2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER oil level

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.

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
'

•
Canada models:
Speed warning 1
¢page34
•
USA mode ls:
Speed warning 2
¢page 34
•
Canada model s:
Speed warning 2
¢page34
RI
S ignificant loss of a ir pressure
¢page34
lliliE Tire pressure monitoring sys-
tern malfunction
¢page34
a
Windshield washer f luid level
low
¢page34
-
II Battery voltage too high or too
low
,. ¢page 34
~:~
Defective light bulb
¢page 35
•
lrusA models:
Defective brake light
9page35
•
Canada model s:
Defective brake light
c!>page35
m
Light/rain sensor (automatic
headlights) defective
¢page35
ll 11il Selector lever defective*
No reverse gear *
¢page 35
min Clutch is overheating*
¢page36
D
Gearbox ma lf u nction*
¢page 36
(a
II Engine speed limitation
ll¢page36
W hen a yellow symbo l appea rs, a wa rning
tone will sound
once. Check the disp layed
function as soon as possib le . If
more than one
Dr iver in formation system 31
malfunction is detected, all symbo ls wi ll ap ­
pear one after the other for about two sec­
onds .
Driver information
In addition to the warning/indicator lights
and the symbols in the instrument cluster dis­
play, driver information is displayed.
Fig. 2 8 Section of instrument cluster: Set/C heck but·
ton
Driver in format io n ap pears in the d is p lay
when a defective light bulb is reported by the
defective light bu lb warning ¢
page 35 ,
when the brake pads are worn and before you
engage a gear on vehicles with R tronic .
In addition, driver information may appear
when a red symbo l flashes in the driver dis­
play.
To d isplay Driver information
As an examp le, the . symbo l appears in the
display. If you now press the button¢
fig. 28,
the following driver message appears in the
display:
Switch off engine and check oil le vel
T he dr iver message in the display goes out af­
ter abo ut 5 seconds. Yo u can disp lay t he driver
message aga in by briefly pressing the button.

no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping.
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn off the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
c:> page 175,
Working in the engine compartment.
([) Note
Do not contin ue driving if the. symbol
illuminates. There is a malfunct ion in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your eng ine .
9::::r: Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair .
If the . symbol appears in the display and
flashes, the oil pressure is too low. In addi tion
to the symbol, the following message also ap ­
pears in the d isp lay:
Sw itch off engine and check oil le vel
~ Pull off the road and stop the vehicle.
~ S hu t the engine down .
~ Check the engine oi l level c:> page 180.
~ Contact your a uthori zed Audi dea ler for as-
s istance if necessary .
Engine oil level too low
If the engine oil level is too low, top off oi l to
the proper leve l
i::>poge 180.
Engine oil level OK
If the . symbo l sta rts flas hing again even
though the engine oil leve l checks O K on the
d ipstick,
do not sta rt driv ing again and do
not let the engine run at idle .
Instead, con­
tact your author ized A udi dealer for assis­
tance.
l ) - : US A mod els on ly
Dr iver in formati on sys tem 33
Bu Fuel supply too low
When the fD1 symbol illum inates, t his means
there are abo ut 2.6 gallons (10 liters) o f fuel
left in the fue l tank . Time to re fuel!
c:> page 171 .
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
amp le fue l in the t ank, and the text
TANK
SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
! CONTACT WORK­
SHOP
appears in the disp lay, there is a fa ult in
the system . Contact a qualified works hop to
have the fa ult rectif ied .
~,,., Checking the engine oil level
II Please add ma x. 1 qt of engine o il!
If the II symbol comes on , add 1 quart (1 li­
ter) of oil at the n ext opportunity
i::> page 180.
~tt, Engine oil sensor defective
If the II symbol illuminates, contac t your
authorized Aud i dea le r and have t he oil sensor
inspected .
(0) Worn brake pads
EiJ Brake pad s!
If the warning light illuminates, immed iate ly
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied wor kshop to have all brake pads i nspect­
ed. On USA models the war ning light
EiJ
comes on together w ith the w arning ligh t
1111. Both se ts of brake pads on an ax le
must a lways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
-=
Driving with ba d brakes can cause a colli ­
sion and ser ious personal in jury.
- If the warn ing light
EiJ and the warning
light
11111> with the message Brake
-
pads! comes on in the instrument cluster ~

154 Intelligent technology
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving position . Do not
ride the brakes or hold the pedal down
too long or too often. This could cause
the brakes to get hot and diminish brak­ ing efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Cautiously apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few cau­
tious brake applications .
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
braking capability, resulting in increased
stopping distance. Avoid driving the vehi­
cle and have it towed to the nearest au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Power steering
When the engine is running , power steering
makes i t easier for the driver to steer.
Power steering helps the driver steer the vehi­
cle with little physical effort.
If the engine is not running, the power steer­
ing system is also not working . In this case ,
you will find it extremely difficult to turn the
steering wheel.
If you turn the steering fully to the left or
right when the vehicle is stationary, you place
a very heavy load on the power steering sys­
tem. Turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right will cause noise in the system. It
also reduces engine idle speed.
(D Note
Do not hold the steering turned fully to
the left or right for more than 10 seconds
when the engine is running . There is a risk
of damage to the power steering system .
(D Tips
-In the event of a power steering system
failure, or if the engine is not running
(while being towed), you will still be able
to steer the vehicle. However, you will re­
quire more effort to do so .
- If the power steering system has a leak
or is defective, you should immediately
contact a qualified workshop .
- The power steering system requires a
special hydraulic fluid. The power steer­
ing fluid reservoir is located in the en­
gine compartment. The correct hydraulic
fluid level is important for proper opera­
tion of the power steering system. The
power steering fluid level is checked ac­
cording to the Audi maintenance service
schedule.

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. .,.
•
•