2017 AUDI A8 service indicator

Lights and Vision
detected by the light sensors. So always
switch on the headlights gD under these
weather conditions and when driving in the
dark .
- Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road ahead and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists . Always turn on the
headlights so that you can see ahead and so
that others can see your car from the back.
- The rear fog lights should only be turned on in accordance with traffic regulation, as the
lights are bright for following traffic.
- Please observe legal regulations when using
the lighting systems described .
(D Tips
-The light sensor* for automatic dynamic
headlight range control* is located in the
rear view mirror mount . You should there­
fore not apply any stickers to the windshield
in this area in order to prevent malfunctions
or failures .
- In the event of a light sensor malfunction,
the driver is notified in the instrument clus­
ter display~
page 25.
- You will hear a warning tone if you open the
driver door when the exterior lights are
switched on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of the
headlights, turn signals and tail lights can
fog over due to the temperature difference
between the inside and outside. They will
clear shortly after switching them on. This
does not affect the service life of the light­ ing .
44
Turn signal and high beam lever
The turn signal lever operates the turn signals,
the high beams and the headlight flasher .
Fig. 45 Turn signal an d high beam leve r
Turn signals¢ Q
N 0 .... 0 :i: .. m
The turn signals activate when you move the lev­
er into a turn signal position when the ignition is
switched on.
© -right turn signal
@-left turn signal
The turn signal blinks three times if you just tap
the lever.
High beams and headlight flasher ~D
Move the lever to the corresponding position:
@ -high beams on (vehicles with High beam as­
sistant* ~
page 44)
@)-high beams off or headlight flasher
T he
Iii indicator light in the instrument cluster
turns on.
A WARNING
High beams can cause glare for other drivers,
which increases the risk of an accident . For
this reason, only use the high beams or the
headlight flasher when they will not create
glare for other drivers .
High beam assistant
Applies to: vehicles with high beam assistant
A camera on the rearview mirror mount can de-
tect light sources from other road users. The high
beams switch on or off automatically depending
ll>

on the position of vehicles driving ahead and on­
coming vehicles, the vehicle speed and other en­
vironmental and traffic conditions.
Activating high beam assistant
Requirement: the light switch must be set to the
AUTO position and the high beam assistant must
be switched on in the Infotainment system
¢page 45.
.,. To activate the high beam assistant , tap the
lever forward @. T he
II indicator light ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display and the
high beam assistant is switched on/off auto­
matically. The
Ill indicator light also turns on if
the high beams are switched on.
Switching the high beams on/off manually
If the high beams did not switch on/off automat­
ically as expected, you may switch them on or off
manually instead:
.,. To switch the high beams on manually, tap the
lever forward @. T he indicator light
Ill turns
on .
.,. To switch the high beams off manually, pu ll the
lever back@. The h igh beam assistant is deac­
tivated.
Operating the headlight flasher
.,. To operate the headlight flasher when the high
beam assistant is activated and high beams are
switched off, pu ll the lever back @. The high
beam assistant rema ins active.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Headlight assist: System fault!
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected. You can still switch the
high beams on or off manually.
Headlight assist: Unavailable No camera view
The camera view is blocked, for example by a
sticker or debris.
o The sensor is located between the interior rear­co
~ view mirror and the windshield. Do not place any ,..._
~ stickers in this area on the windshield.
0 0 :c ' Lights and Vision
A WARNING
High beam assistant is only intended to assist
the driver. The driver is still respons ible for
controlling the headlights and switching
them manua lly depending on light and visibi l­
it y conditions. It may be necessary to operate
them manually in situations such as:
- I n adverse weather conditions such as fog,
heavy rain, blowing snow or spraying water.
- On roads where oncoming traffic may be
pa rtia lly obscured, such as expressways.
- When there are road users that do not have
sufficient lighting, such as bicyclers or
vehicles with dirty tail lamps .
- I n tight curves and on steep hills.
- In poorly lit areas.
- W ith strong reflectors, such as signs.
- If the area of the w indshield near the sensor
is fogged over, dirty, icy or covered with a
sticker .
Adjusting the exterior lighting
The functions ore adjusted in the Infotainment
system .
.,. Select: !CAR ! function button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Exterior
lighting .
Automatic headlights
You can adjus t the following settings in the Au­
tomatic headlights
menu:
Headlights activation time -you can adjust if the
headlights switch on
Early, Medium or Late ac­
cording to the sensitivity of the light sensor.
Headlight assist* -you can switch the h igh beam
ass istant*
On and Off .
Daytime running lights*
USA models :
the daytime running lights can be
switched on/off. Select
On or Off.
Canada models:
this function cannot be switched
off. They activate automatically each time the ig -
nition is switched on .
ll>
45

