2013 AUDI A8 steering

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
immediatel y 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 app ly 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. ~
page 16.
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, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
Trailer towing 213
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 radius.
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 296.
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.
•
•

(!) Windshield/headlight washer
t .
(~ ) con ainer ,..., .. .... ... ... . . 247
@ Jump start point( -) with hex
h ead screw ............... .. 246, 284
® Jump start point( +) under a cov-
er . ..... .. ... .. ..... ... .. . 246, 284
@ Engine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . 238
® Brake fl uid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 242
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 240
0 Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 202
@ Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
The engine oil fille r nec k (item @) may be lo­
cated in a d ifferent a rea depend ing o n the ver ­
sion of the eng ine .
A WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
~ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 232.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
-
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerp lant that was bu ilt to exacting specifi­
cations. This engine needs the r ight kind of
engine o il that meets specificat ions rega rding
qua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the righ t oi l
and ch anging oil with in t he time and mileage
inte rva ls printed in your veh icle's Warranty
&
M aintenance book let matters a lot more to­
day than it d id years ago. A udi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will he lp assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for prope r opera­
tion .
M odern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional pet role -
Checkin g and fillin g 235
um -based oils, ma king them a smart cho ice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use sy nthetic o r pe trole um­
based eng ine oil, the oil tha t you use m ust
confo rm to Aud i's oi l quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine runn ing smooth ly and he lp prevent the for­
mation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"sludge," that over time can lead to expensive
repairs .
At the time of printing, engine oils ava ilab le in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exact ing
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthet ic eng ine o ils . Th is does not mean,
howeve r, that every sy nthetic engi ne oil will
meet A udi o il standard VW 502 00 . So always
be s ure that yo u use an approved oil.
To he lp prevent the formation of harmfu l de­
pos its use on ly o il wi th the following specifi­
cat ions pr inted on th e oil conta iner:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labe ls may car ry the specifica­
tion sing ly or in combination with othe r desig ­
nations and oil quality standards.
Viscosity
E ngine o ils are graded a ccord ing to the ir vis­
cosi ty . T he p roper viscos ity grade oil fo r yo ur
engine depends on climactic o r seasona l con­
ditions where yo u drive. You can use oi l wit h a
viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all tem­
perature ranges for norma l driv ing cond itions.
However, if engine oil viscosity g rade SA E
5W40 is not available, you can also use viscos ­
ity grade SAE 5W -30 or SAE OW -40 as long as
it meets Audi oil q ua lity standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because eng ine o il tha t meets the Audi oi l
standard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
that you a lways carry wit h you an extra quart
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 spec if icat ion, in case you have to
top off the o il while o n the road . .,..
•
•

250 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
(D Note
Please note that summer and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem­
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un­
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
standard equipment in cl uding the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.

260 Tires and wheels
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
¢fig. 207.
- Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
¢ page 2 78.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H owever, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced , resu lting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on steering , suspens ion
and tires . A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impair ing the safety of the vehi­
cle .
If tires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro® must always have ti res
of the same size, construction and tread type.
F or details see
¢page 203.
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydrop laning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can only be used in an emergency and then with specia
l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 208 Tir e spec ificatio n codes on the s idewall of a
tire
No.
©
®
®
0
®
®
@
Description
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nominal width of tire in mill imeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Rad ial
Rim diameter code
Load index and speed rating
U.S. DOT tire identification number
Aud i Original tire
Sever snow conditions
Tire ply composition and materials
used
Maximum load rating

If llil~, appears after switching the ignition
on or whi le driving
¢ fig. 210 and the indica­
tor light
ltJ in the instrument cluster blinks
for approximate ly one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction .
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢
page 269. If the indicator light does not
turn off or if it turns on short ly thereafter, im­
mediately drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized repair facility to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-If the t ire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster d isplay, one or
more of you r tires is s ignificantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire pressure label ¢
page 253. Driving on a
significantly under -inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle 's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- T he driver is responsible for ma inta ining
the corre ct tire pressures. You m ust
check the t ire pressures regularly .
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, w inter condit ions or un­
paved roads) , the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be de layed .
- Ask your author ized Audi dealer if run ­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle regist rat ion becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your veh icle or acc idents
cou ld also resu lt.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
Tire s an d wheel s 269
- Us ing snow chains may res ult in a system
ma lfunction.
- T he tire pressure mon itor ing system on
your Audi was deve loped using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
t ire s idewall
c:> page 260. We recom­
mend us ing these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles: wit h tire press ure mo nitor ing system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
.,. Switch on the ignition.
.,. Select in the MMI: ICAR lfunction button>
Ca r sy stems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitor ing > Store
t ire pr essur es> Yes, store now .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow cha ins on the tire .
•
•

280 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel @ (brown)
No. Equipment
1 Headlight control switch
2 Emergency start coil (key
identification)
3 Rear door
control module
(driver's side)
5 Horn
6 Interior lights
(headliner)
Steering column lever, mul-
8
tifunction steering wheel
controls, steering wheel
I heating
10 Power steering column ad-
justment
11 Driver door control module
12 Diagnost
ic connector, light/
rain sensor
14 Power steering column ad-
justment
15 Power
steering, A/C com-
pressor
16 Brake booster
Fuse panel © (black)
No. Equipment
1 Front seat heating
2 Windshield wiper
3 Front exterior lighting
4 Sun roof
5 Driver power window
6 Driver seat (pneumatic)
7 Panoramic
sunroof
8 Dynamic steering
9 Front exterior lighting
10 Windshield/headlight
wash-
er system
11 Rear power window (driver's
side)
Panoramic sunroof
Amps
5
5
7,5 15
7,5
10/5
5
7,5 10
25
20 15
Amps
30
30
30 20
30
7,5
20
35
30
35
30
40
Front passenger side cockpit fuse
assignment
Fig. 227 Front passe nger side cockpit: fuse pane l with
plastic bracket
Fuse panel ® (black)
No. Equipment Amps
1 Anti-theft alarm system
5
2 T
ransmission control mod-
15
ule
3 Front climate control fan 40
4 Engine supply 35
6 Engine
control module
5
7 Front passenger door con-
7,5
trol module
8 Front passenger
power win-
30
dow
9 ESC control module 10
10 E5C control modu le 25
11 Right rear power window
30
12 Front passenger
seat (pneu-
7,5
matics)

