2015 AUDI A8 coolant

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of th e instr ume nt cluster
(!) Coolan t tempera ture gauge ...
@ Tachometer (engine rev counter)
® Turn signals ............. .. .
© D isp lay with
- Driver information system ...
- Warning/ind icator lights
® Tachom eter
® F uel gauge .... ..... ... ... . .
0 Reset b utton for trip odometer
(D Tips
1 0
11
48
23
11
1 1
26
The instrument illumination (for dia ls and
needles) t urns on when the ignition is on
a nd the vehicle lights are tur ned off. As
the daylight fades, the illumination of t he
dia ls likewise dims automatica lly and w ill
go o ut comple tely when the o utsi de light
i s very low. Th is feature is meant t o rem ind you
to sw itch on the head ligh ts when o ut­
s id e light condi tions become poor .
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge (!) ¢ poge 10, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol­
lowing important po ints:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn o n, the engine has not reached operating
temperature yet. Avoid hig h engine speeds,
heavy engine loads and heavy throttle applica­
tions .
Normal temp erature
The eng ine has reached its operating temper-
at ure once the LEDs up to the center of the .,.

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J: 'SI" ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
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. ..,.

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
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>

16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion.
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle s tationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, let the engine run at idle for a
few minutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 47, Emergency
flasher .
-Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed . Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping.
- The engine compartment of any veh icle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any wor k in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning sticke rs
¢page 228.
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine.
0 Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system .
The. warni ng/indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the engine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being
charged
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle electr ica l system . Drive to
your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immediate ly. Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharg ing, turn off all unnec ­
essary electrical equipment such as the rad io .
Seek professional assistance if the battery
charge level is too low .
r•j Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability.
If this message turns off after a litt le while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn off, have your
authorized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
L'h Engine
• Engine stopped: No power steering and
brake support.
The re is a malfunction in the engine or in the
fuel supply system.
A large amount of steering and braking force
is required when driving a rolling vehicle with
the engine stopped. Tr y to stop a rolling vehi­
cle carefu lly on the side of the road. See your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility.
A WARNING
-If the engine stops while driving, a large
amount of braking force is required. This
in creases the r isk of an accident. As long
as the vehicle rolls with the ignit ion
switched on and there is enough battery
cha rge, the power steering will sti ll work.
If not, a large amount of steering force is
r equired.
-

78 Warm and cold
Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the vehicle interior.
It is the most effect ive when the windows and
sunroof* are closed . If the temperature inside
the parked vehicle becomes very warm, open­ ing the window briefly will speed up the cool­
ing process.
I n all heating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has reached a certain
temperature.
Condensation from the cooling system can
drip and form a puddle of water under the ve­
hicle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak.
Pollutant filter
The pol lutant filter removes pollutants such
as dust and pollen from the air.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at
the intervals spec ified in you r Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet, so that the air condi­
tioner can properly work.
I f you drive your vehicle in an a rea with high
a ir po llution, the fi lter may need to be
changed more frequent ly than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Maintenance booklet. If
in doubt, ask your authorized Audi Service Ad­
visor for advice .
Key coded settings
The climate control settings are a utomat ically
stored and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use.
A WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can
cause accidents. -
- For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con­
densation.
- Comp letely familiarize yourself with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
and ventilation system and especially how to defog and defrost the windows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freez ing weather unt il you
have warmed the windshield first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer solution may freeze on the wind­ sh ie ld and reduce visib ility.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid further damage and have it
inspected by a qualified dealership.
- Repairs to the Audi air conditioner re­
quire special technical know ledge and
special tools. Contact an authorized Aud i
dea ler fo r assistance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reducing the amount of fuel you use,
you also reduce the amount of pollutants
emitted into the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lots (in fro nt of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de ­
bris in order to maintain the proper func­
tion of the climate control system.
- T he energy management system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window
defroster off temporari Ly . These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored.
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing
on the luggage compartment cover, en­
sure that the openings are not covered.

