2015 AUDI S8 warning light

214 Vehicle care and cleaning
Vehicle care and
cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your
ve hicle 's value. It can also be a requirement
when subm itting warranty claims for corro ­
sion damage and paint defects on the body .
The required cleaning and care prod ucts can
be obtained from your authorized Audi dea ler
or a qualified workshop. Read and follow the
instr uctions for use on th e packaging .
A WARNING
-Us ing cleaning and care products incor­
rec tly can be dange ro us to your hea lth .
- Always store cleaning and care products
o ut of rea ch of children to redu ce the r is k
of po ison ing.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when buying cleaning agents .
- Do not d ispose of leftover cleaning and
ca re p rod ucts with household trash .
Car washes
-
The longer deposits remai n on t he veh icle, the
mo re the surface ca n be damaged. H igh tem­
pe rat ures such as those caused by su nlight in­
crease the d amaging effe cts.
Before washing, wet heavy deposi ts w ith p len ­
ty of wate r.
Stubbor n depos its s uch as bird dropp ings or
tree sap are best removed with plen ty of wa­
ter and a m icrofiber cloth .
A lso, was h the underside of your vehicle once
road salt stop s be ing used for the season.
Pres sure washers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instr uc­
tions provided w ith the pressure washe r. T his
is especially important in regard to the pres- s
u re and sp raying dis tance. Do not aim the
s p ray direct ly at sea ls on side windows, doo rs,
t h e hood, the rear lid o r the sunroof* or at
t ires, rubber hoses, insulating material, sen ­
sors" or camera lenses*. Keep a d ista nce of at
least 16 inches (40 cm) .
Do not remove snow and ice with a pressure
washer.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz­
zles .
T he wate r temperature m ust not be above
1 4 0 ° F (6 0 °C ).
Automatic car washes
Sp ray off the ve hicle befo re washing .
Make sure that the w indows and roof * are
closed and the winds hield wipers are off. Fol­
low instructions from the ca r wash operator,
especially if there are accesso ries attached to
you r vehicle .
If possible, use car washes that do not have
brushes .
Only use car washes where the vehicle re ­
mains stat ionary and the was hing equipment
moves around the ve hicle when washing and
dry ing . Car washes that move the veh icle
t hr ough the car wash us ing a chain are no t
recommend ed .
Wa shing by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from the top and
worki ng down using a soft sponge or cleaning
brush . Use solvent -free clean ing products .
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large particles from
you r vehicle . Ins ects, grease spots and fi nger­
prints are best removed w ith a spec ial cleane r
f o r matte finish paint .
Apply t he prod uct us ing a mic rofiber cloth . To
avo id damaging the pa int surface, do not use
too much pr essure .

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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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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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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.

228 Checking and filling
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 197 Driver foo twell: release lever
Fig. 198 Rocker switch un der the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged.
.,. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the direction of the arrow
¢ fig. 197.
.,. Raise the hood slightly¢,&. .
... Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward ~
fig. 198. This releases the catch.
• Open the hood.
&_ WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood .
'Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
¢ ,&. .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch off the ignition .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant could spray out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
- Do not
remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This increases the
risk of burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:

