2016 AUDI A8 coolant temperature

Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of the instr ume nt cluster
CD Coolant temperature gauge .. .. .
@ Tachometer (engine rev counte r) .
@ Turn signals .... .. ...... ..... .
@ Display with
- Driver information system
- Warning/indicator lights
® Tachometer
@ Fuel gauge ..... ........... .. .
(J) Reset button for trip odometer
(D Tips
10
11
48
23
11
11
26
The instrument illumination (for dials and
needles) turns on when the ignition is on and
the vehicle lights are turned off. As the day­
light fades, the illumination of the dials like­
wise dims automatically and will go out com­
pletely when the outside light is very low . This
10
feature is meant to remind you to switch on
the headlights when outside light conditions
become poor.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge CD~ page 10, fig. 3
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the follow­
ing important points:
Engine cold
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, heavy en-
gine loads and heavy throttle applications. .,,_

Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the LEDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on under norma l driving conditions . The
LEDs higher up may turn on when the engine is
under heavy load or the exterior temperature is
high. This is no need to worry as long as the.
warn ing light in the instrument cluster does not
illuminate . If the LEDs in the upper area of the
d isplay and the ind icator light . in the instru­
ment cluster display tu rn on , the coolant temper­
ature is too high
¢page 15.
_& WARNING
-Always observe the warning in ¢ page 220,
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
-Mounting additional lights or accessories in
front of the air inlets reduces the cooling ef­
fect of the radiator. At h igh outside temper­
atures or high engine load, the engine could
overheat .
- The front spoiler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the veh i­
cle is moving.
If the spo iler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
iz ed Audi dealer for assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revo­
lutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red area at
the end of the scale indicates maximum permis­
sib le eng ine RPM after the break-in period. Be­
fore reaching this area, move the selector lever
Instruments and indicator lights
to position "D (Drive)" or ease your foot off the
acce lerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachome ter needle should only briefly be
in the red zone: you could damage your en­
gine! The beginning of the red zone varies de­
pending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fue l gauge only works when the ignition is
on. If the fuel level drops below 4 gallons (15 lit­
ers), the bottom LED turns red and the indicator
l ight tllturns on
¢page 21. The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The possible range based on the current fue l lev­
el is shown in tab@¢
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An irregu­
l ar supply of fuel can cause engine misfiring
and fuel could enter the exhaust system. The
catalytic converter could then overheat and
be damaged.
Indicator Lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
funct ions¢ ,&..
Messages may appear with some indicator lights.
A warning signal will sound at the same time.
The ind icator lights and messages in the center
of the displays may be replaced by other displays.
To show them again, select the tab for indicator lights and messages using the multifunction
steering wheel¢
page 23. If there are several
malfunctions, you can display them one at a time
u sin g the thumbwheel.
IJi,-
11

or qualified repair facility and have the
brake system inspected.
- Always keep in mind that after several brake
applications, you will need greater pressure
on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle. Do
not rely on strained brakes to respond with
maximum stopping power in critical situa­
tions. You must allow for increased braking
distances . The extra distance used up by
fading brakes could lead to an accident.
PARK/( ®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the elec­
tromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator light- (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake was
set .
- (USA models) ,. (Canada models) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, there is not enough braking power to keep
the vehicle from rolling. The brakes have over­ heated. The vehicle could roll away even on a
small incline .
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button~ or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
c:> page84.
Please release parking brake
To release the parking brake manually, press the
brake pedal and press the button ~ at the same
time. The parking brake only releases automati­
cally if the driver's safety belt is fastened.
mJ Parking brake!
If the Iii indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a parking brake malfunc­
tion . Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop immediately to have the mal-
;:;:: function corrected.
0 J:
'SI: ,...., Instruments and indicator lights
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
The coolant level is too low .
Do not continue driving and switch the engine
off. Check the coolant level
c:> page 22 7.
- If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
c:> page 228. Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
Let the engine run at idle for a few minutes to
cool off, until the indicator light turns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle . See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
for assistance .
A WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This increases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see or hear
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working in the engine
compartment. Always follow the informa­
tion found inc:>
page 220.
(0 Note
Do not continue driving if the . indicator
light turns on - this increases the risk of en­
gine damage.
C:I Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a malfunc­
tion in the generator or in the vehicle's electrical
system .
The. warning/indicator light illuminates when
you switch on the ignition and must go out after
the engine has started .
• Alternator fault: Battery is not being charg-
ed
~
15

Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate control system
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the veh icle inter ior. It
is the most effective when the windows and sun ­
roof* are closed . If the temperature inside the
parked vehicle becomes very warm, opening the
window briefly will speed up the cooling process.
I n all heating mode functions except
defrost, the
b lower only switches to a higher speed once the
engine coolant has reached a certain tempera­
ture .
Condensat ion from the cooling system can drip
and form a puddle of water under the veh icle.
This is normal and does not mean there is a leak.
P ollutant filt er
The po llutant filte r removes pollutants such as
dust and pollen from the a ir.
The air pollutants filter must be changed at the intervals specif ied in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet, so that the a ir cond it ione r can
properly work.
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high air pollut ion, the filter may need to be changed
more frequently than specified i n your Aud i Wa r­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. If in doubt, ask
your author ized Audi Service Advisor for advice.
Key cod ed setting s
The climate control settings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote contro l key
that is in use .
.8, WARNING
Reduced visib ility is dangerous and can ca use
accidents.
- For safe dr iv ing it is very impo rtan t that a ll
windows be free of ice, snow and condensa­
t ion .
76
- Complete ly familiarize yourself with the
proper use and function of the heating and
ventilation system and espec ially how to de­
fog and defrost the wi ndows .
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer sys­
tem in freezing weather until you have
warmed the windshield first, using the heat­ ing and vent ilation system. The washer solu­
tion may freeze on the windshield and re­
duce visibi lity.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has
been damaged, sw itch the system off to
avoid further damage and have it inspected
by a q ualified dealership.
- Repa irs to the Aud i air cond itioner requ ire
special techn ica l know ledge and spec ial
tools. Contact an a uthorized Audi dealer fo r
assistance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reduc ing the amo unt of fuel you use, you
also red uce the amount of pollutants emitted
into the a ir.
(D Tips
- Keep t he a ir intake slots (in front of the
windshield) free from ice, snow and debr is
in orde r to maintain the prope r funct ion of
the climate control system .
- The energy management sys tem may sw itch
the seat heating* o r rea r window defroster
off temporarily. These systems are available
again as soon as the energy balance has
been restored.
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing on
the luggage compartment cover, ensure
that the openings are not covered.

Warm and cold
Operation
We recommend pressing the
! AUTO ! button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C).
Fig. 84 Cockpit con trols
Fig. 85 four zone automatic climate control: rear controls
Press the buttons to turn the functions on or off .
Use the dials to adjust the temperature, the
b lower speed and the air distr ibut ion. The LED in
a butto n will light up when the function is
switched on. The settings a re shown in the cli­
mate con trol display and are also shown in the
MMI disp lay for a few seconds. The driver and
front passenger settings can be adj usting sepa­
rately .
You can also adjus t the rear left and right sides in
the four zone automatic climate control*
¢fig. 85 .
IOFF I Switching the climate control system
on/off
~ The IOFFI button switches the climate control 0
~ system on or off. It also switches on when you
~ turn the dial or press any button. Airflow from U"I ,...., \!) ,....,
outside is blocked when the climate control sys­
tem is switched off.
You can act ivate the residual heat function when
the ignit io n i s off by pressing and holding the~
button. The residual heat from the coolant is
u sed to heat the veh icle inter ior. The residua l
heat function switches off automatica lly after
about 30 minutes .
IA/Cl Switching cooling mode on/off
The air is not cooled and humidity is not removed
when cooling mode is switched off. This can
cause fog on the windows. Coo ling mode
switches off automatically at low outside tem­
peratures.
1 .,.,,1 Switching recirculation mode on/off
In rec irculat ion mode, the air inside the vehicle is
circulated and filtered. This prevents the unfi l­
tered air outside the vehicle from entering the
vehicle interior. We recommend switching recir­
cu lation mode on when driving through a tunnel
or when sitting in traffic
c> &.
The !AUTO I button or I FRONT! button switches
recircu lation mode off. ..,.
77

