2012 AUDI S8 trailer

vehicle from handling properly and in­crease the risk of a loss of veh icle con­
tro l.
- The brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­ ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
tro l and a crash .
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra ile r hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
.
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure Lobel located on driver's side 8-pil­
lor.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
c:> page 239, Cold tire inflation pressure .Th is
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in
use. The ti re p ress ure is higher when the tire
h as warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflat ion pressure in a "cold " tire that
counts. Therefo re, you shou ld neve r let air out
Tire s an d wheel s 241
of a wa rm tire to match "Cold tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendations
c:> page 239. T he
tires wou ld then be underinflated and cou ld
fail suddenly .
T he t ire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
tion of the labe l
c:>poge 239, fig . 183 .
Most tires lose air natura lly over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ia l tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check t ire pressures at
least once a mo nth and a lways before going
o n a long tr ip . Make sure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggag e into ac­
count when adjust ing tire p ressu re for a trip -
even one th at yo u wo uld not conside r to be
"long." See¢
page 243, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for mo re important information .
Always use an accura te ti re pressu re gauge
whe n checking and adj usting i nflation pres­
s ur es . Check a ll of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire.
If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the ti re is "cold," let air o ut
of the t ire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
driv ing you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference be tween the pressure in the cold
ti re and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the ve hicle load (passengers and luggage) for
t h e tires on you r veh icle as l isted on the on
you r vehicle and in this ma nual a nd the k ind
of driving you plan to do.
Nev er e xceed the ma ximum inflation pre s­
s ure lis te d on the tir e sidewall for any re a­
son.
•
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can a lso damage importan t pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are technica lly referred to as the
vehicle's
Gros s Vehicle We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fue l, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the total we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
hi cle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gro ss Axl e W eight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pillar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. Vehicles with pow­
er individual rear seats* have 4 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total
Tire s an d wheel s 243
seating capacity o f 4 . Each seating position
has a safety belt~ page 134, Safety belts .
T he fact th at there is a n upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . For the locat ion of the
label ~page239, fig.183.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we igh t than your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in ­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -includ ing the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make t he vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se the exa mple be lo w t o cal­
c ulat e th e t otal weight of the
pa sse ngers a nd lu gg age or
•
•

244 Tires and whee ls
other things that you plan to
transport so that you can make sure that your vehicle will not
be overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve ­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)¢
page 239,
fig. 183 .
2. Determ ine the combined
weight of the driver and pas ­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the dr iver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 239, fig. 183.
4 . T he resulting figure equals
the available amount of car ­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs . passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of ava ilable
cargo and luggage load ca-pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs
.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6 . If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
.,. Check the ti re sidewall
(¢page 2 4 6, fig. 187) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.

Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 1 95 Luggag e compartment: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 195.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart ­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 195 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 130 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 259
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 257,
c:> page258 .
& WARNING
You or you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
- After insta lling the spare wheel , make
sure that you replace t he f lat t ire/wheel
-

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

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,

294 Index
Seats Comfort seat side view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seat symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seats (number) .......... .. .. .. .. .. . 134
Selective unlock feature ........... .. .. 31
Selector lever .............. ... .... . 109
Service and disposal Saf ety belt pretens ioner ... .. .. .... . 141
Service interval display ................ 25
Servotronic (power steering system) ... . 191
Shift paddles . .............. ... .. ... 112
Ship (transporting your vehicle) . .. .... . 274
Side airbags Description ............... ... .... . 160
How they work ............ ... .... . 161
side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Adjust ing the brightness . .. .. .. .. .. . 101
Sensor range . ........... .. .. .... . 100
Side assist Activating and deactivating ... .. .. .. . 10 1
Sensoren reinigen ............ .. ... 205
Side curtain airbags ........ .. .. .. .. . 163
Description ................ .. .... . 163
How they work ............ .... ... . 164
Safety instructions ............. ... . 164
Side marker lights .......... ... .... .. 43
Ski sack
refer to Pass-through with ski sack . .... 67
Sliding/tilting sunroof
E l . mergency c osing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
E t· mergency opera ,on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Opening and clos ing ................ 40
Panoramic sunroof ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. 41
Snow chains ................ .. .. ... 251
Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 70
Solar operation (automatic climate con-
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Sources of information about c hild re-
straints and their use ........... .. ... 184
Space-saving spare tire ....... .... ... . 2S8
Spare wheel ... ........... .... .... . 259
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Speed rating letter code ....... ... ... . 247
Speed warn ing system ........... ..... 84
Sport differential ............ .. .... . 103
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 START ENGINE S
TOP button ...... .. .. . 80
Starting from rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Starting off with a trailer .............. 83
Starting the engine ............. .... . 80
Steering wheel Adjusting steering column ........... 79
Easy entry feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 22
Shift paddles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Steering wheel heating .......... ... . 78
Steps for determining correct load limit . 243
Stopping the engine . ................. 81
Storage .. .. .... .. ............. .... . 71
Sunroof ............................ 40
Sun shades Emergency closing (roof) ............. 42
Panoramic sunroof ............... .. . 42
Rear doors .... .. ............. .... . 47
Rear window . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 47
Sun visors . ..... .. ............. ..... 47
Symbols
refer to Warn ing/Ind icator lights . .... . 11
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 23
T h . l d'f ' .
ec nrca mo , ,cations .......... .... 283
T emperature display ............. .. .. . 23
Tether anchors ... . ... ... .... ... .. .. 182
T ether strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and after-
wards ............................. 194
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 131
T ips for th e environment
Sav ing fuel . ..... ................ .. 69
t iptron ic (automat ic transmission) . .... 109
Tire pressure .... .. ............. .... 241
T ire pressure monitoring system ....... 253
Loss of air pressure ................ 254
Malfunction ..... ............. .... 254
Resetting tire pressures ............. 255
T ires .............................. 235
Service life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
speed rating letter code ............ 247
Ti re manufacturing date ............ 247
r ·f · ·
rre spec, 1cat1ons ............. .... 247
Tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Index 295
Uniform tire quality grading . ... .. .. . 2 49 Unfastening safety belts . ..... ... .. .. 139
Winter tires . ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 250
Unidirectional tires .................. 235
•
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. .. . 24 3
Uniform tire quality grading ...... .. .. 249 •
Tires and wheels
Unl ocking
Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 241
Power locking switch . ... .... ... .. .. . 33
Cold tire i nflat ion pressure ..... ... .. 239
Rear lid ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 34
Dimensions . ................ ... ... 246
Remote contro l .. .. . ... ...... ... .. . 32
Gene ral notes ............ .... .. .. . 235
Using the key .. .. .... ............. . 33
Glossary of t ire and load ing te rm ino lo-
gy .. .. .. .. ............... .. .. .. . 236
L ow aspect ratio t ires ... ... .. .. .. .. . 2 52
V
New tires and wheels ... ... .. .. .. .. . 246 Valet pa
rking . ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 39
Replacing . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 247 Vanity mirrors .
.. .. .. . ... ...... .. 47,48
Snow chains ............. .... .. .. . 251 Vehicle-care products ................ 203
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 243
Vehicle electr ical sys tem . ..... ... .. .. . 16
Wheel bolts .............. ... ... .. 252
Vehicle identification label . .......... . 276
W inte r tir es .............. ... ... .. 250
Vehicle Identificatio n Number (VIN) . ... 276
Tire service life ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 245
Vehicle jac k ... .. .. ............ 257, 262
Tools . .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 257
Vehicle literature .. .... ............. .. S
Torn or frayed safety belts ... .. .. .. .. . 137
Vehicle transport .. .. . ... ...... ... .. 274
Touch -up paint ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 207
Ventilation ....... .. ................ 75
Towing
Tow truck pro cedures ...... .. .. .. .. . 27 2
W
TPMS
Tire pressure monitoring system 254
Trailer towing . .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 199
Operating instructions .. ... .. .. .. .. . 199
T echnical req uirements . . . . . . . . 199, 200
Trailer towing tips ........ .. .. .. .. . 201
Train (transporting your vehicle) . ... ... 274
Transm ission malf unct io n (ind icator
light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Transport Canada .......... .... .. .. . 132
Transport ing your vehi cle .... .. .. .. .. . 274
T read Wear Indicato r (TWI) ...... . ... . 245
T rip odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
What does it mean when D EF appears in
the trip odometer d isplay? . .. .. .. .. .. 25
T runk
refer to Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Trunk escap e hand le ........... .. .... 256
Turn signa ls .. ............. .... .. .... 45
War ning/ indicator lights ... .. .. .. .. .. 22
u
Undercoat ing ............. .... .. ... 208 Warning/indicator lights
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Airbag system ... .. ... ....... ...... 18
Anti- lock b raking system (ABS) . . . . . . . . 19
Br ake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
El ectromechani ca l p ar king brake . .. .. . 15
El ec tronic power contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
El ectronic Stability Co ntrol (ESC) ... .. . 18
Generator ....... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 16
Instrument cluster .... ............. . 10
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL) .. .. . 20
Safety be lt .. .. .. ................. . 16
Turn signals . .. .. .. ... ....... ...... 22
Warning/Indicator lights
Airbag system . .. ................. 153
Dynam ic steering . ................. . 22
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ....... .... 153
War ranty coverages . .. .. .. ..... ... .. 280
Washe r reservo ir .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 234
Washing . .. .. .. .. .. ............... 203
Automat ic car wash ............ .. .. 204
by hand . .. .. .. .. .. . .. ....... ... .. 204
with a power washer ............... 205
Waxing . ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 206
Wea r indica to r .. .. .... ........... .. 245