2017 AUDI A8 brakes

Intelligent Technology
Brakes
New brake p ads
New b rake pads do no t achieve the ir full b raking
effect during the firs t 250 mi (400 km) . They
m ust be "broken in" first . The b reak -in period can
be considerably longe r for vehicles with ceram ic
brake rotors* . However, you can compensate for
the slightly reduced braking force by pressing
firm ly on the brake pedal. Avo id heavy braking
during the break-in period .
Wear
Brake pad wear depends largely on the way the
veh icle is driven and on operat ing cond itions.
This is especially true if you are driving frequently
in the c ity and on curves or with a sporty driving
style .
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outs ide cond itions such
as temperature and humidity.
Noises may become more appare nt at lowe r
speeds due to the nature of the materia ls in the
ceramic brake rotors*.
Effect of water and road salt
I n cer tain s ituations, for example a fter driving
through water, in heavy rain, afte r ove rnig ht con ­
densation or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be red uced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and b rake pads . The brakes must be
"dr ied" first w ith a few care ful b rake applica­
tions .
At higher speeds and with the windshie ld wipers
turned on, the brake pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. T his action,
which is no t felt by the driver, happens at regular
i n tervals a nd ensu res a better react ion time for
the bra kes in wet weather.
The braking effect can also be reduced if you are
driving on salted roads a nd you do not apply the
brakes fo r long pe riods of time. The laye r of salt
o n th e brake roto rs and pads mus t be wo rn off
fi rs t when the brakes are app lied.
128
D ue to its s urface, the ce ram ic brake rotor * ab ­
sorbs moisture in ce rtain situations. The refore,
there will tempora rily be less brak ing fo rce than
whe n the brakes are d ry . You can compensate for
th is by press ing the brake pedal harder.
Corrosion
Leav ing the ve hicl e pa rked for long periods of
time , low mileage and avoiding heavy b raking
can contrib ute to corros ion on the b rake roto rs
and to dirty brake pads.
If you usua lly avoid heavy bra king or if there is
cor rosion p resent, occasiona l heavy brak ing at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads
c> ,& .
Brake system malfunction
if you no tic e th at the b rake peda l t ravel has sud­
denly
increase d, then a bra ke circuit in the dua l­
c ir cuit b rake system may have malfunctioned.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
problem corrected . On the way there, drive w ith
reduced sp eed and keep in m ind that you wilt
need a longe r distance to stop and you will need
to press the b rake peda l ha rder.
Low b rake fluid level
When the brake fluid level is low, malfunctions in
the b rake system may occur . The brake fl uid level
i s e lec tronically moni to red.
Brake booster
The brake booster amp lifies the pressure you ap­
ply to the brake pedal. It only wor ks when the en­
gine is running.
A WARNING
- On ly app ly the brakes for the purpose of
cleani ng the bra ke sys tem w hen road and
t raffic cond itions permit. You must not en­
da nger ot her roa d users . T h is i ncreases the
r isk of an acci den t.
-
- Never le t th e ve hicle roll while t he engi ne is
stop ped bec ause this increa ses the r is k of an
a cciden t. ..,.

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

able to provide you with more in­
formation .
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
has properties making it suitable
to drive in mud or snow .
& indi­
cates a winter tire .
@Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the tire. In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These inc lude
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the max i­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temper ­
ature ranges ¢
page 300.
0 @ Running direction
"' -~ The arrows indicate the running
-~ direction of unidirectional tires . ...
Wheels
You must always follow the speci­
fied runn ing d irect ion
¢ page 319 .
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi ­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat­
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weigh t (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­
matic transm ission, power steer­
ing , power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as facto ry-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the heigh t to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lowe r indicate a
low sidewa ll for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement. .,.
285

0
"' -N
" N
-0
0
:c ...
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight
Ma ximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated. Also called "maxi­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the veh icle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­ c le.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, including
elevations due to labeling, deco­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 286, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire. Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as .,.
287

Wheels
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
296
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as l uggage .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 293,
fig. 267.
.&_ WARNING
-
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to
carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' & WARNING
-Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is
off and follow the instructions from the car
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci­
dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when wash­
ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
-After washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to moisture on the
brake rotors or ice in the winter . This in­
creases the risk of an accident . The brakes
must be dried first with a few careful brake
applications.
(D Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must fold the exterior mirrors in
to reduce the risk of damage to the mirrors.
Power folding exterior mirrors* must only
be folded in and out using the power folding
function.
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do not
wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
-
Care and cleaning
-To reduce the risk of damage, do not wash
the power top with a pressure washer.
- To reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect removing sponges, kitchen
sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use protective wax. It can destroy
the matte finish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte
finish paint . The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magnets are re­
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle in facilities specially de­
signed for that purpose . This will reduce the
risk of dirty water contaminated with oil from
entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehicle
components, refer to the following tables. The
information contained there is simply recom­
mendations. For questions or for components that are
not listed , consult an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility. Also
follow the information found in¢& .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windshield wiper
Deposits ¢ page 51
blades
Headlights/
Deposits Soft sponge with
a mild soap solutiona)
Tail lights
Sensors/
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning solution
camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with alcohol-free cleaning solu-
tion
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
307

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Brake fluid
Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . 279
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 79
Electromechanical parking brake . . . . . . . . 81
New brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Braking Brake assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Emergency braking function . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Worn brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Brak ing guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94, 99
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Break-in period
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
B reak ing in
New brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
N ew engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Ne w tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Browsing through album covers . . . . . . . . . 190
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
But tons
Mul tifunc tion steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . 11
C
Cable (Audi music interface)
California Proposition 65 Warning ...... .
Battery specific .............. .. .... .
Call .. .. .. .. .. ............... .. .... . 185
272
280 149
Call list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Call options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Capacities Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Washer fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Car carrier Transporting your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment.. .. ..... 213
Caring for and cleaning leathe r . . . . . . . . . . 309
Catalytic converter
CD 271
refer
to Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 189
Ce ll phone
Playing music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
also refer to Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Center armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Index
Center conso le lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Centra l locking sw itch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Em ergency locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Luggag e compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Remote contro l key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Chang ing engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Charging and chang ing the battery . . . . . . . 198
Child restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Danger of using child restraints in the front
seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Child restraint system anchors . . . . . . . . . . 261
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Gu idance fixtures for lower anchorages . . 262
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Child safety seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Child safety seats Convertib le child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Installing a child restraint using the LATCH
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
LATCH system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Lower anchorages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Safety instruc tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Securing ........................... 258
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Cleaning/removing ice from windows . . . . . 308
Cl eaning Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Cleaning art ificial leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Cleaning carbon parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308, 309
Cl eaning controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning decorative parts and trim . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning exhaust tail pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cleaning plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Cl eaning tail lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Cleaning textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
341