2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER airbag

2 Table of contents Vehicle literature .. .. .. .. .. ... .
About this Owner's Manual ...
Controls and equipment .. ... .
Cockpit ................ .... .. . .
General illus tration .... ... .. .. ... .
Instruments and warning/
indicator lights ........ .. .. .. . .
Ins truments . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
War ning/ indi cator lights ... .. ... .. .
Driver information system .. .
Introduct ion . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Service interval disp lay . ... .. .... . .
On-Board Diagnostic system (OBD) .. .
T rip computer ............ .. .. .. . .
M enu display ....... ......... .. . .
Lap timer .. .......... ........ .. .
4
5
6
6
6
8
8
11
21
21
22
22
23
25
27
Speed war ning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Opening and closing .. .. .. .. . .
Keys ........................ .. .
P owe r locking system ............ .
Fr ont lid . .. .. . .......... .. .. .. . .
Ant i- t heft ala rm system ... .. .. .. . .
P owe r win dows .. .. ... ... .. .. ... .
Convertible top .............. .
Convertible top ....... ... .. .. ... .
W ind deflecto r ... .. ... ... .. .. ... .
Rear window . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Convertible top emergency operation .
Clear vision .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... .
Lights ..... ... . ...... ... .. .. ... .
Inter ior lights .............. .. ... .
Sun visors ...................... .
W iper and washer system ....... .. .
M irrors .. .. ................ ... . .
Di git al compass .... ...... .. .. .. . .
32
32
34
37
3 8
39
4 0
4 0
42
4 2
43
49
4 9
52
53
53
56
57
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Ge ne ral recomme ndat ions ... .. .. . .
P owe r seats ............. .. .. .. . .
H ead res traint s .......... .... ... .
Cup holder .............. .. .. ... . 59
60
6
1
6 1
Asht ray ... .... .. ... .. ..... .... . .
Cigarette lighter/socket . ..... ... .. .
Storage ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .
Warm and cold ... .. ..... .... . .
Climate controls .. .. .... .... ... .. .
Heated seats ................... .
On the road ... ... .. ..... .... . .
Steering .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .
Ig nit ion lock/Ignition switch ....... .
Starting the engine ............ .. .
Stopping the eng ine ............. .
Pa rking brak e .. .. ............... .
Cru ise con trol ... . ... ... .... ... .. .
Audi mag netic ride ............... .
Transm1ss1on .. ... .. ....... ... .
Manua l transm iss ion ......... .. .. .
R t ronic ... .... .. ............. .. .
62
62
62
65
65
69
70
70
70
71
72
72
74
75
77
7 7
78
Parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Par king sy stem adv anced
Homelink ® ................... .
Universa l remote cont rol ........ .. .
Safety first .. ....... .......... .
82
8 8
88
91
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Gener al notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
P roper oc cupant se ati ng positions . . . 92
D rive r and passenger si de footwe ll . . . 95
Stow ing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Reporting Sa fety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Active rollover protection system 99
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Genera l notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Illustrat ing the principle of an
acc iden t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
How are safety b elts wo rn cor rect ly? . 104
Safe ty be lt pre tensioners . . . . . . . . . . 107
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
I m po rtant t hings to know . . . . . . . . . . 109
F ron t air bags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System .... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Knee airbags . ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Side airbags ............. .... .. . .
Child Safety ... ..... ... .. .. .. . .
120
124
127
130
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 130
C hi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Instal ling a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 138
Addit io nal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Vehicle operation ....... .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. ... .
Not ice about data recorded by veh icle
con trol modules . .... ... .. .. .. .. . .
E lect ron ic Stability Con trol ( ESC) .. . .
Rear spoiler ............. .. .. .. . .
Braking .... .. .. ... . .... ... .. .. . .
Powe r stee ring . .. ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Driving with your quattro ® ... .. .. . .
E nergy management ...... .. .. .. . .
