2015 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

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Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 215
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water. Then
clean using a neutral shampoo and a soft mi­
crofiber cloth.
Rinse the vehicle tho roughly again and let it
air dry. Remove any water residue using a
shammy .
A WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition
is off and follow the instructions from
the car wash operator to reduce the risk
of accidents .
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect your­
self from sharp metal components when
wash ing the underbody or the inside of
the wheel housings .
- After washing the vehicle, the braking ef­
fect may be delayed due to mo isture on
the brake rotors or ice in the winter. The
brakes must be dried first with a few
careful brake applicat ions.
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car wash, you must fold the exterior m ir­
rors in to reduce the r is k of damage to
the mirrors. Power folding exterior m ir- rors* must only be fo
lded in and out us­
ing the power folding fu nction .
- T o prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- T o reduce the r is k of damage to the sur­
face, do not use insect removing spong ­
es, kitchen sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle compo­
nents:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the
surface, do not use polishing agents or hard wax.
- Never use car wash cycles that apply
protective wax. It can destroy the
matte fin ish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnet ic
signs on vehicle parts painted w ith
matte fin ish paint. The paint cou ld be
damaged when the stickers o r magnets
a re removed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities spec ially
designed for that p urpose . This will red uce
the r is k of dirty wate r contam inated with
oil from entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When clea ning and caring for individual vehi­
cle components, refer to the fo llow ing tab le.
The information contained there is simp ly rec ­
ommendations. For questions or for compo -nents that are not listed
, refer to a n author­
ized Audi dea ler or a qualified workshop. Also
follow the information found in ¢ .&. .
Cle an ing exte rior
Component Situation Solution
Wipe r blades
Dirty ~ page 54, Cleaning windshield wiper blades
Headlight s/ Dirty Soft sponge with a mild soap solutiona>
tail ligh ts
S en sor s/
Dirty Sensors: soft cloth with a so lvent-free cleaning product
camera le nse s Camera lenses: soft cloth with an alcohol-free cleaning
so lution
Snow/ice Hand brush/so
lvent-free de-icing spray
Wheel s Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning
solution
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•

216 Vehicl e c are and cle aning
Component Situ ation Solution
Ex haus t tail
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 287
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 longer 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/ tant
paint looks poor
Deposits such as in - Dampen with water immediately and remove with a mi-
sects, bird drop- crofiber cloth
pings, tree sap and
road salt
grease-based con-Remove immediately with a mild soap solutiona) and a
tam inants such as soft cloth
cosmetics or sun-
block
Car bon p art s Dirty Clean tlhe same way as painted parts ¢ page 214, Car
washes
a) Mil d soap so lu tion: maximu m two tab les poon s neut ra l soa p in 1 q uar t (l lit e r) of water
Cle ani ng inte rio r
Component Situation Solution
Wind ows
Dirty Glass cleaner, then wipe dry
Deco ra tive Dirty Mild soap solutional
p arts/
t rim
Pla st ic p art s
Dirty Damp cloth
Heavily soiled Mild soap solutional, solvent-free plastic cleaning solu-
t ion, if necessary
Displ ays Dirty Soft cloth with LCD cleaner
C ont rols Dirty Soft brush, then a soft cloth with a mild soap solutiona l

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Vehicle care and cleaning 217
Component Situation Solution
Safety belts
Dirty Mild soap solutional, allow to dry before letting them re-
tract
Textiles, Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Oi l-based stains Apply a mild soap solutional, blot away the dissolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
up, etc .
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
nail polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona >
Water-based stains Fresh stains: 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 stains: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpoint pen ,
nail polish, latex
paint, shoe polish,
etc.
Care Regularly apply condit ion ing cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Cooler Dust and dirt Clean the ventilation openings in the luggage compart-
ment
Dirty Lukewarm
water, mild soap solutional if necessary, then
dry
Defrosting Empty the refrigerator, switch it off and let it thaw with
the door open, then dry
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as p lastic parts
a) Mild soap so lu tion : maxim um two ta bl es poons neutr al soa p in 1 q uar t (l lit e r) of water
A WARNING
The windshield may not be treated with
water-repelling windshield coating agents.
Unfavorable conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in- creased
glare. Wiper blade chatter is also
possible.
([) Note
-Headlights/tail lights
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218 Vehicle care and cleaning
- 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.
-Wheels
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive materials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately.
- Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
lens. This could cause the lens to crack.
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
This could cause scratches and cracks.
-Windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and
exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper.
To avoid scratches, move the scraper
only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from win­
dows and mirrors using warm or hot
water because this could cause cracks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any stickers on
the heating wires on the inside of the
window.
- Decorative parts/trim
- Never use chrome care or cleaning
products.
- Paint
-To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and dust be­
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the vehicle in direct sunlight.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do
not polish away rust film .
- Remove cosmetics and sunblock imme­
diately. Otherwise, the paint could be
damaged .
-Trim
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not
treat the trim around the panorama
sunroof with paint polish.
- Decorative decals
-To reduce the risk of damage, do not
use any rough powder or abrasive
cleaning products .
- To reduce the risk of damage, do not
polish decorative parts that have a
matte finish .
-Displays
-To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays.
- Controls
- Make sure that no fluids enter the con-
trols, because this could cause dam­
age.
- Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their com­
ponents chemically or with corrosive
fluids or solvents and never allow
sharp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts. This could cause
damage to the belt webbing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connections, the retractors or the buck­ les, have them replaced by an author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified work­
shop.
- Textiles/Vinyl/Alcantara
- Never treat Vinyl/Alcantara with leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar
products.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an authorized Audi dealer
or a qualified workshop.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when cleaning.
- Do not turn on the seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- Objects with sharp edges such as zip­
pers, rivets on clothing or belts can
cause damage to the surface.

