2014 AUDI A8 warning lights

210 Driving and environment
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
• Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the mo st fuel when they are ac­
celerating. If you anticipate what is going to happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus , accelerate less. Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
• Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
ditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
• Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle. •
Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
vehicles with the Start/Stop system. It is effi­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles with­
out the Start-Stop-System when stopped at
railroad crossings and long red lights. Turning
the engine off for jus t 30-40 seconds saves
more fuel than is burned by starting the en-
. . gme again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up . So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
W Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in over­
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
• Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dealer helps to ensure that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
hold its value, it also affects
fuel consump­
tion.
Check your oil each time you
fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven . ..,.

212 Trailertowing
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, please remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
i::> page 212, Operating instructions .
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle 's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. A lways
check with the trai le r hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems. From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
h itch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind~ &.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direc tly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra iler.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your Audi dealer for correct
wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors. It is important
that you
always have clear v is ion to the rear .
A WARNING ,~ -
After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicl e. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Fig. 189 MMI display : tow ing mode on
Maximum traile r weight
A trai ler for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer. .,.

214 Trailer towing
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icu larly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immedi atel y if the trail ­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
tr y to stop th e sway ing by acceler ating .
Observe speed limi ts. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driv ing
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant t emperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 10
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem­
perat ure can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more in formation about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢
page 16.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wear ing t he restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds .
Backing up is diffi cult and requ ires practice .
Backing up with a trailer gene rally req uires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater d ista nce between you r ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
ca use of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer be fore chang­
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle .
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re ­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 292.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not b e avoided, do so only after doing th e fol­
lowing:
When par king:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unt il the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P se lector lever posit ion.
When re starting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.

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.
•
•

236 Check ing and filling
Engine oil consumption
Th e e ngine in your vehicle depends on an ad e­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to prov ide effec tive l ubrication and
c o oling of i nternal engi ne components, all in­
t e rnal com bustion eng ines consume a certa in
a m ount of o il. O il consumption var ies from
engine to eng ine and may change significant ly
ove r the life o f the eng ine . T ypica lly, eng ines
with a specified break -in per iod (see
<=>
page 207) cons ume more oil during the
break -in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oi l, the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida ­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bu ilds up, the oil consump­
tion may in crease over t ime un til replacement
of worn componen ts may become necessa ry.
W ith all these var iables coming into play, no
standa rd rate of o il consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. The re is no alterna tive
to regular and frequen t checking of the oi l lev­
e l, see
Note .
If the ye llow eng ine o il level warn ing symbol
in the in strumen t cluste r
II lights up, you
should c heck t he o il level as soon as possible
<=> page 236 or ¢page 237. Top off the oi l at
your ea rliest convenience <=>
page 23 7.
.&_ WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> ..&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use severe damage to the eng ine.
-
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
r ely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­
erably each time you refuel , and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
cons umes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dea ler to have the cause of your con cern
prope rly d iagnosed. Keep in m ind that
t he accurate meas urement o f oil c on­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dea le r has in­
struct ions about how to measu re oil con­
sumption acc urately.
Checking the engine oil level
Applies to vehicles : wit h oil level indicator
Fig . 201 Disp lay: o il leve l in dicator
.,. Par k your vehicle o n a level su rface.
.. Shu t the eng ine off w hen it is warm.
.. Switch only the ignition back on.
.. Wait approximately two minutes .
.. Select:
!CAR I function button > Car systems
contro l button > Servicing & checks > O il
level.
.. Check the oil level in the display c::> fig. 201.
Add engine o il if the bar of the oil level ind i­
cato r is nea r "min"
c::> page 23 7.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the operat ing cond it ions, o il cons umption
can be up to 1/2 quart pe r 600 miles (0 .5 liter
per 1 ,000 km) . Consumption may be highe r
within the first 3,000 m iles (5,000 km).
1111>

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 .

