2009 AUDI S8 Owners Manual

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re liabi lity . For detailed vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
M ain tena nce booklet .
Under diff icult operating condition s, for example at extreme ly low
outside temperatures, in very dusty regions, when towing a trai ler
very frequently, e tc ., som e serv ice work shou ld be p erfo rm ed
between the intervals specifie d. T his applies particu lar ly to:
• oil ch ang es, a nd
• cleaning or replacing the air filter.
<£> For the sake of the environment
By regularl y maintaining your vehicle, you help make su re that emis ­
s io n sta n da rds are ma intained, thus minimi zing a dvers e effe cts on
the environment. •
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The inc reasing use of elect ronics, sophisticated fue l injection and
e mi ssio n con tro l sy stems, a nd the gene ra lly i ncreas ing tec hn ica l
complexity of today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the scope
o f mai nte na nce a nd repairs wh ic h can be carr ied ou t by veh ic le
owners.
Also, safety and environmental concerns p lace very strict
l im it s o n the nat ure o f rep ai rs a nd adju stmen ts to engine a nd tra ns­
m ission parts which an owner can perform.
M aintena nce, adj ust m ent s and repairs u sua lly require special t ool s,
t est ing dev ices and o ther equipment ava ilab le to sp ecia lly trained
workshop personne l in order to assure p rope r performance, reli ­
ab ilit y and sa fety o f the vehicle a nd its many sys tems.
I mproper maintenance, adjustments and repairs can impair the
ope ra ti on a nd reliabil ity o f your vehi cle a nd even vo id your ve hicle
warranty. Therefore, proof of servicing in accordance with the main ­
t e nance sch ed ule may be a con diti on for upholding a poss ibl e
warranty claim made within the warranty period.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Above a
ll, operational safe ty can be adverse ly affected, creating
u nn ece ssary risks for you a nd your passenge rs .
I f in doubt about any servicing, have it done by your authorized Audi
dea ler or any other properly equipped and qualified workshop. We
str on gly ur ge you to g ive your au thorized Au di dea ler t he o pportu ­
nity to perform al l scheduled maintenance and necessary repairs.
Your dealer has t he facil ities, origina l pa rts and tra ined spec ialis ts
to keep your vehic le running proper ly.
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The fo llowing pages descr ibe a limited numbe r of procedu res wh ic h
ca n be perf ormed o n you r vehicle wi th ord ina ry tools, sho uld the
need arise and trained personne l be unavailab le. Befo re performing
any of t hese proc edures, a lways thor oug hly read all of the ap pli­
cable text and carefu lly fo llow the instruct ions given. Always rigor ­
ously observe the
WARNINGS provid ed .
Before you check anything in the engine compartment , al ways read
and heed all WARNINGS~
& and~ & in "Working in the engine
compa rtme nt" on
page 309.
& WARNING
• Serious personal injury may occur as a result of improperly
performed maintenance , adjustments or repairs .
• Always be extremely careful when working on the veh icle .
Always follow commonly accepted safety practices and general c ommon sense . Never risk personal injury .
• Do not attempt any of the maintenance, checks or repairs
descr ibed on the following pages if you are not fully fam iliar with
these or other procedures with respect to the vehicle , or are uncer ­
tain how to pro ceed .
• Do not do any work without the proper tools and equipment.
Have the necessary work done by your authorized Audi dealer or
another properly equipped and qualified workshop . _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Tec hn ica l da ta

