2012 AUDI A8 coolant

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 172 Dr iver footwell: release lever
AUD I
Fig. 173 Rocker switch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow
<=> fig. 172.
.. Raise the hood slightly<=> _&.
.. Press the rocke r switc h under the hood up­
ward
<=> fig. 173. This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 219
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Wh ene ve r y ou must perform an y wo rk in the
eng ine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluids, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr event per­
so nal injury alwa ys observe the foll owing
WARNING S. The engin e compartment of an y
v e hicle i s a h az a rdou s are a
<=> ,&.
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine .
- Sw itch off the ignition.
- Apply the parki ng brake.
- Move selector leve r to "P" (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen o r heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
a nd can sw itch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
a nt system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.

222 Check ing and filling
(D Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
PP. ) con ainer ""' .......... ... . 234
@ Jump start point( -) with hex
head screw . .. .......... ... . 233 , 270
@ Jump start point( +) under a cov-
er . ..... .............. ... . 233, 270
© Eng ine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . 225
® Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 229
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 227
0 Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 191
@ Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in a different area depend ing on the ver­
sion of the engine .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 219.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
-
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerp lant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . This engine needs the r ight kind of
engine o il that meets spec ificat ions regarding
qua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the righ t oi l
and changing oil within the time and mileage
interva ls printed in your vehicle 's Warranty
&
Maintenance book let matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast trad itional petrole -u
m -based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthet ic o r petro le um­
based eng ine oil, the oi l that you use m ust
conform to Audi's oi l quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine runn ing smooth ly and help prevent the for­
mation of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that over time can lead to expensive
repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils ava ilable in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthet ic eng ine oils . Th is does not mean,
howeve r, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi o il standard VW 502 00 . So always
be su re that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmfu l de ­
pos its use only o il w ith the following specifi­
cations pr inted on the o il conta iner:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica­
tion sing ly or in combination with other desig ­
nations and oil quality standards.
V is cos ity
Engine o ils are graded a ccord ing to their vis­
cosity . The proper vis cos ity grade oil fo r yo ur
engine depends on climactic or seasona l con­
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across a ll tem­
perature ranges for norma l driving conditions.
However, if engine oil v iscosity g rade SA E
SW40 is not available , you can also use viscos ­
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil qua lity standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Beca use engine oi l that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry with you an extra quart
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 spec ificat ion, in case you have to
top off the o il while o n the road . ..,_

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, ..,.

228 Checking and filling
the level may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 221.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will
illuminate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor , we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
_& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps. -
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 219.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 227, fig . 179 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢,&. .
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications
¢ page 22 7, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G3 or in an emergency G12+ . Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the
"MAX" mark . Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
_& WARNING
-= -- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,_

scalding from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Turn
off the engi ne and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escapi ng fl uid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very ca refully
i n a cou nte r-clockw ise dir ect ion while
a pply ing lig ht, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- T o avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an­
tifree ze o r coolan t on t he exh aust sys­
tem or ho t engine parts . Un der certain
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifree ze is poisono us. Always store an­
tifreeze in its or iginal co ntainer and we ll
o ut o f the reac h of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a p roper con ­
tainer clear ly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could ca use a n engine fire . Excess coo l­
ant wi ll be forced out through the pres ­
sure re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added , the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze¢
page 22 7 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le .
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be re used . Al­
ways dispose of used c oolant while observ­
ing all envir onmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automa tically by
itself
T he radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-be lt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the
coolant .
Checkin g and fillin g 229
An auxiliary electric radiato r fan* sw itches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ing con ditions.
After yo u switc h the engi ne off, the aux iliary
f an can con tinue r unning for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢ & , if
- t he temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat b uild -up from the en gine in
the engi ne compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up be cause
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal in jury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The a uxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
contro lled and can switch on sud denly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fa n switches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coo lant temper­
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
qui ck glance.
Fig. 180 En gin e compar tment: cov er o n th e bra ke fluid
r ese rvoir
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment ,
always re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> ,& in Working in the engine compar t-
ment on page 219 . .,..

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 .

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.

@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can a lso damage importan t pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are technica lly referred to as the
vehicle's
Gros s Vehicle We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fue l, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the total we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
hi cle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gro ss Axl e W eight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pillar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. Vehicles with pow­
er individual rear seats* have 4 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total
Tire s an d wheel s 243
seating capacity o f 4 . Each seating position
has a safety belt~ page 134, Safety belts .
T he fact th at there is a n upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . For the locat ion of the
label ~page239, 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.
- Ca rrying more we igh t than your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in ­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -includ ing the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make t he vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se the exa mple be lo w t o cal­
c ulat e th e t otal weight of the
pa sse ngers a nd lu gg age or
•
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