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(!) Windshield/headlight washer
t .
(~ ) con ainer ,..., .. .... ... .. .. . 244
@ Jump start point( -) with hex
h ead screw ............... .. 242, 281
® Jump start point( +) under a cov-
er . ..... .. ... .. ..... ... .. . 242, 281
@ Engine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . 234
® Brake fl uid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 239
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 237
0 O il dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
The engine oil filler neck (item @) may be lo­
cated in a different area depend ing on the ver­
sion of the eng ine .
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
Q .&. in Working in the engine
c ompartment on page 228.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil .
-
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerp lant that was b uilt to exacting specifi ­
cations . This engine needs the right kind of
engine o il that meets specificat ions regarding
q ua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the right oil
and changing oil within the time and mileage
in terva ls pr inted in your veh icle's War ranty
&
M aintenance book let matters a lot more to­
day than i t did yea rs ago . Audi has developed
a special quality s tanda rd fo r engine oil th at
will he lp assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for prope r opera ­
tion .
M odern eng ine lubrica tion has taken a qu an­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional petrole­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your A udi.
Checkin g and fillin g 231
Whether you use synthetic o r petro le um­
based engine oil, the oil that you use m ust
conform to Aud i's oi l quality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles w it h diesel eng ine) to
help keep your veh icle's engine ru nning
smoot hly and he lp prevent the format io n of
harmful deposits, sometimes ca lled "s ludge, "
t h at over time can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils ava ilab le i n
t h e U.S . and Canada that meet the exac ting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00
(ve hicl es w ith gasoline engine) o r VW 50 7 00
(ve hicl es w ith diese l engi ne) are synthet ic en ­
gine oi ls. Th is does not mean, howeve r, that
every synthetic engine oil will meet A udi oi l
standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline
engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iesel
engine). So always be sure that you use an ap­
proved o il.
To he lp prevent the formation of harmfu l de­
pos its use on ly oil with the following specifi­
cations pr inted on the o il conta iner:
- Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (gasoline en­
gine )
- Audi oil standard VW 507 00 (diesel en-
gine )
Oil containe r labels may car ry the spe cifica­
tion sing ly or in combination wi th other desig­
nations and oil quality s tanda rds .
Viscosity
Engine o ils are graded accord ing to their vis­
cosity . The proper viscos ity grade oil fo r your
engine depends o n climactic or seasona l con­
ditions where you d rive. You ca n use o il wit h a
vis cosity gr ade of SA E SW40 across all tem ­
pera ture ranges for norma l driv ing con ditions.
Howeve r, if engine oil v iscos ity grade SA E
SW40 is not available, you can a lso use v iscos­
i ty grade SA E SW -30 or SA E OW -40 as long as
i t meets Aud i oil q ua lity standard VW 502 00
(ve hicles w ith gasoline engine) o r VW 5 07 00
(ve hicles w ith diese l engine) specifications.
Be cause eng ine o il that mee ts the Audi o il
standard may no t be availab le everywhere
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Engine oil consumption
The e ngine in your vehicle dep ends on an ade ­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its m oving parts .
In order to provide effective l ubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certain
amo unt of o il. O il cons umption varies from
engine to eng ine and may c hange significant ly
over the li fe o f the eng ine . T yp ica lly, eng ines
with a specified break -in per io d (see
¢
page 205) cons ume more oi l during the
b reak-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Unde r norma l conditions, the ra te of oil con ­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oi l, the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the eng ine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions. Further fac­
tors are t he amount of oil d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida ­
t ion level of the o il. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bu ilds up, the o il consump­
tion may in crease over t ime un til re p la cement
of worn componen ts may become necessa ry.
W ith all these var iabl es com ing in to play, no
standa rd rate of o il cons umption can be es­
t a blishe d or specifie d. T he re is no a lterna tive
t o regular and freq uen t ch ecking of the oi l lev­
e l, see
Note .
If the ye llow eng ine o il level war ning symbol
in t he ins trumen t clus te r
II light s up, yo u
should che ck t he o il level as soon as possible
¢
page 233 or ¢ page 23 4. Top off t he oil at
your ea rliest convenience ¢
page 234.
A WARNING
Before yo u check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WAR NINGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 228.
Dr iving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use seve re damage to the eng ine.
-
Checkin g and fillin g
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
rely 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 impressi on yo ur engi ne
cons umes excess ive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dea le r to have the cause of your concer n
properly diagno sed . K eep in mi nd th at
t he a ccu rate meas urement o f oil con ­
sumption requi res g reat care and may
take some t ime . Your Audi dea le r h as i n­
struct io ns about how to measure oil con­
sumption acc urate ly.
Checking the engine oil level
App lies to vehicles : wit h oil level indicator
Fig. 201 D isp lay: o il leve l indicator
.,. Par k yo ur vehicle o n a level su rface.
.,. Shu t the eng ine off when it is warm.
.,. Switch on ly the ignition back on.
.,. Wa it app roximately two minutes .
.,. Select:
!CAR ! functio n button > Car systems
cont ro l button > Servicing & checks > Oil
level.
.,. Check t he oil level i n the display ¢ fig. 201.
Add eng ine o il if the bar of the oil leve l ind i­
cato r is nea r "m in"¢
page 234 .
Depending o n the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope rat ing cond it ions, o il cons umption
can be up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0 .5 liter
per 1,000 km). Consumption may b e hig he r
within the first 3, 000 miles (5 ,0 00 km). ..,,.
233
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Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 204 Eng ine compartme nt: cover o n the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lway s read and he ed all WARN ­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 228.
Park your vehicle on a level surface.
~ Switch off the ignition.
~ Read the engine coolant leve l from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢
fig. 204, ¢ page 230.
With a cold engine, the coolant level should
be between the "min" and "max" markings.
When the engine is warm, the level may be sl ightly above the ''max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration ¢
page 230 .
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansio n tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When t he coo lant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will
illuminate unti l yo u add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even thoug h
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 237
ing system shou ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
eno ugh merely to add coo lant .
In a
s ealed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Red uce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by follow ing these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id a nd steam by cover ing the
cap with a la rge, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
p lyi ng lig ht, dow nward pressure on the
top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze o r coolan t on the exhaust system
or ho t engine parts. Und er certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene gly co l in engine coo l­
an t can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add­
i ng radia to r repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fe ct the fun ct io n and perfor man ce o f you r
coo ling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Vehicle Limi ted
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you che ck a nyt hing in the eng ine com­
partmen t,
alway s re ad and he ed alt WARN­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 228.
~ Requirement: There must be a residua l
a mo unt of coolan t in the expansion ta nk
¢(D.
~Tu rnoff the engine . •
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