2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

been left in a re latively natural condition. This
l eather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes well. F ine veins, closed grains, insect
b ites, skin folds, and subtle variations in color
remain visible. These characteristics demon­
strate that the mater ial is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col­
or finish. It is therefore more sensitive to soil­ ing and wear, wh ich is something you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather.
By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a co lored finish layer are more durab le. This
has a posit ive effect on the leather's resist­
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical cha racte rist ics of natu­
r a l lea ther a re ba re ly or no t apparent. Howev ­
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
is of in ferior quality .
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and the ir unique prop­
er ties (such as sensitivity to o ils, grease, so il­
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care­
fu l with these leathers, and a certain type of
care is required . For examp le, dark clot hing
materials can discolor leather seats (especial­
ly if such cloth ing is damp and was not dyed
correctly). Dust and d irt part icles in pores,
folds, and seams can have an abras ive effect
and can damage the leathe r su rface as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as
needed . After having been used for a relatively
long t ime, your leather seats will acquire a
r ich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat­
ura l leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to ma intain the va lue of th is natural
p roduct ove r the life of your vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below :
«I) Note
- To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
Cleaning and protec tion 167
sunlight for long periods of time . If you
have to leave the vehicle parke d outside
for long per iods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to s un­
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip­ pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of t he leather.
@ Tips
- After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather preser­
vative creme that contains UV-blockers
and that works into the leathe r. Th is
creme w ill nour is h and mo istu riz e the
lea ther, helping it to breathe and s tay
s u pple. It also helps to build up a protec­
t ive coating on the sur face.
- Clean t he leather every 2 -3 mon ths,
and clean any areas that get soi led.
- Remove fresh marks made by ballpo int
pens, ink, lipstick, shoe pol ish, etc. as
soon as poss ible .
- P rese rve the color of the leather as need­
ed by using a specia l co lore d lea the r ca re
creme to touch up areas of uneven color .
Cleaning and caring for leather
upholstery and trim
Applies to vehicles : wit h natural leather
Natural leather requires special care and at­
tention .
Normal cl eaning
.,. Clean soiled areas with a slightly moistened
cotton o r woo len cloth .
More stubborn dirt
.,. More stubbor n di rt ca n be removed us ing a
cloth satu rated with a mild soap solut ion (2
t ablespoons mild liq uid soap).
.,. Never allow t he soap sol ution to saturate
t he leather, and make ce rtain that no water
soaks into the seams .
.,. Wipe
off the soap so lution with a soft, dry
cloth. ..,_ •
•

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.
•
•

170 Fuel supply and filli ng your fuel tank
Fuel supply and filling
your fuel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ­
ment clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel re co mm endation
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is un ­
lead ed pr emium
grade gasoline . See also
¢ page 228, Data . Audi recommends using
TOP TIER Detergent Gasol ine with a minimum
octane rating of 91 AK I (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TI ER Detergent Gasoline,
p lease go to the officia l website (www.toptier­
gas.com).
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can a lso be found on a label locat­
ed on the inside of the fuel filler flap . This rat­
ing may be specified as AKI or RON.
Your veh icle may also be operated using un­
leaded regular gasoline with a minimum oc­
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON . However, using
87 AKI/91 RON octane fuel wi ll slightly re ­
duce engine performance.
U se unl ead ed gasolin e onl y. Unleaded gaso­
line is available throughout the USA, Canada ,
and in most European countries . We recom­
mend that you do not take your vehicle to
areas or countries where unleaded gasoline may not be available.
F or more informat ion on refue ling your vehi­
cle, see
¢ page 171.
Octane rat ing
Octane rating ind icates a gasoline's ability to
resist engine damaging "knock" caused by
premature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buying the correct grade of gasoline is very
important to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the United
States and Canada has the following octane ratings that can usually be found on the fi
ller
pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 - 90 AKI Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti Knock Index = (R+M)/2 = (RON
+ MON)/2
RON= Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number .
(D Note
-Do not use any fuel w ith octane rat ings
lower than 87 AKI or 91 RON otherwise
expensive engine damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoline! The use of
leaded gasoline w ill severely damage
your vehicle's catalytic converter and its
ability to control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Use of gaso line co ntainin g alc ohol or
MTBE (m ethyl tertia ry butyl eth er)
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended mixture meets the
fo llowing criteria:
Blend of gaso line m ethanol (wood alc ohol or
methyl alcohol )
-Anti -knoc k index must be 87 A KI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of g asoline and etha nol (gra in alcohol
or eth yl alcohol )
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher .
- Blend must not contain more than 10% ethanol.
Blend of g asoline a nd MTBE
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher . ll-

