2009 AUDI S8 warning

Checking and filling -
---------------------=----"=---------
checked by a service facility. The electrolyte level should also be
checked each time the battery is charged =>
page 323.
Have the battery checked when you take your vehicle in for service.
You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
With certain types of airbag deployment, the battery is discon­
nected from the vehicle electrical system for safety reasons=>.& in
"Repair, care and disposal of the airbags" on
page 234.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regulators, for example) are
lost if the battery terminals are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals are connected again. To
prevent this, the battery should only be disconnected from the
vehicle electrical system when absolutely necessary for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or
weeks, electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability
over a longer period
=> page 276.
Be aware that when you unlock your vehicle, some of the conve ­
nience functions may not operate, such as the Convenience key*,
the remote control or the power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be available again when you turn on the ignition and
start the engine.
Winter operation During the winter months, battery capacity tends to decrease as
temperatures drop. This is because more power is also consumed
while starting, and the headlights, rear window defogger, etc., are
used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consump tion, particularly in city traffic or
when traveling only short distances. Let your authorized Audi dealer
check the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter sets in
=> page 323. A well charged battery will not only prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will also last longer.
[ i] Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several weeks at extremely low
temperatures, the vehicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it from being damaged and
having to be replaced.•
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near the battery.
Fig . 271 Luggage
compartment: Right·
side storage compart­
ment
Fig . 272 Luggage
compartment : Battery
The battery is located in the luggage compartment on the
right side behind a cover. Before you check anything in the
luggage compartment,
read and heed all WARNINGS=>& . .,_
Vehic le care I I irechnical data

-Checking and filling PW~--=----=----------------
-To open the side storage compartment, turn the two pins
@ ~fig . 271 to the vertical position.
The positive(+) battery terminal is protected by a plastic cover . This
cover must be removed to access the positive(+) terminal when
connecting jumper cables to start the eng ine.
Always heed the safety warnings , when working on the vehicle
battery or the vehicle electrica l system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important when
working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYMBOLS and safety pre­
cautions when working on the battery .
@
®
Always wear eye prote ction .
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Always wear
gloves and eye protection .
No
• sparks
- flames
· smoking.
When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen
gas which is explosive and could cause personal injury .
Always keep the battery well out of reach of chil­
dren .
& WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system,
there is the risk of injury, accident and even fire. Read and heed the
following WARNINGS :
& WARNING (continued)
• Always wear eye protection. Do not let battery acid or any lead
particles get on your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
• Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can cause
blindness and severe burns.
-Always wear gloves and eye protection . Do not tilt the
battery because acid could leak out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi­
ately rinse with cold water for several minutes and get medical
attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid , seek medical attention
immediately .
• Do not expose the battery to an open flame , electric sparks or
an open light .
• Do not smoke.
• Do not interchange the positive and negative cables.
• When working on the battery, be sure not to short-circuit the
terminals with tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly, which could lead to damage or
explosion and personal injury.
• When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is
explosive and could cause personal injury.
• Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children.
• Before work is done on the electrical system, disconnect the
negative ground cable.
• Before performing any work on the electrical system, switch off
the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equipment. The
negative cable on the battery must be disconnected. If you are just
going to replace a light bulb , then it is enough to switch off the
lights.
• Before disconnecting the battery, switch off the anti-theft
alarm system! Otherwise you will set off the alarm.

Checking and filling -
--------------~-
•
& WARNING (continued)
• When disconnecting the battery, first disconnect the negative
cable and then the positive cable.
• Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical
consumers are switched off. Reconnect the positive cable first and
then the negative cable. Never interchange the cables -this could
start a fire!
• Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out battery. It could
explode! If a battery has frozen, then it must be replaced. A
discharged battery can freeze over at 32 °F (0 °CI.
• Make sure the vent hose is always attached to the opening on
the side of the battery.
• Never use batteries which are damaged. There is the danger of
an explosion! Always replace a damaged battery.
& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
• Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems. Wash hands after
handling.
0 Note
• Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when the ignition is
switched on or when the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the electrical system.
• If your vehicle is going to stand for a long period of time without
being driven, protect the battery from "freezing", otherwise it will
be damaged and will then have to be replaced .•
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery.
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below=> & and => &
in "Working on the battery" on
page 321.
-Turn off the ignition and all electrical consumers.
- Make sure the area is well ventilated when you charge
the battery.
- Attach the red (positive
8) clamp of the charging equip­
ment to the positive terminal of the battery and the black
(negative(:)) clamp to the jumper terminal.
- Only now plug the mains lead for the charging equip­
ment into the wall outlet and turn it on=> &.
-Make sure the charging rate is not over 30 amps/14.8
Volt.
-When the battery is fully charged: Turn the charging
equipment off and remove the mains lead from the wall
outlet.
- Now remove the clamps for the charging equipment .
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures of only O °C . Allow
a frozen battery to thaw completely before attempting to charge it
=> &. However, we recommend not using a thawed battery again
because the battery casing can be cracked due to ice formation and
can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of 30
amps/14.8 Volt)
When charging at /ow voltages (e.g. with a trickle charger), the
battery cables do not have to be disconnected first. The battery caps
should
not be opened when charging a battery. ._.
Vehicle care I t •

