2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER warning light

Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Regular and correct care will contribute to
maintaini ng the beauty and value of your Au­
d i. Furthermore, good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty cla im should
corrosion damage or paint defects occur.
Your authorized Audi R8 dealer has a variety
of
d edicat ed ve hicl e-car e produ ct s. Please
make sure you apply them correctly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caution labels .
- Always read directions on the container before using any product. Follow the di­
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas .
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polis h remover or other volatile
fluids . They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wa x or d ry the vehicle wi th the ign it ion
on or the eng ine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. wit h out pro­
tecting your hands and arms . You may
c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
- Moist ure and ice on brakes may imp air
braking efficiency
c:> page 153, Broking.
T est the brakes carefully each time you
wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select only environmentally friend ly clean­
ing products . Leftover clean ing products
should not disposed of in the household
waste .
Cleaning and protec tion 16 1
Care of exterior
Washing your vehicle
The longer i nsect rema ins, bird dropp ings,
t ree res in , ro ad and indust rial dust, tar , soo t
particles, road salt, and o ther aggressive de­
pos its remain on the vehicle su rface, the more
lasting their destructive effect will be . High
temperatures, for example from intense s un­
light, intensify the corrosive effect.
After the end of winter road salting, the un­ derside of the vehicle shou ld be thoroughly
washed .
Automatic car washes
You must t ake the necessary precautions s uch
as clos ing t he windows and convert ible top
before using an automatic car wash.
If yo ur
vehicle has specia l accessories - e.g . spoilers,
radio antenna -it is best to speak to the oper­
ator of the car wash c:>(D .
Only use car washes where the vehicle re ­
mains stationary and the cleaning equipment
moves around the veh icle while washing and
drying. It is not possib le to use car washes
where the vehicle is moved forward on a con­
veyer
c:> ,& .
It is preferab le to wash your vehicle in a
brush less carwash .
Washing with a pow er wa sher
When was hing yo ur vehicle with a power
washe r, be sure to follow the operating in ­
structions for the power washer. This applies particu larly to the
p ressure and the spra ying
distance .
Mainta in sufficient distance from
soft materials such as rubber hoses, sound
deade ning mater ial, and the park ing aid sen­
sors* that are located i n the front or rear
bumper.
Do not use washers with
a ro tating jet or a
nozzle spraying
a h igh pr essur e je t of wate r in
any case.
IJl,-
•
•

162 Cleaning and protection
Hand washing
When washing your vehicle by hand, first soft­
en the dirt with copious amounts of water and
rinse it
off as best you can.
Then clean the vehicle using a soft
sponge, an
auto glove or a low-pressure wash brush.
Work from the top down to the bottom, start­
ing with the convertible top
¢ page 163. Use
a
shampoo only for v ery stubborn dirt.
Rinse the sponge or auto glove thoroughly at
frequent intervals.
Clean the wheels, door sills and similar areas last. Use a separate sponge for this.
_& WARNING
-Car washes with conveyors can damage
the vehicle tires, which could cause the tire to lose pressure suddenly while driv­
ing and put you at risk for an accident.
Do not use car washes with conveyors.
- Switch
off the ignition when you wash
your vehicle to avoid an accident.
- Protect your hands and arms from sharp
metal edges when you clean the under­
body, the inside of the wheel wells or the
wheel covers to avoid cutting yourself.
- When washing your vehicle in the winter :
Moisture and ice in the brake system can
affect the brakes.
- Never wash tires with a jet that sprays
water in a direct stream . This could cause
invisible damage to the tires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a relative ­
ly long distance and for a short time .
Damaged and weakened tires can fail
and cause accidents and personal injury.
(D Note
- Never drive your vehicle through any au ­
tomatic car wash that fails to provide ei­
ther sufficient clearance for your vehicle
or sufficient track width for your tires. Risk of expensive damage to the vehicle's
underbody , tires, and rims!
- As described in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet, damage or malfunction due to misuse of the vehicle or failure to
operate the vehicle in accordance with
the
instructions of this Owner's Manual
will not be covered under warranty.
- Fold the exterior mirrors flat - there is a
risk of damaging the exterior mirrors .
Power folding exterior mirrors must not
be folded in or out by hand. Use the pow­
er function!
- Do not wash the vehicle in direct sun­
light. You may damage the paint.
- Do not use sponges designed to remove
insects, rough kitchen sponges, or simi­
lar products. You risk damaging the
paint surface.
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel­
ing your vehicle. Never clean the head­
lights with a dry cloth or sponge . Use a
wet cloth or sponge .
It is best to use
soapy water.
- Never clean tires using a nozzle that
sprays water in a direct stream. Damage
can occur even with a relatively long
spraying distance and for a very short
time.
- To avoid damaging your vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis­
tance between the spray head and soft materials like rubber hoses, plastic parts
and sound-deadening materials. Never
aim the spray head at the same point for
a long time. This also applies to cleaning
headlights and painted bumpers. Re­
member: the closer the nozzle is to the
surface of the material, the greater the
stress on the material.
- Never clean the convertible top using a
power washer.
@) For the sake of the environment
Wash your vehicle only at specially de­
signed facilities. They can prevent any dirty
water contaminated by oil from entering
the waste water. In certain areas washing
a car outside of such facilities is not per­
mitted.