.... N .... N
0 J:
"". .... I.O
"' ....
"' ....
Warm and cold 79
Operation
We recommend pressing the
I AUTO I button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) .
Fig. 84 Cockpit controls
Fig. 85 fou r zone auto matic cli mate control: rear con­
trols
Press the buttons to turn the functions on or
off . Use the dials to adj ust the temperature,
the blower speed and the a ir distribution. The
LED in a button w ill light up when the func­
tion is sw itched on. The settings are shown in
the climate control display and are a lso shown
in the MMI display for a few seconds. The driv­
e r and front passenger sett ings can be adj ust­
in g separately.
You can also adjust the rear left and right
sides in the four zone automat ic climate con­
trol*
~ fig . 85 .
IOFF I Switching the climate control
system on/off
The IOFFI button switches the climate control
system on or off .
It also switches on when you
turn the dial or press any button . Airflow from outside is
blocked when the climate control
system is switched off.
You can acti vate the residual heat functi on
whe n the ignition is off by pressing and hold­
ing the ~ button . The residual heat from the
coolant is used to heat the vehicle i nterior.
The residua l heat function switches off auto­
matically after about 30 minutes.
IAIC ! Switching cooling mode on/off
The air is not coo led and hum idity is not re­
moved when cooling mode is switched off.
This can cause fog on the windows. Cooling
mode switches off automatically when the
outside temperature is be low zero.
1- 1 Switching recirculation mode on/off
In recircu lation mode, the air inside the vehi­
cle is circulated and filtered. This prevents the
unfiltered air outside the vehicle from enter­
ing the vehicle interior. We recommend
switching recirculation mode on when driving
through a tunnel or when sitting in traffic
¢ ,&. .
The
! AUTO I button or~ button switches reci r­
cu lation mode off .
IAUTO! Switching automatic mode on
Automatic mode maintains a cons tant tem­
perature inside the vehicle. Air temperature,
~

84 On th e road
Emerg ency off
If necessary, the engine can be sw itched off
with the selector lever in the R, Dor S posi ­
tions . The engine stops if you press the
I START ENGINE STOP ! button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/h).
A WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine before the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop . The
full function of the brake booster and the
power steering is not quaranteed. You
must use more force to turn or brake if
necessary. Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usual ly would, this could
lead to crashes and serious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you should always
park your vehicle with the se lector lever
in P. Otherwise, the vehicle co uld inad­
vertent ly roll away .
- After the engine has been switched off, the radiator fan can continue to run for
up to 10 min utes - even with the ign it ion
switched off. It can a lso switch on aga in
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat buildup or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is addit ionally heated by
the sun's rays.
(D Note
Do not stop the engine immed iate ly afte r
ha rd or extended dr iving. Keep the engine
r u nning for approx imately two m inutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up.
Driver message in the instrument
cluster display
T urn off ignition before le aving car
This message appears and a war ning tone
sounds if you open the driver's door when the
ignitio n is switched on.
Pr ess brake p edal t o start engin e
This message appears if you press the
I STAR T ENGINE S TOP ! button to start the en- gine and do not depress the brake pedal.
The
engine can only be started if the brake pedal
is depressed.
Ill I s key in th e vehi cle?
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the remote control key was re­
moved from the vehicle whi le the engine was
runn ing .
If the igni tion key is not in the veh i­
cle you will not be able to switch on the igni­
tion or restart the engine after it has been switched off. You will a lso not be able to lock
the vehicle from the outs ide.
Shift to P, othe rwi se vehicle can roll away.
Door s do not lock if lever i s not in P.
T h is dr iver message appears for safety rea­
sons if the transmission has not been shifted
to the P position when you switch the ignition
off. Move the selector lever to the P position.
Otherwise the vehicle is not protected from
ro lling and cannot be locked.
II Key i s not recognized . Hold b ack of key
again st m arked are a. See ow ner' s m anual.
If the indicator l ight turns on and this mes­
sage appe ars, there is a ma lfunct ion
¢ page 85.
Tu rn off i gnition before leaving car. Ba ttery
i s di sc harging
Th is message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on. Al­
ways switch off the ign it ion if you a re leav ing
the vehi cle. See also
¢page 89 .
Shift to P and turn off ignition before l eav­
ing car, otherwi se vehicle c an roll away
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on and
the selecto r lever is not in the P position. Shift
the selector lever into the P pos ition and
switch off the ignit ion when you exit the vehi­
cl e. Otherw ise the vehicle cou ld rol l. See also
¢page 89.

212 Trailertowing
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,
referto .¢page
15 .
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 the 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 ng.
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 290.
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.