2016 AUDI A8 battery

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal of
brake fluid as we ll as the special toots re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your authorized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the battery
in your Audi does not need any maint enance.
With
high outside temperatures or long daily
drives we recommend tha t you have the electro­
lyte level checked by a service facility. The elec­
trolyte level should also be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 233.
Have the battery checked when you take your ve­
hicle in for serv ice. You are well advised to re­
place a battery that is older than 5 years .
With certain types of airbag deployment, the batte ry is disconnected from the vehicle electri­
cal system for safety reasons¢
& in Repair, care
and disposal of the airbags on page 159 .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regu la­
tors, for example) are lost if the battery te rmi ­
nals are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con­
nected again. To prevent th is, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectr ica l
system when abso lutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. This reduces
ene rgy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca­
pability over a longer period ¢
page 195. Some
of the convenience functions may not operate,
such as the interior lights or the power seat ad­
justment. The convenience funct ions will be
ava ilable again when you switch on the ignition
and start the engine.
Checking and Filling
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop . This is be­
cause more power is also consumed while start­
ing, and the headlights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, particu­
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
distances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery before winter
sets in ¢
page 233. A well charged battery will
not only prevent starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer .
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it w ill not freeze . This will prevent it
from be ing damaged and having to be re­
placed.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment under the floor . Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
&-
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the veh icle electrical
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
231

Check ing and F illing
@
No
- spark s
- fl ame s
- smokin g.
~
Wh en a b att ery is ch arg ed , it produc es
h yd ro ge n ga s which i s explosive and
could cau se per sonal injury.
®
Always keep the b atter y well out of
r each of child ren.
A WARNING
Whenever work ing on the battery or on the
elect rical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and
even fire. Read and heed the fol­
lowing WARN INGS :
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
te ry acid or any lead particles get on your
sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury .
- Battery acid con tains su lfu ric acid. Sulfur ic
acid can cause blindness and severe b urns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection. Do
no t tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilat ion open ings .
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­ tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
electric sparks or an open light .
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega-
t ive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to
short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth ­
er metal objects. Th is wou ld cause the bat­
tery to heat up
very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy ­
drogen gas which is explosive and could
ca use personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of ch ildre n.
232
-
-Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative gro und cable.
- Before performing any work on the e lectri­
cal system, switch off the engine and ign i­
tion as well as any electrical equ ipment . The
negat ive cab le on the battery must be dis­
connected . If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before d isconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cab le and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make sure
all electr ica l consume rs a re switched off .
Reconnect the positive cable first and then
the negative cable . Never in terch ange t he
cables -this could sta rt a fire!
- Never cha rge a frozen or a thawed-out bat­
tery . It cou ld explode ! If a ba ttery has fro­
zen, then it must be replaced. A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32 ° F (0 °C).
- Make sure the
vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
- Never use batter ies which are damaged.
There is the danger of an exp losion! Always
replace a damaged battery .
A WARNING
Califo rnia Proposition 65 Warning :
- Batte ry posts, te rm inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State o f Cali fornia
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is on or when the engine is run­
ning, otherwise, you w ill damage electronic
components in the electrical system.
- If your veh icle is go ing to stand for a long
period of time w ithout being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it ..,.

will be damaged and will then have to be re­
placed.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged bat­
tery.
Fig. 203 Engine co mpa rtment: connectors fo r a c harger
and jump start cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
~ &. and
¢ A in Working on the battery on
page 232.
• Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
• Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery.
• Open the engine hood
~ page 220.
• Remove the cover (D by pressing on the arrow
¢ fig . 203.
• Open the cover @on the positive terminal.
• Connect the charger connectors according to
the instructions to the
jump start bolts. (Bolts
under the red cover= "positive" , Bolts with hex
head
= "negat ive").
• Only now plug the mains lead for the charging
equipment into the wall outlet and turn it on
¢&,, .
• Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amps/14.8 Volt.
• When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the mains
lead from the wall outlet .
• Now remove the clamps for the charging equip-
ment.
~ • Close the red cover on the positive pole. 0
~ • Close the hood~ page 221.
rl I.Cl U"I
rl I.Cl rl
Checking and Filling
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures
of only 32 F
0 (0 °C). Allow a frozen battery to
thaw completely before attempting to charge it
¢ &. However , we recommend not using a
thawed battery again because the battery casing can be cracked due to ice formation and can leak
battery acid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate of
30 amps/14.8 Volt)
When charging at low voltages (e.g . w ith a trick­
le charger),
the battery cables do not have to be
disconnected first. The battery caps should
not
be opened when charging a battery.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not nec­
essary to disconnect the cables .
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14.8 Volts)
For technical reasons do not use a battery charg­
er that uses voltage greater than 14.8 Volts to
charge your vehicle's battery.
.&_ WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manufactur­
e r when charging your battery.
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice. Al­
low a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were frozen.
The battery housing may have cracked and
weakened when the battery froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated area.
Keep away from open flame or electrical
spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas generat­
ed by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or disconnect charger cables while
the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a competent
technician with the proper equipment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charging
should be washed off with a so lution of
233