--~_C_ h_e _c _ k_ i_n _,g::;..._ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _in -'g=---------------------------------------------
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the lugga ge compart ­
men t, and it is als o not nec essary to disco nnect the cab les.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate above 14 .8
Volts )
For technical reasons do not use a battery charger that uses vo ltage
grea te r th an 14 .8 Vo lts to c harg e you r vehi cle 's bat te ry.
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerou s.
• Always follow the operating instructions provided by the
battery charger manufacturer when charging your battery .
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may explode because of gas
trapped in the ice . Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first .
• Do not reuse batteries which were frozen. The battery housing
may have cracked and weakened when the battery froze.
• Charge the battery in a well ventilated area. Keep away from
open flame or electrical spark. Do not smoke . Hydrogen gas gener ­
ated by the battery is explosive.
• To reduce the dange r of explosion, never connect or disconnect
charger cables while the charger is operating.
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment .
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solution of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid .
0 Note
Never use a fast charger as a booste r to start the engine . T his wil l
s eri ously damage se nsit iv e elect ron ic c ompo nents, suc h as control
units, re lays, radio, etc ., as wel l as the battery charger .•
Battery replacement
Th e new ba tte ry must have th e s am e sp ecification s and
dim ensions as the origin al equ ipment b attery.
Intel ligent energy management in your vehicle is responsib le fo r
distr ib utin g th e e lectri ca l ene rgy th roug hout y ou r veh icle
~ page 2 76. T he inte lligent energy management system will keep
th e eng in e b attery c harged be tte r than veh icles w it h o ut th is sys tem.
T o make sure the addit ional electrical energy is avai lab le once aga in
aft er you have chang ed th e batt ery, w e recom mend that y ou install
batteries of the same type and manufacture only (the same as those
insta lled a t th e time you r vehicle was delive re d). Specification s are
li sted on th e battery housing . Your authorized Audi dea ler wi ll then
code the bat tery manage ment co nt ro l unit .
T he new batt ery must have the sa me capac ity, v oltage (12 volts),
amperage, construct ion and p lug sea ling.
Whe n inst allin g the bat tery, make sure t he ig nition a nd all elec trica l
consumers are turned off.
0 Note
Mak e sure t he ven tilation hose on t he side of the battery is
connec te d , otherwise fu mes or batt ery acid ca n lea k out.
ffi For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of a battery, we recom ­
m end your authorized Aud i dealer chang e the batt ery for you.
Batteries contain su lfuric acid and lead and must alwa ys be
disposed of proper ly i n co mpl iance with all en vironm ental r eg ula­
tions. D isposing of vehicle batteries improper ly is very dangerous to
t h e en viron men t.•

Checking and filling -
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Windshield/headlight washer
container
F ig . 273 Engine
co mpartm ent : Wind ­
s hiel d and headl ig ht
wa sher fluid container
The was her fluid container is marke d w ith the symbol <$ on
its cap.
- Before you check anything in the e ngine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=>
& in "Working
in t he engi ne com partme nt" on
page 309.
- Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer f luid. You can fill
the container to the top .
- Press the cap back onto the filler neck after filling the
container .
You can find the reservoir ca paci ty in the table in=> page 380.
To prevent lime residue from building up on the spray jets, use
distilled water when refilling. Always add a glass cleaner solution
(with frost protection in the winter!.
0 Note
Do n ot m ix engine coo lant antifreeze or any other addi tives to fill up
the windshield washer reservoir .•
Vehic le care I I irechnical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused parts
of a motor vehicle.
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused parts of a
motor vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts
of a vehicle, particu larly considering the comparatively small patch
of rubber on each tire that assures that all -important contact
between you, your vehic le and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making sure that your vehicle
and its tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
handle, avoiding damage from road hazards and regularly inspecting tires for damage inc luding cuts, s lashes irregular wear
and overa ll condition are the most important things that you can do
to help avoid sudden tire failure including tread separation and
blowouts.
A vo iding d am age
If you have to drive over a curb or similar obstac le, drive very slowly
and as close as possible at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemica ls including grease, oi l, gaso line and brake
fluid off the tires.
Inspect the ti res regu larly for damage (cuts, cracks or b listers, etc.l .
Remove any foreign bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tir es
Mark tires when you remove them to indicate the direction of rota ­
t ion. This ensures you to be able to mount them correctly when you
reinstal l them. When removed, the wheels or tires shou
ld be stored in a coo l, dry
and preferably dark place.
S tore tires in a vertical pos it ion if they a re not mounted on r ims, in
a horizonta l position if they are mounted on rims.
New tir es
New tires have to be broken in=>&.
The tread depth of new ti res may vary, according to the type and
make of tire and the tread pattern.
H idd en damage
Damage to tires and rims is often not readily visible. If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle pu lls to one s ide, this may indicate
that one of the tires has been damaged . The tires must be checked
immediately by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Unidire cti ona l t ires
A unidirectional tire can be identif ied by arrows on the sidewa ll, that
point in the direction the tire is designed to rotate . You must fo llow
t he specified directio n of rotation . This is necessary s o that these
tires can develop their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance . For more information
=>
page 359.
& WARNING
New t ires o r ti re s th at a re old , worn or d am aged cann ot pro vid e
maximum cont rol and braking ability .
• New tires te nd to be slippery and mu st be bro ken in . To redu ce
the ri sk o f lo sin g co ntro l, a collis ion and serious per sonal injurie s,
dri ve w ith special care f or the fi rst 350 m ile s ( 560 km l.
• Driving w ith w orn or damaged tire s can lead to lo ss of control ,
sudd en tir e fa ilure , inc ludi ng a blowout a nd sudden defl atio n, ..,_

