2012 AUDI A8 service interval

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 23
Driver information
display
Overview
Fig. 4 Driv er in formation system in t he in strum en t
cl uster
Fig . 5 D isplay: e xample of th e informa tion line
The driver information system contains infor­
mation
® that is displayed on tabs ®
c::> fig. 4. The follow ing content is possibl e de­
pending on vehicle equipment:
®
Tab
1
2
---
®
Content
Vehicle functions:
On-board computer <=;>page 24
Digital speedometer
Cruise control*
c::> page 85
Adaptive cru ise control and Audi
braking guard*
c::>page 87
Audi lane assist* c::> page 96
Display darkened
Indicator lights and messages
Warning when a door, the hood or
the rear lid is not closed
c::> page 26
Service interval display¢
page 25
Speed warning system ¢ page 85
--
® ®
Tab Content
3 Night vision assistant* c::> page 106
4 Audio/video
s Telephone*
6 Navigation*
The second and th ird tabs are only v isible if at
least one indicator light or message is shown
o r i f that system is switched on .
The status line © is located in the bottom
part of the d isplay
c::> fig . 4. It displays the ex­
terior temperature , time , selecto r lever posi­
tion, trip odometer and odometer.
I
For some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the temporary memory
r::!;> page 24 i n the line (D c::> fig. 5.
& WARNING ,.______ -
- Never re ly exclusively on the outside
temperature display to determine if a
road surface is icy or not. Keep in mind
that road surfaces, especia lly bridges
and overpasses, could be ice covered and
slippery even at an outside temperature
above 41 °F ( +S
0
() .
-Always remember, even if the "snow­
flake" symbol (ice warning) does not ap­ pear in the display, black ice could be on
the road .
- Always reduce your speed and drive with
special care in cold weather conditions
when the chance of encountering icy road surfaces increases.
(i) Tips
-At temperatures below 14 °F (+ S 0
() a
snowf lake symbol appears ahead of the
temperature display .
It is intended to re­
mind the driver to pay special attention
to
ice on the road c::> &. If the vehicle is
stationary, or if you are driving at a very
low speed, the temperature shown in the
display might be slightly higher than the
actual outside temperature. This is

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 25
For some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the temporary memory
in the line
(I) c:;; page 23, fig. 5.
@ Tips
- All stored values will be lost if the vehi­
cle battery is disconnected.
- Fuel consumptions (average and cur­
rent), range and speed are displayed in
metric units on Canadian models.
Odometer
Fig. 8 Instrument cluster Odometer and reset b utto n
The odometer shows you how many miles
(kilometers) you have driven. You can switch
th e display from miles to kilometers and vice
versa via the MMI.
Upper odometer
The trip odometer shows the distance driven
since it was last reset.
It can be used to meas­
ure short distances. The last digit indicates 1/10 of a mile (100 meters).
You can reset the trip odometer to zero by
pressing the Reset button~-
Lower odometer
The lower odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) driven .
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunction in the instrument
cluster,
DEF will appear in the trip odometer
display area. Contact your authorized Audi
dealer to have the problem corrected .
Time and date display
...
I~
Fig. 9 Cente r console : analog clock
The date and time are shown in the instru­
ment cluster display
c:;; page 23, fig. 4. There
is also an analog clock in the center console
¢fig . 9 .
:r
~
When you open the driver's door, the date and
time appear in the instrument cluster display
for 30 seconds. When the ignition is switched
on, the time is always displayed in the status
line © regardless of the current display.
You can set the time on both clocks and the
date display in the MMI. Refer to the MMI
owner's manual for instructions.
Service interval display
The service interval display reminds you when
your next service is due .
Fig. 10 Instrument cluster: Serv ice inte rval disp lay
The schedule for the next oil change or inspec­
tion is calculated automatically and displayed
accordingly. The display works in two stages:
Service reminder
30 days before the next service is due, a serv­
ice reminder appears in the display when you
switch the ignition on
¢fig. 10. ..,.

