2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER radiator

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 .,.

-The engine c annot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
To avo id u nnecessary engine wea r and to
reduce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up . Be ready to
drive off immediately after start ing your
veh icle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicles with R tronic*, the engine can be
turned off in the neutral position N and in
each gear (1 -6 and R).
.. Turn the ignition key to position@
¢page 77, fig. 85.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine unt il the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when steering or braking.
S ince you cannot steer and stop norma l­
ly, this can lead to accidents and ser ious
injuries.
(D Note
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, heat
builds up in the engine compartment af­
ter the eng ine is sw itched off -there is a
risk of damaging the engine . Allow the
engine to continue to run at idle for a
short time or drive until it has cooled
down before you turn it off¢
page 159 .
-If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended period of time, it can be­
come extreme ly hot. You should not park
your vehicle over eas ily combustible ob­
jects or areas (e .g. grass or leaves). There
i s a risk of start ing a fire.
On th e road 7 9
@ Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to
10 minutes -even wit h the ignition switch­
ed off. It can also sw itch on again after
some time if the coolant temperatu re rises
as the result of heat bu ildup or if the en­
gine compartment is heated by the s un's
r ays and the engine is hot.
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 86 Ce nter console: Pa rk ing b rake set
Set ting the parking brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing th e park ing bra ke
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slight ly and
press the release button at the same time
¢ fig. 86 ·arrow· .
.. Keep the re lease button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢,&..
If you shou ld drive off with the parking brake
still set, a warning tone will sound and the
follow ing message wi ll appear in the instru­
ment cluster to remind you to release the
parking brake:
Parking bra ke is appl ied
T he parking brake warning comes on only af­
ter you have driven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 3 mph (5 km/h). ..,.

~ For cleaning, use a mild soap and water sol­
u tion . Let be lts dry thoroughly and away
from direct sunlight.
~ Do not allow inertia reel safety be lts to re­
tract before they are completely dry.
~ Check the condition of your safety belts reg­
ularly .
A WARNING
Damaged safety belts can break in a crash.
- Anything that might damage your safety
belts could mean that you and your pas­
sengers would not be adequately pro­
tected in an accident.
- Safety belt performance depends on cor­
rect installation. Never remove belts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical cleaning agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop­
erties which weaken the webbing.
- When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam­
age, see your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
<=? page 161.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Corrosion protection
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion -protected at the factory .
Good anti-corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, particularly in the winter. If the vehicle
is frequently driven on salt treated roads, the
entire engine compartment and plenum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent salt damage. At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease removing solutions
1>, or if
l) Use only the correc t cleaning sol utio ns. Never use gas­
oline or diesel fuel.
Cleaning and protection 169
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­
sion treatment is almost always removed as
well. It is therefore essential to have a long­
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment.
A WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area.
- Before working in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
<=? page 175.
-Before reaching into the front plenum
panel, always remove the ignition key.
Otherwise, the windshield wiper system
could unintentionally be switched on,
possibly causing persona l injury from the
moving wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly -even when the ignition is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with
the engine running. Moving or hot parts
could injure you.
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protecting your
hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
<=?page 161.
•
•

176 Checking and filling
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir .
-If work on the fuel system or the electri­
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­ partment could start a fire .
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im ­
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in­
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get ­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­
ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will
hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
.&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de­
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- 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 harms. Wash hands after handling.
@ Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine compartment lid
... Make sure that the rear spoiler is retracted
~page 152.
""Pull the engine compartment lid down until
the pressure from the struts is reduced.
.., Press the engine compartment lid closed
c::>& .
A WARNING ,_
A engine compartment lid that is not com­
pletely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
- When you close the engine compartment lid, check it to make sure the safety catch
has properly engaged . The engine com­
partment lid should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driving that the en ­
gine compartment lid is not secured properly, stop at once and close it.

182 Checking and filling
may seriously degrade the corros ion pro­
tection. The resu lting damage can cause
l oss of coo lant and subsequent ly lead to
se rious engine damage.
- The coolant additive
Gl2++ must not be
mixed w it h other coo lant add itives.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coo lant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid may adve rse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Wa rranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
Proceed carefully when checking the coolant .
Fig. 145 Convert ible top: serv ice pos iti on
Fig. 146 Convert ible top storage bay: coo la n t expa n­
s ion tank
Before you check anything i n the eng ine com­
pa rtment,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS c:::> ,&. in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 175.
T he coolant expa nsion tank is located i n the
r ight s ide of the co nvertib le top s to rage bay
under the ro und metal cover
c::>fig. 146. The
conver tible top must be in the servi ce position
to check the coolan t leve l
c:::> fig. 145 .
Bringing the closed convertible top into
the service position
.,. Switch t he ignition on.
.,. Pull and ho ld the convertib le top switch.
.,. Press and hold the rear window switc h too
until the convert ible top moves into the
service pos ition
c:::> fig. 145 .
Bringing th e open convertible to into the
service position
.,. Switch th e ignit ion on.
.,. Press and hold the convert ible top switch.
.,. Press and hold the rea r window switc h too
until t he convert ible top moves into the
service pos it ion
c:::> fig. 145.
Opening the coolant expansion tank cover
.,. Stop the engine a nd a llow it to cool.
.,. Switch t he ignit ion off .
.,. Carefully remove the bolts in the cover
(D
using a sc rewd river and remov e th e cover.
The coolan t rese rvo ir i s located be low
c:::> fig. 146 .
Checking the engine coolant level
.,. Place a rag or cloth on the cap of the coolant
e xpansion tank a nd turn the cap
carefully to
the left ( counte r-cloc kw ise)
c:::> .&_ .
.,. Read the coolan t leve l inside the coolan t ex ­
pa nsion tank
c:::> fig. 1 46. W it h a co ld eng ine,
it must be above the "min" mark . With a hot
engine, it can be a litt le above the indicated
range.
T o obtain an acc urate reading, the engine
must be sw itched off.
T he e xpansion ta nk in your vehicle is eq uipped
with an electr ic coo lant level senso r
c::> page 32. We s till rec om mend you check the
coolant leve l from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In t he eve nt of cool ant los s, the cool­
ing system should be inspec ted immedi ately
by your a uthorized Audi dea ler . I t is not
eno ugh mere ly to a dd coo lant .
ll-

