2017 AUDI A8 check engine

Driving
-If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 in (25 cm) or more from the steer­
ing wheel, check with your authorized Audi
dealer to see if adaptive equipment is avail­
able .
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental driver's airbag can ­
not prov ide as much protection in an acci­
dent. Always make sure that the steering
wheel is aligned with your chest.
-Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury if
the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steer ing wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel the
wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys.
Entry assistance
Easy seat entry makes it easier to enter and exit the vehicle by adjusting the steering column au­
tomatically.
• In the Infotainment system, select the !CAR I
function button > Car systems control button >
Vehicle settings> Seats> Driver's seat> Easy
seat entry> On.
When easy seat entry is switched on, the steering
column goes back up into the park position when
the ignition is switched off. After entering the ve­
hicle, the steering column returns to the stored position once the ignition is switched on .
76
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The ! S TAR T ENGINE S T OPI button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine .
Fig. 90 Cente r conso le: START ENGINE STOP but ton
Switching the ignition on/off
• To switch the ignit ion on or off, press the
!START ENGINE STOPI button . Do not press the
brake pedal while doing this.
Starting the engine
• Press the brake pedal¢.&_.
• Press the
I START ENGINE STOP I button
¢
fig . 90 . The engine will start .
If the engine does not start immediately, the
starting procedure stops automatically after a
short time . Repeat the starting process .
Start/Stop system
Read the information in¢ page 78 , Start/Stop
system.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces .
(D Note
Avoid high engine speed, full throttle, and
heavy engine load if the engine has not
reached operating temperature yet. You could
-
damage the engine. .,..

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r would, this could lead to accidents and
serious injuries.
- To reduce the risk of injuries, make s ure that
the Start/Stop system is turned
off when
working in the eng ine compartment
c:>page80.
(D Note
Always sw itch off the Start/Stop system when
driving through water
c:> page 80.
Starting /stopping the engine
App lies to: ve hicles with Sta rt/Stop system
Fi g. 92 Instrument cluster: eng ine switched off (stop
p h ase)
~ S low the vehicle to a stop us ing the b rake and
keep pressing the brake pedal. The engine w ill
switch off. The
rt] indicator light appears in the
infor mation li ne in the ins trumen t cluster dis­
play.
~ When you take your foot off the b rake peda l,
t h e engine restarts. The ind icator light turns
off.
Additional information
The engine w ill swi tch off in the P, D, N and S po­
sitions as we ll as in manu al mode. I n the P pos i­
tion, the engine will also remain o ff if you take
your foot
off the brake pedal. The engine starts
again when you se lect another selector lever po­
sition and take your foot
off the brake pedal.
If yo u select the R pos ition dur ing a Stop phase,
the eng ine will start agai n.
Shift from D to P quickly to p revent t he engine
from sta rting unintentionally whe n shifti ng
through R .
Drivi ng
You can de termine for yourse lf if the engine w ill
stop or not by red ucing or increasing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex ­
amp le, if you only lightly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and-go traffic or when turning, the en­
gine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta ­
t io nary . As soon as you press the b rake down
harder, the engine w ill switch off.
(0 Tips
-Press the brake pedal during a Stop phase
t o keep the vehicle from rolling.
- The ignit ion w ill tur n
off if you press the
!S T ART ENGINE STOPI button d uring a stop
phase.
General information
Applies to: vehicles w ith Start/Stop system
The standard Start/Stop mode con be canceled
for various system-related reasons.
Eng ine does not sw itch off
Befo re each stop phase, the system checks if cer­
ta in conditions have been met. If the
r,J indica­
tor light appears in the instrument cluster dis­
play, the eng ine will not be stopped, for examp le
i n t he following situat ions :
- The engine has not reached the minim um re­
quired tempe rature 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 winds hield is being defrosted
c:> poge 71.
-The pa rking sys tem* is be switched on.
- The ve hicl e battery cha rge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is t urned at a sha rp angle or
is moving.
- After engaging the reve rse gear .
- On sharp inclines.
Engine automat ically restarts
T he standard Start/Stop mode wi ll be canceled
during a stop phase in the following sit uat ions .
The engine restarts without any action by the driver .
79

Trailer mode
Trailer load distribution
Be s ure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p lace to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid.
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label ¢
page 293 . Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
o:,;, page 110, o:,;, 0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ¢ page 112.
([) Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be app licab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
i n a high ly unstable distribution of we ight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail. ..,.

