2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER maintenance

178 Checking and filling
Brake fluid
Hove the brake fluid changed by an experi­
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too
h igh, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a per iod of t ime . The bo iling po int of the
brake fluid w ill also decrease considerably and
decrease b rak ing performance .
Therefore, the brake f lu id must be changed
every two years . Always use new brake fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 1 16 DOT 4".
Brake fl uid is rep laced according to the Audi
maintenance service schedule. Your author­
ized Audi dealer is equipped with the necessa­
ry special tools and replacement parts, has
the necessary expe rtise, and can d ispose of
the used fluid .
.&_ WARNING
- Brake fluid is po iso nous. It mus t be s to r­
ed on ly in the closed orig inal con taine r
o ut o f th e reac h of children!
- Br ake f ailure can resul t from old o r in ap ­
propr iate brake fluid. Observe these pre ­
caut ions:
- Use o nly brake fluid that meets SAE
specification
J 1703 and co nfo rms to
Federal Motor Vehicle Sta ndard 116 .
A lways check wi th you r a uthori zed Aud i
dealer to m ake sur e you are u sing the
correct br ake f luid. The co rrec t type of
b rake fluid is a lso indica ted on the
b rake fluid reservoir .
- The brake flui d must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can ca use a vapor loc k if
the brake fl uid is left in t he system too
l o ng. This can ser io usly affect the effi­
ciency of the brakes as well as yo ur
safety. This could result in an acc ident.
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
veh icle.
{® For the sake of the environment
Because of the p rob lem of proper disposal
of brake fluid as well as the spec ia l too ls
required and the necessary expertise, we
recommend that you have the brake flu id
cha nged by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
Battery
General information
All work on the ba ttery requires technical
knowledge.
The battery is located be hind the cov er in the
l u ggage compa rtment. Remove the cover by
pu shing i t to the left an d lift ing it o ut.
The battery is practically maintenance-free
and is checked as pa rt of your ve hicle's main­
tenance se rv ices .
You are we ll advised to replace a battery that
i s older tha n 5 yea rs .
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle f unctions (power window reg u­
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery te r­
mina ls are disconnected. T hese functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are
co nn ected aga in . T o p revent th is, t he battery
shou ld only be disconnected from the ve hicle
elect ric al sy stem w hen abso lutely ne cessary
f or rep airs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
The battery becomes d ischarged due to quies­
cent current consume rs even when the vehicle
is not used. With extended pe riods of non-use
in t he
cold season, yo u should have t he ve hi­
cle b attery removed by an autho riz ed Aud i
dealer or qualif ied workshop and stored in an
frost-free place. T his prevents the battery
from "freezing" and thereby being destroyed.
D uring the
warme r seasons it is enough to
disco nnect the battery negat ive terminal. Oc-
cas ionally charge a disconnected battery.
II>

soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure . Driving on a significant ly un­
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation a l­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread l ife,
and may affect the veh icle 's handling and
stopping ab ility.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper t ire maintenance, and it is the dr iv­
er's responsib ility to ma inta in correct t ire
p ress ure , even if under- inflation has not
reached the leve l to t rigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale .
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indicate when
the system is not ope rating properly. The
TPMS malfunc tion indica to r i s combined wi th
the low t ire pr essu re tellta le. When the sys ­
tem detec ts a ma lf u nct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain continuo usly ill uminated . This se­
q uence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction ex ists.
When the malfunction indicator is ill uminat ­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signa l low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occ ur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the ins talla tio n of replace­
ment or a lternate tires o r whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
t ellta le afte r replacing one o r more t ires or
wheels o n your veh icle to ensure tha t the re­
p lacemen t or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Introduction
The tire pressure monitoring system monitors
air pressure in all four road wheels while the
vehicle is moving .
As soon as the tire pressu re mo nitor ing sys­
tem senses a s ignificant loss of a ir pressure in
one or severa l ti res, text messages and yellow
symbo ls appear in the instr ument cluster dis ­
p lay to alert the driver. The
[ti warning light
Tire s an d wheel s 201
in the instrument cluster comes on when the
ti re is significant ly underinflated .
T he wa rni ng lig ht
[ti also illu minates i n the
case of a system mal funct io n.
Be aware that t ire pressure is a lso dependent
o n the tempe ratu re of the t ire. For eve ry 18 ° F
(10 °C) incre ase in tir e te mper ature, tire pres­
s u re inc reases by about 1.5 psi (0 .1 bar). The
ti re warms up while the ve hicle is moving and
tire p ress ure rises . So you sho uld ad just tire
pressure only when they a re
cold, when the
temperature of the tires is ro ughly the same
as the ambient a ir temperature.
In order to keep the tire press ure monito ring
system p roperly ca librated, t ire press ure on
all four tires sho uld be checked at regu lar in­
terva ls.
The tire pressure is shown on the label located
on the dr iver's side B-pillar (v is ib le when the
door is open) .
A WARNING
When the tire pressure mo nitoring system
war ning light is lit , one o r m ore of your
tires is s ignificantly under-infla ted . You
shou ld stop and check your tires as soon as
pos sib le, and in flate t hem to the proper
p ress ure a s in dic ate d on the ve hicle's ti re
p ress ure lab el
¢page 187. Driving on a
significantly under -inflated ti re causes t he
tire to over heat and can lead to tire failure .
Under-inflat ion also is like ly to impair the
vehicle's handling and stopping ab ility.
@ For the sake of the environment
D riving wit h un der -inflated tires red uces
fuel efficiency an d tire t read life.
(D Tips
- E ach tire should be chec ked monthly
w hen the tem perature of the tires is
about the same as amb ient a ir tempera­
t u re and set to the recommended infla­
tion press ure as specified on the tire
pressure label¢
page 187.
•
•

214 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel @
Consumer
Automatically dimming in-
side mirror, garage door
8 opener (Homel
ink), washer
pump relay, power outlets
relay
10
[ru button
11 Pressure sensor, climate
controls
12 Airbag
Fuse panel @
No . II Consumer
II
1 Radiator fan (1)
Radia
tor fan (2)
Exterior lighting
4 Exterior lighting
6 Blower regulator
Fuse panel@
No . II Consumer
II
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
Amps
40 40
40
40
40
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 Electronic Stabi lity Control
2 Electronic Stability Control
4
5
6 Rear
window defogger
Power locking system
Interior lights, washer noz­
zles
Anti-theft alarm system
Climate controls
Heated seats
10 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 Audi dealer or other qualified
workshop.

Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Con trol Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Consumer Information 219
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service Manuals and liter­
atu re are availabl e to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
https: //www.a udi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and rel iability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
in very dusty regions, etc., some service work
shou ld be pe rformed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air fi lter.
@ For the sake of the environment
By regu larly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
T he increasing use of electron ics, soph isticat­
ed fuel injection and emission control sys­
tems, and the generally increasing technica l
complexity of today's automobiles, have ..,_
•
•

