2013 AUDI A8 open hood

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. ..,.

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.

28 Instr uments and warning/indicator lights
Open door/hood /rear lid warning
Fig. 14 Display : doors and rear lid open
With the ignition switched on, the warning il­
luminates when at least
one door or the hood
or the rear lid is not closed . The symbol also
shows you
which door(s) or lid is not closed .
In the illustration
c:> fig. 14 it is the driver's
door and the left rear door.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL }
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)¢• in
the instrument cluster is part of the On-Board
Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The warning/indicator light illuminates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine starts and the idle has stabilized .
This indicates that the MIL is working proper ­
ly .
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started, or illuminates while you are driv­
ing, a malfunction may exist in the engine sys­
tem .
If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could be damaged.
Continue driving
with reduced power (avoid­
ing sustained high speeds and/or rapid accel­
erat ions) and have the condition corrected .
Contact your authorized Audi dealer .
If the light illuminates, the electronic speed limiter may also be malfunctioning. For more
information
c:> page 29, Electronic speed
limiter .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
c:> page 230.
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 15 Location of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your em iss ion contro l system . Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case of a mal­
function, the component will be identified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory.
The MIL light may also illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fuel vapor recovery sys­
tem .
If the light illuminates after a refueling,
stop the vehicle and make sure the fuel filler cap is properly closed
c:> page 230.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for OBO) .
In order to connect the specia l diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (OLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the hood release
c:> fig. 15.
Your authorized Aud i dealer or a qualified
service station can interpret the code and per­
form the necessary repair.
A WARNING ""-=--
Do not use the d iagnost ic connector for
personal use. Incorrect usage can cause
malfunctions, which can increase the risk
of a collision!
-

32 Openin g and clo sing
- The vehicle cann ot be starte d if an unau­
thorized key is used. The ve hicle may not
start if another radio device such as a key
for another vehicle or a transponder is located on the key ring .
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions ¢
page 299.
Power locking system
General description
The power locking system locks or unlocks all
doors and the luggage compartment lid si­
multaneously.
You can lock and u nlock the vehicle centrally.
You have the following choices:
- Remote master key~
page 34,
-Door handles with convenience key*
¢page 34,
- Lock cylinder at the dr iver 's door
¢ page 35, or
- Power locking switch inside¢
page 35.
Sele ct ive unloc king
When you lock the vehicle, the powe r locking
system wi ll lock t he doors and the l uggage
compartment lid. When unlocking, you can
set in the MMI whether only the driver's door
or the entire vehicle should be unlocked
¢ page 33.
Automatic locking
The automatic locking feat ure locks all the ve­
h icle doors and the luggage compartment lid
when you drive faster than 9 mph (15 km/h).
The ca r is un locked again, when the opening
function in the power locking system switch
or at one of the door levers is actuated. The
Auto Lock function can be turned on and off in
the MMI
¢ page 33.
Anti-theft alarm warning system
If the an ti- t h eft alarm warning sys tem de­
tects a b reak-in into the vehicle, acoustic and
vis ual warn ing s ignals a re triggered .
T he anti-theft w arning sys tem is activated au­
tomat ica lly when you lock the vehi cle. It is de­
activated when unlocking using the remote
key, w ith the mechanica l key, and when yo u
switch the ignition on.
T he alarm a lso t urns off when the a larm cy cle
has expired .
Turn signals
When you unlock the veh icle, the turn s ignals
flash twice. When you lock the vehicle once,
t h e turn signals flash once. If they do not
flash, one of the doors, the luggage compart­
ment lid or the hood is not locked .
Unintentionally locking yourself out
In the fo llow ing cases there safeg uards to
prevent yo u locking you r remo te master key i n
the vehi cle:
- The vehicle does not lock w it h the central
lock ing switch ¢
page 35 if the drive r's
door is open.
- On veh icles with convenience key*, if the
most recently used master key is in the lug­
gage compartment, the luggage compa rt­
ment lid is a utomat ic al ly unlocked again af­
t er i t is closed .
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the
r e mot e ma s­
ter k ey or convenience ke y*
unti l all doors
and the luggage compartmen t lid are closed.
In this way you avoid locking yourse lf out acci ­
dentally .
Power side door closer*
T he veh icle doo rs are equipped with a powe r
s ide doo r closer . When clos ing a door, you on­
ly have to le t it fall light ly into the latch. The
doo r will the n automatically close by itself
¢& . ~

