2008 AUDI S8 brake fluid

Table of contents
Safety first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . 267 Vehicle care ................ 287
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Intel ligent technology . . . . . . . . . . 268 C leaning and protection ........ 288
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Proper occupant seating positions 200
Driver and passenger s ide footwell 204
Peda l area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Stow ing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . 207
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Genera l notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 O
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 3
Safety belt pretensioners . . . . . . .
216
A irbag system .. . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . 218
Important thing s to know . . . . . . . 218
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
229
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Side a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD™) 240
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Impor tant things to know . . . . . . . 243
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Instal ling a ch ild safety seat . . . . . 253
Addit ional Information . . . . . . . . . . 256
Lower anchorages and tethe r for
children (LATCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
258
Not ice about data recorded by
vehicle contro l modules . . . . . . . . .
268
Electron ic Stab ilizat ion Program
(ESP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
268
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Servotronic® -advanced power
steer ing system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
273
Driv ing w it h your quattro® . . . . . . 273
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Driving and environment . . . . . . . 277
The first 1,000 m iles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
277
Cata lytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . 279
Operate your vehicle economically
and minimize pollution . . . . . . . . . .
279
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Driv ing w ith a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Trai ler towing tips . . . . . . . . . • . . . . 284
Genera l info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Care of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Fuel supply and filling your fuel
tank ............................ 301
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . 301
Fuel tank ....................... 302
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 306
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Engin e cooling system . . . . . . . . . . 3 14
Brake fluid .... .... ............. 3 17
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 8
W indshield/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
323
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 324
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
M alfun cti on in the ele ctronic differential lo ck (EDL )
The ED L wor ks t oget her wi th the ABS. T he ABS wa rn ing light w ill
come on if there is a ma lfunction in the ED L
system=> page 269. See
you r au thor ized A ud i dea ler as soon as possible.
& WARNING
• If the ABS (USA models )/0 (Canada models) warning light
doe s not go out , or if it comes on while driving , the ABS system is
not working properly. The vehicle can then be stopped only with
the standard brake s (w ithout ABS ). You will not have the protec ­
tion ABS provides . Contact your Audi dealer as soon as po ssible .
• USA model s: If the BRAKE warning light , the~ warning light and
the ABS warning light come on together , the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss
of vehicle control and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work ­
shop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake applications .
• Canada models : If the brake warning light (CD), the f;. warning
light and the ABS warning light
080 come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock -up
can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
appli cations .
•
Electromechanical parking brake
tffiE (USA models) /{®) (Canada models)
T he war nin g/in dic ator l ight mon it ors the ele ctro mech an­
ical park ing brake .
With the parking brake applied and the ignition turned on, the
wa rning/ ind icator lig ht illu min a te s. Afte r the ig nition has been
turned off, the warning/indicator light continues to i llum inate for
abo ut 30 seconds. If the parking bra ke is a pplied with the ignition turned off, the warning/indicator light i
lluminates for about 30
seco nds.
T he warnin g/ind icator lig ht wi ll go out w hen the parking brake is
r elea sed .
I f t he war ning/indic ator l ig ht fl ashes con tinuously
after applying the
par king brake, bra king force is not sufficient to p revent the vehicle
fr om rol ling u nint en tional ly . This ca n happen if the br ak es b eco me
too hot . Please note the fol lowing :
• I f the slope of the g rou nd is too steep to pa rk t he ve hicle, the
addi tiona l dr ive message a ppears
Caution: Vehicle parked too
steep.
• I n the event of a parking brake ma lfunction , the yel low ·~ symbol
appea rs in the inst rument c luster display and the driver message
Parking brake malfunction ! is d isplayed . Have t he m alfu ncti on
r epaired as soon as possib le by a q ualified Audi dealership .•
Brake system BRAKE (USA models) /(©) (Canada
models)
T he warn ing/ind icator I i ght flash es if br ake fluid level is
low, if th ere is an A BS sys tem m alfunc tion or a p arki ng
br ake malf u n ct ion.
Th e li ght illu mi nates w hen t he ignit io n i s tur ned o n. It goes out afte r
the e ngine has been started . T his indicates that the bra ke warning
li ght is fu nct ioni ng prope rly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking , there may be a malfunction in the electrical system . In this
case , contact your Audi dealer.
If the brake system warning/indicator light flashes, there is a brake
syste m malfu nct ion . B y press ing th e
I CHECK ] butto n, you ca n brin g
up a driver message which exp lains the ma lfunction in more detail
::::> p~e~ ~

