2012 AUDI A8 ESP

200 Trailer towing
Trail er load dis tr ibut ion
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
N eve r all ow a p assenger to rid e in a trailer
~ .&. in Driving instructions on page 201.
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a tra iler makes the eng ine work hard­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the addit ional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
flu id.
Tir e pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
" Full load" on the label loca ted o n the dr iver's
side B-pillar (v is ible when the door is open).
I nflate trailer tires to tra iler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both veh icle and trailer
l ights are wor king p roperly.
Safe ty chain s
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve ­
h icle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separat ion from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface be­
for e
hitching up the tra iler and b efor e adjust ­
ing the tongue weight . The vehicle must be i n
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
~ page 103, ~CD .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered . In Info ­
tainment, select:
I CARI function button> Lo w­
e r
control button . If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
afte r coupling the
trailer or
a fter adjust ing the tongue we ight
~ page 105.
(D Note
-Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle .
- Always select auto or comfort mode .
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
T o obtain the best possible hand ling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llowing:
.. Do not tow a loaded t railer when you r ca r it­
self is not loaded .
.. Be especially carefu l when passing other ve ­
hicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re ­
s ul ts in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble , while keep ing the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the ci rcumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while obse rv ing
tong ue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
1111>

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.
•
•

cloth or sponge. Use a clean, soft cloth to rub
dry .
Grease, tar or o il stains can be removed with a
clean cloth or sponge soaked w ith all-purpose
cleane r or with a solvent designed especially
to clean viny l.
Occasiona lly apply a colo rless v iny l or leather
prese rvat ive to reta in the mate rial's l uster
and pliability .
~ WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
r=; page 203.
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral -pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum surfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum su rfaces and can dam­
age them over time .
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
r=:; page 203.
Touch-up paint
Minor paint damages should be touched up
immediately.
.,. Use either a touch-up pa int stick or spray
paint to cover minor scratches and nicks .
Your Audi dealer has touch-up paint for minor scratches and stone chips. Scratches should
be touched up soon after they occu r to pre­
vent co rrosion .
If a spot starts to rust, however, a simple
touch-up job w ill not be enoug h. The affected
surface must be sanded smooth and coated
with an a nti-rust pr imer befo re the pa inted
finish ca n be restor ed .
The number for the original vehicle paint ca n
be found on the vehicle ident ificat ion labe l
r=;page276 .
Cleaning and protec tion 207
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
r=:; page 203.
, Windows
Clear vision to all sides .
Clean all windows regularly to remove road
film and car was h wax buildup.
.. Remove snow from w indows using a b rush .
.,. Use a p las tic ice s craper to remove ice from
windows and mirrors.
.. Remove other residue on the windows with
a spray-on g lass cleaner.
.. Wipe the windows dry with a clean piece of
cloth or kitchen paper towel.
The best way to remove snow from windows
and mirrors is to use a brush. Use a non-abra­
s ive
plastic ice scraper -better still, a spray
deicer - to remove
ice from w indows and mir­
ro rs .
Oil, grease or silicone residue can be removed
with
glass cleane r or silicone remo ve r. How­
ever, wax res idue requires the use of a spec ial­
ly formula ted so lvent . Please contact your Au­
di dealer for adv ice on safe products for wax
r emoval.
Windows should also be cleaned on the inside
at regu lar intervals .
Never dry windows with the same chamo is
that you use to dry painted surfaces. Wax resi­ due on the chamois can impa ir v is io n through
the windows .
A WARNING
-Always rea d and heed a ll WAR NINGS and
other info rmation
¢ page 203.
- The windsh ield must not be treated w ith
wate r-repellent mate rials. They can in­
crease glare unde r poo r vis ibility condi­
tion s such as wetness, d arkness, or when
the s un is low on the hori zon . In addi ­
tion, they can ca use the windshield w ip-
ers to chatter. ""'
•
•

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 . .,.
•
•

-Wh en cl eaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage. If you discover dam ­
age, see your Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 203.
Cooler
Applies to veh icles: with coole r
A layer of ic e or frost in th e cool er interfer es
with its cooling performanc e.
Cleaning
The refr igerator sho uld be cleaned reg ula rly .
.,. Wash the cooler w ith lukewarm water a nd a
mild cleaning so lution, if necessary .
.,. The n w ipe the coole r dry.
.. Dust and dir t will acc umu late near the ven ­
t il ation openings in the luggage compar t­
me nt due to normal coole r usage. This
sho uld be cleaned reg ularly.
Defrosting
.,. Switc h the coo ler off ¢ page 72.
.. Remove any food or beverages and al low
the coole r to defrost with the door open .
.. Wipe the inside of the coo ler dry and clean
the cooler , if necessary .
D efrost the cooler if yo u will no t be using it
for ex tended periods of time .
Q) Note
-Do no t try to speed up the defrosting
p rocess by applying heat.
- To red uce the risk of pe rsonal injury or
dam age to the refrige rator,
- do not use any abrasive cleaners, sol­
vents, wax, aggressive cleaning solu­
tions , so lutions with strong fragrances,
etc.,
- do not clean the coo ler with cleaning
tools such as stee l wool.
l ) U se o nly the co rr ec t cl ean in g so lu tio ns. Ne ve r use ga s­
o line or d ie sel fuel.
Cleaning and protec tion 213
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Always switch off the ignit ion before clean ­
ing the engine
¢ .& .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the engin e compart­
ment . This prevents the water drain holes
from becoming b locked , and it preve nts de­
bris from entering the vehicle interio r through
the heat ing and ventilat ion ducts .
Corrosion protection
The eng in e compartm ent and transmission
have been corrosion-protected at the facto ry .
Good anti -corrosion treatment is very impor ­
tant , partic ularly in the w inte r.
If the vehicle
is frequently d riven on salt treated roads, th e
entire engine compartment and p lenum panel
shou ld be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter a nd retreated to p revent salt damage .
At the same time, the unde rside of the vehicle
shou ld be washed as well.
If the engine compar tment is cleaned at any
time with grease remov ing solutions
1> , or if
you have the engine washed, the ant i-corro­
s io n treatment is almost always removed as
well.
It i s therefo re essentia l to have a long­
lasti ng cor rosion pro tect ion rea pplied to all
s u rfaces , seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine com partment of any
motor veh icle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before work ing in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
¢ page 219 .
•
•

216 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driv ing.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
(CT) Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fuels that fai l to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If yo u are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel sup plier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
A lthough gasoline grades differ from one
manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to co llect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and fuel
systems clean, they a re not equally effec­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
f uels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
'
Damage or malf u nct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
s ide panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually- for detailed
instructions see
¢page 218.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 278.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your veh icle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
¢ page 215.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­ li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly wh ile protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
.8, WARNING
Under normal operating cond itions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must

218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can bui ld up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel conta iners .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2 -86) .
d) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated noz zle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
(D Tips
-Running your engine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spi ll out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the ins ide .
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 171 Rig ht s ide t rim p an el in t he luggage compart·
men t: emerge ncy re le ase mechan is m
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment .
.,. Loosen the loop
¢fig. 171 from the retain­
er and then pull on the loop carefully
¢ (D.
.,. Press on the left side of the fuel filler door
to open
¢ page 217, fig . 169 .
(D Note
Only pull on the loop until you feel resist­
ance . You w ill not hear it release . Other ­
wise you could damage the emergency re­
l ease mechanism.

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.