2008 AUDI S8 checking oil

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.
~

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. •

Checkin g and fillin g 1111
-------------~~~
•
the form of Service or Repair Ord ers that all scheduled maintenance
was perfo rmed in a t imely man ner. •
Engine oil consumption
The engin e in your vehicle d ep ends on an adequate
amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of its moving parts.
In order to provide effect ive lubrication and cool ing of internal
engine components, all internal combustion engines consume a
certain amount of o il. Oil consumption varies from engine to eng ine
and may change significantly over the life of the engine . Typically,
eng ines wi th a specif ied break -in period
(see => page 2771 consume
more oil during the break -in period than they consume after oi l
consumption has stabi lized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil consumption depends on
the quality and viscosity of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute)
at which the engine is operated, the ambient temperature and road
conditions. Further factors are the amount of oil dilution from water
co ndensation or fue l residue and the oxidation level of the o il. As
any engine is subject to wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump ­
t io n may increase over time until rep lacement of worn components
may become necessary .
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of oil consu mption can be estab lished or specified. T here is no a lternative
to regular and frequent checking of the oil level, see
Note .
If the yellow eng ine o il level warni ng symbol in the instrume nt
cluster ~ lights up, you should check the oil level as soon as
poss ible
with the oil dipstick => page 311 . Top off the oil at your
earliest
convenience=> page 312.
& WARNING
Bef ore you che ck anything in the eng ine comp artment , alw ay s
read and heed all WARNINGS
=> & in "Working in the engine
c ompartment " on
page 307 .
0 Note
Driving with an insuff ic ie n t o il level is l ikely to cause severe damage
to the engine.
[ i ] Tip s
• The oil pr es sure warning displ ay level . Do not rely on it. Instead , check the oil level in your engine at
regular inter vals, preferably ea ch time you refuel , and al ways before
going on a long trip.
• I f you have the impression your engine consumes excessive
amounts of oi l, we reco mmend that you consult your Audi dealer to
have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed . Keep in mind
t hat t he acc urate measureme nt of oil consump tion requ ires g reat
care and may take some time. Your Audi dealer has instructions
about how t o measure oil consumpt ion accurately. •
Checking the engine oil level
Vehicle care
Fig. 26 3 Illu stration of
prin cipl e 1: Mar ker s on
o il dip sti ck ...

-
Checking and filling
..._--=--=--------------
Fig. 264 Illustration of
principle 2: Markers on
oil dipstick
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~ & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 307 .
Determining oil level
-Park your vehicle so that it is horizontally level.
-While at operating state temperature, briefly let the
engine run at idle and then shut it off.
-Wait approx. two minutes.
Pull out the oil dipstick. Wipe off the oil dipstick with a
clean cloth, and slide it back in as far as it will go.
-Pull it back out and read off the oil level ~ page 311,
fig. 263 or~ fig. 264. Top off the engine oil, if applicable
~ page 312.
Oil level within range @
-Do not add oil.
Oil level within range
@
-You can add oil. Afterwards, the oil level should be within
range @. Oil level within range
©
You must add oil. Afterwards, the oil level should be
within range @.
The oil level needs to be checked at regular intervals. The best times
to do this are whenever you refuel and prior to long trips. •
Adding engin e oil 'l:::7:
Fig. 265 Oil filler cap
location: 4.2 L
8-
cylinder
Fig . 266 Oil filler cap
location : 6.0 L
12 -
cylinder
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS ~ & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 307.
-Turn off the engine . .._

___________________________________________ C;:_:_: h..:e ..:c :..;.k..: i_n ..::g :.._ a_n _d_ f_il _li _n ..::g :.._--JIIIII
0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
coolant additive in your vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate
conditions. This is especially important if you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold. If necessary , increase the proportion of
coolant additive to 60%.
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system,
remember:
-We recommend using only coolant additive G12+ + (check the
label) for your vehicle. This coolant additive is available at autho­
rized Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can significantly
reduce corrosion protection . The resulting corrosion can cause a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage .
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's
engine coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and could result
in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .•
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
glance.
Fig . 267 Engine
compartment : Coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS => & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 307.
Turn off the ignition.
Read the engine coolant level from the coolant expan­
sion
tank => fig. 267 . With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the "min" and "max" markings. When
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the
"max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be seen in the
engine compartment illustration =>
page 308.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped with an electric
coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto­
Check
System => page 31 will blink until you add coolant and the
level has been restored to normal. Even though there is an electric
coolant level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling system. In the event
of coolant loss, the cooling system should be inspected immedi­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not enough merely to add
coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the boiling point of the
coolant is exceeded as a result of overheating.
& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can get very hot. Reduce
the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these steps.
.,_
Vehic le care I I Technical data