Driving
This driver message appears for safety reasons if
the transmission has not be en shifted to the P
position when you switch the ign ition off. Move
the selector lever to the P posit ion. Otherwise the
ve hicle is not protected from ro lling and it cannot
be locked .
II Key is not re cognized. Hold ba ck of ke y
aga inst marked area. See owner's manual
If t he indicator light t urns on and this message
appears, there is a malfunction ~
page 78.
Turn off ignition before leaving car
This message appea rs if the dr iver 's door is
opened while the ignition is switched on . A lways
sw itch off the ignition if you are leaving the vehi­
cle.
Shift to P and turn off ignition befor e leaving
car, otherwi se vehicle c an roll away
This message appears if the driver 's door is
ope ned while the ignition is switched on and the
transmission has not been shifted to the P posi­
tion . Sh ift the t ransm iss ion into the P posit io n
a nd turn off the ignition if yo u are leav ing the ve­
h icle. O therwise t he vehi cle co uld rol l.
Starting the engine when there is a
malfunction
It may not be possible to start the engine under
certain circumstances, for example if the battery
in the vehicle key is drained, if interference is af­
fected the key or if there is a system malfunc­
tion.
N
c::==== =~
±
- ------- ~
Fig . 9 1 Cente r conso le/ re m ote cont ro l key: sta rt ing the
eng ine if t here is a malf u nction
Requirement: the message K ey is not recog ­
nized . Hold back of key against marked area.
78
See owner's manual must appear and the II in­
dicator light must tu rn on .
.,. Hold the remote cont rol key vertically in the lo ­
ca tion i ndicated
t1>) ~ fig. 91.
.,. Press the brake pedal.
.,. Press the I S TAR T
ENGINE ST OP I button . The
eng ine will start.
.,. Drive to an authori zed Audi dealer or author ­
ized Aud i Service Facility immediately to have
the malfu nction corrected .
(D Tips
You can view the message aga in by pressing
the lS TAR T
ENGI NE ST OP I button .
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The S ta rt/Stop sys tem can help increase fue l
eco nomy and reduce CO2 emissions .
In Sta rt/S top mode, the eng ine s huts off auto­
ma tically when the vehicle is stopped, such as a t
a traffic light . The ignition rema ins switched on
duri ng th is stop phase . The engine w ill restart
automat ica lly when needed .
The last Start/S top system setting is restored
when the ignition is sw itched on .
Basic requirements for Start /Stop mode
- Th e driver 's doo r must be closed .
- Th e driver 's seat belt much be fas tened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle m ust have driven faster than
2.5 mph (4 km/h) since the last t ime it stop­
ped.
- A trailer m ust not be hitched to the vehicle .
A WARNING
-Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func ­
t ion of the bra ke booster and the power
steer ing is not guaranteed. You must use
mo re fo rce to tu rn o r bra ke. Be cause you
canno t stee r and bra ke as y ou usually

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

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high -quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
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 Aud i oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine.
Using any o ther oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r other additives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
@ Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requ ires, you may add a total of
no more than 0 .5 quart/li ter of a h igh-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci ­
fications.
- Vehicles with gasoline eng ine: ACEA A3 o r
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- For more information about engine oil that has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither your authorized Audi dea ler
or A udi Customer Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.aud icanada .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 lubr ication and coo l­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combustion engines consume a certain amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from engine to en­
g ine and may change significant ly over the life of
Ch eck ing and Filling
the engine. Typ ica lly, engines with a specified
break-in period (see ¢
page 73) consume more
o il during the break -in per iod than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the amb ient tem­
perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of o il dilution from water condensa­
t ion or fuel residue a nd the oxidat ion level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase ove r
t ime unt il repla cement of worn components may
become necessary .
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
sta ndard rate of o il cons umption can be estab­
l is h ed or spec ified. The re is no alternative to reg­
u lar and frequent checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning symbo l in
t h e instr ume nt cl uster
II lights up, yo u should
check the o il level as soon as possible
¢ page 2 76 . Top off the o il at your earliest con ­
venience
¢ page 276.
A WARNING
-Before you check anyth ing in the engine com-
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ .& in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 271 .
@ Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressu re warning display. is not
an indicator of the o il le vel. Do not rely on
i t. Instead, check the oil level in you r en­
g ine at regular inter vals, preferabl y each
time you refuel, and alw ays before go ing
on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine con­
sumes excessive amou nts of oil, we recom-
mend that you consult your Aud i dea le r to .,,.
275

