2016 AUDI A8 battery

Driving
(D Note
Always switch off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water
c::> page 87.
Starting/stopping the engine
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith Sta rt-Sto p-System
Fig. 91 Instrument cluste r: engin e sw itched off (s top
ph ase)
.. Slow the vehicle to a stop using the brake and
keep pressing the brake pedal. The engine will
switch off . The
[I] indicator light appears in the
information line in the instrument cluster dis­
play.
.. When you take your foot off the brake pedal,
the engine restarts. The indicator light turns
off.
Additional information
The engine will switch off in the P, D, N and S po­
sitions as well as in manual mode. In the P posi­
tion , the engine will also remain off if you take
your foot off the brake pedal. The eng ine starts
again when you select another selector lever po­
sition and take your foot off the brake pedal.
If you select the R position during a Stop phase,
the engine will start again.
Shift from D to P quickly to prevent the engine
from starting unintentionally when shifting
through R.
You can determine for yourself if the engine will
stop or not by reducing or increasing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex­
ample , if you only light ly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and and-go traffic or when turning, the
engine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta-
86
tionary. As soon as you press the brake down
harder, the engine will switch off.
General information
Applies to: vehicles wi th Start-S top-Sys te m
The standard Start-Stop-mode can be cancelled
for different system-related reasons.
Fig. 92 Instrumen t cluster: e ngin e-Stop temporarily un­
ava ilable
Engine will not switch off
Before each stop phase, the system checks if cer­
tain conditions have been met. For example, the
engine will
not be switched off in the following
situations :
- The engine has not reached the minimum re­
quired temperature for Start-Stop-mode.
- The interior temperature selected by the A/C
system has not been reached .
- The outside temperature is extremely high/low.
- The windshield is being defrosted
c::> page 79 .
- The parking system* is switched on.
- The battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is sharply turned or there is
a steering movement .
- After engaging the reverse gear .
- On sharp inclines.
The
llJ indicator light appears in the information
line in the instrument cluster display
c::>fig . 92.
Engine automatically restarts
The stop phase is interrupted in the following sit­
uations, for example . The engine restarts without
any action by the driver .
- The interior temperature varies from the tem-
perature selected in the A/C system. ..,.

-The windshield is being defrosted~ page 79.
-The brake pedal is pressed sever al t imes in a
row .
- T he battery charge level becomes too low .
- High power cons umption .
Switching the ignition off automa tic ally
To prevent the battery from dra ining, the ignition
will sw itch off
auto mati call y when all of the fol­
lowing cond itions have been met:
- The vehicle has already been driven.
- The eng ine has been turned
off by the Start-
Stop -System*.
- The driver's door is opened .
- The driver's seat bel t is removed.
- The brake pedal is not p ressed down.
- The veh icle is stationary.
In this case, the activated low beam will be re­
p laced by the s ide marker lights. The side marker
lights will switch
off after appro ximately 30 mi­
nutes or when you lock the veh icle.
If the Start-Stop System has
not turned off the
engine or if you have sw itched the Start-Stop sys­
tem
off manually , the ignition will not be auto­
mat ica lly switched
off and the engine w ill contin­
ue to run~& .
& WARNING
Never allow the engine to r un in confi ned
spaces - da nger o f as phyxia tio n.
(D Tips
-
If you shift in to the D, Nor S posit ions after
shifti ng into reve rse, the veh icle must be driv­
en faster th an 6 mph (10 km/h) in order for
t he eng ine to swi tc h
off aga in.
D rivi ng
Switching the Start-Stop-System on/off
manually
Applies to: vehicles with Start-Stop-System
If you do not wish to use th e system, you can
switch it off manually.
Fi g. 93 Center console: Start-Stop -System button
.. To switch the Start-Stop-System off/on man­
ually, press the
l(A) ~ I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is switc hed
off.
(D Tips
If you sw itch the system off during a stop
phase, the engine will start aga in automati­
cally .
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to: vehicles with Start-Stop -System
Start-Stop system deactiv ated: Plea se restart
engin e manually
This message appears when spec ific conditions
are not met during a stop phase and the Start­
Stop-System will
not be able to resta rt the en­
gine.
If the Dor R selector leve r pos itions we re
engaged, P w ill be sele cted automatically. The
engi ne m ust be st arted wi th t he
I START ENGINE STOP! button .
Start-Stop s yst em : S y stem fault! Function un­
available
There is a malfunction in the Start-Stop-System.
Drive the vehicle to an a uthorized repair facility
for serv icing as soo n as poss ible to cor rec t the
malfunction .
87

