2011 AUDI S8 warning

228 Check ing and filling
and ad versely a ffect yo ur New Vehicl e
W arrant y.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no circums tances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network o r
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays rea d an d h eed all WARN­
INGS c::> .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 222.
The engine oil must be changed accord ing to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradua lly during normal vehicle use .
Under some ci rcumstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently. Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or have your vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe ­
riods .
Detergent addit ives in the oil w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along w ith the special tools and necessary ex ­
pertise required , we strongly recommend that
you have your o il changed by an authori zed
A udi de ale r or a q ual ified servi ce station.
If you choo se to c hang e y our oi l your self,
please note the followi ng important informa­
tion :
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en- gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il dra in plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help p revent hot oil from run­
n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out
of the rea ch of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
with soap and wate r.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
g ine and adversely affect you r A ud i Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oil, first make su re
you know where you can prope rly dispose
o f the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

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
•
•

232 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance .
Fig. 181 Engine compartme nt: markings on the brake
flu id reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ .&._ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 222.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 181. The brake fluid
level must be between the "MIN" and
" MAX " markings .
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
c:::,page224 .
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . T hi s is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light. (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
t he water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long . This can seriously affect the effi­
ciency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This could result in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l
of brake fl uid as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have t he brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ive s we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility . The electrolyte level shou ld a lso be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 235.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 159.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢ page 195.
Be aw are tha t when you unlock yo ur vehicle ,
some of the conven ien ce f unct ions may no t
Checkin g and fillin g 233
opera te , such as the Conven ience key*, the re­
mote control or the power seat adjustment .
T he convenience functions will be ava ilab le
again when you switch on the ign ition and
start the eng ine.
Winter operat ion
D uring the w inte r mon ths, bat tery capacity
tends to dec rease as temperatures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consum ptio n, pa r­
ticu lar ly in city traffic or when traveling only
short distances. Let your autho riz ed Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
te ry before w inter sets in¢
page 235 . A well
c h arged battery will not on ly prevent s tarti ng
problems w hen the weather is cold, but wi ll
also last longer.
(D Tips
If you r vehicle is left s tandi ng for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle ba ttery s hould be removed an d
s to red w here i t w ill not fr eeze . T his w ill
p revent it from be in g damaged and having
to be replaced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
T he battery is lo cated in the l uggage compa rt­
ment unde r the floo r. B efo re you che ck a ny­
thi ng in the luggage com partmen t,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&, .
Alw ays heed t he safety warning s, when work­
ing on the vehicle b atte ry or the vehicle e lec -
t rical system to prevent i njury. .,..
•
•

234 Check ing and filling
Th e following WARNINGS are very
impo rtant when w ork ing on the b att ery :
Alwa ys hee d the fo llo w ing WARNING SYM ­
BOLS and safety precaution s when working
o n the battery .
®
@
®
Always w ear eye prot ection.
Batter y acid cont ain s sulfu ric acid.
Alwa ys wear glo ves and e ye p rote c­
tion.
No
• sparks
-flames
- smoking.
When a batt ery is charged, it produ ­
ces hydrog en ga s whi ch i s e xplo sive
a nd could cau se p ers on al injury .
Always keep the battery well out of reach of children .
.8, WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r is k of
inju ry, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wea r eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
yo ur skin or clothing. Shield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection .
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could lea k out of the vent ilation open ­
ings.
- I f you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your sk in , immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l m inutes 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 neg­
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be s ure
not to short-circu it the terminals with
too ls or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and pe rsonal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal in jury.
-Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negat ive ground ca­
b le .
- Before performing any work on the e lec ­
tr ical system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
m ust be disconnected.
If yo u are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights .
- Before disconnec ting the bat tery, switch
off the anti -theft alarm system! Other ­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, f irst
disconnect the negative cab le and then
the positive cab le .
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off . Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis­
charged batte ry can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °() .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­ ways rep lace a damaged battery .

_& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
t ive p roblems. Wash hands afte r han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not d isconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­
gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electron ic components in the elect ri­
c al system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
l ong pe riod of time wi thout bei ng d riven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it wil l be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
F ig . 182 Eng ine compartment : connecto rs for a cha rg ­
er and jump sta rt cab les
Alway s read and h eed all WARNINGS be low
¢ &. and
¢&. in Working on the ba ttery on
page 234.
• Switch off the ignit ion and a ll electrica l con­
s u mers.
• Make sure the are a is well vent ilated when
you charge the battery.
• Open the engine hood
¢page 222.
• Remove the cover @ by press ing on the ar­
row ¢
fig. 182.
Checkin g and fillin g 235
• Open the cover @on the pos itive termina l.
• Connect the charge r co nnectors according to
the instruct ions to the
jump sta rt bolts.
(Bo lts under the red cover= "positive", Bo lts
w ith hex head= "negative").
• On ly now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equ ipment into the wall outlet and turn
iton ¢_& .
• Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amp s/14.8 V olt .
• W hen the battery is fully charged: T urn the
charging equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wall out let.
• Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
• Close the red cover on the positive pole.
• Close the hood ¢
page 223.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 F
0 (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it ¢ Ii::,. . However, we recommend not
us ing a thawed batte ry aga in because the bat­
te ry casing can be c racked due to i ce fo rma­
t ion and can leak ba ttery a cid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charg ing at low vo ltages (e.g. wi th a
trickl e charger ), the batte ry cables do no t
have to be dis conne cted firs t. T he bat tery
caps should
not be opened when charg ing a
batte ry .
It is no t necessa ry to remove the battery from
t he luggage compartmen t, a nd it is a lso not
necessary to d isconnect the cab les.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14 .8 Volts)
Fo r tec hni cal re asons do not use a battery
c h arger that uses voltage g reater than 14.8
Volts to charge yo ur vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangero us.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu ­
facturer when charging your battery.