2014 AUDI A8 ESP

218 Vehicle care and cleaning
Component Situ ation Solution
Ex haust t ail
Road salt Water,
cleaning solution suitable for stainless steel, if
pipes necessary
Deco rative Dirty Mi
ld soap solutiona), a cleaning solution su itab le for
pa rts/ sta inless steel, if necessary
trim
Paint
Paint damage Refer to the paint number on the veh icle data label, re -
pair with touch up paint ~
page 289
Spilled fuel Rinse with
water immediately
Rust f ilm Rust film remover, then protect with hard wax; for ques-
t ions, refe r to an authorized Audi dea le r or a qua lified
workshop
Corrosion Have it removed by an authorized Audi dealer or a quali-
fied workshop
Water no longe r Protect
with hard wax (at least twice per year)
beads on the surface
of clean paint
No sh ine even Treat with suitable polish; then apply pa int protectant if
though paint has the po lish that was used does not contain any protec-
been protected/ tan t
paint looks poor
C arbon p art s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as painted parts ~page 216, Car
washes
al M ild soap solution: max imu m two tablespo ons neut ral soap in a liter of wate r
Cleaning interior
Component Situation Solution
Wind ows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Decor ativ e Dirty Mild soap solutional
part s/
trim
Pla st ic pa rt s
Dirty
Damp cloth
H eavily soiled Mi ld soap solutional, solvent-free plastic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary
Displ ays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
Co nt rols Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap
solutiona)
S af ety bel ts Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract

Vehicle care and cleaning 219
Component Situation Solution
Te xtile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap
solutional
such as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutional, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutional, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fr es h stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutional
Water-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc . dried sta ins: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Sta
in remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
nai l polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regularly apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates
into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Cooler Dust and dirt Clean the vent ilation openings in the luggage compart-
ment
Dirty Lukewarm water, mild soap solutional if necessary, then
dry
Defrosting Empty the refrigerator, sw
itch it off and let it thaw with
the door open, then dry
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mi ld soap solution: maximu m two tablespoons neutral soap in a liter of water
_& WARNING
-
Th e windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. Wiper blade chatter is a lso
possible.
@ Note
- Headlights /tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
with a dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form.
•
•

-Blend must contain not more than 1S%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
Applies to vehicles : wit h gasoli ne e ng in e
A majo r concern among many auto manufac­
ture rs is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline g rades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 223
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec­
tive .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
webs ite (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended per iod of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
(D Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Diesel fuel
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) sul­
fur content 15 ppm or less.
The ULSD (U ltra Low Sulfur Diesel) meets the
ASTM-D-97S (grade 2).
Die sel fuel with a higher concentration than
ULSD-Die sel No. 2 ASTM D975 and Bio-die­
sel with a higher concentration than 5
% like
Bl 1 , B20 or B100 are strictly prohibited.
Service station fue l pumps are labeled with
the correct fuel information for easy recogni­
tion by the user. If the diesel fuel pump is not
labeled ask the station operator what fuel is
being dispensed before filling up your vehicle.
Serv ice stations offering Diesel fuel are gener ­
ally located on truck routes or major high­
ways . Directories of Diesel fuel stations are
usually available at Diese l fuel stations.
Some states in the USA require permits to
purchase Diesel fuel. Check with your State
Motor Vehicle Department .
Diesel fuel may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav-
eling to other countries .
Ill-
•
•

226 Fuel su ppl y and fi lling yo ur fu el t an k
- For your safety , we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
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 portab le fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici­
ty can build up while filling and can ig­ n ite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the fi ller nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
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 transpo rtation of fuel conta iners.
- Make certa in the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2-86).
@ Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immed iately 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
mo re fuel because fuel may spill out. In
add it ion, the expans ion space in the fuel
tank will be f illed -causing the fue l to overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment .
(D Tips
-Running your engine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spi ll out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fue l nozzle be­
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- Diesel vehicles* are equipped with a die­ sel misfueling protector. It allows the
vehicle to be fueled only with a diesel
fuel pump nozzle. A worn or damaged nozzle or a nozzle that is too small may
not be ab le to open the diesel misfueling
protector. If this is the case, try turning
the nozzle before insert ing it in the f uel
filler neck, use a different fuel pump or
see your authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized repair facility for assistance.
- The fuel fi ller f lap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside.

