2011 AUDI S8 hood open

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. ..,.

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>

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 2 7
sounds. After about S seconds the display
switches back to normal.
Calling up th e service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspe ct io n is due,
can be shown in the MM I disp lay by select ing
the servi ce inte rva l disp lay in the car menu .
Select the
I CA R I function button > Car s ys­
tems
contro l button > Servicing & chec ks >
Service interval d isplays.
Resetting the service interval display
Your au thori zed A udi dealer w ill reset the cor­
responding service sched ule after per forming
the approp riate service on yo ur vehicle. You
also have the possib ility to reset the o il
change sched ule after having performed an
oil change accord ing to Audi specifications.
Select the
I CAR I function button > Car sys­
tems
control bu tton > Servicing & checks >
Service interval display s > Reset oil change
interval.
CJ) Note
If you disconnect the battery termina ls , no
calc ulations can be made for the service
interval display d uring this tim e and no
service remi nder w ill appea r. Remembe r
t h at observ ing the prope r serv ice intervals
is v ita lly impo rtant to ex tend ing the life o f
your veh icle , particu larly the engine, a nd
maintaining its va lue . Even if t he mileage
driven is low, the maximum period of one
year from one service to the next must not
be exceeded.
{!) Tips
- Do not reset the display between o il
changes, otherw ise the display will be i n­
cor rect.
- The information in the Service Reminder
r ema ins stored even when the vehicle
battery is discon nected .
Open door /hood /rear lid warning
Fi g. 13 Display : doo rs a nd re ar lid open
With the ign ition switched on, the warn ing il­
luminates when at least
one door or the hood
or the rear lid is not closed . The symbo l also
shows you
which door(s) or lid is not closed .
In the illustrati on
i:> fig . 13 it is the driver's
door and the left rear door.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) fllllij in
the instrument cluster is part of t he On-Board
Diagnost ic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light ill uminates when
the ignitio n is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the id le has stabilized.
This indicates that the MIL is working proper­
ly .
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
i ng, a malfunction may exis t in the engi ne sys­
tem . If the light illumi nates, the catalyt ic con­
verter could be damaged .
Contin ue d riving
with reduced power (avoid­
i ng s ustai ned h igh speeds and/or rapid accel ­
erations) and have the cond ition co rrected .
Contact your aut horized Aud i dea le r.
If the light illum inates, the electronic speed
li miter may also be malfunct io ni ng . For more
i nformation
~ pag e 28, Electronic speed
limiter. ...,

