2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

160 Driving and en vi ro nment
recommendations in your Warranty &
Maintenance booklet . Lack of proper
maintenance as well as improper use of
the veh icle w ill impair the funct ion of
the emission control system and could
l ead to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Em ission Contro l System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, wh ich are designed to protect
you r vehicle's Emiss ion Control System
and othe r important veh icle compo­
nen ts.
(D Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as publish ed
by the ENVIRONM EN TAL PRO TECTIO N
AG ENCY ( EPA) and Transpor t Canada may
no t correspond to yo ur actua l cons ump­
tion on the road, which will vary depend ­
ing upon vehicle load and speed, road and
weather conditions, trip length, etc.
Trailer towing
Your Audi RB is not designed to tow a trailer.
Towing a trai le r with yo ur Audi R8 is not rec­
ommended and ca n cause damage to the vehi­
cle . Damage caused by towing a tra iler is not
covered under warranty .

164 Cleaning and protection
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNING and
other Information
c::> page 161.
Plastic and vinyl
-
Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to remove
dust and light surface dirt. For other soil, use
a lukewarm all-purpose clean ing solution or a
mild saddle soap for viny l trim. Paint care
products are not suitable for plastic and vinyl.
_& WARNING
Always read and observe all WARNINGS and other i nfo rmation
c::> page 161.
Carbon-fiber parts
App lies to vehicles: with carbon-fiber parts
The carbon -fibe r parts of your ve hicle have a
pa inted su rface. They do no t require special
care and are cleaned like o ther pa inted parts
¢page 161.
Touch-up paint
-
Your authorized A udi dealer has touch-up
pa int for minor sc ratches and stone ch ips. Mi­
nor paint damages such as scratches or stone
chips should be touched up immediately to prevent cor rosion.
The number for the or igina l vehicle paint can
be found on the vehicle ident ificat ion labe l
c::> page 226 .
However, if corrosion has fo rmed, you must
have this thorough ly removed by you author­
ized A udi dealer or other qualified workshop.
_& WARNING
Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
the informa tion
c::> page 161.
Windows
Clear vision improves traffic safety .
In order to maintain the performance of the
windshield wiper blades, never clean the w in­
dow glass with insect remover or wax.
Rubber, o il, g rease, or silicone residue can be
removed using a glass cleaner or a silicone re­
mo ver . Wax residue, however, can only be re­
moved using a spec ial cleaner. You can obta in
more information from yo ur autho rized Aud i
dealer .
You should a lso clean the inside of the win­
dow glass at regular i nterva ls.
T he cloth or chamois used on paint surfaces
contains wax residue. Use a separate cloth or
c h amois to dry the w indow glass.
Cleaning the rear window
Audi recommends clean ing the window using
a soft cotton cloth and water mixed with
cleaning so lution o r window cleane r (1:1 mix­
ture). To avo id streaks, do not w ipe the w in ­
dow dry with paper towels.
Do not use any cleaning sol utions that contain
ammonia, acids, silicone or fluoride or clean­
ers that are abras ive or could cause scratches.
Do not use any alkaline cleaning so luti ons.
_& WARNING ,_
- The winds hield must not be treated w ith
wate r-repellent materials . They can in­
crease glare unde r poo r vis ibility condi­
tions such a s wetness, da rkness, or w hen
the sun is low on the hor izon. In addi­
t ion, they can ca u se the w indshie ld w ip­
ers to chatter .
- Always re ad and h eed a ll WAR NIN GS and
ot her info rm ation
c::> page 161.
(D Note
- Nev er use warm o r hot wate r to remove
snow and i ce from w indows and mir ro rs .
T his co uld c ause the glass to cr ack.
- To p revent damage to t he wires of the
re ar d efogger, do no t place any adhesive .,.

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.

198 Tires and wheels
cargo and lugg age load ca­
pacity is 650 lb s. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lb s.)
5. Determin e the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the a vailable cargo
and luggage load capacity
c alculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer , load from your trail­
er w ill be tran sferred to your
vehi cle . Consult this manual
to determine how thi s re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,.Che ck the tire sidewall
( ¢ page 199 , fig. 153) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
diff erent things i ncluding prop er installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv ·
ing s tyle.
Fig. 152 T ire tread: trea d wea r ind icators (TWI)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The orig in al tires on yo ur vehi cle ha ve
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wear indica tors"
¢ fig . 152 ru nning acro ss the tread . Depend·
ing on the ma ke , t here will be six to e ight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire. Marks on
t he tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or ot her
symbols) ind icate the pos itions of the tread
wea r indica to rs. Wor n tir es must be rep laced .
Differ ent figures may apply in othe r countries
¢ .&_ .
Tire pressure
Incor rect t ire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
o nce a month
¢ page 195.
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy accele rat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
However, va rious s ituations dur ing everyday
driv ing can cause them to become unbal·
anced, resulting in vib rations you can usually
feel t hrough the steer ing whee l.
Unb alanced w hee ls m ust be rebalance d to
avo id excessive wear on steering, suspension
and ti res. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
whe n a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
s ive tire wear , impa iring the safety of the vehi ­
cle.
If tires show excessive wear , have the
w hee l alignment chec ked by an authoriz ed
Audi deal er or qualified wo rksh op.
All-wheel drive
Only the wheel/ti re sizes specif ied by the
manufacture r may be used on veh icles with
all-wheel drive. For detai ls see ¢
page 155.

