2014 AUDI A8 Media

224 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Winter operation
At temperatures below 20° F (-7° C), Diesel
fuel No.
2 loses its fluidity due to wax separa­
tion, which may clog the fuel filter or tank fil­
ter and keep the engine from running .
To help the filter from being clogged by wax,
the fue l filter in your vehicle is automatically
preheated. Preheating the fuel filter makes
operation of your vehicle possible with Diesel
fuel No. 2 down to -10° F (-24° C).
If you expect temperatures below
5° F
(-15° C)
ask your fuel dealer whether their
Diese l fuel No.
2 is sufficiently winterized for
the prevailing and expected temperatures.
If not winterized or insufficiently winterized
Diesel fuel has already thickened to the extent
that the engine will not start, warm the vehi­
cle up by leaving it in a heated garage.
It is normal that the engine noise leve l (die­
seling) is louder during the warm-up period in
winter. It is also norma l when whitish-blue
smoke comes out of the tailpipe after starting
and during warm-up . The amount of smoke
depends on the outs ide temperature.
Do not let your Diese l engine idle unnecessari ­
ly after a cold start. Driving off slowly will
shorten the warm-up period.
A WARNING
- Never use "starting assist fluids." They
may be potent ially explosive or cause a
"run-away" engine condition. This could
result in ser ious engine damage and per­
sonal injur y.
- Never use fuel line anti-freeze offered for
gasoline engines.
(D Note
- Your Diesel engine has been specifically designed to operate only on Ultra Low
Sulfur Diesel fuel. Therefore, never use
home heating oil or regular gasoline. The
properties of these fuels may cause seri­
ous damage to the fuel injection system
and to the engine. Using these fuels can
-
cause expensive engine repairs and will
also adversely affect your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
- If Diesel fuel sho uld get on any rubber
hose, it must be wiped off immediately.
Then wash the contaminated hose por­
tion with soap and warm water. Do not allow D iesel fuel to remain on connect­
ing hoses . They may develop leaks and
cause serious damage.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system shou ld fail, you
can still open the flap manua lly -for detailed
instructions see ¢
page 22 7.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in ¢
page 290.
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
te lls you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 222.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­
ling vapo r recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fue l vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle. In order to fi ll the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
A WARNING
-Under normal operating conditions, never
carry addit ional fuel conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other conta iners used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision.
If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al ­
ways observe loca l and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the ..,.

Filling AdBlue
Applies to vehicles: wit h diesel engine
A special refill bottle must be used to fill the
AdBlue .
Fig. 195 Right rear ve hicle s ide: remov ing the Ad B lu e
cap
Fi g. 196 AdBl ue filler tube: inse rt in g the ref ill bott le
The Ad B lue fi ller tube is located near the die­
sel filler tube . Always add 1 gallon (3.8 liters)
of AdBlue (two bottles). This is the m inimum
amount req uired to ensure the system detects
the ref illing and to start the engi ne. The Ad Bl­
ue tank capac ity is approximate ly 6 gallons
(23 liters) .
Opening the filler tube and adding
AdBlu e
Requirement: The request to add Ad B lue m ust
appear in the inst rument cluster display.
.. Switch the ignition off .
.. Open the tank cover
¢page 225 .
.. Turn the cap counte rclockw ise with the l ug
wrenc h from the veh icle tool k it to remove it
~fig . 195.
.. Remove the cap from the refill bottle.
.. Position the refill bottle on the filler tube
and turn the bottle clockwise unt il it stops
turning
(D ¢ fig . 196.
Fu el suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 229
.. Press ligh tly against the bottom of the bot ­
tle @ to empty it. Continue pressing the
bottom of the bottle unt il it is empty or un ­
til f luid stops flowing into the tank.
.. Turn the bottle to the left w ithout pressing
on the bottom .
Clo sing the filler tube
.. Turn the cap clockwise on the filler tube
w ith the lug wrench until you hear it t ighten
completely .
.. Close the tank cover.
After filling
The vehicle must be driven . The system may
take up to two minutes to detect t hat the
AdB lue has been f illed .
.. If the re was no Ad Blue left in the tank and a
range of
O mi (0 km ) was displayed in the
instrument cluster, switch the ignition on
for about 15 seconds before start ing the en­
gine.
A WARNING
Ad B lue can irritate the sk in , eyes and res­
p ira to ry system .
If there is contact with
the fluid, flush immedia tely with plenty of
wa ter . Co nsu lt a phys ician if ne cessary.
(D Note
- On ly use AdB lue that conforms to the
s tandar d ISO 22241-1. Do not mix any
add itives w ith the AdBlue and do not d i­
lute it wi th water.
- Ad Blue is not a diesel add itive . Do not
add it to the diese l tank. If AdBl ue is
m ixed wi th diesel f uel, it can lead to
d amage to the engine an d the AdBl ue
t ank system . The Limited New Vehicle
W arranty does not cove r such damage .
- Ad B lue attacks su rfaces s uch as painted
vehicle components, p las tic a nd carpet .
Remove t he fluid as quickly as possible
w ith a damp cloth and p lenty o f cold wa­
ter. If the Ad Bl ue has already crystal-
lized, use warm water and a sponge. ..,_

230 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
AdBlue residue that is not removed w ill
crystallize and can damage the affected
surface .
- Do not store the refill bott le in the vehi­
cle. If it leaks, the escaping Ad B lue could
damage the vehicle inter ior.
- Do not allow Ad Blue to come into con­
tact with clothing . If there is contact
with the f luid, flush immediately with
plenty of water.
@ Tips
- You can obta in refill bott les from any au­
thorized Audi dealer or other qualified
workshop.
- Follow the Ad Bl ue manufacturer's in­
structions for usage and storage.

