Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Ill ustrating the princ iple of an
accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
H ow are safety belts worn correctly? 112
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 115
Airbag system ........ .... ... .. 117
Important th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 117
F ront airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
M oni toring the Advanced Airbag
Sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Knee air bags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Child Safety ............. .. .. . .
Important things to know . ... .. .. . .
C hild safety seats . ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Instal ling a child safety seat . ... .. . .
Addit ional Information ........... .
Vehicle operat ion ..... .. .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
Not ice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules .......... .... .. . .
Electronic Stabilization Program ( ESP)
Rear spoiler .................... .
Braking .. .. .. ... ....... .... ... . .
P owe r stee ring .................. .
Driving w ith your qu attro ® ... .. .. . .
E ne rgy management ... ... .. .. .. . .
D ry s ump lubr ication ... ... .. .. .. . .
Driving and environment .... .
Break -in period . .. ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Driving through water on roads ... . .
Cata lytic converter ............ .. . .
Sporty driving . ........... .. .. .. . .
Operation and maintenance .. .. .. . .
Trailer towing ................... .
Vehicle care .................. .
Cleaning and protection ..... .
General information ...... .. .. .. . . 138
13
8
143
1 4 6
149
150
150
150
150
152
153
154
155
1 5 5
157
158 158
158
158
159
159 160
161
161
16 1
Ca re of exte rior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 1
Ca re of inter io r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Table of contents 3
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .
170
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Checking and filling ..... ... .. .
Engine compartment lid .......... .
Engine oil ... .. .. .. . ............ .
E n gine cooling system ............ .
Brake fluid .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... .
Battery ......... .. ............. .
Rep lacing the battery ............ .
Windsh ie ld washer container
Tires and wheels ... ..... ... .. .
175
175
178
181
184
184
18 7
188
189
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
T ire pressure mo nitoring system
Consumer Information ...... .
Warranty coverages .............. .
Operating your veh icle outs ide the
U .S .A . or Canada ... . .. .. ..... ... .
A udi Se rvice Repair Manuals and
Literature . .. .. .. .... ........... .
Maintenance . .. .. .. ............. .
Additional accessories, modif ications
and parts rep lacement ........... .
Decla rat io n of Compliance,
T elecommunication or Electron ic
Systems .. .. .. .. .. ............. .
Do-it-yourself service ........ .
What do I do now? ........... .
Tru nk escape handle ........... .. .
B reakdown kit ... .. . .. ... .... ... .
Tire repa ir ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
What shou ld I be awa re of when
h . t
' ? c anging a ,re. . . ............... .
Jump-starting .. ...... ........... .
Emergency towing with commercial
tow truck ....... .. ............. .
Fuses and bulbs .............. .
Electr ica l fuses .... .............. .
Bu lbs ... .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 206
209
2
09
209
209
209
211
2 12
213
213
2 13
213
213
216
219
222
223
223
224
•
•
60 Clear v is ion
Moving w iper blades to the service
posit ion
.. Do not lift the wiper arms away from the
glass when they are in their parked position;
this would damage the paint on the front
lid .
.. When there is a risk of frost, make sure that
the wiper b lades are not frozen to the wind
shield .
.. Move wipe r blades to the se rvice posit ion
¢page 61.
The windshield wipers and washer on ly work
when the ignition is turned on.
To reduce the sensit iv ity of the sensor, move
switch @down . To increase the sens itiv ity,
move the switch up. The higher you adjust the
sens itivity, the faste r th e sensor will react
when it senses moisture on the w indshield.
The pauses between w iper turns depend not
on ly on the sensitivity setting, but on the ve
hicle speed as well.
Du ring a temporary stop, e.g . at a t raff ic sig
na l, the set wipe r speed is automatically re
duced by one stage.
When the igni tion is tu rned on, the washer
jets are heated.
_& WARNING
- Wipe r blades a re cruc ial for safe driving!
Only when they are in good cond ition are
they able to clear the windows properly
to provide uncompromising visibility.
Worn or damaged wiper blades are a safety hazard ¢
page 61, Replacing
front wiper blades!
- The light/ra in sensor is only des igned to
assist and support the dr iver .
It remains
entirely the d river 's responsibility to
mon itor outs ide weather conditions and
to manually activate the w ipers as soon
as rain o r dri zzle red uces visibi lity
thro ugh t he windshie ld.
- T he windshie ld must not be treated with
water-repe llent materials. They can in
crease glare under poor visib ility condi
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when the s
un is low on the horizon . In addi
tion, they can cause the w indshield w ip
ers to chatter .
(D Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
- Always check that the w iper b lades are
not frozen to the g lass before you turn
the wipers on . Loosen a wiper blade
wh ich is frozen in place before operating
the wipers to prevent damage to the
w iper blade or the wiper motor.
- Do not use the w ipers to clear a frosted
window. Us ing the wipers as a conven
ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Before you take your veh icle to an auto
matic car wash, make sure you have the
w indshield w iper system switched off
(lever in position 0), otherwise the w ind
shield w iper system could get damaged
in the car wash if it should suddenly
come on .
