2015 AUDI A8 ignition

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. ..,.

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 .
...

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.
-

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N ,....,
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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 ..,.

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not switch the ignition off
because you may not be able to switch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
Ill Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph.
There is a malfunction that can result in re­
stricted driving stability.
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated.
II Air suspension fault
There is a system malfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunction . Wait until the air suspen ­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance. Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
AIR/ e;, 5 f BAG -, a ety systems
The II (USA models),fll(Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems e.g.
airbags, pretensioners and illuminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the
II (USA models)/E,I (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also means there is a malfunction.
A WARNING
=
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys-
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acci­
dent.
~ Brake booster
II Brake servo: limited functionality. You
can continue driving. Contact workshop
There is a brake booster malfunction. The
brake booster is still available, but its function
is limited. Because of this, the vehicle may
brake differently and the brake pedal may vi­
brate.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized repair facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
Y$/ C, Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the Dl indicator light blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating.
If the
Dl indicator light turns on, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, you can
switch the ignition off and then on to switch
the ESC on again . The indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fully . .,,.

,....,
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Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
If the fl indicator light turns on, ESC was re­
stricted using the
[fil button¢ page 197.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the: G1 indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
tll1 (USA models) I ii] (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, the ABS or
e lectronic differential lock is ma lf u nction ing.
This a lso causes the ESC to malfunction . The
brakes sti ll function with their normal power,
but ABS is not act ive .
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler or quali ­
fied workshop immediately to have the mal ­
function corrected.
A WARNING
If the . (USA models) . (Canada mod­
els) brake system indicator light turns on
together with the ABS and ESC indicator
lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function
may have failed. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer avai lab le. This
could cause the vehicle to swerve and in­
crease the risk of sliding. Drive carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi dealer or oth­
er qualified workshop and have the mal ­
function corrected .
(D Tips
For additional information on ESC and
ABS, refer to¢
page 197.
ABS!( @)) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/ind icator light tll1 (USA mod-
e ls)
;tlJ (Canada models) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is completed.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
- T he warning/indicator light does not illumi­
nate when you switch the ignition on. -
The warning/indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds .
- The warning/indicator light il luminates
while driving.
T he ESC indicator lig ht also illuminates if
there is a malfunction in the ABS. The mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS) Fault!
See owner's manual
also appears in the in­
strument cluster display and a warning tone
sounds.
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information regarding the ABS
¢pag e 197.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light¢ page 14 and the
ABS warning illuminate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may a lso
be a malfunct ion in the brake system itself
¢.&. .The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per­
formance.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light . (USA
models) . (Canada models) in the instru­
ment cluster flashes ¢
page 14.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together with the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a
malfu nction in the EDL system ¢
page 197.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ible.
A WARNING
-
-If the tll1 (USA models) ;tl] (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on while dr iving, the ABS
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only w ith the
standard brakes (without ABS). You w ill
not have the protect ion ABS provides. ..,.