2015 AUDI S8 checking oil

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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. ..,.

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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. •
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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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234 Checking and filling
@ Tips
The oi l level i ndicator in the MMI Display is
only an in format ion d isp lay .
If the oil leve l
is low, a minim um o il warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oi l
c::> page 234. If the hood has bee n ope ned,
the c urrent oil level is shown in the instru­
men t cluster t he nex t time the ig nition is
s w itche d on .
Checking the engine oil level
Appl ies to vehicles: with oil dipstick
Fig . 202 Oi l di pstick: ma rk ing field s
Before you check any thing in the engine com­
pa rtment,
always read an heed all WARN­
INGS c::> page 2 28 .
Determining the oil level
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Let the engine run in idle briefly while it is at
operating tempe ratu re and then shut the
engi ne off.
.. Wait approxima tely two min utes .
.. Remove the oil d ipst ic k. W ipe off t he oil dip­
st ick with a cle an clot h an d inse rt it all the
w ay in ag ain .
.. Remove the d ipstick again and then rea d the
o il level
c::> fig. 202 . Add engine oi l if neces­
sary
c::> page 234.
Oil level in the G) area
.. Do no t add any oi l.
Oil level in the @area
.. You may add oil. After adding oi l, the leve l
sho uld be in the @ area .
Oil level in the @ area
.. Yo u mu st ad d oil. A fter a dding oi l, the level
should be in the
0 area .
D epend ing on the way the vehi cle is dr iven
and the ope ra tin g con dit ions, oi l consu mption
ca n be up to 1/2 qu art pe r 600 miles (0.5 liter
per 1,00 0 km). Cons umption may be h ig he r
within the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) . Be ­
ca use of this, the engine oil leve l must be
c h ecked regu la rly. It wo uld be best to check
each time you refue l your veh icle and before
lo ng d rives.
Adding engine oil "l::r.
Fig. 2 03 Engin e compartm en t: cove r on th e e ng in e o il
f ill e r neck
Befo re you c heck a nyth ing in the engin e com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS c::> .&. in Wo rking in the engine compart ­
men t on page 22 8.
"' Shut the eng ine off .
"' Un screw the cap
't=;,1 to the eng ine oil filling
hole
c::> fig. 203, c::> page 230 .
.. Ca refully top off with 0 .5 qu arts ( 0.5 liters)
of t he appropriate oil
c::> page 231 .
"' Check t he oi l level aga in after two m in utes
c::> page 233, Checking the engine oil level or
c::> page 234, Checking the engine oil level.
.. Top off the o il aga in, if necessary.
"' Sc rew the cap back on the filling hole .
_&, WARNING
--W hile topping off, th e oil m ust n ot com e
i n c onta ct w ith hot e ngine parts - fi re
haza rd! ..,.

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-The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running - fire hazard!
-If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
@ Note
-Check the oil level. If the message
Please reduce oil level appears, contact
your authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop to have excess oil ex ­
tracted if necessary .
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 228.
T he engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di­
minish gradually during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis­
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera-
Checking and filling 235
tu res remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­ ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex­
pertise requir ed, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself,
please note the following important informa­
tion:
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty .
•
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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 . •
•

- 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
-N
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.

26 2 T ire s and wheel s
chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(D} Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with All Wheel Drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims
are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
¢page 292.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bol ts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the risk of a whee
l loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tighte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
([) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque wrench -pre ferably by an au thor­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a var iety of d riv ing condi ­
t ions . As k your author ized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low -a sp ec t-ratio tires i s
pa rticularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure . It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and th at the inflation pressure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
s u res should be checked at least once a
month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 251, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies .,..