26 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
After abo ut 5 seconds the display sw itches
back to normal. The distance and time re­
maining are updated eac h time the ignition is
switched on until the date due for service is
reached .
Service due
When the due date for service is reached , the
message
Serv ice due! appears in the instr u­
ment cluster immediately after you switch the
ignit io n on . Additionally, a warning tone
sounds . After about
5 seconds the display
sw itches back to no rmal.
Calling up the service schedules
If or when an oil change or inspection is due,
can be shown in the MMI d isplay by select ing
the service interva l display in the car menu .
Select the
!CAR ! function button> Car sys­
tems
co ntrol button > Servicing & checks >
Service interval disp lays.
Re setting the service interval display
Your author ized Audi dealer w ill reset the cor­
responding service sched ule after performing
the app rop riate se rv ice on you r vehicle . You
a lso have the possibili ty to reset the o il
change sched ule after having performed an
oil c hange a ccor ding to Audi s pecifications.
Selec t the
I CAR I func tion button > Car sys­
tems
c on trol b utt on > Servicing & checks >
Service interval displays > Reset oil change
inte rval.
{[) Note
If you disconnec t the b attery termi nals, no
calc ulations can be made for the serv ice
interva l display during this t ime and no
service rem inder w ill appea r. Remembe r
that obse rv in g the prope r se rv ice interva ls
is vitally impo rtant to extend ing the life of
your v eh icle, part icu larly the eng ine, and
main taini ng its va lue . Ev en i f th e m ileage
driv en is low, th e maximum per iod o f one
yea r from o ne se rvi ce to the nex t mus t not
be e xcee ded.
(D Tips
- Do not reset the display betwee n oil
c h anges, otherwise the d isp lay w ill be in­
co rrect.
- Th e info rmation in the Se rvice Remin der
remains stored even w hen t he vehicle
battery is disconnected.
Open door /hood /rear lid warning
F ig. 1 1 Display : doors and rea r lid open
Wi th the ig nition sw itched on, t he warn ing il­
lu minates when at least
one doo r or th e hood
or the rear lid is not closed. The sym bo l also
shows you
which d oor(s) or lid is not closed.
In the illustration
r:!> fig. 11 it is the driver's
doo randt he leftrea rdoo ~
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lf u nction Indicator Lam p (M IL) f-4 in
t h e instr ume nt cluster is part of t he On -Board
Diagnostic (OBD
II) system .
T he wa rn ing /indic ator lig ht ill uminates when
the ignitio n is switched on and goes ou t after
t h e engine sta rts and t he id le has sta bilized.
This ind icates that the MIL is working proper­
ly.
If the light does not go out afte r the e ngine
is starte d, or illumi nates w hile you are driv­
i ng, a mal function may exist in the engine sys ­
tem . If t he light illum inates, t he catalytic con-
verter could be damaged .
IIJ,-

Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the a ir in the veh icle inter io r.
It is the most effect ive when the windows and
sunroof* are closed. If the temperature inside
the parked vehicle becomes very warm, open­
ing the window briefly will speed up the cool­
ing process.
I n all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has r eached a certain
temperature.
Condensation from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of water under the ve­hicle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak.
Pollut ant filter
The po llutant filte r removes pollutants s uch
as dust and pollen from the air.
The air pollutants filte r must be changed at
the intervals spec ified in you r Wa rra nty
&
Maintenance book let, so that the air condi­
tioner can properly work.
I f you drive you r vehicle in an area with h igh
ai r po llution , the fi lter may need to be
changed more freq uent ly than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Ma intenance booklet. If
i n doubt, ask your authorized Audi Service Ad­
visor for advice .
K ey coded settings
The climate con trol settings are a utomat ica lly
stored and assigned to the remote contro l key
that is in use .
& WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangero us and can
cause accidents . -
Warm and cold 75
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densat ion.
- Comp letely fam iliarize yourse lf with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
and ve nti lation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freez ing weather unt il you
have warmed the w indshield first, using
the heating and ventilation system . The
washer solution may free ze o n the wind­
shie ld and red uce visib ility.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
i n spected by a q ua lified dea lership.
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire specia l techni cal know ledge and
special tools. Contact an autho rized Aud i
dealer fo r ass istance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reduci ng the amou nt of f uel you use,
you also red uce the amount of pollutan ts
emitted into the air .
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lots ( in fro nt of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de­
br is in order to maintain the proper f unc ­
tion of the climate control system.
- T he energy management system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window
defroster off temporar i Ly . These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored .
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing
on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.

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. ..,.
•
•

226 Check ing and filling
- Audi d oes not recommend th e use of oil
a dd itiv es. T he y ma y damage the e ngine
and ad ve rs ely affect you r New Vehicle
Wa rrant y.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend thot have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays r ea d and heed all WARN­
I NG S
¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 219.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance book let. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually dur ing normal veh icle use .
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances, operate the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly stop-and -go traffic con ­
d itions, or have your veh icle where tempera­
tures remain below freez ing fo r extended pe­
r iods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
n ing fo r a short time. This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oil mo re often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal ,
a long w ith the special tools and necessary ex­
pe rtise requi red, we strong ly recommend that
you have yo ur o il changed by an authorized
Audi deal er or a qualified service station.
If yo u choo se to ch ange your oil yours elf ,
please note the fo llowing important informa ­
t ion:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
g ine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to help prevent hot oil from run­n ing down your arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of o il in
your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it wel l out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in . Always protect
your skin by washing oil off tho roughly
wit h soap and wate r.
(D Note
Neve r mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
of the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oi l proper­
ly. Do not dump it on garden soil, wood­
ed areas, into open streams o r down
sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used eng ine oil collect ion fac ility in you r
area, or contact a service station.

Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 185 Tire tread: tread wea r ind ica tors (TWI)
f r-------~
{ \ .___ _____ ___,,
Fi g. 186 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 in ch (1.6 mm) high "wear ind icators"
c::> fig . 185 run ning across the tread. Depend ­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire . Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tir e pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premat ure wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 241.
Dri ving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear. Tires and wheels 245
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your ve
hicl e to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota­
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all -wheel d rive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 186.
-Extra care must be taken when rotat ing di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 264 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Inco rrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impair ing the safety of the vehi­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wh eel Driv e
Vehicles wi th quattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
c::> page 191.

280 Consumer Information
Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
You r Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regu lations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A . and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lowe r octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement pa rts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside North America .
(D Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and Lit­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit­
erature are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
s afety, economy and rel iability. For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
i n very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
should be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticat­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technical
liJJ,