2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER coolant temperature

10 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Instruments and warning/indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of the inst rumen t cluster
(D Engine oil temperature ...... .
@ Tachometer with time and date
display ................... .
® Warning/indicator lights .. .. .
© Coolant temperature gauge .. .
® Fu el gauge .............. .. .
@ Speedometer with odometer ..
(i) Voltmeter .............. .. .
@ Set/Check button , ... .. .. .. .
® Driver information display . .. .
@ I RESET ! button for trip odome-
ter ....... ............. .. .
10
11, 11 14
11
12
12
13
11, 31 20
12
The illumination for the instrument cluster
lights up whenever you switch on the ignition
with the
vehicle headlights off. The gauges
are also illuminated when the lights are
turned on.
Engine oil temperature display
The engine oil temperature display Q page 10,
fig. 3
only operates with the ignition on. To
prevent engine damage, please observe the
following important points concerning the
temperature ranges.
Cold range
If the needle is at the bottom of the gauge,
the engine oil has not reached operating tem­ perature yet. Avoid high engine speeds, full
throttle applications and heavy engine loads .
Normal range
The engine has reached operating tempera­
ture when the needle moves into the center of
the gauge under normal driving conditions .
The needle may move higher on the gauge
with heavier engine load at high outside tem­ peratures. This is not a cause for concern as
long as the . indicator light in the display
does not flash.
Warning light.
If the symbol . in the display flashes, ei­
ther the engine oil temperature is too high or
the engine oil level is too low
Qpage 180.
If
the needle is well in the upper area of the
gauge, the engine oil 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 authorized Audi dealer.

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 11
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes) .
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1500 RPM. The beg inning
of the red zone in the tachometer indicates
the maximum permiss ible engine speed for
all gears once the eng ine has been broken in
a nd when i t is wa rm. You sho uld shift to the
n ex t hi gher gea r, switc h the R tron ic sport
mode
off or remove your foot from the accel ­
erator pedal befo re reaching this a rea in the
ga uge.
(D Note
The needle in the tachometer~ page 10,
fig.
3 @ may only be in the red area of the
gauge fo r a short time or the engine could
be damaged. The location whe re the red
zone beg ins va ries depending on the en­
g ine.
Digital clock with date display
Your vehicle is equipped with a quartz con­
trolled digital clock.
F ig. 4 I n stru ment cl uste r w ith t he d ig ita l cl ock
D ate and time are set using the knob~ fig. 4.
To set the hour
• Pull the knob (hour d isplay flashes) and turn
it to the left o r rig ht.
To set the minutes
• Pull the knob as many times as necessary
u nti l the min ute display flashes .
• Turn the knob to the left or right.
To set the date
• Pull the knob a s many times as necess ary
until the day, month o r year disp lay flashes.
• Tur n the knob to the left or rig ht.
To hide or display the date
• Pull the knob as many t imes as necess ary
until the date di sp lay fla shes.
• Turn the knob to the le ft or rig ht.
Wh en th e date d isp lay s tops blin king, this
means the time and da te have been s uccess ­
f ully s to red.
Wi th the ig nition
off, push ing or pu lling the
Set/Che ck button
~ pag e 10, fig. 3@ can
tu rn o n the display field light ing for a few sec­
on ds.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolan t ga uge ~ page 10, fig. 3@
onl y works when t he ig nition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the fol­
lowing important points.
Engine cold
As long as the need le remains a t the left end
of the gauge, the engi ne still has not reac hed
its operating tem perature. Avoid high eng ine
speeds, heavy engine loads and heavy throt­
tle.
Normal temperature
When the engine has re ached it s operat ing
temperature, the need le w ill move into the
midd le of the gauge and rema in the re .
If th e
engine is working hard at high outside tem­
peratures, the needle may turn further to the
right. This is no cause for concer n as long as
the . warn ing light i n the instrument clus ter
does not illuminate .
Warning light.
When the warning light .starts to flash, this
can mean one of two t hings : either the cool­
ant
temperature i s too h igh, or the coolant
l e vel is too low~ page 32 . IIJ,,

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 .,.

30 Driver in formation system
To sto re ma ximum sp ee d
.. Turn off the ignit ion.
.. Briefly press the button in the instrument
cluster¢ page 29, fig. 26. The odometer
and the digital clock are now illuminated .
.. Press the button for at least 2 seconds. The
currently stored maximum speed appears in
the d isplay
or the crossed out symbol for
warning threshold 2, if no max imum speed
was set previous ly.
.. Press the fu nction selector sw itch in the
wiper lever@~ fig. 2 7 up or down to
change the set value. Val ues run up or down
in steps o f 6 mph (10 km/h) .
To delete maximum speed
.. Turn off the ignit ion.
.. Briefly press the button in the instrument
cluster~ page 29, fig. 26. The odometer
and the digi tal clock are now illuminated .
.. Press the button for at least 2 seconds. The
currently stored maximum speed appears in
the disp lay.
.. Press the
l ~R_E_S-E T~I button in the w iper lever
@ ¢fig. 2 7 until the crossed out speed
warning symbol for warning threshold 2 ap­
pears in the display.
A few seconds after the adjustment is com­
pleted, the illumination for the odometer and
the dig ita l clock will go out.
{D) Tips
This war ning threshold can also be con­
trolled through the trip computer
¢ page 25, Navigating the menu.
Warnings and symbols
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
.. Pull of the road and stop the veh icle.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Check the ma lf u nct io ni ng system. Contact
your a uthorized Aud i dea ler o r a q ua lified
workshop for assistance.
-
USA mod els :
Ma lfunction in the brake sys-
tern
~page32
•
Canada mod els :
BRAKE
Malfunction in the brake sys-
tern
~page32
•
Engine coolant leve l too low/
COOL ANT engine coolant temperature
too high
~page32
Engine oil pressure too low
OIL PRES-¢page 33
SURE
When a red symbol appears, a warning tone
will sound three times in succession. The sym ­
bol cont inues to flash unt il the malfunction
has been repaired. If there is more than one
malfunction, the symbols appear one after
the other for about two seconds.
@ Tips
- The message for a malfunction can be
shown by pressing on the left knob.
- Dur ing route guidance on vehicles with a
navigation system, the warn ing symbol
is shown in the field above.
Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
II
L ow fuel leve l
~page33
-
•
Check engine oil level
~page33
•
Engine oil sensor malfunction
¢page33
IJ
Worn brake pads
¢page33
•
USA models :
Speed warning 1
~page34
'