(D Tips
-The windshie ld w ipers are switched off
w hen the ignit ion is turned off. Act ivate
t he winds hield wipers after the igni tion
is switched back on by moving the wind
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or d irty windshield wipe r blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op
eration of the light/rain sensor . Check
the cond ition of your windsh ield wiper
blades regularly.
- When the wipers are switched on man
ually and in ra in cond itions, the auto
matic headlights turn on
¢ page 55 or
off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating . The automat ic
head lights fu nction is avai lab le in this
case on ly w hen the light switch is in the
"A UTO" posit ion ¢
page 55, fig. 63.
-Make su re the washer fluid reservoir is
t opped off before goi ng on a long tr ip.
Look up ¢
page 188 for checking and
filling the washe r containe r.
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value.
Regular and correct care will contribute to
maintaini ng the beauty and value of your Au
d i. Furthermore, good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty cla im should
corrosion damage or paint defects occur.
Your authorized Audi R8 dealer has a variety
of
d edicat ed ve hicl e-car e produ ct s. Please
make sure you apply them correctly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them out of the reach of children.
- Heed all caution labels .
- Always read directions on the container before using any product. Follow the di
rect ions carefu lly.
- Most chemical cleaners are concentrated and have to be diluted .
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas .
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail polis h remover or other volatile
fluids . They may be toxic, flammab le or
haza rdous in other ways. Do not wash,
wa x or d ry the vehicle wi th the ign it ion
on or the eng ine running.
- Do not clean the undersides of chassis,
fenders, wheel covers, e tc. wit h out pro
tecting your hands and arms . You may
c u t yourself on sharp -edged metal parts .
- Moist ure and ice on brakes may imp air
braking efficiency
c:> page 153, Broking.
T est the brakes carefully each time you
wash the vehicle.
@) For the sake of the environment
Select only environmentally friend ly clean
ing products . Leftover clean ing products
should not disposed of in the household
waste .
Cleaning and protec tion 16 1
Care of exterior
Washing your vehicle
The longer i nsect rema ins, bird dropp ings,
t ree res in , ro ad and indust rial dust, tar , soo t
particles, road salt, and o ther aggressive de
pos its remain on the vehicle su rface, the more
lasting their destructive effect will be . High
temperatures, for example from intense s un
light, intensify the corrosive effect.
After the end of winter road salting, the un derside of the vehicle shou ld be thoroughly
washed .
Automatic car washes
You must t ake the necessary precautions s uch
as clos ing t he windows and convert ible top
before using an automatic car wash.
If yo ur
vehicle has specia l accessories - e.g . spoilers,
radio antenna -it is best to speak to the oper
ator of the car wash c:>(D .
Only use car washes where the vehicle re
mains stationary and the cleaning equipment
moves around the veh icle while washing and
drying. It is not possib le to use car washes
where the vehicle is moved forward on a con
veyer
c:> ,& .
It is preferab le to wash your vehicle in a
brush less carwash .
Washing with a pow er wa sher
When was hing yo ur vehicle with a power
washe r, be sure to follow the operating in
structions for the power washer. This applies particu larly to the
p ressure and the spra ying
distance .
Mainta in sufficient distance from
soft materials such as rubber hoses, sound
deade ning mater ial, and the park ing aid sen
sors* that are located i n the front or rear
bumper.
Do not use washers with
a ro tating jet or a
nozzle spraying
a h igh pr essur e je t of wate r in
any case.
IJl,-
•
•
Waxing ..... .. .... ...... ... .. .. ... 161
Wear ind icator ............... ... ... 198
Weights . .. .. ................. .. .. . 226
What happens if you wear yo ur safe ty belt
too loose? ... .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 113
What happens to unbelted occupa nts? . . 112
What impairs driving safety? ... .. .. .. . 100
W hat should I do after chang ing a
wheel? .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. ... 195
Wheel bolts Torque . ...... ................ .... 205
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165, 189
Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 195
Cold tire inflat ion pressure . .. .. .. .. . 193
Ge neral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Glossary of t ire and load ing terminolo-
gy .. .. .. .. ................. .. ... 190
N ew tires and w heels ...... .. .. .. .. . 199
T ires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. . 196
When must the airbag system be inspect -
ed? .... ... ... ............. ...... .. 128
When shou ld I ad just the tire pressures? 195
When shou ld I check the tire pressures? . 195
Where can I find the tire pressures for my
car? ...... ... ............. ...... .. 195
W hy safety belts? ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 110
W ind defle ctor . ........... .. .. .. .... 48
C le ani ng . .. ............. .... .. .. . 163
W indows
C lean ing ... .. ... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 164
D efrost .. .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 75
D eic ing .. .. ............. .... .. ... 164
W indshield washer fluid .... .. .. .. .. .. 34
W indshield wipe rs . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 188
Install ing new wiper blades . ... .. .... 61
Service pos ition .......... .. .. .. .. .. 61
W inte r op er at ion
B att ery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184, 185
Coolant system ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 18 1
Defrosting w indows .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 75
H eated seats ... .. .... ... .. .. .... .. 76
W indows .. ............. .... .. ... 164
W indshield wipers ........ .. .. .. .. . 188
W inter ti res . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 203
All -whee l drive . .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 203
W iper and washer system ... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Inde x 239
Wiper b lades
refer to Windshield wipe rs ... ... .. .. . 61 •
•