2008 AUDI S8 windshield wipers

Clear vision
Fig. 75 Left rear roof­
lining: Vanity mirror
folded down
-To fold down, tap the rear edge of the mirror as indicated
by
arrow~ page 79, fig. 74.
As the mirror folds down, it automatically il lumina tes.•
Wiper and washer system
Windshield wiper ~
The windshield wiper lever controls both the windshield
wipers and the washer system.
Fig. 76 Windshield
wiper lever
The windshield wiper lever~ fig. 76 has the following posi ­
tions:
One-touch wiping
-Move the lever to position G) , when you want to wipe the
windshield
briefly.
Intermittent wiping <:S;)l (activating rain sensor)
-Move the lever up to position ®·
-Move switch © up or down, to adjust the sensitivity of
the rain sensor.
Low wiper speed
-Move the lever up to position G).
High wiper speed
-Move the lever up to position @.
Automatic wiper/washer
-Pull the lever to position© (toward the steering wheel)
and hold.
-Release the lever. The washer stops and the wipers keep
going for about four seconds.
Turning off the wipers
-Move the lever back to position @.
The windshield wipers and washer only work when the ignition is
turned on.
The rain sensor is only activated with the wiper leve r set to position
G) . When it starts to rain, the rain sensor will automatically activate
the intermittent wiping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move switch
@ down. To
increase the sensitivity, move the switch up. The higher you adjust
the sensitivity, the faster the sensor will react when it senses mois-
.,_

ture on the windshield. The rain sensor wiper intervals depend on
t he sensitivi ty setting as well as vehic le speed . Dur ing brief s tops,
wiper motion wil l adjust in re lation to the amount of rain on the
windshield .
During br ief stops, e.g. at a red light, wiper mot ion wil l auto mati ­
ca lly be reduced to the next lower speed . Wipers a lready turning at
low speed. change to i nterm ittent w ip ing.
When the ignition is turned on, the washer jets are heated .
With the low beam headlights switched on, p ull the wiper lever
towards you only briefly to clean the windshield. Ho ld ing the w iper
lever wou ld a lso engage the headlight washer system each time you
clean the w inds hie ld and wou ld dra in t he washer flu id reservoir
pr ematurely .
& WARNING
• Wiper bl ade s are cruc ial for safe driving! Only when they are in
good condition are they able to clear the window s properly to
provide uncompromising visibilit y. Worn or damaged wiper blades
are a safety hazard
::::> page 82 , "In stalling new wiper blade s"!
• The rain sensor is only designed to a ssist and support the
driver . It r em ains entirely th e driver' s respon sibility to monitor
outside weather condit ions and to manually activate the wipers as
s oon a s rain or drizzle reduces visibility through the windshield.
• The windshield mu st not be treated with water-repellent mate ­
rials . They c an in crea se gl are under poor visibility condition s such
as wetness , darkness , or when the sun is low on the horizon. In
addition , they can cau se the wind shield wipers to chatter.
0 Note
In free zing or near freezing conditions:
• Always check that the wiper b lades are not frozen to the glass
be fore you turn the w ipe rs on. Loosen a wiper b lade w hich is frozen
Controls and equip­ ment
Clea r vision
in place before operating the wipers to prevent damage to the wiper
bl ade or the wiper motor.
• Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted window. Using the
wipers as a conve nien t ice scraper will des troy the wiper blades .
• Before you take your vehic le to an automatic car wash, make sure
you have the w inds hield w iper system switched o ff (lever in p osition
O), otherwise the windshield wiper system could get damaged in the
car was h if it should suddenly come o n.
[ i ] Tips
• Make sure the washer flu id reservo ir in the engine compartmen t
is topped off before going on a long trip . Look
up:::> page 323 for
check ing and f illing the washer conta iner.
• I f you sw itch off the ignition with the windshield wiper lever st ill
in the inte rval wi pe pos ition and t hen com e back a wh ile la ter a nd
drive off, the rain sensor wil l reactivate itself after the vehicle speed
has e xceeded 4 mph (6 km/h) .
• Worn or dirty windshie ld wiper b lades cause smearing which
ca n affect t he opera tion of the ra in senso r. Check the condi tion of
your windshield wiper b lades regu lar ly . •
Headlight washer system
The he adlight washer sy stem cle ans the he adlig h ts.
-Oper ate the win dshiel d w ip er/was her sy stem G) wit h th e
hea dlights t urned o n by ho ld ing th e l ever fo r lo nge r than
on e seco nd ::::.,
page 80, fig. 76.
The washe r jets extend f orward out of the fron t bumper dr iven by
water pressure to spray the front head lights with water .
You should inspect the head lights regu lar ly (for examp le when refu -
e ling) a nd c lean o ff any sol id dirt or i nsects from the lenses.
~