32 Driver in formation system
BRAKE/((D) Brake system malfunction
The indicator light flashes if the brake fluid
level is too low, if there is a malfunction in the ABS system or when the parking brake is
engaged.
If the alllill. symbol flashes in the dis ­
play with the parking brake released, there is
a malfunction in the brake system. In addit io n
to the symbo l, one of two messages appears
i n t he displ ay:
Stop veh icle and check brak e fluid
ABS f ault! See owner 's manual
• Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
• Obtain professiona l assistance .
USA models: if the re is a malfunction in the
A BS system,
the m warning/indicator light
i l luminates a long w ith the - system
mal function warn ing/ indicator light ¢&. .
Canada models: if there is a ma lf u nction in
the ABS system, the
li] warning/indicator
light ill uminates toget her with th e . brake
system ma lf u nction warning/indicator light
¢ &_ .
Parking brak e set
The parking brake warni ng light _ /_
(Canada models) ill uminates when the park­
ing brake is set . In additio n, a warning tone
will sound after you have dr iven for longer
than 3 seconds and faster than 3 mph (5 km/
h).
A WARNING
- Always observe the wa rnings i n
¢ page 175, Working in the engine
compartm ent,
before opening the en­
gine compa rtme nt lid and che ck ing the
brake f luid.
- Driv ing with low b rake fluid is a safety
h aza rd! S top the c ar and get profession al
assist ance.
- If the bra ke system war ning/ indicato r
ligh t illumina tes toge ther wi th the ABS
wa rning/in dicator ligh t, then the AB S system is malfunctioning
. The rear
wheels could quick ly loc k up when you
apply the brakes. This could lead to loss
of co ntrol and yo ur vehicle could slide!
Drive ca refully to the nea rest au thorized
Aud i dea le r and hav e the malfunction
corrected.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
When the. symbol in the display flashes,
then either the engine coo lant
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low. In ad­
dition to the symbo l, the following message
also appears in the d isp lay:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
• Pull off the road and stop the veh icle.
• Turnoff the engine.
• Check coolant level ¢
page 182 .
• Add coo lant if necessary ¢ page 183.
• Cont inue dr iv ing o nly afte r the engine cool­
ant wa rning/ind icator light goes out .
• Con ta ct your au thori zed Aud i dealer for as-
sis tan ce if ne cess ary.
If the engine coolant level is correct, t hen the
r adiator fa n may be the ca use of the malfunc­
t io n.
If the generator warn ing/ indicato r light
shou ld also illum inate
¢ page 17, then the
fan belt may be damaged.
A WARNING
- If you r vehicle should bre ak down for
me chanical or o ther reasons, par k at a
safe distance from mov ing traffic, tu rn
off the eng ine and tu rn on the hazard
warn ing lights ¢
page 57, Emergency
flasher.
- Never open the eng ine compartment lid
if you see or hear steam or coolant es­
caping from t he engine compartment -
-
you risk being scalded. Wait until you can .,,.

7 2 Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate controls
Controls
The climate controls automatically maintain the selected temperature in the vehicle interior
throughout each season .
Fig. 82 Climate contro ls
We recommend the following sett ing :
> Rotate the knob 9 fig. 82 @ to the right to
switch on the air conditioning .
> Set the temperature to 72 °F (22 °().
> Press the !AUTO !~ fig. 82 button .
Using the previously recommended setting is
the quickest way to achieve a comfortable cli ­
mate in the vehicle . This setting should there­
fore only be changed when persona l comfort
l evels or certain circumstances require it.
The climate controls are a combination of au ­
tomatic heating and ventilation systems and a
coo ling system which dehum idifies and coo ls
the air inside the veh icle.
The climate controls automatically maintain a temperature once it has been set . The tem­
perat ure of the air from the vents, fan speed
(air volume) and a ir dist ribution are also auto­
mat ical ly adjusted . The system also takes into
account strong s unshine so that manua l ad­
justment is not necessary. So in almost all cases,
a ut om at ic mode offers the best condi­
tions for the comfort of the occupants at all
times of the year
9 page 75 .
Plea se not e:
In cooling mode , relative humidity in the inte­
rior is reduced . This prevents the w indows
from fogg ing up. When outside temperatures
are low (temperatures below freezing), the air
condit ion ing (compressor) switches off auto­
matically - air in the vehicle inte rior is not de­
humid ified.
When relative hum idity and temperatures
outside are h igh,
co nden sat e can drip from
the a ir cond ition ing evaporator and form a
pool of water under the vehi cle. This is normal
and not an ind ication of a leak!
When outs ide temperatures are low, the fan
doe s not switch to a h igher speed until the
coolant has reached an adequate tempera­
tu re, with the exception of the defrost set­
ting.
When accelerating at wide-open throttle, the air conditioning compressor is temporarily
switched off to maintain full eng ine power .
In order to ensure engine cooling under ex­
t reme engine loads , the compressor is switch­
ed off if coolant temperatures climb too high . .,..

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