2011 AUDI S8 ESP

Advanced Parking System . . . . 118
Advanc ed Pa rking System with r ear
view camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Ad justing the display and warning
tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
E rro r messages
Homelink ® ............ .... .. . .
Universal remote control . .. .. .. .. . . 123
124
124
Safety first
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Prope r occupa nt seating posit ions . . . 128
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 132
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2
S towing lugg age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Safety belt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 145
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mo nitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 1
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
S ide curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
I mportant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hil d safety sea ts ......... .... .. . .
I ns tall ing a chi ld safety seat .. .. .. . .
L A T C H L ower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Addit io n al Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Preventative passenger protection .. . 169
174
178
18 1
187
188
188
Table of contents 3
Vehicle oper ation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
190
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 190
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
E lectronic stab ilizat ion program (ESP) 190
B rak ing ...... ... .. ............. .
Se rvotronic ® - advanced power
stee ring system .. .. ..... ........ .
D rivi ng with your q uattro ® ...... .. . 192
194
19
4
En ergy m anagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Driving and environment . . . . . 197
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
a ft erwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Catalytic conve rter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 198
Driving throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 199
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imi ze pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driv ing with a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Trai le r tow ing t ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 206
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Care of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... .......... ....
218
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
F uel tan k.. .. .. .. ... ............ . 219
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 222
E ngine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine comp artmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
T ire pressure mo nitoring system . . . . 256
•
•

6 About this Owner's Manual
This owner's manua l contains important infor­
mation, tips, suggestions, and warnings for
the use of your veh icle.
Make sure that this owner's manua l is always
located in the vehicle. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you allow other people to drive the ve­
h icle, or if you sell it.
This owner's manua l descr ibes the
equipment
range
specified for this mode l at the editoria l
deadline date. Some of the equipment descri­
bed here will on ly be available at a later date,
or only in specific markets.
Some sections in this owner's manua l do not
apply to a ll vehicles . In that case, the
range of
applicability
is g iven at the beginn ing of the
section, e.g. "Applies to vehicles: w ith Ad­
vanced Parking System" . In add it ion, optional
equipment is indicated by an asterisk"*" .
The details in the
illustrations may be differ ­
ent from those in your vehicle, and are intend­
ed to be viewed as a bas ic guide.
You will find a
table of contents at the begin­
n ing of this book, which disp lays all topics de ­
scr ibed in this manual in order of appearance.
You will find an alphabetical
index at the end
of this book .
All
directions , such as "left", "right", "front",
"back", are relative to the direct ion of travel.
* optional equipment
... This section continues on the next page.
® Registered trademarks are identified with
a®. If this symbol is miss ing, it is no g uar­
antee that the terms can be used freely.
~ .& Cross-reference to a "WARNING!" with-
in a sect ion. For ind ication w ith a page num­
ber, the corresponding "WARNING!" can be
found ou tside of the sect ion.
& WARNING
Text with this symbol contains important
information on safety and how to reduce
the risk of personal injury or death.
(D Note
Text with this symbo l draws your attention
to potentia l sources of damage to your ve­
hicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Text with this symbo l contains information
abo ut the environment and how you can
help protect it.
{!) Tips
Text with this symbo l contains specia l tips
and other informat ion about gett ing the
most out of yo ur vehicle and its features.

(!) Door handle
@
@
©
®
®
Audi side assist display
Power locking sw itches
Audi side assist button
A ir vents with thumbwheel
Control leve r for :
- Turn signal an high beam
- Audi lane assist ........ .. .
0 Multifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Drive r's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons . ............... .. .. .
- Audio/video, telephone and
vo ice recogn it ion buttons
- Sh ift padd les ......... ... .
@ Instrument cluste r ..... .. .. .
® W indshield washer system
lever .. .. ... ........... ... .
@ Start ing the eng ine if the re is a
mal function . ... .... ... .. .. .
@ Buttons for:
- MM I display
- Electronic Stab ilizat ion Pro-
gram (ESP) .............. .
- Emergency flashers ....... .
@ Buttons for:
- Steering wheel adjustment
- Steering wheel heating*
@ Lever for:
- C ruise contro l system
- Adaptive cruise cont ro l* .. .. .
(8) Eng ine hood release .. .. .. .. .
@ Data Link Connector for On
Board Diagnostics (O BD II) . ...
@ Light switch and inst rument il-
98
34
98
45
95
149
23
115
1 0
48
80
192
44
78
77
84
86
222
27
l umination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 47
@ Buttons for :
- All-wea ther lights* 43
- Night v ision assistant* . . . . . .
109
- Rear fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
@ Power exter io r mirro r adjust-
ment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
@ Rear lid switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Instrument s and control s 9
@ Powerwindows . .. .. .. ..... .
@ Memory function buttons .... .
@ MMI display
@) Indicator lights/buttons for
- PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF - Parking system ........... .
- Rear window power sun shade
@ Glove compartment ... ..... .
@) Front passenger's airbag .. .. .
@ Analog clock .. .. .......... .
@ Climate controls . .. ........ .
@ MMI controls
@) Se lector lever (automat ic trans-
m1ss1on) ....... ........... .
@ Center conso le with cupholder
@ Elec tromechanical parking
brake ........ .. .......... .
@ I S TA RT ENGINE STO PI button
(D Tips
39
62
156
118
47
71
149
26
75
112
70
81
79
-Some of the equ ipment o r feat ures
show n in the genera l ill ustration may be
stand ard equ ipment on your vehi cle or
may be opt ional eq uipment depending
on your model. Always ask your author­
ized Audi dea le r i f you have a questio n
about your vehicle.
- Operation of the Multi Media Interface
(MMI) is described in a separate manua l.

Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 13
Jj]
Electronic Stabilization Program
!I
Windshield wipers
(ESP)./ ¢page 21
¢ page 18
~
Remote control key
I
Electronic Stabilization Program
¢page 79
(ESP)./
-¢ page 18
m
Remote control key
~
USA m odel s: ¢page 79
Ant i- lock brak ing system (ABS)
!!
Battery in remote control key
defective ¢page30
¢ page 19
•
Canada models:
I:)
Defective light bulb warn ing
Ant i- lock braking system (ABS) ¢
page 21
defective
--
¢ page 19
II
Fog lights*
¢page 21
•
Worn bra ke pads
¢ page 19
Ii
Rear fog lights*
¢page 21
•
Electromechanical parking brake
I
¢page Bl
II
Headlight range control
¢page 21
g
Tire pressure monitoring system
./
•
adaptive light*
¢ page256 ¢
page 21
11111 Tire pressure mon itoring system --
m
Light-/rain sensor faulty
¢page256 ¢page 21
[m
Electronic power contro l
Audi lane assist
¢ page20
•
¢page95
R
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
./
[i
Transmission
¢ page20 ¢page
115
•
Engine speed limitation
m
Transmission
¢ page20
¢page 115
•
Engine oil level
Im
Electronic steering column lock
¢page17 ¢page 17
--
•
Engine oil sensor
Im
Engine start system
¢ page 20
¢page 17
--
r.
Battery
~~
Dynamic steering*./
¢page 16 ¢page22
~
Tank system
•
Air suspension
¢ page20
¢page 17
Windshield washer fluid level
--
• •
Sport differential *
¢ page 21
¢page22

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Other indicator lights
R!l!II Turn signals
111111119page22
r:r.mT:r.: USA models: Cruise control *
~ 9 page 84
•
Canada models: Cruise cont ro l*
9 page 84
Adaptive cruise control *
9page88
Adaptive c ruise control*
¢page 88
Adaptive cruise control *
¢page88
Audi la ne assist
¢p age 95
H igh beam
¢page 45
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
The light illum inates when the ignition is
switched on.
It goes out after the engine has
been started. Thi s ind icates that the bra ke
warn ing light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light doe s not light up
when the engine is cranking , there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case , contact your Audi dealer.
If t he b rake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a bra ke system mal function .
-(USA models)tlll (Canada model s)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
I f t he indicator lig ht t urns on and t he mes­
sage appears, proceed as follow s:
.. Pull off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Turn off t he engine .
.. Check the br ake fl uid level¢
page 232.
.. Co ntac t you r neares t authori ze d rep air fa ­
c ili ty i f necessary.
Warning! Fault in brake system . Contact
dealer
If t he A BS ind ica tor light (e) (USA models)l iiJ
(C anada mode ls), the ES P ind icator light
G1
and the brake sys tem indicator light
1111 (USA models)/ . (Cana da mo dels) tur n
o n and the message appears, the ABS, ESP
and braking distr ibut ion are not working¢&.
Carefu lly drive to your author ized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct io n correct­
ed ¢& .
1111 (USA models)tlll (Canada models)
Parking brake: sy stem fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the in dicator lig ht and the mess age ap­
pe ar
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
check if yo u can re lease the
parking brake. Afte r releasing the par kin g
bra ke, carefully d rive to y our authorized A u­
di dea ler immediately to have the ma lf u nc­
tion corrected. If you cannot release the
park ing brake, seek professiona l assistance .
- If the ind icator light and the message ap ­
pear
while driving , th e emergency brak ing
fu ncti on may not be availab le. It may not be
possible to set the park ing b rake or re lease
it o nce i t has been set. See k profess io nal as­
sistance.
( U SA mode ls): If the war ning light
1111 and
t h e warn ing light
£1 appea r togethe r, imme­
diately contact your author ized A udi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop to have a ll brake pads in­
spe cted
¢ page 19.
When the ligh t comes on, an a ud ible warn ing
s ignal is also g iven .
A WARNING
--Always obs erv e the warn ings in
¢ page 216, Engine compor tment, be­
f ore open ing the ho od and checkin g the
b ra ke fluid .
- Driving wi th l ow bra ke f lu id is a safe ty
h aza rd. S top th e car an d g et pro fession al
a ssis tance. .,_

Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 15
-USA models: If the -warning light,
the
G] warning light and the B warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r or a qua li­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications .
-Canada models: If the b rake warn ing
light ., the
I] warning light and the
ABS warning light
II] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first unde r
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent . Have your vehicle repaired immed i­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified wo rkshop . Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat io ns.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go o ut afte r a few seconds and the
par king brake re leased, or lights up while
yo u are d rivi ng, the flu id level in the
brake fluid reservo ir is too low . If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im ­
mediately at low speed to the nea rest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
-Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, you will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle . Do not re ly on stra ined brakes to
respond w ith maxim um stopp ing power
in c riti cal situatio ns. You mus t allow for
increased bra king dist an ces. The ex tra
dis tance used up by fad ing br akes could
lead to an acc ident .
PARK/ (®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If th e indicator light - (USA models) ;a
(Canada models) tu rns on, the par king brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the ignition
is off, the indicator light turns off a f­
ter abo ut 20 seconds .
T he wa rni ng/i ndi cator lig ht w ill go out when
the parking br ake is re leased.
- (USA models) ;a (Canada models )
Caution : V ehicle park ed too steep
If the indicator light bli nks and the message
appears, there is not enough braki ng power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing . T he b ra kes have
ove rheated. The vehicle could roll away eve n
o n a small incl ine.
Pre ss brake pedal to release parking brake
To re lease the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
~ page 82.
Please release parking b rake
T o re lease the par king brake manually, p ress
the brake peda l and press the button~ at the
same t ime. The parking b rake only re lease a u­
tomat ica lly if the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened.
IIJ Parking brake!
If t he IIJ indica to r li ght tur ns on and this
message appears, the re is a parking b rake
malfunction . Drive to your au thorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunct ion corrected .
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and che ck coolant level
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high o r the coolan t leve l is too low.
" Pull off the road.
" Stop the vehicle .
" Tu rn off the engi ne.
" Check coolant level~
page 229 .
"Add coolant if necessary ~ page 230.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
~ Pull off the road.
~ Stop t he vehicle .
~ Turnoff th e engine.
~ Check the engine oil level¢ page 22 7.
~ If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 227 . Make sure that the oil p res ­
s ur e warn ing symbol . appears no longe r
i n t he d is pl ay befo re you start d rivi ng aga in .
~ If the engi ne oil leve l is co rrec t and the ind i­
ca tor lig ht st ill turn s on , tur n the eng ine off
and do not conti nue d riving . Seek professio­
na l assista nce .
@ Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter ­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil p ressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
Ill. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
°'!=: ;. Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When t he sy mbo l and the dr ive r m essage ap­
pear, the oil has to be replenishe d righ t now
¢page 224.
If the indicator lig ht and th e message ap pear,
add engine o il im med iate ly
¢ page 227.
II Add oil, max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbo l and the dr iver message ap­
pear, add the amo unt of o il appeari ng i n the
d isp lay at the next opportunity ¢
page 224.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indica tor light turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, t here is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunct io n. You cannot sw itch
t h e ignit ion on.
D o
not tow yo ur vehicle because it cannot be
stee red. Seek professiona l assistance .
!m Steering lo ck : system fault . Please con­
tact dealer
If th e i ndica to r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, t here is a n electronic stee ring
column lo ck malfun ction.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfunction corr ected .
_&. WARNING
-
Your ve hicle mus t no t be towed i n the
eve nt o f a ma lfunction in t he elec tronic
s teer ing column loc k bec ause i t ca nno t be
steere d due to the locked steerin g. If it is
towe d wit h the steeri ng locke d, there is
the r is k of an accident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, do
not switch the ig nitio n off
because you may not be ab le to sw itch it on
again.
D rive to your authorized A udi dealer immedi ­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
I!! Engine start sy stem fault . Please con ­
tact dealer
I f th e indica to r li ght tur ns on and the mes­
sage a ppea rs, t here is a malf unct io n in the en­
gine st art system.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer imm ed i­
ate ly to have th e ma lfuncti on corr ected.
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin-
ue slowly with ma x. 35 mph. .,..

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
There is a malfunction that can result in re­
stricted driving stability.
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph
(60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunction. Wait until the air suspen ­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance. Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
~/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models)!EJ (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
airbags, pretensioners and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the
I (USA models);EI (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system . If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means there is a malfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherwise the saftey sys- terns may not work
properly in an acci­
dent.
f;.J [J. Electronic stabilization program
(ESP)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic stabilization program.
When you switch the ignition on, the indicator light
G] turns on briefly to check the function.
If the
BJ indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESP or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating.
If the BJ indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESP off.
If the indicator light
I turns on, the ESP was
switched to ESP sport mode with the button
[!] c::> page 190. If this is case , you can reacti­
vate the ESP by switching the ignition off and
then on again. The warning/indicator light
should go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
ESP/ABS: fault! See owner's manual
If the indicator light DJ and the ABS indicator
light
m (USA models) ;ii] (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, there is a
malfunction in the ABS system or electronic
differential lock. This also interrupts the ESP.
The brakes still function with their normal
power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
If the battery terminals were disconnected
and re-connected, the vehicle was jump start­
ed or the battery is very weak, the ESP sensor
system goes through a learning process for
the first few yards. The warning/indicator
light illuminates. The warning/indicator light
goes out as soon as the learning process is
complete.
For more information about the ESP
c::> page 190.