2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER maintenance

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. .,.
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184 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Notice
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enc ed technician .
Brake fluid abso rbs moisture from t he a ir. If
the water content in the brake fluid is t oo
high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
dec rease b rak ing performance.
Therefore, the brake flu id must be changed
e ver y two y ear s. Always use new brake fluid
which confo rms to Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Standa rd "FMVSS 1 16 DO T 4".
Brake fluid is rep laced according to the Audi
maintena nce service schedule . Your author­
ized Audi dealer is equipped with the necessa­
ry special tools and rep lacement parts , has
the necessary expe rtise, and c an d ispose of
the used fluid .
& WARNING
-Brake fluid is po isonous. It must be sto r­
ed on ly in the closed orig inal container
o ut o f the reach of children!
- Brake fa ilure can result from old or inap ­
propriate b rake fluid . Observe these pre­
caut ions:
- Use only bra ke fluid that meets SAE
specifi cation
J 1 703 and co nfo rms to
F ederal Motor Vehicle St andard 116 .
A lways check with you r a uthorized Aud i
dea ler to make s ure you are using the
correct brake fl uid. T he correct type of
brake fluid is a lso indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fl uid is left in the system too
long . This can ser ious ly affect the effi­
cie ncy of the bra kes as well as yo ur
safety. This could result in an acc ident .
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of you r
vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because o f the prob lem of p rope r disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ial too ls
r equired and the necessary expertise, we
recommend that yo u have the brake fl uid
changed by yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
All work on the battery requires technical
knowledge.
The battery is located behind the cover i n the
l uggage compa rtme nt. Remove the cover by
pushing it to the left and lift ing it o ut.
The battery is practically maintenance-free
and is checked as pa rt of your ve hicle's main­
tenance se rv ices .
You are we ll advised to replace a battery that
is older than S years .
Disconnecting the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window reg u­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery te r­
mina ls are disconnected . T hese functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are
connected again . To prevent th is, the battery
shou ld only be disco nnected from the ve hicle
electrica l system when abso lutely necessary
f o r repai rs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
The battery becomes d ischarged due to quies­
cent current consume rs even when the vehicle
i s not used . With extended pe riods of non-use
i n the
cold season, you should have the ve hi­
cl e battery removed by an autho rized Aud i
de aler or qu alified workshop and stored in an
frost -free place. This preven ts the battery
from "freezing" and thereby being dest royed.
D uring the
warmer seasons it is eno ugh to liJ>

soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a significant ly un­
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation a l­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread l ife,
and may affect the veh icle 's handling and
stopping ab ility.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper t ire maintenance, and it is the dr iv­
er's responsib ility to ma inta in correct t ire
p ress ure , even if under- inflation has not
reached the leve l to t rigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale .
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indicate when
the system is not ope rating properly. The
TPMS malfunc tion indica to r i s combined wi th
the low t ire p ressu re tell ta le. When the sys ­
tem detec ts a malf unct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain continuo usly ill uminated . This se­
q uence will cont inue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists.
When the malfunction indicator is ill uminat ­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signa l low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occ ur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the ins talla tion of replace­
ment or alternate tires o r whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
t ellta le afte r replacing one o r more t ires or
wheels o n your veh icle to ensure tha t the re­
p lacemen t or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Introduction
The tire pressure monitoring system monitors
air pressure in all four road wheels while the
vehicle is moving .
As soon as the tire pressu re mo nitor ing sys­
tem senses a s ignificant loss o f air pressure in
one or severa l ti res, text messages and yellow
symbo ls appear in the instr ument cluster dis ­
p lay to alert the driver. The
[al warning light
Tire s an d wheel s 207
in the instrument cluster comes on when the
ti re is significant ly underinflated
Q page 34.
The wa rni ng lig ht [al also illu minates i n the
case of a system mal fun ct io n.
Be aware that t ire pressure is a lso dependent
o n the tempe ratu re of the t ire. For eve ry 18 ° F
(10 °C) incre ase in tir e te mper ature, tire pres­
s u re inc reases by about 1.5 psi (0 .1 bar). The
ti re warms up while the vehicle is moving and
ti re p ress ure rises . So you sho uld ad just tire
pressure only when they a re
cold, when the
temperature of the tires is roughly the same
as the ambient a ir temperature.
