2015 AUDI A8 check engine light

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Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Homelink 131
Universal remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Safety fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Dri ving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 134
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 138
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 4
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 46
Safety bel t pre tens io ners . . . . . . . . . . 1 49
Airbag system ........... .. .. . .
Impo rtant th ings to know .. .. .. .. . .
Fr ont airbags . ........... .. .. .. . .
M on itoring the Advanced Airbag
System .... .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. . .
Knee airbags . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Side airbags .. ........... .. .. .. . .
Side curta in a irbags ....... .... .. . .
Child Safety ............... .. . .
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ... ...... .... .. . .
Install ing a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
L ATC H Lower ancho rages and tethe rs
for ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information
Audi pre sense ..... ... .. .. .. . .
P reven tat ive passenger p rotection
Vehicle operat ion ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
Not ice about da ta re cor ded by the
E vent Data Recorder and veh icle 151
1
51
1 55
16 1
166
168
171
174
174
180
184
187
193
194
194
196
196
control mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 197
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Table of contents 3
El ectromechanical power assist,
dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Driv ing with your q uattro . . . . . . . . . . 202
Energy management ............. . 202
Driving and environment . . . . . 205
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Sh utting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 20 7
Drivi ng throug h wate r on roads . . . . . 20 7
Oper ate yo ur vehicle economically an d
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Drivi ng with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Trai ler towing tips . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 212
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 214
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 215
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
220
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Diesel fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Se lective cata lytic reduction . . . . . . . . 225
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
En gine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
E ngine o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
E ngine cooling sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
B ra ke fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer
conta iner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tire pressure monitor ing system . . . . 263
•
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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
gauge turn on under normal d riving condi ­
tions . The LEDs higher up may turn on when
the eng ine is under heavy load or the exter ior
temperature is high . This is no need to worry
as long as the. warning light in the instru­
ment cluster does not illuminate . If the LEDs
in the upper area of the display and the ind ica­
tor light . in the instrument cluster d isplay
turn on, the coolant temperature is too high
¢page 15.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
~ page 228, Working in the engine
compartment,
before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine
cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant.
(D Note
- Mo unt ing additional lights or accessories
in front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine co uld overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
properly distrib ute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and t he engine co uld the n over­
heat . Ask you r aut ho rized Aud i dea le r for
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine R PM drops be low 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red a rea
at the end of the sca le ind icates maxim um
perm iss ible engine RPM after the break-in pe­
riod. Before reaching th is area, move these­
lector lever to position "D (Drive)" or ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
@ Note
The tachometer need le should only briefly
be in the red zone: yo u could damage your
engine! The beg inning of the red zone var ­
i es dependi ng on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upsh ifting early saves fuel and reduces en ­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
o n.
If the fue l level drops below 4 gallons (15
l ite rs), the bottom LE D tu rns red and the indi­
cator light
tD turns on¢ page 21. The bot­
tom LED b link s red when the fue l level is very
l ow .
The possible range based on the current fuel
level is shown in tab@~
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the ta nk complet ely dry. An ir­
regular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel cou ld enter the exha ust
system. The cata lytic converter could t hen
overheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator lights
Description
T he ind ic a tor lights in the ins trument clus ter
blink or tur n on. They indica te fu nct ions or
malfunctions ¢
,&.
Messages may appea r with some indicato r
li ghts. A warning signal will sound at the
same t ime. The indica tor lights an d messages
in the center of the displays may be rep laced
by other disp lays. To show t hem again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
ing the multifunction steering whee l
¢
page 23. If there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us- ing the thumbwheel. ..,.

