2017 AUDI A8 emergency towing

Table of content s
Other settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
H eadphon es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Media drives/connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Nav iga tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
En te rt ainment sys tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Video playback information . . . . . . . . . . . 2 02
Troubleshoot ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
System settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Sett ing the time and date . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Adjusting the so und . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Ad justi ng the system vo lume . . . . . . . . . . 20 5
Othe r settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Safety .. .. .. ... ... ...... ... .... .. . 207
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Correct passenger seating positions . . . . . 208
D river's and front passenger 's footwell . . 212
Pedal ar ea. ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 212
Storing cargo cor rectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Reporting S afety Defects... ........ .. . 214
Audi pre sense .. ..... ......... .. . 216
Preventative passenger protection 216
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Gene ral information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Why use safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Bel t tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
F ront ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
M on itor ing the Advanced Airbag System . 236
Knee ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 0
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 3
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
I mportant info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Chi ld seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Securing chi ld seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
LATCH system (Lower anchorages and
t ethe rs for children) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Addit io nal information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
4
Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Catalytic converter .. .. ............. .. 271
E ngine compartment ................. 271
E ngine o il . .. .. .. .. .. .... .... ..... .. 274
Cooling sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
B rake fl uid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
B att ery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Windshie ld washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 81
Service interva l display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 2
Wheels .... .. .. .. .. ............. .. 283
Whee ls and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (A8 , 58) 301
Tir e Pressure Monitor ing System (58
pl us) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Car was hes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Cleaning and care i nformation . . . . . . . . . 307
Plac ing your vehicle out of serv ice . . . . . . 311
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Emergency assistance .......... . 312
Genera l info rmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
E q ui pment .. .. .. .. .. ... ....... ... .. 312
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
S pa re ti res .. .. .. .. .. ............. .. 319
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
El ectr ica l fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Bu lbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Emergency situations ............ 327
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Start ing by pus hing or tow ing . . . . . . . . . . 327
Starting with jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . 327
U sing the jump start cabl e . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Towing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Raising the vehicle .. .. ............. .. 331
Technical data and accessories . . 333
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Vehicle specificat ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Notes abo ut technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler o r a uthorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
fi. D Light/rain sensor
El Automatic headl ights / automatic wipers :
System fault
The light/ra in sensor is malfunction ing.
The low beams remain switched on at all times
for safety reasons when the light switch is in the
AU TO position. You can continue to turn the
lights on and
off using the light switch . You can
still control all functions that are independent of
the ra in sensor through the windshield w iper lev­
er .
Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
!-: Sport differential
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with sport differential
Ill Sport differential : System fault
There is a malfunction with the spo rt differentia l.
Dr ive to an authorized Aud i dea le r o r a uthorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
Ill Sport differential : Overheating
The transm ission temperature has increased s ig­
ni ficantly due to the sporty driving manne r. D rive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indic ator light
switches of .
& WARNING
-
Contact your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qualified workshop if the sport differentia l is
faulty or malfunctioning. The repair must be
performed by trained personnel using the cor­
rect o il in order to ensure safety.
Coc kpit o ve rv iew
¢ Q Turn signals
If the . or B indicator light blinks , the turn
s ignals a re act ivated. If bot h ind icator lights are
blinking, the emergency flashers are activated.
If an ind icator light blinks tw ice as fast as usual,
a turn signal bu lb has fai led. Carefully d rive to an
autho riz e d Aud i dea le r or authorized Aud i Serv ice
F acility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction co r­
rected . The indicator light does not indicate a
malfunction if a turn signal on the trailer or on
the vehicle fa ils in trailer towing mode.
(D Tips
Fo r more information on the turn signa ls, re­
fer to<=>
page 44.
On Board Diagnostic
System (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MI L) ¢,ij in the
inst rument cluster is part of the On-Boa rd Diag­
nostic (OBD II) system .
T he wa rning/indicator light ill uminates when the
ignition is sw itched on and goes out after the en­
gine starts and the idle has stabilized. This indi­
cates that the MIL is working properly.
If the li ght do es not go out after the eng ine is
sta rted, or i lluminates while you are driving, a
malfunction may exist in the engine system. If
the lig ht illuminates, the catalytic converter
could be damaged.
Cont inue driving
with reduced power (avoiding
s ustained high speeds and/o r rapid accelera­
tions) and have the condit ion corrected. Contact
your authori zed Aud i dea ler .
If the light i llum inates, the elect ronic speed lim­
iter may also be malf unct ion ing. For more infor­
mation
c> page 26, Electronic speed limiter .
An improperly closed fue l filler cap may also
ca use the MIL light to illuminate ¢
page 269.
25