Check ing and F illing
warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
CD Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to start
the engine . This will serious ly damage sensi­
tive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc., as well as the battery
charger.
Battery replacement
T he new battery must have the same specifica­
t ions and dimensions as the original equipmen t
bat tery.
Int elli g ent en ergy managem ent in your vehicle is
responsible for distributing the electrical energy
throughout your vehicle
r=> page 195. The intelli­
gent energy management system will keep the
engine battery charged better than veh icles w ith­
out this system . To make sure the addit ional
e lectrical energy is avai lab le once again after you
have changed the battery, we recommend that
you install batteries of the same type and manu­ facture on ly (the same as those installed at the
time your vehicle was delivered). Specifications
are listed on the battery housing. Your author­
i z ed dealer must code the battery in the energy
management system to enable you to use the en­
ergy management functions correctly after re ­
placing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts) , amperage, construction and
plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the igni­
tion and all electrical consumers are sw itched
off.
CD Note
- Make sure the ventilation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherw ise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM battery . Installing a d ifferent type of bat­
tery can cause problems in the vehicle elec -
234
trical system. When replacing the vehicle
battery, always install one with the same
specifications as the original battery .
- Battery mounts and clamps m ust always be
secured correctly.
- Read and follow the warnings under
¢ page 231, Working on the battery before
performing any work on the battery .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the p roblem of proper disposal of
a battery, we recommend your authorized
A udi dealer change the battery for you . Bat­
teries contain sulfur ic acid and lead and must
a lways be disposed of properly in compliance
with all environmental regulations . Disposing
of veh icle batteries improperly is very danger­
ous to the environment .
Windshield washer
system
Fig. 204 En gin e compa rt ment: washer fluid rese rvoir cap
The w indshield washer fluid reservo ir Q conta ins
the cleaning solution for the w indshield and the
headlight washe r system ¢
fig. 204, ¢ page 222.
The reservoir capacity is found in
r=> page 2 78 .
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium. Always add w indow cleaner to the wa­
ter . When the outside temperat ures are cold , an
anti-freez ing agent shou ld be added to the water
so that it does not freeze. ..,.

Wheels
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible )
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated. Also called "maxi­
mum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the to­
ta l seating capacity of your vehi­
c le .
Occupant distribution
means distribut ion of occupan ts
in a vehic le .
Outer diameter
means the overall diamete r of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the l inear distance be ­
tween the exter iors of the side­
walls of an infla ted tire , including
elevations due to labeling , deco­
rations, or protective bands or
r ibs.
2 4 0
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated
pa rallel cords.
Production options weight
means t he comb ined we ight of
those insta lled regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace , not pre­
viously considered in curb weight or accessory weight, inc luding
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply co rds that extend to the
beads are laid at subs tantially 90
deg rees to the centerline o f the
tread .
Recommended inflation
pressure
see~ page 239, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at highe r loads and at h igher in­
flat ion pressures than t he corre­
spond ing standa rd tire . R ein ­
forced tires may be identified as .,.

Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Veh icles with an automatic transmission can­
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine shou ld fail to start because of a dis ­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of suffic iently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are dis tinct ly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored re d
minus( -) cable
in most cases colored blac k.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avo id leaning
over the battery whenever poss ible.
- A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C) . Before con­
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
Emergency situations
frozen battery completely, otherwise it
could explode .
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an exp losion.
- Vehicle batteries generate exp losive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The vo ltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an exp lo­
sion and personal injury .
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . The battery case may have be weak­
ened .
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or sub ­
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an exp losion and injury. The capac ity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lowe r than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the eng ine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
r::!)page 220.
(D Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- Th ere must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
(D Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's e lectrica l system. ..,.
271