12 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Some indicators lights in the disp lay can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehicle information may result
in serious personal injury or vehicle dam­
age.
- Whenever stalled or stopped for repair,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
c::> page 47.
-The engine compartment of any motor
vehicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
t ion when work ing under the hood
c::> page 228, Working in the engine
compartment
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
with an,/ in the following tables . If one of
these ind icator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system .
Red indicator lights
-------------
US A models :
Brake malfunction ./
c::>page 14
Canada models:
Brake malfunction ./
c::>page 14
USA models :
Electromechanical parking brake
c::>page 15
Canada models:
Electrome chanical parking brake
c::>page 15
Engine cool ing system
c::>page 15
Engine oil pressure
c::>page 17
Engine oil level
c::> page 17
Battery
c:>page 16
Engine stops whi le driving
c::> page 16
Safety belt
c::>page 17
Electromechan ical steering./
c::> page 201
Electronic steer ing column lock
c::> page 17
Engine start system
c::> page 17
USA models : Speed warning sys ­
tem
c::> page 90
Canada models: Speed warning
system
c::> page 90
Adaptive cruise control./
~page 94
Air suspension*
c::> page 18
Night vision ass istant*
c::> page 111
Night vision ass istant*
c::> page 111
Refill Ad Blue*
c::> page225
AdB lue malfunction*
c::> page 225
Yellow indicator lights
-------------US A models: Safety systems
c::>page 18
Canada models : Safety systems
c::> page 18
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ./
c::> page 18
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ./
c::> page 18 .,..

14 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
AdBlue /9
Ad Blue./'
Refill A d Blue *
¢page 225
AdBlue malfunc tion *
¢page 225
Other indicator lights
-------------Turn s ignals
¢ page 23
USA models: Cruise c ontrol"
¢ page90
Canada models: Cruise contr ol*
¢page90
Adaptive cru ise contro l*
¢ page 94
Adaptive cru ise con tro l*
¢ page 94
Adapt ive cru ise co ntr ol*
¢ page 94
Audi act ive la ne assis t*
¢ page 102
Sta rt-Stop -Sys tem *
¢page Bl
Start -St op-System *
¢page 87
High beam assist"¢ page 49
High beam
¢page48
BRAKE/(( !)) Brake system
The ligh t illum ina tes when the igni tion is
sw itc he d on. It goes ou t aft er the eng ine has
been started. This in dicates that the bra ke
warn ing light is functioning properly .
If the brake warning light does not light up
when the engine is cranking , there may be a
malfunction in the electrical system. In this
case , contact your Audi dealer.
If th e br ake sys tem w arning/ind ic a tor light
turns on, t here is a br ake system mal func tion .
• (USA models ). (Canada models ) Stop
vehicle and check brake fluid level
If t he indicator ligh t turns on and the mes ­
sage a ppears, proceed as fo llows:
.,. Pull o ff th e road.
.,. Stop the vehicle .
.,. Tur n off the engine .
.,. Chec k th e br ake fluid level¢
page 239 .
.,. Contact yo ur nearest autho rized re pair fa -
cility if necessary.
Warning! Fault in brake system . Contact
dealer
If t he A BS i nd ic a to r light KC) ( U SA mo dels)/
tlJ ( C anada mo dels) , the E SC indicator light
DJ and the brake system in dicator lig ht
• (USA mo dels)/ . (Canada mode ls) turn
on and the message appea rs, the ABS, ESC,
braking distr ib utio n or bra ke booster are no t
wor kin g ¢
Li::,. .
Carefu lly drive to your a uthor ized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct ion correct­
ed ¢Li::,. .
• (USA model s). (Canada models) Park­
ing brake; system fault! Please contact deal­
er
- If the in dicator light and the message ap ­
pea r
when stationary or after switching the
ignition on ,
check if yo u can re lease the
parking brake. Afte r releasing the par king
brake, carefully drive to your author ized
Aud i dea le r i mmediately t o have the ma l­
fu nction corrected . If yo u cannot release the
pa rking brake, see k professiona l ass istance.
- I f the ind icator light and t he message ap ­
pea r
while driving , th e emergency bra king
fu nction may not be available . It may not be
possible to se t the par king brake or re lease
it o nce i t has been set. See k profess io na l as­
s ist ance.
( U SA mode ls): If the war ning ligh t. and the
warning light
EiJ appea r togethe r, immedi­
a te ly co ntact yo ur autho riz e d Au di d eale r or
qualifie d wo rksh op to h ave all brake pad s in­
s pe cted ¢
page 20 .
When the light comes on, an a udible warn ing
s ignal is also g iven .
...