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig . 94 Center conso le: park ing brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an e lectromechani ­
cal parking brake@~
fig. 94. The parking brake
is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intentionally and replaces the hand brake.
Setting/manually releasing the parking
brake
.. Pull the<®> switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch illuminates. The -(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) indicator light al­
so turns on in the instrument cluster display .
.. To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake or acce lerator pedal while the igni­
t ion is switched on and press the© switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the
indicator light in the display turn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the dr iver's safety belt must be latched and the
parking brake must be set.
.,. To start driving and release the park ing brake
automatically, press the acce lerator peda l as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­ mat ically, other convenience and safety funct ions
are available when you start driving~
page 82,
Starting from a stop.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
Driving
.. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold the(®) switch and press the accelerator peda l. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward .
.,. You can release the<®> switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by press ing the accelerator
pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.. Pull and hold the(®) switch.
.. As soon as you release the <®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and ho lding the© switch wh ile driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­
ing effect is sim ilar to heavy braking ~_& .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the© switch is pulled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as the© switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle.
.,. Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever position .
.,. Tu rn the engine off~_& .
.,. Turn the steering w heel when parking o n in­
clines so that the wheels w ill roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
& WARNING
-
-Do not press the acce lerator peda l inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accide nt.
- Eme rgency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed . ..,.
81

Driving
you can shift past the N and R selector lever positions.
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from select­ ing a position unintentionally, causing the vehicle
to roll. When engaging some selector lever posi­
tions, you must press the button on the selector lever ¢
fig. 96 and/or press the brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a se­ lector lever position when the engine is running
and the vehicle is stationary. The arrows ~
fig. 97
indicate when you need to press the button on
the selecto r lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift from D to R within one second. This allows you to
"rock" the vehicle to free it when it is stuck.
P - Park
This selector lever position prevents the vehicle
from rolling . Only shift into park when the vehi­
cle is stationary ~&. . To engage the P selector
lever position, press the button on the selector
lever and shift into the P position.
You can only shift out of park when the engine is
running and you are pressing the brake pedal. To
release the parking lock. press the button on the
selector lever and select the desired position.
P engages automatically when you switch the en­
gine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in manual
mode.
If you switch the engine off when the N position
is selected, the transmission remains in N for ap­
proximately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the parking lock emergency release
before towing the vehicle~
page 88.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this position. Only
select reverse gear when the vehicle is stationary
and the engine is running at idle speed ~,&. . To
engage the R selector lever position, press the
button on the selector lever, press the brake ped­
al and move the selector lever into the R position.
84
The reverse lights turn on when you select the R
selector lever position while the engine is run­
ning.
N -Neutral (idle)
The transmission is in idle in this position. To en­
gage the N selector lever position, press the but­
ton on the selector lever and shift into the N po­
sition.
If you switch the engine off when the N position
is selected, the transmission remains in N for ap­
proximately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged .
You cannot select the N position when the igni­
tion is switched off. When driving through an au­
tomatic car wash, first select the N position and
then turn the engine off¢
page 306.
For safety reasons, the vehicle cannot be locked
when the transmission is in the N position.
DIS -Driving forward
When the transmission is in the D/S position, it
can be operated either in the normal D mode or
in the S sport mode . Move the selector lever back
to engage the S sport mode. You can only select
the S selector lever position when Dis engaged.
To select the D selector lever position again when
S is engaged, move the selector lever back~&. .
To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds be­
low 1 mph (2 km/h), press the brake pedal and
shift into the D position ~&. .
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio . It de­
pends on engine load , vehicle speed and driving
style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power. Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat­
ing.
The S selector lever position engages automati­
cally when you select dynamic mode in drive se­
lect .
_&, WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-

