2011 AUDI S8 check engine light

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 2 7
sounds. After about S seconds the display
switches back to normal.
Calling up th e service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspe ct io n is due,
can be shown in the MM I disp lay by select ing
the servi ce inte rva l disp lay in the car menu .
Select the
I CA R I function button > Car s ys­
tems
contro l button > Servicing & chec ks >
Service interval d isplays.
Resetting the service interval display
Your au thori zed A udi dealer w ill reset the cor­
responding service sched ule after per forming
the approp riate service on yo ur vehicle. You
also have the possib ility to reset the o il
change sched ule after having performed an
oil change accord ing to Audi specifications.
Select the
I CAR I function button > Car sys­
tems
control bu tton > Servicing & checks >
Service interval display s > Reset oil change
interval.
CJ) Note
If you disconnect the battery termina ls , no
calc ulations can be made for the service
interval display d uring this tim e and no
service remi nder w ill appea r. Remembe r
t h at observ ing the prope r serv ice intervals
is v ita lly impo rtant to ex tend ing the life o f
your veh icle , particu larly the engine, a nd
maintaining its va lue . Even if t he mileage
driven is low, the maximum period of one
year from one service to the next must not
be exceeded.
{!) Tips
- Do not reset the display between o il
changes, otherw ise the display will be i n­
cor rect.
- The information in the Service Reminder
r ema ins stored even when the vehicle
battery is discon nected .
Open door /hood /rear lid warning
Fi g. 13 Display : doo rs a nd re ar lid open
With the ign ition switched on, the warn ing il­
luminates when at least
one door or the hood
or the rear lid is not closed . The symbo l also
shows you
which door(s) or lid is not closed .
In the illustrati on
i:> fig . 13 it is the driver's
door and the left rear door.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) fllllij in
the instrument cluster is part of t he On-Board
Diagnost ic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light ill uminates when
the ignitio n is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the id le has stabilized.
This indicates that the MIL is working proper­
ly .
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
i ng, a malfunction may exis t in the engi ne sys­
tem . If the light illumi nates, the catalyt ic con­
verter could be damaged .
Contin ue d riving
with reduced power (avoid­
i ng s ustai ned h igh speeds and/or rapid accel ­
erations) and have the cond ition co rrected .
Contact your aut horized Aud i dea le r.
If the light illum inates, the electronic speed
li miter may also be malfunct io ni ng . For more
i nformation
~ pag e 28, Electronic speed
limiter. ...,

Power windows
Controls
The driver can control all power windows.
Fig. 30 Section of the driver's door: Controls
All power window switches are provided with
a two-pos ition function:
Opening the windows
"' Press the switch to the first stop and hold it
until the window reaches the desired posi­
tion.
"' Press the switch briefly to the
second stop
to automatically open the window .
Closing the windows
"' Pull the switch to the first stop and hold it
until the window reaches the desired posi­
t ion.
"' Pull the switch briefly to the
second stop to
automatical ly close the window.
Power window switches
@ Driver's door
@ Passenger's door
© Left rear door
@ Right rear door
® Safety button (or two safety buttons in ve­
hicles with power child safety locks
<=>page38)
Child safety lock
When the safety button® c:> fig. 30 is press­
ed, the LED in the button lights up. The fol­
l owing features are switched off:
- The power windows in the rear doors,
Opening and closing 39
- The buttons for the power sun shades* in
the side windows,
- The buttons for the power sun shade* in the
rear window,
- Front passenger power seat adjustment*
button.
&_ WARNING ~
- When you leave your vehicle -even if on-
ly briefly - always take the ignit ion key
with you. This applies particularly when
children remain in the vehicle. Otherwise
the children could start the engine or op­
erate electrical equipment (e.g. power
windows). The power windows are func­
tional until the driver's door or passeng­
er 's door has been opened.
- Be careful when closing the windows.
Check to see that no one is in the way, or
serious injury could result!
- When locking the vehicle from outside,
the vehicle must be unoccupied since the
windows can no longer be opened in an
emergency .
(j) Tips
- The driver can lower or ra ise the power
sun shades* in the sid e windows by using
switches © and @.
- After the ignition has been switched off,
the windows can st ill be opened or
closed for about 10 minutes. The power
windows are not switched off until the
driver's door or passenger's door has
been opened.
What to do after a malfunction
The one-touch open and close function must
be reactivated if the battery has been discon­
nected.
"' Pull and ho ld the power window switch until
the window is fully closed.
"' Release the switch and then pull it again for
at leas t one second.

