2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

90 Parking system
Rear view camera coverage area
The rearview camera shows you the area be­hind your vehicle in the navigation system dis­
play. This area roughly corresponds to the
area in
¢ fig. 94 and (!) ¢fig. 95. Orientation
lines and colored surfaces are projected in the
area shown, which can help you with parking
and maneuvering. Objects that are located in
an area that is not captured by the camera@
¢ fig. 95 and that are closer to the bumper
will not appear on the navigation system dis­ play.
We recommend that you practice parking with
the rearview camera in a traffic-free location
or parking lot to become familiar with the sys­
tem, the orientation lines, and their function.
There should be sufficient light and good
weather conditions when doing so.
In the navigation system display, objects or
vehicles appear closer or further away if:
Objects or vehicles appear closer or farther
away in the navigation system if:
- you are driving in reverse gear from a level
surface onto an incline, or a downward
slope,
- you are driving in reverse gear toward pro-
truding objects.
The accuracy of the o rientation lines and blue
surfaces diminishes if:
- the rearview camera does not provide a reli­ able image, for example, in poor visibility
conditions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun glare and reflection .
Caring for the rearview camera lens
The rearview camera is located in the center
of the vehicle above the rear license plate bracket. In order for the rearview camera to
function properly , the camera lens must be
kept clean and free of snow and ice .
- Dampen the lens with a household alcohol­
based glass cleaner , and clean the lens with
a dry cloth. - Remove
snow with a hand brush and ice
preferably with a de-icing spray
¢ (D .
A WARNING
--
-The parking system cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for parking and similar driving maneuvers .
- Sensors have blind spots in which objects
cannot be detected. Pay special attention
to small children and animals because
the sensors cannot always detect them .
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's
surroundings, using the rearview mirror
as well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted from traffic by the rearview camera pic­
tures in the navigation system display .
- If the position and the installation angle
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rear end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons .
Have it checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or other qualified workshop.
(D Note
-Low obstacles already s ignaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and will not continue to be signaled. Ob­
jects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, narrow painted vertical poles or
fences may not be detected by the sys­
tem, posing risk of damage.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the rearview camera
lens because the lens could crack.
- Never use products that are abrasive
when cleaning the lens.

For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 66, Seats and stor­
age.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­ mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
Driving Safely 101
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 138 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 117.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
"'Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
"'Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
¢ page 102.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
"'Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 112.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 66, Seats
and storage.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it deploys. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
•
•

104 Driving Safel y
Pedal area
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
• Make sure that all pedals move freely w ith­
out interference.
• Make sure that noth ing prevents all pedals
from returning to their orig inal positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area
free and can be secured w ith floor mat fasten­
e rs .
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal
travel is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop .
A WARNING ,_
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the r is k
of serious injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's
footwell. An object could get into the
peda l area and interfere w ith pedal func ­
tion . In case of sudden braking or an ac­
cident, you would not be able to brake or
accelerate!
-Always make sure that nothing can fa ll
or move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
• Make sure that the f loor mats are proper ly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals
q .&_ .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot s lip out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­ ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can result
in a loss of vehicle control and increase the
risk of ser ious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfer ing with
the peda ls or the ab ility to control the
veh icle.
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
f loor coverings on top of al ready instal­
led floor mats. Add itiona l floor mats and
other coverings will red uce the size of
the peda l area and interfere w ith the
pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell while the ve­
h icle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­ erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
Loose items in the luggage compa rtment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
charac teristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missi les that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.

106 Driving Safely
of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. Howev­
er, NHTSA cannot become in­
volved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or
Audi of America, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call
the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll­
free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-915 3)
or write to:
Administrator NHTSA 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other infor­ mation about motor vehicle
safety from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian customers who wish
to report a safety-related de­
fect to Transport Canada, De­
fect Investigations and Recalls,
may telephone the toll free hot­
line: Tel.
: 1-800-333-0371 or
Tel. : 1-613-998-8616 if you are
in the Ottawa area
TTY for hearing impaired:
1-888-67 5-6863
email comments/questions to: [email protected]
or contact Transport Canada by mail at:
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation Directorate
Transport Canada
Tower C, Place de Ville,
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
KlA ONS
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsaf­
ety/index.htm