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-Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex­
ample on clothing, can damage seat
covers . Make sure hook and loop fas­
teners are closed.
- Natu ral leather
- Never treat leather with solvents, floor
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
sim ilar products.
- Objects with sharp edges such as z ip­
pers, rivets on clothing or belts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc. when clean ing .
- Do not turn on the seat heat ing* to dry
the seat.
- To help prevent the leather from fad­
ing, do not leave the veh icle in direct
sunlight for long periods of time. If
leaving the vehicle parked for long pe­
r iods of time, you should cover the
leather to protect it from direct sun ­
light.
-Co oler
- Do not try to speed up the defrosting
process by applying heat.
- To help prevent health risks or damage
to the cooler, do not use any abrasive
cleaners, solvents, wax or strongly
scented or aggressive cleaning prod ­
ucts .
- Do not clean the cooler with rough
cleaning tools such as steel wool.
@ Tips
-Insects are eas ier to remove from paint
that has been freshly waxed .
- Regu lar waxing can prevent rust film
from forming .
Vehicl e ca re a nd cl eanin g 219
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220 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for yo ur vehicle is un ­
l e aded premium
grade gasoline . Audi recom­
mends using TO P TI ER D ete rgent Gaso line
wi th a m inimum octane ra ting o f 91 A KI ( 95
RO N). Fo r more informa tio n o n TOP TIER De­
tergent Gasoline, p lease go to the o fficia l
websi te (www. topt iergas .com) .
The re commended gasoline octane rati ng for
your engine can a lso be fo und o n a label loc at­
ed on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This ra t­
ing may be specif ied as AK I or RO N.
Your veh icle may also be operated using un­
l eaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc ­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RO N. However, using
87 A KI/91 RON octa ne fue l wi ll slightly re ­
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga soline only. U nleaded g aso­
l ine is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd i n most E uropean countries . We recom ­
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or co untries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi­
cle, see~
page 222.
Octane rating
Octane rating ind icates a gaso line's abili ty to
res ist eng ine dam ag ing "knoc k" ca use d by
premature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
important to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline mos t commonly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the following octane r
atings t hat can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
pump:
- Premium Gra de: 91 -96 A KI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RON
+ MON)/2
R ON= Resear ch Octane Numb er
MON = Motor Octane Num ber .
(D Note
-Do not use a ny fue l w it h o ctane rat ings
lower tha n 87 A KI or 91 RO N othe rwise
expensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne. The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur v ehicle's cata lytic co nve rter and its
ability to co ntrol exha ust em issions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d wi th
alcohol o r MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets t he
f o llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more t han 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co -sol -
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 10%
ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher. IJll,

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-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
Appl ies 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 221
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 diese l en gine
Always use ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel)
No. 2. The ULSD No. 2 meets the ASTM D97S.
Diesel fuel with concentrations of biodiesel
highe r than S % such as Bll, B2O or BlOO are
strictly prohib ited .
Se rv ice stat ion fuel pumps are labeled with
the cor rect fuel informat ion for easy recogn i­
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.
ULSD No. 2 may not be available outside the
USA and Canada. Be sure to check before trav­
eling to other countries .
Winter operation
ULSD No. 2 can become thicker in the winter .
Because of this, gas stations sell ULSD No. 2
with imp roved flow when cold during the win­
ter. Ask the gas stat ion attendant if the diesel
sold is winterized sufficient ly for the current
and the predicted temperatures.
If not winterized o r insuff icient ly w interized
ULSD No. 2 has already thickened to the ex­
tent that the engine will not start, warm the
vehicle up by leaving it in a heated garage.
Ill-
•
•

222 Fuel su ppl y and fillin g yo ur fu el t an k
Cold diesel engines normally produce louder
noises during winter conditions than during
warmer periods . In addition, the exhaust gas ­
es may be light blue in color until the engine has warmed up.
.&_ WARNING
Never use starting assist fluids. They may
be potentially explos ive or cause a "run­
away" engine condition . Th is could resu lt
in ser ious persona l injury and eng ine dam­
age.
- Your vehicle's diesel engine was de­ signed so ley for use with ULSD No. 2.
Therefo re, never use gaso line, heat ing
oi l or other fuels. These fuels contain
substances that will severely damage the
fuel system and the engine. Such dam­
age will not be covered by your New Ve­ hicle limited Warranty.
- If you put any amount of incorrect fue l in
the fue l tank, do not start the engine un­
der any circumstances. Immediately con­
tact the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
s istance. These fuels contain substances
that can severely damage the fuel sys­
tem and the engine if the engine is start­
ed .
- Do not mix additives such as "flow im­
provers", gasoline or other substances
with ULSD No. 2.
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 should fail, you
can still open the flap manually- for detailed instructions see
c> page 2 2 4 .
You can f ind the fue l tank ca pa city of your ve­
hicle in
<=> page 288.
The label on the inside of the fuel f iller flap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c> page 220.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuel­ ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful­
ly .
.&_ WARNING
Under normal operating cond itions , never
ca rry addit ional fue l conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow b lower, etc ., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
i ng the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certa in the con­
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM
F852 -86).
{(y Note
Never drive your veh icle until the fuel tank
i s completely empty. The irregula r supply
of fue l can cause misfir ing. Gasoline cou ld
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.