2012 AUDI A8 tow

244 Tires and whee ls
other things that you plan to
transport so that you can make sure that your vehicle will not
be overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve ­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)¢
page 239,
fig. 183 .
2. Determ ine the combined
weight of the driver and pas ­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the dr iver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 239, fig. 183.
4 . T he resulting figure equals
the available amount of car ­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs . passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of ava ilable
cargo and luggage load ca-pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs
.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6 . If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
.,. Check the ti re sidewall
(¢page 2 4 6, fig. 187) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.

256 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle.
Fig. 190 Trunk escape handle: View from inside the
close d trunk
To open rear lid
.. Pull the hand le down towards the bumper
r=;,fig. 190.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency re lease lever shou ld never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
Emergency warning
triangle
Applies to vehicles: wit h emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig. 191 Trunk lid: Warn ing tr iangle
.. To remove the warning triangle, press the
retainer in the direction of the arrow
r=;, fig. 191 and fold the holder down .
The rear lid is only designed to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program. If you wou ld like to retrofit your ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your autho rized Audi dea ler.

Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 192 Luggage co mpa rtmen t: ca rgo f loo r cover
fol ded upwar d
Fig. 193 Trunk lid : Vehicle too l ki t
.. Lift the cargo floo r by the plastic handle.
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
men t weather strip ¢
fig. 192.
.. Remove the spare wheel to reach the vehi -
cle tool kit .
.. Remove the foam piece.
T he onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers* or wheel
hub covers
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Al ignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Towing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
What do I d o now ? 257
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injur ies.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for yo ur vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in­
ju ring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied wit h your Au­
di on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional ext ras .
- Before yo u can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
¢ page 262 .

Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 1 95 Luggag e compartment: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 195.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart ­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 195 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 130 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 259
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 257,
c:> page258 .
& WARNING
You or you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
- After insta lling the spare wheel , make
sure that you replace t he f lat t ire/wheel
-

2 70 Emergency situations
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emer­
gency crews and working personnel who
have the necessary tools and equipment to
perform these ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
Q;) Note
Vehicles w ith an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pus hing o r tow ing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
connected to the battery of
another vehicle,
using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the en­
g ine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cross section to carry the starter current safe­
ly. Refer to the manufacturer's specif ications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated termi­
na l clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minu s(-) cable
in most cases colored black .
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal
inju ry. Follow the instructions below for
safe handling of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the battery whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tem­
peratures just be low 32 °F (0 °C). Before connecting a
jumper cable, you must
thaw the frozen battery complete ly, oth­
erwise it could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes
or skin . Flush any contacted area with
water immediately .
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gas­
es. Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga­
rettes away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a low acid level in the battery.
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery . Use of batteries of d ifferent voltage
or substantially different "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and personal in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen batte ry. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen. The battery case may have
be weakened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially different capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capacity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis ­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
page 213, Engine com­
partment.
«I) Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster bat­
tery will cause expensive damage to sen­
sitive electronic components, such as
contro l units, relays, rad io, etc .
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise current
could already start to flow as soon as the
positive(+) terminals are connected. ..,_

272 Emergen cy sit uat ions
-When connecting jumper cables, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the engine compart­
ment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c:> page 213, Engine com­
partment.
(D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ru­ in the generator.
-Always connect POSITIVE(+) to POSI­ TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE
( - ) ground post of the battery manager
control unit.
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connecting clamp on nega­
tive battery term inal.
- Please note that the procedure for con­
nect ing a jumper cable as desc ribed
above applies spe cifically to the case of
you r vehicle being j ump started. When
you are giving a jump star t to anothe r ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative (-) ca ­
ble to the negat ive(-) term inal on the
discharged battery ©
c:> fig. 209. In­
stead, securely connect the negative(-)
cable to either a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to the engine block itself. If the bat­
te ry that is being charged does not vent
to t he outside, es caping battery gas
could ignite and explode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
tng.
The follow ing information is to be used by
commercia l tow tr uck operators who know
h ow to operate the ir equipmen t safe ly.
- Never t ow your Audi. Towing will cau se
da mage to the engine and tr ans mi ssion .
- Ne ver wrap th e safet y chain s or winch c a­
ble s around the brake lines.
- To prevent unne ce ssa ry damage , your Aud i
must be t ran spo rted with a flat bed truck.
- To load th e vehi cle on to the fl at bed, use
the towing l oop found in the vehicle t ools
and attach to the front o r rear anchorage
c:>page 272 and c:>page 273.
.&_ WARNING
=
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas-
sengers. Never allow a nyone to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Only install the front towing loop when it is
needed.
C7
0
F ig. 210 Fr ont bumpe r: cove r
Fig. 211 Fro nt bu mpe r: sc rew ing in the towing loop
-
The towing loop fits into the threaded hole lo ­
cated on the right s ide of the front b umpe r
and covered by a sma ll cove r when not in use.
.,. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
tool kit.