Clear vision
To ensure the system works properly in winter, keep the washer jets
free of snow and remove any ice using a de -icing spray. •
Service position
The wiper blades can only be changed in the service posi­
tion.
Windshield wipers
'
• Serv ice posit ion
~ I I

12 :00 AM • ·I , I; J:: Fig . 77 MMI display :
Windshield wipers
-At below freezing outside temperatures, make sure first
that the wiper blades are not frozen to the windshield.
- Press the
I CAR I function button.
Select
Systems in the CAR menu.
Select
Windshield wipers . The Windshield wipers menu
appears~ fig. 77.
- Select
Service position on to turn the service position on
or
off to retu rn the windshield wiper to its original posi­
tion.
You must only attempt to change the wiper blades when the service position is activated. This way, when you are working on the wind­
shield wipers, you can avoid damaging the paint on the engine
hood.
[ i ] Tips
• You can also turn on the service position, for example, if you
want to protect the windshield from icing, using a cover.
• The service position turns itself
off, whenever you use the wind­
shield wiper lever.•
Installing new wiper blades
Wiper blades in good condition help keep the windshield
clear.
g
. = .!i
Fig . 78 Removing the
wiper blades
Fig. 79 Installing
wiper blades

Rem oving a wip er blade
- Bring the windshield wipers to the service pos ition
=> page 82 .
- Lift the wiper arm away from t he windshield.
- Pu sh t he locking piece on the wiper blade in the direction
of the
arrow @=> page 82, fig. 78. Hold the wiper b lade
firmly .
- Remove the wiper b lade @.
Inst allin g wip er bl ad e
- Place the new wiper blade in the retainer on the wiper
arm ©=> page 82, fig. 79.
- Pu sh t he locking piece on the w iper blade in the direction
of the
arrow @ until you feel it click into place on the
wiper arm .
Clean your wiper b lades regularly with a windshield washer solution
to prevent streaking . If the bla des are very dir ty, for example with
insects, carefully clean the b lades with a sponge or a soft brush .
I f the wiper b lades begin to s treak the windshie ld, t his could be
caused by residue left on the windshield by automatic car washes.
Fil l the windshield washer container with a special solution avail ­
able at your authorized Audi dealer to remove the residue .
& WARNING
Be sure t o in spe ct the condition of you r w iper bl ade s regul arly . S ee
your auth orized Audi de aler for repla ceme nt bl ade s.
0 Note
To prevent damage to the wiper system :
Controls and equip­
ment
Clea r vision
• Always loosen blades which are frozen to the windshield before
operating wipers.
• Do not use gaso line, kerosene, paint thinner, or other solvents on
or near t he wiper blades .
• Do not attempt to move the wipers by hand .
[ i] Tip s
Commercial hot waxes app lied by automatic car washes affect the
c leanabi lity of the windshield .•
Mirrors
Rear view mirror
When the ignition is on, the interior m irror w ill darken automatically
depending on the amount of light striking the mirror (suc h as head­
lights shining into the vehic le from the rear!. The mi rror wi ll retu rn
to the origina l state (anti -glare off) when you move the manual gear­
shift/gear selector lever into
Re verse or when you turn on the inte ­
rior lights.
[ i ] Tips
The automa tic an ti-g lare feature on the m irror wil l not operate prop­
e rly if the light shining on the inside mirror is b locked by other
objects. •

