2012 AUDI A8 warning lights

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
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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.
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-Never w ash your ca r in bri ght sunlight.
Drops of water act as magnifying lenses
and may damage your paint.
- When yo u wash your car in the winter : if
you rinse your vehicle with a hose , be
careful not to aim the stream of water
direct ly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings -they can freeze shut.
- Never use sponges des igned to remove
i nsects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products . They can damage
you r paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches . It is best
to use soapy water.
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headligh t lenses on a
regular basis , fo r example when refuel­
i ng yo ur vehicle. Never clean the he ad­
l ights w ith a dry clo th or sponge. Use a
wet cloth or sponge . It is best to use
soapy water.
@ For the sake of the environment
I n the interes t of the envi ronment, the ve­
hicle sho uld only be washed in specia l
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exter ior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you observe a few simple rules.
~ Befo re using the power washe r, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN­
INGS
c> A in General information on
page 203 .
~ Always follow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
~ Make sure that the jet o n the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray ".
~ Do not hold the spray no zzle too close to
soft materia ls.
W hen clea ning the vehi cle w it h a powe r wash­
e r
always fo llow the operating instruc tions.
Cleaning and protec tion 205
This applies particu la rly to the operating
pre ssure and the spraying di stance. Keep a
distance from soft materia ls such as rubber
hoses or insulating material as we ll as sensors
and camera lenses.
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a direct
stream or one that has a rotating jet.
Water tempera ture sho uld no t exceed 140 ° F
(60 °().
A WARNING
N eve r wash t ires with a jet that sprays wa­
ter in a direct stream . T hi s could cause in ­
v isib le damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even i f the spray is from a re lative ly
long distance and for a sho rt time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal i njury .
(D Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, a lways
make sure that the re is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materials
li ke rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound­
deaden ing ma ter ia ls as well as sensors
and camera lenses. Never a im th e sp ray
head at the same point for a long time .
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bum pers. Remembe r: the
cl oser the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ia l, the greater the stress on the ma­
terial.
Sensoren und Kameralinsen
- Entfernen S ie Schnee m it einem Handfeger
und Eis bevo rzugt mit einem losungsm ittel­
fre ien Enteisu ngsspray .
- Reinigen Sie die Sensoren (adaptive cruise
cont ro l*, Einparkhi lfe*) mit losungsm itte l­
fre iem Re inigungsmi tte l und einem weiche n
t ro ck enen Tuch .
- Befeuchten Sie die Kameralinse m it handel­
si.iblichem Glasrein ig ungsm ittel a uf Al ko­
holbasis und reinigen Sie die Linse mi t ei­
nem trockenen Tuch . Beim lane assist* wird
de r Bereich vor der Linse im Normalfall .,..
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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.
@
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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:
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232 Checking and filling
-Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing . Shield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury .
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns .
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
medical attention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables.
= When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­ tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec­
trical system, switch
off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip ­
ment . The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected . If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch
off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm. -
When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter ­
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery .
It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C) .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 6S Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en­ gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electronic components in the electri­
cal system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced .

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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@ Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical sys­
tem. When jump start ing or charging the
battery, never connect the negative
ground cable to the battery negative post because the battery manager sys­
tem must be able to detect the battery's
state of cha rge. A lways connect the neg­
ative g round cab le to the negative
gro und post o f the battery manage r con­
trol uni t.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper coble
clomps in exactly the order described below!
Fig. 2 08 Engine compartment: connecto rs for jump
start cables and charger
Fi g. 209 Jump start ing w ith the battery of another ve ­
hicle: @-booste r batte ry, @ -discharged vehicle bat ­
te ry
The procedure described below fo r connecting
jumper cab les is intended to provide a jump
start for your veh icle.
Vehicle with discharged batt ery:
.. Turn off lights and acc esso ries, move leve r
of automat ic t ransm ission to N (Neutral) o r
P (Park) and set pa rking brake .
Emergenc y situ ation s 2 71
Connect POSI TIVE(+) to POSITIVE (+ )
(red )
.. Open the red cover on the positive terminal
¢fig. 208.
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable
on the
jump sta rt bolt ¢ fig. 209 (D (bolt
under the red cover = "positive") of the ve­
hicle to be started @.
2. Co nnect th e other end to the pos itive ter-
mina l@ of the booster battery @.
Connect NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE(-)
(black )
3. Connect one end of the black negative ca­ ble to the negat ive termina l@ of the
booster b attery @.
4 . Connect the othe r end to the
jump start
pin @ (bolts with hex head bolt = "nega­
tive") of the vehicle to be started @.
Starting the engine .. Sta rt the engine of the veh icle w ith the
booste r ba ttery @. Ru n the engine at a
moderate speed .
.. Start engine wit h discha rged vehicle battery
@ in the usual manner .
.. If the eng ine fails to start, do not keep the
starter cranking for longer than 10 seconds.
Wait for about 30 seco nds a nd the n try
aga in .
.. With engi ne runni ng, remove j umper cab les
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse o r­
de r .
.. Close the red cover on the positive term inal.
T he battery is vented to th e outside to p revent
gases from en ter ing the veh icle in ter io r. Ma ke
s ur e th at the j umper clamps are well connec t­
ed with their meta l parts in full con ta ct w ith
the battery term inals.
A WARNING
To avoid se rious personal injury and dam­
age to the veh icle, heed all warnings and
instructions of the jumper cable man ufac­
turer. If in doubt, call for road service .
- J umper cables m ust be long enough so
that the veh icles d o not touch.
-

A
Accessories .................. ... ... 282
AC (automatic climate control) ... .. .. .. 76
Adaptive air suspension/sport ......... 103
adaptive cruise control Stop-and-go traffic ................. 91
Adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Request for driver intervention . . . . . . . . 92
Sensoren/Kamera reinigen .......... 205
Adaptive Light (defective) ... .......... 21
Adding Engine coolant .............. ... ... 228
Eng ine oil ........................ 225
Windshield washer fluid ............ 234
Additives Engine oil .. ................. .. ... 225
Adjustable steering column ............ 79
Adjusting Air distribution (automatic climate con-
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Instrument illumination ............. 47
Steer ing column .............. ...... 79
Temperature (automatic climate control) 77
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142, 161
Advanced Airbag System ............ 146
Advanced Airbag System components . 149
Care ........................ ..... 155
Ch ildren ......................... 167
Ch ild restra ints ............... ..... 168
Components (front airbags) . ... .. .. . 149
Danger of fitting a child seat on the front
passenger seat .................... 144
Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146, 147
How do the front airbags work? ... .. . 151
How many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... ..... ........... ...... .. 149
H ow the Advanced Airbag System com-
ponents work together ............. 150
I mportant safety instructions on the
knee airbag system .......... ... .. . 159
Important things to know ... ... .. .. . 142
Knee airbags ...................... 157
Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ...... . 153
Index 285
Repairs .......................... 155
Safety instructions .. .............. . 155
Side a irbags ... .. .. ............... 160
Side curtain airbags ................ 163
Warning/indicator lights ............. 18
Warning/Indicator lights .......... . 153
Weight-sensing mat ... .. ..... ..... 167
When must the system be inspected? 153
Aircraft Transporting your vehicle ........... 274
Alloy wheels .. .... .. ............... 208
All Wheel Drive ..................... 191
Winter tires ...................... 250
Ambience lighting ................... 46
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolant ............ . 227
Anti-lock braking system ............. 187
Warning/ind icator lights ............. 19
Anti-slip regulation ................. 187
Anti-theft systems Electronic immobilizer ............... 29
Audi braking guard
refer to b rak ing guard ............... 87
Audi drive select
refer to drive select 103
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Litera-
ture .............................. 280
AUTO Automat ic climat e control ............ 76
Automatic headlights ............... 43
Auto Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Automatic belt retractor ............. 137
Automat ic car wash ................. 204
Automatic climate control Air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Automatic recirculation .............. 78
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Setup ............................ 78
Automatic climate control system
synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Automat ic transmission (t iptronic) ..... 109
Emergency mode .................. 112
Kick-down ... ..................... 112
Manual shifting .. .. . .. .. ..... ..... 112
Parking lock emergency release ...... 113
Se lector lever positions ............. 109
Automatic wipers .................... 48
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