2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER engine coolant

1 7 0 Che cking and filling
(D Note
When adding fluids, a lways make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or filler opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to veh icle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regu larly . If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu­ ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Releasing the engine compartment lid
The engine compartment lid is released from
inside the vehicle .
Fig. 137 Driver's side: releasing t he engine co mpart ­
ment lid
Requirement : The ignition must be switched
on.
... Make sure the rear spoiler is retracted
¢page 144 .
... Pull the button @. The eng ine compart­
ment lid opens slightly .
... Open the engine compartment lid
c> ,& .
A WARNING
-
Hot engine coo lant can burn you . To re­
duce the risk of being bu rned, never open
the engine compartment lid if yo u see or
hear steam or coolant escaping from the
eng ine compartment. Wait until no steam
or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the engine compartment
lid.
(D Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, on ly
open the engine compartment lid when
the convert ible top storage bay lid is
closed.
(D Tips
An emergency re lease can be used if the
engine compartment lid cannot be re­
leased with the button
® ¢ page 171.
Closing the engine compartment lid
... Make sure that the rear spoiler is retracted
Qpage 144.
.,. Pull the eng ine compartment lid down unti l
the pressure from the struts is reduced .
... Press the engine compartment lid closed
Q&. .
A WARNING
A engine compartment lid that is not com­
plete ly latched could fly up and b lock your
view wh ile 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.

Engine compartment lid emergency
release
The emergency release loop is located under
the right trim panel near the front passenger
seat.
F ig . 138 Front pas se n ge r footwe ll: emer gen cy re lease
l oo p
Engine compartment
Checkin g and fillin g 171
.. Make su re the rear spoiler is retracted
¢ page 144 .
.. Pull the loop forward to release the engine
compartment lid . The engine compartment
lid opens sligh tly.
.. Open the engine compartment lid¢.&.
in
Releasing the engine compartment lid on
page 170.
(D Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, only
open the eng ine compartment lid when
the convertible top storage bay lid is
closed .
Th es e ar e th e most important it ems that you can ch eck.
Fig. 139 Ty pical layout for containers , en gin e oil dipst ick and eng ine o il filler cap
(D Power steering fluid reservoir
(@) ... .. .... .... ... ...... .
@ Eng ine oi l filler cap ('l=r.) .. ...
® Engin e oi l dipstick
146
174
174
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 169 .
-
{!) Tips
The coolant expansion tank is located un­
der the convertible top storage bay lid
¢ page 177.

A WARNING
-While top ping off, the oil must not come
in contact with hot engine pa rts -fire
hazard!
- The oil fille r cap must be prope rly se­
cured to preve nt o il from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is r unning -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact w ith the
engine oil, yo u must subseque ntly
cl eanse it tho roughly.
(D Note
- The oil level must not be above range G)
- danger of conver ter or eng ine damage!
Co ntact an authorized Audi dea ler to
draw off oil, if necessa ry.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additiv es. They may damage the engine
and adverse ly affec t your New Vehicle
Warr an ty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Under no ci rcumstances ca n the o il come
i n cont act w it h the sewage network o r
the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations
when d isposing of empty oil con taine rs.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The coolant provides cooling for the engine.
The percentage of the coolant additive deter­
mines the freeze protection of the coolant in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q ui res little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f water and the man ufacture r's g ly­
col-based coolant additive Gl3 ant ifreeze
w ith a nticorros ion add itives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture bot h assures the n ecessary frost protec-
Checkin g and fillin g 175
tion and protects meta l components in t he
engine's cooling system from corrosio n and
sca ling . It a lso raises the boiling point of the
coolant.
Do not reduce the concen tration of the cool ­
ant in the s ummer by adding p lai n wate r.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50 % but not more than 60 %
to main­
ta in antifreeze protect io n and coo ling eff ic ien­
cy. If the coo la nt frost protection is too low,
t h e coolant could freeze and damage the vehi­
cle heating and engine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the factory fo r temperatures dow n to:
- -31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada .
A WARNING ~
Before you chec k anything in the engi ne
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 169.
-
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli ­
mate condit ions. This is especially impor­
t ant if you l ive i n a region where the win-
t er is extremely cold. If necessary, in-
cr ea se t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 6 0%.
- Whe n ad ding coolant addi tiv e to yo ur
c oo ling sys te m , reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coo lant ad­
d itive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 (check the labe l)
for your vehicle. This coolant additive is ava ilable at authorized Aud i dea lers .
Othe r ty pes of antifreeze ca n sig nifi­
ca ntly reduce cor ros io n protec tion . The
r esu lting co rrosion can cause a loss of
coo lant a nd serio us e ng ine da mage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator l eak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engi ne coo lant .
A dd ing radia to r r epair f luid m ay adverse-
ly affect the f unction and pe rformance of .,.. •
•

