2018 AUDI A8 check engine light

Display content
In t he Info tainment system, yo u can specify
which informa tion should be displayed: This
could be Navigation information* or Nig ht vision
assist *, for examp le.
The display of certa in inf ormat ion and some of
the red indicator lights cannot be h idden in the
I nfotainment system .
Display brightness
You can adjust the display br ight ness in the Info­
tainment system. The display b rig htn ess decreas ­
es au toma tically as the amo un t of ligh t dec reas­
es. The backgro und brightness is adjusted with
the instrument
i ll umination ¢ page 47.
@ Note
To preven t scratches on t he g lass cove ring the
head -up d isp lay, do not place any obje cts in
the projection opening .
(D Tips
-Su ng lasses w it h polar izat ion fi lte rs a nd un­
favorab le lighting conditions can have a
negative effect on the display.
- An optim um display depends on the seat
position and the height adjustment of the
head -up display .
- A specia l windshield is needed for the head ­
u p disp lay function.
- Fo r informa tion on cleaning,
see¢ table on
page 308.
Indicator lights
Description
The indicato r lights in the inst rument cluste r
b lin k or t urn on. They ind icate funct ions or mal­
f u nctions.
W ith some ind icator lights, messages may ap­
pear and wa rning signals may sound . The ind ica­
tor lights and messages in the center of the dis­ p lays may be replaced by other d isplays. To show
u.
~ them again, se lect the tab for ind icator lights
N ~ and messages using the multif unction steering
...... g wheel ¢ page 12. If there are several malfunc -
:c ' Cockpit o ver view
tions, you can disp lay them one at a time using
the thumbwheel.
Some indicato r lights in the display ca n disp lay in
severa l co lors.
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on brief ly as a function
check when you switch the ignition on . These sys ­
tems are marked with a./ in the fo llow ing tab les.
If one of these ind icator lights does not turn on,
there is a malfunct io n in that system.
Red indicator light s
-------------
US A models:
Brake system./
¢ page 19
Canada model s:
Brake system ./
¢ page 19
USA models:
Electromechan ica l park ing b rake
¢ pag e 20
Canada models:
Electromechan ical parki ng brake
¢ page 20
Coo ling system
¢ page 20
Engine oil pressure
¢ page 21
Engine oil leve l
¢ page 21
Alte rnator
¢ page 21
E ngine stop while driv ing
¢ page 21
Safety belt ./
¢ page 20
Electromechanical steering./
¢ page 130
Steering lock
¢ page 21
Engine start system
¢ page 2 2
17

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Steering lock
¢ page 21
Eng ine start system
¢ page22
Brake booster
¢page23
Electromechanical power steer­
i ng, dynam ic
steering*../
¢ page 130
Air s uspension
¢ page 22
Sport differe ntia l*
¢ page 25
Other indic ator lights
-------------
Tur n signa ls
¢ page 25
USA mod els:
C ruise control system
¢ page 93
Canada models:
Cruise contro l system
¢ page 93
Adaptive c ruise contro l*
¢ page 97
Adaptive c ruise contro l*
¢ page 97
Adaptive c ruise contro l*
¢page 97
Active lane assist*
¢page 104
Start/Stop system*
¢page 78
Start/Stop system*
¢page 78
High beam assistant
¢page44
High beams
¢ page 44, ¢ page 44
BRAKE/( ©) Brake system
If t his ind icator lig ht tu rns on, the re is a ma lfu nc­
tion in the brake system.
Coc kpit o ver view
llll vehicle and check brake fluid le vel
Stop t he veh icle a nd check t he b rake fl uid level.
See a n author ized A udi dealer or author ized A udi
Se rvice Facility for assistance if necessary.
1111 (USA model s) /. (Canad a mod els)
Brake s: malfunction! Stop v ehicl e safely
If the ABS ind icator light llll) (USA models) /
~ (Canada models), the ESC ind icator light DJ .
and the b rake system indicato r light 1111 (USA
models)/ . (Can ada models) all tu rn o n and
t hi s message appea rs, then the ABS, ESC and
braking d istribution are
ma lfunctioning ¢&. .
