Instrument s and warnin g/indi cator ligh ts 17
CRUISE /vJ' Cru ise control
The warning/indicator light (ij ;jl)~1~ (USA mod
e ls)/ . (Canasda models) illum inates when
the cruise cont rol is activated.
I I ! .!r Safety systems
This warning/indicator light monitors the air
bag and the pretensioner systems.
The warning light I (USA models) ;II (Cana
da models) illuminates for a few seco nds eac h
time you switch on the ignition.
If the
I (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
warn ing light does not go out, or if it illumi
nates wh ile you are driv ing, or if it starts to
b link, then there is a ma lf u nction somewhere
in the system. If the light does not ill uminate
when you switch on the ignition, this also
means there is a ma lfunction.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the airbag sys
tem, contact your authorized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherw ise the airbag or the
belt pretensioner may not work proper ly in
an acc ident.
D Generator
This warning/indicator light detects a mal
function in the generator or in the vehicle's
electrical system.
The . warning/indicator lig ht illuminates
when you switc h on t he ignit ion and must go
out after the engine has started.
If the . warning/indicator light i lluminates
while you are driving, you should contact your author ized Audi dealer. Since the vehicle bat
tery is discharging, you should switch off any
u nnecessary electrical consumers (for exam
p le, the air conditioner).
Q) Note
If the . warn ing/ indicator light (mal
function in the engine cooling system) in
the instrument cluste r shou ld i llum inate ¢
page 32, stop the veh
icle and t urn off
the engine. The coolant pump is not work i ng -this can cause engine damage!
4 Safety belt warning light
The warning light is a reminder to fasten
safety belts.
T he warning light . comes on fo r a few sec
onds after the ignition is switched on as a re
minder to fasten yo ur safety be lt. Additional
l y, an acoustic warning (gong) will a lso sound.
Addi tional in format ion on safety belts
¢ page 109 .
BRAKE/((D) Brake system
This warning/indicator light flashes when the
broke fluid level is too low or when there is a
malfunction in the ABS .
If the wa rning/ind icator light flas hes 111111111;
• (with the parking brake re leased), stop the
vehicle and obtain qualified help¢&, .
If the ABS fails, the ABS wa rn ing/ indicator
l igh t
r.m!J,11] illumina tes along w ith the
brake sys tem warning/ ind icator light- /
. ¢&, .
(USA mode ls): If the war ning light - and
the warn ing light
Lil ill umin ate together, im
med iate ly contact yo ur a uthorized Aud i dea le r
or qualified workshop to have all brake pads inspected ¢
page 33.
When the light comes on, an aud ible warning
s ignal is also g iven.
Parking brake set
The _ /. warning/ind icator light illumi
nates when the parking brake is set¢&, . The
fo llow ing message appears in the d isplay:
Handbrake i s app lie d . If yo u inadvertent ly
drive off with the parking brake applied, a
buzzer (warning tone) sounds.
-For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire , especially in a crash .
-If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle (for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici
t y can build up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
help prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
I f any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full . Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 173
overflow when it becomes warm and pol
lute the environment.
a) Tips
- Running your engine while refueling may
cause vapors to escape or even fuel to
spill out of the tank. This would then
shut off the fuel nozzle before the tank
is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refueling .
Unlocking the fuel filler flap
by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking sy stem should fail .
Fig. 137 En gin e compar tment : loo sening the fue l fill er
fl ap cab le
Fig. 138 Engine compar tment: re leas in g the fuel fille r
flap using the emerge ncy re le ase
You can release the fuel filler flap using a red
emergency release loop .
It is located in the
right side of the engine compartment.
.. Open the engine compartment lid.
.. Loosen the fuel filler flap cable from its
mount @ on the crossmember
c:> fig. 13 7 . liJJ,,
186 Checking and filling
-When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter
change the cables -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode!
If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C).
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
Danger of explosion! Always replace a
damaged battery .
.&, WARNING
California Proposition
65 Warning:
- 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 problems. Wash hands after han
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then have to be replaced. Charging the battery
Connections for
charging the battery are lo
cated in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 147 L uggage compartment: battery cover
Fig. 148 Luggage compartment: connectors for a
charger and jump start cables
Do not connect the negative cable directly to
the negative terminal on the battery. Connect
it to a
jump start pin instead c:, fig. 148.
.,. Always read and heed all WARNINGS c:, A
in Working on the battery on page 185 and
¢ A -
... Switch off the ignition and all electrical con
sumers .
.,. Open the luggage compartment lid
c:>page42 .
.,. Remove the battery cover c:, fig. 147.
.,. Connect the terminal clamps from the
charger to the battery terminal (red= "posi
tive") and the jump start pin
c:, fig. 148
(black or brown= "negative") as specified.
.,. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on .
.,. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wall outlet .
.,. Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
~ Install the battery cover.
~ Close the luggage compartment lid
¢page 42.
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle charger), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. "fast charging", you
must disconnect both cables. In either case,
follow the instructions from the manufacturer
of the charger .
Fastcharging a battery is
dangerous ¢.&. in
Working on the battery on page 185 .
It re
quires special charging equipment and the knowledge to go with it. We recommend hav
ing your battery fast charged only by a quali
fied workshop.
A discharged battery can
freeze at tempera
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen bat
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢ ,&. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma
tion and can leak battery acid.
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery.
_& WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery .
It may ex
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion , never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe
tent technician with the proper equip ment.
Checking and filling 187
- Battery acid that may spill during charg
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc ., as well
as the battery charger .
(D Tips
-The vehicle battery must not be charged
with a standard small charger that plugs
into the cigarette lighter or outlet .
- Only charge the battery through the con
nections in the luggage compartment.
Replacing the battery
The new battery must have the same specifi
cations as the old one.
Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent
energy management system for distributing
electricity ¢
page 155. The battery charges
better in vehicles with the energy manage
ment system than in vehicles without the sys
tem. To ensure that the additional power is
available after replacing the battery , replacing
with the same type of battery from the same
manufacturer (like the battery that was deliv
ered with the vehicle) is recommended. An au
thori zed dealer mus t code the battery in the
energy management control module .
T he new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), current and design and it
must be sealed with plugs. The battery must
conform to the standards TL 825 06 (from Oc
tober 2006) and VW 7 50 73 (from August 2001).
Since the vehicle battery is difficult to reach,
we recommend having the battery replaced by
an authorized Audi R8 dealer or other quali-
fied workshop . ..,. •
•