Trailer mod e
conditions are unfavorable - particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
imm ediatel y if the tra ile r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the sway in g b y accele rating .
Observe speed lim its . In some areas, speeds for
ve hicl es towing tra ilers are lower than for reg ula r
veh icles.
A lways apply brakes early . When dr iving down­
h ill , sh ift into a lower gear to use the engine
b raking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a tra iler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension . Switch the air sus­
pens ion tra iler mode on when you a re towing a
tra ile r. This will limit the regulat ion by the air
suspens ion while driving . Select in the MM I:
ICARI function button > (Car )* sys tem s control
button >
Vehicle setting s > Air su sp .: to wi ng >
On .
Coolant temperature
The coolan t temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. The coo lant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
immed iate ly if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
¢page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing a
trai ler because of the additiona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distr ibut ion. Safety, performance
204
-
and economy will g reatly depend on how carefu l­
l y you load your trai ler and operate your rig .
Befo re yo u actually tow yo ur t railer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing unti l you have be ­
come complete ly familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requ ires practice.
Backing up with a trailer genera lly req uires steer ­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle witho ut a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between yo ur vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember tha t you canno t accel­
erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load . Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer du ring the break-i n pe ri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a tr aile r, your A udi may requi re
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 281.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks unde r both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks abso rb the load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.

Checking and Filling
Checking and Filling
Hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehi­
cle .
Fig. 194 Driver footwell : release leve r
Fig. 195 Ro cker switc h under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the windshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever un ­
der the instrument panel in the direction of the
arrow ¢
fig. 194.
.. Raise the hood slightly Q _A .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
Q fig. 195. This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you .
- To reduce the risk of be ing burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the eng ine compart­
ment. Wait unt il no steam or coolant can be
220
seen or heard before carefully open ing the
hood.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engine comportment.
Whenev er yo u mu st perform an y work in the
engin e compartment , for exampl e chec king and
filli ng d iffe rent fl uids , the re is a ri sk of injur y,
bu rn s and accid ent s. T o preven t perso na l injur y
alway s obse rve the foll owing WARNING S. The
en gine compartment o f an y v ehicl e is a haz ard ­
ou s a rea
Q _6 .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine .
- Switch off the ignit ion.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever to "P" (Park).
-Always let the eng ine cool down. Hot com-
ponents will burn skin on contact .
-
-To redu ce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coo lant escaping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully opening the
hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment .
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly.
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is sti ll warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .

Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention.
T he cooling system has been filled at the factory
with a permanent coolant which does not need to
be changed . The coolant consists of a mixture of
specially condit ioned water and the manufactur ­
er's glycol-based coolant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (SO% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canadian mode ls). This m ixture
both ass ures the necessa ry frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine's coo l­
ing system from corrosion and scaling .
It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not red uce the concent ration of the coolant in
the summer by adding p lain water.
The propor­
tion of coolant addit ive mu st be at least 50 %
but not more than 60 %
to mainta in antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant could
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
g ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to :
- -31° F(- 3S°C)USA
- - 40 ° F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a m ixture of water
and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended .
_& WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n t he engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220 .
(D Note
-Befo re winter se ts in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the cl imate con -
Check ing and Filling
ditions. This is especially important if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme­
ly cold. If necessary, increase the proportion
of coolant additive to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your cool­
ing system, remember :
- We recommend us ing only coolant add i­
tive Gl2+ + or Gl3 for yo ur vehicle. This
coolant addit ive is avai lab le at aut horized
A udi dealers . O ther types of antifree ze can
significantly reduce corrosion pro tect ion .
The resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra ­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and cou ld resu lt in damage not cov­
ered by your New Veh icle Limited Warra nty .
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 2 01 Engin e compar tmen t: cover o n th e coo lant expan ­
sion t ank
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 220 .
Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Switch off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the coo lant
expansion tank
¢ fig . 201, ¢page 222. With a
cold engine, the coolant level should be be-
tween the "min" and "max" markings. When .,.
227