164 Cleaning and protection
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNING and
other Information
c::> page 161.
Plastic and vinyl
-
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose clean ing solution or a
mild saddle soap for viny l trim. Paint care
products are not suitable for plastic and vinyl.
_& WARNING
Always read and observe all WARNINGS and other i nfo rmation
c::> page 161.
Carbon-fiber parts
App lies to vehicles: with carbon-fiber parts
The carbon -fibe r parts of your ve hicle have a
pa inted su rface. They do no t require special
care and are cleaned like o ther pa inted parts
¢page 161.
Touch-up paint
-
Your authorized A udi dealer has touch-up
pa int for minor sc ratches and stone ch ips. Mi­
nor paint damages such as scratches or stone
chips should be touched up immediately to prevent cor rosion.
The number for the or igina l vehicle paint can
be found on the vehicle ident ificat ion labe l
c::> page 226 .
However, if corrosion has fo rmed, you must
have this thorough ly removed by you author­
ized A udi dealer or other qualified workshop.
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the informa tion
c::> page 161.
Windows
Clear vision improves traffic safety .
In order to maintain the performance of the
windshield wiper blades, never clean the w in­
dow glass with insect remover or wax.
Rubber, o il, g rease, or silicone residue can be
removed using a glass cleaner or a silicone re­
mo ver . Wax residue, however, can only be re­
moved using a spec ial cleaner. You can obta in
more information from yo ur autho rized Aud i
dealer .
You should a lso clean the inside of the win­
dow glass at regular i nterva ls.
T he cloth or chamois used on paint surfaces
contains wax residue. Use a separate cloth or
c h amois to dry the w indow glass.
Cleaning the rear window
Audi recommends clean ing the window using
a soft cotton cloth and water mixed with
cleaning so lution o r window cleane r (1:1 mix­
ture). To avo id streaks, do not w ipe the w in ­
dow dry with paper towels.
Do not use any cleaning sol utions that contain
ammonia, acids, silicone or fluoride or clean­
ers that are abras ive or could cause scratches.
Do not use any alkaline cleaning so luti ons.
_& WARNING ,_
- The winds hield must not be treated w ith
wate r-repellent materials . They can in­
crease glare unde r poo r vis ibility condi­
tions such a s wetness, da rkness, or w hen
the sun is low on the hor izon. In addi­
t ion, they can ca u se the w indshie ld w ip­
ers to chatter .
- Always re ad and h eed a ll WAR NIN GS and
ot her info rm ation
c::> page 161.
(D Note
- Nev er use warm o r hot wate r to remove
snow and i ce from w indows and mir ro rs .
T his co uld c ause the glass to cr ack.
- To p revent damage to t he wires of the
re ar d efogger, do no t place any adhesive .,.

