tow AUDI S8 2014 Owners Manual

Adjusting the disp lay and the warning
tones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Er ror messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Homelink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Universal remote control ..... .. .. . .
Safety fir st ..... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Driving Safely ................ .
General notes ............ .. .. .. . .
Proper occupa nt seating positions . . .
Driver and passenger side footwell .. .
Pedal area .. ................. .. . .
Stowing luggage .......... ... .. . .
Report ing Safety Defects ... .. .. .. . .
Safety belt s ... .. ... ... .. .. .. . .
Gene ral notes ............ .... .. . .
Why s afety belts? ........ .... .. . .
Safety belts . ... .. .... ... .. .. ... .
Safety belt pretens ioners . ... .. .. . .
Airbag system ................ .
Important things to know . ... .. .. . .
F ront airbags ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System ........................ .
Knee airbags ............. .... .. . .
Side airbags ................ .. .. .
Side curta in a irbags ........ ...... .
Child Safety ..... ..... ..... .. . .
Important th ings to know ...... .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ................ .
I nstall ing a chi ld safety seat .. .. .. . .
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
for chi ld ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information
Audi pre sense ........ .. .. .. . .
Preventat ive passenger p rotec tion 133
135
135
135
136
140
140
141
1 4 3
145
1 4 5
146
1 48
15 1
153 153
157
164
168 171
174
177
177
183
187
190 196
197 19 7
Vehi cle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Intelligent technology .. .. .. .. 199
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 199
Table of contents 3
Bra ki ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Servotronic -advanced power steering
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Driving with your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 204
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Driving and environment .... .
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards .. .. .... ..... ..... ... .
Catalytic converter .. . .. .... ...... .
D iesel pa rticulate filter ........... .
S h utting down veh icle ............ .
Avoid damaging the vehicle ........ .
Driving throug h water on ro ads .... .
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize poll ution . .. .. .. ..... ... .
Trailer towing ... . .. .. ..... ... .
Driving with a trailer . .. ..... ... .. .
Trai ler towing tips
Vehicle care ..... . .. .. ..... ... .
Vehicle care and cleaning .. .. .
General information ............. .
Car washes .. .. .. .. ............. .
Cleaning and care information ..... .
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. ... ............ .
Gasoline ........ .. ............. .
Diesel fuel ....... .............. .
Fuel tank .. ... .... .............. .
Se lective ca ta lytic reduction ....... .
Checking and filling .......... .
Engine hood . .. .. ............... .
E ngine compartment ............. .
Engine o il ... .. .. .. ............. .
Engine cooling system .. ..... ... .. .
Brake fluid . ... .. .. . ... ...... ... .
Battery ... .. .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer 207
207
208
208
2
09
209
2 09
209
212
212
214
2 16
216
216
216
217
222
222
223
224
2 27
231
2 31
2 33
2 34
239
242
243
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . 266
•
•

4 Table of contents
Do-it-yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
269
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 269
Vehicle too l kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Bulbs .. .. .. ... .... .... .. .. .. .. .. 282
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 283
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Start ing by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 283
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 283
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
E mergency towing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
D imensions. ............. .. .. .. .. 290
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Di esel eng ine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 1
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 292
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 2
Audi Service Repair M anuals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
M aintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Additional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Declaration of Compliance,
Telecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge leve l is too low.
(•) Low battery charge: battery will be
c harged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited start ing
ability.
If th is message turns off after a little wh ile,
the battery charged enough wh ile driving .
If the message does not turn off, have your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low.
.. Pull off the road.
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn off the engine.
.,. Check the engine oil level¢ page 236 .
.. If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 237 . Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the d isplay before you start driving again.
.,. If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light st ill turns on, turn the engine off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter·
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the red oil pressure
warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
~"' Engine oil level
• WARNING : Please add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the driver message
appear, add engine o il immed iately
¢ page 234.
II Add oil, max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap ­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity ¢
page 234.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ignit ion on .
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professiona l assistance .
!'II Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact deale r
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic stee ring
column lock malfunction.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the elec tron ic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering . If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 23
Drive s low ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
,'I'M Dynamic steering: initializing
If thi s driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is flashing on the inst rument panel ,
dynamic steering is being reiniti alized . Once
you sta rt the engine after this is finished, the
steering whee l wi ll 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 displ ay
goes out as soon as initialization is complete .
A WARNING
-
Have the dynamic steering system mal ­
function repaired as soon as poss ible 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
steering, refer to
¢page 110.
I-: Sport differential
Ill Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunct ion with the sport differen ­
tial.
Drive to your authori zed Aud i dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
Ill Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has incre ased
sign ificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Dr ive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
pe rat ure returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualif ied workshop if the sport different ial
is faulty or malfunctioning . The repa ir
-
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢¢ Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left II or the r ight II
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency f lashers, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal wi ll blink twice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefu lly drive to your authorized Audi
dealer immed iate ly to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the tra il­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer tow ing
mode .
(D Tips
For more information on the turn s ignals,
refer to¢
page 48.

