2016 AUDI S8 air condition

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
the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢ page 222.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will il­
luminate until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though 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 cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
_& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and can
get very hot. Reduce the risk of scalding from
hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es­
caping fluid and steam by covering the cap
with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction while applying
light, downward pressure on the top of the
cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot engine parts. Under certain conditions,
the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can
catch fire.
228
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding radia­
tor repair fluid may adversely affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
¢.& in Working in the engine compartment on
page 220 .
.. Requirement: There must be a residual amount
of coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down .
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 22 7, fig. 201 and carefully twist
the cap counter-clockwise ¢&, .
.,. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
r::!> page 22 7, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
.. Make sure that the fluid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary .
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications ¢
page 22 7, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G13 or in an emergency G12+ . Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter until you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifreeze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark . Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine becomes
hot.
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& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald ing
from hot coolant by following these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by cover ing the
cap w ith a la rge, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise d irection while applying
light, downward p ressure on t he top of
the cap.
- T o avoid bei ng bu rned, do not spill anti­
free ze or coo la nt on the e xhaust sys tem or
hot engi ne parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene glycol in eng ine cool ­
ant can catch fire .
- An tifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original con tainer and well ou t
of the reach of children.
- If you dra in the coolant, it m ust be ca ught
and safely stored in a proper conta iner
clearly marked "poison" .
(D Note
-Do no t add coolant if the expa nsion tank is
empty. Air cou ld enter the cooling sys tem
and damage the eng ine. If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek professional
ass istance.
- Coolant po llutes the environment and could
ca use an eng ine fire . Excess coolant will be
fo rced o ut through the pressure relief valve
i n the cap when the eng ine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only wate r can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between water and an­
tifreeze¢
page 22 7 must be restored as
soon as possib le.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant sho uld not be reused. Always
dispose of used coolant while observing all
,...,
"' environmental regulat io ns. 0 J:
'SI: ,..., -
Ch eck ing and Filling
Rad iator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self .
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
belt. The v iscous clutch regulates t he speed of
the fan accord ing to the temperature of the cool­
ant .
An auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan* sw itches on and
off depend ing o n coo lant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan
can continue ru nning for up to 10 m inutes -even
with the ignition off. It can even switch on aga in
later by itself¢,& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up beca use the
veh icle is parked in intense sunlight.
& WARNING
- To reduce the r isk of persona l injury neve r
touch the radia to r fan .
- The auxiliary e lectr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on s uddenly even
when the engine is not ru nning .
- The a uxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto­
mat ically when the eng ine coolant reaches a
certa in temperature a nd will continue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
229

@ 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

Wheels
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win­
ter road conditions, but also the broking.
Use of snow cha ins is o nly pe rm itted with certain
r im/t ire combinations due to tec hni cal reasons.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized repair faci lity to see if yo u may use snow
cha ins .
The snow c ha ins must have
low-profile lin ks and
m ust not be thicker than 0 .4 inch (10.S mm), in ­
cluding the lock.
You mus t remove the c hains whe n driving on
roads that are
free of snow. When roads are free
of snow, snow c hains can impair handling and
damage the tires, and the chains wi ll quickly be
destroyed .
_& WARNING
Using inco rrect snow chains or insta lling snow
chains incorrectly can result in loss of vehicle
cont rol, which inc reases the risk of an acc i­
dent .
{CT) Note
-Snow cha ins can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into d irect con­
tact with them . Remove the wheel cove rs*
first. Use coated snow chai ns.
- Using snow chains that add more than 0.4
inch (10.5 mm) of he ight can severely dam­
age the wheel hous ings and other vehicle
components.
- Do not i nstall and use snow chai ns if there is
a malfunct ion in the adaptive air suspen­
s io n, because the vehicle he igh t will be very
l ow. If you drive wi th snow ch ains anyw ay,
the wheel ho usings and other vehi cle com ­
ponen ts can be severely damaged .
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it m ay be useful t o
sw itch on sport mo de
¢page 192.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra ­
tio tires . These ti res have been tho roughly tested
252
and been sele cted specifica lly for your mode l for
their superb performance, road fee l and hand ling
u nder a var iety of dr iv ing cond it ions. Ask your au ­
thori zed Audi dea ler fo r more details.
The low aspect rat io o f these tires is indica ted by
a n umera l of
55 or less in the tire's size designa­
t ion . The n umera l represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Convent iona l tires have
a height/width ratio of 60 or more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par­
t ic ularly sensitive to improper inflation pres ­
sure.
It is the refore important that low aspect
ratio tire s are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressur e is regularly
checked and maintained . T ir e pressures should
b e c hec ked at l east on ce a month and alway s
befor e a long trip
¢ page 246.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i­
l y by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is un­
derinflated.
In orde r to mi nimi ze the occur rence of impact
dam age to the tires of yo ur vehicle, we recom ­
mend tha t you observe the following preca u­
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended i nflation pres­
sures. Check yo ur tir e pressure eve ry 2,0 00
m iles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w ith potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impac t from dr iv ing
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso ca use
damage to your ti res.
-After any impact, immediate ly inspect you r
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au­
thorized A udi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 mi les (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ich could eventually cause
tire fa ilure . If you be lieve that a tire may have .,.