Driving
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle .
®
Fig . 99 Driver's side footwell: releas ing the parking lock
using the emergency release
Fig . 100 D river 's side footwell: resetting the parking lock
~ N M 0 ± ... a,
The emergency release is located under the floor
mat on the d river's s ide . You operate the eme r­
gency release from the drive r's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the par king brake<®>
q page 81 or
press the b rake peda l.
.,. The re are two s lits o n the cove r. Po sition the
screw driver from the vehicle tool kit in one o f
the slits on t he cover and pry the cover off .
.,. Pu ll the band @ in the direction of the arrow
u nt il the release lever locks in place
qfig. 99 .
.,. Fold the upper section of the release lever
down into the recess.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the b utton @ and the release lever at t he
same time. Yo u can now push the lever back i n­
to its orig inal position. Make su re the lever
locks in p lace
qfig. 100.
88
.,. Install the cover .
When the parking lo ck emergen cy release is
u sed, the
l'i1 indi cator light and the N selec to r
l ever posit io n turn on in the instr ument cluster .
The message
Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P.
Please appl y parking brake
also appears .
A WARNING
-
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure yo ur vehicle with
the park ing brake or the brake peda l if the
parking brake is not wo rking. The veh icle can
ro ll away if it is no t secured and cause a cras h.

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your vehicle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you r isk injuring
yourself .
- Never start the engine when the vehicle is
ra ised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the veh icle secure ly with appropri­
ate stands if work is to be performed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po ­
tent ial risk for injury .
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on anothe r vehicle, particularly on a heav ier
one . The jack is only suitable for use on the
vehicle it came w ith.
(D Tips
The vehicle jack* in your vehicle is mainte­
na nee-free.
Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel .
.,. After you experience a tire fail ure, pull the car
well away from moving t raff ic and try to reach
le vel ground before you stop¢,&. .
.,. All passengers should
lea ve the ca r and move
to a safe location (for instance, behind the
guardrail) ¢,&. .
.,. Engage the
parking brake to prevent your vehi­
cle from rolling unintentionally¢,&. .
.,. Move
sel ecto r le ve r to pos it ion P ¢ ,&. .
.,. If you a re towing a trailer, unh itch the trailer
from your veh icle.
.,. Take the
jack and the s pare tir e out of the lug ­
gage compartment
¢ page 312.
WARNING
You or your passengers co uld be injured while
chang ing a wheel if you do not follow these
safety precautions:
Em ergenc y ass is tanc e
-If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road. Turn off the eng ine, turn the
emergency flashers on and use other warn­ ing dev ices to alert other motorists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
p lace away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traff ic .
- To help prevent the veh icle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the jack,
always fully set the park ing brake and block
the wheel d iagonally opposi te the wheel be­
ing changed. When one front whee l is lifted
off the groun d, p lacing the Automatic
Transmission in "P" (Park) w ill
not prevent
the vehicle from mov ing.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
g round is leve l and firm. If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack .
- Always s tore the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
r::> page 213 .
(D Tips
Befo re c hanging the w heel, you must activate
t he jacking mode, so that the a utomat ic co n ­
tro ls for the Adaptive Air Suspension do not
make it more difficult to lift the vehicle with
the jack
¢ page 315.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence
described below step-by-step and in exactly that
order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode ¢ page 315 .
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover *. For
more detai ls see also
r:::> page 314, Decora­
tive wheel covers
or ¢ page 314, Wheels
with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts r:=> page 315 .
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack a nd align the jack below that point
r:::> page 315 or ¢page 316.
5. Raise the ca r wi th the jack ¢ page 315 or
r:::> page 316 .
6. Remove the whee l with the flat tire and then
insta ll
the spare r:::>page 318 . IJII>
313