@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are ma k­
i ng the ad justment .
- Your settings are automatically stored and
ass igned to the remote control key being
u sed.
Driver messages
A ppl ies to: ve hicl es w ith si de assis t
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
i nstr ument cluster d isp lay :
Audi side assist: Cur rently una vailable . No sen ­
sor vision
The rada r senso rs' vision is affected . Do not cover
the area in front of the senso rs with b ike wheels,
stickers, dirt o r other ob jects . Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary
c:> page 103,
fig . 114.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist c an not be swi tched o n tempo rarily be­
cause there is a mal function (for exam ple, the
battery charge level may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it w ill detec t
ve hicles co rrectly and it is swi tched off . The sen­
s ors have bee n disp laced or are fa ulty. Have the
sy stem checked by an authorized Audi de aler or
au thor ized Au di Service Facility soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing .
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a fac­
tory-installed trailer hitch is connected to the
e lectr ical connector on the trailer . Th ere is no
g ua rantee the syste m will sw itch off when usi ng
a retrofitted tra ile r hitc h. D o not use s ide assist
when towing a t railer.
Aud i side assist
105

(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and the
P ASS ENGER AI R BA G OFF light will
stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing , remov­
ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make su re that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environm ent .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer ­
ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the training and special equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi .
- Never use addi tional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . A fter an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technic ian who has the technical
information, t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new rep lacement
parts des igned and approved especially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be performed by qualified work­
shops only. Ma ke sure that any airbag serv­
ice act ion is en tered in your Aud i Wa rranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE ­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circ uit
interrupter.
- Wo rk on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
dealer -risk of an acc ident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all applicable safe ty p recau tions
mus t be followed.
159

Driving with your
quattro
With All Wh eel Drive , all four wh eels are driven .
General information
With All W heel Drive, power is dis tribute d to all
four wheels . This happens automatically depend­
ing on your dr iving style and the road conditions
at the time . See also¢
page 190 . With the sport
d ifferent ial*, power d istr ibution to the rear
wheels is variable and can be adjusted with Audi
d rive select*
¢ page 106. Always read and fo llow
safety preca utio ns ¢ ,&. .
Winter tires
When drivi ng in the w inter, you r vehicle with All
Wheel Drive has an advantage, even with reg ular
tires. In winter road cond itions it may be adv isa­
b le to mount w inte r tir es (or a ll-season tires) for
i mproved d riveab ility and bra king : these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheels . See also
¢ page 251, W inter tires.
Snow chains
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also a pplies to vehicles w it h
All Whee l Dr ive ¢
page 251, Snow chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Veh icles w ith All Wheel Drive must always have
tires of the same s ize. A lso avo id tires wi th d iffer­
ent tread depths. For detai ls see page
¢ page 243.
Off-Road driving?
Your Aud i does not have e nough g round clear­
a nce to be used as an off-road vehicle . It is there­
fore best to avoid rough tracks and uneve n ter­
r ain as m uch as possible . Also refe r to
¢page 197.
_& WARNING ,~ -
Always adjust you r driv ing to road and t raffic
conditions . Do not let the extra safety affo rd­
ed by All Wheel Drive tempt you into taking
extra risks.
Sma rt Technology
- Although the A ll Whee l Drive is very effec­
tive, always remember that braking capacity
is limited by t ire tract ion. You shou ld there­
fore not dr ive at excessive speeds on icy or
slippe ry road surfaces .
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to dr ive
too fast because the front wheels could be­
g in to slide on top of the water (aquap la n­
ing) . If th is should oc cur, you will have no
warn ing from a sudden increase in engine
speed as with a front-wheel d rive vehicle.
Always d rive at speeds which are suited to
the road conditions -risk of c rash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution of
electrical energy and thus op timizes the availa­
bility of electrical energy for starting the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system is
not driven for a long pe riod of time, the battery is
discharged by id ling curre nt consumers (e.g. im­
mobilize r) . In certain circumstances i t can resu lt
in t he re being i nsufficien t energy ava ilable to
sta rt the engine.
Intelligent energy manageme nt in you r vehicle
hand les the distribution of electrical energy .
Start ing ability is markedly improved and the life
of the ba ttery is ex tended.
Bas ica lly, energy management cons ists of
bat ­
tery diagnosis , idling current management
and
dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously dete rm ines the
state of the battery. Sensors determine battery
vo ltage, battery current and battery tempera­
tu re. This de termines the current state o f ch arge
and the power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy con­
sumption while the vehicle is standing. With the ..,_
195