Checking and Filling
have the cause of your concern properly di­
agnosed. Keep in mind that the accurate
measurement of oil consumption requires
great care and may take some time. Your
Audi dealer has instructions about how to
measure oil consumption accurately.
Checking the engine oil level
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith oil leve l indicator
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
Observe the safety precautions c:::> &. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 2 71.
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.. Shut the engine off when it is warm .
.. Switch only the ignition back on.
.. Wait approximately two minutes.
.. Select: the
ICARI function button > Car systems
control button > Servicing & checks> Oil level.
.. Read the oil level in the display . Add engine oil
if the bar in the oil level indicator is just before
"min"
<=:> page 276.
The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 miles (0.5 liter/1,000 km), de­
pending on driving style and operating condi­
tions. Consumption may be higher during the
first 3,000 miles (5,000 km). Because of this, the
engine oil level must be checked regularly. It
would be best to check each time you refuel your
vehicle and before long drives.
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the display is only an
informational display. If the oil level is too
low, a minimum oil warning appears in the in­
strument cluster. Add oil and close the hood.
The current oil level is displayed in the Info­
tainment system the next time the ignition is
switched on .
276
· Adding engine oil~
Fig. 260 En gine compartment : engine oil f iller opening
cover
Read and follow the WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
c:::> page 2 71 .
.. Turn the engine off .
.. Unscrew the engine oil filling opening cap
"I::?:
c:::> fig. 260, c:::> page 2 74.
.. Carefully add 0.5 quart (0.5 liter) of the correct
oil
c:::> page 2 74.
.. Check the oil level again after two minutes
c:::> page 2 76, Checking the engine oil level .
.. Add more oil if necessary.
.. Close the engine oil filler opening cap.
A WARNING
- When adding oil, do not let oil drip onto hot
engine components. This increases the risk
of afire.
- Always clean skin thoroughly if it comes into
contact with engine oil.
(D Note
- Check the oil level. If the message Please
reduce oil level
appears, contact an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility to have excess oil extracted if neces­
sary.
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine oil. Damage caused by such addi­
tives is not covered by the warranty.
(® For the sake of the environment
-Oil should never enter the sewer system or
come into contact with the ground.

Checking and Filling
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
The service interval display works in two stages:
-Inspection or oil change reminder: after a cer-
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the igni ­
tion is switched on or off . The remaining dis­
tance or time is displayed briefly.
- Inspection or oil change due: if yo ur vehicle
has reached an inspection or oi l change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter switching the ignition on/off .
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un­
til the next oil change or next inspection in the
Car menu. To do this, select : the
ICARI function
but ton
> Car systems control button > Servicing
& checks > Service intervals .
Resetting the indicator
Your authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility will reset the serv ice interval dis­
p lay after performing serv ice.
If you have changed the oil yourself, you must re­
set the oil change interva l.
To reset the indicator, select : the
ICARI function
button
> Car systems contro l button > Servicing
& checks > Service intervals. Turn the control
knob downward to
Reset oil change interval and
press the control knob.
([) Note
-Only reset the oil change indicator if the oil
was changed .
- Following the service intervals is critical to
maintain ing the service life and va lue of
your vehicle, especially the engine. Even if
the m ileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
282

Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread
pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 in (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per­ pendicular to the running direc­
tion. The letters "TWI" or trian­
gles on the tire sidewall indicate
the location of the treadwear in­
dicators.
The tires have reached the mini­ mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
c:::> ..&. .
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec­
ommended to ensure the tires
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
292
wear evenly. To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa .
This will allow the tires to have
approximately the same length of
service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
c:::>page 319.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden . Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
.&_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety. ,..