2008 AUDI S8 check engine light

Table of contents
Table of contents
Vehicle literature ........ .
About this Owner's Manual ..................... .
Controls and
equipment .. ... ... ..... ... . .
Inst rumen ts and contr ols ..... .
Genera l ill ustration ............. .
Instruments and
warning/indica tor lig hts ....... .
Instruments ................... .
Warning/indicator lights ........ .
Driver informa tio n d isplay ..... .
Introduction ................... .
On-Board Diagnostic system
(080)
Auto Check Control ............ .
Speed war ning system ... ...... .
Trip computer ..... ............ .
Tire pressure monitoring system ..
Opening and closing .......... .
Keys ............ ... .. ... · · · · · · ·
Power locking system .......... .
Rear lid/Trunk lid .......... ..... .
Ch ild safety loc k .... ... .... .... . 5 Advanced Key
................ .
Anti-theft a larm system ..... ... .
Powe r w indows ... ... ... ... .. .
S lid ing/ti lt ing power sunroof ... .
6 Clear vision ... .... .. ... .. ..... .
9
11
1 1
1 2
12
1 6
2 4
2 4
27
28
36
38
40
47
47
49
55 58 Lights
..................... ... .
Interior lights ... ...... .. .. .. .. .
V is ion ........... ........... .. .
W iper and washer system ... ... .
Mirrors .. .. ... ......... ..... .. .
Seats and storage ......... ... .
Genera l recommendat ions ..... .
Powe r seat . ... ... ......... ... .
Head restraints .............. . .
Arm rest ..................... .
Seat memory ... ... ...... ..... .
Rear sea ts . ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .
Ind ividua l rear seats ........ ... .
Luggage compartment ........ .
Roof rack ........ ... .... .... .. .
Cup holder .................... .
As htray . ... ... ... ......... ... .
Cigarette lighter/socket ........ .
Long center console ........... .
Storage .... ...... ............ .
Warm and cold ............... .
Climate controls .............. .
W indshield defogg ing /defrosting .
Rear clim ate controls ..... ..... .
Basic settings ......... ... ... .. .
On the road ... ... . .. ... .. ... .. .
Stee ring .... ... ... ............ .
Ignition lock and ignition sw itch .
Starting and stopping the engine 59
Starting and stopping the engine
61 using t he Advanced Key . . . . . . . . . 131
62 Electromechanical parking brake . 134
65 Cru ise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
69
A dapt ive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . 139
69 Speed and distance control system 139
7 4 Driver informat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
77 Specia l driving si tua tions . . . . . . . . 14 9
80
Audi lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
83 Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
86
A udi side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 4
86
87
91
93
9 4
96
97
100
103
105
106
107
108
109
1 14
11 4
123
125
126
128
128
129
130 Lane Change Assistant ........
. .
No tes ........ ...... ........ .. .
Automatic transmission ...... . .
tiptron ic® (6-speed automatic
transm ission) ................. .
Advanced Parking System .... .
Advanced Parking System with rear
v iew camera .................. .
Specia l parking situations ...... .
Towing hitch .. ....... ......... .
Settings in the MM I ..... ...... . .
Safety t ips .............. ...... .
Adaptive A ir Suspension ...... .
Adaptive Air Suspension and
Damping ..... .. .............. .
Homelink® ................... . .
Universa l remo te control ....... . 154
161
163
163
170
170
178
180
180
183
185
185
191
191

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

If the indicator goes all the way to the right side inside the coolant
temperature gauge, then the engine coolant temperature is too
high.
Pull off the road to safe location, turn off the engine and let it
cool down.
If the warning light comes on again after you have driven
a short distance, contact a qualified workshop.
& WARNING
• Always observe the warning in :::::, page 299, "Engine compart­
ment", before opening the hood and checking the engine coolant
level.
• Never open the engine hood if you see or hear steam, or if you
see engine coolant dripping from the engine compartment. You
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot
hear or see any steam or engine coolant.
0 Note
• Mounting additional lights or accessories in front of the air inlets
reduces the cooling effect of the radiator. At high outside tempera ­
tures or high engine load, the engine could overheat.
• The front spoiler has been designed to properly distribute the
cooling air when the vehicle is moving . If the spoiler is damaged,
this could reduce the cooling effect and the engine could then over­
heat. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for assistance. •
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revolutions per
minutes).
The tachometer 0:::::, page 12, fig. 2 is the left of the two large clock­
type displays.
The engine turns at a speed
1,000 times the single digit in the
display, e.g. if the needle is pointing at the "2" the engine is turning
at 2,000 RPM.
Controls and equip­ ment
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should downshift to the next
lower gear. The red area at the end of the scale indicates maximum
permissible engine RPM after the break-in period . Before reaching
this area, move the selector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
0 Note
The tachometer needle should not move into the red range . If it
does, then only for a very short period of time. You could damage
your engine by driving at high RPM.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces engine noise.•
Digital clock with date display
Date and time of day can be set in MM/.
Fig . 3 Instrument
cluster with digital
clock
The date, time of day, and time and date format can be set in MMI.
You can find out more in the MMI manual.
~

