2011 AUDI S8 airbag

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
•
•

(!) 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.

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.

32 Opening and clos ing
-When closing a door, make sure noth­
ing can interfere w ith the door. This
could cause ser ious personal injury.
- You can stop the door from closing at
any time by pulling on the inside or
outside door handle.
(D Tips
- In the event of a crash with airbag de­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to give access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside.
- If the power locking system should ma l­
function, you can lock the dr iver's door
using the mechanical key¢
page 35 .
-If the power lock ing system should fail,
you can st ill open the fuel tank flap in an
emergency ¢
page 221.
-You are well advised not to keep valua­
bles inside an unattended vehicle, visib le
or not . Even a properly locked vehicle
ca nnot provide the sec urity of a safe .
- If the LED in the upper edge of the driv­ er's door panel comes on for abo ut 30
seconds after t he vehi cle is locked, there
i s a ma lf u nction in the power loc king or
t h e anti- theft warni ng sys tem. Have the
malfunction corrected by an authorized
A udi dealersh ip or q ua lified repair facili ­
ty .
Setting power locking
The driver can determine the functions for
power locking in the MMI.
,.. Se lect : I CAR I fu nction button > Car sy ste m s
control button > Vehicle setting s > Central
locking .
Unl ock door s -
You can decide if All doors or
on ly the
Driver should unlock . The rear lid al­
so unlocks when
All is se lected. If you select
Dri ver in a vehicle with a convenience key *,
only the door whose handle you pull will un­
l ock. If you se
lect
Dri ver , all the doors and rear lid
will unlock if you press them button on the re­
mote control maste r key twice.
Loc k exterior trunk handle -If you se lec t On ,
the rear lid handle is locked . In this case the
rear lid can be opened with the b utton
cs on
the master key or with the
cs button * in the
driver's door . In veh icles with a convenience
key* , you can still open the rear lid using the
handle if an authorized master key is near the
proxim ity sensor .
Fold mir rors * -If you select On , the exterior
rearview mirrors fold in automatically w hen
you press the
ffi button on the remote control
master key or touch the sensor* in the ha ndle.
Lock when dr iving -If you select On, the vehi­
cle locks automatically when driv ing. All of
the doors and rear lid lock .
Tone when locking -When you select On , a
confirmat ion tone sounds when you lock the
vehicle.
Locking and unlocking the vehicle with
the remote control
Fig . 18 Re mote co ntrol : f u nct ion buttons
Either the driver's door o nly or the entire vehi­
cle w ill unlock when the unlock button mis
pressed once, depending on the settings in
the MMI
r=;,page32 .
.,. Press button 0 to unlock the vehicle
¢fig. 18.
,.. Press button ffi to lock the vehicle ¢ .& in
General description on page 31 .
,.. Press button cs briefly to un lock the rear
lid.

34 Opening and clo sing
@ Tips
If your vehicle has been standing for an ex­
tended period, please note the following:
- The proximity sensors are deactivated af-
ter a few days to save power. You then
have to pull on the door handle once to
unlock the vehicle and a second time to
open the vehicle.
- To prevent the battery from being dis­
charged and to preserve your vehicle's
ability to start for as long as possible,
the ene rgy management system gradu­
ally switches off unnecessary conven­ i ence fun ct ions.
It is possible that you
will not be able to unlock your vehicle us­
i ng these conven ience f unctions.
- For Declarat ion of Compliance to United
States FCC and Indus try Canada regul a­
tions¢
page 286.
Operating locks with the key
In the event of a failure of the power locking system, the driver's door con be locked and
unlocked at the lock cylinder.
Fig. 2 0 Key turns for opening and closing .
.. Remove the mechanical key¢ page 30.
.. Turn the key to the left to unlock the driver 's
door .
.. Turn the key to the r ight to lock the driver's
doo r¢
/1. .
_& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS r:::;, & in
General description on page 31.
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
Fig. 21 Drive r's door; power lock ing switch
Fi g. 22 Rear power locking switch
.. Press the button@ to lock the vehicle¢ /1..
.. Press the button al to unlock the vehicle
r:::;,ffg. 21, ¢ fig . 22 .
If you lock the vehicle using the power locking
switch, please note the followi ng:
- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from the
outside ( increased security, for ex­
ample when you are stopped at a red light).
- The diodes in the power locking switches il-
luminate when all the doors are closed and
locked .
- You can un lock and open the doors from the
inside by pulling on the door handle .
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat­
ed, the doors automatically unlock.
_& WARNING
--The power lock ing switch works with the
ignit io n off and a utomat ica lly locks the
e ntire veh icle when it is actuated.
- On a vehicle locked from the outside the
power locking sys tem switch is inopera­
tive.

44 Clear vision
Highway light function*
(vehicles with LED
headlights) -this function adapts the lighting
for highway driving based on vehicle speed.
.&_ WARNING
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver . They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions . For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights §,0
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from
the back .
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
(D Tips
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display
q page 21 .
-You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described .
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in on emer­
gency situation .
Fig. 36 Ce nte r co nso le: em erg en cy flash er sw itch
.,. Press the switch~ c:> fig. 36 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off.
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
signal indicator lights¢¢ in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
~ blink likewise.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
@ Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
"'Select: !CARI function button> Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting. ""

54 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
you r seat prope rly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 145 .
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child seat on the front pas­
senger's seat. Always fo llow the information
regarding child safety provided in
q page 169, Child Safety .
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion . Th is app lies especially to the passen­
gers .
If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident.
If the
airbag infla tes and the seating position
is incorrect, this could resul t in personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can­
not protect you properly . In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
pos sible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel o r instrument panel.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle control and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat '
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend tha t you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner :
"' Adjust th e seat in fore and aft direction so
t ha t you can eas ily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees sl igh tly bent
q A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 54.
"' Adjust the backrest so that when you sit
w ith your back agains t th e backrest, you can
still g rasp the top of the steering wheel.
"' Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as poss ible with the top of your
head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
t his pos it ion as possib le
q page 61.
A WARNING
Neve r place any objects in the dr iver's foot ­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function . In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate .

Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position .
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the following manner:
" Move the front passenger seat into the rear ­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range
¢ .&. in Why is your seat adjustment
so important? on page 54.
"Br ing the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position.
Do not ride with the seat reclined.
" Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head . If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
th is position as possible ¢
page 61.
.. Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Front seats
Controls
Moving the seat forward or back and adjust­
ing the height, backrest angle and seat an­
gle .
Fig. Sl Front se at: adjusting the seat
@-Moving the seat forward/back: press the
button forward/back ¢ .&. .
@ -Moving the seat up/down : press the but­
ton up/down ¢&. . To adjust the front sec tion
of the seat, press the front button up/down
Seats and storage 55
¢.&. .To adjust the rear section of the seat,
press the rear button up/down ¢&. .
@ -Turn the massage function on/off. You
can select the type of massage using the mul­
tifunction button¢
page 56.
© -Backrest forward/back: p ress the button
forward/back ¢
_&..
© -Comfort head restraints ¢ page 61,
¢_&. .
(D -Multifunction button¢ &., ¢ page 56.
A WARNING
-
- Never adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat while the vehicle is moving.
If you do this while the veh icle is moving,
you will be out of position . A lways adjust
the driver's or front passenger's sea t
when the vehicle is not moving.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
height. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or serio us injury could result!
- Because the seats can be electrically ad­
justed with the ignition off, never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Unsu­
pervised use of the e lectric seat adj ust­
ments may cause serious injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden braking or accident, front pas ­
sengers must never ride in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
belts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the backrest
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body. The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
ris k of personal injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.