2015 AUDI S8 brake fluid

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>

200 Intellig ent technol ogy
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, yo u shou ld use the b rak ing
effect of the engine. Th is way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. P ump the brakes at inter ­
vals.
Operating nois e
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
E ff ect of water and road salt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water , in heavy ra in , after overn ight
condensation or after washing your car, the braking effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wip­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for bet ter brake
response time under wet condit ions .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likew ise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caut ious ap­
plications of the brake
c:::> .&, .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short t rips with little use of the
b rakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently , or if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and discs by braking
firm ly a few times from a mode rately high
speed
c:::> .&, .
Faults in the brake syste m
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
circuits may have fai led
c:::> & .
Low bra ke fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the bra ke system if
the b rake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored electro nica lly.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the eng ine is
runn ing
c:::> .&, .
Brake lining we ar statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for th is in­
spect ion
c:::> page 269, Changing a wheel .
_& WARNING
-You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance .
- Unde r ce rtain cl imatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa­
ter, dr iving in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, lin ings,
d iscs and drums. Carefully app ly brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice

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Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ .&. in Driving instructions on page 212.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard ­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners . When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi drive select Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface
be­
fore
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ­
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 108, ~CD .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info ­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> low­
er control button .
Trailer towing 211
If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
after coupling the
trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight
¢ page 110.
@ Note
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits.
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi­
ble , transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not .,.
•
•

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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-Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch :
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical ha zards c:::> & .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition ,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
Checking and filling 229
-Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
(® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.,. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"'Let the hood
drop down and latch in place.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c:::> ,A .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and block your view while driv ­
ing .
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­ ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driving that the hood
is not secured properly , stop at once and
close it. •
•

- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
due to th e heat bui ld-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
.&_ WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary electr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on sudden ly
even when the engine is not runn ing.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­ tomat ically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper ­
at ure drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
N N
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i
F ig . 2 05 Eng ine co mpartmen t: cove r on the b rake f lui d
r eservo ir
Before you check anything in th e engine com­
partment,
alwa ys read and he ed all WARN­
INGS c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 2 28.
~ Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fl uid reservo ir ~
fig . 205, c::> page 230. The
brake f luid leve l must be betwee n the "M IN"
and "M AX" marki ngs.
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
see n in t he engi ne comp artment illus trati on
c::> page 230.
Checkin g and fillin g 239
The fluid level may d rop slightly afte r some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads . T his is not cause for alarm .
If the brake flu id leve l falls considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models) . (Canadian
models) w ill come on
~ page 14 . Do not con­
tin ue to operate the vehicle . The complete
brake sys tem should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dea ler or other quali ­
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake f lu id leve l is too low, the brake warning/
indica tor ligh t will illumi nate. Conta ct an au­
thorized Aud i de aler
immediately .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
en ced technician.
B rake fluid absorbs moisture from the air . If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
high, co rrosion in the brake system may resu lt
after a pe riod of time. The boiling point of the
brake f lu id will also dec rease conside rably and
decrease brak ing performance.
T herefo re , the bra ke fluid must be changed
every tw o year s. Always use new br ake f lu id
which con forms to Federal Mo tor Veh icle
Standard " FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
T he bra ke fluid reservo ir can be d iff icu lt to
reach, the refore, we recommend that you
have the bra ke fluid changed by your author­
ized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the cor rect
tools, the right brake fluid and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
---- Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed or iginal container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from old or inap­
prop riate brake f lu id. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- U se only brake fluid tha t meets SAE
specificat ion
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
Always check wi th your a uthorized Audi
dealer to make s ure you are using the
correct brake flu id. The correct type of
brake fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long. This can ser ious ly affect the effi­
ciency of the b ra kes as well as yo ur
safety. This could result in an acc ident.
(D Note
Brake flu id will damage the paint of your
veh icle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as wel l as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under
normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte­
n ance . With
high outside temperatures or
l ong daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the elec trolyte level checked by a service fa­
cili ty. The e lec trolyte level sho uld a lso be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 242.
Have the b attery checked when you ta ke yo ur
ve hicl e in for service. Yo u are well adv ise d to
replace a battery that is older than S years .
W ith certa in types of airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle ele c­
tr ica l system for sa fety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 165.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle func tions (power w indow regu­
l ato rs, for example) a re los t if the b attery ter- mina
ls are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are
connected aga in. To prevent th is, the battery
sho uld only be disconnected from the ve hicle
electrical system when abso lutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicle s not driven for long peri ods
If you do not d rive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ica l compo ­
nents are gradually cut back or sw itched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in­
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period
¢
page 202. Some of the convenience func­
t ions may not ope rate, such as the inter ior
li gh ts or the power seat adjus tment. The con­
venience func tions will be ava ilable ag ain
when you switch on the ignition and start the
engine .
Winter operation D uring the winte r months, battery capac ity
tends to de crease as temperatures drop. This
is beca use more power is also consumed wh ile
sta rting, and the headlights, rear window de ­
fogger, etc ., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumpt ion, p ar­
t icu lar ly in city traffic or whe n traveling only
short distances. Let yo ur au thorized Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before winter sets in ¢
page 242. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer.
(!) Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be repla ced.