2012 AUDI A8 brake fluid

Advanced Parking System . . . . 115
Advanc ed Pa rking System with r ear
view camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Ad justing the display and warning
tones .... .. ................. .. .. 119
E rro r messages
Homelink ® ............ .... .. . .
Universal remote control . .. .. .. .. . . 120
121
121
Safety first
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Prope r occupa nt seating posit ions . . . 125
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 129
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
S towing lugg age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Safety belt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 142
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Mon itoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
S ide curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
I mportant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hil d safety sea ts ......... .... .. . .
I ns tall ing a chi ld safe ty seat .. .. .. . .
L A T C H L ower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Addit io n al Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Preventative passenger protection .. . 166
17
1
175
178
184
185
185
Table of contents 3
Vehicle oper ation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
187
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 187
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
E lectronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . 187
B rak ing ...... ... .. ............. .
Se rvotronic ® - advanced powe r
stee ring system ......... ........ .
D rivi ng with your q uattro ® ...... .. . 189
191
191
E nergy m anagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving and environment . . . . . 194
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
a ft erwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 4
Catalytic conve rter. .. ... ...... ... . 195
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 195
Driving throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 196
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driv ing with a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 203
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Car e of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... .......... ....
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
F uel tank.. .. .. .. ... ............ . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 219
E ngine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine compartmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ire pressure mo nitoring system . . . . 253
•
•

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
I
USA mod els: Safety systems
[j
Tank system
¢ page 18 ¢page 21
'
m
Canada models: Safety systems
•
Windshield washer fluid level
¢page 18 ¢page
21
I]
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
!I
Windshield wipe rs
,I ¢ page 21
¢ page 18
- -
I!
Remote control key
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
I
¢page BO
,I
¢page 18
~
Remote control key
USA models: ¢ page BO
rJ}E
Anti-lock brak ing system (ABS)
m
Battery in remote control key
defective ¢page29
¢ page 19
I Canada model s:
l:I
Defective light bu lb warn ing
•
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) ¢page 21
defective
Fog lights*
I ¢page 19
II ¢page 21
Worn brake pads
•
- -
¢page 19
•
Rear fog lights*
¢page 21
•
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page82
II
Headlight range control
¢page 21
•
Tire pressure mon itoring system
,I
mJ
adaptive light*
¢ page253 ¢page
21
1111&1
Tire pressure monitoring system
Light-/rain sensor faulty
m
¢page253
¢page 21
[m
Electronic power contro l - -
¢page20
•
Audi lane assist
¢page 96
g
Malfunction indicator Lamp (MIL)
,I
ti
Transmission
¢page20 ¢page
112
•
Engine speed limitation
Ii]
Transmission
¢ page 20
¢page 112
Ill
Engine oil level
Im
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 17
¢page 17
•
Engine oil sensor
Im
Engine start system
¢ page20
¢page 17
r.
Battery
,100
Dynamic steering *,/
¢ page 16
¢page22
--

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Air suspension
¢page 18
Sport differential*
¢page22
Other indicator lights
- Turn
signals
¢page22
~ USA models: Cruise control *
~ ¢ page 85
•
Canada models: Cruise control*
¢page 85
-
r!I
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page89
•
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page 89
-
I
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page89
•
Audi lane assist
¢ page 96
-
•
High beam
¢page45
BRAKE /((f)) Brake system
The light illuminates when the ignition is
switched on . It goes out after the engine has
been started . This indicates that the brake
warn ing light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking, there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the brake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction.
- (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, proceed as follows:
"" Pull off the road . ""
Stop the vehicle.
"" Turn off the engine .
"" Check the brake fluid level ¢
page 229.
"" Contact your nearest authori zed repair fa-
cility if necessary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light ti] (USA models)/ rl]
(Canada models), the ESC indicator light G]
and the brake system indicator light
- (USA models)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking distr ibut ion are not working¢.&..
Carefu lly drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunction correct­
ed ¢.&. .
- (USA models) . (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on , check if you can release the
parking brake. After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your authorized Au­
di dealer immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected. If you cannot release the
pa rking brake, seek professiona l assistance.
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
while driving, the emergency brak ing
function may not be available . It may not be
possible to set the park ing brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek profess ional as­
sistance.
(USA models): If the warn ing light - and
the warn ing l ight
El appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 19.
When the light comes on, an audible warning
s ignal is also given .
Ill-

