2017 AUDI A8 ignition

Child safety
place Q page 210. Driving with head
restra ints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramatically .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> page 218, Safety belts,
¢ page 226 , Airbag system and
c::> page 248, Important information.
_& WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restra int on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well -being require that the fo llowing special
precautions be taken:
- Make s ure the fo rward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manu facturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions prov ided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible, before installing the for­
ward-facing child restra int .
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly pos i­
t ioned.
- Always make sure tha t noth ing p revents the
front passenge r's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad­
justment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up ­
right position .
- Make s ure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the ligh t does no t stay on, perform the
checks
c::> page 236, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
256
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4 ft.
9
in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall .
Fig. 244 Rear seat: ch ild prope rly restrained in a booster
se at
The vehicle 's safety belts alone w ill not fit most
ch ildre n until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these ch ildren up so
that the safety belt will pass p roperly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety be lt
can he lp protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertib le loc king re trac to r
when using the ve hicle's safety be lt to restra in
a child on a booster seat.
.,. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the chi ld's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across t he stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug . Pu ll on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
.,. If you must transport an o lde r child in a boos ­
ter sea t on the front passenge r seat, yo u can
use the safety belt height adjus tment to help
adjust the shoulder portion p roperly .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page253 .

Child safety
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when ­
ever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described ¢
page 236, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 218, Safety belts,
¢ page 226, Airbag system and
¢ page 248, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertible lock­
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the saf ety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advan ced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size.
258
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
-
-Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
-Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se­
cure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 248. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat ¢
page 22 7, Child .,.

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
A WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described~
page 236, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installation of chi ld restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improper ly installed chi ld restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints :
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan ­
el.
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad-
Ch ild safety
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­ bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing ch ild restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except iona l cir­
cumstances.
- A t ight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and reg ister a heav i­
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight reg istered can make the
system work as though an ad ult we re on the
seat and deploy the Advanced A irbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.
259

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Catalytic converter
Applies to: ve hicles with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
... Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 267, Fuel
supply.
... Never run the tank down all the way to empty.
... Never put too much motor oil in your engine
c:> page 2 76, Adding engine oil 'l:::r. .
.,. Never t ry to push- or tow-start your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
device built into the exhaust system of the vehi­
cle . The catalytic conve rter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
l eased into the atmosphe re.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critically im­
portant for the life of the catalyt ic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
.&, WARNING
T he temperature of the exha ust system is
high, both when driving and afte r stopping
the engine .
-
-Never to uch the exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot . This could result in bu rns.
- Do not park o r operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in
contact with dry grass, br ush, fuel spill or
other material which can cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or
heat shields. During dr iving, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire .
(D Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine o il level
c:> page 2 76.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine co uld mis-
Ch eck ing and Filling
fire. Unburned fue l co uld also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition whi le the vehi­
cle is moving .
- Do not continue to ope rate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherwise fuel can
reach the catalytic converter . This could re­
sult in overheat ing of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operat ion of the Emis­
sion Contro l System :
- Have yo ur vehicle maintained p roperly and
in accordance with the serv ice recommen­
dat ions in yo ur War ranty
& Ma intenance
booklet .
- L ack of proper ma intenance as well as im­
proper use of the veh icle w ill impa ir the
function o f the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op­
erating properly, the exhaus t gas can have a
su lfur-like exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erating states. This depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a differ­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fil ling the tank
with lead-free super grade gasoline.
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment such as
chec king and filling fluids , there is a risk of in ­
jury , scalding, ac cident s, and burn s. For thi s
reason , follow all the warnings and general
safety p recauti ons provi ded in the following in­
formation. The engine compartment is a dan­
gerous area on the vehicle.
c:> .&. .
.&, WARNING ~
-Turn the engine off .
- Switch the ignition off .
271

Checking and Filling
-Set the parking brake.
- Select the P selector lever position.
- Let the engine cool down.
- Never open the hood when there is steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment, because there is a risk that you could
be burned. Wait until no steam or coolant is
escaping.
- Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on a hot engine. These flu­
ids (such as the anti-freezing agent con­
tained in the coolant) can ignite.
- Avoid short circuits in the electrical system.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm. The
cooling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed with the en­
gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed
belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
the high-voltage ignition system .
- Do not under any circumstances activate the
throttle inadvertently (for example, by hand
from the engine compartment) if the vehi­
cle is stationary but the engine is running
and a gear is engaged. Otherwise, the vehi­
cle will start to move immediately and this
could result in an accident.
- Pay attention to the following warnings list­
ed when work on the fuel system or on the
electrical equipment is required.
- Do not smoke .
- Never work near open flames.
- Always have a working fire extinguisher
nearby
- All work on the battery or electrical system
in your vehicle can result in injuries, chemi-
272
cal burns, accidents or burns. Because of
this, all work must be performed
only by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility .
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components when the engine is running or is being start­
ed:
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high-
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is running:
- Set the parking brake and place the selec­ tor lever in the P (park) position first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not
become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into contact with hot compo­
nents . Tie back long hair before beginning
work and do not wear clothing that can
hang down into the engine .
- Limit your exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
c:> ,&. .
.&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling.

