2012 AUDI S8 parking brake

2 Table of contents Vehicle literature .. .. .. .. .. ... .
5
About this Owner's Manual . . . 6
Controls and equipment .. ... .
Instruments and controls .. . .
General illustration ......... .. ... .
Instruments and warning/
indicator lights ........ .. .. .. . .
Instruments ............ ... .. ... .
Warning/indicator lights .......... .
Driver information display .. .. .. ... .
On-Board Diagnostic system (OBD) . . .
Opening and closing .. .. .... . .
Keys .. ...... ........... .. .. ... .
Power locking system ..... .. .. .. . .
Rear lid .. .. ........ ..... .. ..... .
Child safety lock . .......... ... .. . .
Power windows . .......... ... .. . .
Valet park ing . ........... .. .. ... .
Sliding/tilting sun roof ... .. .. .. .. . . 8
8
8
10
10
11
23
26
28
28
30
34
37
38
39
40
Panoramic sunroof. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Clear vision .. ........ .. .. .. .. . .
Lights ... .. ............. .. .. .. . .
I nterior lights .............. .. ... .
V1s1on ..... ... .... ......... .... .
Wiper and washer system ... ... .. . .
Mirrors ................. .. .. ... .
Digital compass .......... .... ... .
Seats and storage ....... .. .. . .
General recommendat ions ..... .. . .
Front seats .............. .... ... .
Rear seats .. ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. . . 43
43
46
47
48
51
52
54
54
55
57
He ad restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Seat memory . ... ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Full-length center console .... .. ... . 62
64
L uggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Pa ss-thro ugh with ski sack . . . . . . . . . 67
Roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
12-vo lt sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Warm and cold ... .......... .. .
Climate controls . .... .......... .. .
On the road ... ... .......... .. .
Steering .. .... .. ... .. ........ .. .
Starting and stopping the engine ... .
E lectromechanical parking brake ... .
Speed warning system ............ .
Cru ise control .... .... ...... ... .. .
Audi adaptive cruise control
and braking guard ......... .. .
Introduction . .. .. ..... ......... . .
General information ............. .
Audi adaptive cruise control ... .. .. .
Audi braking guard ............ .. .
Messages . .. .. . .............. .. .
Audi lane assist ............ .. .
Lane assist ...... ............. .. .
Audi side assist .............. .
Lane Change Assistant ........ .. .. . 75
75
79
79
80
82
84
85
8 7
87
87
89
93
94
96
96
99
99
Audi drive select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Driving settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Raising/lowering the vehicl e . . . . . . . . 105
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Night vision assistant . . . . . . . . . 106
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Pedestrian detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Pedestrian warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Switching on and
off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Settings in the MMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 10 9
t ip tron ic (8 -speed transmission) . . . . . 109

Advanced Parking System . . . . 115
Advanc ed Pa rking System with r ear
view camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Ad justing the display and warning
tones .... .. ................. .. .. 119
E rro r messages
Homelink ® ............ .... .. . .
Universal remote control . .. .. .. .. . . 120
121
121
Safety first
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Prope r occupa nt seating posit ions . . . 125
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 129
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
S towing lugg age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Safety belt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 7
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 142
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Mon itoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
S ide curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
I mportant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hil d safety sea ts ......... .... .. . .
I ns tall ing a chi ld safe ty seat .. .. .. . .
L A T C H L ower ancho rages and tethers
for chi ldren ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Addit io n al Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Preventative passenger protection .. . 166
17
1
175
178
184
185
185
Table of contents 3
Vehicle oper ation . . . . . . . . . . . . .
187
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 187
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
E lectronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . 187
B rak ing ...... ... .. ............. .
Se rvotronic ® - advanced powe r
stee ring system ......... ........ .
D rivi ng with your q uattro ® ...... .. . 189
191
191
E nergy m anagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving and environment . . . . . 194
T he first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
a ft erwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 4
Catalytic conve rter. .. ... ...... ... . 195
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 195
Driving throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 196
Operate your vehicle economically and
min imize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driv ing with a traile r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 203
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Car e of inte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... .......... ....
215
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
F uel tank.. .. .. .. ... ............ . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 219
E ngine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine compartmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
T ire pressure mo nitoring system . . . . 253
•
•

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
--

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Air suspension
¢page 18
Sport differential*
¢page22
Other indicator lights
- Turn
signals
¢page22
~ USA models: Cruise control *
~ ¢ page 85
•
Canada models: Cruise control*
¢page 85
-
r!I
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page89
•
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page 89
-
I
Adaptive cruise control*
¢page89
•
Audi lane assist
¢ page 96
-
•
High beam
¢page45
BRAKE /((f)) Brake system
The light illuminates when the ignition is
switched on . It goes out after the engine has
been started . This indicates that the brake
warn ing light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking, there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the brake system warning/ind icator light
turns on, there is a brake system malfunction.
- (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, proceed as follows:
"" Pull off the road . ""
Stop the vehicle.
"" Turn off the engine .
"" Check the brake fluid level ¢
page 229.
"" Contact your nearest authori zed repair fa-
cility if necessary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
dealer
If the ABS indicator light ti] (USA models)/ rl]
(Canada models), the ESC indicator light G]
and the brake system indicator light
- (USA models)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking distr ibut ion are not working¢.&..
Carefu lly drive to your authorized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunction correct­
ed ¢.&. .
- (USA models) . (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on , check if you can release the
parking brake. After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your authorized Au­
di dealer immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected. If you cannot release the
pa rking brake, seek professiona l assistance.
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
while driving, the emergency brak ing
function may not be available . It may not be
possible to set the park ing brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek profess ional as­
sistance.
(USA models): If the warn ing light - and
the warn ing l ight
El appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 19.
When the light comes on, an audible warning
s ignal is also given .
Ill-

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-

82 On the road Requirem ent : The message
Key not recog­
nized. Hold b ack of key against marked area.
See owner 's manual.
must appear and the in ­
dicator light
m must sw itch on.
• Hold the master key vertica lly in the loca­
tion indicated y>l} q fig .
82.
• Press the brake pedal~ A in Starting the
engine on page 80.
.. Press the !~S _T _A_ R_T_ E_N_ G_ I_ N _E_ S_T_ O_ P~ I button.
The eng ine will start .
• Drive to your author ized Audi dealer imme­
diately to have the malfunct ion corrected .
@ Tips
You can view the message again by press­
ing the !START ENGINE STOP I button.
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking broke replaces
the hand broke.
Fig . 83 Ce nter console: Parking brake
• Pull on the switch(®) ~ fig. 83 @ to app ly
the parking brake . The indica tor light in the
switch illuminates.
• Step on the brake pedal or the accelerator
pedal and press the switch(®) at the same
t ime to release the parking brake. The indi ­
cator light in the switch goes out .
Your vehicle is equipped wit h an electrome­
cha nica l parking brake. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rol ling
unintentionally and rep laces the hand brake . In
addition to the normal functions of a tradi­
tiona l hand brake, the electromechanical
parking brake provides var io us convenience
and safety functions .
When starting from rest
-The integral start ing ass ist helps you when
driving by automatically releasing the park­
ing brake
~ page 83, Starting from rest .
-When starting on inclines, the starting as­
sist prevents the vehicle from unintentiona l­
ly rolling back. The braking force of the
parking brake is not released until sufficient
driving force has been built up at the
wheels.
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the vehicle can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail
q page 84, Emergency broking.
Indicator lights
-If the parking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched on the indicator lights come
on - (U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch.
- If the parking brake is closed with the igni­
tion
switched off the indicator lights come
on - (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models}
in the instrument cluster and in the sw itch
for about 20 seconds .
A WARNING
Do not press the acce lerator pedal inadver ­
tently if the vehicle is stationary but the
engine is running and a gear is selected.
Otherwise the vehicle will start to
move
immedia tely and could result in a crash.
(D Note
If the symbol . in the display or the indi­
cator light .. (USA models)/ . (Cana­
da models) in the instrum ent cluster flash­
es, there is a malfunction in the brake sys­
tem. Please refer to the detailed descrip-
tion of the indicator lights
~ page 14. ll-

-If the indicato r light - (USA mod ­
els)
,111 (Canada models) or I.I turns
on, there may be a malfunction in the
parking brake
¢page 15.
@ Tips
-You can apply the parking brake at any
time - even w ith the ignition switched
off. The ignit ion must be on in order to
release the parking brake.
- Occasiona l noises when the park ing
brake is applied and released are norma l
and are not a cause for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any assoc iated noises
are norma l.
Parking
Various rules apply to prevent the parked ve­
hicle from rolling away accidentally.
P a rking
~ Stop the vehicle w ith the foot brake.
~ Pu ll the switch© to apply the parking
brake.
~ Se lect the P selector lever position
¢page 109.
~ Turn the eng ine off ¢,& .
In addition on incline s and grade s
~ Turn the steering wheel so that your vehicle
will roll against the curb in case it should
start to move.
A WARNING
-When you leave your veh icle - even if on­
ly b riefly - always take the ignition key
with you. This applies particu la rly when
children remain in the veh icle. Otherw ise
the ch ild ren could sta rt the engine, re­
lease the parking brake or operate elec­
trical equipment (e .g. power windows).
There is the risk of an accident.
- When the vehicle is locked, no one - par­
t icu larly not ch ildren should remain in
the vehicle. Locked doors make it more
On th e ro ad 83
difficult for emergency workers to get in­
to the vehicle - putting lives at risk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking broke is released automatically upon
starting.
Stopping and appl ying p arking brake
~ Pull the switch(®) to apply the pa rking
brake.
Sta rting and automaticall y releasing the
parking brak e
~ When you start to drive as us ual, the pa rk­
ing brake is automatically released and your
veh icle begins to move .
When stopp ing at a traffic signal or stopping
in city t raff ic, the parking b rake can be ap­
plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The parking brake elimi­
nates the tendency to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged. As soon as you drive off as usua l,
the parking brake is released automatically
and the vehicle starts to move.
St arting on slope s
When starting on inclines, the sta rting assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll­
ing back. The braking force of the parking
brake is not re leased until suff ic ient driving
force has been built up at the wheels.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
l eased automatically on ly when the driv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
~ Keep the switch(®) pulled and depress the
accelerator. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from roll ing back-
ward . ..,.