2013 AUDI A8 towing

Adjusting the disp lay and the warning
tones. ..... .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. 131
Er ror messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Homelink ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Safety fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Proper occupa nt seating positions . . . 135
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 139
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 1 42
Safety belt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 44
Why s afety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 45
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 150
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
I mportant things to know . . . . . . . . . . 152
F ront airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 176
C hi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
I nstall ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 186
L A TC H L owe r ancho rages and tethe rs
for chi ld ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Addit ional Information
195
Audi pre sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Preventat ive passenger p rotec tion 196
Vehi cle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Intelligent technology .. .. .. .. 198
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 198
Table of contents 3
Bra ki ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Servotronic ® -advanced power
stee ring system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving with your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 203
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Driving and environment . . . . . 206
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 207
D riv ing throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 208
Operate yo ur vehicle economi cally and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
T rai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 15
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 215
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
228
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
E n gine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Engine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Br ake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
B attery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Windsh ie ld/hea dligh t washer
container ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
247
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Tire pressure monitoring system 267
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 270
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Tr unk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 70
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 270
•
•

4 Table of contents
Vehicle tool kit . .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
C hanging a whe el . ..... ... .. .. ... .
Fuses and bulbs ....... .. .. ... .
Fuses . ...... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Bulbs .... .. .. . .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Emergency situations ... .... . .
General ..... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Starting by push ing or towing . .. ... .
St art ing with jumper cables .. .. ... .
Use of jumper cab les ...... .. .. ... .
E me rgency towing with commercial
tow truck .. ................ ... . .
Lift ing vehicle ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . .
Technical data .. .......... ... . .
General information .. .. .. .. . .
Exp lana tion of technical data . .. .. . .
Vehicle ident ificat ion ...... .. .. ... .
Weights ... .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
D imensions .... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Data .. .. .... ........... .. .. .. . .
A8 3 .0 T FSI engine, with all whee l
drive . ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
A8 4 .0 TFSI engine, with all whee l
drive .. .. .... ........... .. .. .. . .
S8 4 .0 TFS! engine, with all wheel
d rive .. .. .. ................ ... . .
A8 6.3 FSI eng ine, wi th a ll wheel drive
Consumer Information ... ... .
Warranty coverages ....... .. .. .. . .
Operating your vehicle outside the
U. S.A. o r Canada ......... .. .. .. . .
Aud i Service Repair Ma nuals and 271
273
279
279
283
284 284
284
284
285
286 288
290
290 290
290 290
2 9 1
292
292 293
294
.295
296
296
296
L it erature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 6
M aintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Additional accessories, modifications
and parts r eplacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Declaration of Compliance,
Telecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

22 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
@.D Light/rain sensor
II Automatic headlights/automatic wipers:
system fault
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, the light/rain sensor is not
functioning correctly.
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
on permanently with the switch in AUTO .
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and off using the light switch. You can still
control all functions that are independent of
the rain sensor through the windshield wiper
lever.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as soon
as possible to have the problem corrected.
@! Dynamic steering
'T-ij Steering: system fault. you can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
(;y.ij Dynamic steering: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica ­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steering is being reinitialized . Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the
steering wheel will be easy to move . Re-initi­
alization might be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and right
while the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initialization is complete.
A WARNING
-
Have the dynamic steering system mal­
function repaired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
(D Tips
- The dynamic steering stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering, refer to¢
page 109.
~= Sport differential
I'll Sport differential: system fault
There is a malfunction with the sport differen­
tial.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
I'll Sport differential: overheating
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
.&_ WARNING
Contact your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differential
is faulty or malfunctioning. The repair
must be performed by trained personnel
using the correct oil in order to ensure
safety.
¢i ¢ Turn signals
-
The indicator light blinks when you use either
turn signal.
Whenever you use the left Hor the right II
turn signal, the indicator light blinks. When
you use the emergency flashers, both indica­
tor lights flash .
If one of the turn signal light bulbs burn out,
the turn signal will blink twice as fast as nor­ mal. Carefully drive to your authori zed Audi
dealer immediately to have the malfunction
corrected. The indicator light does not indi­
cate a malfunction if a turn signal on the trail ­
er or on the vehicle fails in trailer towing
mode. ..,

