2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER oil

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 ""

176 Checking and filling
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir .
-If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­ partment could start a fire .
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im ­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get ­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will
hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
.&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­ cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
@ Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine compartment lid
... Make sure that the rear spoiler is retracted
~page 152.
""Pull the engine compartment lid down until
the pressure from the struts is reduced.
.., Press the engine compartment lid closed
c::>& .
A WARNING ,_
A engine compartment lid that is not com­
pletely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
- When you close the engine compartment lid, check it to make sure the safety catch
has properly engaged . The engine com­
partment lid should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driving that the en ­
gine compartment lid is not secured properly, stop at once and close it.

178 Checking and filling
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations. This engine needs the right kind of
engine o il that meets spec ificat ions regarding
qua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the righ t oi l
and changing oil w ith in the time a nd mileage
interva ls printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance book let matters a lot more to ­
day than it did yea rs ago. A udi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion .
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
b rication that can outlast traditiona l petrole ­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of you r A udi .
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum­ based engine oil, the oil that you use must
conform to Audi's oil qual ity standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your veh icle 's eng ine
r unning smoo thly and help prevent t he fo r­
ma tion of harmfu l deposi ts, some times called
"s ludge," that over t ime can lead to expensive
repairs.
A t the time of pr intin g, engine o ils availab le in
the U .S . and Canad a that meet the exact ing
specifications o f A udi oil standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils . This does not mean,
however, that eve ry synthetic engine oil wi ll
meet A udi oil standard VW 502 00. So a lways
be sure that you use an approved o il.
To help preve nt the formation of harmful de ­
posits use only oi l with the fo llow ing spec ifi ­
cations printed on the oil container :
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
Oil container labels may car ry the specifica ­
tion sing ly or in combination with othe r desig ­
nations and oil quality standa rds .
Viscosity
Engine o ils are graded accord ing to their vis­
cosity . Th e pr oper viscos ity grade oil fo r you r
engine de pends on clim actic o r seaso nal con­
di tions where yo u drive. You can use o il wit h a
viscosity grade o f SAE SW40 across all tem ­
perature ranges for norma l driving conditions.
However, if engine oil visco sity g rade SA E
SW40 is not ava ilable, you can a lso use v iscos­
ity grade SA E SW -30 or SA E OW -40 as long as
it meets Audi oil q ua lity standard VW 502 00
specificat ions.
Beca use engine o il that mee ts the Audi o il
standard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
t h at you a lways carry with you an extra quart
( li ter) of oil that express ly conforms to the
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top off the oil while on the road .
Only if the level of the oil is at or be low the
min imum ma rk on the o il dipstick - and n o oi l
that expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 502 00 specifications is availab le -may
yo u top off with a high quali ty engine o il, p ref­
erably synthet ic-based, that me ets ACEA A3,
AC EA AS o r AC EA B S or A PI SL spec ifi cat io ns,
but even t hen, only in v iscosi ty g rades SA E
SW -40, SA E SW-3 0, or SAE OW-40 . However,
during the entire time between oi l change in ­
te rva ls , never top
off with more than a tota l
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con­
form to Audi oil specification VW 502 00.
F or more information abo ut engine oi l that
has been approved for your ve hicle, please
contact e ither yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or v is it our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www .aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
c ur rent l ist of oils (manufacturers, bra nd
names etc.) that conform to Aud i oil standa rd
vw 50 2 00.
Changing the engine oil

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. .,.
•
•

18 0 Che cking and filling
@ Tips
If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consu lt your a uthor­
ized Audi deale r to have the cause of your
concern properly d iagnosed . Keep in m ind
that the accurate measurement of oil con ­
sumpt ion re quires great care and may take
some time. Your author ized A udi dealer
h as ins tructions abo ut how to meas ure o il
consumption ac curately .
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 142 Ins trume nt clus te r: En gin e o il te mpe rat ure
dis pla y
F ig . 14 3 Mark ers on oil dipstick
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
pa rtment,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c;, A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
175 .
Determining oil lev el
.. W arm up the engine by driv ing unt il t he in­
strument cl uster d isplay shows an oil tem ­
perature of 210 °F (100 °C) to 230 °F
(110 °C)
¢ fig . 142 @ .
.. Park your vehicle so that it is hori zonta lly
level. ..
Allow the warm engine to r un for abo ut two
minutes at idle.
.. Shut the eng ine off and wa it two minutes .
.. Check the oil level on the engine oil dipst ick
¢fig. 143.
Oil leve l within range (v
.. Do not add oil.
Oil level within range@
.. Add 1 quart (l lit er) of o il c;, page 180. Af­
terwards , the oil leve l sho uld be with in
r a nge ~.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope ra tin g cond itions, o il consu mption
c an be up to 1 q uart per 600 miles (1 liter per
1,0 00 km) . Co nsump tion may be higher with­
in the f irst 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
Adding engine oil~
Fig. 144 En gin e co mpa rt m en t: O il fil ler cap loca tio n
Befo re you check a nyth ing in the eng ine com­
partment,
always r ead and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢
A in Working in the engine compar t­
men t on page
175 .
.. Unsc rew the cap~ to the eng in e oil filling
hole
c;, fig. 1 44.
.. Ca refully top off with the appropr iate oil
¢ page 228.
.. Check the oi l level again ¢ page 180 .
.. Top off the oil again, if necessary .
.. Screw the cap back on the fi lling hole and
slide the oil dipstick in as far as it w ill go.