Tires and wheels 11111 --------------------------------------------
•
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must al wa ys be tightened to the correc t
tor que .
The design of wheel bo lts is matched to the factory installed rims. If
di fferent r ims a re fitted, t he co rrect w heel bo lts wi th the rig ht len gth
and correct ly shaped bolt heads m ust be used. This ensures that
w he els a re fitt ed se cu rel y and that t he bra ke syste m functi on s
correctly.
In certa in ci rc ums ta nces, yo u may no t use wheel bo lts fr om a
differ ent vehicle - eve n if it is the sa me
model=:> page 382.
& WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become loose
causing loss of control, a collision and serious personal injury.
• Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs
clean so the wheel bolts can turn easily and be properly tightened .
• Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel
hubs. They can become loose while driving if greased or oiled,
even if tightened to the specified torque .
• Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed .
• Never use different wheels bolts on your vehicle.
• Always maintain the correct tightening torque for the wheel
bolts to reduce the risk of a wheel loss .
If the tightening torque of
the wheel bolts is too low, they can loosen and come out when the
vehicle is moving . If the tightening torque is too high, the wheel
bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is 9 0 ft lb (12 0 N m) with a
t olerance o f± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). T orque whee l bolts diago nally.
After changing a whee l, the torque must be checked as soon as possible with a torque wrench
-preferably by an authorized Audi
dea ler o r qua lif ied wo rksho p.•
Low aspect ratio tires
You r Aud i is fact ory- eq uip pe d w it h lo w aspect rati o tire s. T hese tir es
hav e been thorough ly t ested and been se lect ed specifical ly for your
mod el for thei r supe rb pe rf or manc e, r oad f eel an d ha nd ling under
a variety of driving conditions. As k your authorized Audi d ealer for
m or e de tails.
The low aspect rat io o f th ese t ires is indicat ed by a nume ra l of 55 or
less in the tire's size designatio n. The numeral represents the ratio
o f t he tir e's s idewa ll he ig ht in r ela ti on to it s tread w idt h ex pressed
in percentage . Conventiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performan ce of low -aspe ct-ratio tires is particularly sensitive to
improper inflation pressure . It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflation pressure is regularly checked and maintained . Tire pres­
sures should be checked at least once a month and alway s before a
long
trip :::::, page 331, "Checking tire pressure" .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage L ow a spect ratio tires can be damaged mo re easily by impact with
pot ho les, cu rbs, gull ies o r ridge s o n th e road, part icular ly if th e tire
is underinf lated .
I n or der to mini mize th e occurren ce of i mpac t da mag e to the tires
of your vehicle, we recommend that you observe the fol lowing
pr ecaut ions :
• Alwa ys m aint ain recom mended inflatio n pressu res . C he ck you r
t ire p res su re eve ry 2,000 mi les (3, 000 k m) and add ai r if neces sary .
• D rive carefully on roads with potho les, deep gullies or ridges .
The impac t from d riving th rough or ove r such o bstacles can
da mage you r tir es . Imp act with a curb may a lso caus e damage to
your tire s. .,_
Vehicle care

lll'ffll_....:..A..:.;l~ p :..;h..:.; a= b..:e :..;t:.:..i c::..:: a.:..l .,;. in :..:..:. d:..;e :..;x..:..,_ ___________________________________________ _
Driver's seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Activating remote contro l key .. ... .. 95
Recalling a seat position ...... .... . 94
Storing a seat position ............. 94
Driving messages .................... 29
Dr ivingsafely .... .... .... ...... .... 198
Driving time .... ... .. .... .... ...... .. 38
Dup licate key ......... ............... 47
DVD p layer for navigation system . . . . . 112
E
Easy entry feature 129
Electromechanica l parking brake
Emergency braking ............... 136
Malfunction ........ .... .... .... . 136
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Re leasing and app lying .... .... ... 134
Starting
off with a trailer . ...... ... 136
Warning/indicator lights ........... 22
Electronic differential lock (EDU
How the system works . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Warning/indicator lights ........... 21
Electronic immobilizer .. ...... ..... 14, 49
Electron ic power contro l
(EPC) warning/indicator light .. .... .. 18
Electronic speed limiter .. .. .. .... ..... 28
Electronic stabi lization program (ESP)
How the system works . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Warning/indicator lights ........... 18
Emergency braking .. ....... .. ...... 136 Emergency
closing
Power sunroof ................. 67, 68
Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Warning/indicator lights ..... ...... 19
Emergency locking ....... .... .... .... 54
Emergency locking of doors ........... 54
Emergency starting ........ .... ... .. 364
Emergency towing ..... .. .... .... ... 366
Emergency warning triangle ... ....... 348
Energy management .... .... ... .. ... 274
Battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Driver notification ................ 275
Engine 4.2 I, 8-cylinder (350 hp) .... .... ... 308
6 .0 I, 12-cylinder (450 hp) .......... 309
Compartment . .... .... .... .. 308, 309
Coolant ......................... 314
Hood ... .. .... .... .... .... .... .. 306
Starting ...... .............. 129, 130
Starting with jumper cables .. ... .. 364
Stopping ........................ 131
Engine compartment ... .. .... .... ... 308
Safety instructions .......... ..... 307
Working the engine compartment .. 307
Engine coolant ..................... 314
Adding coolant ............. ..... 316
Checking the engine coo lant level .. 315
Expansion tank .................. 315
Malfunction symbo l ...... .... .... . 31
Radiator fan ...... .... .... .... ... 317
Temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Engine data ........................ 378 Engine hood
Closing ..... .. .... .... ...... ... . 307
How to release the hood . . . . . . . . . . 306
Engine oi l ..... ... .... .... .... ...... 309
Adding ......................... 312
Additives ........................ 312
Changing .. .... .... ..... .. .... .. 313
Checking the engine oil level ....... 311
Indica tions and conditions requiring extra
checking .. ...... .... ...... .... 311
Oil consumption ................. 311
Oil grades .. .... .... ... .... .... .. 309
Oil level symbol .... .... ...... ... .. 35
Pressure ma lfunction ... ... .... .... 32
Recommended oil check intervals .. 311
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Specification and viscosity ......... 309
Environment Break -in period .................. 277
Catalytic converter .... .... .... ... 278
Disposing of your vehicle battery ... 322
Driving at high speeds ....... ... .. 279
Driving to minimize pollution and noise .
279
Fuel ...... .... ........... .... ... 303
Fuel economy .......... .... .... .. 279
L eaks under your vehicle .......... 307
Le tting the vehicle stand and warm up ..
280
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid
318
Proper disposal of drained engine coolant . .... .... .... .... ....... 316