222 What do I do now ?
-Please note that the procedure for con ­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies spec ifically to the case of
your vehicle be ing jump started. When
you are giving a jump start to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative( -) ca­
ble to the negat ive( -) terminal on the
discharged battery ©-Instead, securely
connect the negative (- ) cable to either a
solid metal component that is firmly
bo lted to the engine b lock or to the en­
gine block itself . If the battery that is be ­
ing charged does not vent to the outside,
escaping battery gas cou ld ign ite and ex­
plode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
ing.
The following information is to be used by
commercia l tow truck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safely.
- Never tow your Audi, towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
around the brake lines.
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a car carrier (flat
bed truck).
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use
the towing loop found in the vehicle tools
and attach to the front anchorage
~ page 222.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas­
sengers. Never allow anyone to ride in a
vehicle being towed, for any reason.
(D Note
The vehicle has very low ground clearance.
Make sure that no damage is caused to the
-
underside of the vehicle when it is being
loaded onto a f lat bed truck .
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop until it is
needed.
Fig. 164 Right front bumper without grille : Tow ing
loop
fully screwed in
On the right front in the bumper, there is a
threaded hole behind the air intake grill into
which the towing loop is screwed.
"' Remove the towing loop from the vehicle
tool kit~
page 213.
"'Pull the lower part of the grill forwa rd and
out .
"' Screw the towing loop tightly into the
threaded ho le as far as it wi ll go ¢
fig. 164.
When it is no longer needed, unscrew the
towing loop and put it back into the on-board
toolkit. Make sure to have the towing loop stored in the vehicle at all times.
When installing the grill for the air duct, be
sure that the tabs on the grill are first insert­ ed into their guides on the vehicle. Then push
the grill into position.
A WARNING
= If the towing loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the veh icle is towed -potential r isk of an
accident.
@ Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up i s secure.

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

Energy management .... ... .. .. .. .. . 155
Battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Driver notification ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 156
E ng ine
Coolan t .......................... 181
E ng ine compartment lid ... .. .. .. .. . 175
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 78
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
E ng ine compartmen t ................ 177
Safety ins truc tions ........ .. .. .. .. . 17 5
Eng ine compartment lid
C losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Release lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
Eng ine coolant system ............... 181
Malfunct io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
T emperature gauge ................. 11
Engine data .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 228
E ng ine oi l ... ............. .... .. ... 178
Adding .. .. ............. .. .. .. ... 180
Addit ives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Chec king the engine oi l level . ... .. .. . 180
D ry s ump lubrication ... ... .. .. .. .. . 157
Indications and cond it ions requ iring ex-
tra check ing ............. .... .. ... 180
Level ............................. 33
O il consumption ................. .. 179
O il grades .. ... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .. . 178
Sensor defective .................... 33
Specification and viscos ity .. .. .. .. .. . 178
Tempe ra tu re d isp lay ................ 10
Eng ine oil pressure
Malfunct io n ... ........... ...... ... 33
Eng ine speed limitat ion .. ... .. .. .... .. 36
E nvi ro nment
Ca tal ytic conve rter ........ .. .. .. .. . 158
Fu el . .... .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 172
Un leaded fu el .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 170
E PC
refer to E lectronic powe r control ( EPC) . 15
ESP
refer to Electronic Stabilizat io n Pro-
g ram .. .. .. .. ........ ..... ... ... . 150
refer to Electronic stab ilization p rogram
( E SP) ............................. 16
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
E xhaust tail pipes
C lea ning ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 165
Inde x 233
Expansion tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
F
Fan ................................ 74
Fastening Boos ter seats .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . .
Co nvertib le child safety seats ....... .
Infan t seats . .. .. ................ .
Flat bed truck
Flat tire 145
144
1
4 3
222
Changi ng ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 216
Floor mats ...... .. .. ..... .......... 104
Fo ld ing top
Care and cleaning . .... ............. 163
Foot peda ls ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 104
Fo r the sake of the envi ronment
Gasoline fumes and t he env ironme nt .. 172
L etting your eng ine w arm up ......... 78
Ref ueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Front a irbags
Desc ription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
How they wor k ... .... ......... .. .. 126
Frontal coll is io ns and the laws of p hys ics 111
Fron t lid
Emergency re lease . .. .. .. ..... ... .. . 43
li ght . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Power locking system .......... .. .. . 42
Tr unk escape handle ............... 213
Front passenger
refer to Seating position . . . . . . . 100, 101
Fron t seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Child res traints in the fro nt sea t ...... 119
Front towing loop .. .. ........... .... 222
Fuel Additives . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 170
B lended gaso line ... .. ... ..... ... .. 170
C ur rent fuel mileage ................ 23
Filler neck ... .. ...... ............. 171
Fuel supply too low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Gasoline add it ives .. .............. . 171
Octane rat ing .. ... ........... .... . 170
Recommendat ion . ............. .... 170
Ref ueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Rese rve ... .. .. .. ... ............ .. . 12
Tank capacity ....... .. .. ..... ... .. 228
U nl ocking the fuel fi lle r flap by hand .. 173
•
•