114 Safety belts
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢page 110.
Pregnant women must also be properly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy .
Fig. 120 Safety belt position during p regnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
¢ page 113.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly¢
page 66, Seats and storage .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest so that it sits as low as
possible on the pelvis and there is no pres­
sure on the abdomen
c> fig. 120 c> ,& .
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 112, fig. 118.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen. -
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c> & in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 113.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only a~er the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 121 Releasing the tongue from the buck le
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
c> fig . 121 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle
c> ,& .
.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
_& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi­
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
risk of being injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­ rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety belt to critical areas of the
body . Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu­ pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occupants and especially for chil­
dren. Therefore:

-Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer 's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat .
Airbag system 125
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, the inflat­
ing airbag will hit the child safety seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved in the crash.
When the electronic control unit registers a
low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat­ er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity, the first stage of the air­
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence - re­
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
IJII,-
•
•

A loos e chi ld safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
wh ich the child restraint is installed is in
an upr ight position . Otherwise, the seat­
back wi th the child safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an
acc ident or other emergency situat ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
~ page 138. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety sea t on the fron t passenge r sea t
~ page 119, Child restrain ts on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking r etractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically
when the belt is wound all the way back into t he re trac tor.
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buck­
le . T he be lt tongue wi ll pop out of the buck ­
le.
~ Gu ide the sa fe ty belt all the w ay b ack into
its stowed posit ion.
A lw ays let the safety belt ret ract comp lete ly
into its stowed posit ion. The safe ty belt c an
now be used as an ord inary safety bel t wi th­
out the convert ible lock ing retractor for chi ld
restra ints .
If the convert ible locking retractor shou ld be
ac tivated inadver ten tly, the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided completely back in ­
to its stowed position to deactivate th is fea­
ture . If the convertib le locking retractor is not
deactivated, the sa fe ty belt will g radually be­
come tighter and uncomfo rtab le to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child sa fe ty seats in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision.
Child Sa fet y 149
-Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convertible locking retractor for
child restraints while the vehicle is mov ­
ing. You would not be restrained and
could be serious ly inju red in an accide nt.
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
Q page 138 . Special
prec autions app ly when insta lling a child
safety sea t on the fron t pa ssenger seat
Q page 119, Child restraints on the fron t
seat -some important things to know.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T he re a re a number of sources of additiona l
in forma tion abo ut child re st ra in t se lec tion , in­
stalla tion and use:
N HTSA advises that the best ch ild safety seat
i s the one t hat fits you r ch ild and fits in you r
vehicle , and that yo u will use correct ly and
c onsistently.
Try before you buy !
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1 -888 -327 -4236 (TTY: 1 -800 -424 -9153)
www . n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
T el.: (202) 662-0600
www .safek ids .org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE ( English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Span is h)
www .carseat .org
T ransport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-03 71 o r call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
www .tc .gc.ca/ roadsafety
Audi Customer CARE
Tel.: (800) 822-2834 •
•

154 Intelligent technology
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving position . Do not
ride the brakes or hold the pedal down
too long or too often. This could cause
the brakes to get hot and diminish brak­ ing efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Cautiously apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few cau­
tious brake applications .
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
braking capability, resulting in increased
stopping distance. Avoid driving the vehi­
cle and have it towed to the nearest au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Power steering
When the engine is running , power steering
makes i t easier for the driver to steer.
Power steering helps the driver steer the vehi­
cle with little physical effort.
If the engine is not running, the power steer­
ing system is also not working . In this case ,
you will find it extremely difficult to turn the
steering wheel.
If you turn the steering fully to the left or
right when the vehicle is stationary, you place
a very heavy load on the power steering sys­
tem. Turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right will cause noise in the system. It
also reduces engine idle speed.
(D Note
Do not hold the steering turned fully to
the left or right for more than 10 seconds
when the engine is running . There is a risk
of damage to the power steering system .
(D Tips
-In the event of a power steering system
failure, or if the engine is not running
(while being towed), you will still be able
to steer the vehicle. However, you will re­
quire more effort to do so .
- If the power steering system has a leak
or is defective, you should immediately
contact a qualified workshop .
- The power steering system requires a
special hydraulic fluid. The power steer­
ing fluid reservoir is located in the en­
gine compartment. The correct hydraulic
fluid level is important for proper opera­
tion of the power steering system. The
power steering fluid level is checked ac­
cording to the Audi maintenance service
schedule.