2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER engine overheat

146 Intellig ent technolog y
Other road users must not be put at risk -
yo u may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving position . Do not
ride the brakes or ho ld the pedal down
too long or too often . This cou ld cause
the brakes to get hot and d iminish brak­
ing efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . Thi s may cause the b rakes to
overheat, premature wea r and inc reased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
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 w ill be cleaned off after a few cau ­
t ious brake applications .
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few cautious
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
ins tall a different spoiler, be su re the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system co uld
overheat red ucing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
braking capab ility, resulting in increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing the vehi­
cle and have it towed to the nearest au­
thorized Aud i dealer or qualified work­
shop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when tow ing your vehicle, or
because the b rake booste r 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 s teer .
Power steering helps the driv er steer the vehi­
cle with litt le physica l effort.
If the engine is not running, the power steer­
ing system is also not working . In this case ,
you wi ll find it extremely d ifficu lt to turn the
steering wheel.
If you turn the steering fully to the left or
rig ht when the vehicle is stationary, you p lace
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 id le speed.
(D Note
Do not hold the steering t urned fu lly to
the left or r ight for more than 10 seconds
when the engine is running . There is a r isk
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 ab le
to steer the vehicle. However, you will re­
quire more effort to do so .
- If the powe r stee ring system has a leak
or is defect ive , you should immediately
contact a qualified wor kshop .
- The power steer ing system req uires a
special hydraulic fl uid. The power steer­
ing fluid reservoir is located in t he en­
gine comp artment. The co rrect hydrauli c
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.

150 Driving and en vironm ent
Driving and
environment
Break-in period
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break-in per iod should be 1,500 miles (2,500
km) . Do not use full acceleration for the first
600 miles (1,000 km) and do not exceed the
maximum eng ine speed of 6,000 rpm You
m ust also not use fu ll acce lerat ion between
600 and 1,200 m iles ( 1,000 to 2,000 km).
Fr om 1,200 to 1 ,500 mi les (2,000 to 2,500
km), you can gradua lly increase maxim um en­
gine speed to 8,250 rpm for brief periods.
During the first ho urs of operation, there is
g reater friction in the engine and the trans­
mission than later when a ll the moving parts
have broken in.
The way yo u drive duri ng the first 1 ,500 miles
(2,500 km) affects engine quality. If you drive
at moderate engine speeds thereafter, partic ­
u lar ly when the engine is cold, yo u reduce en ­
gine wear and increase the potential mileage
of the engine.
Do not drive at RPMs that are too low. Shift
down when the engine is no longer running
"smoothly". Extreme ly high RPMs are gov­
erned automa tically.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iving t hrough water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed .
.&_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet b rake roto rs and pads. Dry
t he brakes fi rst by bra king carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect .
-
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectrical sys­
tem can be severe ly damaged by dr iv ing
through water .
@ Tips
-Check the depth of the water before d riv­
ing through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely .
- Avo id driving through salt water because
it can cause corros ion.
Catalytic converter
You must use lead-free gasoline in your veh i­
cle, otherwise you will destroy the ca talyt ic
converter .
Never run the fuel tank completely dry; their­
regular fue l supply could cause misfires . This
allows unburned fue l into the exhaus t system,
poss ibly resulting in overheating and damage
to the catalytic converter .
.&_ WARNING ,-
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
a reas where the hot exha ust system may
come in co nta ct with dry g rass, brush,
fue l spills or o ther material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly addition al under coating or
r u stproofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
To ensure efficient o peration of the Emis­
s ion Control System :

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.

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