2012 AUDI A8 ABS

@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equ ipped with identi­
cal t ires. Different tire s iz es can lead to a
reduct ion in eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
D] or m (USA
models) ;£1 (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 19,
c> page
18 .
Switching on and off
ESC
turn s on au tomatically when you s tart
the engine .
Fig. 167 Cen te r con sol e wit h ES C OF F but ton
Switching ASR off (sport mode )
In certain sit uat ions, you can switch ASR and
ESC in to sport mode by pressing the bu tton
[ru
c> fig. 167 . The indicator light I comes o n
and the message
Cauti on! R edu ced t ra cti on
appears. ASR deactivates completely and the
assistance provided by the ESC system is lim it­
ed . Switch to sport mode only when your driv ­
ing skills, traffic and weathe r conditions per­
mi t.
I n some s ituations, it may be useful to switc h
ASR off to let the wheels slip. Example:
- Rocking the vehicle back and forth when it is
stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Switching ASR on
Press the button [fil again. The message Sta­
bility program on
appears.
Intelligen t technolog y 189
A WARNING
-Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESC are in sport mode, especial­
ly whe n the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traff ic and weather condi­
tions permit.
(D Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive cruise control* is working .
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating cond itions and driving h abits
The brakes o n today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depend ing largely on operat­
i ng condit ions and driving habits ¢&, . On ve­
hicles that a re either dr iven most ly in stop­
and-go c ity t raff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pad s should be checked by yo ur author ­
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking
effect of the eng ine . T his way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system . If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the br akes
down cont inuous ly . Pump the brakes a t in ter­
vals .
Moisture o r ro ad sa lt
Under certa in conditions, for example, when
driv ing through water or very heavy ra in, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effec t can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads . A
few carefu l brake applications should dry off
the b ra ke pads or remove a ny ice coatings.
When you are driving a t higher speeds with
the windsh ie ld w ipers on , the brake pads will
IJJJ,

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and d riving instr uctions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operat ion mode
~ page 199, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitc h co nforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hi tch wit h a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with t he trail er hitch ma nufactur er to
make sure tha t you are using the corre ct
hi tch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitc h must be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfere with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumpe r sys tem. No mod ifica tio ns should
be made to the vehicle exh aust a nd brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolts remain securely fastened.
W hen you are not towing a trail er, remove the
traile r hitch ball mount. Th is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind ¢& .
Trailer towin g 199
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a br akin g sys ­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
r egulations .
T he trailer hy draul ic brak e sys tem mus t not be
direc tly connec ted to the vehi cle' s h ydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all regu lations. Be
su re to check with your Audi dealer for cor rect
wir ing, swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the reg ular o utside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mirrors. It is imp ortant
that you
always have clea r v is ion to the rear.
A WARNING ...__ -
Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
stor e it i n yo ur v ehicl e. In cas e o f sudden
b ra king, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in­
ju re you or your p ass en ger s.
Operating instructions
Fi g. 168 MM I dis pl ay: tow ing mode on
Ma ximum trailer weight
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
ll>

drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c:> page 10
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
i::> page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your ng .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
Trailer towing 201
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a t railer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re ­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
c:> page 280.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only a~er doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake.
•
•

