2008 AUDI S8 towing

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

Table of contents
Do-it-yourself service ... 347
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Trunk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Emergency warning triang le . . . . . 348
Jack, tools and spare wheel . . . . . . 349
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . 358
Bu lbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Em ergency s ituat ions . . . . . . . . . . 36 4
Gener al . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Sta rting by pushing or towing . . . . 364
Start ing with jumper cab les . . . . . . 364
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Em erge ncy towing with commercia l
t ow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Technical data
General information
373
37 4
Expla nation of technical data . . . . 374
Vehic le ident ificat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Displaying Vehic
le Identifica tion
Number in MMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Dim ensio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 78
350 hp, 8 -cylinder engine, with all
whee l dr ive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
450 hp, 12-cylinder engine , wi th all
whee l drive, long wheel base . . . . 379
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . 380
Warran ty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Operating you r veh icle outs ide the
U.S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Audi Serv ice Repair Manuals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Ad ditional accessor ies,
mod ificat ions and parts
rep lacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Alphabetical index . . . . . . 385

Emergency flasher ~
The emergency flasher makes other motorists aware that
you or your vehicle are in an emergency situation.
I
Fig . 61 Center
console : emergency
flasher switch
- Press the switch ~=>fig. 61 to turn the emergency
flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four turn signals blink at the
same time . Th e turn signal indi cator
ligh ts ¢¢ in th e instrum en t
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency flasher
switch~ blink
likewise .
The emergency flashers will turn on automatically if you are in an
accident where the airbag has deployed.
[ i] Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers when:
• you are the last vehicle standing in a traffic jam so that any other
vehicles coming can see you , or when
• your vehicle has broken down or you are in an emergency situa ­
tion , or when
• your vehicle is being towed by a tow truck or if you are towing
another vehicle behind you .•
Contro ls a nd eq uip­
ment
Clear vision
Turn signal
¢ ¢ and high beam [D lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column is used to
operate the turn signals and the high beam as well as the
headlight flasher.
Fig . 62 Turn signal and
high beam lever
The turn s ignal and high beam lever has the following func­
tions:
Turn signals ¢ ¢
- Lift the lever up all the way=> fig. 62 to use the right turn
signals, or push the lever down all the way to use the left
turn signals .
Auto-blink
-Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resis­
tance to use the turn signals for as long as you need
them, for example when chang ing lanes.
- Move the lever (up or down) just to the point of resis­
tance and then release it right away to make the turn
signals blink
three times. You can use this feature for
example when changing lanes on highways.
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

___ S_ e
_ a_t_s _ a_n_ d
__ s _t _o _r _a ...::g:::.... e ________________________________________________ _
Applies to ve hicles : wi th indi vid ual r ear se ats
Settings in the MMI
The easy entry function can be turned on and off in the
MM/ .
) ' '' ' ' I
Seat adjustment
'
• Drive r·s seat ...
I I

12 :QQ AM F ig . 103 MMI Display:
Sea t ad justment
-Press the I CAR I fun ction button .
-Select Systems in the CAR menu.
Select
Seat adjustment . Th e Seat adju stment menu
appears =:> fig. 103.
Select
Left rear seat or Right r ear seat .
-Select Eas y entry on to turn on t he easy e ntry function for
the corresponding seat or
off to turn off t he f unction for
this seat.
Easy entry makes it more convenient to enter and leave the rear of
the vehicle. When th e function is turned on, the seat automatically
moves to the rearmost position when the corresponding door is
opened. •
Luggage compartment
Tie-down eyelets
The luggage c ompartment is equipped with four tie -down
eyelets to secure luggage and other items.
F ig . 104 Lu ggage
co mp artm ent tie- dow n
eye le ts
-Use the tie-dow n eyelets to secure yo ur cargo properly
=:> fig . 104 -arrows- .
-Read and heed all WARNINGS =:> page 205, "Stowing
luggage" .
In a collision , the laws of physics mean that even smaller items that
are loose in the vehicle will turn into heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle pick up kinetic energy which
varies with the vehic le and the weight of the item . Vehicle speed is
the most significant factor.
For example , in a frontal collision 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 i tem . This means that the weight of the item
would suddenly be the equivalent of about 200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easily imagine the injuries that an i tem of tha t weight flying free ly _,,,

___ S_ e_ a_t _s _a_ n_d _ s_t _o _r_ a...; g::::.... e ______________________________________________ _
The mounting hooks are spring-loaded and will return to their
normal position when not in use.
& WARNING
For strength-related reasons, the mounting hooks can only be
used to secure objects weighing up to 10 lb .
15 kgl. Heavier objects
will not be adequately secured -there is a risk of injury. •
Applies to ve hicles : w ith ski sack
Ski sack
Use the ski sack to transport and protect skis and other
long, light items in the passenger compartment.
0 •------0
Fig . 107 Luggage
compartment ski sack
hatch
Fig . 108 Ski sack:
securing
Load the ski sack from the luggage compartment.
Loading
- Open the luggage compartment lid and clear a space in
the center.
- Press the release button for the ski sack hatch in the
luggage compartment and pull down the hatch
~ fig. 107.
- Fold out center armrest in the rear seat backrest.
- Press the release button on the lid from inside the vehicle, and then lower the lid.
- Pull out and unfold the ski sack.
- Load skis or similar objects through the luggage
compartment into the interior of the
vehicle=}& .
Securing
-Insert the ski sack strap@=} fig. 108 in the center buckle
®·
- Pull the safety belt taut on the free end of the belt@.
Securing in vehicles with power individual rear
seats*
Loop the ski sack safety belt around the center arm rest.
- Pull the safety belt taut on the free end of the belt.
Stowing
-In the luggage compartment, close the ski sack hatch.
- Fold the ski sack carefully and stow away.
- Close and engage the inner hatch.