Tires a nd wh eels 111111 ________________________________ ::..:..:....::.=.....::.:..:..:..::..:___:__ _ ___:,___
•
Sidewa ll
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed ra ting means the speed at which a t ire is designed to be driven for
extended periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
t o 186 mph (298 km/h) =>
page 340. You may not find this informa ­
tion on all tires because it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applicab le, is molded on the tire
sidewa ll and indicates the maximum perm issible road speeds=>
&
in "Winter tires" on page 343.
T ire pre ssu re m onit orin g sys te m *
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires
are under inflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.
Tre ad
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road .
Tread sepa ra ti on
means pu lling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Tr ea dw ear indi cato rs ( TW I)
means the projections with in the principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread . See
~ page 337, "Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)" for more information on
measuring tire wear.
U ni form Tire Q ua lity G radin g
is a tire information system developed by the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N HTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make re lative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is
not a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a
prescribed number of miles (kilometers) or perform in a certain way .
I t simply gives tire buyers additional information to combine with
other considerations, such as price, brand loya lty and dealer recom -mendations
. Under UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufac ­
t urers in three areas : treadwear, traction, and temperature res is ­
tance. The UTQG information on the tires, molded into the sidewal ls .
U .S . DOT Tir e Identifi cation Numb er (TIN )
This is the tire's "ser ia l number" It begins with the letters "DOT" and
indicates that the tire meets a ll federa l standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate t he plant where it was manufact ured,
and the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufac­
ture. For example,
DOT ... 2 20 7 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22th week of 2007 . The
other numbers are marketing codes that may or may not be used by
the tire manufacturer . This information is used to contact
consumers if a tire defect requires a reca ll.
V ehi cle ca pac ity w eig ht
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle's total seating capacity as listed on the label
located either on the d river's side 8 -pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap.
V eh icle max imum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib­
uting t o each ax le its share of the max imum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
V ehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib­
uting t o each ax le its share of the curb weight, accessory weig ht,
and normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with table
below =>
page 330) and dividing by two . _.,
Vehicle care I t •

-Tires and wheels
PW-------------------
Engine II Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
( displa ce-
normal load full load normal load
full load
ment in
liter) condition
al condition
conditional condition
PSI
I I kPA PSI
kPA PSI II kPA II PSI II kPA
12-cylinder
255/45 R18 99H All Season 36 250 38 260 32 220 32 220
6 .0 Individual
rear seats 255
/40 R19 100V XL All Season 41 41 280 36 250 36 250
255 /40 R19 100Y
XL High Performance
36 250
38 260 32
220 32 220
275 /35 R20 102Y
XL High Performance 38 41 280 35 2 40 4 4 300
12 -cylinder 255 /45 R18 99H All Season 36 250 36 250 32 220 32 220
6 .0
255/40 R19 100V XL All Season 41
280 41 280 36 250 36 250
255 /40 R19 100V
XL High Performance 36 250 36 250 32 2 20 32 220
275 /35 R20 102Y XL High Performance
38 260 41 280 35 240 44 300
XL = reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as xi , EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire sidewall .
al norm al l oad cond it ion => pag e 330.
The cor rect tire pressure for the spare wheel is located on a label
either on the driver 's side B -pillar o r inside the fue l fil ler flap .
Because technica l changes may be mad e to vehicle equipmen t
du ring the mo del year, always co mpare the tire si ze designa tion on
the tire pressure label on your vehicle with the tires on your vehicle .
Make sure t hat the t ire size info rmati on on t he veh icle labe l is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle . This is especially impor ­
tan t if the vehicle bel ongs t o some one e lse or you boug ht the
vehic le with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ ­
ously owned ve hicle.
Reme mbe r, you r safety an d that of your passengers a ls o depe nds
on making sure tha t load limi ts are not exceed ed. Vehicle load
inc ludes everybody and everyt hin g in an d on th e vehicle . T h ese load
limits are technical ly referred to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weigh t Ra ting ("GVWR"). The Gro ss Axle Weigh t Ra tin g ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles
. The G ross Vehic le We ight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight
Rat ing are lis ted on the safety compliance sticker labe l located
either on the driver 's side 8 -pillar or on the inside of the fue l fi ller
fl ap . The ti re p ressure label on you r Aud i lists the maximum
combined weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or other cargo
th at th e vehic le can carry . Fo r the location o f the t ire pressure labe l
=> page 330, fig. 274.
& WARNING
Overload ing a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury , and even death .
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was des igned to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of a loss of vehicle control . .,_