2018 AUDI A8 oil level

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.

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

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.
-

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new veh icle must be broken in for the first
1,000 m iles ( 1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
that will ex ceed 2/3 of the max imum perm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid full acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
h igher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into p lace with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1 ,500 km) also affects t he engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
engine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new t ires, dr ive pa r­
ticularly ca refu l for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­
mete rs) after fi tting .
A WARNING
New tires tend to be s lippery and must also
be "broken -in" . Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 miles (500 ki lometers).
Brake gently . Avo id following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing .
-
Driving
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
(UJ) Note
When dr iv ing o n poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make sure that low -hanging
components such as the spoiler and exhaust
system do not come into contact with these
or they co uld be damaged. This espec ia lly ap­
plies to vehicles w ith low ground clearance
and vehicles that are heav ily loaded.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of veh icle
damage when dr iving through wate r, fo r example
o n flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the veh icle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
-
After driv ing through water or mud, the effec ­
tiveness of the b rakes may be reduced due to
moisture o n the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few ca refu l bra ke app lications sho uld d ry
off the brakes and restore the fu ll braki ng ef ­
fect.
(UJ) Note
- Vehicle components such as t he e ng ine,
t ra nsmission, suspe nsion or elect rical sys­
t em can be seve re ly damaged by driv ing
throug h water .
- Alw ays sw itch the Start/Stop system off
w hen driv ing th ro ugh water
q poge 78.
(D Tips
- Determine the depth before d riving throug h
wate r.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
sw itch t he e ngine off when d riving through
wate r.
- Keep in mind that o ncom ing vehicles may
cr eate waves that raise the wa ter level and
m ak e it too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.
73

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' & WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine
compartment~ .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 272.
Engine oil
If the engine oil level is too low
If you need to add engine oil, use an oil that is listed on the sticker.
The sticker is located at the
front of the engine
compartment ~ page 274,
fig.
258.
If the recommended engine oil is not available,
in an emergency you may add a maximum of 1
quart
(I liter) of ACEA C3 or API SN engine oil
one time until the next oil change.
For more information on the correct engine oil
for your vehicle, contact an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility. Have the oil
changed by an authorized Audi dealer or author­ ized Service Facility.
Audi recommends
«;;castrol I /g@@g PrtfTr.:!\.7.Tri,'lAl.
Audi recommends using the Longlife high-per·
formance engine oil from Audi Genuine Parts.
Checking the engine oil level
The engine oil level can be checked in the Info­
tainment system
Observe the safety precautions ~ A in Working
in the engine compartment on page 2 72.
~ Park your vehicle on a level surface.
~ Shut the engine off when it is warm.
~ Switch only the ignition back on.
~ Wait approximately two minutes.
~ Select: the ICARI function button> (Car)* Sys­
tems
control button > Service & control > Oil
level.
~ Read the oil level in the Infotainment system .
Add engine oil if the bar in the oil level indica­
tor is just before
"min"~ page 2 76.
Checking and Filling
@ Note
The engine oil level must not be under the
"min" marking, as this will increase the risk of
engine damage.
(D Tips
The oil level indicator in the display is only an
informational display.
If the oil level is too
low, a minimum oil warning appears in the in­
strument cluster. Add oil and close the hood.
The current oil level is displayed in the Info­
tainment system the next time the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 miles (0 .5 liter/1,000 km), de­
pending on driving style and operating condi­
tions. Consumption may be higher during the
first 3,000 miles (5,000 km). Because of this,
the engine oil level must be checked regular­
ly. It is best to check each time you refuel
your vehicle and before long drives.
- In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all
internal combustion engines consume acer­
tain amount of oil. Oil consumption varies
from engine to engine and may change sig­
nificantly over the life of the engine. Typi­
cally, engines with a specified break-in peri­
od consume more oil during the break-in pe­
riod than they consume after oil consump­
tion has stabilized.
- Under normal conditions, the rate of oil
consumption depends on the quality and
viscosity of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per
minute) at which the engine is operated, the
ambient temperature and road conditions.
Further factors are the amount of oil dilu­
tion from water condensation or fuel resi­
due and the oxidation level of the oil. As any
engine is subject to wear as mileage builds
up, the oil consumption may increase over
time until replacement of worn components
may become necessary.
.,.
275