In order to keep the tire press ure monitoring
system p roperly ca librated, t ire press ure on
all four tires sho uld be checked at regu lar in­
terva ls.
The tire pressure is shown on the label located
on the dr iver's side B-pillar (v is ib le when the
door is open) .
A WARNING
When the tire pressure mo nitoring system
war ning light is lit , one o r more of your
tires is s ignificantly under-infla ted . You
shou ld stop and check your tires as soon as
pos sib le, and in flate t hem to the proper
p ress ure a s in dic ate d on the ve hicle's ti re
p ress ure lab el
¢page 19 3. D riving on a
significantly under -inflated ti re causes t he
tire to over heat and can lead to tire failure .
Under-inflat ion also is like ly to impair the
vehicle's handling and stopping ab ility.
@ For the sake of the environment
D riving wit h un der -inflated tires red uces
fuel efficiency an d tire t read life.
(D Tips
- E ach tire should be chec ked monthly
w hen the tem perature of the tires is
about the same as amb ient a ir tempera­
t u re and set to the recommended infla­
tion pressure as specified on the tire
pressure label
¢ pag e 193.
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Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties :
-New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding yo ur warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
I f you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Consumer Information 209
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, serv ice or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduct ion. Service Manuals and liter­
at ure are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
https: //www. audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty& Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions , for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
in very dusty regions, etc., some service work
shou ld be pe rformed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air fi lter.
@ For the sake of the environment
By regu larly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
T he increasing use of electron ics, soph isticat­
ed fuel injection and emission control sys­
tems, and the genera lly increasing technica l
complexity of today's automobiles, have ..,_
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210 Consum er Inf orm ati on
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Als o, sa fe ty a nd en vir onm ent al con­
cerns p lace very strict limits on the nature of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans­
miss ion parts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth­
er equipment available to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper pe rformance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and re­ pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­
ranty. Therefore , proof of servic ing in accord­
ance w ith the ma intenance schedule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, c reating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers .
If in doubt about any se rv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give yo ur a utho rized
Aud i dealer the opportunity to perfo rm all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs.
Your dea ler has the facilities, original parts
and trained spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing limit ed ma int enance your self
The following pages describe a limited num­
ber of proced ures which can be performed on
your ve hicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and carefully follow the instruc ­
tions given . Always rigorously observe the
WARNINGS p rovided.
Before you ch eck a nything in th e eng ine
co mpartm ent , alwa ys re ad and h eed all
WA RNINGS
c::> .&. and c::> ..&. in Working in the
engine compartment on page 175.
A WARNING
- Serious personal injury may occur as a re­
sult of improperly performed mainte­
nance, adjustments or repa irs .
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle . Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r is k personal
injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance ,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re ­
spect to the vehicle, or are uncertain how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessa ry
work done by your authorized A udi deal­
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- Always remove the ignition key before
anyone gets under the veh icle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work under­ neath the vehicle . The jack* is not ade­
quate for this purpose and cou ld collapse
causing ser ious personal inju ry.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on level ground,
that the wheels a re a lways secure ly
b locked and that t he engine cannot be
started.
- Always make sure the transmission se­
lec to r l ever is in "N" (Neut ral) (R t ron ic)
or Neutral (manual transmission) and
the hand bra ke is f irmly app lied.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Changing the engine sett ings will ad­
verse ly affect emission leve ls. Th is is det­
r imental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumpt ion .
- Always observe environmenta l regu la­
tions when disposing of old eng ine oil,
used brake flu id, dirty engine coo lant,
spent batte ries o r worn out tires.

