
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.
•
•

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 ..,_
•
•

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.

226 General information
General information
Explanation of
technical data
Some of the techn ical data listed in this man
ual require further explanation.
The technical data for your vehicle are listed in
the charts starting on
¢ page 228 . This chap·
ter prov ides general information, notes and
r estrictions wh ich app ly to these data .
Vehicle identification
The key data are given on the vehicle identifi·
ca tion number (VIN) plate and the vehicle da
ta sticker.
©+-wAuzzz XXx XXXXXXXX
XXX XXX
xxxxxxx
xx x.x xx
XXXKW XXX XX/XX
®t-XXX
@-t-LY7X/LY7X
---xxx
N2M/ NQ
EOA ?AO 4UE 6XC 5SL 6TS
!KP .J1L !LT !BA
JFA SMU 7X1 4RS
FOA 8GR OG1 OYK 0.JG
TOL 3NZ 88B U2A
XOA 1N1
2PG 801 902 825 07G
700 C7A 7K0 4X3 2Kl
3L3 4KC JY0 4K4 501
lSA OGG 0lA 4GF
@-I= xx.x
®
X.X X.X XXX
® © @__,
Fi g. 1 67 The ve hicle ident ific ation labe l
The Vehicle Identification Number (VlN)
You can find t he Vehicle Ident if icat io n N um
be r (V IN) beh ind the windshie ld on t he lowe r
l eft side . You can a lso display the Vehicle
I dentification N umbe r of your vehicle in the
Driver Information display ~
page 24.
The vehicle identification label
The vehicle iden tification la bel ~fig. 167 is
located wi th the fuses in the footwe ll on the
passenger's side ¢
page 223.
The label s hows the following vehicle data :
(D Vehicle Ident ificat io n Number (chassis
num ber)
@ . Vehicle model/eng ine output/transmis-
sion
@ Engine and transm iss ion codes
@ Pa int a nd inte rior equipment numbe rs
® Optional equipment numbers
@ Fuel economy and emissions data
Vehicle data a re a lso fo und in your Wa rra nty
& Ma intenance booklet .
The safety compliance st icker
The safety compliance sticker is your assur
ance that yo ur new vehicle complies with all
applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards which we re in effect at the t ime the
vehicle was manufactured . You can find this
st icker on the left door jamb.
It s h ows the
mon th and ye ar of product io n and the veh icle
iden tification numbe r of your vehi cle (pe rfora
tio n) as well as t he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing (GVWR) and the G ross Ax le Weight Rating
(GAWR).
The high voltage warning label
T he high vol tage warning label is lo cate d on
the lo ck car rier .
The spark ignition system meets all require
ment s of the Canadian Interferen ce -Causing
Equipment Regulation s.
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
T he Gross Vehicle We ight Rat ing (GVWR), and
t h e Gross Axle Weight Rat ing (GAWR) for
fron t and rear are listed on a sticker on the
le ft doo r jamb.
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rat ing includes the
weight of the bas ic vehicle plus fu ll fuel ta nk,
o il a nd coo lant, plus max imum load , which in
cl udes p assenger we igh t (150 lbs./68 kg per
designate d seating posit ion) and luggage
weight .
IJ>,

228 Data
Data
RB Spyder 4.2 quattro
Engine data
424 hp (316 kW)@ 7900 rpm
------,..--
Maximum output SAE net
Maximum torque SAE net
Cylinders, Displacement
Number of valves per cylinder
Bore
317 lb-ft (430 Nm) @ 4500 - 6000 rpm
8 cylinders, 254 CID (4163 cm3)
----~--
4
3.33 in (84 .5 mm)
3.65 in (92 .8 mm)
Stroke
Compression ratio
---------·
12.5:1
1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2
Firing sequence
Fuel _________ ...
Engine oil
Engine oil with filter change
RB Spyder 5.2 quattro
Engine data
Maximum output SAE net
Maximum torque SAE net
Cylinders, Displacement
Number of valves per cylinder
Bore
Stroke
Compression ratio
Firing sequence
Fuel
Engine oil Engine oil with filter change
Premium unleaded (91 AKI) Recommended for
maximum eng ine performance. Further details
¢ page 170, Gasoline
q1Uarts/liters approx.
10.6/10
525
hp (386 kW)@ 8000 rpm
391 lb-ft (530 Nm)@ 6500 rpm
10 cylinders, 318 CID (5204 cm3 )
4
3.33 in (84 .5 mm)
3.65 in (92.8 mm)
12.5:1
1-6-5-10-2-7-3-8-4-9
Premium unleaded (91 AKI) Recommended for
maximum engine performance. Further details
¢ page 170, Gasoline
quarts/l iters approx.
8.8/8.3

