2012 AUDI A8 jump start

4 Table of contents
Do-it-yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Bulbs .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. 269
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 270
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Start ing by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 270
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 270
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 1
E mergency towing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Lifting vehicle .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... 274
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
General information . . . . . . . . . . 276
Explanation of technical data . . . . . . . 276
Vehicle ident ificat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
372 hp, 8-cylinder engine, w ith all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
500 hp, 12-cyl inder engine, with all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 280
War ranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Addit ional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Declaration of Compliance,
Te lecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Index ..... ..... ..... ...... ..... 285

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the en ­
g ine start system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction cor rected .
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph .
There is a malfunction that can result in re­
stricted driving stability .
Ca refully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph
(60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
Ill Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restr icted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
IIJ Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clea rance is ve ry low due to a sys­
tem malfunct ion. Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance . Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to ve hicle damage.
~/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) ;BI (Canada models) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
a ir bags, pretensioners and illum inates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on .
If the
I (USA models) ;BI (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi- nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink,
then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ign it ion on, th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
A WARNING '"--
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys-
tems, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
imme diately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acci­
dent.
fJJ [}, Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stability Control.
When you switch the ignition on, the indicator
light
G1 turns on briefly to check the function.
If the
J.iJ ind icator lamp blinks wh ile driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating.
If
the DJ ind icator lamp illuminates, the sys·
tern has switched the ESC off.
If the indicator light fi turns on, the ESC was
switched to ESC sport mode with the button
[!] c::, page 187. If this is case, you can reacti­
vate the ESC by switching the ignition off and
then on aga in. The warning/indicator light
should go out to show that the system is fully
functional again .
Stability program and ABS fault! See own­
er 's manual
If the indicator light DJ and the ABS indicator
li ght
m (USA models) ;II] (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, there is a malfunction in the ABS system or electronic
differential lock. Th is also interrupts the ESC.
The brakes still funct ion wit h their normal
power, but ABS is not active .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
If the battery terminals were disconnected
and re-connected, the vehicle was jump start-
ed or the battery is very weak, the ESC sensor .,,.

222 Check ing and filling
(D Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
PP. ) con ainer ""' .......... ... . 234
@ Jump start point( -) with hex
head screw . .. .......... ... . 233 , 270
@ Jump start point( +) under a cov-
er . ..... .............. ... . 233, 270
© Eng ine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . 225
® Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 229
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 227
0 Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 191
@ Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in a different area depend ing on the ver­
sion of the engine .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 219.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
-
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerp lant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . This engine needs the r ight kind of
engine o il that meets spec ificat ions regarding
qua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the righ t oi l
and changing oil within the time and mileage
interva ls printed in your vehicle 's Warranty
&
Maintenance book let matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast trad itional petrole -u
m -based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthet ic o r petro le um­
based eng ine oil, the oi l that you use m ust
conform to Audi's oi l quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine runn ing smooth ly and help prevent the for­
mation of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that over time can lead to expensive
repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils ava ilable in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthet ic eng ine oils . Th is does not mean,
howeve r, that every synthetic engine oil will
meet Audi o il standard VW 502 00 . So always
be su re that you use an approved oil.
To help prevent the formation of harmfu l de ­
pos its use only o il w ith the following specifi­
cations pr inted on the o il conta iner:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may carry the specifica­
tion sing ly or in combination with other desig ­
nations and oil quality standards.
V is cos ity
Engine o ils are graded a ccord ing to their vis­
cosity . The proper vis cos ity grade oil fo r yo ur
engine depends on climactic or seasona l con­
ditions where you drive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across a ll tem­
perature ranges for norma l driving conditions.
However, if engine oil v iscosity g rade SA E
SW40 is not available , you can also use viscos ­
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil qua lity standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Beca use engine oi l that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry with you an extra quart
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 spec ificat ion, in case you have to
top off the o il while o n the road . ..,_

Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery .
Fig. 181 Eng ine co mpa rtmen t: connectors for a charg ­
er a nd jump sta rt cab les
A lwa ys re ad and heed all WARNING S below
c:> &. and c:> &. in Working on the battery on
page 231 .
.. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers .
.. Make sure the area is well ventilated when
you charge the battery .
.. Open the engine hood
c:> page 219 .
.. Remove the cover (D by p ress ing on the ar­
row
c:> fig . 181.
.. Open the cove r@ on the positive term inal.
.. Connect the charger connectors according
to the instructions to the
jump start bolt s.
(Bolts under the red cover= "positive", Bolts
with hex head = "negative").
.. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on
c:> 8_ .
.. Ma ke sur e t he ch arging rat e is no t over
30 amp s/14 .8 Volt .
.. When the batte ry is f ully charged: Turn the
charging equ ipment off a nd remove the
mains lead from the wall outlet.
.. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
.. Close the red cover on the positive pole .
.. Close the hood
c:> page 220 .
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32
F0 (0 °C) . A llow a fro zen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it
c:> .&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat -
Checking and fillin g 233
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps /14.8 Volt )
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle cha rger ), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected f irst . The battery
caps should
not be opened when charging a
battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is a lso not
necessary to disconnect the cab les.
Fast ch arging the batte ry (charging rat e
a bove 14.8 V olt s)
For technica l reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage greater than 14.8
Volts to charge your vehicle's battery .
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous .
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charg ing your battery .
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ic h were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Cha rge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spar k. Do not smo ke. Hyd rogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing .
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dange rous and
should only be at tempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian wi th the prope r equip­
ment .
- Ba ttery acid that may spi ll dur ing charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu ­
tralize the ac id.

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. ..,_

@ Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical sys­
tem. When jump start ing or charging the
battery, never connect the negative
ground cable to the battery negative post because the battery manager sys­
tem must be able to detect the battery's
state of cha rge. A lways connect the neg­
ative g round cab le to the negative
gro und post o f the battery manage r con­
trol uni t.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper coble
clomps in exactly the order described below!
Fig. 2 08 Engine compartment: connecto rs for jump
start cables and charger
Fi g. 209 Jump start ing w ith the battery of another ve ­
hicle: @-booste r batte ry, @ -discharged vehicle bat ­
te ry
The procedure described below fo r connecting
jumper cab les is intended to provide a jump
start for your veh icle.
Vehicle with discharged batt ery:
.. Turn off lights and acc esso ries, move leve r
of automat ic t ransm ission to N (Neutral) o r
P (Park) and set pa rking brake .
Emergenc y situ ation s 2 71
Connect POSI TIVE(+) to POSITIVE (+ )
(red )
.. Open the red cover on the positive terminal
¢fig. 208.
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable
on the
jump sta rt bolt ¢ fig. 209 (D (bolt
under the red cover = "positive") of the ve­
hicle to be started @.
2. Co nnect th e other end to the pos itive ter-
mina l@ of the booster battery @.
Connect NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE(-)
(black )
3. Connect one end of the black negative ca­ ble to the negat ive termina l@ of the
booster b attery @.
4 . Connect the othe r end to the
jump start
pin @ (bolts with hex head bolt = "nega­
tive") of the vehicle to be started @.
Starting the engine .. Sta rt the engine of the veh icle w ith the
booste r ba ttery @. Ru n the engine at a
moderate speed .
.. Start engine wit h discha rged vehicle battery
@ in the usual manner .
.. If the eng ine fails to start, do not keep the
starter cranking for longer than 10 seconds.
Wait for about 30 seco nds a nd the n try
aga in .
.. With engi ne runni ng, remove j umper cab les
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse o r­
de r .
.. Close the red cover on the positive term inal.
T he battery is vented to th e outside to p revent
gases from en ter ing the veh icle in ter io r. Ma ke
s ur e th at the j umper clamps are well connec t­
ed with their meta l parts in full con ta ct w ith
the battery term inals.
A WARNING
To avoid se rious personal injury and dam­
age to the veh icle, heed all warnings and
instructions of the jumper cable man ufac­
turer. If in doubt, call for road service .
- J umper cables m ust be long enough so
that the veh icles d o not touch.
-

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.

288 Index
Doors
M echanical child safety lock .. .... .. .. 37
Power child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Driver information system
CD/radio display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Door/r ear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Exterior temperature display ....... .. 23
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Driver seating position ............... 125
drive select .. .. . .......... .. .. .... . 103
adaptive a ir suspension/sport ........ 103
Adaptive dampers ................. 103
Cornering light ........... .. .. .... . 103
Dynamic steering .................. 103
Safety belt tensioner ............... 103
Sport differential .......... ... .... . 103
Driving safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driving through water ............... 196
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Dynam ic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 103
E
Easy entry feature .......... .... .... .. 79
Einparkhilfe Sensoren/Kamera reinigen ...... .... 205
Elect rical accessories (sockets) . . . . . 64, 70
E lectromechanical park ing brake
Emergency braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Parking .................... ..... .. 83
Releasing and closing ..... .. .. .. .. . . 82
Starting assist ........... .. .. .... .. 83
Starting from rest .......... .. .... .. 83
Starting
off with a tra iler . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Warning/indicator lights ..... .. .. .. . . 15
E lectronic different ial lock ( EDL) .. .... . 187
Warning/indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. . . 19
Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 29
Electronic power control (EPC)
warning/indicator light ..... .... ..... 20
Electronic speed limiter ......... .... .. 27
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) .. ..... 187
Warn ing/indicator lights ....... .. .. .. 18 Emergency
actuation
Doors ... ..... .. .. .............. .. 34
Parking lock ... .. ................. 113
Power sunroof . .. ............. .... . 40
Rear lid ... .... .. ............. .... . 37
Emerg ency braking ................... 84
Emergency flasher ................. .. 44
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 22
Emergency operation Panoramic sunroof ... .......... .. .. . 42
Sun shade (roof) ................... 42
Emergency starting ................ . 270
Emergency towing .. ............ .. .. 272
Emergency warning triangle .......... 256
En ergy management ................ 192
Engine Compartment ..................... 221
Coolant ... .. .. .. .. ... ........ .. .. 227
Data ..... .... .. ............. .... 278
starting ......... .. .............. .. 80
Starting with jumper cables ......... 270
Stopping . ..... .. .. .............. .. 81
Engine compartment ................ 221
Closing the hood . ... .......... .. .. 220
Opening the hood ............. .... 219
Safety instructions ................ . 219
Working in the engine compartment .. 219
Engine coolant ..................... 22 7
Adding coolant . .. ... .......... .. .. 228
Check ing the engine coolant level ..... 227
Expansion tank ... ................. 227
Malfunction symbol ................. 15
Radiator fan ... .. ............. .... 229
Temperature gauge ............ .... . 10
Engine oil ...... .. .. .............. . 222
Adding ......... .. .............. . 225
Additives . ..... .. ............. .... 225
Changing . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 226
Checking oil level .... .......... .. .. 225
Checking the engine oil level ....... .. 224
Consumption .. ................... 225
I ndications and conditions requiring ex-
tra checking . ...... .. ...... ....... 224
Indicator light ... ............. .... . 17
Oil consumpt ion .. ............. .... 223
Oil grad es ..... .. ................ . 222
Oil level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20