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.

C)
_& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure. Do
not open the coolant expansion tank cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the
risk of burns .
- The coolant add itive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health. For this reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
and away from children. There is a risk of
poisoning.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can sw itch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury.
CD Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty. Air could enter the cooling system and
damage the engine. If this is the case, do not
continue driv ing. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance.
Brake fluid
N
N
-N
" co IXl
F ig. 262 Engine compartment: cap on brake fluid re servoir
Observe the safety precautions c:> &. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 2 71.
Checking the brake fluid level
" Read the brake fluid level on the brake fluid
reservoir
c:> page 2 74, fig. 259. The brake fluid
level must be between the MIN and MAX mark­
ings
c:> &_ .
~ The brake fluid level is mon itored automatically .
" N ...... 0 0 :r Checking and Filling
Changing the brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility.
A WARNING
-
- If the brake fluid level is below the MIN
marking, it can impair the braking effect
and driving safety, which increase the risk of
an accident . Do not continue dr iving. See an
author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake fluid is old, bubbles may form
in the brake system dur ing heavy braking.
This would impair braking performance and
driving safety, which increases the r isk of an
accident.
- To ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comply
with VW standard 50114 or FM VSS -116 DOT 4.
CD Note
-If the brake f luid level is above the MAX
marking, brake f luid may leak out over the
edge of the reservoir and result in damage
to the vehicle.
- Do not get any brake fluid on the vehicle
paint, because it wi ll corrode the paint.
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the complex power supply, all wo rk
on batter ies such as disconnecting, replac ing,
etc. should
only be performed by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity
c:> & .
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your vehicle.
Detailed warnings for the vehicle battery:
® Wear eye protection.
I.)._ Bat~ery acid is highly corrosiv~. Wear pro-
~ tect1ve gloves and eye protection. Ill-
279

Checking and Filling
@
Fire, sparks, open flame and smok ing are
forb idden.
~
A highly explosive mixture of gases can
form when charging batteries.
®
Keep c hildren away from bat tery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrica l system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemical
burns, accidents or burns. Because of this, a ll
work m ust be performed
only by an author­
ized Aud i dea le r o r autho rized Aud i Serv ice
Facili ty.
A WARNING
California Proposit io n 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acces­
so ries contai n lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the Sta te of Californi a
to ca u se ca nce r and rep roduct ive p roblems.
Wash hands after handling.
0 Note
Protect the vehicle ba ttery against freezing if
t he vehicle will be p arked for long per iods of
time so th at it is not destroyed by "free zing"
c::>page 280.
@ For the sake of the environment
~ Batteries cont ain poll utin g substances suc h
as s ulfu ric ac id and lead. Contac t an a uthor­
ized Audi dealer or aut horized Audi Service
Facility for more information.
Vehicle battery
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your vehicle.
Not running the vehicle for long periods of
time
If you do not drive your ve hicle for seve ral days or
weeks, e lec trical equipment is gradually scaled
back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the veh icle wi ll be able to start after long
periods of time
c::> page 130 . Some conven ience
280
funct ions, such as interior lighting o r power seat
adjustment, may not be avai lab le under certain
c ircumstances. These convenience functions will
be available again once you switch the ignition on
and start the eng ine.
Even when electrical equipment is switched off,
the eq uipment can st ill dra in the vehicle batte ry
if the veh icle is not dr iven for long pe riods of
time . Deep drai ning results in a chemica l reaction
that destroys t he ins ide of the vehicle battery .
The vehicle battery must be charged every mon th
to reduce the risk of this happening
c::> page 280 .
Contact an a uth o rized Aud i dea le r or a uth o rized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility for mo re informa tion.
Winter operat ion
Co ld weather places higher demands on the vehi ­
cle battery . T his res ults in reduced starting ab ili­
ty. Have the vehicle batte ry checked by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or authori zed Audi Service
Fac ility befo re t he cold time of year.
Charging the vehicle battery
Fi g. 2 63 En g ine compa rt m ent: con nectors fo r a c ha rge r
and j ump start cab les
Requirement: only use chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 30 amp s/14 .8 Volts .
The
vehicle battery cab les remain connected .
.. Read the warnings
c::> A in General warnings
about batteries on page 280
and c::> A .
.. Switch off the ign it ion and all electrica l equ ip­
ment.
.. Open the hood
c::> page 273.
.. Remove the cover© by pressing on the ar row
¢ fig . 263 .
" Open the cover @on the pos itive terminal. .,.