2018 AUDI A8 cooling

Cockpit overv iew
CD Note
- Auxiliary headlights and other accessories in
front of the cooling-air intake impair the
cooling effect of the coolant. This increases
the r isk of the engine overheat ing during
high outside temperatures and heavy en-
gine load.
- The front spoiler also helps to distr ibute
cooling air correctly wh ile driving. If the
spoiler is damaged, the cooling effect will
be impaired and the risk of the engine over­
heating will inc rease. See an a uthorized
A ud i dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance .
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev ­
olutions per minute
(RPM).
You should shift to the next lowest gea r when
the speed is below 1,500 RP M. The beginn ing of
the red zone in the tachometer ind icates the
maximum permissible engine speed fo r all gears
once the engine has been broken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature . Before
reaching this zone, you should shift into the next
highest gear, select the D selector lever position,
or remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
~ Note
The needle in the tachometer @ c:> page 9,
fig. 3 may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or there is a risk of engine damage. The locat ion where the red zone be­
gi ns varies depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early helps you to save fuel and re­
duces operating noise.
Fuel level
The display @ only works when the ignition is
sw itched on. If the fuel level drops below 4 gal
(15
L), a red L ED will light up and the Ill indica­
tor light will turn on
c:> page 24. The red LED
will blink when the fuel level is very low.
10
The fuel tank capacity of your ve hicle is listed in
the
Techn ical Data section c:> page 334.
CD Note
Neve r drive until the tank is comp letely emp­
ty. The irregu lar supply of fuel th at results
from that can cause engine misfires . Uncom­
busted fuel w ill then enter the exhaust sys­
tem. This can cause overheating and damage
to the catalyt ic converter.
Odometer
Fig. 4 Instru ment cluster: odometer and reset button
Upper odometer
The trip odometer shows the distance driven
s ince it was last reset.
It can be used to measure
short distances.
The trip odometer can be reset to zero by press ­
ing
the ~ reset button.
Lower odometer
The lower odomete r shows the total distance
that the vehicle has driven.
Malfunction indicator
If there is a malfunction in the instrument clus­
ter,
DEF will appear in the trip odometer display.
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possi­
ble.

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.