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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
_& WARNING
-Always observe the wa rnings in
¢
page 228, before opening the hood
and checking the brake fluid.
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard . Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- If the . (USA
models) JII (Canada
models) brake system indicator light
turns on together with the ABS and ESC
indicator lights, the ABS/ESC regu lating
function may have failed . Functions that
stabilize the veh icle are no longer availa­
ble . Th is could cause the vehicle to
swerve and increase the risk of sliding.
Drive carefu lly to the neares t authorized
Audi dealer or o ther qualified workshop
and have the mal function cor rected .
- If the br ake warning/indic ator ligh t does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
whi le you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low . If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
autho rized Aud i dealer or qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep i n m ind that afte r several
brake applicat ions, you w ill need g reater
pressure on the b ra ke peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on str ained br akes to
respond w ith maximum s topp ing power
in c ritical situations . You must a llow for
increased braking distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK /(®) Electromechanical park ing
brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator light . (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the park ing brake
was set .
• (USA model s) /. (Canada model s) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
If t he indica tor l ight b links and the mess age
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing. The b rakes have
overheated . The vehicle cou ld roll away eve n
on a sma ll incl ine.
Pre ss brake pedal t o release parking brake
To re lease the park ing brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or sta rt d rivi ng
with st arting as sis t at the s ame time
~ page 86.
Please r elea se parking brak e
To release the park ing brake manually, press
the brake peda l and press the button~ at the
same t ime. The parking b rake only releases
automat ica lly if the d river 's safety belt is fas­
tened .
lfl Parking brake!
If the lfl indicator light turns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunct io n corrected.
_L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling sys tem
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and check coolant le vel
If the indica tor light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the coolant temperature is too
high or the coolant leve l is too low .
.,. Pull off t he ro ad .
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Tu rn off the engine .
.,. Chec k coolant leve l¢
page 23 7 .
.,. Add coo lant if necessary ¢
page 23 7.
.,. Continue dr iv ing o nly afte r the engine cool­
ant warning/ind icator light goes out .
.,. Contact your authorized Aud i dealer for as-
sistance if necessa ry.
IJll>

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
t Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The. warning/ind icator light illuminates
when the ignition is switched on to rem ind
the dr iver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Add itionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) will also sound.
For more Information
c:> page 143, ~ Safety
belt warning light .
~ Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil-pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
• Switch off engine and check oil level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the oil pressure is too low.
.. Pull
off the road.
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn
off the engine.
.. Check the engine oil level c:> page 233.
.,. If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il
c:> page 234. Make sure that the oil pres­
sure warning symbol. appears no longer
in the display before you start driving again.
.,. If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. Seek professio­
nal assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it. Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
1111 requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay. Do not wait until the
red oil pressure warning. starts to
flash before you respond to the low oil level warning
Ill. By then,
your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
~~ Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indicator light and the driver message
appear, add engine oi l immediate ly
c:> page 231.
1111 Add oil, max. x qt (l). You may continue
driving
When the symbol and the driver message ap­
pear, add the amount of oil appearing in the
display at the next opportunity
c:> page 231.
@I-Steering column lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic stee ring
column lock malfunction . You cannot switch
the ignition on .
Do not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered. Seek professiona l assistance .
1\1 Steering lock : system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunct ion .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the r isk of an accident.
©-Engine start system
• Engine start system fault . Please contact
dealer ..,.

