2013 AUDI S8 battery

108 Audi side assist
- Side assist is not active wh ile you are
making the adjus tment.
- Your settings are automatica lly sto red
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itse lf, t he LED in
the butto n tur ns off a nd a message will ap­
pea r in the instr ume nt cl uster d is p lay:
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar se nsors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the senso rs wi th bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c::;, page 106, fig. 111 .
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable
Side assis t ca nno t be swi tched o n tem porar ily
beca use there is a mal function (for exam ple,
the battery cha rge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guara ntee that it w ill de­
t e ct ve hicl es co rrec tly a nd it is sw itche d off .
The senso rs have been displaced o r a re faulty.
H ave the sy stem che cke d by an au thor ized
Au di d ealer o r au thoriz e d Au di Service Fac ilit y
s o on.
Audi side assist : Unavailable when towing .
Side assist switches off aut omatically whe n a
factory -insta lled trailer h itch is connected to
the el ectrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guara ntee the system will switc h off whe n
usi ng a retrofi tt ed traile r h itch . Do not use
side assis t when towing a tra iler .

166 Airbag sys te m
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
a ir bag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impa ired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­ lute the env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploy ing when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument pane l or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For deaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners cou ld damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the veh icle body.
- Always make su re that the side airbag
can inflate without interference: -
Never install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must a lways be repaired
immediately by an author ized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
specia l equipment necessary .
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag serv ice action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dea ler -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classif ied as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
ch lorate. When the veh icle or parts of the
rest raint system including airbag modu les .,.

Driving with your
quattro ®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driv­
en .
Gene ral inform ation
W ith All Whee l Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also
t::;> page 198.
W ith the spo rt differential*, power d istribu­
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adj usted with Aud i drive select*
t::;> page 109.
Always read and fo llow safety precautions
c:> .&. .
Winter t ires
When driving in the winter , your vehicle with
All Wheel Dr ive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­ ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w he els .
See also c:> page 264, Winter tires.
Sn ow cha ins
Where snow cha ins a re mandatory on certa in
roads, th is normally a lso applies to vehicles
with A ll Wheel Drive
c:> page 265, Snow
chains .
Replacing whe els/ tires
Vehicles w ith All Whee l Dr ive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c:> page 260, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
c:> page207.
Int ellig ent technolog y 203
A WARNING
Always adjust your driv ing to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Wheel Dr ive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the All Wheel Drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire t raction. You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the fron t wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water (aquaplaning) . If this should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in­
crease in engine speed as w ith a front­
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions - risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conve ntiona l energy system
is not drive n for a long per iod of t ime, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consume rs
(e.g . immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in the re being insuff icient energy
available to start the engine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectrica l ener­
gy. Starting ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the battery is extended.
Basica lly, energy management consists of
b atte ry diagno sis, i dling current man age­
ment
and d y namic ene rg y management .
Battery diagno sis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the sta te of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
Ii),,
•
•

204 Intelligent technology
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various e lectrica l compo ­
nents. Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en­
e rgy management distributes the energy gen ­
erated according to the needs of the individu­
al components. It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for the battery.
Q) Tips
- But even energy management cannot negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
li mited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light[•) appears
Q page 16, D
Battery.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re­
qu ired, but only a little is generated.
It is also
cr itica l if the engine is not running and electri­
cal components are turned on. In this in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precise ly these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat­
ing the d istribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of seve ral days or weeks, e lectr ica l compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior lights or the
power seat adjustment . The convenience
funct ions will be available again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off or use other MMI func­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capab il it y is jeopardized due to en­
ergy consumption, the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
The warn ing ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes. If
you w ish to continue using the functions, you
have to sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged. This happens mostly when
little energy is being generated and a grea t
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
T o b ring the energy bala nce back into equili­
brium, consumers which req uire espec ially
large amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off . Heating systems in par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you
notice, for examp le, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched .,.

off. These systems will be avai lable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has bee n restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased s lightly. This is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine idle
speed the additiona l energy required is gener­
ated and the battery is charged .
Intelligent technology 205
•
•

-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch :
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical ha zards c:::> & .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition ,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
Checking and filling 233
-Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
(® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.,. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c:::> ,A .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while driv ­
ing .
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­ ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driving that the hood
is not secured properly , stop at once and
close it. •
•

~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 201, ¢ page 234. The
brake f luid leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fl uid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢page 234.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the brake pads . This is not cause for alarm .
If the brake fluid level falls considerably be­
l ow the " MIN" mark, the bra ke wa rning/indi ­
cator light
1111 (U .S . models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on
¢ page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
f ied fac ility and the cause corrected. If the
b rake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
i ndicator light w ill illuminate . Co ntact an au­
thor ized Audi dealer
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid abso rbs moistu re from the a ir . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, cor ros ion in the b rake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of t he
b ra ke fluid w ill also decrease considerab ly and
decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e very two year s. Always use new b rake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
The brake flu id rese rvoi r ca n be difficult to
r eac h, therefo re , we re commend that yo u
h ave the brake fl uid changed by you r autho r­
i zed
Audi dealer . Your deale r has the correct
too ls, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this fo r you .
Checkin g and fillin g 243
A WARNING
-Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed original co ntainer
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap­
prop riate brake f lu id . Observe these pre ­
cau tions:
- Use only brake fluid tha t meets SA E
s p ecification
J 1703 an d conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Audi
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The cor rect type of
brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id rese rvoir .
- The brake fluid must be new . Heavy use
of the brakes ca n cause a vapo r lock if
the b ra ke fluid is left i n the system too
l ong. This can se riou sly affect the effi ­
c ien cy of the brakes as well as your
safe ty. This co uld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Bra ke fluid will damage the paint of you r
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of t he p rob lem of prope r disposal
of b ra ke fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary exper tise, we
r e comme nd th at yo u have the brake fl u id
changed by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
U nder normal operating cond itions, the bat­
te ry in your Audi does not need any ma inte­
nance . With
high outside tempe rat ures o r
l ong da ily drives we re commend t hat yo u h ave
the e lec trolyte leve l chec ked by a serv ice f a­
ci lity. The electrolyte leve l should also be
c h ecked each t ime the battery is charged
¢ page 246. IJ,,
•
•

244 Checking and filling
Have the battery checked when you take your
vehicle in for service. You are well advised to replace a battery that is older than 5 years .
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is disconnected from the vehicle elec ­
trica l system for safety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, core and disposal of the airbags on
page 166.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle functions (power window regu­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected. These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and main ­
tains starting capability over a longer period
¢
page 203. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, such as the inte rior
lights or the power seat adjustment . Th e con­
venience functions will be available again
when you switch on the ignition and start the
engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as tempe rat ures drop . This
is because more powe r is also consumed while
starting , and the headlights, rear window de ­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticular ly in city traffic or when traveling on ly
short distances. Let your authorized Audi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in
¢ page 246. A well
charged battery w ill not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze . This will
prevent it from being damaged and having
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor. Before you check any­
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,& .
Always heed the safety warnings, when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle elec­
trical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM­BOLS and safety precautions when working
on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid.
Always wear gloves and eye protec­
tion.
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
When a battery is charged, it produ­
ces hydrogen gas which is explosive
and could cause personal injury.
Always keep the battery well out of
I
reach of children .
_&. WARNING ~
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
-