26 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
For some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the t emporary memory
in the line
(D ~ page 24, fig. 5.
The current fuel consumpt ion can be dis­
p layed using a bar~
page 2 7, fig. 10. The
average consumption (mpg) stored in the
short-term memory is also d isplayed. Electri ­
cal energy can be stored in the battery when
t he vehicle is coasting or driving downhill (re­
cupe rat ion) . The bar will move toward D.
Efficiency program*
The efficiency program can help you to use
less fuel. It evaluates driving information in
reference to fuel consumption and shows oth­
er equipment influencing consumption as well
as shift recommendations .
c:> page 26. Fuel
economy messages ~
page 26 provide tips
for eff icient driving . The eff ic iency program
uses distance and consumption data from trip
compute r
1.
To display the efficiency program, call up Ve­
hicle functions and select the menu option
Efficiency program .
If the data are deleted in
the efficiency program, those values are also
reset in trip computer.
@ Tips
-All stored va lues w ill be lost if the veh i­
cle battery is disconnected .
- Fuel consumptions (ave rage and cur­
r ent), range and speed are displayed in
metric units on Canadian models.
Other equipment
Applies to vehicles: with efficiency program
Fig. 8 Tri p comp uter: othe r equ ipment
Requirement: The efficiency program must be
displayed
c:> page 26 .
,. Tur n the thumbwheel unti l the other equip-
ment appears in the display.
Other equipment th at is currently affecting
fuel consumpt ion is listed in the effic iency
program. The display shows up to three other
items of equipment @. T he equipment using
the most fuel is listed first. If more than three
items using fuel are switched on, the equip­
ment that is currently using the most fuel is
displayed .
A scale @also shows the current tota l con­
sumption of all other equipment.
Fuel economy messages
Applies to vehicles: with efficiency program
Fig. 9 Display : example of a fuel econo my m essage
Fuel economy messages are displayed when
f uel consumption is increased by certa in con­
ditions. If you follow these fue l economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati ­
cally and are only displayed in the efficiency
program. The fuel economy messages turn
off
automatically after a certain per iod of time .
.,. To turn an economy message
off immediate­
ly after it appears, press any button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
(D Tips
- Once you have turned a fuel economy message
off , it will only appear again af-
ter you turn the ign ition on again . .,,.

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
~D
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.
(D 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 22.
- 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 Clear vision 4
7
switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
Th e emergency flasher makes other motorists
oware that you or your vehicle are in on emer­
gency situation.
'1'.r-- ~·
~ ·--~. -~ -..... -._.. l'
1
Fig. 38 Center console: emergency flasher switc h
.,. Press the switch ~ 9 fig. 38 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
signal indicator lights
H Iii in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch~ 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.
@ 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.

48 Clear vision
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings are adjusted in the MMI.
• Se lect : I CAR ! function button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting .
Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following settings in the
Automatic headlights menu:
Headlights activation time -You can adjust if
the head lights switch on
Early, Med. or Late
according to the sensitivity of the light sensor .
Audi adaptive light * -You ca n sw itch adaptive
l ight
On and Off.
Automatic high beams*
You can switch the high beam ass ist on and
off .
Daytime running lights
USA models :
You can switch the dayt ime run­
ning lights
on and off .
Canada models:
The function cannot be
turned off .
It is activated a utomat ica lly each
time the ign ition is switched on. This menu
item is shown "greyed out".
Coming home, Leaving home
The coming home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when yo u switch the
ignition off and open the driver's door. To turn
the function on, select
Lights when leaving
car > On .
The leaving home function illuminates the
area outside the vehicle when you un lock the
ve hicle. To turn the funct ion on, select
Lights
when unlocking car > On .
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light
switch is in the
AUTO position.
Turn signal and high beam lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er.
Fig. 39 Tu rn signal and high beam lever
The turn signa l and high beam lever has the
following functions:
Turn signals ¢ 9 (D@
• Push the lever up as far as it can go to turn
on the right turn signal or down to turn on
t he left turn signal¢
fig. 39.
N 0 ... 'i' :r
~
• Move the lever briefly unti l you meet res ist·
ance and re lease it to flash three times.
• Move the lever (up or down) until you meet
resistance and hold it there to determine
the flashing time for the turn signals.
High beam [D @
• Push the lever forward to switch on the high
beam (vehicles with high beam assist*
¢ page49).
• Pull the lever back towards you to switch off
the high beam .
Headlight flasher [D ©
• Pull the lever toward the steering wheel to
use the headlight flasher.
Notes on these features
- The turn signals only work w ith the ignition
switched on. The indicator lights
II or Bin
the instrument cluster¢ page 11 also blink.
- After you have turned a corner, the turn sig-
na l switches off automatically.
- The
high beam works only when the head-
lights are on . The indicator light
II in the ..,.