Do not continue dr iv ing . See a n author ized Audi
dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Fac il ity for as­
s istance ¢&. .
1111 (USA model s) /. (C anad a model s) Park­
ing brak e system fault! See owner' s manual
- If the ind icator light and the message appear
when the vehicle is stationary or after switch­
ing the ignition on ,
check if you can release the
pa rk ing bra ke. If you cannot release t he pa rk­
ing b rake , see a n author ized A udi dealer or au­
t hor ized A udi Se rvi ce Fac ility. If you can release
the parking brake and the message sti ll ap ­
pears, see an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Aud i Service Faci lity immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
- If the indicator lig ht and message appear
while
dri ving ,
the hill start ass ist or emergency brak­
ing function may be ma lfunctioning. It may not
be possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set . Do not park your vehicle
on hills . See an authorized Aud i deale r or au­
thor ized A udi Service Fac ility for assistance.
Applies to: USA models
If the 1111 and rlJ turn on at the same time, the
brake pads are worn out
r=;, page 23 .
A WARNING
-Read and follow the warnings in
¢ page 2 72, Working in the engine com­
partment
befo re opening the hoo d and
checking the brake fluid level.
19

Cockpit overv ie w
- If the brake system indicator light does not
t u rn off or it t urns on while driv ing, the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low,
and this increases the risk of an acc ident.
Stop the vehicle a nd do not cont inue dr iv­
ing . See an author ized Audi dealer or au­
t h orized Aud i Serv ice Faci lity fo r ass ista nce.
- If the brake system ind icator light turns on
toget he r with the ABS and ESC ind icator
l ights, the ABS/ ESC regulat ing func tion may
be m alfu nctioning. Fu nctions t hat stabilize
the vehi cle are no longer ava ilable . This
cou ld cause the ve hicle to swerve, whic h in ­
creases the risk that t he ve hicle wi ll slide.
Do not continue driving. See an author ized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Fac ili­
ty for assistance .
PARK/(®) Electromechanical parking brake
If the -(USA models) / . (Canada models)
i n dicator light tu rns on , the park ing brake was
set .
-(USA models ) /. (Canada models ) Cau·
tion : Vehicle parked too stee p
lfthe indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, the re is not enough brak ing power to se­
cure the vehicle . The brakes have overhea ted. The
ve hicle could roll away even on a small incline .
-(USA models) / . (Canada models) P ress
b rake pedal to release parking b rake
To re lease the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press
the ~ button at the same time
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
c> page 82 .
Ill Parking brake!
There is a malfunction in the park ing brake . Dr ive
to a n author ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi
Serv ice Faci lity immediately to have t he malfunc­
tion corrected.
(D Tips
For add it io na l info rmation on the pa rk ing
brake, seer:!)
page 81.
20
_ L Cooling system
• Turn off engine and ch eck coolant l evel
The coolant level is too low .
Do not continue dr iving and switch t he engine
off. Check the coolant level
c> page 2 77 .
- If the coo lant level is too low, add coolant
r:!) page 2 78. Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Ple ase let en­
gine run with vehicle stationar y
Let the engine ru n at idle fo r a few mi nutes to
cool off, until t he ind icator lig ht tur ns off .
-If the ind icator light does not turn off, do not
cont inue driving the veh icle . See an author ized
Aud i dea le r or aut horized Audi Serv ice Facility
for assis tance.
.&_ WARNING
- N ever ope n the hood if you ca n see or he ar
steam or coo la nt escaping from t he engine
compa rtment. This increases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see o r hear
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dange rous a rea. Stop the engine and
allow it to cool before working i n the engine
compa rtment. Always follow the informa­
tion fo und in
c> page 272.
@ Note
Do not continue driv ing if the . indicator
li ght turns on as this increases the risk of en­
g ine damage.
~ Safety belt
The . indicator light stays on unt il the dr iver 's
and front passenge r's safety belts are faste ned .
Above a certa in speed, the re will a lso be a war n­
i ng tone.
© Tips
Fo r additional info rmat ion on safety belts,
see c>page219.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' 0 Generator/vehicle battery
• Electrical system: malfunction! Battery is
not being charged
There is a malfunction in the alternator or the ve­
hicle electrical system .
