2016 AUDI S8 engine coolant

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 .
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- 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.

Driving
more force to turn or brake if necessary. Be­
cause you cannot steer and brake as you
usually would, this could lead to crashes
and serious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you should a lways park
yo ur vehicle with the selector lever in P.
O therwise, the ve hicle co uld inadverte ntly
r oll away.
- After the engine has been sw itched off , the
rad iator fan can con tinue to ru n for up to 10
mi nutes -even with the ig nition switched
off.
It ca n also swi tc h on again after some
t ime if t he coolant te mperature ris es as th e
resul t of a he at bu ildup o r if the eng ine is
hot an d the engine compartme nt is addi ­
t iona lly heated by the sun's rays.
([) Note
Do not s top the e ngine immed ia te ly after
h ard o r ex tende d driving. Keep the engine
r u nning for approxima tely two m in utes to
prevent excessive heat b uild- up.
Driver message in the instrument cluster
display
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appears and a warn ing tone sounds
if you open the driver's door when the ignition is
sw itched on.
Press brake pedal to start engine
T his message appea rs if you press the
I START ENGI NE STOP I butt on to st art the engine
and do not depress the brake pedal. The eng ine
can only be started if the bra ke pe dal is de­
pressed.
Ill Is key in the vehicle ?
If the i nd icator light t urns on and the message
appears, the remote co ntro l key was removed
from the vehicle while the eng ine was ru nning. If
the ignition key is no t in the vehicle yo u w ill not
be ab le to sw itch on the ign ition or restart the
engine after it has been switched off . You will a l­
so not be able to lock the ve hicle from the out­
side.
82
Shift to P, othe rwi se vehicle can roll away.
Door s do not lock if lever is not in P.
This dr ive r mess age ap pears for safety re a sons if
the tra nsmission has not been shifted to the P
p os it ion when you switch the ignition off . Move
the se lecto r lever to the P position. Otherwise the
vehicle is not p rotected from rol ling and cannot
be locked .
fl Key is not recognized. Hold back of key
against marked area. See owner 's manual.
If the indic ator ligh t turns on and this mes sage
appea rs, there is a ma lfunction
¢page 83 .
Turn off ignition before leaving car . Battery is
discharging
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ign ition is sw itched on. Always
swi tch off the ignition if yo u are leav ing the ve hi­
cl e. See a lso
¢ page 87.
Shift to P and turn off ignition before leaving
car, otherwise vehicle can roll away
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on and the
selector lever is not in the P position . S hi ft the
selector lever i nto the P posit io n and sw itch off
t h e ign it io n when yo u exit the vehicle . Otherwise
t h e ve hicle co uld ro ll. See a lso
¢ page 87.

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 .

(!) Windshield/headlight washer con-
tainer
(O) ................. . .
@ Jump start point(-) with hex head
screw . ..................... .
@ Jump start point(+) under a cover
© Engine oil filler cap ("t!:r.) ...... .
® Brake fluid reservoir((();) ...... .
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) .... .
0 Oil dipstick .................. . 234
233,271
233,271 225
230
227
225
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be locat­
ed in a different area depending on the version of
the engine.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢
&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 220.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The service interval display in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oil change. We recommend that you hav e your oil changed by an authorized Audi Serv­
ice Advisor.
I f you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oi l quality standard specified in the
table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 50400
Diesel vw 507 00
engine
Using the proper engine oil is impo rtant for the
functiona lity and service life of the eng ine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high-quality oil
;:;:: which can usually be used throughout the entire
0
~ year.
,...., Checking and Filling
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
- Use only a high quality engine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard spec ified for your vehicle's eng ine.
Us ing any other oil can cause ser ious eng ine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the eng ine oi l. Do ing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Aud i oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthetic"oi l that meets the following speci­
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoline engine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE 5W-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 or
API C F with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30
or SAE SW-30.
- For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer
or Audi Customer Relations at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.audicanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. O il consumption varies from eng ine to en ­
gine and may change significantly over the life of
the engine. Typ ically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see ¢
page 197) consume more ""
223