.. Turn the knob to the desired vehicle area
and press the knob . The bar that appears in­
dicates the selected brightness.
.. To increase or reduce the brightness, turn
the knob and press it.
Se lecting a color profile*
.. Se lect in the MMI: !CAR ! function b utton >
Ca r sys tems control button > Vehi cle se t­
tings
> In terior light ing > Colo r profile .
The amb ience lighti ng turns on when the
function is activated in the MMI and when you
turn the headlights on whi le the ignition is
switched on.
Adjusting the b rightness
You can ad just the brightness for the four
zones
F ront top , Fr ont f ootwell , Rear top and
Rear footwell o r for All area s at the same
time.
Selecting a color pr ofile
You ca n select from the Ivory , Polar and Ru ­
b y/ Polar
color profiles .
(I) Tips
The settings are automati cally sto red and
a ssigne d to the remote con tro l key that is
in use.
Instrument illumination
You can adjust the brightness of the instru­
ment and display illumina tion.
F ig. 43 In strument ill um ination
.. Press the knob to release it .
.,. Turn the knob toward"-" or"+" to reduce or
i ncrease the brightness .
Clear vision 51
.. Press the knob again to return it to its origi ­
na l position .
(D Tips
The instrumen t illum ina tion (for d ials an d
needles) lights o n when the ignition is
switched on and the vehicle lights are
turned off. As the daylight fades, the illu­ mination of the dials likewise d ims auto­
matically and wi ll go out completely when
the outs ide light is very low. Th is feature is
meant to rem ind you to sw itch on the
headlights whe n outs ide ligh t conditions
be come poo r.
Vision
Sun visors
E ]
-
F ig . 44 Sun visor
The sun visors fo r the driver and passenger
can be re leased from their brackets and
turned toward the doo rs
c:> fig . 44 @. They
can also be moved back and forth lengthwise
in this position.
The m irror light switches on when the cover
over the vanity mirror @opens .
T he re is a shade be twee n the dr iver's and pas­
senger 's s un v isors that can be used to cover
the gap above the rearview mirro r.

70 Seats and storage
Luggage compartment
Tie-downs and luggage compartment
net
The luggage compartment net prevents small
objects from sliding.
Fi g. 68 Loca tion of the fasten ing eyes in the lu ggag e
compartment
Fig. 69 Lu ggage compartme nt net un hooke d
"To secure objects with the luggage compart­
ment net", fold the tie-down bracket up­
wa rd
~ fig . 68 .
"Inse rt the hooks on the luggage compart­
ment ne t* into the tie-downs
9 fig. 69 .
"Read and heed all WAR NINGS 9 page 141,
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 ca use
serious in jury . 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 coll is 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 collis ion at a
speed considered relatively low .
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­ in g hard braking or in a collision and cause
se rio us personal injury.
- Always use su itable reta ining straps a nd
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp pre­
vent i tems from shift ing or fly ing fo r­
ward.
- Never at tach a chi ld seat tether strap to
a t ie -down.
- For s trength-re lated reasons, the mou nt­
ing hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weighing up to 10 lb. (5 kg) . Heavi ­
er objects will not be adequately sec ured
- there is a risk of injury.

7 2 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
ca use i njury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be cove red
for protect ion. Always fasten the belt
ti gh tly around the sac k and its contents
¢ fig . 73.
-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
st rap a fter loading.
- Make su re 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, sn ow
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 . 74 Roo f ra ck attac hment po ints
.. Always read and follow the instr uct ions pro­
vided by the roof rack ma nufacturer when
i nstall ing the roof rack system .
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 . Contac t 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 prog ram.
- When insta lling the roof rack, make sure it
is o nly mounted on the designated locations
on the roof~
fig. 74 .
-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 au tomatic car wash
(it is best to ask the ca r wash operator for
adv ice)
...