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& WARN ING (continued )
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially
hazardous area . Never rea ch into the area around or to uch the
radiator fan . It is temperature controlled and can sw itch on
suddenly -even when the engine is off and the ignition key has
been removed . The radiator fan switches on automatically when
the coolant reaches a certain temperature and will continue to run until the coolant tempe rature drops .
• Always remove the ignition key before anyone gets under the
vehi cle .
• Always support your vehicle with safety stands if it is neces ­
sary to work underneath the vehicle . The jack suppl ied with the
vehicle is not adequate for this purpose and could collap se
causing serious personal injury .
• If you must work underneath the vehicle with the wheels on
the ground, always make sure the veh icle is on level ground , that
the wheels are always securely blocked and that the engine
cannot be sta rted .
• Always make sure the tr ansmission selector lever (automatic
transmission) is in "P" (Park position ) and the p ark brake is firmly
applied.
W For the sake of the environment
• Cha ng ing the e ngin e sett ings will a dverse ly aff ect em iss ion
levels. This is detrimenta l to the environment and increases fuel
co nsump tion .
• Always observe environmenta l regu lations when disposing of
o ld eng ine oil, u sed bra ke flu id, d irty eng ine coo la nt, spent batter ies
or worn out tires.
• Undeployed airbag modul es and pretensioners might be classi ­
fied as Perchlorate Material -specia l handling may apply, see
www .d tsc.ca .gov/ hazardouswaste/pe rc h lora te . W hen t he vehicle or
parts of the restraint s ystem including airbag modules safety be lts
with pre tensio ners are sc ra p pe d, a ll ap pl ica ble laws and reg ula- tions must be observed. Your authorized Audi dea
ler is familiar with
t hese requi reme nts and we reco mmend th at you h ave your dealer
perform th is serv ice for you. •
Additional accessories,
modifications and parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
A lways consult an author ized Audi dea ler before
pur chasin g access orie s.
Y our vehicle incorporates the latest safety design featu res ensuring
a hi gh standa rd of active a nd passive sa fety .
T his saf ety could be com promised by non -approved changes to th e
vehic le . Fo r thi s reason, i f parts have to be replaced, p lease obse rve
th e fo llow ing po ints wh en insta lling add it io na l acc essories:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are avai lable
from autho rized Audi dea lers .
T hese dealers also have the necessary faci lities, tools and trained
spec ia lists to ins tal l the part s and accessorie s prope rly.
& WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non -approved accessories
can cause serious personal injury.
• Use only accessorie s expressly approved by Audi and genuine
Audi spare parts
• These parts and accessories have been specially designed to
be used on your vehicle .
• Never install accessories such as telephone cradles or
beverage holders on airbag covers or within the airbag deploy-

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& WA RNIN G (continu ed )
ment zone s. Do ing so will in creas e the risk of injur y if airb ags are
trig ger ed in an accident!
• Before you che ck anyth ing in the engine comp artme nt, a lwa ys
re ad and heed all WARNIN GS=>
page 301 .
0 Note
• If items other than ge nuine Audi spare parts, add -on equ ipment
and accessory items are used or if repair work is not performed
according to specified methods, this can resu lt in severe damage to
your vehicle's engine and body (such as corrosion) and adverse ly
affect your vehicle's war ranty.
• T he innovative a luminium concept of your Audi A8 means that all
servicing, repairs or other work on the vehic le body mus t be carried
out exc lusively by an Audi workshop.
• I f emergency repairs must be performed e lsewhere, have the
vehicle examined by an authorized Audi dealer as soon as possible.
• The manufacturer cannot be held liable for damage which occurs
due to failure to comply with these stipu lations. •
Technical Modifications
Our guidelines must be complied with when technical
modifications are made.
A lways c onsult an authorized Audi dealer before starting work on
any modifications.
T his will he lp ensure that vehicle function, performance and safety
are no t impa ired =>& .
Attempting to work on electronic components and the software used with them can cause malfunctio ns. Because o f the way elec ­
tronic components are interconnected with each other, such
malfunctions can also have an adverse affect on other systems that
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
are not directly involved.
This means that you risk both a substantial
reduction in the operat ional safety of your vehicle and an increased
wear of vehicle parts => & .
Authorized Audi dealers wi ll perform this work in a professional and
competent manner or, in special cases, refer you to a pro fess ional
company that specializes in such modifications.
& WARNING
Improper repair s and modifications c an change the way vehicle
s y stems work and cau se seriou s per sonal injury .
0 Note
If emergency repairs must be perfor med e lsewhere, have the
vehic le examined by an authorized Audi dea ler as soon as
possible. •
Declaration of Compliance ,
Telecommunication or Electronic Systems
Ra dio Fre quency Devices and R adio comm unic ation
E quipment User Manual N otic e.
The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interference
caused by unauthorized modificat io n s to this equi pment .
Device s
The followi ng devices each comp ly w ith FCC Part 15 .19, FCC 15.21
and RSS-Gen Issue 1:
• Adaptive C ruise Contro l
• Convenience key
• Aud i side assist
• Cell phone package
• Electronic immobilizer
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Tec hn ica l da ta

