2013 AUDI A8 check engine light

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 d isplay
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 16.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
~ page 226, 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 aut ho 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 LE D tu rns red and the indi­
cator light~ turns on
c::> 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
r egular 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
c;;> ,& .
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
c;;> page 23. If there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us- ing the thumbwheel. ..,.

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 46 .
- 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 226, 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 yo u switch
the ign ition on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the follow ing tables . If one of
these ind icator 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 autho rized 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
D
D
¢page 15
Canada models :
Electromechanical parking brake
¢page 15
Engine cooling system
¢ page 16
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
USA models : Speed warning sys­
tem ¢page90
Canada model s: Speed warning
system
¢ page 90
Adaptive cruise control./ ¢page95
Air suspens ion*
¢page 18
Pedestrian warning *
¢page 112

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
•
Dynamic steering* ./
¢page2 2
Air suspension *
¢page 18
Sport diff erential *
¢page22
Other indicator lights
II
II
Turn signals
¢page 22
l
r.r:Tnm USA models: Cruise con trol *
~ ¢page90
•
I
•
•
•
Canada models: Cru ise cont ro l*
¢ pa ge 90
Adaptive cruise control *
¢page95
Adaptive cruise control*
¢ pag e 95
Adaptive cruis e control *
¢page 95
Audi lane assist*
¢ page 102
Start-Stop-System *
¢page87
Start-Stop-System*
¢page 87
High beam
¢page 47
BRAKE /(0 ) Brake system
The ligh t ill umina tes w hen the ig nit ion is
sw itc hed on. It goe s ou t aft er the eng ine ha s
b een star ted. This in dicates tha t the bra ke
war ning 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 br ake sys te m wa rn in g/ ind icato r l ight
tu rns on, there is a b rake sys tem m alfunc tion .
1111 (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs , proceed as fo llows:
.,. Pull off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Tur n off the engine .
.,. Check t he b rake fluid level ¢
page 242 .
.,. Con tact yo ur nea rest au thorized repair fa-
cility if necessa ry.
Warning! Fault in brake system . Contact
dealer
If the ABS ind icat or light liJ (U SA mode ls)/
liJ (Canada mode ls), the ESC ind icator light
Ji) and t he b rake system ind icator light
1111 ( U SA mo de ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) turn
o n and the message app ears, the A BS, ESC
and braking distr ib uti on are no t wo rking¢ ,&..
Carefully drive to your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediat ely to have the malfunct io n correct­
ed ¢& .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake: system fault! Please contact
dealer
- If the ind icator light and t he message ap ­
pear
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
check if you can re lease the
pa rk ing brake . Afte r releasing the parki ng
bra ke, ca refully d rive to your author ized
Aud i dea le r i mmedia tely to have the ma l­
fu nction co rre cted.
If yo u ca nno t r ele ase the
pa rk ing br ake, see k professiona l assistan ce .
- If the ind icator lig ht and t he message ap ­
pea r
while driving , th e emergen cy b ra ki ng
fu nction may not be av ail ab le. It may not be
possible to set the par king b rake or re lease
it once it has been set. See k profess iona l as ­
sistance.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 15
(USA models): If the warning light 1111 and
the warning light
EiJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 20 .
When t he light comes on, an audible warning
signal is also given.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 226, 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: Ifthe llll warning light,
the
G1 warning light and the firlilJ 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
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
BJ 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 is released, or lights up
while you are driving, the fluid Level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately 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.
Th e 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
ke ep 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
@ii or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
¢page 86 .
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 releases
automat ica lly if the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened .
ES Parking brake!
If the ES indicator light turns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction. Drive to your authorized Audi