Power locking system
General description
The power locking system locks or unlocks all
doors and th e re ar l id simultan eously.
Yo u ca n lo ck and un lock t he vehicle centrally.
Y ou have the following ch oices:
- Remote master key ¢
page 32,
-Door handles with convenience key*
¢ page 33 ,
-Lock cylinder at the dr iver's door
¢ page 34, or
- Power loc king swi tch inside ¢
page 34.
Selective unlocking
When they are closed, the door and rear lid
are locked. When unlocking, you can set in t he
M MI whether only the driver's door or the en­
tire veh icle sho uld be un locked
¢ page 32.
Automatic locking
The automat ic locking featu re locks all the ve­
h icle doo rs and the rear lid when you drive
faster tha n 9 mph ( 15 km/h) .
The car is un locked again, when the opening
function in the power locking system sw itch
or at one of the door leve rs is actuated . The
Auto Lock function can be turned on and off in
the MMI
¢ page 32 .
Anti-theft alarm warning system
If the anti-theft alarm warning system de­
tects a break -in in to the ve hicle, acoustic and
v isua l warning sig nals are triggered .
The anti -theft warning system is activated a u­
tomatically when you lock the vehicle . It is de­
activated when un locking using the remote
key, with t he mechanical key, and when you
sw itch the ignition o n.
The alarm also turns off whe n the alarm cycle
has expired .
Tu rn signal s
W hen you unlock the vehicle, the tur n signa ls
flash twice, when you lock it once . If they do
Opening and clo sin g 31
not flash, one of the doo rs, the rear lid o r the
hood is not locked.
Unint entionally locking yourself out
In the fo llow ing cases there safeg ua rds to
preve nt yo u loc king you r remo te mas ter key in
the ve hicl e:
- The vehi cle does not loc k w ith th e cent ral
lo cki ng swit ch¢
page 34 if the d rive r's
do or is open.
- On ve hicles with co nvenience key*, if the
most re cen tly used maste r key is in the lug­
g age compartmen t, the rear lid is automat i­
cally un locked again after it is closed
¢ page 35.
Do not lock your ve hicle with the remote ma s­
ter key
un til all doo rs and t he rear lid are
closed. In this way yo u avoid locking yourse lf
out acc identally .
Power side door closer*
T he veh icle doo rs a re equipped with a powe r
s ide doo r closer . W hen clos ing a door, you o n­
l y have to le t it fa ll light ly in to the latch. fhe
doo r will then automatically close by itself
~ .& -
A WARNING
--When you lock yo ur vehicle from o utside,
nobody - espec ia lly children - should re­
main inside the vehicle. Remember,
when yo u lock the vehicle from the out­
side the wi ndows cannot be o pened from
the inside.
- W hen you leave the ve hicle , always take
the ignition key w ith you . Th is w ill pre­
vent pass enge rs (c hildren, for e xample)
fr om accidenta lly being lo cked in the ve­
hicle sho uld they accident ally pres s the
power locking sw itch in the doors.
- Do n ot leave childr en inside the vehicle
unsupe rv ised . In an emergen cy it would
be imposs ible to open the doors from
the o utside wit hout t he key .
- App lies to vehi cles w ith power side doo r
closer *:

.. Push the red I PANIC I button to activate the
panic function. The horn sounds and the
turn s ignals flash. Push the red
I PANIC ! but­
ton again to deactivate the panic function.
If the vehicle is unlocked and no door, the rear
lid or the hood is opened within 60 seconds,
the vehicle locks itself again automatically.
This feature prevents the vehicle from being
accidentally left unlocked over a long period
of t ime .
It depends on the settings in the MMI wheth­
er the entire vehicle is unlocked or only cer­
tain doors
¢ page 32.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS Q &. in
General description on page
31.
@ Tips
-In order to make sure the locking func­
tion is working, you should always keep
your eye on the vehicle to make sure it is
properly locked .
- Do not use the remote control if you are
i nside the car, otherwise you may unin­
tentionally lock the vehicle, and then you
would set off the anti-theft alarm when
you try to start the engine or open a
door. In case this happens anyhow, push
the un lock button @.
- The vehicle can only be locked when the
selector lever is in the
P position.
- Use the panic function only if you are in
an emergency situation.
Opening and closing 33
Locking and unlocking with convenience
key
Applies to vehicles: wi th convenience key
The doors and the rear lid can be unlocked
and locked without operating the master key.
Fig. 19 Co nvenienc e key : Lock ing th e vehicle
Unlocking vehicle
.. Take ho ld of the door handle. The door is un-
locked automatically .
.. Pull the handle to open the door.
Locking vehicle
.. Select the P selector lever position . Other­
w ise the vehicle cannot be locked.
.. To lock the veh icle, close the door and touch
the sensor in the door handle
once ¢ fig . 19.
The vehicle can be locked and unlocked at any
door. The master key must be within a range
of about 1.5 m from the appropriate door or
the rear lid. It makes no difference whether
the master key is in your jacket pocket or in
your brief case.
It is not possible to re-open the door for a
brief period directly after closing it. This a l­
lows you to ensure that the doors are properly
locked.
It depends on the settings in the MMI wheth­
er the entire vehicle is unlocked or one of the
doors
¢ page 32.
A WARNING ~ -
Read and follow all WARNINGS ¢&. in
General description on page
31.