-
Audi lane assist
----------------
I Not re ad y: The yellow ind icator light shows that the system is
t urned on but unab le to send a warning . This can be due to the
following:
• There are no boundary lines, or there is on ly one boundary line
present .
• The boundary lines are not detected (e.g. due to snow, dirt, wet
conditions or light shining into the camera lens) .
• More than two boundary lines (such as at construction sites) are
located in the vehicle's lane .
• The vehicle's speed is below the speed needed to activate it,
which is abou t 40 mph (65 km/h).
• The lane is narrower than about 8 ft . (2 .5 m), or wider than about
16
ft . (5 m).
• The curve is too sharp .
Notes on th e instr umen t clu ste r displa y
When the lane assist turns off automatically , the instrument cluster
indicator goes out and one of the following messages appears on
the display:
Audi lan e assist not available: C urre ntl y no se nsor vis ion
This message appears when the camera can no longer function
because it cannot detect the boundary lines. This may be due to the
following :
• The exterior s ide of the camera viewing
window => page 151,
fig. 169 is covered with dirt or ice. Clean this part of th e windshield.
• The camera v iew ing window is fogged up on the inside. In t his
case, wait until the fog disappears before turning lane assist on
aga in.
• The system was unable to detect boundary lines over an
extended period of time due to road conditions (such as snow­
covered lanes). Do not turn lane assist on again unti l the lines can
be more easily detected .
Audi lane assist not ava ila bl e
A temporary malfunction is preventing lane assist from operating .
Try turning on lane assist again a t a la ter t ime.
Audi l ane ass is t: sys te m f ault
T he system should be checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other
qual ified workshop .
[ i ] Tips
• Make sure that the camera viewing window => page 151, fig. 169
is not covered by stickers or similar objects .
• Always keep the camera view ing w indow c lean . This can usual ly
b e don e by op erat ing the windshield wipers. •
App lies to vehicles: w it h l ane assist
MMI settings
You can use the MM/ to adjust the warning time and
steering wheel vibration.
Setting the warning time
- Press the [CAR ] function button.
- Select
Systems in the CAR men u.
- Select
Audi l ane ass is t.
Fig . 17 0 M MI D isp lay :
Se ttin g th e w arning
t im e a nd stee ring
w hee l v ibr ati on

_____________________________________________ C_ l_ e _a_ n_ in~ g_a
_ n_d_ p_ r_ o_ t
_ e_ c_t _io _ n __ ffllll
•
The best way to remove snow from windows and mirrors is to use a
brush. Use a non -abrasive
plastic ice scraper -better still, a spray
deicer -to remove
ice from windows and mirrors .
Oil, grease or silicone residue can be removed with
glass cleaner or
silicone remover . However, wax residue requires the use of a
specially formulated solvent. Please contact your Audi dealer for
advice on safe products for wax removal.
Windows should also be cleaned on the inside at regular intervals .
Never dry windows with the same chamois that you use to dry
painted surfaces . Wax residue on the chamois can impair vision
through the windows.
& WARNING
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=> page 288 .
• The windshield must not be treated with water-repellent mate­
rials . They can increase glare under poor visibility conditions such
as wetness, darkness, or when the sun is low on the horizon. In
addition, they can cause the windshield wipers to chatter.
0 Note
• Never use warm or hot water to remove snow and ice from
windows and mirrors. This could cause the glass to crack.
• To prevent damage to the wires of the rear defogger, do not place
any adhesive stickers on the inside of the rear window over the
wires .
• To help prevent dirt from scratching the window, always scrape
in a forward direction -pushing the scraper away from you -never
back and forth. •
Weatherstrips
Complete car care includes the weatherstrips as well.
-Apply a suitable rubber conditioner to the weatherstrips
from time to time.
To be able seal properly, the weatherstrips around the hood, doors,
rear lid, etc . must remain pliable. Spray the weatherstrips with sili­
cone or coat them with talcum powder or glycerine to retain the
flexibility of the rubber and to protect them against freezing in the
winter.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=> page 288.
[ i ] Tips
Keep silicone sprays off the windshield to avoid wiper smear in
rain. •
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
-Wash the wheels with a sponge or hose brush every
other week.
-For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a dedicated acid­
free cast alloy wheel cleaner.
-Rub a coat of liquid wax onto the rims every three month.
Be sure to reach and treat all parts of the rim.
To preserve the decorative appearance of the cast alloy wheels,
some special care is necessary . In addition to road dirt and salt,
Vehicle care