stickers on the inside of the rear window
over the wires.
- To he lp prevent dirt from scratching the
window, always scrape in a forward di­
rection -pus hing the scraper away from
you -never back and forth.
Weatherstrips
To seal properly, the weatherstrips around the
front lid, doors, eng ine compartment lid, etc .
must remain pliable . Spray the weatherstrips
with silicone or coat them with talcum pow­
de r or glyce rine to retain the flexibility of t he
r u bber and to protect them against free zing
in the winte r.
A WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the information
¢page 161.
@ Tips
Keep silicone sprays off the windsh ield to
avoid wiper smear in rain.
Wheels
Regular care is required to preserve the deco­
rative appearance of the wheels . Road sa lt
and brake dust must be washed off regularly
or the wheels w ill be damaged .
Use only special acid-free cleaning agents. Yo u
can find proper wheel cleaner at authorized
Aud i dea lers and specialty stores. Do not leave
the cleaner on the wheels longer than speci­
fied. Wheel cleaners containing acid can dam­
age the surface of the wheel bolts .
Paint polish or other abras ive materials must
not be used when caring for wheels. If the
protective coating has been damaged, from
stones for example, touch up the damage as
soon as possible .
A WARNING
-Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency-
¢page 153, Braking.
-
Cleaning and protec tion 165
Test the brakes carefully after each vehi­
cle wash.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
c:;, page 161.
Exhaust tail pipes
Road salt and other corrosive materials wi ll
damage the material in the exhaust tail pipes
if they are not cleaned regularly. Do not clean
the tail pipes with wheel cleaner, pa int polish,
ch rome polish or other ab ras ive cleaners.
Clean the tail pipes with car ca re p roducts
that are suitable fo r sta inless steel.
Your authorized Audi dea ler can provide clean­
ing products that have been tested and ap­
proved for your vehicle.
Care of interior
· Radio and navigation display
The display may be cleaned with a soft cloth
and commercially-ava ilable "LCD cleaner".
The cloth should be coated lightly when the clean ing solution when cleaning the display .
(D Note
To prevent scratches, only clean the dis­
play when it is dry.
Plastic parts and imitation leather
You can clean p lastic parts and imitation
leather with a damp cloth. If this does not re­
move the d irt, you can t reat these parts only
with special
so lvent-fr ee pl astic cl eaning and
care produ ct s.
A WARNING
""' ~
Solvents can change the properties of
some p lastics and make it harder for the
a irbag to deploy.
- Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of Airbag modu les with cleaning
products that conta in solvents.
- Products containing solvents will make
the surface of this part poro us.
•
•

168 Cleaning and protection
Cl ean ing spot s
.. Remove fresh w ater-b ased spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil -b as ed spot s
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towe l, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leather .
.. Use an oil/grease dissolv ing sp ray, if
o il/
g rea se s pots have d ried on .
.. Remove spec ific kinds of spots (ballpoin t
pen, felt ma rker, fingernai l polish, water ­
based paint, shoe polish, etc .) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather.
Leather ca re
.. Every ha lf yea r use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized Au ­
di dealer) to care for the leather.
.. Apply the prod uct very sparing ly .
.. Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
I f you have any questions abo ut cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your authorized A udi dealer, who
will be glad to he lp you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as:
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Cremes to care for colored leathe r
- Spot remove rs for ballpo int pe ns, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming products.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~page 161.
@ Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g. lighter fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe pol ish or
similar products on the leather surfaces
i n your Audi. - To avoid damage, have stubbo
rn sta ins
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist .
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: wit h Alca nta ra upho lste ry
Remo ving dust and dirt
.. Moisten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Removing stain s
.. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water o r
with di luted
ethyl (rubbi ng) alcohol.
.. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
.. Once the sta in is no longer visible, use a soft
dry cloth or tissue to soak up the moisture .
Do not use leather cleaning prod ucts on A l­
cantara.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing dust and dirt .
D ust and grit in the po res and seams can
scratch and damage the surface.
If the ca r is
left stand ing in the sun for long per iods, the
Alcantara covers should be protected against direct sunlight to prevent it from fading.
Slight co lor variations will develop in normal
use and are not an indication of material dete­
rioration .
([) Note
- Never use chemical so lvents (e.g. lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
simi lar products on A lcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn sta ins
removed by a commercial clean ing spe·
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, stiff sponges or sim·
ilarly abrasive cleaning a ids.
Safety belts
Heavily so iled safety belts may not retract
properly .
.. Keep belts clean.

