2015 AUDI S8 coolant level

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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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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.
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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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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 . •
•

238 Check ing and filling
• Let the engine coo l down .
• Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 237, fig . 204 and care full y
twist the cap counter-clockwise¢ _&..
• Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢
page 236, Coolant up to the MAX mark­
i ng.
• Make sure that the fluid level rema ins sta-
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
• Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 236, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive
G12++, G13 or in an emergency G12+ . Do not
use a different additive . In an emergency use
p la in water unt il you can get the correct add i­
tive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add co ld antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is co ld.
Always use
new eng ine coolant when refilling .
Do not fi ll coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
g ine becomes hot .
A WARNING
- T he coo ling system is under p ressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from ho t coolant by following
these steps.
-Turn off the eng ine and a llow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from escaping flu id and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- T urn the cap slowly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise d irect ion while
apply ing light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts . Under certa in cond
it ions, the ethylene g lycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous . A lways store an­
tifreeze in its origina l container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you dra in the coo lant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "po ison".
@ Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
is empty. Air co uld enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the engine. If this is
the case, do not cont inue driving. Seek
professional assistance .
- Coo lant pollutes the environment and
cou ld cause an engine f ire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an eme rgency, only wate r can be
added, the co rrect ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 236 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
D rained coolant should not be reused . Al­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ­
i ng all envi ro nmental regula tions.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
The rad iator fan is driven by the e ngine via the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed of the fan acco rding to the temperatu re of the
coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiato r fan* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and ot her vehicle ope rat ing condit io ns.
After you switch the eng ine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even w ith the ignition off .
It can even switch
o n aga in later by itself¢.& , if
1111>

- 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.

29 2 Con sum er Inf ormation
-Always make sure the transmission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) and the park brake
is applied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll ad­
versely affect em iss ion levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when dispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn o ut tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo ­
rate Material -spec ial handling may ap­
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous­
was te/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the res traint system including
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten ­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authori zed Aud i dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of a c­
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
proved changes to the ve hicle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced , please obse rve
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories: Approved Audi accesso
ries and genuine Aud i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal­
ers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and tra ined specialists to install the
parts and acc essories proper ly .
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and ge nuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on yo ur ve­
h icle .
- Never install accessor ies such as tele­
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNI NGS
9 page 228 .
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this can resu lt in seve re damage to
your vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- The innovative a luminium concept of
your Audi AB means that all servicing, re­
pairs or other work on the vehicle body
must be carr ied out exclusive ly by an
Audi workshop .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the veh icle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipulations .

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Index 299
-----------------------------------.......
Emergency warning triangle ... .. .. .. . 266
Energy management ................ 202
Engine Compartment ..................... 230
Coolant .. ............... ......... 236
Data .. .. ..... ........... ...... .. 289
Start-Stop-System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
start ing .. .. ................. .. .. .. 83
Starting wi th jumper cab les ......... 281
S topping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Eng ine compartment ................ 230
C losing the hood ................ .. 229
Opening the hood ............ .. ... 228
Safety in structions .......... .. .. ... 228
Wo rking in the engine compa rtment .. 22 8
Eng ine coolant ..................... 236
Adding coolant ............ ...... .. 237
Checking the eng ine coolant leve l ... .. 237
E xpansion ta nk .................... 237
M alf unc tion symbo l ................. 15
Radiato r fan . ..... .... ... .. .. .. ... 238
Temperature ga uge .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 10
E ng ine oil . .. ..... ........ ...... .. . 23 1
Adding . ... ................ ... .. . 234
Addit ives . .. ................. .. .. . 234
Changing . ... ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 235
C hecking oil level . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 234
C hec king the engine oil level . ... .. .. . 233
Consumpt ion .................. ... 234
Indications and condit ions requ iring ex-
tra check ing ...................... 233
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
O il consumption .... ... ... .. .. .. .. . 233
O il grades .. ................. .. ... 23 1
P ressu re malfunction ................ 17
Recommended oil check in tervals .. ... 233
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscosity . ... .. .. .. . 23 1
E ng ine sound ............. .... .. .. . 108
Eng ine speed limitat io n ............... 21
E ng ine start -stop mode
refer to Sta rt-Stop -Sys tem ... .. .. .. .. 89
E ntry assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Environment Break- in period ............... .. ... 205
Catalytic converter ............... .. 206
D iese l part icu late filter ............. 206
Di sposing of yo ur vehicle batte ry 2 43 Driving at high speeds
.. ..... ... .. .. 208
Drivi ng to minimize poll ution and noise 207
Fuel . ... .. .. .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 223
Fuel economy ..................... 207
Leaks under your vehicle ............ 228
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 208
Proper disposal of dra ined brake fl uid . 239
Proper disposal of d ra in ed eng ine cool-
an t ............................. 237
P roper disposal of dra ined eng ine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234, 235
Recycling used engine oil ..... ... .. .. 234
U nl eaded fuel .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. 220
What shou ld I do with an o ld battery? . 243
E PC
refer to Elect ron ic power control (EPC) . 20
ESC Post-coll is ion b ra ke assist .......... . 198
also refer to Electronic Stab ili zation Con-
t ro l (E SC) ... .. ................... 197
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ............ 196
Exhaust tail pipes Cleaning . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 216
E xpansion tank .. ... ................ 237
Exterior lighting ..................... 46
Exterior mi rrors
Adjusting ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 55
Dimming ...... ................... . 56
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
E xterior tempera ture display ........... 23
F
Fastening
B oos ter sea ts .. ................... 182
Convertib le child sa fety seats . ... .. .. 18 1
Infant seats ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 180
Floor mats .. ... .... ........... ..... 139
Fo lding table .... .................... 69
Foot ped als . .... ................... 138
For the sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and the env ironment .. 223
Reduc ing engine nois e by ea rly upshift-
i ng ............................... 10
Ref uell ing ... .. ................... 22 3
Saving f uel by early upsh ifting ... .. .. . 10
Four zone automat ic climate control ..... 79
•
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