Seats and storage
(D Note
Beverage containers in the cup holders should
always have a lid. If not, beverages could spill
and cause damage to vehicle equipment, such
electronics or seat covers.
Cooled glove compartment
The cooled glove compartment only functions
when the A/C system is switched on.
Fig. 77 Glove compar tment: switching cooling mode on/
off
.. Turn the knob @counter-clockwise to switch
the cooling on. The symbols on the knob indi­
cate the correct position.
.. Turn the knob @clockwise to switch the cool-
ing off .
The glove compartment cooling mode only func­
tions when the vehicle A/C system is switched on.
If the heating is switched on, switching the glove
compartment cooling mode off is recommended.
A WARNING
-
Always leave the lid on the glove compart­
ment cover closed while driving to reduce the
risk of injury.
(D Tips
The glove compartment can be locked using
the mechanical key.
Additional storage compartments
You will find a range of storage compartments
and hold ers at different locations in the vehicle.
- Compartments in the doors
64
- Net in the front passenger footwell
- Glasses holder in the headliner (near the rear-
view mirror)
- Storage compartments under the center arm­
rest
- Compartments* on the backrests of the front
seats
- Garment hooks above the rear doors
- Compartment behind the rear center armrest
(on vehicles without a pass-through* or refrig­
erator*)
- Cell phone holder* in the right rear door
- Bag hooks* in the luggage compartment
A WARNING
-When driving, do not leave any hard objects
on the rear window shelf or allow your pet
to sit on the shelf. They could become a haz­
ard for vehicle occupants in the event of
sudden braking or a crash.
- Any articles of clothing that you have hung
up must not interfere with the driver's view .
The coat hooks are designed only for light­
weight clothing. Never hang any clothing
with hard, pointed or heavy objects in the
pockets on the coat hooks. During sudden
braking or in an accident
-especially if the
airbag is deployed
-these objects could in­
jure any passengers inside the vehicle .
- To reduce the risk of personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
glove compartment closed while driving.
- Read and follow all WARNINGS
~ page 245, Important safety instructions
on the side airbag system.
- Hang clothes in such a way that they do not
impair the driver's vision.
- The coat hooks must only be used for light­
weight clothing. Do not leave any heavy or
sharp edged objects in the pockets which
may interfere with the side curtain airbag
deployment and can cause personal injury in
a crash.
- Do not use coat hangers for hanging cloth­
ing on the coat hooks as this can interfere
with proper deployment of the side curtain
airbags in an accident.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' There are two straps with hooks@ on the sides
of the bag*
r=:> fig. 83. There is a lso a securing
strap ® r=:> fig.
84 on the bag.
.,. To secu re the bag in the l uggage compartment,
engage the hooks into the rear tie -downs
r=:> fig. 83.
.. Tighten the strap on the bag to prevent the ob­
jects in the bag from sliding around
r=;, fig. 84.
A WARNING
- The bag is only intended for transport ing
sk is and other light objects. To reduce the
risk of serious in juries, never transport
heavy o r sharp objects in the bag.
- After loading, the bag must be secured with
the strap.
- Make sure that all objects that you are
transport ing in the pass-through are secure.
T hey co uld slide a round and inc rease the
r isk of injur y w hen braking or dur ing an acc i­
dent .
0) Tips
-Only fold the bag up if it is dry .
- When transport ing skis or snowboards,
t ighten the secur ing strap between the
b indings .
- Lay skis in the bag w ith the po ints facing
forwa rd and snowboards and sk i pole po ints
fac ing the rear.
Refrigerator
Introduction
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith re fri ge rato r
-
Clean the refrigerator before the first use r=;, table
on page 308.
You can on ly switch the refrigerator on, if :
- the temperature in the luggage compa rtme nt
is less t han 131 ° F (5 5 °C). If the refr igerator is
switched on, it will automatica lly switch off if
the temperature in the luggage compartment exceeds 131 ° F (55 °(). If the temperature
goes back below 131 ° F (55 °(), the refr igera­
tor will automatically switch on again.
Seat s and sto rag e
-The charge level of the vehicle battery is suffi ­
cient. The refrigerator is automatica lly switch­
ed off if the e lectr ica l system vo ltage falls be­
low the spec ified min imum value. Th is prevents
the vehicle battery from discharging. The re­
frigerator automatically switches back on if the
electrical system voltage increases aga in, for
examp le after starting the vehicle .
When the cooling function is working opt imally,
the cooling funct ion reaches 43° F (+6 °() and
the freez ing funct ion reaches 21 ° F (-6 °() . The
cooling temperature in the refrigerator also de­
pends on the luggage compartment tempe ra­
tu re . When the temperatu re in t he luggage com ­
partment is hig h, there may on ly be a limited
cooling effect.
A WARNING
= -
To avoid any injury risks to the passengers
caused by the refrigerator, the following safe­
ty precautions must be followed:
- The maximum load capacity for the freezer
is 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg).
- Never overload the refrigerator. There
is a
risk of injury in the event of a co llision or
sudden braking.
- The refrigerator cover must always be
closed and locked whi le driving. The refr ig­
erator contents could enter the vehicle inte­
rior dur ing a coll is ion or sudden brak ing ma­
neuver, wh ich increases the r isk of injury.
- Never store flammable fluids, gas contain­
ers and similar objects in the refrigerator
due to the r isk of an explos ion . This also ap­
plies to goods and products that can emit
volat ile or flammab le gases.
- At temperatu res of 32° F (0 °C) and lower
frozen liquid inside glass containe rs ca n
cause t he containe rs to b urst.
@ Note
,
- T he ve ntilation openings for the refrigerator
are at the rear panel tr im panel in the lug­
gage compa rtme nt and must not be cov­
ered.
67

Seats and storage
-If the refrigerator is not functioning correct ­
l y, turn it off to prevent any damage. Have it
checked by an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility.
Operation
App lies to: vehicl es with refrigerator
Fig . 85 Rea r ce nte r armr est
Depending on the equipment, the refrigerator
may be located in the rear behind the center arm­
rest or behind the sunshade. It refr igerates or
freezes only when the ignition is sw itched on.
Opening and closing the refrigerator
,.. Pull the release lever @~ fig. 85 to open the
refrigerator.
,.. Push the cover back into its closed position to
close the refrigerator. The cover is closed cor­
rectly if the release
lever (!) audibly engages.
Switching on/off
,.. Press the button @¢ fig. 85 to switch the
cooling function on or off. The symbol in the
button lights up when the function is switched
on.
,.. Press the button ® to sw itch the freezer func­
tion on or off. The symbol in the button lights
up when the function is switched on .
{I) Tips
- To avoid a build-up of condensation, only
open the refrigerator cover as briefly and
quickly as possible .
- Do not place any warm food or drinks in the
refrigerator .
68