20 Instrum ent s a nd w arn in g/i ndic ato r light s
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible.
-USA models: If the . war ning light, the
DJ warn ing light and the fi1 warning
light come on together, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking.
Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of ve­
hicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediately by your au­
thorized Aud i deale r or a qua lified wor k­
shop. Drive slowly and avo id sudden,
hard brake applications .
-Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
Ji) warning light and the
ABS warning light
[ill come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first unde r
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired immed i­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified wo rkshop. Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
(0) Worn brake pads
Ei'I Brak e pa ds!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed. O n USA models the wa rning light
Ei'I
comes on together with t he warn ing light •.
Both sets of b ra ke pads on an axle must a l­
ways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the wa rning light
Ei'I and the warning
light
. ll with the message Brake pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster dis­
play, immediately contact your author­
ized Audi dea ler or qualified workshop to
have all brake pads checked or rep laced if
necessary.
l ) . : USA mode ls on ly
EPC Electronic power control
Applies to veh icles: w ith gasoline engine
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The Di warning/ indicator light (Electron ic
Power Control) illuminates when you sw itch
the ignit ion on as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/ indicator light illum inates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
s ible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop.
W Glow plug system
Applies to veh icles: w ith diesel engine
The control light illuminates when the glow
plug system is active.
If the II ind icator light illuminates, the glow
plug system is act ive. You should start the en­
gine immediately after the ind icator light
swi tches off. The ind icator lig ht only illum i­
na tes for approximate ly 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outs ide temperature is
above 46 QF (8 QC).
(D Tips
-If the glow plug indicator l ight i llum i­
nates while dr iving, there is an eng ine
cont ro l ma lfunction. The engine should
be checked immed iate ly .
- If the ind icator light does not illuminate
at a ll when switch ing the ignit ion on,
there may be a malfunction in the glow
plug system. The engine should be
checked.
' o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnost ic (080 II) system.
T he symbo l¢..,, lights up whe n the ignition is ...

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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 21
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has sett led at a constant idle
speed . This ind icates that the MIL is working
properly .
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine e lectronic system .
Contact your author ized Audi dealer and have
the malfunction corrected .
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate
¢page 223.
For mo re in format ion ¢ page 29.
~. Diesel particulate filter clogged
Appl ies to vehicles: with d iesel e ngine and diese l pa rticu ­
late fi lte r
II Particulate filter: System fault See own­
er's manual
When the II symbol illum inates, you can al­
ter your driving style to assist the filter self­
cleaning process. Drive for approximately 15
minutes with the selector lever in the 5 posi­
tion at a minimum speed of 37 mph (60 km/
h) and an engine speed of approximately
2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that
will resu lt from this can burn off the soot in
the filter . The symbol will switch off when the
cleaning is successful. After a successful
cleaning , there is no need to bring the car to
an author ized dealer or qualified workshop
because this is part of normal vehicle ope ra­
tion .
If the symbol
II does not switch off, see your
author ized dealer or other qualif ied workshop
to have the problem corrected.
For more information on the diesel particu­
late filter , refer to¢
page 206 .
.,&. WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic conditions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driving recommendations.
-
!'1 Engine speed limitation
App lies to veh icles: w it h e ngine speed lim itat io n
II! Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The engine speed is automatically limited to
the speed d isplayed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over·
heating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the engine is no longer in the critical tempera­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor pedal once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated
by an engine control malfunction, the indica­
tor light
13:a also turns on . Make sure that the
speed does not go above the speed disp layed.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
~v, Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sensor defective
If the symbol illum ina tes, contact your au­
thorized Audi dea le r and have the oil sensor
inspected. Until you have this done, check the
oi l level each time you refue l just to be on the
safe side
¢ page 233.
f Request to warm engine by driving
0 Please warm up engine
Fuel has entered the engine o il because of low
outside temperat ures or frequent short
drives . Drive until the engine is warm so that
the fuel in the engine oil will vapori ze. Avoid
high eng ine speeds, full acceleration and
heavy engine load when doing this .
Bu Fuel level indicator
liD Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the firs t
time and the message appears, there are
about 4 gallons ( 15 liters) of fuel left in the
tank. Time to refuel
¢page 222 .
Ill Tank system malfunction! Contact dealer IJIJ,