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the ma lfunction corrected.
_ l Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engin e cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
• Swit ch off en gine and ch eck c oolan t leve l
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 240.
.. Add coolant if necessary ¢ page 241.
.,. Contin ue driving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warning/indicator light goes o ut.
.. Contact your authorized Audi dea ler for as-
sistance if necessary .
I f the engine coolant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
t ion.
• Coo lan t te mpera ture t oo high! Pl ease let
e ngine run with veh icle st a ti on ary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in t railer mode*, let the engine
r u n at id le for a few m inutes to cool down.
& WARNING
- If your vehicle 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 46, Emergency
flasher .
-
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartme nt -you risk being scald­
ed . Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping.
- The engine compartment of any veh icle
is a dangerous area . Before you perform
any wor k in the engine compartment,
t ur n of the eng ine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
¢
page 226,
Engine compartment .
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the. symbo l
i ll uminates . There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
% Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
T he . warning/ indicator light illum inates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Addit iona lly, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) w ill also sound .
For more Information ¢
page 144, {t Safety
belt warning light .
0 Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal ­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system.
T he . warning/ indicato r light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started.
• Alternator fault: Batt ery i s not b ein g
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malf unct ion in the
generator or veh icle elect rical system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immed iate ly. Be cause the veh i­
cl e battery is discharg ing, tu rn off all unnec­
essary elec trical equipmen t such as the rad io .
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
c h arge level is too low.
(•) Low battery char ge: battery will be
charg ed while d riving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited sta rting
ability.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
If th is message turns off after a litt le whi le,
the battery charged enough whi le driving.
If the message does not turn
off, have your
authorized Audi dealer or qua lified workshop
correct the malfunction .
'l:::7-: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediat e servic e or repair. Driving
with a Low-oil-pressure indication is Likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine .
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low.
.,. Pull
off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn
off the engine .
.,. Check the engine oil level c::> page 23 7.
.,. If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine
o il
c::> page 238. Make sure that the oil p res ­
s ur e warning symbol. appears no longe r
in the display before you start driving again.
.. If the engine oil leve l is correct and the indi­
cator light st ill turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
-The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
II requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil
level warning
II. By then, your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age .
~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
When the symbol and the driver message ap ­
pear, the oil has to be replen ished right now
c::> page235.
If the indicator light and the message appear,
add engine oil immediately
c> page 238 .
II Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap ­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity
c::>page 235.
@-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an e lectronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ignition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professiona l assistance .
1!11 Steering lock: system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic stee ring
column lock malfunct ion.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
.8, WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the elec tron ic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering . If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.
© -Engine start system
• Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not switch the ignition off
because you may not be able to switch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
II! Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph.
There is a malfunction that can result in re­
stricted driving stability.
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunction . Wait until the air suspen ­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance. Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
AIR/ e;, 5 f BAG -, a ety systems
The fl (USA models)/E,l(Canada models) indi­
cator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
airbags, pretensioners and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the
fl (USA models)!E,I (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also means there is a malfunction.
A WARNING >=
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys-
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acci­
dent.
f'!.l f); Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
This warning/indicator light monitors the
Electronic Stabilization Control.
When you switch the ignition on, the indicator
light
D.1 turns on briefly to check the function.
If the
Ip] indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating.
If the
Ip] indicator lamp illuminates, the sys ­
tem has switched the ESC off.
If the indicator light
I turns on, the ESC was
switched to ESC sport mode with the button
[!l ¢ page 198. If this is case, you can reacti­
vate the ESC by switching the ignition off and
then on again. The warning/indicator light
should go out to show that the system is fully
functional again.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
111-

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
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 . Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
(0) Wo rn b rake pad s
liJ Brake pads!
If the warn ing l ight illuminates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­ ed. On USA models the warni ng light
liJ
comes on together with the warning light
1111 -Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
A WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury .
- If the warning light
liJ and the warning
light
11111 ) with the message Brake
pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Aud i dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic powe r cont rol
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The~ warn ing/ indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check .
(D Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are dr iving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine electron ics. Have
the malfunction corrected as soon as pos­
sible by your authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified repair facility.
l) - : USA mod els only
-
o Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL )
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Dia gnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbo l
¢-ff lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed. This indicates that the MIL is work ing
proper ly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system.
Contact your authori zed Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
c:> page 230.
For more information c:> page 28.
!?) Engine speed lim itation
Applies to vehicles: wit h engine speed li mitatio n
lfl Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to
the speed displayed in the driver information
system . This protects the engine from over ­
heating.
T he eng ine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have re leased the accele ra­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica ­
tor light~ also turns on . Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed displayed .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
· ~ Engine oil level
Ill Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may cont inue
driving
When the symbol Ill and driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity
c:> page 238.