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Warm and cold Deluxe automatic
climate control
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and re ­
moves humidity from the air in the vehicle interi­
or. It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof* are closed. If there is a build-up of heat inside the vehicle, ventilation can help to speed
up the cooling process .
In all heating mode functions, except for defrost,
the blower only switches to a higher speed once
the engine coolant has reached a sufficient tem­
perature .
Pollut ant filt er
The po llutant filter removes pollutants such as
dust and pollen from the air.
Ke y r eco gnition
The climate control settings are a utomatically
stored and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use .
A WARNING
Poor visibility can lead to accidents.
- For safer driving, keep all windows free of
ice, snow and fog .
- Become familiar as quickly as possible with
the correct use and function of the climate contro l system, especially with the defrost­
ing and defogging function.
- When the temperature is below freezing,
only use the windshield washer system after
Warm and c old
the windshield has been warmed by the cli­
mate control system. The washer fluid could
freeze on the windshield and impair visibili­
ty .
@ Note
-If you suspect that the climate contro l sys­
tem is damaged, switch the system off to
prevent further damage and have it checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility.
- Repa irs to the Aud i climate control system
require special technical knowledge and
special tools . See an authorized Aud i dealer
or authorized Audi Serv ice Fac ility .
@ For the s ake of the environment
Reducing the amount of fuel used also re­
duces the amount of pollutants that enter the
a ir .
(D Tips
- To prevent interference with the heat ing
and cooling output and to prevent the win­
dows from fogging over, the a ir intake in
fro nt of t he w indshie ld must be free of ice,
snow or leaves.
- Condensat ion from the coo ling system can
dr ip and form a pudd le of water under the
veh icle . T h is is no rma l and does not mean
there is a leak .
- Th e energy management system may tem­
porarily switch off certain functions, suc h as
the seat heating* or rear window defogger .
T hese systems are avai lable again as soon
as the energy supply has been restored.
69

Warm and cold
Operation
We recommend pressing the !AUTOI button and setting the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) .
Fig . 8 6 Cockp it con trols
F ig . 87 Re ar contro ls: 4 -zone de lu xe auto matic cl imate
con tro l
Press the bu ttons to tur n the func tions on or off .
The LED in a button will light up when the func ­
tion is sw itched on. Use the knob to adjust the
temperature, the blower speed and the a ir distri­
bution*. The driver and front passenger settings
can be adjusted separate ly.
Applies to: vehicles w ith 4-zone del uxe automatic climate
cont rol
You can adj ust the rea r left and r igh t sides using
the rea r contro ls
~ fig . 87.
IO FF ! Switching the climate control system
on /off
The IO FFI button switches the cl imate contro l
system on or off .
It also switches on whe n you
p ress the knob . The
!OFF I butto n in the rear only
sw itches the A/C system on/off in the rear of the
70
vehicle . A irflow from outside is blocked w hen the
cl imate control system is switched off.
IAIC I Switching cooling mode on and off
The air is not coo led and h umid ity is not removed
whe n coo ling mode is sw itched off . Th is can
ca use fog on the windows. The coo ling mode
swi tches off autom atically whe n there a re cold
outside temperatures.
l'-"" I Switching recirculation mode on and off
In recirculat ion mode , the air inside the vehicle is
c ir culated and filte red . Th is prevents the unfi l­
te red air outs ide t he ve hicle from en teri ng the
vehicle inte rior. Switching reci rc u lat ion mode on
whe n driving throug h a t unnel or whe n sitting in
traffic is recommended
~ & .
The !AU TO I button o r I@ F RO NT I button switches
recircu lation mode off .
IAUTO I Switching automatic mode on
Automat ic mode maintains a constant tempera ­
ture inside the vehicle. Air temperature , a irflow
and air distrib ution are controlled automatica lly .
If press and hold the button longer, 72 °F (22 °C)
will be set .
.,,.

Trailer towing
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p la ce to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder . It
is important that the coo ling system's perform­
ance is up to t he additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid .
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label
~ page 293. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e ma nufactu rers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are proper ly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch .
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the
tongue we ight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not ra ised
~ page 111, ~0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function butto n> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the ve hicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ~ page 113.
@ Note
-Changes in temperature or load can aff ect
the height of the vehicle .
-Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tong ue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a hig hly unstable distribution of we ight. If th is
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle s hould be loaded
to
the extent possible and permissib le, w hil e
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be ­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly whe n
go ing down hill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
A lways apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
ll-