206 Cleaning and protec tio n
durch den Scheibenwischer und beim Nacht­
sichtassistent* durch die Scheinwerferreini ­
gungsan lage gereinigt. Bei starker Versch­
mut zung ki::innen Sie den Bere ich mit Glas­
reiniger und einem weichen trockenen Tuch
reinigen .
@ Note
- Wenn Sie Ihr Fahrzeug mit e inem Hoch­
druckrein iger waschen,
- halten Sie geni.igend groBen Abstand
zu den Sensoren, die s ich im vorderen
oder hinte ren StoBfanger befinden.
- rein igen S ie Kameralinsen und den Be­
reich um diese nicht mit dem Hoch­
druckre iniger .
- Entferne n Sie niemals Schnee und Eis
von de r Kameralinse m it warmem oder
heiBem Wasser -Gefahr einer Rissbi l­
dung in der Linse!
- Verwenden S ie bei der Re inigung der Ka­
meralinse niemals Pflegemittel mit
Schleifwirk ung.
Waxing and Polishing
Wa xing
A good wax coating protects t he vehicle paint
to a large extent aga inst the environmental
factors listed under ¢page 203, Washing and
even against slight scratches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect your
pa int as soon as one week after your veh icle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
w ax ing process in
automatic car washes, we recommend that
you manua lly app ly a coat of wax to give the
pa int extra protection, particular ly if water no
longer beads o n the clean paint .
Protect p lastic body parts with car wax in the
same way as the vehicle body.
During warm weather dead insects tend to
collect on the front bumper and on the for­
ward area of the hood. They are much easier
to remove from paint that is waxed often.
Polishing
Polish yo ur vehicle only if the paint has lost its
shine and the gloss cannot be brought back
with wax .
If the pol ish used does not conta in p reserva­
t ive compounds, the pain t must be waxed a f­
te rwards.
A WARNING ~
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rmation
¢ page 203.
(D Note
Do not use car wax on
- matte o r anodized meta l trim
- rubber or rubber-like t rim.
Trim strips
Metal trim needs special care .
For environmental reasons, Audi fabricates
the bright trim strips and trim p ieces from
pure chromium-free aluminum.
Dirt and ma rks on the trim st rips sho uld be
removed with a
pH -balanced cleaning agent
(do not use a chrome cleaner). Audi dealers
carry clea ning products which have been tes t­
ed fo r use on your vehicle and are not harmful
to the environment.
To avoid corrosion on the exter ior trim strips,
only a pH-ba lanced solution should be used
for the windsh ield washer .
A WARNING
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other i nformation
¢ page 203.
Plastic and vinyl
Plastic needs special care .
U se a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dir t. For other soil, use
a lukewa rm all-purpose cleaning so lution or a
mild saddle soap for v inyl tr im . Remove water
spots and traces of soap with a clean, damp ..,.

substance use d for u ndercoating cou ld
overheat an d cause a fire.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 203.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road sa lt and other corros ive materials will
damage the mater ial in the exhaust tail p ipes
if they are not cleaned regu larly . Do not clean
the ta il p ipes with wheel cleaner, paint polish,
chrome polish or othe r abrasive cleaners .
C lean the tail p ipes with ca r ca re products
that are s uita ble for stain less stee l.
Your authorized Audi dealer can provide clean­ i ng p rod ucts that have been tested and ap­
p roved fo r your vehicle.
Care of interior
Infotainment components
The MMI/RSE* disp lay may be cleaned with a
soft cloth and commercially-ava ilable "LCD
cleaner" . The cloth should be coated light ly
when the clean ing solution when cleani ng the
d isplay.
The MMI/RSE* contro ls must be cleaned first
with a brush so that dirt does not enter the
un it o r enter between the buttons and the
h ousing. Then w iping the controls with a clot h
dampened wi th d ish dete rgent and water is
recommended.
(D Note
To preve nt sc ratches, only clean the dis­
p lay when it is d ry.
- To p reven t damage, ma ke s ure fluids do
not enter the cont rols.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH produc ts to remove spots
and depos its from alum in um s urfaces.
C hr ome ca re products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum in um s urfaces and can dam­
age them over time.
Cleaning and protec tion 209
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
¢page 203.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabr ics and fabric cover ings (e.g. seats, door
trim pa ne ls, etc.) shou ld be cleaned at regular
i n tervals w it h a vac uum cleaner. This removes
s ur face di rt particles which cou ld become em­
bedded in the fabri c throug h use. Ste am
cleaners sho uld not be used, beca use the
steam tends to p ush the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there .
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
o r a lint -free microfibe r clo th to the clean fab­
ric. Br ushes shou ld only be used for carpets
and floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by br ushes.
Norma l su rface s tains c an be cleaned using a
commerc ially availab le foam cleaner . Spread
the foam on the s urface of t he fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu­
rate the fabric. T hen pat the foam dry us ing
absorbe nt, dry cloths (e.g. m icrofiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried completely.
Cleaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e .g. coffee, fr uit
juice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter­
gent solution. Apply the detergent sol ution
with a spo nge. In the case of stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric. After­
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to
remove the rem aining de terge nt. Apply the
w at er wit h a d am p clot h or sponge a nd pat
the fabric dry with an abso rbent, dry clot h.
Stains from choco late or makeup should have
de terge nt pa ste (e.g. o x-gall soa p) rubbed i n­
to them. Afterwa rds, remove the soap wi th
wa ter (damp sponge) .
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from grease, o il , lipstic k or a ballpoin t pen. M elted ..,_ •
•

Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and their unique prop ­
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soi l­
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
fu l with these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required. For examp le, dark cloth ing
materials can d iscolor leather seats (especial­
ly if such cloth ing is damp and was not dyed
correctly) . Dust and d irt part icles in pores,
fo lds, and seams can have a n ab ras ive effect
and can damage the leathe r sur face as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as
n eeded . After having been used for a re lative ly
long t ime, yo ur leather seats will acqui re a
rich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat­
ura l leather and a sign o f true quality .
I n o rder to maintain the va lue of th is natura l
p rod uct over the life of yo ur vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below :
(D Note
-To keep you r leather from bleach ing out,
do not a llow i t to be exposed to bright
s unli ght for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked o utside
for long periods, cover the leather to protect it from d irect exposure to sun­
li ght.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip­
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on be lts can
l eave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
(D} Tips
- After each time you clean the leather and
at regular interva ls, use a leather preser­
vat ive creme that conta ins UV-blockers
and that works into the leather . This
creme w ill nou rish and moistur ize the
l eather, helping it to b reath e and stay
supple. It al so helps to b uild up a pro tec­
tive coat ing o n the s urface.
- Clean the leathe r every 2 -3 months,
and clean a ny a reas that get soiled .
Cleaning and protec tion 21 1
- Remove fresh ma rks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe po lish, etc. as
soon as poss ible .
- Preserve the color of the leather as need­
ed by using a specia l co lored leather care
creme to touch up areas of uneven color.
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
App lies to vehicles: with natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and a t­
tention .
Normal clean ing
.. Clean soiled areas with a slightly moistened
cotton or woolen cloth .
More stubborn dirt
.,. More s tubborn di rt ca n be removed using a
cloth sa turated wi th a mild soap sol ution (2
tablespoons mild liq ui d soap) .
.. Never a llow the soap so lution to saturate
the leather, and make certain that no water
s oak s in to the seam s.
.,. Wipe off the soap so lu tion with a soft, d ry
cloth .
Cleaning spots
.. Remove fresh wate r-based spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) with an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.,. Remove fresh
grease or oil -based spots
(such as butter , mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent clot h or paper towel, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has no t yet penetrated into t he surface
of the leather .
.,. Use an oil/grease dissolving spray, i f
oil/
grease spot s have d ried on.
.. Remove specific kinds of spots (ballpoint
pen, fe lt marker, fingerna il polish, water ­
based pa int, shoe po lish, etc.) with a spot
remover specifically formu lated for lea ther.
Leather care
.. Every half yea r use an approved leather care
product (available from your Audi dea ler) to
care for the leather . .,.
•
•

230 Check ing and filling
• Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoi r¢
fig. 180, ¢ page 221. The
brake f lu id leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
co page 221.
The fl uid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
I f the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
l ow the "MIN" mark, the brake wa rning/indi ­
cator light- (U.S.
models) ;II (Canadian
models) will come on ¢
page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied fac ility and the cause corrected. If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake war ning/
in dicato r light w ill illuminate . Contact an au­
thor ized A udi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moistu re from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
b rake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease braking per formance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y two yea rs. A lways use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r ca n be difficult to
r ea ch, therefo re , we re commend that yo u
have the brake fl uid changed by yo ur a utho r­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dea ler has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
A WARNING
-Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed or iginal conta iner
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
prop riate brake flu id . Obse rve these pre ­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E
specification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicle Standard 1 16 .
A lways check with your authorized A udi
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid . The cor rect type of
brake flu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id rese rvoir .
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapo r lock if
the b ra ke fluid is left i n the system too
l o ng. This can se riously affect the effi ­
c iency of the br akes as well as your
sa fety. This co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the pai nt of you r
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
of b ra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the nece ssary expe rti se, we
r ecommend that yo u have the brake fl uid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operat ing cond itions, the bat­
te ry in yo ur Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance . With
high outside temperatures or
l o ng da ily d rives we recommend that you have
the e lec trolyte leve l checked by a serv ice fa­
c ility. The electrolyte leve l should also be
checked each time the battery is cha rged
¢ page 233. .,..

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:
•
•