232 Check ing and filling
- 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 persona l 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 repa ir
with the engine running:
- Fi rst, fully apply the parking bra ke,
move se lec to r lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to preven t
clot hing, jewe lry, or long h air from ge t­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V -belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
start ing, and do not wear cloth ing that
will hang or droop into the eng ine .
- Min imize exposure to emission and
chemica l hazards¢ ,&..
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certa in veh icle components conta in
or emit chemicals known to the State of
Califor nia to cause cancer and b irth de­
fec ts a nd reproduct ive ha rm. In addition ,
certain fluids conta ined in vehicles and
certa in prod ucts of co mponent wear co n­
ta in o r emi t chemicals known to the
State o f Ca lifornia to cause can cer and
birth defects or ot her reproductive harm . -
Battery posts, terminals and re lated ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cance r and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper conta iner
or f iller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill 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 ve hicle flu­
i ds, have yo ur vehicle inspected by a n au­
thori zed Audi dea le r.
Closing the engine hood
.,. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he struts is reduced.
.,. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage ¢&_ .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv ­
ing .
-When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has p roper ­
ly engaged. The hood sho uld be flush
with the surrou nding vehicle body pa rts.
- If you notice while driv ing t hat the hood
is not s ecured prope rly, stop at onc e and
close it.

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig . 204 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coolant
expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lwa ys re ad and h eed a ll WA RN­
INGS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231 .
Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Switch
off the ignition .
• Read the engine coolant leve l from the cool­
ant expansion tank
o fig. 204, o page 233.
With a cold engine, the coolant level should
be betwee n the "min" and "max" markings.
When the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the "max" marking .
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus ­
tration
o page 233.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
o page 16 wi ll
illuminate unti l you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant l oss
Coolant loss may indicate a le ak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool- ing system shou
ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dea ler . It is not
enough mere ly to add coo lant .
In a
sea le d system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
A WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Red uce the risk of scald­
i ng from hot coolant by fo llow ing these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by covering the
cap with a large, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant . Add­
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct io n and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
alw ay s re ad and h eed all WARN­
IN GS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231.
• Tu rnoff the engi ne.
• Let the eng ine cool down.

242 Checking and filling
-The auxiliary e lectric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not runn ing.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fig . 205 E ng ine co mpartment: cove r on the brake fluid
r eservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS 9 &_ in Working in the engine compart­
m ent on page 231.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
9 fig . 205, q page 233. The
brake fluid 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 illustrat ion
9 page233.
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
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/ind i­
cator light
1111 (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on
q page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle . T he complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied fac ility and the cause corrected.
If th e
brake flu id level is too low, the brake wa rning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by on experi­
enced technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
a fter a period of time. The boiling point of the
brake fluid will also decrease considerably and
decrease braking performance .
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4" .
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficu lt to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author ­
ized
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
.&, WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed origina l container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spec ification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Aud i
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is Left in the system too
lllJ.

24 4 Ch eck ing and filling
Th e following WARNINGS are v ery
impo rtant when w ork ing on the b att ery :
Alway s heed t he fo llowin g WARNING SYM ·
BOLS and s afety pr ecaution s wh en w orking
on the batter y.
®
Always wear ey e prot ection .
~
Batte ry a cid contains sulfuric acid .
Al way s w ea r glo ves and e ye prote c-
tion .
@
No
· spa rks
- fl ame s
- sm oking.
~
Wh en a batt ery is c harge d, it p rodu-
c e s hy drog en g as whi ch i s e xplo siv e
a nd c ould c ause persona l injury.
®
Alway s keep the b attery well o ut of
reach of childr en .
.8, WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the r is k of
inju ry, acc ident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wea r eye protection. Do not let
battery acid or any lead part icles get on
yo ur skin or clothing. Shield your eyes.
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye p rotection .
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could lea k out of the vent ilation open ­
ings.
- I f you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your sk in, immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke. -
Do not interchange the positive and neg­
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be s ure
not to short-circu it the terminals with
too ls or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and pe rsonal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal in jury.
-Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negat ive ground ca­
b le.
- Before performing any work on the elec­ trical system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
m ust be disconnected.
If yo u are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights .
- Before disconnec ting the bat tery, switch
off the anti -theft alarm system! Other ­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, f irst
disconnect the negative cab le and then
the positive cab le .
- Before reconnecting the battery, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off . Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables· this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could exp lode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis­
charged batte ry can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °() .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the bat­
tery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­ ways rep lace a damaged battery .

248 Tire s and whee ls
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that all -important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and overall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separation and blowouts.
A vo idin g dama ge
I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
ble at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem icals including grease, oil,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the tires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or bl isters, etc.). Remove any foreign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
St orin g tire s
Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
install them.
When removed, the wheels or tires should be
stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims. N
ew tir es
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type and make of t ire and the tread
pattern .
Hidden damag e
Damage to tires and r ims is often not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual vibrat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
t ir es must be checked immed iate ly by an au­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified wor kshop.
Unidirecti onal t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewall, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must
fol low the specified direction of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information ¢
page 2 77.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a collision and ser ious personal
injuries, drive w ith special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, c rashes and serious personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged tires re­
p laced immediate ly.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.