2012 AUDI A8 oil level

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. ..,.

12 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Some indicators lights in the disp lay can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
-Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehicle information may result
in serious personal injury or vehicle dam­
age.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
¢ page 44.
- The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when work ing under the hood
¢ page 213, Engine compartment
(D Tips
Ma lfun ctions or faults w ill be identified e i­
ther with a red symbo l (pr iority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a ye llow symbo l (pr iority 2 -
Warning).
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ign ition on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the follow ing tables . If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system .
Red indic ator light s
Red symbols indicate a priority malfunction -
Danger!
- Pull off the road.
- Stop the vehicle .
- T urn off the engine.
- Check the malfunct ion ing system. Contact
your authorized Aud i dea ler o r a qua lified
workshop for assis tance.
USA m odel s: ./
Brake malfunction
¢page 14
Canada models : ./
Brake malfunction
¢page 14
USA model s:
-
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Canada models :
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Engine cooling system
¢page 15
Engine oil pressure
¢page 17
Engine oil level
¢page 17
Battery
¢page 16
Safety belt
¢page 16
Electronic steering column lock
¢page 17
Engine start system
¢page 17
Speed warning system
¢page85
I
Adaptive cru ise control./
¢ page89
Air suspension
¢page 18
Pedestrian warning
¢page 106
Yellow ind icator light s
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc-
tion - Warning!
...

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
--

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
9::;r: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a Low-oil-pressure indication is Likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light t urns on the message ap­
pears, the oil press ure is too low.
~ P ull off the road.
~ Stop t he ve hicle .
~ Turn off the engine.
~ Check the engine oil level¢ page 224 .
~ If the engi ne oil leve l is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 225. M ake sure that the oil p res­
s ur e warning symbol. appears no longer
in t he d is pl ay befo re y ou start driving aga in.
~ If the engine oil leve l is cor re ct an d the ind i­
c a tor lig ht still tur ns o n, tur n t he eng ine
off
and do not contin ue d riving . Seek professio ­
nal assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil level warning
l!I. By then, your engine
may already have suffered seriou s dam­
age .
~ . Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When t he sy mbo l and the dr iver message a p­
pea r, the oil has to be reple nished r ight now
¢page 222.
If the indicator lig ht and th e message ap pear,
a d d engine o il i mm edi ate ly
¢page 225.
II Add oil , max . x qt (l). You may continue
driving
Whe n the symbol and the d river message ap­
pear, add the amoun t of oil appear ing in the
display at the nex t oppo rtuni ty ¢
page 222.
® -Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If th e indic ator li ght turns on and the mes ­
sa ge appe ars, there is an e lectroni c steering
column lock malf unct ion . You cannot switch
the ignit ion on.
D o
not tow yo ur vehicle beca us e it cann ot b e
s tee red. See k profession al assistance .
!'J!I Steering lock : system fault . Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs , t here is an e lectronic stee ring
column lock malfunct io n .
Drive to your auth orized A udi dealer immedi­
ately to hav e th e m alfunction corr ect ed .
A WARNING -
Your vehicle m ust not b e tow ed in t he
eve nt of a ma lfunction in the elec tronic
st eer ing col umn lo ck b eca use i t cann ot be
s teere d du e to the lock ed s tee ring. If it is
towe d wit h the steer ing lo cke d, there is
the r isk o f an acci dent.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indica to r li ght tur ns on and the mes­
sage a ppea rs, do
not switch the ignition off
because you may not be ab le to sw itch it on
again.
D rive to your autho rized A udi de aler imme di­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
• Engine start system fault . Plea se con­
tact dealer

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed. On USA models the warning light
El
comes on together with the warning light
- · Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
A WARNING
Driv ing with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
-If the warning light El and the warn ing
light
- 1) with the message Brake
pads!
comes in in the inst rument cluste r
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The~ warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check.
@ Tips
If this warning/indi cator light ill uminates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunction corrected as soon as pos­
sible by your authorized Aud i dea ler or
qualified repair facility.
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board D iagnostic (OBD II) system .
The symbol
¢4ii lights up when the ignition is
switched on and w ill turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at a constant idle
speed. This ind icates that the MIL is working
properly.
l ) - : USA mod els only
-
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system.
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
¢page 217.
For more information ~ page 26.
!?'i Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: with engine speed limitatio n
Ill Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system . This protects the engine from over ­
heating.
T he eng ine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have re leased the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light~ also turns on. Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
~ .. Engine oil level
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol II and driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity¢
page 225.
~,.. Engine oil sensor
II Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer and have the oil sensor inspected . U ntil you have this done, check the
o il level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side ~
page 224.

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> ,& . ..,.

Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
.. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 215,
Fuel supply.
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to
empty.
.,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine
¢ page 225, Adding engine oil~-
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
importa nt for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
0 Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢ page 225.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire . U nburned fuel could a lso get i nto
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 195
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not switch off the ignit ion while the
vehicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
co uld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave your vehicle maintained prope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendat ions in you r Warranty &
M aintenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehi cle w il l impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is
operat ing properly, the exha ust gas can
have a sul fur -li ke exhaust gas smell under
some operating states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are drivi ng on poo r roads, or over
c ur bs, s teep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low -lying parts s uch as spoilers and exhaust
system pa rts do not bottom o ut and get dam­
aged.
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles w ith low­
s lung chassis (spor ts chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles. •
•

Only if the level of the oil is at or below the min imum mark -and no oil that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available -may you top off
with a high quality engine oil, preferably syn­
thetic -based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in viscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, during the entire time be­
tween oil change intervals, never top off with
more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca. Here you will also find a current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc .) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War­ ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently.
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run-
Checking and filling 223
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dealer proof in the form of Service or Re­
pair Orders that all scheduled maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢ page 194) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida-
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump-
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. ..,.
•
•