Checking and Filling
-With all these variables coming into play,
no standard rate of o il consumption can be
established or specified. There is no alterna­
tive to checking the oil level regularly and
frequently.
- If you have the impression your engine con­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom­
mend that you consult an authorized Audi
dealer to have the cause of your concern properly diagnosed . Keep in mind that the
accurate measurement of oil consumption
requires great care and may take some
time. An authorized Audi dealer has instruc­
tions about how to measure oil consump­
tion accurately.
- You can find information on engine oil and
engine oil capacities for the USA at
www.audiusa.com/help/maintenance, or
for Canada at www.audi.ca/ca/web/en/
customer-area/ care-a nd-maintena nee/ aud
i­
service-schedules. html , or call
800 -822-2834.
Adding engine oil
Fig. 259 Engine co mpartment : en gin e oil fille r opening
c ove r
0 N
-N ,.:
gi
Observe the safety precautions c::, &. in Working
in the engine compartment on page
2 72.
"Turn the engine off.
" Open the hood c::, page 2 73.
" Unscrew the cap 't=?1 for the engine oil filling
opening
c::, fig. 2 59.
"Carefully add 0.S quart (0 .5 liter) of the correct
oil
c::, page 275.
"Close the engine oil filler opening cap.
"Close the engine compartment lid.
276
"Restart the ignition after two minutes and read
the current oil level in the Infota inment system
c::, page 275, Checking the engine oil level.
"Add more oil if necessary.
A WARNING
-When adding oil, do not let oil drip onto hot
engine components . This increases the risk
of afire.
- You must seal the cap on the oil filler open­
ing correctly so that oil does not leak out
onto the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running, because this is
a fire hazard.
-Always clean skin thoroughly if it comes into
contact with engine oil.
- Engine oil is poisonous and must be kept
out of reach of children.
- Store the engine oil securely in the original
container.
(D Note
- If the message l!I Oil level is too full.
Please reduce oil level. appears, there is too
much oil in the engine and there is a risk of
catalytic converter and engine damage. Do
not start the engine . Contact an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have excess engine oil extracted if
necessary.
- Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or malfunctions due to
failure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality engine oil that ex­
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine oil. Damage caused by such addi-
tives is not covered by the warranty.
.,._

u. co .... N
" 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

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' Raising the vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with floor
jack
The vehicle may only be lift ed at the lifting
points illus tr at ed.
Fig. 296 Fro nt lift in g poin t
Fig. 29 7 Rear lift ing poin t
.,. Read and heed WARNING c::> &, .
.. Activate the veh icle ja ck mode in the MMI :
I CARI funct ion button> Car systems control
button >
Servicing & checks > Air susp.: jack
mode > On .
.. Loca te lift ing po ints c::> fig . 296 and c::>fig . 297 .
.. Adju st lifting arms of wo rkshop ho ist o r floo r
ja ck t o ma tch vehicle li fting poin ts.
.. In se rt a rubb er pa d between the floor j ack/
wor kshop ho ist and the lifting points .
T he vehicle ja ck mode m ust be a ct iv a te d so th at
the au tomatic a djustment of the Ad aptive Air
Suspension does not m ake it more diffic ult to
raise the ve hicle wit h the floor jack.
If you must lift your vehicle with a floor jack to
work underneath , be sure the vehicle is safely
supported on stands intended for this purpose .
Emergency situations
Front lifting point
The lifting poi nt is locate d on the floor p an rein ­
f o rcement about at the same level as the ja ck
mounting point
c::> fig . 296 . Do not lift the vehi­
cle at the vertical sill reinforcement .
Rear lifting point
T he lifting p oin t i s lo cate d on the ve rtic al rei n­
f o rceme nt o f th e lower s ill for the on- bo ar d jac k
c::>fig. 297 .
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to c::> pag e 315 .
A WARNING
- To reduce the r is k of se rious inju ry and veh i­
cle dama ge.
- Always lift the vehicle o nly at the specia l
wor kshop h oist a nd f loor jack lift points
il­
l ustrated c::> fig. 296 and c::> fig. 297.
- Failure to lift t he ve hicle at these points
could cause the veh icle to tilt o r fall from
a lift i f there is a change in vehicle weight
dist ribution and balance . This might hap­
pen, fo r example, when h eavy compo­
nents such as the eng ine block o r trans­
missi on are re moved .
- Whe n re mov ing heavy comp onents like
these, an ch or veh icle t o hois t or ad d co rre­
spon ding weig hts t o m aintai n the cen ter of
g ravi ty . Ot herw ise, the vehicle mig ht tilt or
slip off t he hoist, caus ing se rio us pe rsonal
i njur y .
(D Note
- Be aw are of the fo llow ing po ints b efor e lift­
ing the vehicle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil
pan, the transmission housing, the front
or rear axle or the body side members.
This could lead to serious damage .
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be in­
serted between the floor jack and the lift
points .
.,.
331