Dimensions
!Length (with license plate bracket)
Width
Width (across mirrors)
Height (unloaded)
T urning circle diameter (curb to curb) R8 Sp
yd er 4. 2
quattro
4434 mm (ap prox. 174.6 in)
1904 mm (approx . 75 .0
in)
2029 mm (ap prox. 80.0 in)
1244 mm (ap
prox. 49.3 in)
11.80
m (ap
prox. 3 8. 7
ft)
When driving up steep ramps, on rough roads,
over curbs, etc. it is important to remembe r
that some parts of your vehicle, such as spoil
ers or exhaust system components, may be
close to the ground . Be careful not to damage
them.
This applies especially to vehicles with a low chassis (sports chassis) and when the vehicle
is fully loaded .
Capacities (approx.)
Fuel tank
R8 R8
Spyder Spyder
4 .2 5.2
quattro quat -
tro
Total capacity gal/ 21.1/8 21.1/8
liters 0 0
Reserve (of total gal/ 2.6/10 2 .6/10
capacity) liters
Windshield wa she r sys tem
Windsh ield wash- quarts approx. 4.2/4.0
er fluid /liters
D ata 229
R8 Spyder 5.2
qu attro
4434 mm (ap prox. 174.6 in)
1904 mm (approx. 75.0 in)
2029 mm (approx. 79.9 in)
1
1244 mm (approx. 49.0 in)
11.80 m (approx. 38. 7
ft)
•
•

230 Index
A
A/C operation ................. .... .. 75
ABS
refer to Anti-Lock Brake System . .. .. . 150
A cces sories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Active rollover protection system . .. ... 107
Retracting rollover protection ... .. ... 107
Adding
Eng ine coolant ... ..... ... .. .. .. .. .
183
Eng ine oil .. .. . ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 180
Addit ional accessories .. .... .... .. .. . 211
Additives .................. ... .... . 180
Adjustable steering column ...... .. .... 77
Adju sting front sea ts ....... .. .. .. .. . .
66
Advanced Airbag System
Children ... ............... .. .... .
139
Compon ents ................ ..... . 124
Front ai rbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
How the component s work togethe r .. 125
Mon ito ring . .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 128
Weight-sen sing mat .. .... .. .. .. .. . 139
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117, 136
Car e ... .. .. ................ ..... . 130
Child restraints .. .. ... ...... .. .. .. .
140
Components (fron t air bags) .. .. .... . 124
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . .
119
Disposal ............. ........ .... 130
Front airbags ... .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . 121
H ow do the front airbags work? . .... . 126
How many airbags does my vehicle
have? .................... .. .... .
124
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system ....... .. .. .. .. .
134
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Indica tor ligh t .... .... ..... .. .. .. . 128
Knee airbags ... ... .... ..... .. .. .. . 132
Monitoring ................. ... ... 128
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light . . . . . . . 128
Service .. ...... .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . 130
Side airbags ..... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. . 135
Warning/indicator light ..... ... .... .. 17
When must the system be inspected? . 128
Air cond itioning
A/C operation . .... .... ..... .. .. .. .. 75
A ir distribution .... ....... .. .. .. .. ..
74
Air recirculation mode ......... .... .. 75 Automatic mode
.............. .... . 75
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
72
Defrost ..... .. .. .. .............. .. 75
E conomi cal use .. ....... ..... ..... .
76
Fan .. .... .. .. .. ...... ... .... .... . 74
Rear window defogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Switching on and off .... ......... .. . 74
Temperature ... ............ ........ 73
Air d istribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Air recirculation mode Air condit ioning . ................. .. 75
All-wheel drive .. ............ .......
155
Winter tires . .. .. ... .. ..... ... .... 203
Anti-free ze
refer to Engine cool ant system ... .. .. 181
Anti-Lock Brake System .......... .... 150
Warning/indicator light ............ .. 18
Anti-Slip Regulation System .. .... .... 150
Anti- theft alarm system ... .... ... .... . 43
Anti-theft whee l bolts .............. . 216
Ashtray ........... .... ........... .. 69
ASR
refer to An ti-Slip Regulation System .. 150
Asterisk .... .. .. .. .. ................ . 6
Audi magnetic ride ................. ..
82
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Wa rning/ind icator light ... .. .. .. .. .. . 15
Aud i Servi ce Repa ir Manuals and Li te ra-
ture ........ ... .. .. ... ....... .... .
209
Automated manua l transmission
ref er to R tronic . ................. .. 85
Automat ic be lt retractor ...... .. ... .. 112
Autom atic car w ash
refer to Washing ........... ....... 16 1
Automatic headlight ................. 55
Automat ic headl ight control ...... .. .. .
62
Automatic headlight s
Defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5
Auto Safety Hotline ............. ....
105
Average fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Aver age speed . .. .. .. ..... .. .. .. .... . 23
B
Battery ..... ..... .. ............... 184
Cha rging .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. ... .... 186
Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