~ For cleaning, use a mild soap and water sol­
u tion . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
~ Do not allow inertia reel safety be lts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
~ Check the condition of your safety belts reg­
ularly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers would not be adequately pro­
tected in an accident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
erties which weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam­
age, see your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
<=? page 161.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Corrosion protection
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion -protected at the factory .
Good anti-corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, particularly in the winter. If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and plenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage. At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease removing solutions
1>, or if
l) Use only the correc t cleaning sol utio ns. Never use gas­
oline or diesel fuel.
Cleaning and protection 169
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
sion treatment is almost always removed as
well. It is therefore essential to have a long­
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment.
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before working in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
<=? page 175.
-Before reaching into the front plenum
panel, always remove the ignition key.
Otherwise, the windshield wiper system
could unintentionally be switched on,
possibly causing persona l injury from the
moving wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly -even when the ignition is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with
the engine running. Moving or hot parts
could injure you.
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protecting your
hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
<=?page 161.
•
•

Checking and filling Engine compartment
lid
Relea sing the engine compartment lid
The engi ne compartment lid is released from
inside the vehicle.
F ig . 139 Dr ive r's side: releasing the engine compart­
ment lid
Requi rement: The ignition must be switched
on.
• Make sure the rear spoiler is retracted
9page 152.
• Pull the@ button. The engine compart­
ment lid opens slightly.
• Open the engine compartment lid
9 .&,.
_& WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To redu ce the r isk of being burned, never
open the engine compartment lid if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping
from the engine compartment . Wait un­
ti l no steam or coolant can be seen or
heard before carefully opening the en­
gine compartment lid .
(D Note
To prevent damage to t he vehicle, only
open the engine compartment lid when
the convertib le top storage bay lid is
closed.
Checkin g and fillin g 175
@ Tips
An emergency release can be used if the
engine compartment lid cannot be re- l eased with the button @
i:> page 177.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment!
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling the d ifferent flu ids, there is a risk
of in jury, burns and accidents . To prevent per­
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS . The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area'
i:> A .
_& WARNING ,.;;
To help avoid injury, before you check any­
thing under the engine compa rtment lid:
- Sw itch off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); p ut manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always let the eng ine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
open the engine compartment lid if you
see or hear steam or coo lant escaping
from the eng ine compartment. Wa it un­
til no steam or coolant can be seen or
hea rd before carefully opening the en­
gine compa rtment lid.
- Keep ch ild ren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids o n hot engine compo­
nents. T hey can cause a fi re .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm. The cool­
ant system is pressurized and hot cool­
ant cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot e ngine coolant by plac ing a ""

The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mi leage (kilometers) and
time interva ls specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty & Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine o il can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
i zed A udi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine o il
should even be changed more frequently.
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, ope ra te the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under s top-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when yo u use your vehicle whe re
temperatures stay below freezing point for
l ong periods.
D etergen t additives i n the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunction s due t o lack of
m aintenance
It is essen tial that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
that complies with A udi oil standard
VW 502 00. Yo ur Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fai lure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use req uirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty&
Ma intenance book let . Your autho rized Aud i
deale r will have to deny warranty coverage un­
l ess you present to the dealer p roof in the
fo rm of Se rvice o r Repair Orde rs t hat all
sched uled main tenance w as performed in a
time ly manner .
Checkin g and fillin g 179
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in ­
te rnal combust io n engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt io n va ries from
engine to e ngine and may change sig nifican tly
ove r the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in pe riod (see
c::> page 158) consume more oil d uri ng the
break-in pe riod than they consume afte r oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oi l con ­
s u mption depends on t he q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensa tion or fue l residue a nd the oxida­
tion level of the oil. As any eng ine is subject to
wear as m ileage builds up, t he oil co nsump­
t ion may increase over time until repla cement
of wo rn components may be come necessary.
Wi th a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es­
t a bl is h ed o r spec ified . There is no alte rnative
to regular and frequent chec king of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note.
If the yellow engine o il level wa rning symbo l
i n the instrument cluster
1\11 lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
c::> page 180 . Top off the oil at your ear liest
convenience
c::> page 180 .
A WARNING
-Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c::> & in Working in the engine
compartment on pag e 175.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like-
-
ly to cause severe damage to the engine. .,.
•
•