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' -New brake pads do not achieve their fu ll
brak ing effect during the first 250 mi
(400 km). They must be "broken in" first.
However, you can compensate for the
sl ightly reduced braking force by pressing
firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak­
ing dur ing the b reak-in per iod.
- Certa in weather and operat ing cond it ions
such as dr iving t hrough water, d riving in
heavy ra in or d riving after washing your ve­
hicle ca n impair the effectiveness of the
bra kes . In the w inter, ice may b uild up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums . Check
these components by braking carefu lly. Ap­
plying the brakes carefu lly several times
dr ies the brakes and removes ice bu ild-up.
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long st retches on roads
cove red w ith salt without using the b rakes.
Yo u can remove sa lt deposits from the
bra ke rotors and pads by caref ully applyi ng
the brakes severa l t imes .
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, ma ke sure the front wheel
bra kes are vent ilated prope rly. O therwise,
the br ake system could overheat, wh ic h re­
duces the ir effectiveness.
- Failure of a brake circui t impai rs b raking
perfo rmance, whi ch incre ases bra king dis­
tance . Avoi d driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest author ized Audi
dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice Facility .
- If the bra ke booster is not wor king, you will
have to press m uch ha rder on the bra ke
peda l to compensate for the lack of the
booster.
(D Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braking is not actually
necessary. This causes the brakes to over­
heat and inc reases braking d istance and
causes wear.
- Before driving downh ill a long distance on a
steep h ill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes . If Intellig
ent Technology
you need to bra ke ad ditiona lly, bra ke in in­
terva ls and not continuous ly .
(D Tips
- If the brake boos ter is not wor king, you
must press the brake peda l with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrof it your vehicle with a front spo il­
er, wheel covers or simi lar items, make su re
that the air f low to the front wheels is not
inter rupted. Otherwise the b rake system
can become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering., dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power s teer ing adapts electronically based on
the ve hicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr ive vehicle: Steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos­ s ible. Do
not cont inue drivi ng. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity for
ass ista nce.
l;rj Steering: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be more d iffi ­
cu lt to move or m ore sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driv ing stra ight .
Drive slowly to an a uthorized Audi dea ler or au­
thori zed Audi Serv ice Facility to have the mal­
funct ion corrected .
'T-ij Dynamic stee ring: Initializing
If the indicato r ligh t is blinking and this mess age
appe ars, dynamic steering* is be ing ini tialized. .,.
129

Rear Seat Ente rtainm ent
The last selected menu is disp layed when it is
switched on.
When the ig nition is swit ched off, a message in­
d icating that the RSE is in standby mode appears
in the left or right RSE display. The RSE switches
off automatically if you do not press the left or right On/Off knob while the system is in standby
mode.
(D Tips
- The RSE switches off automatica lly if the
engine is not running and the vehicle bat­
tery is low.
Symbols
Applies to: vehicles with Rear Seat Entertainment
F ig. 204 RS E display symbo ls
Symbol /Description E xplanation
- If you cannot sw itch the RS E on again, check
the parenta l control settings in the M MI
r=:> page 196.
Adjusting the volume
Applies to: vehicles with Rear Seat Entertainment
.,. Increasing o r decre asing the volume: turn the
On/Off knob to the right or left .
.,. Muting : press the On/Off knob brief ly.
.,. Unmuting: press the On/Off knob briefly or
turn the On/Off knob to the right .
(D Tips
Volume that is too high or too low is auto­
matically adjusted to a preset level when the
RSE is sw itched on.
© [t] Active med ia source
@ Headphones Aud
io outp ut throug h headphones that a re wireless or connected
by a cable
® Speaker Aud io output throug h the vehicle's aud io system
@ Importing process
Import ing a udio/v ideo fi les to the Jukebox r=:> page 182
® Time Set time
® Parental control Parental control is switched on r=:>page 196
(J) L/R Display for RSE when RSE cont rol panel is act ive
(D Tips
A headphone or speaker symbol that is
crossed out @ /@ r=;,
fig. 204 indicates that
the active aud io/video sou rce is m uted.
194

Checking and Filling
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: vehicles with gaso line engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead­
ed premium
grade gasoline. Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini­
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
please go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the inside of the fuel filler flap. This rating
may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead­
ed regular gasoline with a min imum octane rat ­
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON. However, using 87 AKl/91
RON octane fuel will slightly reduce engine per­
formance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European countries . We recommend that
you do not take your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gasol ine may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
~ page 268.
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re­
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema­
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore , buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
h e lp prevent possible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane rat-
~ ings that can usually be found on the filler pump: .... N
~ -Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI .... 0 0 :c ' Checking and Filling
-Regu lar Grade: 87 -90 AK I
Exp lanation of the abbreviations:
AK I=
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON= Moto r Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fuel with octane ratings low­
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen­
sive engine damage will occur.
- Do
not us e leaded gasoline. The use of lead­
ed gasoline will severe ly damage your vehi­
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al­
cohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as oxygen ­
ates) if the blended mixture meets the following
criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AK I or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iving . Dur-
ing seasonal change-over, we suggest that you ..,.
267