46 Clear vision
Highway light function* (vehicles with LED
headlights) -this function adapts the lighting
for highway driving based on vehicle speed.
.&_ WARNING
- Automatic headlights are only intended
to assist the driver. They do not relieve
the driver of his responsibility to check
the headlights and to turn them on man­
ually according to the current light and
visibility conditions. For example, fog
cannot be detected by the light sensors.
So always switch on the headlights §.0
under these weather conditions and
when driving in the dark.
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists. Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from
the back.
- Please observe legal regulations when
using the lighting systems described.
(D Note
The rear fog lights should only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regulation, as
the lights are bright for following traffic.
@ Tips
- The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount. You should
therefore not apply any stickers to the
windshield in this area in order to pre­
vent malfunctions or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunc­
tion, the driver is notified in the instru­
ment cluster display¢
page 22 .
- You will hear a warning tone if you open
the driver door when the exterior lights
are switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail
lights can fog over due to the tempera­
ture difference between the inside and
outside. They will clear shortly after switching them on. This does not affect
the service life of the lighting.
Emergency flasher
The emergency flasher makes other motorists
aware that you or your vehicle ore in an emer ­
gency situation.
,--~
,_'
. ;.' --- --~-.sc-
Fig. 38 Center console: emergency flasher switch
.,. Press the switch 11 ¢ fig. 38 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emergency flasher is on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
s ignal ind icator light s
N 1B in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch
11 blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flasher also works when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
-your vehicle is being towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
behind you.

Luggage compartment
Tie-downs and luggage compartment net
The Luggage compartment net prevents small
objects from sliding.
Fig. 68 Locat ion of the fastening eyes in the luggage
compartment
Fig. 69 Luggage compartment net unhooked
~ To secure objects with the luggage com­
partment net*, fold the t ie-down bracket
upward
<:;> fig. 68.
~ Insert the hooks on the luggage compart­
ment net* into the tie-downs
¢ fig . 69.
~ Read and heed all WARNINGS ¢page 140,
Stowing Luggage.
I n a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will turn into heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury . Items in the vehicle pick up ki­
netic energy which varies with the vehicle and
the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the
most s ignificant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collis ion at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about
20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the we ight of the item would suddenly be the
Seats and storage 69
equivalent of about 200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easily imagine the injuries that an item of that
weight flying freely through the passenger compartment can cause in a collision at a
speed considered relatively low.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Al ways use su itable retaining straps and
prope rly secure items to the tie-downs in
the lu ggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- Never attach a child seat tether strap to
a tie-down.
- For strength-related reasons, the mount­
ing hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weighing up to 10 lb. (5 kg). Heavi­
er objects will not be adequately secured
- there is a risk of injury.

A WARNING
-The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis and other light ob­
jects. To reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal injury, never transport heavy or pointed objects in the ski sack.
- When brak ing rapidly or during an acci­
dent, the load could be displaced and
cause injury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be covered
for protect ion. Always fasten the belt
t ightly around the sack and its contents
~fig. 73.
-For safety reasons, do not transport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sack.
- You must secure the ski sack with the strap after loading.
- Make sure all objects that you are trans­
porting in the pass-th rough a re secured.
Otherwise they cou ld slide around during
s u dden braking maneuvers and cause in­
jury.
(D Tips
- Never stow the sk i sack away when it is
still wet or damp ( for example, snow
melting from skis). Allow it to dry com­
plete ly before stowing it away.
- Position skis in the ski sack w ith the
pointed ends facing the front and ski
po les w ith the pointed ends facing the
rear.
S ea ts a nd s to rage 71
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof
luggage rack.
Fi g. 74 Roof r ack attac hmen t po ints
.,. Always read and follow the instructions pro­
vided by the roof rack man ufacturer when
installing the roof rack system .
If luggage or cargo is to be carr ied on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- To enhance the vehicle's streamlined design,
rai n gutters have been molded into the roof.
It is not poss ible to use normal roof racks.
On ly install a roof rack specifically designed
for your model AB. Contact the nearest Audi
dea ler for information on approved modular
roof racks for your vehicle.
- On ly use roof racks approved for your vehi ­
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi orig inal accessories program.
- When installing the roof rack, make sure it
is only mou nted on the designated locations
on the roof ~
fig. 74 .
-We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together w ith your Owner's literature in the
vehicle.
When sh ould the roof rack be remo ved?
-Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
adv ice)
..

