2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

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.
•
•

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>

Winter operation
The cold time of year places a special strain on
the battery, resulting in reduced starting pow­
er. So before the cold weather starts, have the battery inspected and charged as necessary.
A WARNING
-All work on the battery requires technical knowledge. Please contact an authorized
Audi dealer or another authorized facility
for questions about the battery -danger
of acid burns and explosion hazard!
- The battery must not be opened! Do not try to change the battery's liquid level,
otherwise detonating gas will escape
from the battery- explosion hazard!
Working on the battery
®
~
I
@
®
Always wear eye protection.
Battery acid contains sulfuric
acid. Always wear gloves and eye
protection.
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
When a battery is charged, it pro­
duces hydrogen gas which is ex­ plosive and could cause personal
injury.
Always keep the battery well out
of reach of children.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of injury, accident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let
battery acid or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes.
Checking and filling 179
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­
ble.
- Before performing any work on the elec­ trical system, switch off the engine and ignition as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
•
•

180 Checking and filling
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch­ ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -th is could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be rep laced. A dis­
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C).
- Make su re the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat­
t ery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
Dange r of explos ion! A lways rep lace a
damaged batte ry.
& WARNING
C alifornia Propos ition
65 Warning:
- Battery posts, te rm inals and related ac­
c essories cont ain le ad and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to ca use cancer and re produc ­
t ive p roblems . Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do no t disconnect the vehi cle bat tery
when the ignition is switched on or when
t h e engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage e lectronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is go ing to stand for a
l ong period of time witho ut being driven,
protect the battery from "free zing", ot h­
erwise it w ill be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced . Charging the battery
Connec
tions for charging the battery are lo­
cated in the luggage compartment.
F ig . 14 5 Lugg age co mpar tment : ba ttery cove r
Fig. 146 Lu ggage co mpa rtm en t: c onn ecto rs fo r a
c h arger a nd ju mp start c ables
Do not connect the negative c able direct ly to
the negative terminal on the battery . Connect
it to a
jump sta rt p in instead c:, fig . 146 .
.,. Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS c;, .&.
in Working on the battery on page 179 and
¢ .&_ .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical con­
sumers .
.,. Open the luggage compa rtment lid
c:> page37 .
.,. Remove the batte ry cove r c:, fig. 145.
.,. Connec t the terminal clamps from t he
charger to the batte ry te rminal (red = "posi­
tive") and the jump start pin
c:, fig . 146
(black or brown= "negative") as specified .
.,. On ly now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equ ipment into the wa ll outlet and turn
it on .
.,. When the battery is fully cha rged : Turn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the
ma ins lead from the wall out let .
.,. Now remove the cla mps fo r the ch arg ing
equ ipment.

~ Install the battery cover.
~ Close the luggage compartment lid
¢page 37.
When charging at low voltages (e.g . with a
trickle charger ), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. "fast charging", you
must disconnect both cables. In either case,
follow the instructions from the manufacturer
of the charger .
Fastcharging a battery is
dangerous ¢ & in
Working on the battery on page 179 .
It re­
quires special charging equipment and the knowledge to go with it. We recommend hav ­
ing your battery fast charged only by a quali­
fied workshop.
A discharged battery can
freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C) . Allow a frozen bat ­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢ & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma ­
tion and can leak battery acid .
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery.
_& WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery .
It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion , never
connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip­ ment.
Checking and filling 181
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the acid .
@ Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc ., as well
as the battery charger .
(D Tips
-The vehicle battery must not be charged
with a standard small charger that plugs
into the cigarette lighter or outlet .
- Only charge the battery through the con­
nections in the luggage compartment.
Replacing the battery
The new battery mus t have the same specifi­
cations as the old one.
Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent
energy management system for distributing
electricity¢
page 147 . The battery charges
better in vehicles with the energy manage ­
ment system than in vehicles without the sys­
tem . To ensure that the additional power is
available after replacing the battery , replacing
with the same type of battery from the same manufacturer (like the battery that was deliv­
ered with the vehicle) is recommended. An au­
thorized dealer must code the battery in the
energy management control module.
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), current and design and it
must be sealed with plugs. The battery must
conform to the standards TL 825 06 (from
April 2008) and VW 7 SO 73 (from April 2010).
Since the vehicle battery is difficu lt to reach,
we recommend having the battery replaced by
an authori zed Audi RB dealer or other quali-
fied workshop . ..,. •
•

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.