Smart Technology
ignition switched off, it controls the energy sup­
p ly to the various electrical components. Data
from battery diagnosis is considered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge, indi­
vidual consumers are gradually turned off to pre ­
vent excessive discharge of the battery and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy
management distributes the energy generated
according to the needs of the individual compo­
nents.
It regu lates consumption, so that more
electrical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an optimal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg­
ate the limits of physics . Cons ider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica­
tor light (•) appears
9 page 15, Cl Battery.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start­
ing capability .
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time of
year. Abundant electrical energy is required, but
only a little is generated . It is also crit ica l if the
engine is not running and electrical components
are turned on . In this instance energy is be ing
consumed but none is being generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will no­
tice energy management actively regulat ing the
d istr ibut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not driv e your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca­
pability over a longer period . Some of the con­
ven ience funct ions may not operate, such as the
interior l ights or the power seat adjustment. The
196
convenience functions will be availab le again
when you switch on the ignition and start the en­ gine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned off or use other MMI funct ions,
the battery is being d ischarged .
If starting capab ility is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis­
play .
The message indicates that the system will be
switched off automat ically in a moment . If you
wish to cont inue using the functions, you have to
start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrica l energy is generated when the
vehicle is being driven, the battery can become
discharged. This happens mostly when little en­
ergy is being generated and a great deal con ­
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
opt imal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibr i­
um, consumers wh ich require espec ially large
amounts of energy are temporarily cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in particular re­
quire a great dea l of energy. If you notice , fo r ex­
amp le, that the heated seats* or the heated rear
window are not heating, they have been tempo­
rarily cut back or switched off. These systems will
be available aga in as soon as the energy balance
has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slig htly. This is norma l and not a
cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the additional energy required is generat­
ed and the battery is charged.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
pollutants in the exha ust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the l ife of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
T he temperature of the exha ust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
-
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic converter or
heat sh ields. During dr iv ing, the substance
used fo r undercoating could overheat and
ca use a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
le aded fuel will already ser iously degrade
the performance of the catalytic co nverter .
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine oil level
<=;> page 225.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this cou ld cause the
cataly tic converte r to overheat.
- Do not sw itch off the ignition while the veh i­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these cond it ions, as otherwise fue l can
r each the catalyti c converte r. This cou ld re­
su lt in overheating of the conve rter, req uir­
i ng its replacement.
- T o assure efficient oper ation of the Emis­
s ion Control Sys tem:
- Have your veh icle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
book let .
198
-Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im ­
proper use of the vehicle wi ll impair the
funct ion o f the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op ­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
su lfu r-li ke exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fi lling the tank
with lead-free super g rade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
App lies to: vehicles with diese l engine
The diesel particulate filter filters nearly all of
the soot part icles out of the exhaus t. The filte r
clea ns itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l dr iv ing
cond it ions. If the fil ter canno t clean i tself (fo r ex­
amp le, because yo u are on ly driving short distan­
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbol for the diese l particu late filter il­
l uminates
¢ page 20.
A WARNING
- Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu­
la te filte r could sta rt a fi re.
-
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer period of time, contact an Audi
or other spec ia lized dealer . They can adv ise you
o n necessary p recautions e .g. corros ion preven­
tion, ma intenance and storage . Pay attention to
additional informat ion concer ning t he battery.
Refer to
<::;> page 2 31.

-Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary:
- Always d isconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Flu ids in the engine compartment
could start a fire.
- Keep an app roved fire ext inguisher imme­
d iate ly availab le.
- To avo id electr ical shock and personal injury
wh ile the eng ine 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 repa ir with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever to "P" (Park).
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
cloth ing, jewelry, or long hair from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other mov ing parts, or from contacting
hot parts. Tie back ha ir before starti ng,
and do not wear clothi ng that will hang or
d roop into t he engine.
- Min imize exposu re to emission and chem i­
cal hazards¢ .&.-
_& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warn ing:
- E ngine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
em it chem ica ls known to the St ate of C ali­
f orn ia to cause cancer and bi rth de fects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in ve hicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
Ch eck ing and Filling
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, term inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive harms.
Was h hands afte r handling .
([) Note
When adding flu ids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper co nta iner or
fille r opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems w ill occur.
® For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the veh icle
floor pan from unde rneath regularly . If you
see spots from oil or other veh icle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer.
Closing the engine hood
.,.. Pull the hood down un til the press ure from the
struts is reduced.
.,.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace . Do
not try to push it shut;
it may fail to engage
¢ _& .
_& WARNING
--A hood that is not completely latched co uld
fly up and block your view while driv ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly en­
gaged . The hood s hou ld be flush with the
sur rounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood is
not secured properly, stop at once and close
it.
-
221