________________________________________________ S_ e_ a_t _
s _a_ n_d _ s_t _o _ r_ a_ g~ e __ _
& WARNING
• The ski sack is intended only for the transportation of skis and
other light objects. To reduce the risk of serious personal injury,
never transport heavy or pointed objects in the ski sack.
• When braking rapidly or during an accident, the load could be
displaced and cause injury to occupants.
• Sharp edges on the load must be covered for protection.
Always fasten the belt tightly around the sack and its contents
=:> page 102, fig. 108.
[ i] Tips
Never stow the ski sack away when it is still wet or damp (for
example, snow melting from skis). Allow i t to dry completely before
stowing it away. •
Roof rack
First things first
A roof rack can be fitted to carry additional luggage on
the roof.
- Always read and follow the instructions provided by the
roof rack manufacturer when the roof rack system must
be installed.
If a roof rack or similar luggage carrying equipment is to be
installed, please note 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
A8. Contact the nearest Audi dealer for information on approved modular roof racks for your vehicle.
Controls and equip­
ment
• These approved roof racks are the basis for a complete roof rack
system. Additional attachments for the basic roof rack are neces ­
sary to safely transport luggage, bicycles, surf boards, skis or small
boats. All necessary hardware for these systems is available at your
authorized Audi dealer.
• We recommend that you keep the installation instructions for
your roof rack system together with your Owner's l iterature 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 consumption, wind noise and to
guard against theft.
& WARNING
• Use of an unapproved roof rack or incorrect mounting of an
approved roof rack can cause the roof rack or the items attached
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 system between the markings shown in
~ page 104, fig. 109.
• The roof rack system must be installed exactly according to the
instructions provided.
(D Note
• Your vehicle warranty does not cover any damages to the vehicle
caused by using roof racks or mounting struc tures not approved by
Audi for your vehicle. The same applies to damage resulting from
incorrect roof rack installation.
• Always check the roof rack mountings and hardware before each
trip and during a trip to make sure everything is securely tightened.
~

___ A_ d_v _a_ n_ c_e _ d_ P_ a
_ r_k _in -= g'-- S...,_y _s_ t_ e_ m ___________________________________________ _
& WARNING
• The rear-view camera has blind spots , in whi ch objects cannot
be detected. Be especially careful to check for small children and
an imals before ba ck ing up . Small children and animals will not
always be detected by the sensors.
• The Audi parking system is not a substitute for being careful
and alert when backing up. Be especially careful during parking
and similar maneu vers . Always watch where you are driving and
make sure that nothing is in the way .
• Remember that low obsta cles which have already been
signaled may pass below the system's sensing zone when the
vehicle is ba cking up . The fact that the signal stops does not mean
that you have cleared the obstacle . When the signal stops , impact
is imminent . Objects such as trailer hit ches , chains , narrow posts
or fences covered by a thin layer of paint may not always be
detected by the system. They can still damage your vehicle
without warning .
• Always make sure that the volume and frequency of the chimes
is adjusted so that you can easily hear the acoustic distance signal
even if the radio is playing, the air -conditioner blower is on High or
there is a high level of outside noise .
- Check the settings whenever someone else has driven the
vehicle before you.
• Improper reliance on the Audi parking system can cause colli­
sions and serious personal injury .
- Never rely only on parking assist when chang ing backing up .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make sure it is safe to back
up .
[ i J Tips
• Before parking with the rear -view camera, the Adaptive Air
S us pe nsi on sta ndard or automatic mo de mus t be switch ed on
=> page 27.
• T he rear -view camera pictur e is avai lable as soon as the MMI
Display or the M MI is sw itche d on, o r the start -up pha se is
completed.
• In order fo r th e re ar-v iew camera to func tion prop erly, the
camera
lens=> page 170, fig. 191 must be kept clean, and free of
sn ow a nd i ce. Please follo w the ad ditio nal no tes
on => page 783 .
• T he camera coverage angle changes when the trunk lid is open.
Theref ore, the r ear-view camera picture is d isplaye d w ithout ori en­
tation lines and without blue surfaces.
• Observe an d follow t he no tes on towing mo de
on => pag e 180. •
App lies to veh icles : w ith Advanced Parking System with rear view came ra
Rear-view camera coverage area
0
.. - --
®
F ig . 196 Top vi ew :
Re ar- vie w ca mera
coverage a rea
F ig . 197 Side vi ew:
Covered ar ea
G) and
uncover ed area
0 of
the rear-v iew camera
~