2012 AUDI A8 maintenance

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 . ..,_

Only if the level of the oil is at or below the min imum mark -and no oil that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available -may you top off
with a high quality engine oil, preferably syn­
thetic -based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in viscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, during the entire time be­
tween oil change intervals, never top off with
more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca. Here you will also find a current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc .) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War­ ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently.
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run-
Checking and filling 223
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dealer proof in the form of Service or Re­
pair Orders that all scheduled maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢ page 194) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida-
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump-
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. ..,.
•
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226 Check ing and filling
- Audi d oes not recommend th e use of oil
a dd itiv es. T he y ma y damage the e ngine
and ad ve rs ely affect you r New Vehicle
Wa rrant y.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend thot have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays r ea d and heed all WARN­
I NG S
¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 219.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually dur ing normal veh icle use .
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and -go traffic con ­
d itions, or have your veh icle where tempera­
tures remain below freez ing fo r extended pe­
r iods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing fo r a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil mo re often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal ,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex­
pe rtise requi red, we strong ly recommend that
you have yo ur o il changed by an authorized
Audi deal er or a qualified service station.
If yo u choo se to ch ange your oil yours elf ,
please note the fo llowing important informa ­
t ion:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
g ine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down your arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of o il in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it wel l out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in . Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
wit h soap and wate r.
(D Note
Neve r mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
of the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams o r down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used eng ine oil collect ion fac ility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 185 Tire tread: tread wea r ind ica tors (TWI)
f r-------~
{ \ .___ _____ ___,,
Fi g. 186 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 in ch (1.6 mm) high "wear ind icators"
c::> fig . 185 run ning across the tread. Depend ­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire . Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tir e pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premat ure wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 241.
Dri ving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear. Tires and wheels 245
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your ve
hicl e to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota­
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all -wheel d rive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 186.
-Extra care must be taken when rotat ing di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 264 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Inco rrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impair ing the safety of the vehi­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wh eel Driv e
Vehicles wi th quattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
c::> page 191.

Fuse panel® (brown)
No. Equipment
= 11 Radio receiver
12 Rearview camera (park
ing
a id), Top view
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs Amps
' ' 7,5
5
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned out bulbs for you.
It is becoming increas ingly more and more
d iff icu lt to replace vehicle light bulbs since in
many cases, other parts of the car must first
be removed before you are able to get to the
bu lb. This applies especially to the light bulbs
in the front of your car which you can on ly
reach through the engine compartment.
Sheet metal and bulb ho lders can have sharp
edges that can cause serious cuts, and parts must be correctly taken apart and then prop­
erly put back together to help prevent break­
age of parts and long term damage from wa­
ter that can enter housings that have not been properly resealed.
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace any bulbs for you, since your dealer has the proper tools,
the correct bulbs and the expertise.
Gas discharge lamps (Xenon lights):
Due to the high electrical voltage, have the
bulbs replaced by a qualified technician.
Headlights with Xenon light can be identified
by the high voltage sticker.
LED headlights * require no maintenance .
Please contact your authorized Audi dealer if a
bu lb needs to be replaced.
A WARNING
Contact with high-voltage components of
the electrical system and improper re­
placement of gas discharge (Xenon) head-
Fuses and bulbs
light bulbs can cause serious personal in­
jury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressurized and can ex­
plode when being changed.
- Changing Xenon lamps requires the spe­
cial tra ining, instructions and equip­
ment.
- On ly an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop should change the bulbs in gas discharge lamps .
A WARNING
There are parts with sharp edges on the
openings and on the bulb holders that can
cause serious cuts.
- If you are uncertain about what to do,
have the work performed by an author­
ized Audi dealer or other qualified work­
shop . Ser ious personal injury may result
from imprope rly performed wo rk.
Q) Tips
-If you must replace the light bulbs your­
self, always remember that the eng ine
compartment of any vehicle is a hazard­
ous area to work in. A lways read and
heed all WARNINGS
~page 213, Engine
compartment
Q & .
-It is best to ask your authorized Audi
dealer whenever yo u need to change a
bulb .
-
269
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280 Consumer Information
Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
You r Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regu lations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A . and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lowe r octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement pa rts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
(D Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and Lit­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erature are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
s afety, economy and rel iability. For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
i n very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
should be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technical
liJJ,

complexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, safe ty and e nvir onm en tal con­
cerns p lace very strict limits on the na ture of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans ­
miss io n pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing dev ices and oth­
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure prope r
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re ­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliability
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­ ranty. The refo re, p roof of servici ng in accord­
ance w ith the maintenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible war ranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, crea ting unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done
by your authorized Audi dealer or any other
properly equipped and q ualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give you r a uthorized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perform all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, or iginal parts
and trained spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing limit ed m aintenance you rself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited num­
ber of procedures which can be performed on
your vehicle with ordinary too ls, should the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
b le. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and carefully follow the instruc­
tions given . Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS provided .
Before you check anything in th e engine
compartment, a lway s re ad and heed all
Con sumer In formation 28 1
WARNINGS ¢ & and¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 219 .
A WARNING
-Ser ious personal injury may occur as a re­
sult of improperly performed mainte­ nance, adjustments or repa irs.
-Always be extremely careful when work­ ing on the vehicle. Always follow com­
mon ly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense . Never r isk personal
lnJU ry .
- Do not attempt any of the ma intenance ,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fully fam iliar
wit h these or othe r pro cedures with re­
spect to t he veh icle, or are uncerta in how
to p roceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal ­
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop .
- The engine compartment o f any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Never reach into the area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly -
even when the engine is
off . The radiator
fan switches on automat ically when the
coo lant reaches a certai n temperature
and will cont inue to run until the coo lan t
temper ature drops.
- Always sw itch
off the ignition before any­
one gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle . The j ack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur­
pose and cou ld collapse causing serio us
personal i njury .
- I f you must work unde rneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are a lways securely
blocked and that the engine cannot be
started.
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-----------------------------~I~ n~d~ e~x 291
Leather ... .. .. ................ ....
Leather (cleaning) ............. ... .. .
210
211
Leaving home ............. .... .. .. .. 45
Lifting jack .. ............. .... .. ...
262
Lifting vehicle
Light 274
Ambience lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Coming/Leaving home ....... .. .. .. .. 45
Day time running lights .... .. .. .. .. ..
43
E mergency flashers ............ .... . 44
Exterior lighting .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. 43
Headlight range control .......... ... 43
H igh beam . ............. .. .. .. .. .. 45
L ow beam .. ............. .... .. ....
43
Rear fog lights .............. ... .... 43
Side marker lights .................. 43
Turn signals ................ ... .... 45
L ight/ra in sensor
H eadlights . ............. .. .. .. ....
43
Intermittent (windshield wipers) . ... .. 48
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Loading the roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Locking
Power locking swit ch ...... .. .. .. .. .. 33
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Remote control ............. .... ... 32
Using the key ......... ...... .... ... 33
Low beams .. ............. .... .. .... 43
Lower universal anchorages (Canada) 178
Luggage compartment
Luggage compartment net ... .. .. .. ..
66
Pass-through with ski sack ..... . ... .. 67
Stowing luggage ......... .. .. .. .. .
130
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Lumbar support Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
56
Rear seats .. ................ ... ... . 57
M
Maintenance ............... ... ... .. 280
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) 20, 26
Massage function
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
56
Rear seats .. ............. .... .. .. .. 57
Reclining rear seat ..................
60
Mechanical key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mirrors
Adjusting the exterior mirrors ...... .. .
51
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
d' . 1mming .... .. .. ................. . 51
Vanity mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47, 48
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 153
Mult ifunction steer ing whee l ......... .. 24
N
Nachtsichtassistent
K .. amera rein1gen .. .. .......... .... . 205
Natural leather .. .... ............... 210
New tires and wheels
NHTSA
Contacting 246
132
Night vision assistant
............... . 106
Number of seats . .. .... ........... .. 134
0
Occupant seating positions .......... . 125
Octane rating ... .. .. ............... 215
Odomete r .. .. .. .. ................. . 25
OFF (automatic climate control) . . . . . . . . 76
Oil
refer to Engine oil 222
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) Data Link Connector (DLC) . .. .... .... .
27
Electronic speed limiter ............ .. 27
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ..... 26
Open door/hood/rear lid warning .... .. . 26
Opening Hood ............................
219
Panoramic sunroof ................ .. 41
Power windows .. .. ................ 38
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 37
Sliding/tilting sunroof .............. .
40
Sun shades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 47
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize pollution ..................
196
Outs ide mirro rs
refer to Exterior mirrors ........ .. .. . 51
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