2011 AUDI S8 check engine light

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
•
•

Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 11
gauge turn on under normal d riving condi ­
tions . The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the eng ine is under heavy load or the exter ior
temperature is high . This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the ind ica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 15.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
page 216, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant.
(D Note
- Mount ing additional lights or accessories
in front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine co uld overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
properly distrib ute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and t he engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your authorized Audi dea le r for
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine RP M drops be low 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the e nd of the sca le indicates maximum
permiss ible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
l ector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
@ Note
The tachometer need le should on ly briefly
be in the red zone: yo u could damage your
engine! The beg inning of the red zone var ­
i es depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upsh ifting early saves fuel and reduces en ­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
o n.
If the fue l level drops below 4 gallons (15
l ite rs), the bottom LED tu rns red and the indi­
cator light
Ill tu rns on ¢ page 20. The bot­
tom LED b link s red when the fue l level is very
l ow .
The possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the ta nk complet ely dry. An ir­
regular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel cou ld enter the exha ust
system. The cata lytic converter could then
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator lights
Description
T he ind icator lights in the instrument clus ter
blink or turn on. They indica te f unct ions or
malfunctions ¢
,&.
Messages may appea r with some indicato r
li ghts. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indica tor lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other disp lays. To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
ing the multifunction steering whee l
¢
page 23. If there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us- ing the thumbwheel. ..,.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Some indicators lights in the disp lay can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
-Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehicle information may result
in serious personal injury or vehicle dam­
age.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
¢ page 44.
- The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when work ing under the hood
¢ page 216, Engine compartment
(D Tips
Ma lfun ctions or faults w ill be identified e i­
ther with a red symbo l (pr io rity 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a ye llow symbo l (pr iority 2 -
Warning).
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ign ition on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the follow ing tables . If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system .
Red indic ator light s
Red symbols indicate a priority malfunction -
Danger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle .
- T urn off the engine.
- Check the ma lfunct ion ing system. Contact
you r authorized Aud i dea le r o r a qua lified
workshop for assistance.
USA m odels:
Brake malfunction
¢page 14
Canada models :
Brake malfunction
¢page 14
- USA mode ls:
I
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Canada models :
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Engine cooling system
¢page 15
Engine oil pressure
¢page 16
Engine oil level
¢page 17
Battery
¢page 16
Safety belt
¢page 16
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 17
Engine start system
¢page 17
Speed warning system
¢page84
Adaptive cru ise control./
¢ page88
Air suspension
¢page 17
Yellow indicator light s
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc­
tion -Warning!
m
U!@
m
USA mod els : Safety systems
¢page 18
Canada model s: Safety systems
¢page 18

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.

16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
• Continue driving only after the engine cool­
ant warning/indicator light goes out.
• Contact your authorized Audi dea ler for as-
sistance if necessary .
I f the engine coolant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at id le for a few minutes to cool down.
A WARNING
-If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights
c> page 44, Emergency
flasher .
-
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment - you risk being scald­
ed . Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping.
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the engine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers
<=>page 216,
Engine comportment .
(D Note
Do not continu e driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
,f,. Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warn ing/ indicato r light illum inates
when the ignition is sw itched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on the safety be
lt. Additionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound.
For more Information
q page 137, ,f,. Safety
belt warning light .
0 Battery
This warning/indicator Light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
T he . warn ing/indicator light i llum inates
whe n you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunct ion in the
generator or veh icle electrical system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immed iately. Because the veh i­
cle battery is discharg ing, turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the rad io .
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•i low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability .
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on the message ap-
pears, the oil pressure is too low.
IJI>

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. .,..

20 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
&_ WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light
II and the warning
light
- ll with the message Brake
pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The~ warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check.
(D Tips
-
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunction corrected as soon as pos­
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repair facility.
O Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (080 II) system.
The symbol
f-@j lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed . This indicates that the MIL is working
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
<::> page 220 .
For more information
c::> page 27.
1) - : USA mod els only
!7} Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitation
lfl Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­
heating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light~ also turns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~"' Engine oil level
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol II and driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity
c::> page 22 7.
'"' Engine oil sensor
II Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor inspected. Until you have this done , check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side
c::> page 22 7.
Bu Fuel level indicator
Ii Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are about 4 gallons (15 liters) of fuel left in the
tank. Time to refuel
<::> page 219.
Ii Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer llll>