2012 AUDI A8 ESP

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
te cts the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly ­
col-based coolant additive G13 ant ifreeze
w ith anticorrosion add itives (SO% fo r USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture bot h assu res the ne cessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine's coo ling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises the boili ng po int of t he
coolant.
D o not red uce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant addit ive must be at
least 50% but not mo re than 60 %
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant cou ld freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -3 1°F (-3S°C)USA
- -40 ° F ( - 4 0 °C) Canada.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment , always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS ¢
& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 219.
(D Note
- Befo re winter sets i n, have the coolant
chec ked to see i f th e coo lant ad dit ive i n
you r vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli­
mate cond itions . T hi s is especially impor­
ta nt if yo u live in a regi on whe re the w in-
-
Checkin g and fillin g 22 7
ter is ex treme ly co ld. If necessary, i n­
crease t he p ro po rtion of coo lant additive
to 60%.
- W hen a dding coolant additive to yo ur
cooling system , remembe r:
- We recommend us ing on ly coo la nt ad­
di tive G 12++ or G 13 for your v ehicle .
T his co olan t ad ditive is av ailab le at au­
t hor ized A udi dealers . O ther types of
an tifree ze can signi fican tly reduce cor ­
r osion pro te ction . The resulti ng cor ro ­
sion can ca use a loss of coolant a nd se­
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to you r vehicle's engine coo lant .
Add ing radiator repair flu id may adverse ­
ly affect t he fu nction and performance of
your cooling system and cou ld result in
damage not covered by yo ur New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 179 En gine co mpart ment: cover on t he coo la nt
expansio n ta nk
Before you check a nyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS <=>&.
in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 219 .
Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.., Switch off t he ignition.
.., Read t he engine coolant level from the
coo lant expansion tank¢
fig. 179,
¢ page 221 . With a cold engine, the coolant
level shou ld be between the "min" and
"ma x" markings . When the engi ne is warm, ..,.

Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. Yo u are well advised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnec ted from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons
c::> &. in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 156.
Disconn ecting the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connec ted again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
e lectrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cu t back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capability over a longer per iod
c::> page 192. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, s uch as the inte rior
lights o r the power sea t adjustment . T he con­
ve nience fun ct ions wi ll be available again
when yo u switch on the ignition and start the
engine.
Winter operation
During the winter mont hs, ba ttery capaci ty
t ends to decrease as tempe rat ures d rop . Th is
is because more powe r is also consumed while
starting , and the headlights, rear window de ­
fogger, etc., are used more oft en.
Avoid unnecessary power cons umption, par­
ticularly in c ity t ra ff ic or when t raveling on ly
short distances. Let your a uthorized Audi
dealer check the capac ity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets inc::>
page 233. A well
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
problems whe n the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
Checkin g and fillin g 231
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery shou ld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the l uggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check any­
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
h eed all WARNINGS
c::> &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec­
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Al ways heed the follo wing WARNING SYM­
BOLS and safety precautions when working on the battery.
@
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid.
Always w ear glove s and eye prot ec­
tion .
No
- sparks
-flames
- smoking .
When a battery i s charged, it produ­
ce s hydrogen gas wh ich i s ex plosive
and could cause per sonal injury .
Always keep the battery well out of ]
reach of children .
_& WARNING ~
Whenever working on the battery o r on
the electrical system, there is the risk of injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
•
•

234 Check ing and filling
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, rad io, etc ., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new bat tery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery .
Intelligent energy man agement in your veh i­
cle is respons ible for d istributing the electr i­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::> page 192. The intell igent energy manage­
ment system w ill keep the engine battery
cha rged bette r than vehicles w ithout t his sys­
tem. To make sure the additional e lectrica l en­
e rgy is availab le once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu ­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery hous ing. Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management funct ions cor­
rectly after replac ing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity ,
voltage (12 volts), amperage, construct ion
and plug sealing.
When installing the ba ttery, make sure the ig­
n ition and all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch ­
ed off .
{[) Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your author ­
ized Aud i dealer change the battery for
you . Batter ies contain su lfuric ac id and l
ead and must a lways be disposed o f prop­
erly in compliance with a ll environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment .
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fig . 1 82 Eng in e compar tmen t: cov er on the w inds hield
washe r flu id rese rvoir
T he washer fluid co nta iner is marked w ith the
symbol~ on its cap
c::> fig. 182, c::>page 221.
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::> _& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 219.
.,. Lift the fil le r cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can fi ll the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck after
fi lling the container .
You can find the reservo ir
ca pacit y in the table
in
c::> pag e 278 .
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
poss ible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washe r jets . Always add a g lass cle aner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant a ntifreeze or
any other addi tives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir .

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . T ires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on eac h tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, you r vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspec ting t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 235
New tires
New tir es have to be broken in ¢ & .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat io n or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the s idewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information ¢
page 264.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re fo r the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, c ras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
spee ds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

236 Tires and wheels
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory -installed equip ­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of
steel wires, wrapped o r reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a tire of a designated size that has not been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted. -
If you notice unusual vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor vehicle w ith
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
terfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded weight of
the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at the maxi­
mum permissib le inflation pressure for that
tire.

Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressu re."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter means the overall diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated para llel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Tires and wheels 237
Recommended inflation pressure
see~
page 236, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL ", "x l", "E XTRA LOAD",
o r "R F" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim fla nges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 247 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the max imum pe rm issib le road speeds
~ .&. in Winter tires on page 251.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.
•
•

Tires and wheels 239
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig . 183 Tir e pr essur e labe l: located on drive r's s ide B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressu re genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire tha t it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
square inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
pa rt o n the vehicle's desig n an d load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi­
cle can carry safe ly and the ti re size . The prop ­
er tire pressure is freq uent ly referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inf lation pressure ."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of interna l frict io n when it flexes in
use . The ti re p ressu re is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
i nflat io n pressure i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefo re, you s ho ul d never let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " cold tire infla tion p res­
sure" recommendations . The tires wo uld then
be underinf lated a nd could fail suddenly.
M ain taining proper t ire press ure is one of the
most impor tan t thi ngs you c an do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinfla ted tires
are a major cause of s udden tire failure . Keep­
ing tires at the r ight pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, b rak ing and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sures are part icularly important wh en th e
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds , and
then especially when h eavily loaded even
within the permi ssible load -carrying capaci­
tie s approved for your vehi cle.
~
"' ~
,.------------------- ~
•(=~: I := I ~ I )§ :ll
,.,,. ........................ ...., .... ~----.... _ ... t.._.. .... _..,.. .... ......,... .. ~--......... ·- ..
-KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
Fig. 1 84 Tir e pressu re labe l
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires on your ve hicle
and t he number of passe ngers and/or amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side 8-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n pressures
for the veh icle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires that we re o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was manufactu red.
If you wish to improve comfort when op erat­
ing the ve hicle at normal load (up to 2* /3
occupant s), you can adju st tire pres sures to
those specified for normal vehicle lo ad. Be­
fore operating the vehicle at maximum load ,
you must increase the tire pre ssure s to tho se
speci fied for maximum vehicle load
¢ .&.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system* can on ly mon itor the tire p ress ures
yo u have sto red. The sys tem does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your veh icle.
T he effectiveness of the t ire p ress ure monitor­
ing system * w ill be impa ired i f you s to re no r­
m al load pressures but t hen opera te the veh i­
cle a t its maximum load
¢ .& .
See the ill ustration 9 fig. 183 fo r the lo cat ion
of the label o n driver's s ide B-pillar (color of
the actu al label a nd exact lo cat ion on the ve­
hicle will vary s light ly).
Note t hat the follow ing table is accu rate at
the time of going to press and is s ubject to

240 Tires and wheels
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure labe l is located on the driver's side B­
p ill ar a lways takes precedence.
The table below lis ts the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the Audi model covered
by your Owner's Literature at the vehi ­
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine Tire designation normal load condition full load condition
fronta> reara>
front rear
AS 4.2 Ii-235/55 Rla 104H XL all
ter season
a -cylinder 255/45 R19 104H XL all
season
265/40 R20 104V XL
IA8 L4.2 Ii-235/55 Rla 104H XL all
ter season
a-cylinder 255/45 R19 104H XL all
season
6.3 li­
ter12-cyl­
inder 265
/40 R20 104V XL
265/40 R20 104V
255/45 R19 104H all sea-
son PSI
35
35
33
35
35
35
36
kPA
240
240
230
240
240
240
250
PSI
32
32
30
32
32
32
32
kPA
220
220
210
220
220
220
220
PSI kPA
36
250
36 250
33 230
36 250
36 250
36 250
39 270
PSI
38
38
35
38
38
35
38
kPA
260
260
240
260
260
240
240
260
I
I
I
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
a l nor mal load co nd it io n"'> page 238 .
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during the model year, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle .
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing su re that
l oad limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle . These load limits are technically refer- red to as the veh
icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compl iance sticke r label located on the
driver's side B-pillar. The tire pressu re labe l on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
¢ fig. 183.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was designed to carry will prevent the