Drive to an autho rized Audi dea ler or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately. Because the ve­
hi cle battery is discharg ing, turn off all unneces­
sary electrical equipment s uch as the radio . See
a n author ized A udi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility if the battery charge level is too
l ow .
(•) Low battery charge : Battery will be charged
while driving
The start ing ability may be impaired .
If th is message turns off after a litt le while, the
vehicle battery charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have an author ­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili ­
ty repair the malfunction.
~ Engine
• Engine stopped: No power steering and
brake support.
There is a malfunction in the engine or in the fue l
supp ly system.
M ore force is needed to steer and brake the mov ­
ing vehicle when the engine is stopped .
If the ve­
hicle is rolling, try to bring it to a stop off to the
side from moving traffic. See an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility for as­
sistance .
A WARNING
-
If the engine stops while driving, you will
need to use more force to brake the vehicle.
This inc reases the risk of an accident. There
will still be power steering if the ignition is
switched on while th e vehicle is rolling and
there is sufficient battery charge. Otherwise,
you must use greater force when steering .
Cockpit overview
"1:::7: Engine oil pressure
• Turn off engine and check oil level
Stop the engine and do not cont inue driving .
Check the eng ine o il level
¢pag e 275.
- If the engine o il level is too low, add engine oil
¢ page 2 76. Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off .
-If the engine o il level is correct and the indica­
tor light still turns on, turn the engine off and
do not cont inue driving. See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance.
(D Tips
The o il pressure warning is not an oil leve l in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regular ly.
~ , Engine oil level
.Please add oil immediately.
Add engine oil immediately ¢page 275.
l'I Add oil max . x qt (l). You may continue driv­
ing
Add the displayed amount of oil immediately
¢page 275.
@ -Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: Steering defective
The re is a malfunction in the electron ic steer ing
loc k. You canno t turn the ign ition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
stee red. See an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
!I! Steering lock: System fault Please contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the e lectron ic steering
lock .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
IJ>
21

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' the risk that the vehicle will slide. Drive care­
fully to the nearest a uthorized Audi dea ler or
authorized Audi Service Fac ility and have the
ma lf u nction corrected .
(D Tips
For additional information on ESC and ABS,
re fer to
c:> page 12 7.
i i !i.' Safety systems
The II (USA models)/ m (Canada mode ls) indi­
cator l ight monitors the safety systems .
I f the
II (U SA mode ls)/ m (Canada models) in­
d icator light turns on or blinks, the re is a mal­
function in a safety system such as the airbag or belt tensioner system .
Drive to an autho riz ed Aud i dea le r or a uthori zed
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
A WARNING
Have the ma lf u nct ion in the safety systems
inspected immediately . O therwise, the re is a
r is k th at the systems may not activate during
a co llision, which increases the risk of serious
injury or deat h.
Lt Brake booster
II Brake ser vo: limited functionalit y. You can
continue driving . Contact workshop
-
There is a malfunc tion in the brake booster. The
b ra ke booster is availab le, bu t its effec tiveness is
r educed. Braking be havior may be different from
h ow it normally functions and the brake peda l
may vibrate.
Dri ve to an autho rize d Aud i de aler o r a uth o rized
Aud i Service Faci lity immediately to have t he
malfunction corrected.
{ 0 } Brake pads
EiJ Brake pads!
The brak e pads are wo rn.
Coc kpit o ver view
Drive to an authori zed A udi dealer or authori zed
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
bra ke pads checked .
Applies to : USA mode ls
T he EiJ indicator light turns on togethe r wi th the
1111 indicator light.
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
~ Engine control: system m
alfunction! Reduce speed. Please contact dealer
T he re is an eng ine contro l ma lf u nction.
Immed iate ly dr ive s low ly to an author ized A udi
dealer or au thor ized A udi Se rvice Fa cility to have
t h e mal func tion corrected.
o Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
The ma lf u nction indicator lamp ( MIL) is pa rt of
t h e On -Board D iagnost ic System (080 II). The
¢..ij c;ymbo l turns on when the ignition is sw itched
o n and turns off aga in once the engine is started
and run ning at a steady idle speed . This indicates
t h at the MIL is f unction ing cor rectly .
