2018 AUDI A8 light

Checking and Filling
Checking and Filling
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead­
ed premium
grade gasoline . Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini­
mum octane rating of91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
please go to the offic ial website
(www.toptiergas .com).
The recommended gasoline octane rat ing for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap. This rating
may be specified as AK I or RON .
Your veh icle may also be operated using unlead­
ed regular gasoline with a minimum octane rat ­
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON . However, using 87 AKI/91
RON octane fuel w ill slightly reduce engine per­
formance.
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European countries. We recommend that
you do not take your vehicle to areas or count ries
where un leaded gasoline may not be available.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
~ page 269 .
Octane rating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re­
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema­
ture ignit ion and detonation . T herefore, buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
he lp prevent possible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine pe rformance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane rat­
ings that can usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 - 96 AKI
268
-Regular Grade: 87 -90 AK I
Explanation of the abbreviations :
AKI =
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON= Motor Octane Number.
@ Note
- Do not us e any fuel with octane ratings low­
er than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen­
sive engine damage will occur .
- Do
not us e leaded gasoline. The use of lead­
ed gasoline will severely damage your vehi ­
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
contro l exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al­
cohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as oxygen ­
ates) if the blended mixture meets the follow ing
criteria :
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher .
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AK I or h igher.
- Blend must not contain more th an 15% MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iv ing . Dur-
i ng seasonal change-over, we suggest that you
IJIJ,

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' authorized Audi dealer or autho rized Audi
Service Facility.
- To reduce the risk of electric shock and in­
jury, never touch the following components
when the eng ine is running or is being start­
ed :
- I gnition cable
- Othe r components in the electronic h igh-
voltage ignition system
- If you must check o r perform work on the
engi ne while it is run ning:
- Set the parking bra ke and p lace the se lec­
tor lever in the P (pa rk) position first .
-Always p roceed with extreme ca utio n so
that clothing, jewelry or long ha ir 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 ha ir before beginning
work and do not wear cloth ing that can
hang down into the engine .
- L imit your exposure to exhaust a nd chemi ­
cals to as short a time as poss ible ¢
A.
A WARNING
California Proposi tion 6S Warn ing:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contai n or
em it chem icals known to the State of C ali­
forn ia to ca use cancer and bi rth defects an d
re produc tive harm. In ad dition , ce rtain fl u­
ids contained in vehicl es and certa in prod ­
ucts of com ponent wear contain o r emit
chemica ls known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproduct ive harm.
- Battery posts, termina ls and re lated acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemica ls known to the State of California
to cause ca ncer and reproduct ive harms .
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When fil ling fl uids, be sure not to mix the flu­
ids up . Otherwise severe ma lfunctions and en ­
gine damage w ill occur.
Chec king and Filling
@) For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check t he gro und under
your vehicle in order to detect leaks quick ly .
If
the re are visible spots from o il or other fluids,
b ring your veh icle to an authorized A udi deal­
er o r aut ho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility to be
checked .
Opening/closing the hood
The hood is released from inside the vehicle .
Fig. 256 Drive r footwell : re lea se leve r
Fig. 25 7 Rocker sw itc h unde r the hood
M ake s ure th e wipe r arms are no t rais e d up from
t h e windshie ld . Otherwise the pain t could be
damaged.
Opening the hood
.,. With the d rive r's doo r open, pull the lever be­
low t he instrume nt pane l in the direction of the
ar row ¢
fig. 256.
.,. Ra ise the hoo d slightly¢&_ .
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
¢ fig . 257. T his re leases the catch.
.,. Open the hood . ..,.
273

Checking and Filling
Cl osing the ho od
~ Push the hood down until you override the
force of the strut .
~ Let the hood fall light ly into the latch. Do not
press it in.
c::> .&_ .
A WARNING
-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.
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
-For safety reasons, the hood must always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always check the hood after closing it
to make sure it is latched correctly . The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
-If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are driving, stop immed iate ly and
close
it, because d riving when the hood is
not latched increases the r is k of an accident.
Fig. 258 Typical locatio n of the rese rvoir and the engi ne o il fille r open ing
(D Washer fluid reservoir (Q) c::> page 281
@ J ump start point(-) with hex head screw
c::> page 280, c::> page 32 7
® Jump start point(+) under a cover
c::> page 280, c::> page 32 7
@ Engine oil label * w ith VW standard
c::> page 2 75
274
® Engine oil filler opening ( page 2 76
@ Brake fl uid reservo ir ((0)) c::> page 2 79
(J) Coolant reservoir (-L) c::> page 2 78
The engine oil filling opening (item @) may be
l ocated in a different area depending on the en-
gine version.
.,.

