2012 AUDI A8 engine overheat

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
gauge turn on under normal d riving condi ­
tions . The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the eng ine is under heavy load or the exter ior
temperature is high . This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the ind ica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster display
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢ page 15.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
~ page 213, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant .
(D Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine co uld overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
properly distrib ute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and t he engine co uld then over­
heat . Ask your autho rized Audi dea le r for
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine R PM drops be low 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le ind icates maxim um
perm iss ible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
lector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
@ Note
The tachometer need le should only briefly
be in the red zone: yo u could damage your
engine! The beg inning of the red zone var ­
i es depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upsh ifting early saves fuel and reduces en ­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
o n.
If the fue l level drops below 4 gallons (15
l ite rs), the bottom LED tu rns red and the indi­
cator light
(l1 tu rns on ¢ page 21. The bot­
tom LED b link s red when the fue l level is very
l ow .
The possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@~
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the ta nk complet ely dry. An ir­
regular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel cou ld enter the exha ust
system. The cata lytic converter could t hen
overheat and be damaged .
Warning/indicator
lights
Description
T he ind icator lights in the ins trument clus ter
blink or turn on. They indica te f unct ions or
malfunctions
¢ ,& .
Messages may appea r with some indicato r
li ghts. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indica tor lights and messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other disp lays. To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
ing the multifunction steering whee l
¢ page 23. If there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us- ing the thumbwheel. ..,.

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-

22 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and
off using the light switch . You can still
control a ll funct ions that are independent of
the rain sensor through the windshield wiper lever.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the prob lem corrected.
@! Dynamic steering
1;r.ij Steering: system fault. you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slow ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
tT@ Dynamic steering: initialising
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering is being reinitialized. Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the steering wheel w ill be easy to move . Re-initi ­
alization might be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the veh icle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as init ialization is complete .
A WARNING
-
Have the dynamic steering system mal­
function repaired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
@ Tips
-The dynamic steering stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring, refer to
¢page 103.
I-: Sport differential
II Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport d ifferen ­
t ial.
Drive to your authori zed Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
A WARNING
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
is faulty or malfunct ioning . The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢ 9 Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal .
Whenever you use the left B or the right B
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flashers , both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­ mal. Carefu lly dr ive to your authorized Audi
dealer immed iately to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the trail­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer towing
mode.
@ Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
refer to
¢ page 45.

64 Seats and storage
Full-length center
console
Overview
Appl ies to vehicles: with full-len gth ce nter console
Fig. 61 Rear: full -length center console
@ · 115 volt socket ¢ page 64
@ · cupholder <=> page 71
© · 12 volt socket c:> page 70
@ · Folding table ¢ page 65
®·center armrest and storage com part ·
ments: to open the deep compartment, press
the right button and fold the center armrest
upward. To open the compartment for the
massage function remote control*
c:> page 60
and for the telephone*, press the left button
and fold the center armrest upward.
115-volt socket
Applies to vehicles: with 115 -vo lt socket
The 115-volt socket can only be used when
the engine is running¢
A. When you push
the connector all the way into the socket, the
child safety mechanism releases and current
flows through the socket .
Equipment that can be connected
Electrical devices can be connected to the 115
volt socket in the vehicle. Power consumption
at the 115-volt socket must not exceed 150
watts (300 watts peak) . Check the power con·
sumption of the equipment on the model
plate .
LED on the socket
-The socket is ready for use when the LED is
green.
- If the LED blinks red, there is a malfunction.
The socket will switch off automatically due
to overcurrent or overheating. The socket
will switch on again automatically after a cool-down period. Any devices that are con­
nected and switched on will activate again
automatically
c:> A .
A WARNING
-
- The sockets and the electrical accessories
connected to them operate only when
the ignition is switched on. Incorrect us­
age can lead to serious injuries or burns.
To reduce the risk of injuries, never leave
children unattended in the vehicle with
the vehicle key.
- Heavy equipment or plugs with integrat­
ed power supply units can damage the
socket and lead to injuries.
- Store a ll connected equipment securely
while the vehicle is moving so that they
cannot be thrown through the vehicle in
the event of a braking maneuver or an
accident.
- Never spill any liquids on the socket. If
any moisture gets into the socket, make
certain that all the moisture has dried up before using the socket again.
- Equipment that is connected to the vehi·
cle socket can heat up more than it does
when connected to the public grid .
- When using adapters and extension
cords, the child safety for the 115-volt
socket is disabled and the socket is live.
- Never insert anything other than the
plug of an appropriate electrical accesso·
ry into the socket, especially things that
conduct electricity, e.g. metal pens, knit­
ting needles, etc. into the contacts of the
115-volt socket.
- Turn the electrical equipment off if the
socket has switched off because of over·
heating.

Cruise control
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph
(30 km/h).
0
f
~
0
Fig . 84 Control lever with set button
Fig . 85 D isplay: Selected speed
.,. Pull the lever to position (D ~ fig . 84 to
swit ch the system on .
.,. Drive at the speed you wish to set.
.,. Press button @to set that speed.
The stored speed and the ind icator light
[lj;(i)~1ij (US models) 1 11 (Canad ian models) ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display
¢ fig. 85. The display may vary, depending on
the type of disp lay in your vehicle. The indica­
tor light
Ill in the instrument cluster also illu­
minates.
The speed is kept constant via an engine out­
put adjustment or active brake intervention.
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on . You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between your vehicle and other vehicles.
On the road 85
-For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
plan ing) - risk of accident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporarily
when enter ing turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently ''resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration .
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheating occurs when the cr uise con­
trol system is switched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched
off . The other cruise contro l functions re­
main active as long as the indicator light
tij;[i)~1ij (US models) 111 (Canadian mod­
els) is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the brakes decelerate automatically.
Changing speed
.,. Press lever in the 0 or 0 direction
¢ page 85, fig . 84 to increase or decrease
your speed .
.,. Release the lever to save that speed.
Change speed in increments of 1 mph (1 km/ h) by lightly press ing the lever. If you keep the
lever pressed down , you will alter your speed
in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g. if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­
ator pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 m inutes,
the cruise control wil l turn off temporarily.
The green symbol
[ljlIJll (US models) ill in ..,_

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Horne Link® universal remote
control
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand -held transmitters
from existing equipment.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can operate equipment such as garage
doors, property gates and house lights from inside your vehicle.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can replace up to three separate hand ­
held transmitters for equipment on your
property with just one universal remote con­
trol. Most of these transmitters a re used to
operate ga rage doo rs and property gates. The
individua l transmitters are programmed at
the front bumper. That is where the control
module is located.
The transmitters must be programmed first in
order to operate systems using the Homelink universal remote control.
A WARNING
-
- Never use the Homelink® transmitter
with any garage door opener that does have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as required by federal safety stand­ ards . Th is includes any garage door open­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards. Using a garage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the
Homelink ® 121
Homelink ® remote control is being pro­
grammed.
If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, this can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components - an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avoid possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certain that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(D Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink ® Universal Transce iver,
Homelink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories such as the
Homel ink ® Lighting Package, please
contact Homelink at 1 -800 -355-3515 or
on the Internet at www.homelink.com.
- For Declaration of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regu la ­
tions ~
page 283.

188 Intelligent technology
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake assist
system, anti-s lip regulat ion (ASR), e lectronic
d ifferential lock ( EDL), dynamic steering* and
e lectronic interaxle differentia l lock*. ESC is
switched on all the time. I n certa in s ituations
when you need less tract io n, you ca n sw itch
off ASR by pressi ng the button above
~ page 189, fig. 167 the se lector lever. Be
sure to sw itch ASR on ag ain when you no lon­
ger need less trac tion.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents t he wheels from locking up
when braking. The veh icle can still be st eered
even d uring ha rd b rak ing . Apply steady p res­
sure to the br ake ped al. Do no t pu mp the ped­
a l. A puls ing in t he bra ke peda l ind icates that
the system is he lping yo u to b rake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease b ra kin g
d ista nce. It increases braking powe r w hen the
d river p resses the brake pedal quickl y in eme r­
gency situa tions . You mus t press and ho ld the
b rake peda l until the situation is over. In vehi­
cles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake
assist system is more sensitive i f the d istance
detected to the vehicle ahead is t oo smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power w hen the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The E DL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive powe r to the o ther d rive
wheel o r whee ls if the vehic le is equipped with
a ll whee l drive*. This funct ion is available up
to about 7S mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases , EDL automatica lly swit ches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. ED L wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles wi th dynam ic s teeri ng, ES C helps
stab ilize the steer ing in cer tain sit uations.
Electronic interaxle differential lock
function*
T he ele ctronic i nte raxle di fferentia l lock f unc ­
tion ac tiva tes when dr iving t hrough curves.
B ra king is targeted towar d the whee ls on the
inside of the curve as needed . This helps to
min imi ze front whee l skid, improves traction
and allows for more precise driving throug h
cu rves .
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR , EDL, dynamic steering*
and the elect ronic interaxle differential
loc k function* cannot ove rcome t he laws
of physics . This is espe cially im po rtant
on slippery o r we t road s.
If the sys tems
begin actin g to stabilize your veh icle, you
should immediately change yo ur speed
to match the road and t raffic conditions .
Do not let the increased safety provided
by these systems tempt you to take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and ser io us per­
sonal injur ies .
-Always ada pt your speed to road , traffic
and wea ther conditions. The risk of los­
ing contr ol of the vehicle i ncreases wh en
d riving too fast, espe cially through
curve s and on slippe ry or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys ­
tem, EDL, ASR, dynam ic steering * and
the elect ron ic interaxle differential lock
function * cannot prevent co llisions.
- Always accelerate with s pecial care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance sys tems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve ­
h icle co nt ro l.
-

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> ,& . ..,.