1 7 6 Che cking and filling
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty .
Checking the engine coolant level
Proceed carefully when checking the coolant.
Fig . 1 43 Co nvert ible top: se rv ice pos it ion
F ig . 14 4 Convert ib le top storage bay: coolant expan·
sio n tank
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment,
a lwa ys r ead and heed all WARN ­
INGS ¢.&.. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
169 and park your vehicle on a
level surface .
The coolant expansion tank is located in the right s ide of the convertible top storage bay
under the round metal cover¢
fig. 144 . The
convertible top must be in the service position
to check the coolant leve l
¢fig . 143 .
Bringing the closed con ve rtible top into
th e s ervic e position
~ Switch the ignition on .
~ Pull and hold the convert ible top switch .
~ Press and hold the rear window switch too
u nti l the convertib le top moves into the
service position¢
fig. 143.
Bringing the op en conv ertible to into the
service position
~ Switch the ignition on.
~ Press and hold the convertible top switch.
~ Press and hold the rear window switch too
until the convertible top moves into the
service position¢
fig . 143 .
Opening the coolant e xpan sion tank cover
~ Stop the engine and allow it to cool.
~ Switch the ignition off.
~ Carefully remove the bolts in the cover (D
using a screwdriver and remove the cover.
The coolant reservoir is located below
¢fig. 144.
Chec king the engine cool ant level
~ Place a rag or cloth on the cap of the cool­
ant expansion tank and turn the cap
careful­
ly
to the left (counter-clockwise) ¢ .&_.
~ Read the coolant level inside the coolant ex­
pans ion tank ¢
fig. 144 . With a co ld engine,
it must be above the "min" mark. With a hot
eng ine, it can be a little above the indicated
range.
T o obtain an accu rate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion ta nk in your vehicle is equ ipped
with an electric coo lant level sensor
¢page 15. We still recommend you check the
c oolant level from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
i ng system shou ld be inspected immediately
by your aut horized Audi dea ler. It is not
eno ugh me rely to add coolant.
In a
s ea le d system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a resu lt of overheating.

A WARNING ,~
- The cooling system is under pressure. Do
notopenthecapofthecoolantexpan­
sion tank when the engine is hot . You
risk being scalded .
- The coolant additive, and therefore the coolant itself, is hazardous to health.
Keep the coolant additive in the original
container out of the reach of children. It
is a poison hazard.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your cooling system and could result in damage
not covered 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 169.
.. Add coolant .
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly .
.. Tighten the cap (D ¢ page 176, fig . 144
again.
Replacement engine coolan t must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 175, Coolant . If
the coolant additive G12+ + is not available in
an emergency, you must not add any other ad­
ditive. In this case, use only water and restore
the correct mix ratio with the specified cool­
ant additive as soon as possible.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling .
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot .
With a major loss of coolant, you should add
the coolant only when the engine has
cooled.
In this way you prevent engine damage .
Checking and filling 177
A WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot . Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire .
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
Q) Note
-Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres ­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 175 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­
ing all environmental regulations.
•
•

182 Checking and filling
(D Note
- Your vehicle is equipped with a specia l
battery. Installing a different type of
battery can cause prob lems in the vehi­
cle electrical system. When replacing the
vehicle battery, always install one with
the same spec ificat ions as the original
battery .
- Make sure that the gas venting hose is
always connected to the o riginal open ing
on the battery side. Otherw ise gasses or
ba tte ry acid could leak out .
- Battery holder and term inals a lways
have to be secured cor rectly.
- Read and follow the warnings under
9 page 179, Working on the battery be­
fore performing any work on the batte ry.
@) For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you . Batteries contain sulfur ic ac id and
lead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with a ll environmenta l
reg ulations. D isposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment. Make sure that the removed bat­
tery ca nnot overbalance, otherwise sulfu­
r ic acid might escape!
Windshield washer
container
Fig. 147 Luggage compa rtment : W inds hield washer
fl uid reservo ir
The windshield washer container O is located
in the luggage compartment. You can find the
reservo ir capacity in the table in
¢page 218.
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets . Always add a glass cleaner
solution (with frost protection in the winter) .
(D Note
- Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir.
- Do not use glass cleaners containing
pai nt so lvent; you risk damaging the
paint.

