2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER catalytic converter

12 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
If the needle is well on the right side of the
gauge, the coolant temperature is too high .
Stop the vehicle, switch the engine off and
allow it to cool.
If the warning light comes on
again after driving a short distance, contact
an author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warni ng in
¢ page 175, Working in the engine
compartment before opening the engine
compartment lid an d checking the en­
gine coo lant level.
- Never open the engine compartment lid
if yo u see or hear steam, or if you see e n­
gine coolant dripping from the engine
compartment . You could burn yourse lf.
Let the engine coo l off first so that you
cannot hear or see any steam or engine
coolant.
(D Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the air inlets red uces the cool­
i ng effect of the radiator. At h igh outside
temperatures or high engine load, the
engine could overheat .
- The front spo iler has been designed to
properly distribute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving. If the spoiler is
damaged, th is could reduce the cooling
effect and the engine could then over­
heat. Ask you r autho rized Aud i dealer for
ass istan ce.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge works only when the ignition is
on. When the needle reaches the red area, the
warn ing light in the instrument cluster will il­
lum inate
c> page 33 (il This means you
have approximately 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of
fuel left in the tank .
Time to refuel!
The total tank capacity of your vehicle is listed
in
Technical data ¢ page 228.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry! An ir­
regular supply of fuel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter into the ex ­
haust system . The catalytic converter
could then overheat and be damaged.
· Speedometer with odometer
The speedome ter shows you the vehicle
speed, and the odometer shows you how
many miles (kilometers) you have driven .
Fig. S Speedometer close -up: odome ter d isplay
The distance driven is shown in m iles (USA
models) or in kilometers (Canada mode ls).
Lower odometer
The lower odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) dr iven .
Upper odometer (trip odometer)
The upper odometer shows the total number
of miles (kilometers) dr iven since you last re­
set the odometer back to zero . You can use
th is odometer when you want to keep track of
how many m iles (kilometers) yo u have driven
for a single trip or errand. The last dig it ind i­
cates 1/10 of a mile (100 meters) . Yo u can se t
the trip odometer back to zero by pressing the
I RESE T! button ¢ fig . 5 .
With the ign ition off, pushing of the Set/
Check button ¢ page 10, fig. 3 @ can turn on
the display field lighting for a few seconds.
Malfunction message
If there is a malfunct ion somewhere in the in-
strument cluster,
dEF will appea r in the trip .,.

158 Driving and en vi ro nm ent
Driving and
environment
Break-in period
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break-in per iod should be 1,500 miles (2,500
km) . Do not use full acceleration for the first
600 miles (1,000 km) and do not exceed the
maximum eng ine speed of 6,000 rpm You
must also not use fu ll acce lerat ion between
600 and 1,200 mi les (1,000 to 2,000 km).
F rom 1,200 to 1,500 mi les (2,000 to 2,500
km), you can gradua lly increase maxim um en­
gine speed to 8,250 rpm for brief periods.
During the first ho urs of operation, there is
g reater friction in the engine and the trans­
mission than later when a ll the moving parts
have broken in.
The way yo u drive duri ng the first 1,500 miles
(2,500 km) affects engine quality. If you drive
at moderate engine speeds thereafter, partic ­
u lar ly when the engine is cold, yo u reduce en ­
g ine wear and increase the potential mileage
of the engine.
Do not drive at RPMs that are too low. Shift
down when the engine is no longer running
"smoothly". Extreme ly high RPMs are gov­
erned automatically.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
.&_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet b rake roto rs and pads. Dry
t he brakes fi rst by bra king carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
-
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical sys­
tem can be severe ly damaged by dr iv ing
through water.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before d riv­
ing through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely .
- Avo id driving through salt water because
it can cause corros ion.
Catalytic converter
You must use lead-free gasoline in your veh i­
cle, otherwise you will destroy the catalyt ic
converter.
Never run the fuel tank completely dry; their­
regular fuel supply could cause misfires . This
allows unburned fuel into the exhaust system,
poss ibly resulting in overheating and damage
to the catalytic converter .
.&_ WARNING ,-
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in co nta ct with dry g rass, brush,
fue l spills or o ther material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly addition al under coating or
r u stproofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
To ensure efficient o peration of the Emis­
s ion Control System:

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

Disconnecting ........... .. .. .. ... 184
Low ..... .. .. .. ........... .. .. ... 155
replac ing ... ............. .. .. .. .. . 187
State of charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Vehicles not driven for long periods .. . 184
W inter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184, 185
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 185
Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
B efore driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Blended gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Booster seats ............. .. .. .. ... 145
Brake system
Brake fluid . ............. .. .. .. .. . 184
Brake light defective ........ .. .. .. .. 35
Brake power assist unit ............. 153
Brakes ..... .. ............. .. .. ... 153
Ceramic brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Malfunction .. ........... .. .. .. .... 32
Warning/indicator light .... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Worn brake pads ........... .. .. .. .. 33
Break-in period ............ .. .. .. ... 158
Bulbs ...... ... ................ .... 224
C
California Proposit ion 65 Warning ..... 176
Battery specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Capac it ies ... .. ........... .. .. .... . 228
Carbon-fiber parts Ext erio r .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 164
I n terior .... .. ........... .. .. .. ... 166
Car care . .. .. ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 16 1
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment . . . . . . . 104
Car key . ... .. .. ... .......... .. .. .... 37
Catalytic converter ............ .... .. 158
Certification ... ........... .. .. .. ... 212
Changing a flat tire ........... .. .. .. . 216
Chass is
refer to Audi magnetic ride .... .... ... 82
Checking Eng ine coolant level ....... .. .. .. .. . 182
Tire pressure ............. .... .. .. . 195
Index 231
Child rest raints
Danger of using child restraints in the
fro nt seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Where can I get additional informat ion
about child restraints and the ir use? .. 149
Child safety ... .. .... . ............ .. 138
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 146
Important sa fety instructions for using
ch ild safety seats ..... ......... .. .. 141
Important t hings to know when driving
with ch ildren .. .. .. ..... .......... 138
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Convertib le child seats ......... .. .. 144
Co nvertib le locking retractor ..... .. .. 146
How do I properly install a child safety
sea t in my veh icle? .. ... ....... .... . 141
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Safety instructions .... ......... .... 141
Cigarette lighter ... .... ... .... .... .. . 69
Cleaning Alcantara (synthetic suede) .......... 168
Engine compartment ............... 169
Exhaust tail pipes .................. 16S
Fabr ics and fabric coverings ..... .. .. 166
Leat her ...... ... .. ............... 167
Radio and navigation display ........ . 165
Safety belts ... .. ................. 168
Cleaning and protection .............. 161
Cleaning the navigation display ........ 165
Cleaning the radio display . .......... . 165
Climate controls ... .. .. ......... .. .. . 72
D ust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Heating ... .. .. .. .. ............... . 72
Pollen filter ... .. .. . .. .. ...... .. .. . 72
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Clock ............ .. .. ... ........ .. . 11
Closing Eng ine compartment lid ........ .. .. 176
Clutch overheat ing .. ...... ........... 36
Cold tire inflation pressure .......... .. 193
coming home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Compass mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Compliance ... .... .. . .. .......... .. 212
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 105, 209
Contacting NHTSA ..... ............. 105
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