2018 AUDI A8 service

lL
_& 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 additive 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 switch
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 driving. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility for assis­
tance.
Brake fluid
N N
-N
" co IX)
Fig. 261 Engine compartment: cap on brake flu id reservoir
Observe the safety precautions ~&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 2
72.
Checking the brake fluid level
.. Read the brake fluid level on the brake fluid
reservoir
~ page 274, fig. 258. The brake fluid
level must be between the MIN and MAX mark­
ings~&. -
~ The brake fluid level is monitored automatically .
...... N ...... 0 0 :c ' Checking and Filling
Changing the brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility.
_& 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 driving . See an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake fluid is old, bubbles may form
in the brake system during heavy braking.
This would impair braking performance and
driving safety, which increases the risk of an
accident.
- To ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comply
with VW standard 50114 or FMVSS-116 DOT 4.
CD Note
- If the brake fluid level is above the MAX
marking, brake fluid 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 will corrode the paint.
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the complex power supply, all work
on batteries such as disconnecting, replacing,
etc., should
only be performed by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
~ .&. .
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your vehicle.
Detailed warnings for the vehicle battery:
® Wear eye protection.
b. Bat~ery acid is highly corrosive. 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 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

Checking and Filling
instrument cluster display each time the ign i­
tion is switched on or off . The rema ining
distance or time is displayed br iefly.
- Inspection or oil change due: if yo ur vehicle
h as reached an inspection o r oi l change interval
o r both intervals at t he same time, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears br iefly af­
te r switch ing the igni tion on/off .
Checking service intervals
You can check t he rema ining distance o r time un­
til the next oil change o r next inspec tion i n the
Ca r menu. To do this, select: the
IC ARI function
button
> Car systems contro l bu tton > Service &
control > Service intervals .
Resetting the indicator
A n author ized A udi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility will reset the serv ice interval d is­
p lay after pe rforming serv ice .
I f yo u have chan ged t he oil you rself, you must re ­
set t he oil change interva l.
To reset the in dic ator, se le ct : th e
ICAR I fu nc tion
but ton
> Car system s control button > Service &
control > Service intervals. T urn t he control knob
downwa rd to
Reset oil change interval an d press
the co ntro l knob.
{QJ Note
- On ly reset the oil ch ange in dicato r if the oil
was c han ge d.
- Fo llow ing the service i nte rvals is cr itical to
maintai ning the service life a nd value o f
your ve hicl e, especia lly t he engine. Even if
the m ileage on the veh icle is low, do not ex­
c e ed th e tim e fo r th e ne xt serv ic e .
282

Wheels
(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
"P" indicates a tire for a passenger
vehicle. "T" indicates a tire desig­
nated for temporary use.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be­
tween the sidewalls in millime­
ters. In general: the larger the number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height/width ratio expressed as a
percentage.
© Tire construction
R indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Size of the rim diameter in inches.
@ Load index and speed rating
The load index indicates the tire's
load-carrying capacity.
The speed rating indicates the maximum permitted speed
c> & in
Winter tires on page 298.
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi­
cates that the tire is reinforced or
is an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat-
Maximum permitted speed
ing
p
up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (160 km/h)
284
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 1 18 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h) al
z above 149 mph (240 km/h)a)
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h) al
y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)a)
a) For tires above 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacturers sometimes use the
code
"ZR".
0 US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
The manufacture date is listed on
the tire sidewall (it may only ap­
pear on the inner side of the tire):
DOT ... 2217 ...
means, for example, that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2017.
@ Audi Original Tires
Audi Original equipment tires
with the designation "AO" have
been specially matched to your
Audi. When used correctly, these
tires meet the highest standards
for safety and handling. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility will be
able to provide you with more in­
formation.

Wheel s
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure
label ¢ page 293, fig . 267
for the number of seating posi­
tions . Refer to the
table¢ table
on page 295
for the number of
people that correspond to the ve­
hicle normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or wheels pe rformed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility .
T hese facilities have the proper
knowledge and are equipped with
the required tools and replace ­
ment parts.
.,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum gripping properties. Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds fo r the first 350 miles
(500 km) with new tires .
.,. Use tires of the same construc ­
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as poss ible on all four
wheels .
290
.,.Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,. Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
differently even if they are the
same
size¢ ,&.
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina ­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
F acility before making a pur­
chase ~ &-
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle - for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
so only use the spare tire* tempo ­
rarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use. It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
All four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the
drive system is not damaged by
different tire speeds. For this rea-
son, in case of emergency, only
.,.

Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an imbalance is causing noticeab le
vibration in the steering wheel.
If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more qu ickly .
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment t ires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 in (1 .6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the ti re per­
pendicular to the running direc­
tion. The letters
"TWI" or trian ­
gles on the tire sidewall indicate
the location of the treadwear in­
dicators .
T he tires have reached the mini­
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
c:::> ,.1. .
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec ­
ommended to ensure the tires
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
2 92
wear evenly . To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear ax le
on the front axle and vice versa .
This will allow the tires to have app roximately the same lengt h of
service life .
F or unidirectional tires , make
sure the ti res are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
c:::>page 319 .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of ­
ten occur in locations that are hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage . If no
damage is visible from the out ­
side , drive slow ly and caref ully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­ er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
& WARNIN G ~
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
11>

Wheels
the available cargo and lug­gage load capacity of your vehi­
cle.
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 283, fig. 264) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be clean and loosen/tighten
easily .
Rims
Rims with a bolted rim ring* or with bolted wheel
covers* consist of multiple pieces . These compo­
nents were bolted together using special bolts
and a special procedure. You must not repair or
disassemble
them £:=?.&. .
A WARNING
Wheel bolts that are tightened or repaired in­
correctly can become loose and result in loss
of vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an accident. For the correct tightening specifi­
cation, see
¢page 314.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hub clean and free of grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
- Always have damaged rims repaired by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility. Never repair or disassemble
rims yourself, because this increases the risk
of an accident .
Winter tires
Winter tires significantly improve the vehicle's
handling when driving in winter conditions. Be­
cause of their construction (width, compound,
tread pattern) , summer tires provide less trac­
tion on ice and snow.
298
.. Use winter tires on all four wheels .
.. Only use winter tires that are approved for your
vehicle.
.. Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter
tires¢ _&.. An
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv ­
ice Facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires .
.,. Check the tire pressure after installing wheels
¢page 293 .
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great­
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 in (4 mm). The characteristics of winter
tires also decrease greatly as the tire ages , re­
gardless of the remaining tread.
A WARNING
- Never drive faster than the maximum per­
mitted speed for your tires. This could cause
the tires to heat up too much. This increases
the risk of an accident because it can cause
the tire to burst .
- Always adapt your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Drive carefully and reduce
your speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter tires can lose traction on black ice .
® For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, because they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumption.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
winter tires. Please note that in some coun­
tries where winter tires are required, only
winter tires with the
& symbol may be per­
mitted.
Snow chains
-
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win­
ter road conditions, but also the braking.
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels. .,.