192 Intelligent technology
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wh eels are eq uipped w ith ident i­
ca l tires. Different tire s iz es can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear no ises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
DJ or m (USA
models) ;tl] (Canada models) appea rs,
there may be a malfunct ion
c::;, page 19,
c::;, page
18 .
Switching on and off
ESP turns on au toma tically when you s tar t
the engine .
Fig . 170 Cen ter con sole w it h ESP OF F button
Switching ASR off (sport mode)
In ce rtain situat io ns, yo u can switch ASR and
E SP into sport mode by pressing the button
l!I
c::;, fig. 170. The indicato r light fl comes on
and the mess age
C aution! Limit ed driving
s tability
appears . ASR deact ivates comp lete ly
and the assistance prov ided by the ESP sys ­
tem is limited. Switch to sport mod e onl y
when your d riv ing sk ills, traffic and weather
conditions permit.
In some situations, it may be useful to switc h
ASR off to let the wh eels slip. Example:
- Rocking the vehicle bac k and forth when it is
stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Sw itching ASR on
Press the button I!] aga in. The message ESP /
ASR: on appears .
A WARNING
-Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESP are in sport mode, especial­
ly whe n the road is slippery .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
d riving skills, traff ic and weather condi­
tions perm it.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is worki ng.
Braking
General information
Wha t affe cts braking effi cien cy?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes o n today's automobiles are still
s u bjec t to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing cond it ions and driving hab its
c::;, &. . On ve­
hicles that a re e it h er dr iven most ly in stop­
and-go city t ra ffi c or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by yo ur au thor­
ized Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
t h e
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes , you sho uld use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system . If you
must use your b rakes, do not hold t he brakes
down continuous ly. Pump the brakes at in ter­
vals .
Moisture or road salt
U nd er certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads . A
few caref ul brake applicat ions should dry off
t h e b rake pads or remove a ny ice coatings .
The effectiveness of the brakes ca n be reduced
when the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt-covered
ll>

Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full b raking effect.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive th rough safely.
- Avoid dr iving through sa lt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 199
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your eng ine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
( E PA) and Tra nspo rt Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most f uel when they are ac­
ce le rating. If you ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
•
•

200 Driving and en vi ro nm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
"'Try and keep well below your car 's maximum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. F ue l consumption, exhaust em issions and en ­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fue l consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"'Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle .
"'Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the e ngine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings , or at traff ic lights that have
long wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned s tarting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and noxious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
([) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af ­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over- heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"' Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ular inter -
vals.
By having your veh icle regu larly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs p rop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its sa fety and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel c onsump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach time you fill your t ank .
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained proper ly
and in accordance with the service rec ­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such
as heat sh ie lds, switches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other impo rtant vehicle compo­
nents .