A
A/C operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Accessories .. ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 221
Active ro llover protection system . . . . . . . 99
Retract ing ro llover protection . .. .. .. .. 99
Add ing
Engine coolant . ....... ... .. .. .. ... 177
Engine oi l .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 174
Addit io nal accesso ries ...... .. .. .. .. . 22 1
Addit ives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Ad justab le steer ing column . ... .. .. .... 70
Adj usti ng front seats ....... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Advanced Airbag System Ch ildren . .. ............. .... .. .. . 131
Components .. ........... .. .. .. ... 116
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
H ow the components work together . . 117
M oni toring . ................ ... ... 120
Weight-se nsing mat ...... .. .. .. .. . 13 1
Airbag War ning/ indicator lights . .. .. .. .. .. .. 14
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109, 128
Care ... .. .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 122
Child restra ints ........... .... .. ... 132
Components (front airbags) .. .. .. .. . 116
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1
Disposal . ................ ... ... .. 122
Fr ont airbags ............ .... .. ... 1 13
H ow do the front a irbags work? . .. .. . 118
H ow many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 116
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system ....... .. .. .. .. . 126
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Indicator light ........... .. .. .. ... 120
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Mo nitor ing . ................ ... ... 120
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight .. ... .. 120
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2
Side airbags .. ........... .. .. .. ... 12 7
When mus t the system be inspected? . 120
Ai r cond itioni ng
A/C operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
A ir dist ribution ........... .. .. .. .... 67
A ir r eci rcula tion mode ..... .. .. .. .. .. 68
Automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Inde x 223
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Defrost ... .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 68
Econom ica l use . ... . .. ..... ... .. .. . 69
Fan ........ .. .. .................. 67
Rear window defogger . ............. . 69
Switching on and off ................ 67
T emperature ... .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. . 66
Air distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
A ir recircu lation mode
Air condi tioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
All -wheel drive .. .. .. ..... .......... 147
Winter tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
A lternator
refer to Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolan t sys tem ... .. .. 175
Anti- lock b rake system
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 16
Anti- lock braking system ......... .... 142
Anti -slip reg ulation . .. ... .... ... .. .. 142
Anti-theft ala rm system ......... .... .. 38
Anti-theft whee l bolts ........... .... 206
Ashtray .. .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 62
Asterisk ...... .. .... .. ........ ...... . 5
Audi magnet ic r ide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 75
Description . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. . 75
Ind icator light . .. ................. . 19
Audi Se rv ice Repair Manuals and Lit era-
ture .. ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 219
Automated manual t ransmission
refer to R tronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Automat ic be lt retractor ......... .. .. 104
A utomat ic car wash
refer to Washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Automat ic head light . .............. .. 49
Auto Safety Hot line .................. 97
Ave rage fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
B
Battery .... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 178
Charg ing .. .... .. ................. 180
Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Disconnecting ... .. . .. .... .... .. .. 178
Low .... .. .. .. .. .. ............... 14 7
replacing .. .. .. .. .... ............. 181
•
•

224 Index
State of charge ............... .... . 147
Vehicles not driven for long periods . .. 178
Winter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178, 179
Working on the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Blended gasoline .............. .... . 164
Booster seats ............. .. .. .... . 13 7
Brake system Anti -lock brake system ........ .. .... 16
Brake assist system ......... .. .. .. . 142
Brake fluid ....................... 178
Brake light defective ................ 18
Brake power assist unit ............. 145
Brakes ... .. ................ ..... . 145
Ceramic brakes ............ ... .... . 145
Malfunc tion .............. ... .... .. 13
Warning/indicator lights ....... .... .. 13
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Break-in period .............. .. .... . 150
Bulbs ...... ........... ........ ... . 214
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 169
Battery specific ............... .... 180
Capacities ... ................ ..... . 217
Carbon-fiber parts Exterior .. ................. .. .. .. . 157
I nter ior .. ................. .. .. .. . 159
Car care ... .. ................ ... ... 153
Cargo area
refer to L uggage compartment . . . . . . . . 96
Car key .. .... ............... .. .. .. .. 32
Catalytic converter ......... .. .. .. .. . 150
Certification ................. ..... . 222
Changing a flat tire .................. 206
Chassis
refer to Audi magnetic ride ..... .. .... 75
Checking Engine coolant level .......... ... .. . 176
Tire pressure ................. .... . 189
Child restraints
Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? .. 141 Child safety
..... .. ............. .... 130
Convertible locking retractor ......... 138
Impo rtant safety instructions for using
child safety seats .............. .... 133
Important things to know when driving
with children .. .. ................ . 130
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Booster seats .... ................. 137
Convertible child seats ............. 136
Convertible locking retractor ....... .. 138
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ....... ...... .. .. 133
Infant seats ..... ................ . 135
Installing . ................... .... 138
Safety instructions ............. .. .. 133
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Cleaning Alcantara (synthetic suede) ....... ... 161
Engine compartment ........... .... 162
Exhaust tail pipes . ............. .. .. 158
Fabrics and fabric coverings . .. ... ... 159
Leather .......................... 161
Matte finish paint ................. 155
Radio and navigation display ..... .. .. 158
Safety belts . .. .. ............. .. .. 162
Cleaning and protection ... ....... .. .. 153
Cleaning the navigation display .... .. .. 158
Cleaning the radio display ............ 158
Climate controls . .. ... .......... .... . 65
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6S
Heating .......... .... ........... .. 65
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Clock ............................... 9
Closing Engin e compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Clutch overheating .... ......... ... .. . 19
Cold tire inflation pressure ........ .. .. 187
coming home . .. .. ............... ... 49
Compass mirror ... ... ......... ... .. . 57
Compliance ..... .. ................. 222
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . . 97, 219
Contacting NHTSA . ... .......... .. ... 97
Controls and displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Convertible child safety seats . .. ...... 136