Dry s ump lubr ication ...... .. .. .. . . 142
142
142
1
42
1 4 4
1 4 5
146
147
147
149
Driving and environment . . . . . 150
Break- in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 150
Cata lytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Sporty driving ............... .... . 151
Operation and maintenance . . . . . . . . 15 1
T railer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 153
Gene ral inf ormatio n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 53
Ca re of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Ca re of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
164
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
F ue l tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Eng ine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Eng ine cooling system..... .. .. .. .. 175
Brake fluid . ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. 178
Table of contents 3
Battery ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
Windshie ld washer container
Tires and wheels .... .... ... .. .
Tires ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .
Tire pressure monitoring system 178
182
183
183
200
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 203
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tr unk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Breakdown k it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tire repair . .. .. .. ............... .
What should I be aware of when
h . t· 7 c
anging a rre. . .. .............. .
Jump-starting .. .. ... .. .. ... ..... .
E mergency towing wit h commercia l
tow tr uck . .... .. .. . ............ .
Fu se s and bulbs ... ........... .
Electr ica l fuses . .. ............... .
B ul bs ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... . 203
206
209
212
213
2
13
214
Technical da ta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
General information . . . . . . . . . . 215
Explanation of techn ica l da ta . . . . . . . 215
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Dimens ions.. .. ...... ............ 216
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
R8 Spyder 4.2 quattro . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
R8Spyder5.2quattro ............. 217
Dimens ions .. .... .... .... ... .... . 218
Capacities (approx .) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 219
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Operating your ve hicle outs ide the
U .S.A. or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Audi Se rv ice Repair Manuals and
Li te ratu re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Maintenance ... .. .. . ... ...... ... . 219
Additional accessories, modifications and parts rep lacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Inde x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
•
•

(!) Adjuster control for outside mir-rors .... ..... .......... .. .
@ Door handle
@ Power locking switch
© Switches for:
- Front lid release .......... .
- Fuel filler flap release . .. .. .
® Air outlets ............ .... .
® Light switch ............... .
(J) Turn signal and high beam ... .
@ Multifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Driver's airbag ........... .
- Audio, telephone and voice
control system operating but­
tons
- Shift buttons for manual oper-
at ion (R tronic) ........... .
® Instrument cluster
@ Switches for: 57
36
37
166
67
49
51
113
81
8
- Windshield wiper/washer 53
- Trip computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
- Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
- Lap Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
- Speed warning system . . . . . . 29
@ Steering lock/ignition/starte r
switch (in the steering wheel
column) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
@ Adjustable steering column . . . 70
@ Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
@ Instrument lighting . . . . . . . . . 52
@) Data Link Connector (DLC) for
On Board Diagnostics (OBD II) . 22
@) Power window switches . . . . . . 39
@ Navigation system
@ Glove compartment (lockable) . 63
@ Front passenger's airbag . . . . . 113
@ Rear window defogger switch . 69
@ Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
@ Gear shift lever or selector lever
(R tronic) :
- Manual transmission
- R tronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
@ Switches for: -Audi magnetic ride ........
.
- Electronic Stability Control ..
- Em ergency flasher ........ .
- Retractable rear spoiler .... .
- Parking system ...... ..... .
Cockpit 7
75
142
so
144
82
@ Convertible top switch . . . . . . . 40
@ Rear window switch . . . . . . . . . 42
@ Parking brake lever . . . . . . . . . . 72
(D Tips
-Some of the equipment or features
shown in the general illustration may be
standard equipment on your vehicle or
my be optional equipment depending on
your model.
-A separate brochure is provided for your
factory-installed Audi Navigation Sys­
tem.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
Immobilizer
When the ignition is switched on, the data on
the ignition key are scanned automatically.
I f an unautho rized key was used,
SAFE is dis­
p layed cont inuously in the odometer display
field. The veh icle cannot be operated
¢ page 33.
Voltmeter display
The vo ltmeter shows the voltage in the vehi ­
cle electrical system.
If the read ing drops be­
low 12 volts with the engine running, you
should have the power supply (battery and
generator) inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer .
@ Tips
Voltage can drop below 8 volts when you
start the engine.
Warning/indicator Lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on . They indicate functions or
malfunct ions ¢,&..
Messages may appear with some indicator
lights. The messages turn off after a short
time . To d isplay a message aga in, press the
Set/Check button ¢
page 8, fig. 3 ® · If there
i s more than one malfunction, the ind icator
l ights will tu rn on one afte r the other for ap­
prox imately two seconds each.
