2013 AUDI S8 Owners Manual

fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fue l container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the tr unk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­ nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle comp lete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. Th is w ill
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire .
- Never sp ill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
h ighly flammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852 -86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
~ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle sw itches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add more fue l because fuel may spill out . In
add it ion, the expans ion space in the fuel
tank will be fi lled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
Fu el su ppl y and filling your fuel ta nk 231
@ Tips
- Running your engine while refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spill out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuell ing .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside.
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail .
Fig. 192 Rig ht s ide tr im panel in t he luggage compart­
ment : emerge ncy re lease mechanis m
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug ­
gage compartment .
.,. Loosen the loop
o fig. 192 from the retain­
er and then pull on the loop carefully
o (D.
.,. Press on the left side of the fuel filler door
to open
o page 230, fig . 190 .
(J) Note
Only pull on the loop until you feel resist­
ance . You w ill not hear it release . Other­
wise you could damage the emergency re­
lease mechanism.

232 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 193 Driver foo twell: release lever
AUD I
Fig. 194 Rocker switch un der the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged .
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow
~ fig. 193.
.,. Raise the hood slightly~,&. .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 194. This releases th e catch.
... Open the hood.
&_ WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
' Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
~ ,&. .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:

-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. •
•

234 Checking and filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 195 Typical layout for co nta iners and eng ine o il filler cap
Fig. 196 Layo ut of th e rese rvo ir, engine o il filling op enin g and o il dipstick for the W l2 eng ine

(!) 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 . .,..
•
•

236 Check ing and filling
Only if the level of the oi l is at or below the
minimum mark -and no oil that expressly
conforms to Audi o il standard VW 502 00
specifications is ava ilable - may you top off
with a high quality eng ine oil, preferably syn­
thetic -based, that meets AC EA A3 or API SM
specif ications, but even then, only in viscos ity
grad es SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30 , or SAE
OW-40. Howeve r, during the en tire t ime be­
tween oi l change intervals, never top off with
more than a tota l of 0.5 qt/liter eng ine oi l
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00 .
F or more informa tion about engine oil that
has been approved for yo ur vehicle , please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca . Here you will a lso find a
current list o f oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc .) that conform to Audi o il standard
vw 502 00.
Chang ing the engine oil
The engine oil and oi l filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (ki lometers) and
time interva ls specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these in tervals -harmful depos it s from old
engine o il can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive eng ine repairs .
Changing the o il at the recommended inter­
va ls is so very important because the lubricat­
ing p roperties of o il decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have you r o il changed, ask you r autho r­
iz ed Audi Service Advisor.
Under some c ircumstances the engine o il
should even be changed more frequently .
Change oi l mo re often if you drive mostly
short d istances , ope rate the vehicle in dusty
a reas or mostly under s top-and-go tr affic con­
d itions , or when yo u use your vehicle whe re
temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods .
D etergen t add itives in the o il w ill mak e fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run- ning for a sho
rt time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to l ack of
maintenance
It is essentia l th at you c hange yo ur oil at the
r ecommended intervals usi ng on ly eng ine oil
that comp lies with Audi oi l standa rd
VW 502 00. You r Limited New Vehicle War ­
r anty does not cover damage or ma lf u nctions
due to failure to follow recommended ma inte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Aud i Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dealer proof in the form of Service o r Re­
pair Orders that all scheduled maintenan ce
w as performed in a time ly m anner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubri cate and
cool all
of its moving por ts .
In order to p rovide effective lubricat ion and
c ooling of inte rna l eng ine compo nents, all i n­
tern al combust ion engines co nsume a cer tain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine . Typically , engines
with a spec ified break-in period (see
¢ page 206) consume more oil duri ng the
break-i n period than they consume after o il
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal cond itions , the rate of oi l con­
s u mption depends on the q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolut ions per minu te) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors a re the amount of oil dilut ion from water
c o ndensa tion or fue l resid ue a nd the oxida -
t ion level of the oil. As any engine is subjec t to
wea r as m ileage b uilds up, the oil consump-
tion may increase over time until replacement of wo rn components may become necessary. ..,..

