2012 AUDI S8 instrument panel

regulations must be observed. Your au­
thorized Audi dealer is familiar with these requirements and we recommend that you
have your dealer perform this service for
you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lower ing the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­ sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it . Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force Levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is poss ible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
Airbag system 157
-Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system con provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 149 Driver 's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig . 149, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up ­
per and Lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal col lisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit .,,.

The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collis ions .
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collis ions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met .
When the system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and inflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the fron t passenger
c> page 151 ,
fig . 14 7.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even reali ze that
t he airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate w it h a great deal of force and it is im ­
portant for occupant safety that not hing
should be in the ir way when they dep loy .
Fully infla ted airbags in comb ination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim ­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supp lemen tal protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
A irbag system 159
-The knee a irbag system cannot protect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal in jury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk i n­
creases even more should the ai rbag de­
ploy .
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an accident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children
or anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, th is can result in serious or fa tal
i njur ies.
- Never carry obje cts of any kind in the
footwe ll area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop ­
ping bags , fo r example) can interfere
with o r prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the ve hicle if the air­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
c> page 166, Child Safety .
•
•

-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Child Safety 167
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­ cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat .
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight -sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the ..,.
•
•

210 Cleaning and protec tio n
grease or dye must be patted off using ab ­
sorbent materia l. It may be necessary to re­
treat the areas with detergent paste and wa­
te r.
I n the case of general soi ling of the uphols ­
tery and cover material, we recommend hiring
a specialist that has the equ ipment to clean
the seat cove rs and other fabric surfaces by
shampooing and spray ex traction.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~ page 203.
(D Tips
Open Velcro fasteners on your clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed.
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For pers istent dirt
use an Audi approved
s ol ve nt-fr ee plastic
cleane r/protectant.
A WARNING
So lvents can change the properties of
some plastics and make it harder for the
airbag to dep loy.
- Never clean the instr ument pane l or the
surface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents .
- Products containing solvents wi ll make
the surface of th is part porous.
- Serious injuries can result if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other information ~
page 203.
0 Note
Cleaning agents con taining solvents will
at tac k t he mater ial and can change the
way it behaves .
Trim and molding
Trim and molding in the vehicle interior can
be cleaned with a dry m icrofiber cloth. To pre­
vent scratches, do not use any cleaning so lu­
tions.
Natural leather
Appl ies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of interior
leather .
General
We offer many d iffe rent types of leather o n
ou r vehicles. Most a re d ifferent types of nappa
l eather, which has a smooth s urface and
comes in various colors .
T he intensity of the co lor dete rm ines the visu­
al characterist ics and appea rance . If the su r­
face of the leather has a typ ica l natural look ,
then the leather is a nappa lea ther that has
been left in a relative ly natural condition . This
l eather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes we ll. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, skin folds, and subtle variations in color
rema in v is ible. These character istics demon­
strate that the material is natural.
Natura l nappa leather is not covered by a co l­
or finish. It is therefore more sensitive to soil­
i ng and wear, which is someth ing you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
might prove to be part icu la rly ha rd o n the
leather .
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colo red finish layer are more durable. This
has a positive effect on the leather 's resist­
ance to wear and soiling i n dai ly use . On the
other hand, the typica l char acteristics of natu­
ral leathe r are barely or not appa rent. Howev­
er, this does not mean that the leather itse lf
is of infe rior quality.

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 172 Dr iver footwell: release lever
AUD I
Fig. 173 Rocker switch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow
<=> fig. 172.
.. Raise the hood slightly<=> _&.
.. Press the rocke r switc h under the hood up­
ward
<=> fig. 173. This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 219
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Wh ene ve r y ou must perform an y wo rk in the
eng ine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluids, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr event per­
so nal injury alwa ys observe the foll owing
WARNING S. The engin e compartment of an y
v e hicle i s a h az a rdou s are a
<=> ,&.
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine .
- Sw itch off the ignition.
- Apply the parki ng brake.
- Move selector leve r to "P" (Park).
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen o r heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
a nd can sw itch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
a nt system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.

268 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel
® (red)
No. Equipment
=
I a
Sound actuator, AEM control module
9 Adaptive cruise control
Transmission control mod-
10 ule
---11 Climate control system sen-
sors
Fuse panel © (brown)
No. Equipment
1 Electromechanical parking
brake
2 Suspension control system
sensor
3 Right rear door control mod-
ule
4 Smart modul tank
5 Front cl
imate control system
controls
6
Rear climate control system
controls
-
7 Networking gateway
8 Cooler
9
Interface for specia l func-
tions
10 Cell phone adapter, Blue-
tooth handset
11 AEM contro l module
12 Selector lever
13 Ambient
lighting
14 Rear exterior lighting
15 Fue
l pump
1 16 Electromechanical
parking
brake
Fuse panel @ (black )
Equipment
3 Rear sockets adaptive air suspension
115-V socket
Amps
s
10
s
s
=
Amps
5
s
7,5
s
15
10
5
15
5
5
15
10
10
20
25
-
30
Amps
20 15
25
Fuse panel @ (black)
No. Equipment
7
Electromechanical parking
brake
8 Rear seat heating
9 Rear exterior lighting
10 Rear climate control system
blower
Rear sun shade, closing aid,
11 luggage compartment lock,
keyless go/entry, fuel filler
door
12 Luggage compartment
lid
control module
Fuse panel © (red)
No. Equipment
1 Rear seat adjustment but-
tons
3 Left rear seat (pneumatics)
5 Tra
iler hitch control module*
6 Left rear seat
7 Right rear seat
8 Trailer hitch control module *
9 Tra iler hitch control module*
10 Right rear seat (pneumatics)
Fuse panel
® (brown)
No. Equipment
1 Radio
receiver/sound ampli-
fier
2 Sound amplifier
3 Rear Seat
Entertainment, ra -
dio receiver/sound amplifier
Automatic dimming interior
s rearview mirror
6 DVD changer
T V tuner
MMI unit/drives
Instrument cluster, analog
9 clock
10 MMI Display
Amps
30
25
20
20
20
30
Amps
5
7,5
20
30
30
20 15
7,5
Amps
30
30
10
5
s
5
7,5 5
5

Convertible locking retractor .... .. .. . 17 5
How do I prop erly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ....... ... .. .. .. .
169
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Instal ling .. ............. .... .. ... 175
Instal ling a child restraint us ing the
L A T C H system .... .. ... ... .. .. .. .. .
18 1
LATCH system ................... .. 181
Lower ancho rages ........ .. .. .. .. . 179
M ounti ng and releas ing the anchorage
hook . ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. ...
181
Safety instructions ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 169
C leaning and protection .............. 203
Alcantara (synthet ic suede) . .. .. .. .. . 2 12
Cooler . .. .. .... ........... .. .. ... 213
Eng ine compartment ... ... .. .. .. .. . 213
Exhaust tail p ipes . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 209
Fabrics and fabric coverings . ... .. .. . 209
Instrument panel .................. 210
Interior .......................... 209
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
MMI disp lay/controls ............. .. 209
Plastic and v inyl .... ... ... .. .. .. .. . 206
Plastic pa rts ...................... 210
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 12
tr im str ips . ............. .... .. ... 207
Trim str ips .... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 20 6
Climate controls ............ ...... ... 75
C lock ... .... .. .. .. .. .... .. . .. .. .. .. 25
C losing
Panor amic su nroof ........ .. .. .. .. ..
4 1
Sliding/ tilting sun roof .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 4 0
Sun shade (panoramic sunroof) ... .. .. 42
Cold ti re i nflat ion p ressu re ... .. .. .. .. .
239
Coming home ............. .... .. .... 45
Compact spare tire . ..... ... .. .. .. .. .
258
Compartments ................... ... 7 1
Compass in the mirro r ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 52
Comp lian ce .. ............. .... .. ... 283
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 132, 280
Consumption (fue l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Contact ing N HTSA ................ ..
132
Conven ience key ........... .... .. .... 32
Starting the engine ................. 80
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) ......................
81 Inde
x 287
Switching the ignition on .... ... .. .. . 80
U nl ocking and locking vehicle . ... .. .. . 32
Conve rtib le child safety seats ......... 172
Convertible locking retractor
Activati ng ........................
177
Deact ivating ...... ........... ..... 178
U sing to secure a child safety seat 1.75, 17 7
Coolant
refer to Eng ine coolant ............. 227
Cooler ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 72
Cleaning . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 213
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Cooling mode (automa tic climate cont rol) 76
Cornering light .. .. ................. 103
C ruise cont ro l
Changing speed .... . .. ..... ... .. .. .
85
Presetting your speed .. ..... ... .. .. . 86
Switch ing off .. .. ............... .. . 86
Switching on . .. .. ................. . 85
Cu pholder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
D
Data .............................. 278
Data recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Date disp lay . ..... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 25
Daytime runn ing lights .............. .. 43
Declarat ion of compliance
Adaptive cruise control .............
283
Audi side ass ist .............. .... . 283
Cell phone package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Convenience key .................. . 283
Electronic immob ilizer .......... .. .. 2 83
Homel in k® uni versal remote control .. 283
Remote con tro l key ... ...... ... .. .. 283
DEF
What does this mean when it appears in
t h e tr ip odometer display? ...........
25
Defective light bulb warning ........... 21
Defrosting (windows) .. .. ..... ... .. .. . 77
Del uxe a utomat ic cl imate control .. .. .. . 76
Determ ining correct load limit ........ 243
Digi tal compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
52
Dimens ions ... .. .. .. . .. .... ...... .. 277
Dimming the rearview mirror .. ... .. .. . 51
Dista nce . .. .. .. .. .. ............... . 24
Door/rear lid warning ............ .. .. .
23
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