If the ABS, ESP and brake force distribution fail, the ABS indicator
l ig ht ABS (USA
mod els)/ 0 (Cana da mod els) and t he ESP i nd ica tor
light
f;. come on along with the brake system ma lfunction light
BRAKE (USA m ode ls)/ (@ (C an ada model s). The mes sage Brake fault !
Drive carefully to nearest workshop appears in the instrument
cluster d isp lay and three consec utive wa rning tones
sound =>& .
& WARNING
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light , the $';. warning light and
the ABS warning light come on together , the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss
of vehicle control and an accident . Ha ve your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work­
shop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake applications.
• Canada model s: If the brake warning light
(CD) , the ~ warning
light and the ABS warning light
8 c ome on together , the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up
can cau se los s of vehicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake
applications.
• If the brake warning /indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released , or lights up while you are
driving , the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so , pro ceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility and have the brake system inspected .
• Always keep in mind that after several brake applications, you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle.
Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations . You must allow for increased braking
distances . The extra distance used up by fading brakes could lead
to an a ccident . •
Controls and equip­ ment
Instruments and warning /indicator lights

If a component is malfunctioning or if the need for an urgent repair
has been detected, this will appear in the instrument clus ter display .
You will a lso hear an audible warning tone . The displays are co lor
coded in either red or yellow depending on their level of priority.
A red symbol means
D anger , a yellow symbo l ind icates W arning . In
certain situations, information message for the driver appear in
addit ion to the red and yellow symbo ls .
Fun ction t est: au tom atic transmission
The Auto-Check Contro l will automat ically perform a test each time
you switch on the ignition. With the selector lever in
P or N , the
f ollowing message appears in the display:
When stati onar y appl y fo ot brake while selecting gea r.
When you a select a different gear (for example : R, D , etc.l, the
message will disappear and the Auto -Check function is disp layed.
If there is a malfunction , then the malfunction message will appear
about 15 seconds after the you start the vehicle . At the same time
you will hear a warning tone .•
Driver information messages
Driver i nfo rmation messages are shown in the instrument
cluster display in addition to the red and yellow symbols.
Controls and equip­ ment
Fig. 16 CHEC K button
in th e instru ment
c lu ster
Driv er information di splay
For example, if the transmission selector lever is not in the P posi­
ti on when the engine is turned off, the following message appears:
Shift t o P, otherwi se ve hic le can roll away. Doors do not lo ck if
le ver i s not in P .
The igni tion key can only be removed with the selector in this pos i­
tion. This and other messages are brought up if a function cannot
be car ried ou t.
Dri ver messa ges and r ed symbols
If a red symbo l appears in the display, a driver message can be
shown by pressing the [ CH ECK] button.
For example, the symbol f or a problem with engine oi l
pressure~
appears in the disp lay . If you then press the [ CHECK] button , the
fo llowing driver message appears in the d isp lay:
S witch off engine and che ck oil level
The driver message in the display goes out after about 5 seconds .
The dr iver message can be d isplayed aga in by briefly pressing the
[ CHECK] button .
Driver me ssages and yellow symbols
If a yellow symbol appears in the display, a driver message is also
displayed automat ica lly .
For examp le, the symbol
G> appears in the disp lay, indicating low
windshield washer fluid level. The following message also appears :
Please top up wa sher fluid
The driver message disappears after a few seconds . The driver
message can be d isplayed aga in by briefly pressing the [ CHECK]
button. •