With all these variables coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified . There is no alternative
to regular and freq uent checking of the oi l lev­
e l, see
Note .
If the ye llow engine oi l level war ning symbol
in the instrument cluster
II lights up, you
should check the o il level as soon as possible
¢
page 23 7 or ¢ page 238. Top off the oil at
your earliest convenience¢
page 238 .
.&_ WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 232.
0 Note
Dr iving with an insufficient oil level is like­
ly to ca use seve re damage to the eng ine.
{1) Tips
- The oil pressu re warning display. i s
not an indicator of the oi l level. Do not
rely on it. Instead , check th e oil level in
your engine at regular interval s, pref ­
erably each time you refuel, and always before going on a long trip .
-If yo u have the impres sion your engine
consumes excessive amo unts o f oil, we
r ecommend that yo u consult your Audi
dealer to have the ca use of yo ur conce rn
proper ly diagnosed . Keep in mind that
the accurate measurement of oil con­
sumption requires great care and may
take some time. You r Audi dealer has in­
str uctions about how to measure o il con­
sumption accurately.
Checkin g and fillin g 237
Checking the engine oil level
Applies to vehicles : wit h oil level indicator
Fi g. 1 97 Disp lay: o il leve l indicator
.,. Park yo ur vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Shut the eng ine off when it is warm .
.,. Switch on ly the ignition back on .
.,. Wait approx imately two m inutes.
.,. Select:
I CAR ! function button > Car systems
contro l butto n > Servicing & checks > Oil
level.
.,. Check t he oil level i n the display ¢ fig. 197.
Add eng ine o il if t he bar o f the oil leve l ind i­
cator is near "min"¢
page 238.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and t he ope rat ing cond it ions, oi l cons umption
c a n be up to 1/ 2 quart pe r 60 0 miles (0.S liter
per 1,000 km) . Cons umption may be higher
within the first 3,000 m iles (S,000 km) .
(D Tips
The o il leve l indic ato r in the MMI Disp lay is
on ly an informa tion display.
If t h e oil level
i s low, a minimum oil warn ing appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil
¢
page 238. If the hood has been opened,
the current oil level is shown in t he instr u­
ment cluster the next t ime the ignition is
swi tched on.
•
•

238 Checking and filling
Checking the engine oil level
App lies to vehicles: with oi l dipst ick
Fig. 198 Oil dipsti ck: marking fields
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read an heed all WARN ­
INGS c::;,page 232.
Determining the oil le vel
.. Park your vehicle on a leve l surface .
.. Let the engine run in id le b riefly while it is
at operating temperature and then shut the
engi ne off.
.. Wait approximately two min utes .
.. Remove the oil d ipst ick . W ipe off the oil
dip stic k w it h a clean cloth a nd insert i t all
t h e way in aga in .
.. Remove the dipstick again and t hen read
t h e oi l level
¢ fig . 198. Add engine oil if nec­
essary
¢ page 238.
Oil level in the~ area
.. Do not a dd any oi l.
Oil level in the @area
.. You may add oil. After adding oil, the level
shou ld be i n the
G) area.
Oil level in the 0 area
.. You must add o il. Afte r adding oil, t he leve l
sho uld be in the
G) area .
D epending on the way the vehicle is drive n
a nd the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion
can be up to 1/2 q uart per 600 mi les (0.5 liter
per 1 ,000 km) . Cons umption may be higher
wit hin the f irst 3,000 mi les (5,000 km) . Be­
cause of th is, t he engine o il level must be
checked regularly . It would be best to check each time you ref
ue l your vehicle and before
lo ng d rives .
Adding engine oil~
0 N ,.
"' 0:, m
Fig. 199 En g in e co mpa rtm ent : cove r on th e eng in e o il
f il le r neck
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com ­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c::;, A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 232 .
.. Unscrew the cap "l!:ir. to the eng ine oi l filling
hole
c::;, fig . 199, c::;, page 234 .
.. Carefully top off with t he appropr iate oil in
0 .5 li ter doses.
.. Check the oil level again after two minut es
c::;, page 237 or ¢ page 238 .
.. Top off the o il agai n, if neces sary.
.. Scr ew the ca p ba ck on the fi lling hole.
A WARNING
- W hil e to ppin g off, the o il m ust not co me
i n contact with hot en gine parts -fir e
hazard!
- Th e o il filler cap must be pr ope rl y se­
cured to p revent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engi ne and e xhaust system
when t he engine is runn ing -fire haza rd !
- If you r skin has come in contact wit h the
e ng ine o il, you must subseq uently
cleanse it thor oughly.
(D Note
- Check the oil leve l. If the message
Please reduce oil level appears, contact
yo ur authorized A ud i d ealer or othe r
qualified worksh op to have excess oil ex-
t ract ed if necessa ry. .,,_