Trailer lo ad di stri bu tion
Be s ure the load in the trai ler is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
N eve r allow a p assenger to rid e in a tr ailer
,=:, .&. in Driving instructions on page 204.
Engine cooling s ystem
Towing a tra iler makes the eng ine work hard ­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
pe rformance is up to the addit ional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
Tire p res sure
When tow ing a trailer, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
" Full load " on the label located on the dr iver's
side B-pillar (v is ible when the door is open).
I nflate trailer tires to tra iler and t ire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both veh icle and trailer
lights are working properly .
Safety chain s
Be sure trailer safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve ­
h icle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
r oad when yo u are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
sepa rat ion from the hitch .
Adjusting the air su spens ion an d damping
s y stem
Ensure the follow ing b efore coupling the trai l­
e r and
b efo re adjusting the tongue weight on
the trailer:
- For the veh icle to be at the normal level, the
A uto or Comfort driv ing mode must be se­
lected
,=:, page 10 7, Selecting the driving
mode. The vehicle must a lso not be raised
,=:, page 108 .
Trailer to win g 203
-If the trailer was detected automatically, a
trailer hitch wi ll appear on the veh icl e@ in
the
Aud i dr ive se lect menu (MMI > ICARI
function button)
,=:, fig. 171. If this does no t
happen , turn the towing mode on in the
MMI. Select: I CAR I funct ion button>
C ar
sys tem s
control button > Vehicle setting s >
Air su sp en sion: t owing > O n.
- Turn towing mode off if you secure a carrier
system such as a bicycle rack on the trailer
hitch. Se lect in the M MI: ICAR !function but­
ton >
Car syste m s control button > Vehi cle
se tting s
> Air su spen sion : towin g > Off.
If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
aft er coupling the
tra iler or
aft er adjust ing the tongue we ight
,=:, page 108.
(D Note
If you a re going to tow a t railer, you must
activate the tra iler operation mode .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle and trailer, please note the follow ing :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is no t loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other ve ­
hicles .
.,. Obse rve speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the max imum permissib le
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded t railer with an empty car re­
s ul ts in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, dr ive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid the risk of losing
steering contro l.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means tha t the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and
IJI>
•
•

216 Cleaning and protecti on
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist.
- Do not use br ushes, stiff sponges or sim­
ilarly abrasive cleaning aids.
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia ­
bly when needed .
> Keep belts clean.
> For cleaning, use a mild soap and wate r sol­
ution . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight .
> Do not allow inertia reel safety be lts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
> Check the condition of your safety belts reg­
ularly .
Heavily soiled safety belts may not retract
properly.
.&_ WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers would not be adequately pro­
tected in an acc ident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleani ng agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
ert ies which weaken the webbi ng.
- When cleani ng your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discove r dam­
age, see you r A udi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS and
other information
c:> page 206.
Cooler
A ppl ies to vehicles: with cooler
A layer of ice or frost in the cooler interferes
with its cooling performance .
Clean ing
The refr igerator sho uld be cleaned reg ularly.
> Wash the coo ler with lukewarm wate r and a
mild cleaning solution, if necessary.
> Then wipe the cooler dry.
> Dust and d irt will accumulate near the venti­
lation openings in the luggage compart­
ment due to normal cooler usage. This
should be cleaned regularly.
D ef rosting
> Switch the coo ler off c:> page 72.
> Remove any food or beverages and allow the
coo ler to defrost with the door open.
> W ipe the inside of the cooler dry and clea n
the cooler, if necessary .
Defrost the cooler if you will not be us ing it
for extended periods of time .
(D Note
- Do not try to speed up the defrosting
process by apply ing heat.
- To reduce the risk of persona l injury or
damage to the refr igerator,
- do not use any abrasive cleaners, sol­
vents, wax, agg ress ive clean ing solu ­
tions, solut io ns w it h strong frag rances,
etc.,
- d o no t clean the co oler w ith cleaning
tools su ch as s teel woo l.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en ­
gine comportment.
Alway s switch off the ignit ion b efor e cle an­
ing the engine
c:> ,&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the w indshield under the eng ine compart ­
ment . This prevents the wate r drain holes
from becom ing b locked, and it preve nts de­
br is from entering the vehicle inte rior through
the heat ing and ven tilat ion duc ts.
Corrosion protection
The eng ine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the factory .
ll-

222 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 175 Driver foo twell: release lever
AUD I
Fig. 176 Rocker switch un der the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged.
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow
¢ fig. 175.
.,. Raise the hood slightly¢,&. .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward ~
fig. 176. This releases the catch.
... Open the hood.
&_ 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 compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
' Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
¢ ,&. .
/n.. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.