-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea­
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo­
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob­ l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac ­
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 171
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec ­
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob yo ur
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malfunction due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve­
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the unlocking system should fail, you can
still open the flap manually -for detailed in ­
structions see ¢
page 173.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­ hicle in
Technical Data ¢ page 228.
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 170.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l­
ing vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fue l conta iners in yo ur car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collis ion. If you must
•
•

17 2 Fuel supply and filling your fuel t ank
transport fue l to use for yo ur lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al­
ways observe local and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportat ion and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con­
tainer meets industry standards (A NSI/
AS TM F852 - 86) .
(D Note
Never d rive yo ur vehicle unti l the fuel ta nk
is completely d ry. The irreg ular s upply of
fuel can ca use misfir ing. Gasoline cou ld
e nte r into t he exhaust system and damage
t he cata lytic conve rter.
Refueling
F ig . 135 D rive r's doo r: U nlo cki ng fuel f iller flap
Fig. 136 Fu el cap hooke d on th e opened fuel filler flap
When adding fue l, the ignition and any ce llu­
lar phones in the vehicle must be sw itched
off .
Tak ing the fuel cap off
• To open the fuel filler flap, press the button
r:> fig. 135.
• Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filter flap ¢
fig. 136 .
Refueling procedure
• Insert the fuel no zzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel fi ller neck as far as it wi ll
go .
• Select a med ium refue ling rate so that the
no zz le sw itches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
• After f illing your tank, twist the fuel filter
cap clockw ise until you hear a definite click.
• Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel s pill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filter cap properly and completely . An improperly closed fuel fi ll­
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp¢
page 21
to come on.
A WARNING
Imp roper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, e xplosion and severe burns.
- Fue l is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies .
- Fai lure to shut the e ngine off while refu­
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fu lly into the fuel filter neck could ca use
fue l to spray out of filler n eck or to ove r­
f low. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a ce llu lar telephone whil e re­
fue ling . Th e e lec tromag net ic radiat io n
can cause sp arks th at can igni te fuel v a­
pors an d cause a fire.
- N ever get back in to yo ur vehicle whi le re­
f u e ling.
If in excep tio nal cir cumstan ces
you mus t get b ack in your ve hicl e while
ref ueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity be fore touching the fill­
er nozzle again . Static e lectr icity can
cause sparks t hat can ignite fuel vapors
re leased d uring refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open f lame any­
where in o r near your ve hicle when refu­
eling or fi lling a portable fue l conta iner .

-For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con­
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire , especially in a crash .
-If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for example, in the luggage compart­
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici­
t y can build up while filling and can ig­
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete­
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
help prevent static electricity from dis­
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin­
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
I f any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full . Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 173
overflow when it becomes warm and pol­
lute the environment.
a) Tips
- Running your engine while refueling may
cause vapors to escape or even fuel to
spill out of the tank. This would then
shut off the fuel nozzle before the tank
is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni­
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refueling .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking sy stem should fail .
Fig. 137 En gin e compar tment : loo sening the fue l fill er
fl ap cab le
Fig. 138 Engine compar tment: re leas in g the fuel fille r
flap using the emerge ncy re le ase
You can release the fuel filler flap using a red
emergency release loop .
It is located in the
right side of the engine compartment.
.. Open the engine compartment lid.
.. Loosen the fuel filler flap cable from its
mount @ on the crossmember
c:> fig. 13 7 . liJJ,,

174 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
• Pull the red loop in the direction of the ar­
row until the fuel filler flap opens
¢ fig.
138 .
• Once the fuel filler flap is open, secure the
cable on the crossmember again.
• Close the engine compartment lid
¢ page
176 .