Emergency situations
When jump starting or charging the bat­
tery, never connect the negative ground ca­
ble to the battery negative post because the
battery manager system must be able to de­
tect the battery's state of charge. Always
connect the negative ground cable to the
negative ground post of the battery manag­
er contro l unit.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper cable clamps in
exactly the order described below!
F ig . 230 Engine compar tment: connectors for jump start
cables and cha rger
F ig. 231 Jump starti ng wit h the battery of another veh icle:
@ -boos ter battery, @-disc harged vehicle battery
The procedure described be low for connecting
jumper cables is intended to provide a jump start for your vehicle.
Vehicle with discharged battery:
• Turn off lights and accessories, move leve r of
automatic transmission to N (Neutral) or P
(Park) and set parking brake.
Connect POSITIVE (+) to POSITIVE (+) ( red)
• Open the red cover on the positive term inal
¢ fig. 230.
272
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable on
the
jump start bolt 9 fig. 231 (D (bolt under
the red cover= "positive") of the veh icle to be
started @.
2. Connect the other end to the positive termi-
nal @ of the booster battery @.
Connect NEGATIVE (- ) to NEGATIVE(-)
(black)
3. Connect one end of the black negative cable
to the negative term inal @ of the booster
battery @.
4. Connect the other end to the
jump start pin
@ (bolts with hex head bolt= "negative") of
the vehicle to be started ®·
Starting the engine
• Start the eng ine of the vehicle with the booster
battery @. Run the eng ine at a moderate
speed.
• Sta rt engine w ith discharged vehicle ba ttery @
in the usual manner.
• If the engine fails to start, do not keep the
starter cranking for longer than 10 seconds.
Wait for about 30 seconds and then try again.
• With engine running, remove jumper cables
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse order.
• Close the red cover on the positive terminal.
The battery is vented to the outside to prevent
gases from entering the vehicle interior . Make
sure that the jumper clamps are well connected
with their metal parts in full contact with the battery terminals.
&_ WARNING
To avoid ser ious personal injury and damage
to the vehicle, heed all warnings and instruc­
tions of the jumper cable manufacturer. If in
doubt, call for road service.
- Jumper cables must be long enough so that
the vehicles do not touch .
- When connecting jumper cables, make sure
that they cannot get caug ht in any moving
parts in the engine compartment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ page 220.

(D Note
Im pro per hook-u p of jum per cables can ru in
the gene ra tor.
- Always connect P OSITI VE( +) to POS ITI VE
( + ), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE( -)
ground post of t he battery manager contro l
u nit .
- Check that a ll sc rew p lugs on the battery
ce lls a re sc rewed in firmly . If not, t igh ten
pl ugs p rio r to connecting clamp on negative
batte ry te rminal.
- Please note t hat the procedure fo r con nect­
i ng a jumper cab le as desc ribe d above ap­
p lies specifica lly to the case of yo ur vehicle
being jump s tarte d. W hen you are giv ing a
ju mp s ta rt to an othe r vehicl e, do
not con­
n ect t he nega tive (- ) ca b le t o t he nega tive
(-) t ermin al on the di scharged battery @
c> fig . 23 1. Instead, securely connec t the
negative (-) cable to either a solid metal
com ponent that is f irm ly bolted t o the e n­
gine block o r to t he engine bloc k itsel f. If
the batt ery that is be ing c ha rge d d oes not
vent to the outs ide, escap ing batte ry gas
could ignite and e xplode!
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Your Audi require s speci al handling f or towing.
Th e follow ing informat ion is to be used by com­
mercia l tow tr uck o pera tors who know how to op­
e rat e the ir equip men t sa fely.
- Never tow your Audi. Towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
around the brake lines.
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed truck.
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use the
towing loop found in the vehicle tools and at­
tach to the front or rear anchorage
¢page273 and ¢pag e 274 .
Emergency situations
A WARNING
-A ve hicle being towe d is not safe for passen-
ge rs. Neve r allow a nyo ne to ride in a vehicle
b eing towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Only install the front towing loop when it is
needed .
Fig. 232 Front bumper: cover
Fig. 233 Front bumper: screwing in th e towing loo p
The towing loo p fits in to the thre aded hole locat­
ed o n the r ig ht side o f the fron t bumper a nd cov­
ered by a small cover when not in use.
" Re move the towing loo p from the vehi cle too l
ki t.
" Press inward s tron gly on the up per left si de of
the cap to remove it from the bum per
¢ fig . 232.
" Screw the towing loop tightly in the threaded
hole as far as it will go and tighten it with the
wheel wrench
<=> fig . 233.
Remove the towing loop when you are done using
it and place it back in the ve hicle too l kit. Insta ll
the cover in the bumper . Always keep the towing
loop in the vehicle . ..,.
273