the stored position as soon as you switch on
the ignition.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine.
Fig. 85 Center console: S TART ENGINE S TOP b utton
Switching the ignition on/off
• To switch the ignition on/off, press the
I START ENGINE STOPI button. Do not press
the brake pedal while doing this.
Starting the engine
• Press the brake pedal QA .
• Press the !START ENGINE STOPI button
Q fig . 85. The engine will start.
If the engine does not start immediately, the
starting process is automatically stopped af­
ter a short time. Repeat starting procedure.
Start-Stop-System*:
When you stop and the Start -Stop -System*
turns off the engine, the ignition still remains
switched on.
- If you press the !S TART ENGINE STOPI but­
ton now, the ignition will be switched off.
The engine will not start
¢page 89.
- Make sure that the ignit ion is switched off
before exiting the vehicle.
Switching the ignition/engine off
automatically*
The follow ing applies to vehicles with Start­
Stop-System*: to prevent the battery from
On the road 83
draining, the ignition and the engine will
switch off automatically under the following
cond itions:
- The vehicle has already been driven.
- The driver's door is opened.
- The driver's seat belt is removed .
- The brake pedal is not pressed down.
- The vehicle is stationary.
In this case, the activated low beam will be re­
placed by the side marker lights. The side
marker lights will switch off after a certain pe­
riod of time or when you lock the vehicle .
A WARNING
-Never allow the engine to run in conf ined
spaces -danger of asphyx iation.
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- 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 steer and brake as you usual­
ly would, this could lead to crashes and
serio us injuries.
(D Note
- Avo id h igh engine rpm, full throttle and
heavy engine loads until the engine has
reached operating temperature - other­
w ise you risk engine damage.
- The engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@ Tips
-After a co ld engine is started, there may
be a brief period of inc reased noise be­
cause oil pressure must first build up in
the hydraulic valve adjusters. This is nor­
ma l and not a cause for concern.
-If you leave the vehicle with the ignition
switched on, the ignition w ill switch off
after a certain period of time. Please
note that electrical equipment such as
exterior lights will sw itch off as well
when that happens.

106 Audi side assist
General information
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig. 110 Driving s it u at ions
A U D I
• 0
Fig . 11 1 Rea r of th e ve hicle: pos it io n of t he se nso rs
Side assis t fu nctions at speeds above ap prox i­
ma tely 19 mph (30 km/h).
(D V ehicles that are approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change
even if it is still
somewhat far away. The fas ter a vehicle ap­
p ro aches, the sooner the disp lay in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr it ical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assis t are in dicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
@ Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pass a ve hicl e tha t sid e ass ist has
dete cted ( the difference in s peed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/ h), the display in the exterio r mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The display wi ll not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that s ide assist has detected (t he d if ­
f erence in speed between the ve hicle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
T he radar senso rs are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
l anes a re the normal width. In certain situa­
t ions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no ve hicle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical fo r a la ne cha nge.
Fo r example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on the edge of your lane. If this is the case ,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another lane that is
not adjacent to you r
cur rent lane .
- if you a re driving through a c urve . Side assis t
may react to a vehicle that is one lane ove r
from the adjacent lane .
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced gua rd rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
fu nctions are limited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c::> fig. 111 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this wi ll affect the funct io n. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer . For
information on cleaning, refe r to
c::> page 218 .
&_ WARNING
-Always pay a tten tion t o traffic and to the
a rea around your ve hicl e. Side a ssist can ­
no t repla ce a driver's atte ntion. The driv ­
er a lone is always respons ible fo r lane
cha nges a nd similar driving mane uvers.