The ind icator light tu rns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in the engine electronics . See an authorized
Audi dealer or author ized A udi Service Fac ility to
have the malfunct ion cor rected . Fo r additional
i nforma tion, see
c:> page 25 .
The ind icator light can a lso turn o n if the fuel fill­
er cap is not closed correctly
c:> page 2 70 .
!?' Engine speed limitation
App lies to : vehicles wit h engine speed limitatio n
(m Maximum engine speed XXXX RPM
The eng ine speed is automatically limited to the
RPM shown in the instrument cluster d isplay.
This protects the engi ne from over heat ing .
The eng ine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longe r in the critical temperatu re
range and you have re leased the accelerator ped­
al once .
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine cont rol malfunction,
the ~ indicato r ..,
23

Cockpit overv ie w
lig ht also turns on. Make sure t hat the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
--... Engine oil sensor
• Oil l evel! Sen sor d efe ctiv e
The sensor to check the engine oil leve l has
fa iled. Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
f Engine warm-up request
0 Plea se warm up engine
Fue l has entered the eng ine oil, either from low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives .
Dr ive unt il the engine is warm so that the fuel in
the eng ine oi l will evaporate . Avo id h igh eng ine
speeds, fu ll acce le rating and heavy eng ine loads
when doing this.
jjl Tank system
Ill Plea se refuel
If t he i nd icator lig ht t urns on fo r the fi rst time
a nd the mess age appears, there a re abo ut 4 ga l­
lons (15 lite rs) of fue l le ft in the tank.
D Fuel tank s ystem malfunction! Plea se con­
tact dealer
There is a malfunction in the fue l tank system .
Drive to an a uthorized Audi dea ler or a uth orized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
(D Tips
For more information on fueling, see
¢page 269 .
~ Washer fluid level
C Please refill washer flu id
24
Fill the washer fluid for the windshie ld washer
system and the head light washer system when
t h e ignit ion is switched
off ¢ page 281 .
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a ma lfunction with the winds hield wip ­
ers .
D rive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
~ /0~ Bulb failure indicator
If the S:$ ind icator light turns on, a bulb has
failed . The message indicates the location of the
bulb.
If the
II indicator light also t urns on, then a rear
fog light has failed. The position of the indicator
li ght corresponds with the location on the vehi­
cle.
Vehicle light s: Malfunction
There is a m alfu nction in the headlights o r the
li gh t sw itch .
D rive to an author ized Audi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Fac il ity immed iate ly to have the
malfunction cor rec ted .
_& WARNING
-Light bulbs are under pressure and can ex ­
p lode when b ulbs a re rep laced, w hic h in­
creases the ris k of in jury.
- With H ID headlig hts* (xenon -plus head ­
lights), the high-vo ltage component must
be handled correct ly . Otherwise, there is a
risk o f fatal in jury.
§.0 Headlight range control system
El He adlight range cont rol system: System
fault
There is a ma lfunction in the headlight range
contro l system, which may cause glare for other
drivers.
-

lL t:0 .-,
"' ......
"' .-, 0 0 :c " Lights and Vision
Exterior Lighting
Switching the headlights on and off
F ig . 44 Instrument panel: l ig ht switc h w ith all -weather
l ig hts
The headlights only wo rk when the ignition is
switched on. While sta rting the engine or when
switch ing off the ign ition, the headlights will go
off and only the side marker lig hts will be on .
I f the sys tem is not operating p roperly, a w arning
symbol in the dr ive r informa tion d isplay is dis­
p layed .::>
page 24.
Light switch --r;_-
T u rn the switch .::> fig. 44 to the co rresponding
position . When the lights are switched on, the
:o o:
sym bol turn s on .
0 - The lights a re off or the daytime runni ng
lights are on :
-USA models: The daytime running lig hts will
come on automatically when the ignition is on
and the light sw itch .::>
fig. 44 is in the O posi­
t ion or the
AUTO position (only i n day light con­
di tions). The
Daytime running lights function
c an be turned o n and off i n the MM I
¢ page 45, i=> &..