Some ind icators lights in the disp lay can turn
on in several colors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other
importan t vehicle information m ay result
in serious persona l injury or vehicle dam ­
age.
- Whenever sta lled or s topped for repa ir,
move the vehicle a safe distance off the road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher
¢ page 50.
- The engine compartment of any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, stop the engine and let it
coo l down. Always exercise extreme cau­
tion when wo rking under the hood
¢ page 169, Working in the engine
compartment
(D Tips
Malfunctions or fau lts will be ident ified ei­
the r with a red symbol (p riority 1 -Dan­
ger!) or with a yellow symbol (priority 2 -
War ning).
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly to check
the function o f that system when you swi tch
the ignition on. These systems are marked
with an./ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a ma lfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
Red symbo ls indicate a priority ma lf u nction -
Danger!
- Pull off t he ro ad.
- Stop the vehicle.
- Turn off the engi ne.
- Check the malfunctioning system. Contact
your author ized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop for assistance .
-USA models : Malfunction in the
brake system ¢
page 13
Canada models: Malfunction in the
b rake sys tem
¢ page 13
USA models: A irbag system./
¢ page 14
Canada models: Airbag system ./
¢page 14

-In the event of a c rash with airbag de ­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to g ive access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside .
- You are we ll advised not to keep valua­
bles inside an unattended vehicle, visib le
or not . Even a properly locked vehicle
cannot p rovide the securi ty of a safe!
Unlocking/locking the vehicle with the
remote control
Fig. 30 Remote co n trol: functio n buttons
To unlock the vehicle~
.. Press button @ once ¢ fig. 30.
To lock the vehicle [ru
.. Press button @ once ¢ /A.
To unlock front lid only
.. Press button © for approximately one sec ­
ond .
PANIC Button
.,. Pu sh the red button @to activate the pan ic
function. The horn sounds and the turn sig­
nal s flash .
.. Push the button @again to deactivate the
panic funct ion .
The turn s ignals flash twice when the vehicle
is unlocked . If the vehicle is un locked and a
door is not opened within the next 30 sec­
onds, the veh icle locks again automatically.
This feat ure prevents the vehicle from be ing
left unlocked accidentally for a long period of
time .
Opening and closing 35
The turn signals briefly flash once and the
horn sounds once wh en the doo rs and front
li d are locked properly.
_& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ¢.&. in
General description on page 34.
(D Tips
- Use the remote contro l only when the
doors and front lid are closed.
- In order to make sure the locking func­
tion is working, you should a lways keep
your eye on the vehicle to make sure it is
properly locked.
-
- Do not use the remote control if you are
inside the car, otherwise you may unin­
tentionally lock the vehicle, and then you
would set off the anti-theft alarm when
you try to open a door . In case this hap­
pens anyhow, push the unlock button@ .
- Use the pan ic function on ly if you are in
an eme rgency s ituation .
Operating locks with the key
To lock and unlock the vehicle from the out­
side, turn the key in the lock of the driver 's
door .
Fig. 31 Key turn s fo r op eni ng an d clos ing
.. To unlock the vehicle, turn the key to the
opening position
@¢fig. 31.
.. To lock the vehicl e, turn the key in the lock
of the driver's door to the lo ck position @
¢&, . ....

36 Opening and clo sing
The turn signals brief ly flash once and the
horn sounds once when the doors and the
front lid are locked proper ly.
.&_ WARNING
Always read and heed WARNING <=> .& in
General description on page 34.
@ Tips
- However, note that which door is un­
locked
mechanically when the vehicle is
opened depends on the settings in the menu display
c>page 25.
-Both doors are locked automatically
when the vehicle is locked.
Locking/unlocking the vehicle from
inside
The vehicle can be locked or unlocked from
the inside using the power locking switch .
Fig. 32 Section from driver's door: Power locking
sw itch
-
;! M 0
"' .., m
~ To lock the vehicle, press the upper part of
the switch (illc>
fig. 32 c> ..&., .
~ To unlock the vehicle, press the lower part
of the switch
Im.
If you lock the vehicle using the power locking
switch, please note the following:
- You cannot open the doors from the
outside
(increased security, for example when you
are stopped at a red light).