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" N .... 0 0 :c ' @ For the sake of the environment
-Oil should never enter the sewer system or
come into contact with the ground.
- Pay attention to legal requirements when
disposing of empty oi l containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­
tion .
Before you check anyt hing in the engine compart ­
ment,
alw ays re ad and h eed all W ARNINGS ¢ &
in Working in the engine comportment on
page 272.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
intervals specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . This is very important because the
lubricating properties of oil diminish gradually
during normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oi l should
be changed more frequently. Change oil more of­
ten if you drive mostly short distances, operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominantly
stop-and-go traffic condit ions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperatures remain below freezing
for extended periods .
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh oil
look dark after the engine has been running for a
short t ime . Th is is normal and is not a reason to
change the oil more often than recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposal, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
qu ired, we strongly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an authorized
A ud i d ea ler or
a qualified se rvice station .
If you choo se to chang e your o il y ou rse lf, please
note the following important information:
A WARNING
T o reduce the r isk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your ve hicle
yourse lf:
- Wear eye protection .
-
Check ing and F illing
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine cool down to the touch.
- When removing the oil drain p lug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possible. Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
help prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of children .
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmful to your skin. Always protect your
skin by wash ing oil off thoroughly with soap
and wate r.
@ Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These add itives can damage your engine and
adversely affect your Audi L imited New Vehi­
cle War ranty .
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before chang ing your o il, first make sure
you know where you can properly d ispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly .
Do not dump it on garden so il, wooded
areas, i nto open streams o r down sewage
dra ins.
- Recycle used eng ine o il by tak ing it to a used
eng ine oi l collection fac ility in yo ur area, or
c ontact a se rvice station.
Cooling system
Coolant
The eng ine cooling system is filled w ith a mixture
of purified water and coolant additive at the fac­
tory. This coolant must not be not changed .
The coo lant level is mon itored through
the . in­
dicator
light¢ page 20. However, we do recom­
mend occasionally checking the coolant level
manually .
.,.
277

Checking and Filling
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant additive . Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of anti-freezing and
corros ion protection agents. Only use the follow ­
ing coo lant additives .
Coolant additive Specification
Gl2evo
TL 774 L
Gl2++ TL 774 G
Gl3
TL 774 J
These additives may be mixed wi th each othe r.
The amount of coo lant additive that needs to be
mixed with water depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated. If the coolant addi ­
tive percentage is too low, the coo lant can free ze
and damage the engine.
Coolant addi- Freeze protec-
tive tion
Warm regions min.
40%, min. -13 °F
max . 45% (-25 °()
C old regions min.
50%, max. -40 °F
max.
55% (-40 °C)
@ Note
-Before the start of winter, have an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Faci lity check if the coolant additive in your
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especially important
when driving in colder climates .
-If the appropriate coolant additive is not
available in an emergency, do not add any
other addit ive for risk of damaging the en­
g ine . If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct mixture ratio with the
specified coolant additive as soon as possi­ ble.
-Only refill with new coolant.
-Radiator sealant must not be mixed w ith
the coolant.
278
Adding coolant
Fig. 260 Eng in e compar tment : coolant exp ansion tank
cover
Observe the safety precautions ~.&, in Working
in the engine compartment on page 2
72.
Checking the engine coolant level
~ Park the vehicle on a level surface .
~ Switch the ignit io n off.
~ Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
tank ~ page 2 74. The coolant leve l must be be­
tween the MIN and MAX markings when the en­
gine in co ld. When the engine is warm it can be
slightly above the MAX marking,
Adding coolant
Requirement: there must be a residual amount of
coolant in the expansion
tank ~(©) .
~ Let the engine cool down .
~ Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockwise
~.&. -
~ Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
~ page 277 up to the MAX marking.
~ Make sure that the f luid level remains stable.
Add more coolant if necessary .
~ Close the cap securely .
Coo lant loss usually indicates there is a leak . Im ­
mediate ly drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility
and have the cooling system inspected. If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant bo iling t hrough overheat ing
and being pushed out of the cooling system .

