2011 AUDI S8 coolant

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.

224 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig . 177 Typ ical layout for conta iners a nd eng ine o il filler cap
(D W indshield/head light washer
t . (?::..) con
amer ~ .... ... . ... .. . 236
@ Jump start point(-) with hex
h ead screw, ................
235, 273
@ Jump start point(+) unde r a cov-
e r, . ...... .... ......... .. .
23 5, 273
© Eng ine oi l filler cap ('t::r.) . . . . . 227
® B rak e fluid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 232
® Coolant expansion tank (J-) . . . 229
0 Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 194
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in a d ifferent area depending on the ver­
sion of the engine .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WAR NINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 222.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
T he eng ine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi ­
cations . Th is engine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding
quality and v iscosity so that it can run
smoothly and reliab ly . Choosing th e right o il
and changi ng oil within the t ime and mileage
in tervals prin ted in you r vehicle's Warr anty
&
Maintenan ce booklet matte rs a lot more to­
day tha n it did years ago . Audi has develope d
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that you r vehicle's engine w ill
get the lubr ication it needs for proper opera-
t ion. ..,.

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
te cts the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolan t additive G12++ ant ifreeze
with a nticorrosion add itives (50% fo r USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture bot h assu res the ne ces sary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the bo ili ng po int of t he
coolant.
D o not red uce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summe r by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant addit ive must be at
least 50% but not mo re than 60 %
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -3 1°F (-35°C)USA
- -4 0 ° F ( - 4 0 °C) Canada.
You can mix t he G12 ++ cool ant ad ditive with
o ther addit ives (G1 2+ or G1 2). Alway s check
w ith your author ized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compartment, always read and hee d all
W AR NIN GS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 222.
(D Note
- Before win ter se ts in , have the coolan t
checked to see if the coolant addit ive i n
Checkin g and fillin g 229
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli ­
mate conditions . This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a reg ion where t he win­
ter is extreme ly co ld. If necessary, in­
crease t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 60% .
- Whe n add ing coolant additive to your
cooling system , remember :
- W e re co mme nd usin g only cool ant ad­
dit ive G 12++ (check t he labe l) for your
vehi cle. This coolan t addi tive is ava ila­
b le at a uthorized Audi dea le rs . Othe r
types of ant ifreeze can significant ly re­
d uce co rrosi on protection. The res ult­
i n g corrosion can ca use a loss of co ol­
ant and ser io us eng ine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to you r vehicle's eng ine c oolant .
Add ing radiator repair fl uid may adverse­
ly affect t he f unction and performance of
yo ur cooling sys tem and co uld resu lt i n
damage not covered by yo ur New Ve hicle
Li mi ted Warran ty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be chec ked with
a quick glan ce.
:!, MAX
% MIN
Fig. 180 En gin e compar tment: mark ings on t he coo l­
a n t expa nsion tank
Befo re you check a nyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&, in Working in the engine compart­
men t on page
222 .
"' Switch off the ignition .
"' Read the engine coo lant level from the coo l­
ant expa nsion tank
Qfig . 180. Wit h a co ld
eng ine , the coo lant level s hou ld be between
1JJ>-

230 Check ing and filling
th e "min" and "max" markings. When the
engine is wa rm, the level may be slightly
above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment ill us­
tration ¢
page 224 .
To obtain an accurate read ing , the engine
must be switched
off .
The expans io n tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level se nsor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the A uto-Check System ¢
page 15 will
i llum inate u nti l you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor , we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolan t loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immedia tely
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough mere ly to add coolant.
I n a
se aled system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
T he cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get ve ry hot . Reduce the risk of sca ld­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by cove ring the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being b urned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot eng ine parts . Under ce rtai n condi -
'
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coo l­
ant can catch fire.
@ Note
Do not add any type o f radiato r leak sea l­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add ­
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Veh icle L imited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
222 .
• Turnoff the engine .
• Let the eng ine cool down.
• Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
c> page 22 9, fig . 180 and carefully
tw ist t he cap co unter-clockwise c> ,& .
• Add coo lant .
• Twist the cap o n again
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 229, Coolant .
Even in a n emerge ncy, if coo la nt addi-
t ive G 12++ , G12+ or G12 is not ava ilable , do
not use a d iffe ren t addit ive. Use plain water
instead unt il you can get the cor rect add itive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be don e as soon as possible.
If you have los t a consider able amount o f
coolant, then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and cold wate r on ly when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not f ill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex ­
cess coola nt w ill be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in t he cap when the e n-
gine becomes ho t.
Ill>