There is still approximately 2.4 gallons (9 liters) of fuel left. This message is meant to remind you to
re fuel .
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry . An irregular supp ly of fuel can
cause engine misfiring and fuel could enter the exhaust system . T he
cata lytic converter could then overheat and be damaged .•
[ C HECK] button
You can perform different functions with this button .
Fig . 5 CHECK butto n in
th e instr um ent clu ste r
The [ CHECK ] button performs the fo llowing functions:
Swi tch ing on th e clock and odom ete r
With the ignition turned off, the odometer reading and the digital
clock with date display can be sw itched on for about 30 seconds by
pressing the
I C HE CK I but ton ~ fig. 5 .
Sta rtin g the Au to-C heck se quen ce
The Auto -Check system ~ page 28 constantly monitors certain indi ­
vidual functions and components of the vehicle when the ignition is
turned on and when the vehicle is moving.
W ith the ignition turned on, you can start the "Auto -Check
sequ ence" by pr essing the !CH ECK ] bu tton . You can p erform an
Controls and equip­
ment
Inst rum ents and warning /indi cator light s
Auto-Che ck sequence when the vehicle is stationary and the ignition
is turned on or when the vehicle is moving no t faster than 3 mph
(5 km/h).
C alling up the dri ver inf ormatio n
A yellow or red symbol appears in the instrument cluster display ,
usually with a driver message. The driver message display disap ­
pears after about 5 seconds . The driver message can be displayed
again by briefly pressing the
I CHECK ] button .
Setting th e sp eed w arni ng
By pressing the [ CHECK! but ton briefly, you can set threshold 1 of
the speed warning while you are
driving ~ page 37. By maintaining
pressure on the [CHECK ! button, you delete the warning
threshold. •
Instrument cluster illumination
The basic brightness of the illuminati on f or the instru­
ments, the center console and the display can be
adjusted .
Ir ,-i:,.-.. I+ ,- i:,.--•/, ,,,,
Fig. 6 Instr ume nt
c lus te r ill umi nation
Press the"+" button to increase the brightness d uring
the hours of dar kness.
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

tl~ Airbag system
--
/: Lane assist (system is ready)
Lane assist (system is not ready)
¢ Left turn signal
--D High beam
}D Fog lights
Rear fog lights
Tire pressure monitoring sys tem
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIU
Safety belt
Adaptive Air Suspension
<+:) Adaptive Air Suspension Right turn signal
--
CRUISE
--
USA models:
Cruise control activated
Canada models:
Cruise control activated
USA models:
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) defec­
tive
Controls and equip­ ment
=> page 19
-
=> page 19
=> page 19
=> page 79
-=> page 19
=> page 79
=> page 19
=> page 20
=> page 20
=> page 20
=> page20
=> page 21
=> page 79
-
=> page 27
=> page 27
-
=> page 21
Instruments and warning/indicator lights
PARK BRAKE
(®)
----
Canada models:
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) defec­
tive
USA models :
Electromechanical parking brake
Canada models: Electromechanical parking brake
-
BRAKE
USA models:
Brake malfunct ion
--((D) Canada models:
Brake malfunction
=> page 27
=> page 22
=> page 22
-
=> page 22
-
=> page22
V ehicl es wi th th e Adaptive Cruis e Control * have the follow ing addi ­
tional check lamps:
Open road
~ 1111 ~ Driving in traffic
~ 1111 ~ Request for driver to
assume control
& WARNING
=> page 145
=> page 145
=> page 145
• Failure to heed warning lights and other important vehicle
information may result in serious personal injury or vehicle
damage.
• Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe
distance off the road, stop the engine, and turn on the emergency
flasher
=> page 73.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially
hazardous area. Before you check anything in the engine compart-
ment, stop the engine and let it cool down. Always exercise
~