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• Home link® universal remote control
• Remote contro l key
• Tire pressure monitoring system *
FCC Part 15.19
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules . Operation is
subject to the fo llowing two conditions :
(1 l This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
FCC Part 15 .21
CAUTION:
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment .
RSS-Gen Issue 1
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1 l this device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference, including interference
that may cause undesired operation of the device.•

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Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Tec hn ica l da ta

Alphabetical index

__ _!_A~ l~p~ h~ a~ b~e~ t:!:ic~a~ l _!:i n~ d~e~ x~ --------------------------------------------
A
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Adaptive Air Suspension .... ... .. .... 188
automatic mode ...... .... ....... 189
Description ... ... ... ..... .... ... 188
dynamic mode ................... 189
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire .
191
lift mode ...... ..... .... .... .... . 189
Setting the driving modes .. .... ... 191
Sport Chassis Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
standard mode ... .... .... .... ... 189
Trailer towing mode ... .... .... ... 192
Warning/indicator lights ........ 20, 21
Adaptive Cruise Control . ... .. .... ... .
Changing speed .... .... .... .... .
Driver information .............. .
Driving in traffic .. .... .... ..... . .
Error messages ................. .
Open road ......... ............ .
Override ........ ............... .
Request for driver to assume control
Save speed ..................... .
Setting distance .. .... .... .... .. .
Setting time interval . ... .. .... ... .
Settings . ... .... .... .... ....... .
Specia l driving situations . ....... . 139
142
146
140
148
140
140
140
142
144
144
150
150
Status messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Switching on and off ... .. .... ... . 141
System limitations .... ....... ... .
Temporarily turning off ....... ... .
warning/indicator lights ... .... ... . 150
143
146 Adaptive Light
.......... .... .... .... . 72 System error message . ...... .... . 186
defective .. .... .... .... ..... .. .... 36 Towing hitch .. .... .... ...... .... 183
Adding Air conditioning
Engine coolant ... ....... .... .... .
318
See Climate controls 114
Engine oil . .... .... .... ... .... .. .
314 Airbag system .... .... .... ..... . 220, 240
Windshield washer fluid .... .... .. .
325 Advanced Airbag System ...... .... 224
Additional accessories .......... .. ... 384
Additives Engine oil . .... ...... ... .. .... ... 314
Adjustable steering col lumn .. ..... ... 128
Adjusting Front seats .... ...... .... .... .... . 86
Instrument cluster i llumination . .... . 15
Steering column . ........... .... .
128
Advanced Parking System with rear view camera
Adjusting the chimes -option 1 . ... 183
Adjusting the chimes -option 2 ... . 184
front and back with visual display and
rear -view camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
General information ......... ..... 173
Notes on distance irnformation ... .. 182
Parking next to obstacles . . . . . . . . . . 181
Rear -view camera -parking mode 1 . 178
Rear -view camera -parking mode 2 . 179
Rear -view camera (Rear View) ...... 176
Rear -view camera coverage area . . . . 177
Rear -view camera tips . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Special parking situations .. .... ... 181
Switching the rear-view camera on and off ............................ 185
sw itching the visual display on and off
185 Advanced Airbag System components .
..
227
Care .. .... .... .... .... ... .... ... 234
Child restraints 247
Children ... .... .... ... .......... 246
Components (front airbags) . .... ... 227
Danger of fitting a child seat on the front passenger seat ............... .. 222
Disposal ............ .. ...... .... 234
Front airbags .. ............ .. 224, 225
How do the front airbags work? . ... 229
How many airbags does my vehicle have? 227
How the Advanced Airbag System compo ­
nents work together . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system .................. 238
Important things to know .......... 220
Indicator light .... ......... ...... 231
Knee airbags 236
Monitoring .. .... .... .... .... .... 231
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ... .. 232
Repairs ..... .... .... .. .. . ... ... .
Safety instructions .. .... .... .... .
Side airbags . .... .... .... .... ... . 234
233
239
Side curtain airbags .... ... .... ... 242
Warning/indicator lights ........... . 19