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 197 Dr ive r foo twell: re lease leve r
AUD I
Fig. 198 Rocker sw itch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow~
fig. 197.
.. Raise the hood slightly~ &-
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 198. This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk 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.
Checkin g and fillin g 231
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
When ev er y ou must p erform an y wor k in the
en gine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluid s, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr eve nt per­
so nal injury alwa ys observ e the foll owing
W ARNING S. The engin e compartm ent of any
v e hicle i s a h aza rdou s area
~ ,& .
h WARNING
To help avoid injury, before yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Sw itch off the ignition .
- Apply the parki ng brake.
- Move selector leve r to "P" (Park).
- Always let the eng ine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This inc reases the
ris k of burns.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri ­
cal system is necessary:

@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q uir es lit tle atten tion .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a pe rmanent coo lant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ial ly conditioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-based cool ant ad di-
tiv e G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi ­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and p rotect s metal com ­
ponents in the engine's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil­
i ng point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add it ive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not mor e than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and coo ling efficien­
cy .
If the coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coolant cou ld free ze and dam age the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for tempera tures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
Checkin g and fillin g 239
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa ­
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 231.
Q) Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate condi tions. This is especi ally impor­
tan t if you live i n a region wher e th e win­
ter is ex treme ly co ld. If necessary, i n­
crease t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n ad ding coolant additive t o yo ur
c ooling sys tem, reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad­
d itive G12++ or Gl3 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is availab le at au­
thor ized Audi dealers . O ther types of
a ntifreeze can s ignifica ntly reduc e cor­
rosion prote ction. The result ing cor ro­
sion can cau se a loss o f coolan t and se­
rio us engine d amage .
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal­
a nt to yo ur vehicle 's engine c oolant .
A dd ing radia tor repair fl uid may adverse ­
ly affect the f unction and pe rformance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty.
-
•
•

long. This can seriously affect the effi­
ciency of the brakes as well as yo ur
safety. This could result in an acc ident.
0 Note
Brake f luid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake fl uid as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessa ry expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat ­
tery in your A udi does not need any mainte ­
nance . With
high outside temperatures or
long dai ly dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility. T he electrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
-:;, page 245.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service. You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 167.
Disconnect ing the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals a re d isconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals a re
connected again . To prevent this, the battery
should only be d isconnected from the vehicle
e lec trica l system whe n absolu tely ne cessa ry
f or repairs.
Checkin g and fillin g 243
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do no t drive your vehicle over a period
of seve ra l days o r weeks, e lectr ica l compo ­
nents are g radually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
ta ins starting capability over a longer period
¢
page 204. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, such as the inter ior
l igh ts or the power seat adjus tment. The con­
venience functions will be ava ilab le aga in
whe n you swi tch on the ignition and sta rt the
engine.
Winter operation
During the winte r months, battery capacity
tends to dec rease as temperatures drop. This
i s because more power is a lso consumed wh ile
s ta rt ing, and the headlight s, rea r window de­
fogger, e tc., are used more ofte n.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consumpt ion, par­
ticu larly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur au thoriz ed Aud i
de aler check the cap acity of the vehicle b at­
tery before winter sets in~ page 245. A well
charged bat tery will not on ly prevent starting
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
a lso last longer.
{!) Tips
If yo ur vehicle is left s tandin g for seve ral
weeks at extreme ly low tem peratures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored w here it w ill not freeze . T his will
prevent it from be ing 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 e lec­
trical system to prevent injury. •
•

246 Checking and filling
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze .
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip­ ment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the acid.
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
¢ page 204. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional elec trical en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi- cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
authorized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor­
rectly after replacing the battery.
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), amperage, construction and plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the ig­ nition and all electrical consumers are switch­
ed
off.
(D Note
- Make sure the ventilation hose on the
side of the battery is connected, other­
wise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM
battery. Installing a different type of
battery can cause problems in the vehi­
cle electrical system . When replacing the
vehicle battery, always install one with the same specifications as the original
battery.
- Battery mounts and clamps must always
be secured correctly.
- Read and follow the warnings under
¢ page 243, Working on the battery be­
fore performing any work on the battery .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment .