2012 AUDI S8 engine coolant

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of th e instr ume nt cluster
(!) Coolan t tempera ture gauge ...
@ Tachometer (engine rev counter)
® Turn signals ............. .. .
© D isp lay with
- Driver information system ...
- Warning/ind icator lights
® Tachom eter
® F uel gauge .... ..... ... ... . .
0 Reset b utton for trip odometer
(D Tips
1 0
11
45
23
11
1 1
25
The instrument illumination (for dia ls and
needles) t urns on when the ignition is on
a nd the vehicle lights are tur ned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of t he
dia ls likewise dims automatica lly and w ill
go o ut comple tely when the o utsi de light
i s very low. Th is feature is meant t o rem ind you
to sw itch on the head ligh ts when o ut­
s id e light condi tions become poor .
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge (!) ¢ poge 10, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol­
lowing important po ints:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn o n, the engine has not reached operating
temperature yet. Avoid hig h engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions .
Normal temp erature
The eng ine has reached its operating temper-
at ure once the LEDs up to the center of the .,.

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. ..,.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
A WARNING ,~
- Always observe the warnings in
c:> page 213, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake fluid.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
-USA models: If the - warning light,
the
Iii warning light and them warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer or a quali­
fied workshop . Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
Ii] warning light and the
ABS warning light
ll] come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­ dent . Have your vehicle repaired immedi­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake released, or lights up while
you are driving, the fluid level in the
brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, proceed im­
mediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­ spected.
-Always keep in mind that after several
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
vehicle . Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with maximum stopping power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased braking distances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light - (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the
ignition is off, the indicator light turns off af­
ter about 20 seconds.
The warning/indicator light will go out when
the parking brake is released.
- (USA models) • (Canada models)
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from rolling . The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could roll away even
on a small incline.
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
c:> page 83.
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake pedal and press the button ~ at the
same time. The parking brake only release au­
tomatically if the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened .
IIJ Parking brake!
If the IIJ indicator light turns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction . Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and check coolant level IJ-

16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coo lant temperature is too
h igh or the coo lant level is too low.
.,. Pull off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Turn off the engine.
.,. Check coolant level¢
page 22 7.
.,. Add coolant if necessary¢
page 228 .
.,. Continue driving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warn ing/indicator light goes out.
.,. Co ntact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
s istance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc ­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at idle for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING ,_
- If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 44, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping .
- Th e engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 213,
Engine compartment.
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunct ion in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine .
4'-Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warning/indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Addit ionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) wi ll also sound .
For more Information¢
page 134, ~ Safety
belt warning light .
f::I Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system.
The. warning/indicator light illum inates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the
generator or vehicle electrical system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediate ly . Because the veh i­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec­
essary electrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
autho rized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.

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.

CD Note
-Avoid high engine rpm, fu ll throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperature -other ­
wise you risk engine damage.
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the veh icle.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the en­
gine is switched off -there is a risk of
damag ing the engine . Allow the eng ine
to run at idle for about 2 m inutes befo re
swit ching it off.
@ Tips
- If you open the dr iver's door w ith the ig­
nit ion on, a buzzer sounds and the mes­
sage
Igniti on i s on appears in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay. Switch the ign it ion
off .
-If you leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
swi tched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certain period of time. Please
note that e lectrica l equipment such as
exter ior lights wi ll switch off as well
when that happens .
Stopping the engine
... Bring your vehicle to a comple te stop .
... Move the selector lever to the P or N posi ­
t ion .
... Press the !START E NGIN E STOPI button
Q page 80, fig. 81 .
Emergen cy off
If necessary, the engine can be swi tched off
with the selector lever in the R, Dor S posi ­
tions . The eng ine stops if you press the
I START E NGIN E STOP I button at speeds be low
6 mph (10 km/h).
_& WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unt il the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
On th e road 81
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking . Because
you cannot s teer and brake as you usual­
ly would, th is could lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
- For safety reasons , you sho uld a lways
park your vehicle with the selector lever
in P . Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
vertently roll away.
- After the eng ine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can cont in ue to run for
up to 10 minutes -even with the igni tion
switched off .
It can also switch on again
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat b uildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays .
~
CD Note
Do not stop the eng ine immediately after
hard or extended driving. Keep the engine
running for approximate ly two minutes to
prevent excess ive heat bu ild -up .
Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine un­
der certain circumstances , for example if the
battery in the vehicle key is drained, if inter ­
ference is affected the key or if there is a sys­
tem malfunction.
ij
:c
---- -~
Fig . 82 Center co nsole/m aste r key : star ting the engine
I
if th ere is a malfun ction Ill>

drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c:> page 10
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immed iate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
i::> page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wear ing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy will greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your ng .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
Trailer towing 201
have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a t railer generally requires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remembe r that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re ­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
c:> page 280.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not be avoided, do so only a~er doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake.
•
•

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.