2012 AUDI A8 park

202 Trailer towing
• Start the engine.
• Se lect the D selector lever position.
• Re lease the park ing brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the auto­ mat ic transm ission to P before applying
the park ing brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use more force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion.

Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Any automobile is exposed to industrial
fumes , corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after purchase . Regu lar and correct care w ill con­
tr ibute to maintaining the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
F u rth ermor e, good c are may be a conditi on
for subs tantiati ng a w arrant y claim sho uld
c orrosion d amag e or paint d efects oc cur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedic ated veh icle-car e products and can ad ­
vise which ones to use for cleaning the exter i­
or and interior of your vehicle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially available clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply them cor­
rectly .
.&, WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caut ion labels.
- Always read directions on the container
before using any product. Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated
and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polish remover or other volatile
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wax or dry the vehicle with the ign it ion
on or the engine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. w ithout pro­
tecting your hands and arms. You may c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
Cleaning and protec tion 203
- Moisture and ice on brakes may impair
brak ing effic iency¢
page 189, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environmentally friend ly clean­
i ng products . Leftover cleaning products
should not d isposed of in the household
waste.
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best protection against environmental i n­
fluences is
frequent washing and waxing . How
often t his is required depends on:
- How much the veh icle is used
- Where the veh icle is parked (garage, in the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasonal and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird droppings, insects, tree resin,
road and indus tria l gr ime, ta r, soot, road salt
and other materials remain on the vehicle body, the more lasting their destructive ef­
fects wi ll be . High temperatures caused by ex­
posure to intense sun light intens ify the corro­
s ive effect, particularly when humid ity is high
as well.
Under certain circumstances,
weekl y washing
may be necessary. Under other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade­
quate .
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle
should be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional car wash .
.&, WARNING ,_
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information¢
page 203 .
•
•

-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 .,..
•
•

208 Clea ning and protec tio n
-Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow and ice from windows and mirrors.
This could cause the glass to crack.
- To prevent damage to the wires of the
rear defogger, do not place any adhesive
stickers on the inside of the rear window
over the wires.
- To help prevent d irt from scratch ing the
window, always scrape in a forward d i­
rection - pushing the scraper away from
you - never back and forth .
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
• Wash the wheels with a sponge or hose
brush every other week.
• For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
acid -free cast alloy wheel cleaner.
• Rub a coat of
liquid wax onto the r ims every
three month . Be sure to reach and treat a ll
parts of the rim.
To preserve the decorat ive appearance of the
cast alloy wheels, some special care is neces­
sary. In addit ion to road dirt and sa lt, b rake
dust is a lso cor ros ive. If left o n for too long,
b rake dust can cause pitting.
Use only special
acid-free cleaners formulated
for a lloy rims. Safe products are available at
your Aud i deale r. Neve r leave the cleaner on
the r ims longer than spec ified on the label.
If
not rinsed off promptly, the acid contained in
some cleaners can attack the threads on the
wheel bolts .
Never use ab ras ive or metal polishing clean ­
ing agents. If the protective coating has been
chipped, e .g. by kicked up road dirt, touch it
up as soon as possible .
A WARNING
- Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency¢
page 189, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the veh icle .
-
-Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 203.
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked.
All body cav it ies which could be affected by
cor rosion have been thorough ly protected at
the factory.
T his sealing does not require any inspection or
additional treatment. If any wax shou ld seep
out of the cavity when the ambient tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed with a p lastic
scraper and a suitable solvent.
A WARNING
-Solvents can be dangerous.
- Benzine is flammab le and toxic . If you
use benzine for removing the wax, keep
sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benz ine on the
ground, into open streams or down sew­
age dra ins.
- Be sure to observe all safety and environ­
mental regulat ions . Follow all instruc­
tions on the container .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information ¢
page 203.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor­
oughly protected against corros ion.
Any damage to the undercoating ca used by
road hazards should be repaired prompt ly .
A WARNING
-Too much undercoating in the wrong p la-
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
r u stproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con-
verter or heat shields. While driving, the
~

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 . .,.
•
•

transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F8S2 -86) .
@ Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 169 Right rear vehicle s ide: Opening the fuel filler
flap
Fig. 170 Fuel filler flap with attached fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
f ill er flap is automatically un locked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
• Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it¢
fig. 169 -arrow-.
• Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap
~ fig. 170 .
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 217
Refuelling procedure
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go.
• Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
• After filling your tank, twist the fuel filler
cap clockwise as far as it will go.
• Close the fuel filler flap.
To avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap proper ly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 26
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fue l to spray out of filler neck or to over­
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while re­
fue ling. The electromagnet ic radiation
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va­
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while re­
fueling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge static electricity before touching the fill­
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any­
where in or near your vehicle when refu­
eling or filling a portable fue l container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable

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.

220 Check ing and filling
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and persona l in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clot hing, jewe lry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
start ing, and do not wear cloth ing that
will hang or d roop into the eng ine.
- Min imize exposure to emission and
chem ica l hazards c:> &. .
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certa in veh icle compone nts co nta in
o r emit chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer and b irth de­
fects a nd rep roduct ive ha rm. In addition,
c ertain f luids con ta ine d in vehicles and
c ertain pro ducts of component wear co n­
tain or emi t chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and re lated ac ­
cessories contain lead and lead com- pounds, chemica
ls known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding f luids, always make su re that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur.
® For the sake of the environment
To detect lea ks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other veh icle flu­
i ds, have you r vehicle inspected by a n au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
.. Let the hood
drop down an d latc h in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage 9 /]}. .
A WARNING ,_ -
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
i ng.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to make sure the safety catch has proper­ly engaged. The hood shou ld be flush
wit h the surrou nding vehicle body pa rts .
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.