34 Opening and closing
locking and unlocking the vehicle with
the remote control
F ig. 19 Remote control: function buttons
Either the dr iver's door only or the entire veh i­
cle will unlock when the unlock button
III is
p ressed once, depending on the settings in
the MMI
¢page 33.
.. Press button III to unlock the veh icle
¢ fig .19 .
.. Press button fij to lock the vehicle ¢.&. in
General description on page 33 .
.. Press button c:s briefly to unlock the lug­
gage compartment lid .
.. Push the red
!PANIC I button to activate the
panic function. The horn sounds and the
turn signals flash. Push the red
!PANIC I but­
ton aga in to deact ivate the panic function.
If the vehicle is unlocked and no door, the lug­
gage compartment lid or the hood is opened
within 60 seconds, the vehicle locks itself
again automatically. This feature prevents the
vehicle from being acc identally left unlocked
over a long per iod of time .
It depends on the sett ings in the MMI wheth­
er the entire vehicle is unlocked or only cer­
tain doors
¢ page 33.
A WARNING
Read and follow a ll WARNINGS q .&. in
General description on page 33.
@ Tips
-In order to make sure the locking func­
tion is working, you should always keep
your eye on the vehicle to make sure it is
properly locked. -
Do not use the remote control if you are
inside the car, otherwise you may unin­
tentionally lock the vehicle, and then you
would set off the anti-theft alarm when
you try to start the eng ine or open a
door. In case this happens anyhow, push
the unlock button
III-
-The vehicle can only be locked when the
selector lever is in the P position.
- Use the panic function only if you are in
an emergency s ituation.
locking and unlocking with convenience
key
A pp lies to vehicles : wi th convenience key
The doors and the luggage compartment lid
can be unlocked and locked without operat­
ing the master key.
Fig. 20 Convenience key: Locking the vehicle
Unlocking vehicle
.. Take hold of the door handle. The door is
un locked automatically.
.. Pull the handle to open the door.
locking vehicle
.. Select the P selector lever position. Other­
w ise the veh icle cannot be locked .
.. To lock the vehicle, close the door and touch
the sensor in the door handle
once q fig. 20.
Do not reach inside the door handle.
The vehicle can be locked and unlocked at any
doo r. The master key must be within a range
of about 1.5 m from the appropriate door or
the luggage compartment lid. It makes no dif­
ference whether the master key is in your jack-
et pocket or in your brief case . ..,

54 Clear vis ion
@ Tips
- Commercial hot waxes applied by auto­
matic car washes affect the cleanability
of the windshield .
- You can also use the service position, for
example, if you want to protect the
winds hield from icing by using a cover .
- You cannot activate the service position
when the hood is open.
Mirrors
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
... g C)
I
~
Fig. S O Fo rw ar d s ecti on of driver's armr est: powe r m ir­
r or con tro ls
T urn the knob to the desired position :
Q/P -In th is position, you can adjust the
driver's and front passenger's exter io r mirrors
by turn ing the knob in t he des ired direction .
®-The m irrors are heated depending on the
outside temperature .
8 -The exte rior m irrors fo ld in. In the MMI,
you c an se lec t if the m irror s fold in automat i­
cally when you lock the vehicle ¢ page
33 .
Tilt funct ion for th e pa ssenger' s mi rro r
To help yo u see the c urb when bac king into a
parking space, the su rface of the mirror tilts
slightly . The knob must be in the P posit ion
for this to happen .
You can ad just the tilted mirror s urface by
turning the knob in the desired direction .
When you move out of reverse and into anoth­
er gear, the new mirror posit ion is stored and
assigned to the key you are using . T
he mi rror goes back into its orig inal position
once you drive forward faster than 9 mph (15
km/h) or switch the ign ition off .
A WARNING
--
-Curved (i .e. conve x) mirror surfaces in­
crease your fie ld of view. Remember that
veh icles o r ot he r objects will appea r
smalle r and farther away than when seen
in a flat mirror . If you use th is m irror to
estimate distances of following ve hicles
when chang ing lanes, yo u co uld estimate
i n correct ly and cause an accide nt.
(D Note
- If the m irror housing is moved uninten­
ti onally (for examp le, w hile parking your
veh icle), then yo u must first fold the mir ­
ror electrically. Do not re adjust the mir­
ror housing man ually . You co uld damage
the motor which controls the mirror .
-If you wash the vehicle in an automatic
car was h, you must fo ld the exter ior mir­
rors in to reduce the risk of damage to
the mirro rs. Never fold power folding ex­
terior mirrors by hand. O nly fold t hem in
and out using the power controls.
{I) Tips
- The exterior m irror settings are stored
w ith the memory function*
¢ page 65 .
-If there is a malfunction in the electrical
system, you can sti ll adjust the exterior
m irrors by pressing the edge of the mir­
ror .
Dimming the mirrors
Fig. 5 1 Auto matic dimming rearview mirro r

& WARNING
-Never engage R or P wh ile driving. It
cou ld cause a crash .
-
-Power is sti ll transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions except P and N
when the engine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­ ly. This cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activated.
- Before opening the hood, select the P se­
lector lever position and set the par king
brake. This reduces the risk of a crash. A l­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
¢page 226, Engine comport­
ment.
- Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
- If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po­
sit ion and apply the park ing brake .
@ Tips
-If you un intentionally shift into the N se­
l ector lever position while dr iving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait for the engine to slow down until it is idling before you shift into Dor S.
Driving tips
The gears shift outomoticolly .
Starting from a stop
"' Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
.,. Start the eng ine
q page 83.
"' Press the button on the se lector lever and
select the D, S or R selector lever position
¢ page 115.
"' Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts. You w ill not ice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"' Re lease the brake pedal and press the accel ­
erato r peda l¢ _& .
Aut omat ic Tr ans missio n 11 7
Stopping temporarily
"' Press the b rake pedal to stop the veh icle,
for examp le at a traffic light . Do not press
the acce lerator pedal when doing this .
"' To prevent the vehicle from rolling when
you start driving, set the parking brake
when stopp ing on large inclines¢_& .
"' The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the veh icle
could roll. The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park !
appears.
"' Press and hold the brake pedal¢ _& .
"' Set the park ing brake.
"' To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P posit ion ¢
page 115 .
Under certa in conditions such as dr iv ing in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to shift
manually to adapt to the dr iving con­
ditions
¢ page 118.
On slopes, activate the parki ng brake first and
then move the selecto r leve r to the P position .
T his prevents too much st ress from be ing
placed on the locking mechanism.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ¢ .&. in Se­
lecting o selector lever position on
page 117.
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selec tor lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running . This could result in a
crash.
- Never engage R or P while driving . It
could cause a crash.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To ..,.