-Canada model s: The dayt ime runn ing lights
will come on au toma tic ally when the igni tion is
on and the light swi tch .::>
fig. 44 is in the O po ­
s ition, the
:oo: pos ition or the AUTO position
(o nly in daylig ht
conditions) .::>&. .
AUTO -Automat ic head lig hts sw itch on and off
depend ing on br ightness, for example in tw ilight,
d uring rain or in
tunne ls ¢ &. .
Lights and V ision
:oo: -Side marker ligh ts
io -Low beam head lights
~ -All-weather lig hts
lw -Rear fog lights*. When the rear fog lights are
on, the symbol
0$ on the sw itch will i lluminate.
All-weather lights
The front lights are adjus ted au toma tica lly so
that you are less likely to see g lare from your ow n
head lig hts, for example when driving on a wet
road.
Automatic dynamic headlight range control*
Yo ur vehicle is equ ipped with a headlight r ange
contro l system so tha t the head lig hts do not
blind oncoming t raffic if the vehicle load
changes . T he hea dlight range also adj usts auto­
matically when brak ing and acce lerating .
Light functions
The following light funct io ns are available de ­
pending on veh icle equipment and o nly fu nction
whe n the light switc h is in t he AUTO position.
You can deactivate these functions in the MMI
under
Audi adaptive light ¢ page 45.
Static cornering light* -the corne ring light
switches on automatically when the steering
wheel is turned at a certai n angle at s peeds up to
approximately 44 mph (70 km/h) and when the
turn s ignal is activated at speeds up to approxi­
mately 25 mp h (40 km/h) . The area to t he side of
t h e ve hicle is illuminated better w hen turning.
Dynamic curve light * -the curve light adapts it­
self to the curves in the road .
Highway l ight function* -this function adapts
t h e lig hting for highway driving based on vehicle
speed .
A WARNING ~ --Automatic headlights are only intended to
assist the driver. They do no t relieve the
driver of his responsib ility to check the
headligh ts and to turn them on manually
ac co rding to t he cur rent light a nd vis ib ili ty
conditions . Fo r example, fog cannot be
43

Drivin g
-Avoid driving through sa lt water, because
this can cause corrosion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fuel consumption, the env iron­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and t ires depends mostly on your dr iv ing
style. W it h an anticipatory and economic dr iv ing
style , fu el consumption can be reduced by ap ­
p roximate ly 10 -15% . The following tips wi ll help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A veh icle uses the most fuel when acce le rating.
When you dr ive with ant ic ipat io n, you do no t
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less .
When possib le, let your vehicle coast with a
gear
eng aged ,
for example, when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumpt ion to zero (fuel shut -off during decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficientl y
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly . Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly
and avoid "k ick-down" .
Avoid full accel eration
You shou ld rare ly trave l at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately h igh increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic no ise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idlin g time
The Start/Stop system* he lps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles without the Start/
Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the eng ine
off when stopped at ra ilroad crossings and long
red l ights . Stopp ing the engine for 30 -40 sec­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
ext ra fuel needed to resta rt the eng ine.
74
It takes a ve ry long time in id le to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. Therefore, you shou ld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this .
Hav e maintenance perfo rmed regul arly
By having maintenance performed reg ularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The maintenance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al­
so impacts fuel consumpt ion. A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consumpt ion that
i s 10% hig he r th an no rma l.
Avoid short trip s
The engine and exhaust cleaning system must
reach their optimal operat ing temperature to ef­
fect ively reduce consumpt ion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fuel. The engine reaches operat ing
temperature and consumption normalizes only
after approximately 2 .5 m iles (4 km) .
Check the tire pressu re
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to the correct pressure
¢ page 291. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres­
sure is only 0 .5 bar too low . Due to the increased
r oll ing resistance, low tire p ressures w ill also
l ead to greater tire wear and will affe ct driv ing
behav ior.
Drive w ith summer tires when poss ible because
t hi s can increase fue l economy by up to 10% .
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every pound of extra weight increases fuel
consumption, it pays to remove any unnecessary
weight.
A roof rack increases the w ind resistance on the
vehicle and shou ld be removed when it is not
needed. You will save approximately 12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph (100-120 km/ h).
.,.