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
A WARNING ,~
- Always observe the warnings in
c:> page 213, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
-USA models: If the - warning light,
the
Iii warning light and them warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer or a quali­
fied workshop . Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
Ii] warning light and the
ABS warning light
ll] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­ dent . Have your vehicle repaired immedi­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake released, or lights up while
you are driving, the fluid level in the
brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
mediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­ spected.
-Always keep in mind that after several
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
vehicle . Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with maximum stopping power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased braking distances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light - (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the
ignition is off, the indicator light turns off af­
ter about 20 seconds.
The warning/indicator light will go out when
the parking brake is released.
- (USA models) • (Canada models)
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from rolling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could roll away even
on a small incline.
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
c:> page 83.
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake pedal and press the button ~ at the
same time. The parking brake only release au­
tomatically if the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened .
IIJ Parking brake!
If the IIJ indicator light turns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction . Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and check coolant level IJ-

190 Intelligent technology
briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter ­
va ls so as to improve reaction time when brak­
ing on wet surfaces. You the driver wi ll not no­
tice anything.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you sho uld clean off accumu lated salt coat ing
from brake d iscs and pads with a few careful
applicat ions of the brake¢,& .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency fo r dirt to bui ld up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le
to clean off the pads and discs by brak ing
firm ly a few times from a moderately high
speed <=>,& .
Fault s in the brake sy stem
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake peda l travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢,& .
Low brake flu id le vel
M alfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fl uid level is too low. The brake fluid
leve l is monitored electronically .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lin ing wea r may be chec ked by v is u al in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in­
spection ¢ page 2 59, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
-You should perform brak ing maneuvers
for the purpose of clean ing the brake
system on ly if road con ditio ns pe rmit.
Oth er road users must not be put at r isk -
yo u may cause an ac ciden t! -
Before descend ing a steep grade, red uce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long o r too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficie ncy.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing you r
foot on th e pedal whe n you do not intend
to b rake. This may c ause the brake s to
overhea t, prem ature wear and incre ased
stopping distance.
- Unde r cert ain cl im atic and ope rat ing
conditions s uch as passing thro ugh wa ­
ter, driving in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, lin ings,
d iscs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­ i n gs w ill be cleaned off after a few care­
fu l brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your
b rakes can a lso affect bra kin g efficiency .
Clea n off accum ulate d sal t coa ting from
b rake discs and pads wi th a few c areful
b rake applications .
- If you d am age t he fron t spoiler, or i f yo u
install a diffe rent spoiler, be s ure the a ir
f low to the front brakes is not obstruc t­
e d. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness o f
the entire brake system.
- Fa ilure of one brake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est A udi dealer or qualified workshop .
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
T he brake booster wo rks with vacuum pres­
s ur e which is created only when the engine is
runn ing
c> ,& . ..,.

& WARNING
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut
off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
-
The power steering systems use the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering
system senses the road speed and e lectroni­
cally adjusts power ass istance to provide com­
fortable and safe steering response exactly matched to the veh icle speed.
Power steering wi ll not work if the engine is
off. As a resu lt, the steering whee l wi ll be hard
to turn.
The power steering fluid level is checked dur­ ing the scheduled maintenance services.
(D Note
I f there is an electronic malfunct ion, ser­
votronic
will sti ll function like a conven­
tional power steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when parking), -more effo rt will be re­
qui red than usual.
- Be awa re of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your stee r­
i ng fo rce accord ingly.
- Have the p roblem checked and set right
by an Aud i dealer as soon as possib le .
Int ellig ent technolog y 191
(D Tips
-When the engine is running, never ho ld
the steering wheel turned all the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
seconds. The power steering pump will
overheat the hydrau lic fluid if you keep
holding the stee ring wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering system.
- If the powe r stee ring system should fa il
entire ly, o r if the e ngine is not run ning
(for example, wh ile be ing towed), you
w ill still be able to stee r the veh icle.
However,
considerably more effor t will
be required to do so .
- If the power stee ring system sho uld
have a lea k, or is not functioning proper ­
ly, contact your authorized A udi dealer
immediately.
- The power steering system req uires a
specially formu lated hydra ulic fluid. The
power steering fluid reservoir is located
in the engine compartment
Q page 221.
The correct fluid level in the reservoir is
important for proper functioning of the
powe r stee ring.
Driving with your
quattro ®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels ore driv­
en.
General information
Wi th A ll Wheel Drive, power is dis tributed to
all four w heels. This happens automatically
depend ing on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See a lso
Q page 187.
With the sport different ia l*, power distribu­
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted with Audi drive select*
Qpage 103.
Always read and follow safety precautions
Q&_ ,
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
A ll Wheel Drive has an advantage, even w ith
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may ..,. •
•

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 .
•
•

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.