2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER check engine light

The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mi leage (kilometers) and
time interva ls specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
t hese intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine o il can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs .
Changing the o il at the recommended inter ­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oi l changed, ask your author­
i zed A udi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine o il
should even be changed more frequently .
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, ope ra te the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under s top -and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when yo u use your vehicle whe re
temperatures stay below freezing point for
l ong periods.
D etergen t additives i n the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
Damage or malfunction s due t o lack of
m aintenance
It is essen tial that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
that complies with A udi oil standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
d ue to fai lure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use req uirements as set forth in
t he Audi Owner's Manua l and Warranty
&
Ma intenance book let . Your authorized Aud i
deale r will have to deny warranty coverage un­
l ess you present to the dealer p roof in the
fo rm of Se rvice o r Repair Orde rs t hat all
sched uled main tenance w as performed in a
time ly manner .
Checkin g and fillin g 173
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in ­
te rnal combust io n engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt io n va ries from
engine to engine and may change sig nifican tly
ove r the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in pe riod (see
¢
page 150) consume more oil duri ng the
break-in pe riod than they consume afte r oi l
consumption has stabili zed.
U nder normal cond itions , the rate of oi l con ­
s u mption depends on t he q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RP M (revolut ions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensa tion or fue l residue a nd the oxida­
tion level of the oi l. As any eng ine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, t he oil co nsump­
t ion may incre ase over time until repla cement
of wo rn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es­
t a bl is h ed o r spe cified . There is no alte rnative
to regular an d frequent chec king of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine o il level wa rning symbo l
i n the instrument cluster
Ill lights up, yo u
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 174 . Top off the oil at your ear liest
convenience
¢ page 174.
A WARNING
-Before you check anything in the engine
c o mpartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢
& in Working in the engine
compartment on pag e 169 .
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like-
-
ly to cause severe damage to the engine. Ill>-
•
•

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.
•
•

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.
•
•

~ 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 . ..,. •
•

210 What do I do now?
connected to the battery of another veh icle,
using a pair of jump er cable s to start the en­
g ine.
Both batter ies must be rated at 12 vo lts. The
ca pacity (Ah) of the booster battery must not
be substantially less than the capacity of the
d ischarged battery .
J umper cables
Use
only jumper cables of sufficiently large
cr oss sec tion to safely carry the starter cur­
rent . Re fer to the manu facturer's specifica ­
tions .
Use only jumper cables which have
insulated
termina l clamps and are properly marked for
distinction :
plu s(+) ca ble: in most cases co lored red
minu s(-) ca ble: in most cases colored black
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, ac id, and gas .
Any of these can cause ve ry serious or fatal
injury. Follow the instructions below fo r
safe handl ing of your veh icle's battery.
- Always shield you r eyes and avoid lean­
ing over the batte ry whenever possible.
- A discharged battery can already freeze
a t temperatures just be low 32 ° F (0 °C).
Before connecting a jumper cable, the
frozen battery must be thawed com­
pletely, otherwise it could exp lode .
- Do not a llow battery ac id to contact eyes
or s kin. Fl ush any contacted area w ith
water immediately .
- Improper use o f a booster battery to
start a ve hicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries gene rate explos ive gas ­
es . Keep sparks, flame and lighted ciga ­
rettes away from batteries .
- Do not try to jump s tar t any veh icle with
a low acid level in the battery.
- Th e volt age of the booster battery must
also have a 12-Volt rating . The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery shou ld not be
lower than that of the discharged bat­
tery. Use of batter ies of different voltage or substantially d
iffe rent "Ah" rating
may cause an exp losion and persona l in­
jury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trap­
ped in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has
been frozen . The battery case may have
be weakened .
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or
substantially d ifferent capacity (Ah) rat­
ing may cause an exp losion and injury.
The capac ity (Ah) of the booster battery
should not be lower than that of the dis­
charged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
,=;, page 169, Working in the
engine comportment.
(!) Note
- App lying a higher voltage booster bat ­
tery will cause expens ive damage to sen­
sitive e lectronic components, such as
cont ro l uni ts, relays, rad io, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact be­
tween the vehicles as otherwise cur rent
c o ul d already start to f low as soon as the
positive( +) terminals are connected.
(D Tips
- T he d ischa rged ba ttery m ust be properly
c onnected to the veh icle's e lectr ica l sys ­
t em.
- Switch off any car phone, o r follow the
car phone instructions for th is si tuat ion.

Fuses and bulbs
Electrical fuses
Replacing fuses
Fuses that have blown will have metal strips
that have burned through.
Fig. 163 Passenger's s ide wheel well: Foot rest w ith
fuse arrangement
The fuses are located in the footwell area on
the passenger's side behind a cover.
• Turn off the ignition and the affected e lec­
trical consumers .
• Check the following table to see which fuse
belongs to the consumer.
• Remove the floor mat .
• Fold the foot rest back
¢ fig. 163.
• Remove the clamp from the holder in the
fuse box.
• Remove the fuse using the clamp and re­
place the blown fuse w ith an identical new
one.
• Fo ld the foot rest down again .
A WARNING
Do not repair fuses and never replace a
blown fuse with one that has a higher amp
rating. This can cause damage to the elec­
trical system and a fire.
(D Note
If a new fuse burns out again after shortly
have you have installed it, have the electri­
cal system checked by your authorized Au­
d i dealer.
Fu se s and bulb s 213
@ Tips
-The following table does not list fuse lo­
cations that are not used.
- Some of the equipment items listed are
optional or only available on certain
mode l configurations.
Fuse assignment
Fig. 164 Passenge r footwell: Fuse assignment
Fuse panel @
Con sumer
1 VOA interface
2
3
4
5
Heated windshield washer
nozzle
Parking system
Engine compartment lid re­
lease
Diagnostic interface, light
switch, indicator light
Pa s­
se nger Air Ba g OF F,
selector
lever
6 Networking gateway
Amp s
5
5
5
10
10
5

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