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 battery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemical
burns, accidents or burns. Because of this, a ll
work must be performed
only by an author­
ized Aud i dea le r o r authorized Aud i Serv ice
Facility.
A WARNING
California Proposit ion 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and re lated acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the Sta te of California
to ca use ca nce r and rep roduct ive p roblems.
Wash hands after handling.
{Q) Note
If the v ehicle wi ll be par ked for long periods
of t ime, pro tect i t against the co ld so that it
w ill not be destroyed by "freezing"
¢page 280.
Vehicle battery
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
bat tery in your vehicle.
Not running the vehicle for long periods of
time
I f you do not dr ive your vehicle for seve ral days or
weeks, elec trical equipmen t is gradually scaled
back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensu res the vehicle wi ll be able to start after long
periods of
time ¢ page 131. Some convenience
functions, such as interior lighting or power seat
ad justment, may not be available under certa in
circumstances. These convenience funct ions w ill
be ava ilable aga in once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
280
Even when electrical equipment is swi tched o ff,
the equipment can still drain the vehicle battery i f the ve hicle is not dr iven fo r long periods of
time. Deep draining results in a chemica l reaction
that destroys the ins ide of the vehicle battery.
The vehicle battery must be charged every month
to reduce the risk of this
happen ing ¢ page 280.
Contact an autho rized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized
A udi Se rvice Fa cility for mo re information.
Winter operation
Co ld weather places higher demands on the vehi­
cle battery. T his res ults in reduced starting abili ­
ty . Have the vehicle ba tte ry checked by an au­
thorized Aud i dea ler or author ized Audi Service
Fa cil ity befo re the cold time of ye ar.
Charging the vehicle battery
Fi g. 262 Eng ine compa rtment: connectors fo r a cha rger
and jump start cab les
Requirement: only use chargers with a ma ximum
charging voltage of 30 amp s/14.8 Volts.
The
vehicle battery cab les remain connected .
.. Read the warnings ¢.&. in General warnings
about batteries on page 280
and ¢ _&. .
.. Switch off the ignitio n and all electrica l equip­
ment.
.. Open the hood ¢ page 2 73 .
.. Remove the cover (I) by pressing on the arrow
¢fig. 262.
.. Open the cover @on the pos it ive terminal.
.. Clamp the charger terminal clamps to the jump
star t pins accord ing to the inst ru ct ions. (pin un­
de r the cover= "positive", p in wit h hex agon al
head = "nega tive") .
.. Insert the power cable for t he cha rging dev ice
into the socket and switch the device on.
Ill>

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' ~ At the end of the charging process, switch the
charger off and pull the power cab le out of the
socket.
~ Now remove the charg ing device terminal
clamps .
~ Close the cover @on the positive term inal and
re-install the
cover (!).
~ Close the hood c:;, page 2 73 .
A drained battery can freeze at temperatures
around
322F (0QC) . A frozen or thawed out bat­
tery must no longer be used . The battery hous ing
could be cracked by the format ion of ice , which
could cause battery acid to leak out
c:;, ,&. .
Charg ing the b attery
Only use chargers with a ma ximum charg ing
v oltage of 14 .8 V.
The battery connecting cables
do not need to be disconnected . Do not open the
battery when charg ing .
Read all of the manufacturer's instructions for
the charger before charging the battery .
A WARNING
-A h ighly exp losive mixture of gases can form
w hen cha rging batter ies. O nly charge t he
vehicle ba tte ry in well -vent ilated a reas.
- A d rained vehicle battery can freeze at tem­
peratu res a round 32
Q F (0 QC). A froze n or
thawed ve hicle battery m ust not be ch arged
and must not be used anymore. The battery
housing can crack and battery acid can leak
out if ice forms, whic h increases the risk of
an exp losion and chemical burns. Contact an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Aud i
Service Facility for more information.
- Do not connect or disconnect the charg ing
cable while charg ing because th is increases
the risk of an explosion .
(D Tips
-Only charge the vehicle battery through the
connections in the engine compartment.
-Read all of the manufacturer's instructions
for the charger before charg ing the ve hicle
battery .
Ch eck ing and F illing
Windshield washer
system
F ig . 263 E ngin e compar tmen t: was he r fl ui d reservo ir cap
M N
-N ' "' "' m
The windshield washer fluid reservoir O contains
the cleaning solution for the windshie ld and the
headlight washer system
c:;, fig. 263, c:;, page 274.
The reservoir capacity can be found in
<=> page 334.
To reduce the risk of lime scale depos its on the
spray nozzles, use clean water with low amounts
of calcium. Always add w indow cleaner to the wa­
ter . When the outside temperatures are cold, an
anti -freezing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze .
@ Note
-The concentration of ant i-freez ing agent
must be adjusted to the veh icle operat ing
condit ions in the respective cl imate . A con­
centration that is too high can lead to vehi­
cle damage.
- Never add radiato r anti-freeze or other addi­
t ives to the washer fluid.
- Do not use a glass cleaner that conta ins
paint so lvents, because t his could damage
the paint.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve­
hicle is due for service.
T he serv ice interval d isplay wo rks in two stages:
-In sp ec tio n o r oil change remind er: after a cer-
tain distance driven , a message appears in the
.,.
2 8 1

u. a:, .... N
" N .... 0
0
I Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
~check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
~ If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap ­
proach the curb at an angle.
~Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
~Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
~Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running
direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled.
~Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
Wheels
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the rims does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 264 Tire specification codes on the
sidewall of a tire
.,.
283