238 Index
Tire pressure monitoring system ...... . 206
Loss of air pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Malfunctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Sensors .. ............... .. .. .... . 201
Tires and wheels ......... .... .... . 201
Valves ... .. ................ ... ... 201
Warning/ indicator light .... .. .. .. .. . . 15
Tire repair kit .............. ... .... . 213
T ires .. .. ...... ........... .. .. .... . 189
Pressure ... ............. .... .. .. . 206
Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199, 201
Service life ............... ... .... . 198
Speed rating letter code ........... . 200
Tire manufacturing date ... .. .. .. .. . 200
Tire pressure monitoring system ..... 206
Tire specifications ......... ... .. .. . 200
Tread depth .. .. ...... .... ... .. .. . 198
Uniform tire quality grading .. .. .. ... 203
W inter t ires ............. .. .. .. .. . 203
Tires/Wheels Low aspect ratio t ires .... .. .. .. .... . 205
Tires and vehicle load limits ... ..... .. . 196
Tires and wheels Check ing tire pressure ......... .. ... 195
Cold t ire inflation pressure . .. .. .. .. . 193
Dimensions ............... ... .... . 199
General notes .............. .. .... . 189
Glossary of tire and loading termino lo-
gy .. .. .. ................. .. .... . 190
New tires and wheels ...... .. .. .... . 199
Replacing ............... ........ . 200
Snow chains .............. ... .. ... 204
T ire pressure monitor ing system .. .. . 201
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 196
Wheel bolts ............. .... .... . 205
W inter t ires .. ........... .. .. .. .. . 203
Tire service life ................ .. .. . 198
Tool kit ..... ................ ..... . 213
Touch-up paint ............ .. .. .. .. . 164
Towing Tow truck procedures ...... .. .. .. .. . 222
T . l owing oop ................. .. .... .
222
Transport Canada ... ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 106
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) .. .. .. .. .. .
198
Trip computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Trip odometer .............. ... .. ... . 12
Turn signals . ................. ..... .. 58 Turn
Signals
Warning/indicator lights ............. 16
u
Unfastening safety belts
Unidirectional tires ........ ...... .. . .
Uniform tire quality grading ....... .. . 114
189
203
Universal Radio-Frequency Remote Control
(HomeLink®) .... .. ............. .... . 95
Unlocking .. ... ... .. .............. .. 40
Power locking system ........... ... . 40
V
Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Vehicle-care products ................ 161
Vehicle electrical system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) .. .. 226
Vehicle jack . ...... ............. .... 217
Vehicle literature .. ................ ...
5
Vehicle tool kit .... ................ . 213
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Voltmeter display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
w
Warning/indicator lights ......... .... . 10
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Anti-Lock Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Audi magnetic ride .............. ... . 15
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Electronic differential lock (ED L) .. .. .. . 18
Electronic power control (EPC) . . . . . . . . 15
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) .. 16
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
High beam . ..... ................ .. 16
Rear spoi ler ..... ............. ..... 16
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Tire pressure monitoring system . .. .. . lS
Turn signals . .. .. ..... ......... ... . 16
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Red symbols in the center display . .... . 30
Yellow symbols in the center display .. . 30
Warranty coverages ................ . 209
Washing ...... ... ................ . 161
Folding top cleaning ... .. .. .. .. .. .. 163