button, you can bring up a driver message which explains
the malfunction in more detail.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check the brake fluid level ::::>
page 317.
-Contact your nearest authorized repair facility if neces-
sary.
Brake fault ! Drive carefully to nearest workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized repair facility
and have the malfunction corrected
=> &.
Parking brake ! Please contact workshop
- If the warning/indicator light flashes when the vehicle is
stationary or after the ignition is turned on, check to see
if the parking brake can be released. Drive to an autho­
rized repair facility as soon as possible and have the
malfunction corrected. If the parking brake cannot be
released, contact your nearest authorized repair facility.
- If the warning/indicator light flashes while you are
driving, it is possible that the traction control or the
emergency brake has malfunctioned. It is possible that
the parking brake cannot be applied. It is also possible
that the parking brake cannot be released after it has
been applied. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer to have
the malfunction corrected.
Controls and equip­
ment
Driver information display
If the ABS, ESP and the brake force distribution fail , the ABS
warning/indicator light and the ESP warning/indicator light come
on along with the brake system malfunction warning/indicator light
=>& .
& WARNING
• Always observe the warnings in => page 299, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
• Driving with low brake fluid is a safety hazard. Stop the car and
get professional assistance .
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light, the !';. warning light and
the ABS warning light come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss
of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work­
shop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models: If the brake warning light ((D), the 1$ warning
light and the ABS warning light
0 come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
applications. •
Engine cooling system malfunction -L
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must be
repaired as soon as possible.
When the -L symbol in the display blinks, then either the
engine coolant
temperature is too high, or the coolant level
is too low. An additional driver message can also be
displayed by pressing the
[CHECK] button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level

Driver inf orma tio n displ ay
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig . 18 Display: low
fu el l eve l warn in g
(pr iori ty 2)
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 malfunction - Warning!
When a yellow warning symbol appears,
one warning tone sounds.
A driver message appears as well to explain the malfunction in more detail . The driver warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it can
be brought up again at any time by pressing the [ CHECK
I button.
Check the displayed function as soon as possible . If
more than one
priority 2 malfunction is detected, all symbols will appear one after
the other for about 2 seconds .
Yellow symbols mean:
Worn brake pads
Electromechanical
parking brake
Check engine oi l level
=> page 311
= page 34
=> page 136
=> page 35
Engine oil sensor malfunction => page 35
Low fue l level => page 35
-
Windshield washer fluid = page35
level low ~
Battery voltage => page35
-
II Battery in remote control key = page48
Advanced Key* = page 133
Key not in vehicle
USA mod els: = page26
Defective brake light
Canad a m od els: => page26
Defective brake light
Defective light bulb
=> page26
Adaptive Light* defective => page36
-
Dynamic headlight range => page36
ll contro l defective
Defective light -/rain sensor
= page36
--Tire pressure monitoring sys-= page42
tern
II Loss of air pressure
Tire pressure monitoring sys -
= poge45
tern
System not available
•
Worn brake pads
l"J Br ake pad s !

If the symbol illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dea ler to
have the front brake pads inspected (on that occas ion have the rear
brakes inspected as wel l to be
safe!. •
Checking the engine oil level ~
~-Please c hec k oil le vel
When the symbo l illuminates, check the engine oi l leve l as soon as
possible=> page 311 . Add oil if necessary=> page 312 . •
Engine oil sensor defective ~ ....
~ ... Oil le vel ! sen sor defe cti ve
If the symbo l illuminates, contact your authorized Audi dea ler and
have the oi l sensor inspected . Unt il you have this done, check the o il
level each time you refuel just to be on the safe
side => page 311. •
Fuel supply too low Bil
Bu Please refuel
When the symbol i lluminates, th is means there are abou t 2.4
gallons (9 l itres) of fue l left in the fue l tank . Time to refuel.
=> page 302 .
If the symbo l lights up, even when there is ample fuel in the tank,
and the text
Tan k sys tem m alfunct ion ! Conta ct w ork shop appears
in the disp lay, there is a fault in the system. Contact a qual ified work ­
shop to have the fau lt rectified .•
Windshield washer fluid level too low ~
~ Ple ase top up washer fluid
Controls and equip­ ment
Driver information di splay
If the symbo l illuminates, add windshie ld washer fluid to the washer
system and a lso to the headlig ht washer
sys tem => page 323. •
Battery voltage 0
If the battery 's state o f charge is not in the optimal range, the 0
symbo l is shown in the display and the driver message L ow batter y
charge: b attery will be charged while driving
appears .
Whi le this driver not ification is displayed, you have to be prepared
for limited starting capability .
Drive r m essa ge a ppear s a nd go es out ag ain
If th is d rive r message appears after the ign ition is turned on or
wh ile dr iving and it goes out again after a wh ile, the battery has
been adequately recharged.
Dri ver messa ge ap pears a nd does not g o out ag ain
If t his drive r notif ication appea rs after the ignition is t urned o n or
wh ile driving and does not go out again, the battery's state of
charge is not in the opti mal range. Start ing capab ility is restricted.
Have the battery c hecked at a dea lership as soon as possible. •
Applies to vehi cles : with Advanced Key
Key not in vehicle ..?c
.,J. Key not in vehi cle
This message appears toget her with the ..J. symbol when the
remote control key is removed from the vehicle whi le the engine is
run ning. This is to remind you that you s hould not continue your trip
without your key.
I f the remote control key is no longer i n the vehicle, you w ill not be
able to start the engine aga in after you have switched off the igni ­
tion. In addition to this, you will not be able to lock the vehic le from
the outside. •