282 Fuses and bulb s
No. Equipment Amps
7 TV tuner 5
8 Infotainment un it/drives 7,5
9
I nstrument cluster, analog
5
clock
10 MMI Display 5
11 Radio receiver 7,5
1 2
Rearview camera (park ing
5 aid), Top view
Bulbs
Replacing light bulbs
For your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace burned out bulbs for you .
It is becoming increasingly more and more
difficult to replace vehicle light bulbs s ince in
many cases, other parts of the car must first
be removed before you are able to get to the
bu lb . Thi s applies especially to the light bu lbs
in the front of your car which you can only
reach through the engine compartment .
Sheet metal and bulb holders can have sharp
edges that can cause ser ious cuts, and parts
must be correctly taken apart and then prop­
erly put back together to help prevent break­
age of parts and long term damage from wa­
ter that can enter housings that have not been
properly resealed.
F or your safety, we recommend that you have
your authorized Audi dealer replace any bulbs
for you, since your dealer has the proper tools,
the correct bu lbs and the expertise.
Gas discharge lamps (Xenon lights):
Due to the high electrical vo ltage, have the
bu lbs rep laced by a qualified technician.
Headlights with Xenon light can be ident ified
by the high voltage sticke r.
LE D headlights* require no ma intenance .
Please contact your authorized Aud i dealer if a
bu lb needs to be replaced.
A WARNING
Contact with high-voltage components of
the electrical system and improper re­
placement of gas discharge (Xenon) head­
light bulbs can cause ser ious personal in­
jury and death.
- Xenon bulbs are pressur ized and can ex­
p lode when being changed.
- Changing Xenon lamps requ ires the spe­
cial tra ining, instructions and equip­
ment.
- Only an authorized Audi dealer or other
qualified workshop should change the
bu lbs in gas discharge lamps .
A WARNING
There are parts with sharp edges on the
openings and on the bulb holders that can
cause serious cuts.
- If you are uncertain about what to do,
have the work performed by an author­
ized Audi dealer or other qualified work ­
shop. Serious personal injury may result
from improperly performed work.
(D Tips
-If you must replace the light bulbs your­
self, a lways remember that the engine
compartment of any vehicle is a hazard­
ous area to work in. Always read and
heed all WARNINGS
c> page 231.
-It is best to ask your authorized Audi
dealer whenever you need to change a
bulb.
-

284 Emergency situations
@ Tips
-The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical sys­
tem. When jump starting or charging the
battery, never connect the negative
ground cable to the battery negative
post because the battery manager sys­
tem must be able to detect the battery's
state of charge . Always connect the neg­
ative ground cable to the negative
ground post of the battery manager con­
trol unit.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper coble
clomps in exactly the order described below!
Fig . 233 Engine co mpartment: connecto rs fo r jump
star t cab les and c harg er
Fig. 234 Ju m p sta rt in g w it h the ba ttery of anot her ve ­
h icle :@ - booster battery, @-discharge d ve hicle bat­
tery
The procedure described below for connecting
jumper cables is intended to provide a jump
start for your vehicle.
Vehicle with discharged battery:
•Turnoff lights and accessories, move lever
of automatic transmission to N (Neutral) or
P (Park) and set parking brake.
Connect POSITIVE(+) to POSITIVE(+)
(red)
• Open the red cover on the pos itive terminal
¢ fig. 233 .
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable
on the
jump start bolt c::;, fig. 234 @ (bolt
under the red cover = "positive ") of the ve ­
hicle to be started @.
2. Connect the other end to the positive ter-
mina l@ of the booster battery@.
Connect NEGATIVE (-) to NEGATIVE (-)
(black)
3. Connect one end of the black negative ca­
ble to the negat ive terminal @ of the
booster battery @.
4. Connect the other end to the
jump start
pin © (bolts with hex head bolt= "nega­
tive") of the vehicle to be started @.
Starting the engine
• Start the engine of the veh icle w ith the
booster battery@. Run the engine at a
moderate speed.
• Start engine with discharged vehicle battery
@ in the usual manner.
• If the engine fails to start, do not keep the
starter cranking for longer than 10 seconds.
Wait for about 30 second s and then try
aga in.
• With engine running, remove jumper cables
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse o r­
de r.
• Close the red cover on the positive term inal.
T he battery is vented to the outside to prevent
gases from entering the veh icle inter ior. Make
sure that the jumper clamps are well connect­
ed with their metal parts in full contact with
the battery terminals.
_& WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury and dam­
age to the vehicle, heed all warnings and
instructions of the jumper cable manufac­
turer. If in doubt, call for road service.
- Jumper cables must be long enough so
that the veh icles do not touch.
-