Fuse s and bulb s 281
Luggage compartment fuse assignment
Fig. 228 Luggage compartment: fuse pa nel with plastic bracket
Fuse panel @ (black ) Fuse panel @ (b la ck)
No . Equi pment Amps No. Equipment Amps
[ru button, data logger, diag-
11 Dynamic
steering
5
l nostic
connector, BCM -1,
5
Selector lever, BCM-2 5
adaptive light ing system
Audi side assist
5
2 Networking gateway 5
Engine control module 5
3 adaptive air suspension
5
Starter 40
4 Parking system 5
Left headlight/Headlight
16 10/5
5 Steer
ing column lever
5
range control system
6 Suspension control system
5 Fuse panel
@ (red ) sensor
Belt tensioners, airbag con-
No. Equipment Amps
7 trol module 5
l Left
reversible be lt tens ione r 25
Heated washer fluid nozzles, 2
Right reversible belt ten-
25
Homelink (garage door sioner
8 opener), night vision system 5 Starter diagnos
is, DC/DC
control module, sport differ-3 c onverter (Start-Stop-Sys-5
ential, ioni zer tern )
9
Electromechan ica l parking
5 4 DC/DC converter 7,5
brake contro l modu le 5 Image pro cessing 7 ,5 -
10
Rear seat heating, cooler, in-
5
terior rearview mirror

304 Index
Declaration of compliance
Adaptive cruise control ............. 299
Audi side assist ................... 299
Cell phone package ....... .. .. .... . 299
Convenience key .......... .... .... . 299
Electronic immobilizer ......... .. ... 299
H omelink ® universal remote control .. 299
Remote control key ........... .. .. . 299
DEF What does this mean when it appears in
the trip odometer display? ..... .. .. .. 26
Defective light bulb warning . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Defrosting (windows) ....... .. .. .. .. . . 80
Deluxe automatic climate control . . . . . . . 79
Determining correct load limit ... .. .. . 258
Dig ital compass ..... ..... ... .. .. .. .. 55
Dimensions
. ...... ........ .. .. .... . 291
Dimming the rearview mirror .. .. .. .. . . 54
Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Door/rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Doors M echanical ch ild safety lock .. .. .... .. 40
Power child safety lock .... .. .. .. .. .. 40
Driver information system CD/radio display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Door/rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Eff iciency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Ex terior temperature display . .. .. .. . . 23
On-boa rd comp uter ....... .. .. .. .. . .
Driver seating position
drive select
adaptive air suspension/sport ... .. .. .
Adaptive dampers ........ .. .. .... .
Curve light .. ... .... ..... .. .. .. .. .
Dynamic steering ............. .. .. .
Engine sound ......... .... ... .. .. .
Safety belt tensioner ...... .. .. .... .
Sport differential ......... .. .. .. .. .
Drive select
.. ... .. ..... ... .... .. .. .
Driving safely ... ........ .. .. .. .... .
Driving through water 24
135
109
109
109
109 109
109
109
109
134
208
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Dust filter
refer to Pollutant filter (automatic A/C
system) .. .. ... .......... .. .. .. .. .. 78
Dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 109
E
Easy entry fea ture . .... .......... .. .. . 82
EDL
refer to Electronic differential lock .. .. 198
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Other equ ipment . .......... ...... .. 25
E lectrica l accessories (sockets) . . . . . 67, 73
El ectromechanical pa rking brake
Emergency b raking ............ .. .. . 87
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Parking ... .... .. .. ... ........ .. .. . 86
Releasing and closing ............ .. . 85
Starting assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Starting from rest ............. .... . 86
Starting off w ith a trailer ........ .. .. . 87
Warning/ind icator lights .. ... ..... .. . 15
E lectronic differential lock ........ .. .. 198
El ectronic differential lock (EDL)
Warning/indicator lights .......... .. . 19
Electronic immob ilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 31
Electronic power control (EPC)
warning/indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
El ectronic speed limit er .......... .. .. . 29
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) ... 198
Warning/indicator lights .. ... ..... .. . 18
Emergency actuation Doors . ... .... .. .. ... .......... .. . 36
Luggage compartment lid ....... .... . 39
Parking lock ..... ............. .... 120
Power sunroof ... ..... ........... .. 43
Emergency braking ... ........... .. .. . 87
Eme rgency flasher .... .. ... ..... .. .. . 46
Warning/indicator lights .......... .. . 22
Emergency operation
Panoram ic sunroof ..... .. ... ..... .. .
Sun shade (roof) . ................ . .
Emergency starting 44
44
284
Emergen cy to wing ................ .. 286
Emergency warn ing triangle .. ... ... .. 270
Energy management ............ .. .. 203
En gine
Compartment .. .. ... .......... ... .
Coolant ... .. .. .. ............. .. . .
Data
. .. .. .... .. ... .. .......... ..
234
240
292
Start-Stop-System .. ........... .. .. . 87