.. Press in ward strongly on the left side of the
cap to remove it from the bumper
e::>fig . 210 .
.. Screw the towing loop in the threaded
opening and tighten it until it stops
e::> fig . 211.
Remove the towing loop when you are done
using it and place it back in the vehicle tool
kit. Install the cover in the bumper. Always
keep the towing loop in the vehicle .
..&_ WARNING
If you do not sc rew the tow ing loop com­
pletely, it cou ld come out of the threaded
hole while the vehicle is bei ng towed caus ­
ing damage to the vehicle and possib le se­
r ious perso nal injury .
Rear towing loop
Only install the rear towing loop when it is
needed.
0 0
Fig . 212 Rear bumper: cover
0 0
Fig. 21 3 Rear bumper : screw ing in towing loop
There are threads located be hind the right
side of the rear bumper where a towing loop
can be installed. The threads are located be­
hind a cover.
-
Emergenc y situ ation s 2 7 3
.. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
too l kit .
.. Press inward strongly on the left side of the
cap to remove it from the bumper
¢fig. 212.
.. Screw the towing loop in the threaded
open ing and t ighten it unt il it stops. The in­
dicator ma rking must be f lush with the
bumper
e::> fig. 213.
Remove the towing loop when you are done
us ing it and place it back in the ve hicle too l
ki t. Always keep the towing loop in the vehi­
cle.
..&_ WARNING
If yo u do not s crew the towing loop com ­
p letely , it co uld come ou t of the t hreaded
hole while the vehicle is be ing towed caus­
ing damage to the vehicle and possible se­
rious pe rsonal injury.
loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Fi g. 21 4 Ve hicle on flat bed tru ck
Front hook up
.. Align the vehicle wi th the centerline of the
car car rier ramp .
.,. Attach the winch hook to the front tow line
eye prev iously insta lled .
Rear hook up
.,. Align the vehicle with the c enter line of the
car earner ramp .
.. Attach the winch hook to the re ar towli ne
eye prev ious ly insta lled .

2 7 4 Emergency situations
@ Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up
is secure before moving the car up the flat­
bed truck ramp.
Vehicle transport
Whenever you have your vehicle transported,
be sure to note the following:
(D Note
Mount the tie-down chains/cables over the
running surface (circumference) of the
tires. Never secure the vehicle by the axle,
the suspension struts or the front or rear
towline eye. For technical reasons, the
pressure in the suspension struts may
change during the transport and this will
adversely affect vehicle handling.
Lifting vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with
floor jack
The vehicle may only be lifted at the lifting
points illustrated.
Fig. 215 Front lift in g po int
Fig. 216 Rear lifti ng point
.,. Read and heed WARNING ¢ _&.
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode in the MMI :
!CARI function button > Car systems control
button
> Servicing & checks > Air susp.:
jack mode
> On.
.,. Locate lifting points ¢ fig . 215 and
¢fig. 216 .
.,. Adjust lifting arms of workshop hoist or
floor jack to match veh icle lifting points .
.,. Insert a rubber pad between the floor jack/
wo rkshop hoist and the lifting points.
The vehicle jack mode must be act ivated so
that the automat ic adjustment of the Adap­
tive Ai r Suspens ion does not make it more dif­
ficult to raise the vehicle with the floor jack.
If you must lift your vehicle with a floor jack
to work underneath, be sure the vehicle is
safely supported on stand s intended for this
purpose.
Front lifting point
The lifting point is located on the floor pan re­
i nforcement about at the same level as the
jack mounting point
¢ fig. 215 . Do not lift
the vehicle at the vertical sill reinforcement.
Rear lifting point
The lifting point is located on the vertical rein ­
forcement of the lower sill for the on-board
jack
¢fig. 216.
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to ¢page 262.
A WARNING ,= -
-To reduce the risk of serious injury and
veh icle damage.
- Always lift the vehicle only at the spe­
cia l workshop hoist and floor jack lift
points illustrated
¢ fig . 215 and
¢ fig. 216 .
-Failure to lift the vehicle at these
points could cause the vehicle to tilt or
fall from a lift if there is a change in ve­
hicle weight distribution and balance.
This might happen, for example, when heavy components such as the eng ine
block or transmission are removed .