111'1...__C_ h_ e_c _k _ i_n ..::g ,_ a_n_ d_ f_il _li _n....: g=-- --------------------------------------------
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehicle.
Fig. 259 Driver's side
footwell: engine hood
release lever
-Pull the release lever on the left under the instrument
panel ~ fig. 259 in the direct ion of the arrow.
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pressure. •
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 260 Release lever
under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that the wind­
shie ld wipers are flat against the windshield. Otherwise,
they could damage the paint on the hood.
Li ft the hood
slightly~ &.
-Pull up on the release under the hood:=} fig. 260. Thi s
releases the catch.
-Open the hood all the way.
The hood is kept in the open position by two gas struts.
& WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
• To reduce the risk of being burned , never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood . •

-Alphabetical index _-!.. ____ ...::.:..:... ___________________________ _
Power seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Safety guidelines .. ....... .... .... 86
Seat belts Why YOU MUST wear them .. ...... 209
Seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Seat position Incorrect seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Seating capacity .................... 209
Seating position Driver .......................... 200
Front passenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
How to adjust the front seats . . . . . . 201
Occupants . ...... .... .... ...... . 200
Rear passengers
Seats 202
Number of seats ... ....... ....... 209
Selective unlock feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Service and disposal Safety belt pretensioner . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Service interval display ............... 27
Service position Windshield wipers ................ 82
Servotronic Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Shift buttons . .... .... .... ........ .. 168
Ship Transporting your vehicle
Side airbags 369
Description ... .... .... .......... 237
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Side assist
Activating and deactivating ........ 154
Description .......... ...... .... .. 154
Informationa l and alert stage signa ls 156
Messages in instrument cluster display ..
161
MM I settings .................... 159
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Safety tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Sensor detection area . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Side curtain airbags Description .......... ...... .... .. 240
How they work ................... 241
Safety instructions ............... 241
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD) ..... 240
Side marker lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Ski sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Snow chains ... .. ...... ....... ..... 342
Sockets ....................... 107, 108
So lar blower fan/solar roof . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Sound system display Driver information display . .... .... . 25
Spare wheel ... ....... .... .... ...... 350
Speed contro l system
See Adaptive Cruise Control .. ..... 139
Speed rating letter code ............. 338
Speed warning system ......... ...... 36
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Sport Suspension
See Adaptive Air Suspension .... ... 185
Starting off with a trailer .... .... .... . 136 Starting the engine
...... .... .... 129, 130
What should I do if the engine does not
start? ..... ...... .... ...... ... . 130
Steering .. .... ... .... .... ..... .. ... 128
Adjusting steer ing column ...... ... 128
Easy entry feature ... .. .... .... ... 129
Locking the steering ... .... .... ... 129
Malfunction .. .. .. .... .... .... .... 33
Steering wheel heating .............. 119
Steps for determining correct load limit 334
Stopping the engine .. ....... .. .... .. 131
Storage .. .... ........... .... ...... 109
Compartments in the door trim pane ls ..
111
Compartments in the rear doors .. .. 111
Cupholder ... .. .... .... ...... .... 105
Cupholder rear center armrest ..... 105
Glove compartment ....... .... ... 109
Luggage compartment .. .... ... ... 112
Ski sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Small objects .......... .... .... .. 110
Sun shade ..... ...... .... ...... ..... 78
Sun visors .... ........... .... .... ... 77
Switches Emergency flashers ...... .... .... .. 73
Power sunroof .................... 65
Rear window defogger ..... .... ... 124
Symbols Red .......... ............... .... 30
Y ellow ........................... 34