A WARNING ,~
- While topping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine pa rts -fire
hazard!
- The oil fil ler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact w ith the
engine oil, yo u must subsequently
cl eanse it tho roughly.
CD Note
- The oil level must not be above range G)
- danger of converter or eng ine damage!
Contact an authorized Audi dealer to
draw off oil, if ne cessa ry.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adverse ly affect your New Vehicle
Warran ty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no ci rcumstances ca n the oil come
i n conta ct wit h the sewage network o r
the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations
when d isposing of empty oil con taine rs.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The coolant provides cooling for the engine.
The percentage of the coolant additive deter­
mines the freeze protection of the coolant in the winter.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a permanent coo lant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer's gly­
col-based coolant additive Gl2++ ant ifreeze
with ant icor rosion add itives (SO% fo r USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models).
Checkin g and fillin g 181
Coolant additive
The percentage of the coo lant add itive de­
pends on the climatic cond itions in wh ich the
vehicle is operated . If the percentage of
freeze protection i n the coo lant is too low, the
coolant can freeze, leading to a failure o f the
cooling and heating circuit.
T he percentage of coolant addit ive has al­
ready been adjusted at the factory for the ve­
hicle's climatic conditions.
T he m ix rat io for USA models is SO% wa ter
and SO% coolant addit ive, for Canadia n mod­
els 40% water and 60% coolant additive. This
mixture both ass ures the necessary frost pro ­
tection (-31 °F/-3S °C for USA models, -40 °F/-40 °C for Canada models) a nd protects
metal components i n the engine's cooling sys ­
tem from corrosion and scaling. It also ra ises
t h e boili ng poi nt of the coo la nt.
Summer time
Do not reduce the concentrat ion of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding p la in water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
ta in an tifreeze pro te cti on and cooling eff ic ien­
c y.
A WARNING
B efore you c hec k anything in the engi ne
compartment, a lways rea d and heed a ll
WAR NIN GS~ .&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 175.
CD Note
- Be fore winter sets in, have the coo lant
checke d to see if the coolan t additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions. This is especia lly impor ­
tant if you live in a region where t he win­
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
-
-Only Gl2+ +, an additive meeting specif i­
cat io n "T L-VW 774G" may be used as a
coolant additive. Oth er coo lant add itives
IJJ,
•
•

In a se ale d system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under press ure. Do
not open the cap of the coolant expan­
sion tank when the eng ine is hot. You
risk being scalded .
- The coo lant add itive, and therefore the
coolant itse lf, is hazardous to health.
Keep the coolant additive in the origina l
co nta iner out of the reach of children.
It
is a poison hazard.
CD Note
Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to your vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair f luid may adve rsely af­
fect the fu nction and performance of your
coo ling system and could res ult in damage
not covere d by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 175 .
.. Add coolant .
.. Tw ist the cap on again
t ightly.
.. Tighte n the cap (D ¢ page 182, fig. 146
again .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 181, Coolant. If
the coolant additive Gl2++ is not available in
an emergency, you must not add any other ad­
d itive . In th is case, use only water and restore
the co rrec t mix ratio wi th the specified cool­
ant add itive as soon as possib le.
Always use
new engine coolant when ref illing .
Do not fill coolant above the " MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the p ressure relief valve i n the cap when the en ­
g ine becomes hot .
Checking and fillin g 183
With a major loss of coolant, you shou ld add
the coolant only when the engine has
cooled.
In this way you prevent engine damage.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by followi ng
these steps .
- Turn off t he engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r fa ce, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, th ic k rag.
- Turn the cap s lowly and very carefully
in a counter -clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top
of the cap.
- To avoid being bu rned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the ex haust sys ­
tem or hot engine pa rts. Under certain
cond itions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store an­
tifreeze in its origina l container and well
out of the reach of children .
- If you dra in the coo lant, it m ust be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
taine r clearly marked " poison" .
CD Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
cou ld cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap w hen the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an eme rgency, o nly wate r can be
added, the co rrec t ratio between wa ter
and antifreez e
¢page 181 must be re­
stored as soon as poss ible.
@) For the sake of the environment
D ra ined coola nt sho uld not be reused. Al­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ­
i ng a ll environmental regula tions. •
•

196 Tires and wheels
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­ flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side 8-pil­
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system .
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off .
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires will wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well. -
If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required .
(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are technically referred to as the
vehicle 's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve-
hicle. ..,_