- The LED in the switch
Iii lights up when all
the doors and the front lid are closed and
locked .
- You can unlock and open the doors from the inside by pulling on the door handle. -
You cannot lock the vehicle with the central
locking switch when the driver's door is
open.
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat­
ed, the doors automatically unlock.
A WARNING
-
-If you use the power locking switch with
the doors closed, remember that all the
vehicle doors will lock.
- Locking doors from the inside can help prevent inadvertent door opening during
an accident and can also prevent unwant­
ed entry from the outside. Locked doors
can, however, delay assistance to vehicle
occupants and hold up rescue efforts
from the outside in an accident or other
emergency .
Emergency locking
If the power locking system fails (power fail­
ure), you will need to lock the passenger door
separately .
Fig. 33 Passenger's door: emergency re lease
For this purpose, a mechanical locking device
is provided on the end panel of the passenger
door (only visib le when the door is open).
~ Removethecap c>fig.33.
~ Insert the key into the inner slot and turn it
to the right as far as it can go.
After you close the door you will no longer be able to open it from the outside . You can open
it from the inside, however, by pulling on the
door latch twice.

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 109.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always heed the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 130, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 59
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
must be adjusted to yo ur body height so
that they can give you max imum prote c­
tion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible be tween yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus ­
ing sudden loss of vehicle control and
personal injury . If you ad just yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust the seat in fo re and aft direction so
t ha t you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor whi le keeping your knee sligh tly bent
c::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page
59 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Pos it ion the head restraint accord ing to the
occupant 's height
c::> page 61 . For maxi­
mum protection, the top of the head re­
straint shou ld be at least at eye level, pref­
erably higher and idea lly level with the top
of the head
¢ page 94, fig. 105 .
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate!

60 Seats and stor age
Front passenger's seat
Always mov e th e front passeng er seat into
the rearmost position .
To avoid contact w ith the airbag wh ile it is de­
p loying, do not sit any close r to the instru­
ment panel tha n necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided ad justed
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat i n the follow ing ma nner:
• Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
pos it ion.
Do not r ide w it h the seat reclined .
• The idea l position for the head restra int is
with the upper edge of the rest ra in t l eve l
with the top o f your head
¢ page 61. You
sho uld
not lower the top o f the restra int be ­
l ow the level of your eyes .
• Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Power seats
Adjustment switches
The operating logic for the switches corre­
sponds to th e construction and function of
the seat.
Fig. 7 3 Adjust men t sw it c h es : locat io ns on dr iver seat
The o perating logic for the switches corre­
sponds to the constr uction, the design and
the function of the seat. Push or pull e ithe r
switch in exactly the same d irect ion you want
the correspond ing part of the seat to move.
Adjustment switch es
CD Adj usting the lumbar s upport
@ Adjusting seat height and fore-and-aft po­
sition @
Adjus ting the angle of the sea tback
@ Re leas ing the seatback
Power seat adjustment
The switches can be moved in various direc­
tions to allow precise adjus tment.
Read and heed all wa rni ngs befo re you adjust
yo ur seat. ¢.&, .
Adjusting the curvature of the lumbar
support
• Push the fo rward or rear dep ression on the
sw itch shell
CD ¢ page 60, fig. 73 to in ­
crease or decrease the backrest curvat ure.
Adjusting the height of the lumbar
support
• Push the top o r bottom depress ion on the
sw itch shell
CD to raise or lower the s upport
in the backrest.
Moving the front seat s forward or
backward
• Press the switch @forward or backward
hor izontally.
Adjusting the seat height
• Pull or push the swi tch @ even ly a t both
en ds to raise or lower the seat.
Angling the seat cushion up and down
(front )
• Pull or p ush the switch @at the front only
to ra ise or lower the seat.
Angling the seat cushion up and down
(rear)
• Pull or p ush the swi tch @ at the rea r o nl y
to ra ise or lower the seat.
Adjusting the seatback
• Push o r pull the swit ch @ in the same direc ­
t ion you w ant the sea tba ck t o tilt.
A WARNING
- Never a djust the drive r's or front passen -
ge r seat w hile the vehicle is moving. If ..,.