220 Consumer Inf ormation
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Als o, sa fe ty a nd en vir onm ent al con­
cerns place very strict limits on the nature of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans­
miss ion parts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth­
er equipment available to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper pe rformance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems.
Improper maintenance, adjustments and re­
pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­
ranty. Therefore, proof of servic ing in accord­
ance w ith the ma intenance schedule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, c reating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any se rv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop.
We strong ly urge you to give yo ur autho rized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perfo rm all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs.
Your dea ler has the facilities, original parts
and trained specialists to keep your vehicle
running properly.
Performing limit ed m aint enance yours elf
The following pages describe a limited num­
ber of proced ures which can be performed on
your vehicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and carefully follow the instruc­
tions given . Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS p rovided.
Before you ch eck anything in th e eng ine
co mpartm ent , alway s re ad and h eed all
WA RNINGS
c::> .&. and c::> ..&. in Working in the
engine compartment on page 169.
A WARNING
- Serious personal injury may occur as a re­
sult of improperly performed mainte­
nance, adjustments or repa irs.
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle. Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r is k personal
injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re ­
spect to the vehicle, or are uncertain how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessa ry
work done by your author ized A udi deal­
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- Always remove the ignition key before
anyone gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work under­
neath the vehicle. The jack* is not ade­
quate for this purpose and cou ld collapse
causing ser ious personal inju ry.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on level ground,
that the wheels a re a lways secure ly
b locked and that t he engine cannot be
s tarted.
- Always make sure the transmission se­
lec to r l ever is in
"N" (Neut ral) (R t ron ic)
or Neutral (manual transmission) and
the hand bra ke is f irmly app lied.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Changing the engine sett ings will ad­
verse ly affect emission leve ls. Th is is det­
r imental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumpt ion .
- Always observe environmenta l regu la­
tions when disposing of old eng ine oil,
used brake flu id, dirty engine coo lant,
spent batteries or worn out tires.

228 ~l :..:.: nd ~e ~x :._ ______________________________ _
Introduction ..... ......... ... .... .. 27
Resuming timing .......... ... .... .. 29
Selecting . ................. ..... .. 27
Starting timing .......... .... ...... 27
Switching to the trip computer .. .... .. 28
L aunch Contro l Program
Manual transmission ....... ... .... . . 77
R tronic . ... ................ ..... .. 80
L eather . ...... ........... .... .... . 160
C leaning . .. ............. .... .. .. . 161
leaving home .............. ... .. .. .. 49
Lifting jack .. ................ ..... . 207
Light coming/ leaving home ....... .. .. .. . . 49
Exterior lighting .................... 49
Light/rain sensor Light sensor package .......... .. .... 49
W iper and washer system (intermittent
wiping) .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .. 53
Light/rain sensor defective ........ .. .. 19
Lights Instrument panel illumination .... .. .. 52
switching on and off ........ .. .... .. 49
L ight sensor package ......... .. .. .. . . 49
Loading the luggage compartment .. .... 96
Locking ..................... ..... .. 35
Power locking system ..... .. .. .. .. . . 35
L uggage compartment ...... .. .. .. .. . . 53
Emergency exit ........... .. .. .... . 203
light . ..... ................ ..... .. 53
Loading .... ................ ..... .. 96
M
Maintenance ................. ..... . 219
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) 17, 22
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever ............. .. .... .. 77
Launch Control Program ... .. .. .... .. 77
Matte finish paint .............. .... . 155
Menu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mirror Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Mirrors
Activating the digital compass ........ 57
Adjusting the exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . 5 7
dimming .. .... .. ............. .... . 56
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 120
N
Natural leather .. .. ............. .... 160
New tires and wheels ............ .... 193
NHTSA Contacting . ..... ................ .. 97
No reverse gear .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. .. . 19
Number of seats . .. ............. .... 101
0
Octane rating ..... ................ . 164
Odometer .. .... .. ............. .... . 10
Oil
refer to E ngine oil ................ . 172
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) Data Link Conn ector (DLC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) .... . 22
Open door or front lid warn ing .... .. .. . 21
Optional equipment Marked with an aster isk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Outside mi rrors
refer to Exterior mirrors .... .... .. .. . 57
Outside temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Owner's manual How the Owner's Manual is organized . .. 5
p
Paint
Touch-up ...... .. .......... ...... . 157
Paint No .... .. .. .. ... ...... .... .... 215
Parking on a decline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
on an incline ..... .................. 73
R tronic ....... .. ............. ..... 79
Parking brake . .. .. ............. .. .. . 72
Parking b rake warning ........... .. .. . 13
Parking system advanced ......... ..... 82
Adjusting the display .............. .. 86
Adjusting the warning tones .......... 86
Parallel Parking ............... .... . 85