A WARNING
-=
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot . Reduce the risk of
scald ing from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn
off the engine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
g ine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the env ironment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant w ill be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze
Q page 229 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while obse rv­
ing all environmental regulations.
Checkin g and fillin g
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The rad iator fan is dr iven by the engine via the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant .
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operat ing cond it ions .
After you switch the engine
off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes - even with the ignition
off. It can even switch
on again later by itself
Q &., if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in jury nev­
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certa in temperature and w ill
continue to ru n until the coolant temper­
ature drops.
231
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WARNINGS ¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment an page 222.
~ Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. 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
capacity in the table
in¢
page 282.
Clean water sho uld be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets. Always add a glass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir.
Checking and filling 237
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-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed eq uip ­
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 o r lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improve d steer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r reinforce d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
com ponents in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire .
Cold tire infl ation pres sure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 239
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i­
tion ing and addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
r espondi ng s tan dard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOA D", o r
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rate d
to ca rry for a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the loa d ra ting f or a t ire a t the maxi­
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
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...

A
A/C (automatic climate control) .... .. .. 75
Accessories .. ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 285
Adaptive a ir suspension/sport .. .. .. .. . 106
adaptive cruise control Stop-and-go traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Adapt ive cruise control ................ 86
C lean ing sensors/cameras ........... 208
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Request for drive r in tervention .. .. .. .. 90
Adapt ive Light (defective) ... .. .. .. ... . 21
Adding Engine coolant ........ ... ... ... ... 230
Eng ine oi l .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 227
W indshield washer fluid ... .. .. .. .. . 236
Addit ives
Engine oi l .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 227
Adjustab le steer ing colum n ............ 78
Ad justing
A ir distribution (automatic climate con-
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
I nstrument illum inat ion . ..... .... ... 47
S teer ing colum n .......... .. .. .. .. .. 78
Temperatu re (automat ic climate co ntrol) 76
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145, 164
Advanced A irbag System ............ 149
Advanced Airbag System components . 152
Ca re . .... .. ................. .. ... 158
C hi ldren . .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 170
Ch ild restra ints .................... 171
Components (front airbags) . ... .. .. . 152
Danger of fitting a child seat on the front
passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149, 150
H ow do the front airbags work? ... .. . 154
H ow many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... ..... ........... ...... .. 152
H ow the Advanced Airbag System com -
po nents work together ............. 153
I mportan t safety instructions on the
knee airbag system .... ... .. .. .. .. . 162
Important things to know .... .. .. .. . 145
Knee airbags ............. .... .. ... 161
Mon itoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .. .. .. . 156
Inde x 287
Repairs ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 158
Safety instructions . .. ... .... ... .. .. 158
S ide a irbags ... .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 163
S ide curtain airbags ................ 166
Warning/ind icator lights ............ . 18
Warning/Indicator lights ........... 156
We ight-sensing mat ... .. ..... ... .. 170
When must the system be inspected? 156
Aircraft Transporting your vehicle ........... 277
A lloy wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
All Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Winter tires . .. .. .... ........... .. 253
Ambience lighting ..... ............. . 46
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolan t ...... ... .. .. 229
Anti- lock b raking system ............ . 190
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 19
Anti-slip regulation ............. .... 190
Anti -theft systems
E lectronic immob ilizer .. .. ..... ... .. . 30
Audi braking guard
refer to b ra ki ng g uard .............. . 86
Audi drive select
refer to drive select 106
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Litera-
ture .............................. 283
A UTO
A utomat ic climate control ............ 75
A utomatic head lights .. .. ..... ... .. . 43
Auto Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Automat ic belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
A utomat ic car wash .... ........... .. 207
Automat ic climate control
Air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Automat ic recircu lation .............. 77
Operation . .. .. .. .... ............. . 75
Setup ............................ 77
synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Automat ic transm iss ion (t iptro nic) . .... 112
Emergency mode . .. ............... 115
K ick-down . .. .. .. ... ............ .. 115
Manua l shift ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Parking lock eme rgency release .. .. .. 116
Se lector lever positions . .. ..... ... .. 112
Automat ic w ipers ......... ........... 48
Auto Safety Hotline ................. 135
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