114 Automatic Tran sm iss io n
To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds
be low S km/h, press the brake pedal and se­
lect the
D se lector lever posit ion ¢ & .
Under certain condi tions such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer , it may be
he lpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to sh ift
manually to adapt to the driv ing con­
d itions
¢ page 115.
S · Sport
The S pos it ion can be selected for sporty driv­
ing . Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use
of the engine's power .
You can on ly select the
S se lector lever posi ­
tion when Dis engaged. Move the selector
l ever back to engage the
S se lector lever posi­
tion . To select the
D selector lever position
again when
S is engaged , move the selector
lever back¢ &.
The
S selector lever position engages auto ­
matica lly when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select .
A WARNING
-Never engage R or P while driving. It
cou ld cause a crash.
-
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
when the eng ine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the b rake in all
selector lever positions except
P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly . T his cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activated.
- Before opening the hood, select the
P se­
lector lever position and set the parking
brake. Th is reduces the risk of a crash . Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings¢
page 216, Engine compart­
ment .
-Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is runn ing . -
If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the selector lever secure ly into the P po­
sition and apply the parking brake firmly.
@ Tips
- If you unintentionally shift into the N se­
lector lever position whi le driving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wa it for the engine to slow down until it
is idling before you sh ift into Dor
S.
Driving tips
The gears shif t au toma tically.
Sta rting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake peda l.
.. Start the engine ¢
page 79.
.. Press the b utton on the selector lever and
select the
D , Sor R selector lever position
¢page 112.
.. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
.. Release t he b rake peda l and press the acce l­
erator pedal ¢,& .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle, for
example at a traffic l ight . Do not press the
accelerator peda l when do ing th is .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
s tart dr iving, set the par kin g b rake when
s topping on la rge incl ines ¢
A_.
.. The parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
.. Press and hold the bra ke peda l¢ ,& .
.. Set the parking brake .
.. To engage the
P selector leve r position,
press the button on the selector leve r and
shift into the
P position ¢ page 112.
When park ing on a level su rface, simp ly place
the se lector lever in the
P position. On slopes,
activate the par king brake first and then move
Iii>

166 Airbag system
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
-Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants.
Fig . 156 Side curtain a irbags, d river 's side: s ide curta in
airbag location
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows
c:.> fig. 156 . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision.
The side curtain airbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cle acceleration registered by the control unit
is high enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­ sult of the collision .
It is not possible to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc .
c:.> page 167, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a colli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wear ing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do soc:.>
page 137, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows

188 Audi pre sense
Audi pre sense
Preventative passenger
protection
A pp lies to veh icles: with Audi pre se nse
Aud i pre sense can ini tia te steps to help pro­
t ect veh icle occupants in certain situa tions.
The funct ions described depend on equ ipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic
The following functions can be triggered in
certain driv ing situations :
- Tightening of the safety belts (for examp le,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli­
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
s lightly and are ready to be tightened again .
- Closing the w indows and the sunroof* : the
windows and the sunroof* close leaving a
small open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig­
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Vehicles with Aud i drive select*: the dep loy­
ment time is adapted in dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli ­
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al­
so ca lculated . If the system senses an immi­
nent collision the follow ing functions can be
tr iggered :
-Audi braking guard
c::> page 92
- Tightening the safety be lts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav -
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi p re sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli ­
hood of a rear -end collis ion with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calc ulated.
If the risk
of a co llision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered :
- Tig htening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
- Adjusting the seats : the settings for the
power head restrains, the upper sections of
t he backrests and the pneumatic side bol­
s ters* are optim ized for the front seats and
the outboard rea r seats*. If a collision does
not occur, the previo us seat settings are re­
stored.
Audi pre sense plus
Audi pre sense plus includes the funct ions in
A udi pre sense front and Audi pre sense rea r.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail­
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics.
It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks. This will increase
the r isk o f a coll is ion and serio us personal
injuries.
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­
jects . This increases the risk of a colli ­
sion.
- Aud i p re sense does not detect peop le or
animals or objects that are crossing the
vehicle's path
c::> page 86.
-The radar sensor's vis ion can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi­
tions can prevent vehicles from be ing ac­
curately detected and in some cases they
may not be detected at all.
Ill>