Checking and Filling
fill up at busy gas stations where the seasonal
adjustment is more likely to be mad e in time.
0 Note
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plastic and rubber components in the
fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the speci­
fied criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether or
not a particular fuel blend meets the speci­
fications, ask your service station or its fuel
supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents can­
not be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance prob­
lems resulting from the use of fuels differ­
ent from those specified are not the respon­
sibility of Audi and are not covered under
the New Vehicle or the Emission Control
System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy or
driveability and performance problems due
to the use of one of these fuel blends, we
recommend that you switch to unblended
fuel.
Gasoline additives
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith gasoline engine
A major concern among many auto manufactur­
ers is carbon deposit build-up caused by the type
of gasoline you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manu­
facturer to another, they have certain things in
common. All gasoline grades contain substances
that can cause deposits to collect on vital engine
parts, such as fuel injectors and intake valves. Al­
though most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and fuel systems clean, they are not
equally effective .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. For more information on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline, please go to the official website (www.toptiergas .com) .
268
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your en­
gine of peak performance.
([) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel qual­
ity is not covered by the Audi New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Refueling
· Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap .
If the power locking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed instruc­
tions see
~ page 2 70.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your vehicle
in
~ page 334 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap tells
you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For more in­
formation about fuel specifications, see
~ page 267.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on board refuelling
vapor recovery system. This feature helps to pre­
vent fuel vapors from escaping from the tank and
polluting the environment while you refuel your
vehicle . In order to fill the tank properly while
protecting the environment, please follow this
refueling procedure carefully.
& WARNING
-Under normal operating conditions, never car­
ry additional fuel containers in your car. Gas
canisters and other containers used to trans­
port fuel can be dangerous. Such containers,
full or empty, may leak and could cause a fire
in a collision. If you must transport fuel to
use for your lawn mower, snow blower, etc .,
be very careful and always observe local and
state laws regarding the use, transportation
and storage of such fuel containers. Make cer­
tain the container meets industry standards
(ANSI/AS TM F8S2 -86).

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r (D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank is
completely empty. The irregular supply of
fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could enter
the exhaust system and damage the catalytic
converter.
Fueling procedure
Fig. 253 R ight rear side of the vehicle: opening the fue l
f iller door
Fig. 254 Fu el fil ler door w ith attached fuel cap
The fuel filler door is unlocked or locked by the
central locking system.
Opening the fuel cap
"" Press on the left side of the fuel filler door to
open
c:!;> fig . 2 53.
""Unscrew the tank cap counterclockw ise.
"" Place the cap from above on the open fuel filler
door
c:!;> fig. 254.
Closing the fuel cap
""Screw the tank cap on to the right on the filler
neck until it cannot turn any farther .
""Then press on the left side of the tank door un­
ti l it latches .
Checking and Filling
Once the pump nozzle switches off, the fuel tank
is "full". Do not fill the tank more . Otherwise the
expansion space in the tank will be filled.
The correct fuel type for your vehicle can be
found on a label located on the inside of the fuel
filler door. For additional information on fuel,
see
c:!;> page 267.
The fuel tank capacity of your vehicle is listed in
the
Technical Data section c:!;> page 334.
To avo id fuel spilling or evaporat ing from the fuel
tank always close fuel cap properly and com­
pletely. An improperly closed fuel filler cap may
also cause the MIL lamp
c:!;> page 25 to come on.
A WARNING
Not paying attention when fueling or han­
dling fuel incorrectly can lead to fires, explo­
sions or serious injuries.
- Fuel ignites easily and can cause serious
burns and other injuries.
-
-If you do not switch the engine off when fu­
eling and/or do not insert the fuel nozzle
completely into the tank opening, fuel can
leak out or run over. Leaked fuel can ignite
and start a fire.
- Do not use the telephone while fueling. The
electromagnetic rays can cause sparks,
which can ignite fuel vapors and start a fire .
- Do not sit in your vehicle while fueling. If
you must make an exception and enter your
veh icle aga in while fueling, close the door
and touch metal to discharge static electric­
ity before touching the fuel nozzle. Static
electricity can create sparks, which can ig­
nite vapors when fueling.
- Do not smoke or have an open flame in the
area when fueling your vehicle or filling a
fuel container because this increases the
risk of an explosion.
- For your safety, carrying fuel containers in
your vehicle is not recommended. Whether
full or empty, the container can leak and
cause a fire in the event of an accident.
- If you must make an exception and trans­
port a fuel container, note the following:
269