_________________________________________ ___..!l~ n ~t ~e :..!.ll ~ig ~ e:.!::n ~t ~ t~ e~ c~ h~ n~o ~l~o ~g !Jy ~ --
•
On steep slo pes, you shou ld use th e braking effect of the engine .
This way, yo u preve nt u nn ecessary wear on the bra ke sys te m. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes down cont inuous ly .
Pu mp the brakes at in terval s.
Moisture or road salt
U nder ce rtain cond itions, for e xa m ple, w hen drivi ng thro ug h w ate r
or v ery h eavy rain, or even after washing your vehicle, the braking
e ff ect can be red uce d du e to mo is tu re ( or in fr eezin g c ond it ions ice)
on t he b rake pads . A few carefu l brake applicatio ns should dry off
t h e br ake pads o r rem ove a ny ice coatings .
The e ffective ness of t he b ra kes ca n b e red uced wh en th e ve hicle is
driven o n a salt -covered road and t he brakes are not used. Here too,
yo u should cle an off acc umulate d sa lt co atin g from b rake di scs a nd
pads w ith a few careful app lications of th e
brake=>&.
Corrosion
T here may be a tendency for dirt to build up on t he bra ke pads and
c o rr os ion t o form on th e dis cs if t he car is not driven reg ular ly or
only for short trips with little use of the bra kes .
If th e bra ke s are not us ed fr equ ent ly , or if corro sion h as form ed on
th e discs, it is adv isab le to cl ean off the pa ds and discs by braking
firm ly a few times from a moderate ly h igh
speed =>& .
Faults in the brake system
If y ou s ho uld n oti ce a
sud d en inc rea se in b rake pe dal trave l, then
one of the two b rake c ircuits may h ave
fai led =>& .
Low brake fluid level
M alfunctions can occur in the brake system if the b ra ke fluid leve l is
t oo low. Th e br ake fluid level is monitor ed ele ctr onic a lly .
& WARNING
• You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system only if road conditions permit. Other
road users must not be put at risk -you may cause an accident!
& WARNING (continued )
• Before descending a steep grade , reduce speed and shift trans­
mission into a lower gear or lower driving range . Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . This could
cause the brakes to get hot and diminish braking efficiency .
• Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake . This may cause the brakes to overheat ,
premature wear and increased stopping distance .
• Under certain climatic and operating conditions such as
passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle , the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced . In winter,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings , discs and drums .
Carefully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications .
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and pads with a few
careful brake applications .
• If you damage the front spoiler , or if you install a different
spoiler, be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwise the brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system.
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an increased stopping distance. Avoid driv ing the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest Audi dealer or qualified
workshop. •
Brake booster
Th e brake boo ster adds ex tra braking po wer.
The b ra ke booster works wit h vacuu m press ure which is created
on ly wh en th e e ngi ne is
r un ning => & .