the recommended tire pressure for you r ve hicle
¢ page 246, fig . 208.
T ire tread circumference and v ibrat ion character­
istics can change and cause a ti re pressure warn­
ing if :
- the tire p ressure in one o r more tires is too low.
- the tire has structura l damage .
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored¢
page 255 .
-the spare t ire* is installed.
Ind icat or light s
IE Loss of press ure in at least one tire q &. .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of a ll four tires and
store the pressure again in the Infotainment sys­
tem ¢
page 255.
ffim (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressu re: Sys tem malfunction !.
Iffflm appears
after switching the ignition on or wh ile driving
and the
IE indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks for approximate ly one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction . Try to
store the correct tire pressures¢ page 255 . If
the indicator light does tur n off or t urns on again
a fte r a short period of time, dr ive to you r author­
ized A udi dealer or qualified repair fac ility imme­
diate ly to have the ma lfunction co rrected.
&_ WARNING
- If the tire pressu re indicator appears in the
display, reduce your speed immed iate ly and
avoid any hard steer ing or braking maneu­
vers. Stop as soon as possib le and check the
t ir es and their press ure .
- The driver is responsib le for maintaining the
correct tire pressure. You must check the
t ir e pressu re regu la rly .
- Under certa in conditions (such as a sporty
dr iv ing style, wi nter cond itions or unpaved
roads), the tire p ressure monitoring system
indicator may be de layed.
- Do not use r un-flat tires on your vehicle. Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
vehicle damage or accidents.
Wh eel s
(D Tips
-The tire p ressure monitoring system can al­
so stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow c hains may result in a system
ma lf u nction.
- The tires wit h the identification "AO" or
"RO"
q page 243 have been matched wit h
your Audi t ire press ure monitoring system.
We recommend that you use these tires.
Storing tire pressures
If the tire pressure changes or a tire is replaced,
it must be confirmed in the Infotainment sys­ tem.
.,. Ma ke sure befo re storing t hat the t ire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adapted to the load ¢
page 244.
.,. Switch the ignit ion on .
.,. Select: the
I CAR ! funct io n button > Car Systems
cont rol button > Serv icing & check s > Tire
pressure monitoring > Store tire pressures >
Ye s, store now .
(j) Tips
Do not sto re the tire pressures if snow chains
are ins talled. Ot he rw ise the system could
malfunc tion.
255