224 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel@
Consumer
Automatically dimming in-
side mirror, ga rage door
8 opener (Homel ink), washer
pump relay, power outlets
relay
10
~ button
11 Pressure sensor, climate
controls
12 Airbag
Fuse panel @
No . II Consumer
1 Radiator fan (1)
2 Radia tor fan (2)
3 Exterior lighting
4 Exterior lighting
6 Blower regulator
Fuse panel @
No . II Consumer
1 Rear view camera
2
Tire pressure monitoring
system
4
Cell phone package, te le-
phone antenna amplifier
5 Instrument cluster
6 Networking gateway
7 Steering column lever
8
Diagnostic interface, brake
pedal switch, selector lever
9 Rain/light sensor
10 Light switch
11 Special functions control
module
15 Sound amplifier
Radio
Fuse panel E
No. Consumer
3 Auxiliary water pump
5 Supply terminal 15, starter
Amps
10
10 5
5
II Amps
40 40
40
40
40
II Amps
5
10
7.5 5
5
5
10 5
5
5
30
20
Amps
10
30
Fuse panel @
No. Consumer
6 Pump for brake booster
7 Horn
8 Wiper motor
9 Wiper motor
10 Headlight washer system
12 Power outlets and cigarette
lighter
Fuse panel
®
No. !!Consumer
1
2
4
6
7
8
~~·
E lectronic Stabilization Pro­
gram
Electronic Stabilization Pro­
gram
Rear window defogger
Power locking system
Interior lights, washer noz­
zles
Anti-theft alarm sys tem
Climate controls
Heated seats
Lumbar support
11 Control module for doors
12 Control module for doors
Bulbs
Note
Amps
15
20
30
30
30
20
ll Amps ,
10
25
30
20
20
5
10
25 10
30 10
Your vehicle is equipped with maintenance­
free headlights and rear lights. However, if a
bulb has to be changed, please consult your
authorized Aud i dealer or other qualified
workshop .

Resuming timing ...... ... .. .. .. .. .. 28
Selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Start ing tim ing ....... ... .. .. .. .. .. 26
Sw itching to the trip computer .. .. .. .. 27
L aunch Contro l Program
M anual transmission ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 84
R tronic .... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 87
L eather . .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 166
C lean ing
leaving home ............. .... .. ... .
Lifting jack . ... ... ..... ... .. .. .. .. .
Light 167
55
2 17
com ing/leavi ng home ............... 55
E xterior l igh ting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Light/ra in sensor
Automatic headlight cont ro l .. .. .. .. .. 62
D efective ..................... .... 35
Light sensor package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
W iper and washer sy stem ( intermittent
wiping) . ... .... ...... ... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Lights Instrument panel illum ination ........ 56
sw itch ing on and off ................ 55
Light sen sor
Defective .. ..... ....... .... ... .... 35
Light sensor package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
L oading the luggage compartment .. .. . 104
Locking ... .. ................. .. .... 40
Power locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
L uggage compartment ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Emergency exit ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 213
light .... .. .. .. ........... .. .. .... 59
Loading .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 104
M
Maintenance .... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 209
M alf unct ion Indicato r Lamp (MIL) .. .. .. 22
Manual transmission
Launch Cont ro l Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Menu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
M enu d isplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
M irror
Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
M ir rors
Activating the digital compass . ... .. .. 64
Automatically dimming inside mirror . .. 62
Inde x 235
Automat ic dimming for the ou ts ide mir -
ro rs . ... .. .. .. .... .. .. ...... ... .. . 64
Outs ide mirro rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Moni to ring the Advanced Airbag System 128
N
Natura l leather .. .. .. ............... 166
New tires and wheels
N HT SA 199
C ontacting . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. lOS
No reverse gear .. ... ........... ...... 35
Number of seats . .. ................. 109
0
Octane rating
170
Odometer
..... ... .. ................ 12
Oil
refer to Engine oil ............. .... 178
On-Boa rd Di agnost ic System (0 80)
Data Link Connector (D LC) .... ... .. .. . 21
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL) . ... . 22
Open door or fron t lid wa rning ......... 20
Optional equipment Marked w ith an asterisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Outside mirro rs . ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 63
Ou tside temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Owner's manual How the Owne r's Manual is organ ized ... 6
p
Pa int
Touc h-up .. .. .. .. .. ............... 164
Paint No.
Pa rking 226
o n a decline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
o n an incline . .. .. .................. 80
R tronic ... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 86
Parking brake ....................... 79
Warning .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ......... 32
Parking system advanced .............. 89
Adjusting the display ........... .. .. . 93
Adjusting the war ning tones ... ....... 93
Paralle l Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Reve rse parking ... ........... ...... 92
Safety p recautions .... ............. . 89
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