towing AUDI S8 2015 Owners Manual

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Homelink 131
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Safety fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Dri ving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 134
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 138
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 4
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 46
Safety bel t pre tens io ners . . . . . . . . . . 1 49
Airbag system ........... .. .. . .
Impo rtant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
Fr ont airbags . ........... .. .. .. . .
M on itoring the Advanced Airbag
System .... .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. . .
Knee airbags . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Side airbags .. ........... .. .. .. . .
Side curta in a irbags ....... .... .. . .
Child Safety ............... .. . .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ... ...... .... .. . .
Install ing a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
L ATC H Lower ancho rages and tethe rs
for ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
P reven tat ive passenger p rotection
Vehicle operat ion ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
Not ice about da ta re cor ded by the
E vent Data Recorder and veh icle 151
1
51
1 55
16 1
166
168
171
174
174
180
184
187
193
194
194
196
196
control mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 197
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Table of contents 3
El ectromechanical power assist,
dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Driv ing with your q uattro . . . . . . . . . . 202
Energy management ............. . 202
Driving and environment . . . . . 205
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Sh utting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 20 7
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 20 7
Oper ate yo ur vehicle economically an d
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Drivi ng with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Trai ler towing tips . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 212
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 214
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 215
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
220
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Diesel fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Se lective cata lytic reduction . . . . . . . . 225
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
En gine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
E ngine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
E ngine cooling sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
B ra ke fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
conta iner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tire pressure monitor ing system . . . . 263
•
•

4 Table of contents
Do-it-yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
266
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 266
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Bulbs .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. 280
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 281
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Start ing by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 281
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 281
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 2
E mergency towing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 7
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
D imensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Di esel eng ine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 290
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Audi Service Repair M anuals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
M aintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Additional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Declaration of Compliance,
Telecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 23
I--: Sport differential
IIJ Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport differen­
tial.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
IIJ Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
sign ificantly due to the sporty dr iving manner .
D rive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicato r light switches of .
.&_ WARNING
-
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport different ial
is faulty or ma lfunctioning. The repa ir
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢ Q Turn signals
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left Nor the right a
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 tw ice as fast as nor­
mal. Carefully drive to your authorized Audi
dealer immediately to have the malfunct ion
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signa l on the trail­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer towing
mode.
(D Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to¢
page 48.
Driver information
display
Overv iew
Fig . 4 Drive r info rmation system in the inst rument
cluster
Fig. 5 Display: examp le of the info rmat ion lin e
The driver information system contains infor ­
mation @ that is displayed on tabs @
¢ fig. 4. The following content is possible de­
pending on vehicle equipment:
@
®
Tab Content
1 Vehicle
functions :
On-board computer ¢ page 25
Efficiency program*¢ page 26
Digital speedometer
Cruise control*¢
page 90
Adaptive cruise control and braking
guard* ¢
page 92
Audi active lane ass ist* <=> page 101
Display darkened ...

_& 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
io
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
switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting. Clear vision 4
7
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle are in an emer­
gency situation .
Fig. 41 Center consol e: eme rge ncy flash er sw itc h
.,. Press the switch&..~ fig. 41 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
B DI in the instru­
ment cluster, as well as the light in the emer­
gency flasher switch &.. blink likewise. The
emergency flasher also works when the igni­
tion 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 a re 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.
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
.,. Select: !CAR ! function button> Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting. ..,.

70 Seats and storage
Luggage compartment
Tie-downs and luggage compartment
net
The luggage compartment net prevents small
objects from sliding.
Fi g. 7 1 Loca tion of the fasten ing eyes in the lu ggag e
compartment
Fig. 7 2 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 . 71 .
"Inse rt the hooks on the luggage compart­
ment ne t* into the tie-downs
9 fig. 72 .
"Read and heed all WAR NINGS 9 page 139,
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
-For safety reasons, do not transport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sack.
- You must secure the ski sack with the
strap after loading.
- Make sure all objects that you are trans­
porting in the pass-through are secured.
Otherwise they could slide around during
sudden braking maneuvers and cause in­
jury.
Q) Tips
- Never stow the ski sack away when it is
still wet or damp (for example, snow
melting from skis). Allow it to dry com­
pletely before stowing it away .
- Position skis in the ski sack with the
pointed ends facing the front and ski
poles with the pointed ends facing the
rear.
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof
luggage rack.
Fig. 77 Roof rack attac hment points
,. Always read and follow the instructions pro­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when
installing the roof rack system .
If luggage or cargo is to be carried on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- To enhance the vehicle's streamlined design,
rain gutters have been molded into the roof.
It is not possible to use normal roof racks.
Only install a roof rack specifically designed for your model AB. Contact the nearest Audi
dealer for information on approved modular
roof racks for your vehicle.
- Only use roof racks approved for your vehi­
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program .
- When installing the roof rack, make sure it
is only mounted on the designated locations
on the roof~
fig. 77 .
- We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
vehicle .
When should the roof rack be removed?
-Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice)
- When not in use, to reduce fuel consump­
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft .
8,. WARNING
-Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor­
rect mounting of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack or the items at­
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury.
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig­
nated locations on the roof¢
fig. 77.
- The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro­
vided.
- When driving with a roof rack system,
changes to the center of gravity and wind
resistance can change the vehicle han­
dling and lead to a collision. Always
adapt your driving and your speed to the
current conditions.
-

