button> Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Indi vidu al.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or while driving . If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways.
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
d yna mi c -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style .
individual -¢ page 105.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating Au­
d i drive select to prevent potential risk of
an accide .nt.