Consumer information
Warranty coverages
Y our Audi is co vered b y the foll owing war ran­
tie s:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfora-
tion
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regard ing your warranties
can be found in yo ur
W arranty & M ainten ance
bookl et.
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government reg ulations in the Un ited States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, vehicles built for the U .S.A. and Cana­
da differ from vehicles sold in other countries.
I f you p lan to take your vehicle outside the conti­
nenta l limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the poss ibility that:
- u nleaded fue ls for vehicles with cata lytic con­
verter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane rat­
i ng . Imprope r fuel may ca use engine damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of p roper
service facilities, tools or testing eq uipment;
- r eplacement parts may not be readily ava ilable.
- Navigation systems for veh icles built for the
U .S .A . and Canada will not necessa rily work in
E urope, and may not wo rk in other countries
outside No rth Ame rica.
Con sumer inf ormation
(D Note
Audi cannot be respons ible for mechanical
damage that could resu lt from inadequate
fuel, service or parts ava ilability.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and L itera ­
ture are published as soon as poss ible after mod­
el introduction. Service ma nuals and literature
are avai lab le to order from the Audi Tec hni cal Lit ­
erature Ordering Center at :
www.audi .t e chlit eratur e.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to he lp keep
maintenance requirements to a min imum. How­
ever, a certain amount of regular maintenance is
still necessary to assure your veh icle's safety,
economy and reliab ility . For detailed vehicle
maintenance consult your Wa rranty
& Mainte­
nance book let .
Und er diff icult op erating condition s, for exam­
ple at extremely low outside temperatures, in
very dusty regions, when towing a trai le r very fre­
quently, etc., some service work shou ld be per­
fo rmed between the in terv als specified. This ap ­
plies particularly to:
- oil changes , and
- cleaning or replacing the a ir filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintain ing your vehicle, you
help make sure that emiss ion standards are
maintai ned, thus min imizing adverse effects
on the environment .
Important considerations for you and your
vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticated
fuel injection and emission control systems, and
the generally increas ing technica l complexity of ""'
281

Consumer inf orm ation
today's a utomo biles, have steadily re duced the
scope of maintenance and repairs whic h can be
carried out by veh icle owners.
Also , sa fet y and
en vironmental
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustmen ts to en­
g ine and transmission parts wh ich an owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
qu ire special tools, testing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work ­
shop personnel in order to assure proper per­
forma nce, re liability and safety of the veh icle and
its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliab ility of your
ve hicle and eve n void your vehicle warranty .
Therefo re, proof of se rvicing in a ccordance w ith
the m aintenance sched ule may be a condition for
up ho ld ing a possible wa rranty claim made within
the wa rranty pe riod.
Above all , ope rational safety can be adversely af­
fected, cre ating unne cessa ry risks fo r you and
your passengers.
I f in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other properly
eq uipped and qualified workshop . We strongly
urge you to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opportunity to perform a ll scheduled mainte ­
nance and necessa ry repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, origina l parts and tra ined specialists to
keep your veh icle runn ing properly.
P e rforming limited maintenance yourself
The fo llow ing pages describe a limited number of
procedures whic h can be performed on your vehi­
cle with ordinary tools, should th e need arise and
tra ined personnel be unava ilable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
ough ly read all of the app licab le text and carefu l­
ly follow the instructions g iven . A lways rigorously
observe the
WARNINGS prov ided .
Befo re yo u check anything in the engine com ­
partment, always read and heed all WARNINGS
c::> & and c::> & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220 .
282
A WARNING
-
-Ser ious personal in jury may occur as a result
of imp roperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extreme ly careful when work ing
on the vehicle . Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never r is k personal in jury.
- Do not attempt any of the mainte nance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are no t fu lly fam iliar with these
or other proce dures with respect to the ve­
hicle, o r are uncert ain how to p ro ceed.
- Do not do any work wi thout the prope r tools
a nd equi pmen t. H ave the necess ary wo rk
done by your authorized Au di dealer or an ­
other properly equipped and qualified work­
shop.
- The engine compartment of any motor vehi ­
cle is a potentially hazardous area . Never
reach into the a rea around or touch the radi­
ator fan. It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
gine is off . The radiator fan switches o n au­
tomatically when the coolan t reaches a cer­
tain tempe ra ture an d w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant tem pe rature d rops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your vehicle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supp lied wi th the veh i­
cle is no t adequate fo r thi s pu rpose a nd
could collapse causing serious personal in­
Jury .
- If you must wor k unde rneath the vehicle
w ith the wheels on t he g roun d, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels are always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic t ransm iss ion) is in "P"
(Park position) and the pa rk brake is ap-
plied.
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