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
ope rations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
CD Note
Veh icles with an automatic transmission can­
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle.
If the engine shou ld fail to start because of a dis ­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumpe r cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of suffic iently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated term inal
clamps which are dis tinct ly marked:
plus (+) cable in most cases colored re d
minus( -) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shield your eyes and avo id leaning
over the battery whenever poss ible.
- A dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C). If the vehicle battery is
frozen, you must thaw it before connecting
the jump start cab les. If you do not, this in-
Emergency situations
creases the risk of an explosion and chemi­
cal burns. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery ac id to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immed iately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
veh icle may cause an explosion .
- Veh icle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batter ies.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-Volt rat ing. The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batter ies of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an exp lo­
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen . T he battery case may have be weak­
ened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub­
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an exp losion and injury . The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
qpage 271.
CD Note
-App lying a higher voltage booster battery
wi ll ca use expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
327

-When connect ing jumper cables, make sure
that they cannot get caught in any mov ing
parts in the engine compartment.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
¢ page 271.
(D Note
Impro per hook-u p of jum per cables can ru in
the generato r.
- Always connect POSITIVE( +) to POSITI VE
( + ), and NEGATIVE( -) to NEGATIVE( -)
g round post of the battery manager contro l
unit.
- Check that a ll screw p lugs on the batt ery
cells are sc rewed in firmly. If not, t ighten
pl ugs p rior to connect ing clamp on negative
b atte ry te rmi nal.
- Please note t hat the procedure fo r con nect­
i ng a jumper cab le as desc ribed above ap­
p lie s specifica lly to the case of yo ur vehicle
b eing ju mp started. When you are g iv ing a
ju mp s tart t o another vehicle, do
not con­
n ect th e neg ative( -) ca b le to the neg ative
( -) t ermin al on t he disch arge d batte ry @
¢ fig . 291 . Instead, secure ly connect the
n egative(- ) cab le to either a solid metal
com ponent that is f irm ly bolted to the en­
gine block o r to the engine bloc k itself. If
the battery that is be ing c ha rged does not
vent to the outs ide, escap ing batte ry gas
could ignite and ex plod e!
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Yo ur Audi requires special h andling for towing .
The follow ing information is to be us ed by com­
mercia l tow tr uck o pera tors w ho kn ow how to op ­
e rat e the ir equip men t sa fely.
- Never tow your Audi. Towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
~ around the brake lines. ,..,
~ - To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi N
8 must be transported with a flat bed truck . 0 :r Emergency situations
-To load the vehicle on to the flat bed , use the
towing loop found in the vehicle tools and at­
tach to the front or rear anchorage
¢ page 329 and c> page 330.
A WARNING
A veh icle being towed is not safe for passen­
gers. Neve r allow anyo ne to ride in a vehicle
b eing towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Fi g. 29 2 Fron t bumper: removing th e cap
Fig. 293 Fron t bumper: insta lling the towing loop
The thread for the towing loop is on the right
s ide of the front bumper beh ind a cap.
.,. Remove the towing loop f rom the vehicle too l
kit.
.,. Press the cap inward with brief, forceful pres­
sure
c> fig. 292 . The cap will loosen from the
bumper .
.,. Tighten the tow ing loop in the threaded open­
ing until it stops
c> fig. 293 and then tighten it
w ith a wheel w re nch .
.,. Afte r usi ng, p la ce th e tow ing loop b ack i n the
-
veh icle tool kit. ..,.
329