232 Index
Controls and displays ........... .... .. . 8
Convenience close/open feature .. .. ....
40
Convertible child safety seats .. .. ..... 144
Conve rtible locking retractor
Activating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
148
Deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Using to secure a child safety seat l46, 148
Convertible top
Emergency operation .... .. .. .. .. .. . .
49
Error message ............ ... .... .. 47
General information ....... ..... .. . .
46
Indicator light ............ ... .... .. 16
Malfunction ............... .. .... .. 4 7
Opening/closing .......... .. .. .. .. ..
46
Retracting/ex tending rear window . .... 48
Wind deflector ............... .. ... . 48
Coolant system ..................... 181
Adding coolant ............. .. .... . 183
Checking the engine coolant level .....
182
Cruise control .............. ... .... .. 81
Changing speed .................... 81
Deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
82
Driving in control mode .... .. .. .. .. . . 81
Switching off temporarily .. .. .. .. .. . . 82
Warning/indicator light .... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Cup holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Current fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
D
Damping
refer to Audi magnetic ride ..... .. .... 82
Data . ... .. .. ................ ..... . 228
Data recorder ............. .. .. .... . 150
Date display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Daytime running lights ....... ... .... .. 55
Declaration of compliance
Cell phone package ..... .. .. .. .. .. .
212
Electronic immobilize r ..... .. .. .. .. . 212
H omelink ® universal remote control .. 212
Remote control key ........ ... .... . 212
Tire pressure monitoring system . ... . 212
def . .. .. .. ............... .... .... .. 12
Defective light bulb wa rning . .. .. .... .. 35
Defrosting the windows ...............
75
Determining correct load limit ..... .. . 197
Digita l compass ........... .. .. .... .. 64
Dimensions ..... .. ............. .... 229
Dipst ick ... .... ... .. .............. . 180
Distance ..... .. .. .. ........... .... . 23
Doors Emergency locking ................ ..
42
Driver information ...... ........... .. 31
Driver informat ion system
Menu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
Open door or front lid warning ........ 20
Outside temperature display . . . . . . . . . . 20
Red symbols . .. .. .......... ...... .. 30
Serv ice interval display ......... .. .. .
21
Setting ... .... .. .. ........... .... . 25
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20
Trip computer .... ............. ..... 22
Yellow symbo ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Driver seat
refer to Seating position . . . . . . . 100, 101
Driving safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Driving through water .............. . 158
Dry sump lubrication .... ..... ... .. .. 157
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
E
Elapsed time .... .. ............. .... . 23
Electrical voltage .. ............. .... . 13
Electronic differential lock (EDL) ....... 150
Warning/indicator light ............ ..
18
Electronic immob ilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 38
Electronic power control ( EPC) . . . . . . . . . 15
Electronic Stabilization Program ....... 150
Electronic stabilization program (ESP)
Warning/indicator lights .............
16
Emergency flasher . ............. .... . 57
Warning/indicator lights ........ .. .. . 16
Emergency key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
Emergency locking ........ ...... .. .. .
42
Emergency operation
Convertible top .. ... .......... .. .. .
49
Emergency release
Front lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Emergency starting ................ .
219
Emergency towing . ............... .. 222