the stored position as soon as you switch on
the ignition.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine .
Fig. 88 Cente r console: S TART ENGINE S TOP b utto n
Swi tc hin g the i gni tion on/off
• To switch the ignition on/off, press the
I START ENGINE STOPI button . Do not press
the brake pedal while doing this . D iesel
vehicles are preheated wh ile the ignition is
switched on.
St art in g the engine
• Press the brake pedal~,&. .
• Press the
!START E NGINE STOPI button
~ fig . 88 . The engine will start.
• It is possible that there w ill be a slight delay
when start ing the engine for diesel vehicles
in colder temperatures. Therefore, you must
hold the brake peda l down until the eng ine
starts. The indicator lamp
II illuminates
when the engine is preheated.
If the engine does not start immediately , the
starting process is automatica lly stopped af ­
ter a short time . Repeat starting procedure.
Start -Stop -System *:
Note the information on ¢ page 87, Start­
Stop-System.
On th e road 83
A WARNING
- Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiat ion.
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- 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 steer and brake as you usual­ ly would, this could lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
(D Note
- Avo id h igh engine rpm, full throttle and
heavy engine loads until the eng ine has
reached operating temperature -other­
w ise you risk engine damage .
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
(0 Tips
- After a co ld eng ine is started, there may
be a brief period of inc reased no ise be­
cause oil pressure must first build up i n
the hydraulic valve adjusters. This is nor­
ma l and not a cause for conce rn.
- If you leave the veh icle with the ignition
switched on , the ign ition w ill switch off
after a certain period of time . Please
note that electrical equ ipment such as
exterior lights will sw itch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
• Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
• Move the selector lever to the P or
N posi ­
tion.
• Pr ess the I START ENGINE STO P I button
¢ page 83 , fig. 88.
Steerin g lock
The steering locks when you turn the engine
off using the
I START ENGINE STOP I button
and open the d river's door. The locked steer-
ing helps prevent vehicle theft.
11-

.... N .... N
0 J:
- "' ....
"' ....
General information
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig . 113 Dr iving situations
AUDI
Fig. 114 Rear of t he ve hicle: positio n of t he se nsors
Side assist functions at speeds above approx i­
mately 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicl es th at ar e 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 roaches, the sooner the display in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ V ehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr itical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assist are indicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
Audi side assist 105
© Veh icle s left behind
If you s low ly pass a vehi cle that s ide assist has
detected (the difference in speed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/h), the display in the exterior mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The disp lay will not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that side assist has detected (the dif­
ference in speed between the veh icle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functi onal limitations
The radar sensors are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
lanes are the normal width. In certain situa­
tions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no veh icle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical for a lane change.
For example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are dr iving
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 your
current lane .
- if you a re driving through a curve. Side assist
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 guard rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
functions are l imited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c> fig. 114 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this will affect the funct ion. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer. For
i nformation on cleaning, refer to
c> page 214.
_&. WARNING
- Always pay attention to traffic and to t he
area a round your ve hicl e. S ide assist can­
not replace a driver's attention. T he driv­
er a lone is always responsible for lane
changes and similar driving mane uvers.

.... N .... N
0 J:
'SI: .... \!) 1.1"1
.... 1.1"1 ....
@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatica lly stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster d isplay:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable . No
sensor vision
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the sensors with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c>page 105, fig . 114.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be swi tched on temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de ­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The senso rs have been displaced or are faulty.
Ha ve the sys tem checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer o r autho rized Aud i Service Fac ilit y
soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing.
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a
factory- installed trailer hitch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guarantee the system will switc h off when
using a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use
side assist when towing a trailer .
Audi side assist 107

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­l ecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever
c:> fig. 124 and/or press the
brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a
selector lever position when the engine is run­
ning while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows
c:> fig. 125 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift
from D to R within one second. This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck.
P- Park
The whee ls are locked in this position. Only
shift into park when the vehicle is stationary
c:> &. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position .
You can only shift out of park when the engine is running and you are pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
release the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever pos it ion .
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in
manual mode .
If you switch the engine off when N is engag ­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the emergency release proce­ dure to release the parking lock before towing
the vehicle
c:> page 119.
R -Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this position .
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta ­
tionary and the engine is running at idle speed
c:> &. To engage the R selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever, press
Automatic Transmission 115
the brake peda l and move the selector lever
into the R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the R selector lever position wh ile the engine
is running .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this pos it ion . To
engage the N selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the N position.
If you switch the eng ine off when N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You cannot select the N position when the ig­
nition is switched off. When driv ing through
an automat ic car wash, first select the N posi ­
tion and then switch the engine off
c:> table on
page 216.
The veh icle cannot be locked when the selec­
tor lever is in the N position.
D/S - Posit ion for driv ing forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be
operated either in the normal mode D or in
the sport mode S . You can only select the S se­
lector lever position when Dis engaged. Move
the selector lever back to engage the S selec­
tor lever position. To select the D selector lev­
er position again when Sis engaged, move the
selector lever back
c:> .&. . To shift from N to D
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2km/
h), press the brake peda l and select the D se­
lector lever position
c:> .&. .
In the normal mode D, the transmission auto ­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeab le when
accelerat ing.
The S selector lever position engages auto­
matically when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select.
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