In a se ale d system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheat ing.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under press ure. Do
not open the cap of the coolant expan­
sion tank when the eng ine is hot. You
risk being scalded .
- The coo lant add itive, and therefore the
coolant itse lf, is hazardous to health.
Keep the coolant additive in the origina l
co nta iner out of the reach of children.
It
is a poison hazard.
CD Note
Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to your vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair f luid may adve rsely af­
fect the fu nction and performance of your
coo ling system and could res ult in damage
not covere d by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ & in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 175 .
.. Add coolant .
.. Tw ist the cap on again
t ightly.
.. Tighte n the cap (D ¢ page 182, fig. 146
again .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 181, Coolant. If
the coolant additive Gl2++ is not available in
an emergency, you must not add any other ad­
d itive . In th is case, use only water and restore
the co rrec t mix ratio wi th the specified cool­
ant add itive as soon as possib le.
Always use
new engine coolant when ref illing .
Do not fill coolant above the " MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the p ressure relief valve i n the cap when the en ­
g ine becomes hot .
Checking and fillin g 183
With a major loss of coolant, you shou ld add
the coolant only when the engine has
cooled.
In this way you prevent engine damage.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by followi ng
these steps .
- Turn off t he engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r fa ce, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, th ic k rag.
- Turn the cap s lowly and very carefully
in a counter -clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top
of the cap.
- To avoid being bu rned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the ex haust sys ­
tem or hot engine pa rts. Under certain
cond itions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store an­
tifreeze in its origina l container and well
out of the reach of children .
- If you dra in the coo lant, it m ust be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
taine r clearly marked " poison" .
CD Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
cou ld cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap w hen the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an eme rgency, o nly wate r can be
added, the co rrec t ratio between wa ter
and antifreez e
¢page 181 must be re­
stored as soon as poss ible.
@) For the sake of the environment
D ra ined coola nt sho uld not be reused. Al­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ­
i ng a ll environmental regula tions. •
•

224 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel@
Consumer
Automatically dimming in-
side mirror, ga rage door
8 opener (Homel ink), washer
pump relay, power outlets
relay
10
~ button
11 Pressure sensor, climate
controls
12 Airbag
Fuse panel @
No . II Consumer
1 Radiator fan (1)
2 Radia tor fan (2)
3 Exterior lighting
4 Exterior lighting
6 Blower regulator
Fuse panel @
No . II Consumer
1 Rear view camera
2
Tire pressure monitoring
system
4
Cell phone package, te le-
phone antenna amplifier
5 Instrument cluster
6 Networking gateway
7 Steering column lever
8
Diagnostic interface, brake
pedal switch, selector lever
9 Rain/light sensor
10 Light switch
11 Special functions control
module
15 Sound amplifier
Radio
Fuse panel E
No. Consumer
3 Auxiliary water pump
5 Supply terminal 15, starter
Amps
10
10 5
5
II Amps
40 40
40
40
40
II Amps
5
10
7.5 5
5
5
10 5
5
5
30
20
Amps
10
30
Fuse panel @
No. Consumer
6 Pump for brake booster
7 Horn
8 Wiper motor
9 Wiper motor
10 Headlight washer system
12 Power outlets and cigarette
lighter
Fuse panel
®
No. !!Consumer
1
2
4
6
7
8
~~·
E lectronic Stabilization Pro­
gram
Electronic Stabilization Pro­
gram
Rear window defogger
Power locking system
Interior lights, washer noz­
zles
Anti-theft alarm sys tem
Climate controls
Heated seats
Lumbar support
11 Control module for doors
12 Control module for doors
Bulbs
Note
Amps
15
20
30
30
30
20
ll Amps ,
10
25
30
20
20
5
10
25 10
30 10
Your vehicle is equipped with maintenance­
free headlights and rear lights. However, if a
bulb has to be changed, please consult your
authorized Aud i dealer or other qualified
workshop .