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
&, WARNING (continued )
extreme caution when working under the hood => page 299,
''Engine compartment "
[ i] Tips
Many functions are monitored by the Auto -Check system
=> page 28 . Ma lfunctions or faults wil l be identified either with a red
symbo l (pr iority 1
-Danger!) or with a yel low symbol (priority 2 -
Warning) .•
Electronic power control EPC
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic
power control.
The EPC warning/indicator light (Electronic Power Control) i llumi ­
nates when you turn on the ignition as a function chec k.
[ i ] Tips
If this warning/indicator l ight i lluminates whi le you are driving, then
there is a malfunction in the engine electronics . Have the malfunc­
t ion corrected as soon as possible by your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified repair facility .•
Generator D
This warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or in the vehicle's electrical system.
The D warning/indicator light illuminates when you switch on the
igni tion and must go out a fter the engine has started.
If the
D warning/indicator light illuminates while you are driving,
you shou ld contact your authorized Audi dealer. Since the vehic le battery is discharging, you should switch off any unnecessary elec
­
t rical consumers (for example, the air conditioner).
0 Note
If the _f_ warning/indicator light (ma lfunction in the engine coo ling
system) in the instrument cluster shou ld
illuminate=> page 31, stop
the vehicle and turn off the engine . The water pump is not working
-this can cause engine damage. •
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) f1.
This warning/indicator light monitors the electronic stabi ­
lization program.
Th e warning/indicator light has the following functions:
• I t blinks while you are driving when the ESP is working .
• It illuminates when you switch on the ignition for approximate ly
2 seconds as a function check.
• It illuminates when there is a malfunction in the ESP. The
message
ESP fault! See owner's manual also appears in the instru­
ment cluster display and a warning tone sounds .
• It illuminates continuously when the ESP is switched off.
• It illuminates if there is a malfunction in the ABS, since the ESP
is part of the ABS sys tem.
If the battery terminals were disconnected and re-connected , the
vehic le was jump sta rted or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes through a learning process for the first few yards. The
warning/indicator light illuminates. The warning/indicator light
goes out as soon as the learning process is complete.
If the ESP warning/indicator light illuminates and stays on after you
have started the engine, this may mean that the control system has
temporarily switched off the ESP . If this is case, you can reactivate
th e ESP by turning the ignition off and then on again . The
~

Instrum ents and warnin g/indi cat or li ghts
Significant loss of air pressure (l)
The warning/indicator light appears in the event of a
significant loss of air pressure .
The(!) warning/indicator light il luminates when you switch on the
ignit ion and must go out a fter the eng ine has started.
If the
U) symbo l appears, pressure is too low in at least one tire .
For more information
=> page 42 . •
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) 0
The Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp (M IU is par t of the On -Board Diag ­
nostic (OBD II) system . The symbol
O lights up when the ignition is
turned on and wi ll turn off after the engine has started and has
sett led at a constant id le speed. This ind icates that the M IL is
working proper ly .
The warning ligh t illum inates when there is a malfunction in the
engine electronic system . Contact your authorized Audi dealer and
have the mal function corrected.
An improperl y clos ed fuel filler c ap m ay als o cau se the MIL light t o
illuminate
=> page 303 .
For more information => page 27. •
Safety belts~
This warning/indica tor light reminds you to put on your
safety belt.
The t warning/indicator light i lluminates when the ignition is
sw itched on to remind the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt . Add it ionally, an acoust ic warning (go ng) wi ll a lso
sound.
For more Information =>
page 209, "Safety belt warn ing light.(,..". •
Adaptive Air Suspension ~
The warning/indicator light ~ illuminates, when the jack ing mode
has been act ivated => page 188 . This warn ing/ indicator light has the
following functions:
• I t illuminates fo r a few seconds after the ignition is turned on as
function check and then goes out .
• I f the war ning/ indicator l ight illuminates steadi ly, there is a
system fau lt in the Adaptive Air Suspension . A system fault can
r esu lt in limited ride comfort and
low ground clearan ce . The fau lt
should be corrected as soon as possib le by an authorized Audi
dea ler.
• If the warning/indicator light flashes, you should not drive the
vehic le . The flas hing warning/indicator light points to an extreme
High level. A very
pronounced lifting of the vehic le (extreme High
l evel) can resu lt, for examp le, when a heavy load is removed from
the veh ic le. As soon as the level has returned to norma l, the
warning/indicato r light stops f lashing, and you can d rive away.
• If the warning/indicator light flashes in con junction with the c;::.:,
warning/indicator light, you shou ld not drive off immediately in
order to prevent damage to the underbody. The two warn ing/ indi­
cator lights flashing together points to an extreme Low level. A very
pronounced lowering of the vehicle (extreme Low level) ca n result,
for example, from a heavy load. As soon as the level has returned to
n ormal, the warning/ind icator lights stop flash ing, and you can
drive away .
0 Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the c;::.:,
warning/indicator l ight, you shoul d not drive the veh icle because
l ow -lying vehic le parts can bottom out as you drive over uneven
ground and be damaged as a result .•

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~ ~